23. Special Reward

Meanwhile.

In the direction leading toward the factory.

Three players, led by "Flat-Head" Lao Guan, were trailing the Resistance forces. As the Resistance unit passed through a ruin, they witnessed a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

"Ugh—!"

"How strange. Do androids even have the urge to vomit?"

"Sorry..."

Zhang Wei, the player with the parted hair, leaned against a wall and wiped his lips. "It’s just... so disgusting."

They had discovered "people" within a building, but with a twist: these people had become fused with the walls themselves. Their heads or parts of their bodies were completely merged into the masonry, with arms and legs dangling from the front and back of the walls. There was not a trace of life left in any of them. It was as if they were born as one with the structure.

The Resistance leader stared at the corpses with unease. "Incredible... they have internal organs..."

"Internal organs?" Xiao You, one of the players, asked, confused.

Lao Guan explained, "Androids are mechanical constructs. They don’t have flesh or internal organs."

"Then they are...?" Xiao You paused. "Ah... are they human?"

"But humans are already extinct," Lao Guan whispered. He dared not let the Resistance soldiers nearby know the truth about humanity's extinction.

If that was the case... who were these humans fused into the walls?

Just then, a tremor shook the area, followed by a loud crash. A massive mechanical lifeform wielding a giant axe burst into the building. Lao Guan, standing closest, found himself facing a machine twice his size. He should have retreated to safety, but paralyzing tension made his legs feel like lead; an invisible pressure seemed to be pinning his shoulders down.

"Don't just stand there!" A Resistance soldier pulled Lao Guan back while simultaneously firing his weapon.

The bullets only sparked against the machine's crude iron shell. The creature, feeling no pain, swung its giant axe at another approaching soldier, cleaving him in two instantly!

"Damn it!"

"Covering fire!"

Amidst the sound of gunfire and shouts, the three players retreated to the rear.

Xiao You pursed her lips and raised her pistol, firing at the gargantuan machine, but her bullets had no effect. The other two male players were even more pathetic; they couldn't even bring themselves to fire. Or rather, as Li Nuo had noted, even if one unlocked the "Long-Range Sniping" specialization, someone living in a peaceful era could not simply aim at a target during a crisis.

"Get out of the way!"

A Resistance fighter charged forward, swinging a stone hammer as large as his own body from behind, knocking the mechanical lifeform off balance.

A rapid swarm tactic followed. Less than a minute later, with the machine self-destructing, the battle against the lone enemy was over.

"I really hope this scenario ends soon..." Zhang Wei’s face was pale.

"I wonder how those other three are doing," Lao Guan said, looking back the way they came.

Zhang Wei replied, "They’re probably dead. They don't have the Resistance with them; how could they possibly survive?"

Xiao You sat to the side, her expression stern and her gaze cold. When no one was watching her, her demeanor seemed like that of a completely different person.

"Xiao You, let’s go."

"Mm-hmm." Xiao You reverted to her usual self and followed the main group.

The Resistance soldier said, "Mark this spot. We’ll need to come back and investigate after we’re done. Everyone, pay attention: ahead is the factory ruins, known as the 'Machine Meat Mountain.' Prepare yourselves for danger."

However, when they arrived at the entrance to the factory ruins, they found countless mechanical lifeform wrecks piled up on the road like garbage.

The story was already unfolding in a way that deviated from the expectations of both the players and the Resistance.

At this point, Zhang Wei could only encourage his two teammates: "Sticking with the NPCs is the optimal strategy. At least for now, with the Resistance here, we are... much safer than those three."

...

"You’re saying you were attacked by a strange creature?"

"Yes! It had wings, it was huge, and it could fly!"

Chen Shou sat on a rock by the side of the road, taking the "rice ball" handed to him by Emil. He never would have imagined that only half an hour into the mission, they would be having a picnic with a hidden boss...

Li Nuo asked how Emil had been knocked over, and the answer the latter gave filled Li Nuo with unease. Huge, and capable of flight.

"A dragon?"

"Hmm... according to the records, a creature called a dragon did indeed exist..." Emil used magic to feed the rice ball into his mouth—Li Nuo was quite curious about how he managed digestion with only a head.

Emil chewed and said, "But I’m not sure. I only know that the thing was very, very big. It fired strange energy cannons that tore up the earth. It was dangerous and terrifying."

"Then... Emil, did you find anything else?" Li Nuo asked.

Emil thought for a moment and said, "The route to my home has disappeared. Also, near the large shopping mall on the other side of the drawbridge, many strange buildings have appeared."

"An unexpected development," Margie remarked, looking around.

Emil hopped, and rice grains spilled from his mouth. "Yes, it’s very strange. I saw very odd creatures at the drawbridge. They looked like goats walking upright."

I see... Li Nuo mostly understood now. Many strange things had intruded into the world of NieR.

"Emil, can you teach me the magic you know?"

"I’m sorry... I don’t know the origin of this magic either..."

This answer was within Li Nuo’s expectations. Emil’s memory was already fragmented; he could not easily recall things from the past. If one were to forcibly unlock his memories, it might cause this hidden boss to go berserk.

"Oh, right, a lady with short white hair also asked the same question as you," Emil suddenly said.

"White... short hair..." Li Nuo was stunned.

"She was the first customer since my shop opened. But she went toward the drawbridge. It might be dangerous there. Could you... could you please check on her safety?" Emil’s voice grew weaker, tinged with a subtle, barely perceptible shame: "I don’t dare to go there..."

[Side Quest Triggered]
[Leather Boots, Short White Hair, and an Eyepatch]
[Quest Level: lv14]
[Quest Rewards: 1500 EXP, Random Card]

Just as the quest notification arrived, the sound of a mechanical lifeform suddenly came from behind them.

A mechanical lifeform twice the size of a human, holding a giant axe, emerged from behind a corner in the ruins. Its button-like eyes glowed red, staring at Li Nuo and the others.

Li Nuo picked up the mask Emil had given him.

[Emil’s Mask]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Equipment Requirement: Insight 10]
[Effect: Can view the individual abilities of a single enemy. If the target’s level is too high, only one or two ability values can be viewed. Can be used six times per scenario.]
[Note: Data display methods for special characters differ from ordinary targets.]
[Description: Very suitable for wearing in a mental hospital.]

He put on the mask and said to Emil and Chen Shou, "Don't panic."

[Forest Kingdom Bipedal Medium-Sized Mechanical Lifeform (Injured)]
[Danger Level: F (lv7~lv15)]
[Skill: Axe Swing]

Li Nuo tapped the slightly deranged-looking mask and said to Emil, "You go first. We’ll cover you."

Emil was startled. "But... that machine is very dangerous!"

*You are more dangerous than it is.*

Li Nuo smiled. "Aren't we friends?"

*Holy crap!* Chen Shou suppressed the urge to retort. That was so cringeworthy!

However, as a game character from a Japanese studio, Emil was very susceptible to this. The warmth of a "friend" standing in front of him during a moment of danger moved him.

He was actually crying...

Li Nuo suddenly shouted, "Hurry, Emil! Don’t forget to bring that Resistance soldier we saved back to the barracks on the way! Drive our 'three-wheeler' back; that will be more convincing!"

*A devil...* Chen Shou took out his slingshot, subconsciously forcing himself not to listen or think.

He could tell from Li Nuo’s calm, posturing demeanor that this medium-sized mechanical lifeform in front of them wasn't strong at all...

Without realizing it, Chen Shou had grown accustomed to Li Nuo.

Emil thanked them with tears of gratitude, then jumped onto the three-wheeler, and using some unknown method... simply drove away.

[Side Quest: Help Emil]
[Special Reward: Blueprint for Emil’s Shop Cart, 4000 EXP, 300 Gold Coins]
[Blueprint has been sent to your inventory]

Li Nuo looked back at the approaching mechanical lifeform.

[Leveled up to lv11]

"Slim, stop aiming at it. This guy doesn't have any rewards."

Chen Shou lowered his slingshot. "So, what now?"

Li Nuo hoisted his pack and ran toward the small blue iron cart Emil had left behind, where Margie was already waiting.

"Onward~"