31. Pre-war Preparations

"So... it was you?" A woman stepped out from the crowd. She was Vice Captain Ram, the Resistance soldier who had first greeted Li Nuo and his group.

"It's them!" Emil said.

Li Nuo muttered to himself, thinking it sounded as if they had just caught a group of vagrants. Recalling the frailty he felt during his illness, he mimicked that persona and said, "Apologies. The leader should be at the factory, but we were attacked. We couldn't contact the Bunker, there’s no signal, so we had to return to talk to everyone..."

Ram suddenly shouted to those behind her, "Squad Three, gather and prepare!"

"Understood!"

With fewer than 20 Resistance members left—only 11 fit for combat after excluding logistics personnel—they still showed no fear upon hearing that their leader was at the factory.

In *NieR:Automata*, each of the three organizations has a corresponding emblem. The emblem for YoRHa and the human side features a closed eye, representing the inability to see or speak the truth. Only the Resistance emblem features an open eye. The Resistance sees the truth of this world more clearly than any other life form; they are unconstrained in their pursuit of the truth. They are also closer to the original masters of this world: humanity.

Emotions that should not exist in androids have long been buried within the mechanical structures of the Resistance. They feel fear, yet they cling to one another to resist when facing danger. This is one of the essences of humanity. Ten millennia after the extinction of mankind, they represent a fragment of the true human will remaining on Earth. Especially now, with the Bunker unreachable and no orders from above, the Resistance is slowly awakening a dormant, century-old desire for exploration in the face of this rapidly changing and more dangerous world.

As Li Nuo considered all this, he suddenly realized: Why did the system make the player's starting unit the Resistance? Why is the new main questline related to the hidden truths of the world? Does the system want the players to explore the world?

The truth... As players from the "real world," they should have known the truth long ago: humanity went extinct around 4200 AD. The high command of the human army—composed of androids—fabricated the "YoRHa Project," lying that humans still existed, and continuously sent androids to fight the machine lifeforms on Earth. And then... that seemed to be it.

What, then, is the hidden truth of the world?

Li Nuo touched his chin instinctively, but his train of thought was interrupted.

"Thank you." Ram gestured to her side, and maintenance personnel approached, ready to take Li Nuo and Marjie away.

"Wait." Marjie coughed, feigning injury. "We came to inform you, not to stand still. We will head to the factory area first to leave behind more meaningful information for everyone."

"But what about your bodies?"

"The body is but a shell. As long as the spirit remains, any thorn can be trampled underfoot."

After Marjie finished speaking, Li Nuo felt his molars ache. Was this guy immune to shame?

At that moment, the Resistance members stood there, silence permeating the air.

"Everyone! Did you hear that!"

"Understood!!"

The sudden, fervent reaction of the Resistance left Li Nuo stunned...

"Since you insist on going, take these relief supplies, along with some ammunition and backup firearms." The head of maintenance handed over a sack.

Marjie took it and let out a light, cold snort.

Li Nuo was rendered speechless. However, he had to admit, Marjie’s "chuunibyou" persona fit the style of Japanese games perfectly.

"I won't go... I'll only cause trouble..." Emil said, hiding to the side.

Li Nuo nodded with a smile. This hidden boss had no idea how powerful he was... Besides, it was better that Emil didn't come. His attacks were wide-range; in the cramped interior of the factory, if he went berserk, it wouldn't be good for their allies.

"We need a moment to prepare. We'll set off in about twenty minutes," Ram told them. "Regardless, thank you for saving that wounded man."

...

For Chen Shou, the chance to be alone in a vehicle with a beauty like 2B was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—a dream he couldn't have imagined even if he were beaten to death. However... this chubby guy was far too shy when interacting with the opposite sex. In the nearly ten minutes Li Nuo and Marjie had been inside, not a single conversation had occurred.

"Miss... Miss 2B..." Chen Shou summoned his courage; he had to say something to alleviate the awkwardness.

"Hm?" 2B tilted her head, looking at him in confusion.

"The... the... weather..."

"They're coming out," 2B said, looking toward the camp entrance.

Li Nuo and Marjie walked in front, followed by a group of Resistance soldiers seeing them off. The spectacle was like a funeral procession. The two turned to wave, shook hands with a few soldiers to show friendliness, and then, under a sea of intense, worshipful gazes, they led four Resistance members toward the vending truck.

Watching this friendly and intimate scene, Chen Shou couldn't control his words: "My [beep]—, this [beep—beep—beep]."

Li Nuo brought Ram over and pointed to the unconscious Resistance soldier, Raul, lying in the back of the truck. "There, it's him."

Ram and the soldiers behind her were dumbfounded. You rescue people, and it’s a "buy one, get one free" deal?

"How... how can I thank you?" Ram asked.

Li Nuo opened his quest panel. 1 hour, 35 minutes, and 12 seconds remaining.

"Time is tight. Do you have any good life-saving chips or equipment?"

"We do have some." Ram took a chip from her own body. Before handing it to Li Nuo, she asked, "May I have your names?"

Li Nuo: "Taki Tachibana."

Marjie: "Mitsuha Miyamizu."

Chen Shou couldn't help but shout, "To hell with your names!"

A girl with a ponytail looked at Chen Shou and asked, "Is this person named 'To hell with your names'?"

Chen Shou gave up, covering his fleshy face and nodding. Whatever...

The Resistance members looked at 2B. Without needing to say anything, her appearance made it clear she was a combat android from YoRHa. The soldiers began to imagine things: Resistance members working with YoRHa... They looked at Li Nuo and Marjie. Although the two hadn't said a word, the soldiers' gazes had changed, becoming even more... devout...

"Hey, I have something for you too!" A rugged-looking male Resistance soldier walked over and handed Li Nuo a bag of food. The first batch of combat androids to descend to the surface had a clear mission: base construction and logistics support, even though androids didn't strictly need food.

"But eating human food gives a sense of existence, like living like a human. It's beneficial for combat."

"Thank you."

...

After the Resistance members returned, Li Nuo and the others found a relatively safe spot. In the camp, he had also asked for some discarded tin cans and nails.

In a wasteland, materials were the least of their worries. Although the quality was poor, they were sufficient for making simple improvised grenades. If not for the limited time, Li Nuo would have considered stripping some wrecked cars to try and make homemade firearms.

Using the [Bomber's Ash] found on the corpses of the Bomber monsters, he and Marjie crafted several cans of fragmentation grenades.

In Li Nuo's view, the internet was the second greatest invention in human society, second only to air conditioning. All wisdom was recorded in the invisible, intangible network. Class, status, identity, and education were no longer barriers to acquiring knowledge. As long as you had the will, it wasn't difficult to become an elite in any field through the internet; most people just didn't do it because it required time.

Li Nuo, however, had plenty of time.

Pain brought him suffering many times greater than that of an ordinary person, but it also brought him more leisure time. Through online knowledge, learning to make fragmentation grenades wasn't... that difficult.

What surprised him was that [Bomber's Ash] could replace glycerin and sugar, and a single batch could make two cans of fragmentation grenades.

Li Nuo picked up a grenade, examining it. "Did we waste the good materials?"

"If we don't do it now, we might not have the chance later." Marjie picked up a piece of twine and tied it to the can to keep it from detonating prematurely.

"What are those two doing?" 2B, ever curious about the world like an unweaned infant, asked.

Chen Shou scratched his cheek. "I also want to know what they're actually doing..."

Li Nuo tossed a grenade can with a fuse to Chen Shou, who caught it nervously.

"Brother Shou, keep one of these too. Be careful, it will explode if it receives an external impact."

"Li Nuo... what exactly is wrong with you guys?" Chen Shou frowned. "What normal person makes homemade grenades?"

"Use the internet more," Li Nuo replied simply.

Chen Shou was half-confused.

Marjie added, "Read the materials thoroughly, use your imagination, and establish your own practical skills. None of this is too difficult."

"Even if you say that..."

Li Nuo smiled. "You work in creative fields, right? Move your brain and expand your thinking, and many things become very simple."

Chen Shou was startled. "How did you know I was..."

"The initial weapons in the new player screening match the player's cause of death or their pre-death labels. If I had to decide your label, Brother Shou, it would be 'physique,' but that slingshot of yours that fires Angry Birds represents a trait from your life, like your job." Li Nuo poured marbles into the last can and continued, "You're likely 'flabby,' and your work took up over ninety percent of your life, leading to the label of 'creativity'."

Chen Shou was stunned. He asked with a trembling cheek, "Then... you and Brother Ma..."

Li Nuo held up his finger, showing the [Red Tearstone Ring]. "Patients."

Marjie snorted and said nothing.

Patients? They were actually patients?

Li Nuo always stated unbelievable truths in a normal tone, which left Chen Shou half-confused and unable to let his guard down. But Chen Shou had to admit one thing: Li Nuo knew how to maximize the use of supplies. In this scenario, the supplies Li Nuo had scavenged were several times higher than those of players at the same level.

Chen Shou had been through two scenarios, and in each, the players only thought about clearing the main quest; no one ever explored the hidden things in the world. It was like playing a game. The things that guide you through the plot help you clear the game. But to get a better experience with better supplies, you have to take the side paths.

That was exactly what Li Nuo was doing. But the problem remained: there was only one Li Nuo. If the six people entering the scenario were five Li Nuos and one Marjie, they would tear this world apart searching for better loot.

As the players spoke, 2B stood by, blank-faced because she couldn't understand them. She tried to contact the Bunker, but there was still no response. Signal interruptions were rare; there were twelve space stations in orbit, and the signal covered almost every corner of Earth. Even in the Kingdom of Night, there were YoRHa combat frontlines.

Could something have happened to headquarters? 2B felt a flicker of unease.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions, but was drawn to the aroma drifting from the bag next to Li Nuo.