A.C.P.U.! FREEZE!

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## A.C.P.U.! FREEZE!

* Splash art
* Logo

### Event End

November 1st 23:59:59 (UTC+9)

**A.C.P.U.! FREEZE!** is the 21st story event in *Goddess of Victory: Nikke.*

The event takes place during Halloween and follows the story of Quiry, who must track down a culprit who produce suspicious candies.

## Synopsis

Halloween has arrived in the Ark, and A.C.P.U. has requested the protagonist's assistance to keep order for the upcoming festivities.

What was supposed to be an ordinary patrol spirals out of control when they catch wind of a mysterious candy that destroys one's tastebuds...

## Story

### Prologue - Joyful Halloween Preparation

In an unknown part of the Ark, a TV broadcast excitedly reports on the Halloween festivities brewing across the city, putting special attention on the Candy Ghost Party. Set to happen from the eve of October 30 late into the night, the event will entail participants clearing tasks to receive special candy. And to the person who collects the most...

Meanwhile, a mysterious figure chortles over their finished candies, claiming that they'll play tricks to those who don't give out any treats. They cackle as they begin preparing the candy to be handed out...

### Halloween Patrol Duty

At the Outpost, the protagonist muses to himself how he'll need to keep a cool head as spirits run high for the Halloween season. Anis and Neon are much more excited, with the former claiming they need to go the Ark to make the most of the festive mood while the latter proposes dressing in costume and decorating the Outpost. Strangely enough, Rapi is nowhere to be found...

As if summoned, the Counters leader steps into the Commander's Room with Poli of A.C.P.U. in tow. The police ~~dog~~ officer has come to ask a favor of the squad, requesting they act as backup. Due to the heavy crowds, the authorities have found themselves short-staffed trying to keep order in every part of the city. Anis and Neon are less than enthused to hear they won't have time to enjoy the festivities while on patrol, but are mollified when Poli promises that they only need to patrol a few areas specified by the police. While Anis and Neon needle Rapi over her poor affinity with horror, the protagonist asks where exactly Counters is needed. Poli explains that she can tell them better if they follow her to the Police Station...

At the station, Miranda and new recruit Quiry greet the newly-arrived commander and Counters. Anis quips that Quiry's infamous eyesight (or lack thereof) is already rearing its ugly head, as Quiry turned to speak to a *computer monitor'.' Fortunately, Counters seems to take Quiry's poor vision in stride, and simply accepts it as another thing they'll have to live with.*

With introductions out of the way, Poli begins the briefing. There are five big events across the Ark for Halloween. Of them, the Candy Ghost Party, which uses all of Central Park and the surrounding roads, is expected to have the biggest turnout. While the police have enough personnel to handle crowd control, they're undermanned when it comes to accident response crews. Quiry assures that despite the duty of "accident response," the worst Counters might have to deal with is some overly rambunctious partygoers. Poli also explains that A.C.P.U. and Counters will be split into mixed teams on the day of the event, as if any actual criminal incidents happen, neither the protagonist nor his squad are authorized to subdue or arrest criminals.

With the briefing over, Anis suggests they go shopping so they can get candy to hand out during their patrol. Rapi ~~chickens out~~ declines the invitation, leaving an opening for Quiry to squeeze herself in. The visually-impaired recruit is eager to rub shoulders with Counters, who seem nice and have yet to form any judgements about her disability. Poli sees no issue with it as A.C.P.U. has already finished their preparations for the event. Thus the group of the protagonist, Anis, Neon, and Quiry heads to the mall.

### Halloween Shopping

The mall is even more crowded than ever, thanks to the various sellers and purveyors offering all manner of seasonal spooky wares. While Anis and Neon are all over the festive merchandise, the protagonist asks Quiry if she's not a fan, given how she's been cowering behind him the whole time.

The recruit explains that it's more because her bad eyesight means she can't really make out what objects are, not helped by her poor affinity with loud noises and horror's typical audio accompaniment. She assures however that it's not because she's overly scared. As much as horror isn't her thing, Quiry loves nothing more than to see people being happy and enjoying themselves. Plus having Counters around ensures she won't get lost.

As the group heads deeper into the mall, the protagonist hears a familiar voice shouting about a suspicious store. Said voice turns out to be Novel, the ~~self-proclaimed~~ ace detective of Protocol. As the group notices and takes a closer look, Novel proclaims that she has stumbled upon a "crime scene," gesturing to the area filled with ~~fake~~ bloodstains and ~~artificial~~ dismembered limbs. The protagonist tries to tell her that this store is simply selling Halloween props, as the clerk insists, but Novel insists that it's a coverup for a murder.

With Anis and Neon prodding the limbs, and the clerk offering one out, Novel pokes and feels the limb all over to reveal...it's a prop. The ~~self-proclaimed~~ detective is about ready to move to the next store, which exasperates Anis to no end. It's Halloween right now, so isn't it obvious that many stores would have merchandise and themes evoking horrific images of ~~fake~~ gore? Novel admits such is the case, but by the same token, it would serve the perfect smokescreen for someone to commit *real* carnage.

Quiry decides now is the time to introduce herself and allay Novel's worries...only to end up introducing herself to the clerk instead. While Anis and Neon restrain their mirth at Quiry's goof, the police recruit gets into a debate with Novel, who asserts that her detective instincts are telling her *something* will happen during Halloween. The conversation segues into Protocol's plans for the holiday, which are Exia holding a party and Novel helping out. Quiry decides that if Novel has nothing else to do, she can join them on their Halloween patrol to make sure nothing bad happens. The ace(?) detective jumps on the opportunity to find and nab some criminals, and rushes off to do her own preparations. Noting that they've yet to buy any candy, the group carries on with their shopping.

As the group nears a candy shop, Quiry is startled by the sudden appearance of Drake, the ~~self-proclaimed~~ villain of Matis. The evil(?) mastermind(?) announces she has the most diabolical scheme in the making, setting Quiry on edge until the protagonist's quick thinking reveals the plan in question. She's going to give the children scary candy, but not so scary that they cry, children should be smiling on Halloween, after all. No, Drake will give the children of the Ark the most terrifying, bone-chilling candy she can think of; a candy bearing her own visage, the face of the greatest(?) of villains!

After hearing Drake's nefarious(?) plans, Anis ponders if the children would cry because of Drake's face on the candy being too scary. In response, Drake makes an indignant expression...before wheeling on the clerk and ordering 20 bags of cute animal-shaped candies. She proclaims that she must spread her name as a villain(?) to all corners of the Ark, and to do that, she must give out as much Halloween candy as possible. Seeing the brand of "evil" Drake gets up to, Quiry is convinced that if nothing else, the Matis Nikke is simply getting into the Halloween spirit like most other people. After yet another moment where Quiry's poor vision derails a conversation, Drake gets her candy and runs off cackling.

Pondering on how many people they know, the group buys their candy and steps out, with the protagonist offering Quriy a lollipop as thanks for accompanying them. With the shopping all done, Counters bids Quiry goodbye to prepare for the Halloween patrol.

### Patrol Duty Starts

October 30, 3:00 PM. Counters and A.C.P.U. convene in the park to go over the patrol details. The Candy Ghost Party will go from tonight to early tomorrow morning, with the biggest crowds expected between 7 and 10 PM. The team lineup were decided beforehand, and are as follows; Team 1 will consist of Quiry and the protagonist. Team 2 will be Anis and Poli, while Rapi, Neon, and Miranda will form Team 3.

No one has any objections to this arrangement, though Neon is curious as to why Team 3 has three people in it. Poli explains that Team 1 is an easy choice, since the protagonist is the only person Quiry can distinguish easily. Rapi is primarily there to help keep Miranda in check, and Neon is...kind of just an interesting addition. With Neon's question settled, Poli continues the briefing.

Central Park is divided into four areas during the Candy Ghost Party; Main Zone, Horror Zone, Dessert Zone, and Game Zone. As the Main Zone is already handled by A.C.P.U. personnel, that leaves the rest to be split among them. Team 1 will take the Horror Zone, Team 2 the Dessert Zone, and Team 3 the Game Zone. Anis is excited to head to the Dessert Zone, given Poli's concession that everyone's allowed to partake in the festivities while no incidents occur. Neon and Miranda are eager to check out the Game Zone, though Quiry seems a tad uneasy at being assigned the Horror Zone. Despite the protagonist's concern, Quiry is confident that the frights will be kept to a family-friendly level given the number of children attending the event.

As the teams disperse to their respective patrols, Rapi stops to remind the protagonist that despite the security overseeing this event, he should still be ready to run if anything truly dangerous crops up. Quiry confidently assures that she'll keep him safe as they carry on.

Dessert Zone, 4PM. Anis is marveling at the sheer amount of sweets and sugary décor on display, requiring Poli to keep her in line like a hyperactive child. Besides, all this stuff like the (fake) chocolate river is just peanuts compared to the *real* centerpiece of the zone. At those words, Poli gestures towards a life-sized gingerbread house.

Excitedly, Anis dashes over to see just how real it all is, with Poli commenting that this house was made based on the fairytale it was featured in. Anis wonders if that means she'll find a witch inside who'll fatten her up on sweets, but unfortunately, the house isn't open yet. With a sigh, Anis decides to check back later and returns to the patrol.

Game Zone, same time. Neon is marveling over all kinds of seasonal games, but as Rapi notes, none of them are ready to play yet. Miranda briefly gets worked up as Pumpkin Smasher uses a gun to shoot pumpkins, wanting to safety check it despite the gun being a toy. The officer dashes off despite Neon and Rapi's calls, and the two sigh and follow along.

At the Pumpkin Smasher stand, Miranda asks the clerk for the guns so she can inspect them. The clerk is willing to comply, as she wanted to do one last safety check before the party begins. At the clerk and Neon's insistence, Miranda decides to ~~play the game~~ test the guns for safety. Rapi becomes exasperated as Miranda and Neon become engrossed in shooting pumpkins instead of patrolling...

Horror Zone, same time. The wind howling as it blows through the dingy alley sends a chill down Team 1's spines. Between the artificial cobwebs, leaf-strewn ground, and the thick mists roiling at foot level, the staff have done a remarkable job setting a creepy atmosphere.

It's a little more intense than expected, but based on the pamphlet they have, Quiry is confident things won't be worse than spooky air and a few ghosts. Then the protagonist notices a disclaimer at the bottom of the pamphlet. It reads that the Horror Zone's scares may be of a higher level than the rest of the party, and that children, pregnant women, and people with heart conditions should **not** enter. Despite the impending sense of doom she feels, Quiry is still intent on completing this patrol, the protagonist's presence filling her with a sense of confidence.

Then the two hear a female voice calling to them, and Quiry screams like a little girl...

### The Costumed Woman

Horror Zone, 4:20 PM. The costumed woman apologizes for the scare, and hands over a basket of candies to Quiry. Partly an apology, partly her way of thanking the police officers who're working tirelessly to make sure Halloween remains safe and fun for everyone. Accepting the candies with a smile, Quiry trades some of her own candies so the lady can share them with others.

As the woman departs, Quiry still has a smile on her face from meeting such a nice person. Yet the protagonist can't quite shake a feeling of uncertainty. How was Quiry able to tell the woman was costumed given her poor eyesight? The recruit stops and realizes that for *some* reason, that woman and her candies were completely visible to her. Not to the same clarity as with the protagonist, but still better than most other people she "sees."..

Quiry decides that it was a nifty coincidence to find another person she could see clearly, and the duo carries on so they can patrol and hand out their candy. Then another figure pops up and Quiry starts screaming again...

### Candy

Horror Zone, 4:40 PM. Quiry and the protagonist bump into Drake. After a moment of awkward silence and comedy, the protagonist asks Drake what she's doing here. The ~~self-proclaimed~~ villain declares that she's waiting for passing children to hand out candy to. However, her plan has hit a snag since no children have shown up at all. Quiry checks the time and notes that there is still *one whole hour* until the Zones are officially open, so of course there aren't going to be any children yet. Drake shrugs at the blunder, concedes that *maybe* this Zone would be too much for the children, and moves elsewhere for her "diabolical" scheme. Quiry and the protagonist trade candy with the villain(?) before they go their separate ways. The two then hear a couple chatting off in the distance, and get back on patrol for when the party begins.

Game Zone, 5:30 PM. Despite the event not starting yet, the Zone is already filling up with anticipating guests. Team 3 notices a crowd nearby and Miranda once again rushes ahead of everyone to investigate...

Said crowd is a result of Drake, who relocated to this Zone to hand out "villain" candy. After a moment where the villain(?) mistakes the team for people cosplaying, she reveals her scheme to spread her infamy with candy, giving one to Miranda at the latter's behest. She finds it delicious, but when Neon takes one, she *retches* and spits it out...

Game Zone, 5:50 PM. Miranda is checking Neon's condition. She's fine, but everyone is confused at how Miranda could find Drake's candy tasty while Neon found it horrible. After all, it was the same candy Drake got from the store yesterday...

Amidst this befuddlement, Novel steps in, dressed in a nurse costume for Halloween. The ~~self-proclaimed~~ detective declares that the smell of mystery is in the air...by which she means death by poisoning. Neon protests at how she's being killed off, only for Novel to carry on and ~~coerce~~ ask Drake for one of the candies. After a cursory inspection of the shape and smell, Novel licks the candy and finds it...delicious?

Neon gets increasingly incensed at how only she seems to have been shafted on good candy. She tries to tell Rapi to try one, but the Counters leader noticed a small detail. The candies Drake gave Miranda and Novel were the animal-shaped ones she bought, but Neon's was a *round* candy instead. She asks what's going on, and Drake reveals that candy was given to her by a "police officer who's blind as a bat." Rapi immediately pegs it as Quiry, who apparently got it from a park employee. Intrigued, Novel tries one of the round candies herself...and immediately spits it out.

The mood becomes tense as Novel and Team 3 realize something. Those awful-tasting candies must have been mixed into the ones Drake was handing out in the park, and Quiry likely still has some in her possession. If these candies are allowed to spread, Novel claims the victim count will only rise. Which sounds inconvenient at worst until the ace(?) detective reveals a terrible fact; these candies have the power to *destroy one's sense of taste'.' Miranda is about to contact Poli and notify her of the situation, which Rapi sees as an overreaction, though she acquiesces once she's reminded of something. The fact that* the protagonist*,* their commander*, is* with Quiry right now'.' The same Quiry who *possesses* and is presumably *distributing* these calamitous candies.

### Suspicious Candy

Dessert Zone, 6:20 PM. Anis and Poli are smiling as they see and hear all sorts of people, children and adults alike, enjoying the festivities and the candy. It's all well and good until they hear a woman shouting about how some candy made her child sick, and they move to investigate.

Try as the clerk might to deescalate, the woman isn't having any of the explanations. Poli comes up and asks what's going on, before deciding to step inside the store and check the scene.

The inside of the store seems largely innocuous, though the customer notices something odd. The employee in the ghost costume and witch hat, who gave her child the bad candy. She's nowhere to be found. The explanation only confuses the clerk further, as no Dessert Zone employees should be in costume to ensure a family-friendly atmosphere.

While Poli and Anis are trying to make sense of this, Miranda frantically calls them about the tainted candies Quiry's been handing out. In response, Poli provides Miranda with new orders; Contact Quiry immediately, tell her to cease distribution of the candy. She is **not** under **any circumstances** to try the candy herself. All teams are to then report to the Dessert Zone to coordinate efforts to track down the culprit and assist victims.

When the call ends, Poli orders the clerk to get the Dessert Zone to cease all distribution and sales of candy until the culprit is caught. Ideally, the park would be evacuated, but since that'd provide the perpetrator a chance to escape, they'll have to settle for damage control. With a plan of action set, Poli questions the customer on a description of this costumed woman...

Horror Zone, 6:30 PM. Quiry has just finished handing out the last of the candies she was given, save two she kept for herself and the protagonist. With how hard they've been working, a quick shot of sugar might be just the thing they need to carry them through this patrol. The protagonist opens up a candy, and...

A bitter taste and foul odor spreads all throughout his mouth, prompting the commander to spit the candy and start hacking up a storm. Just as Quiry is about to confirm the taste herself, Miranda calls them to warn them about the tainted candy. The sudden scare from the call causes the candy to slip from Quiry's fingers, but worse still is the shock she receives upon learning the candies *she* handed out are causing such a problem for everyone. The protagonist snaps Quiry out of her self-reproach so they can run to the Dessert Zone for damage control...after stopping the latter from running in the wrong direction.

### Freeze! A.C.P.U.!

Dessert Zone, 6:50 PM. All three teams have convened to get to the bottom of this incident. Try as he might, the protagonist can't hide the fact that he ate the candy. After Poli snaps Quiry out of another self-blaming fugue, the police ~~dog~~ officer explains she has a plan to make sure no more victims occur from the tainted candy.

As the protagonist asks what the plan is, an announcement comes over the PA system. Drake and Novel are going to run around confiscating any candy they find, and patrons are advised to hide their candy somewhere safe. The guests are confused at the sudden announcement, but are more focused on hiding away their candy. It's the best plan A.C.P.U. could come up with, since they don't know who's in possession of the bad candy or even who's eaten them. Thus, by holding an "event" like this, they can stop the guests from carelessly munching on their candy while keeping panic to a minimum.

With the citizens handled, now they have to figure out how to catch the culprit of this confection calamity. Questioning the people around didn't help, since the description Poli got was different from the person who gave Quiry her candies. Worst case scenario, this could be a professional using disguises or even *multiple* bad actors working in tandem. The group debates on whether to split up to check the security cameras while sweeping the park, until the protagonist remembers one key detail. Quiry was able to clearly see the costumed woman and her candies despite the Nikke's disability.

The plan is a welcome alternative for Poli, who would have to sink hours poring over all the camera feeds. She also comments that as far as situations that arise from Quiry's blindness go, this is far from the worst, citing an incident where the recruit blew up a supply crate mistaking it for a Rapture, of all things. Remembering how the recruit handled *that* incident, Poli reminds Quiry that as good as it is that she feels bad about causing a problem like this, the more important part is to find a solution to it. With Quiry figuratively rolling up her sleeves, the team sets on the trail of the culprit...

Dessert Zone, 7:00 PM. Quiry notices some candies on the ground, forming a trail that leads to the gingerbread house. While Counters marvels over Quiry's selective perception, Poli has a bad feeling about this. The fact that the woman handed Quiry these candies, then made a trail leading straight to the gingerbread house. It practically stinks of a plan. On that note, A.C.P.U. asks the protagonist and Counters to stand back and let them take over for this. Despite the protagonist's insistence on helping, A.C.P.U. insists this is their duty as officers of the law, so he relents.

A.C.P.U. advances slowly and steadily through the gingerbread house, guided by a trail of candies only Quiry can see. The trail seemingly stops at a wall, but a quick inspection reveals a hidden passageway, dotted with more candy. Steeling themselves and counting to three, A.C.P.U. prepares to breach...

The squad slams into the room with weapons at the ready, coming into...a kitchen? The room is filled with all manner of cakes and candies, and standing in the center is a woman in a cooking apron who congratulates them on finding this secret room. Given how Quiry is able to clearly see this figure, it would imply this is the one who gave her the bad candy. With that in mind, they interrogate the woman for details, but it would seem there's been a slight misunderstanding. Despite Novel's assertation, these candies *do not* have the ability to destroy one's sense of taste. The woman admits she made the candies, but they were all defects that didn't turn out the way she wanted.

As for why there was a candy trail leading here, it was...so that the children attending the party could follow it and have some fun finding a "secret area." Wheeling back to the reason why bad candies were being handed out, it was apparently to add an element of chance. After all, children these days love the idea of ~~rolling the gacha~~ "taking a risk" in certain things. A.C.P.U. comes to the conclusion that, between the woman's noticeable fondness of children and the context of her actions, this incident was less malice and more mischief. Of course, they still have to decide what to do with her now that they know...

Poli reports to the protagonist that in the end, they decided to hand the woman over to another member of the staff. However well-intentioned and/or harmless her actions have been, the fact is she misappropriated a public warehouse for personal ends. Nonetheless, the staff will decide what happens, so A.C.P.U. is considering the matter settled.

The group chatter over how awful the candy was for those who ate it, and how Miranda and Novel were completely off the mark on their hypotheses. The ~~fake~~ detective protests that there *must* be another criminal on the loose, but backs down when Poli growls at her ~~like an angry dog~~ menacingly.

As the protagonist thanks an exhausted Poli for doing the work, the police ~~dog~~ officer instead credits Quiry with the MVP. Sure, this case might not have been as big as it was made out to be, but that doesn't change the fact that the recruit helped a lot to solve this quickly. Overcome with joy and compliments from those around her, Quiry breaks into a huge smile as she pledges to keep doing her best as a police officer.

While the case of the bad candy might've been solved, that doesn't mean they can just call it a day. The teams all disperse to their assigned zones, and the Halloween festivities carry on without a hitch...

### Hard Mode Epilogue - Meanwhile, Drake...

Dessert Zone, 9:00 PM. Drake is in full swing for the candy confiscation "event," save for just one *tiny* problem. The staff already announced that the "event" is over, as the child Drake is "terrorizing" tells her. Believing the child to be a liar, Drake decides to dish out punishment...by giving a villain candy. When the child becomes confused, Drake elaborates on her diabolical(?) scheme; by giving the child but one single villain candy more tasty and delicious than any other sweet, she will completely ruin them for life, as they become tormented by a yearning for a sweetness they can never experience again! The child is still confused, but accepts the candy, thanks Drake, and runs off.

Having committed a successful(?) evil(?) deed, Drake ponders on where everyone has gone, then decides to keep up the candy confiscation "event" until she's told otherwise. The ~~self-proclaimed~~ villain then spies a woman passing by, and decides to keep up her candy-stealing shenanigans with an evil(?) laugh and a demand for candy...

## Gameplay

Event Tickets (Police Lights) are spent to play stages and earn event currency (Handcuffs), which can be traded in the shop for rewards. Police Lights regenerate to a maximum of 5 per day, and more can be purchased in the shop for Gems.

### Challenge Mode

Spend Challenge Chips to play high-difficulty battles against Storm Bringer. Chips regenerate at a rate of 1 per day, to a maximum of 3

### Challenge Missions

A series of one-time missions that offer additional Handcuffs for clearing stages. Clearing 12 challenges nets the CG "Freeze! It's the A.C.P.U.!" to decorate the Lobby, plus one Memory Film to unlock an event via the Archives.

## List of Bonus Nikkes

Complete stages using the following Nikkes for a chance to earn additional Handcuffs. Bonus stacks at 100%

## Version Updates

### Recruit Update

#### New SSR Nikke: Quiry

SSR Nikke Quiry will be on rate-up in the Special Recruit during the event. Molds to directly purchase her will also be available in the Shop for 200 Gold Mileage Tickets.

Once the events ends, Quiry will be added to the Standard Recruit pool in a later update.

### Archives Update

The event Bow-Wow Paradise is now available to unlock via the Archives system

### 7-day Login Event

Additional rewards will be offered with every login for up to 7 days to celebrate the version update.

\*Remember that the 21-day login event from Dazzling Cupid is still active during this event.

### Full Burst Day

Duration: 5:00:00, October 28, 2023 to 4:59:59, October 30, 2023 (UTC+9)

During Full Burst Day, all Simulation Room and Interception rewards will be doubled.

### Halloween Update

The Outpost will be visually altered for the Halloween season

### Union Raid

Duration: 12:00:00, October 25, 2023 to 4:59:59, November 1, 2023 (UTC+9)

Unions of Level 3 or higher can participate in the Union Raid starting October 25. Note that Unions members cannot leave or be kicked from Unions while the Raid is active

### Coordinated Operation

Duration: 12:00:00, October 20, 2023 to 23:59:59, October 22, 2023 (UTC+9)

Form teams of 5 with other players to take on the boss Alteisen P.S.I.D. and earn Broken Cores. Trade Broken Cores in at the shop for Gems and other rewards.

### Mission Pass Update

The Mission Pass will be refreshed on the first day of November. The premium track will offer the costume "Banquet Princess" for Privaty.

## Trivia

Notes

References
1. ↑ https://twitter.com/NIKKE\_en/status/1713374158195749182
2. ↑ https://nikke-en.com/newsdetail.html?content\_id=1a42f4dfa9109a41e6ab662aec252b60afc8
3. ↑ https://twitter.com/NIKKE\_en/status/1713389266460373152