Gate of Revelation - Chapter 680

Chapter 680: 680

GOR Chapter 680 Entering Zero City

Nicole woke up from her sleep . Opening her eyes, she saw the ceiling up above .

“You are awake?” Tian Lie’s lazy voice rang out from beside her .

Nicole quickly sat up to see Tian Lie in a partially lying posture beside her, his head leaning against the bed’s headboard . He was gulping down a bottle of wine .

The bottle of wine in his mouth was Spirytus Rektyfikowany, a vodka from Poland, with a 96 per cent alcohol content . Nicknamed the ‘water of life’, it could no longer be considered wine .  

Even in Russia, where alcohol was as important as life itself, this thing was only ever used as distilled beverage . No one in their right mind would drink it just like that .

Tian Lie was taking big gulps of it, like drinking water .

Beside him were several empty bottles . There were a few more unopened bottles on the bedside table, all of them were the water of life .

However, Nicole was not paying attention to the binge drinking Tian Lie . Rather, it was their surroundings .

The two of them were still lying on the bed with the old TV set lying before them .

The wardrobe remained open, the stone emitting a bright, green light .

There was a coat rack at the side .

The place… … was clearly the same room that they were in earlier .

“Failed?” Nicole frowned . She turned over, getting up from the bed and turning to face Tian Lie . “The two fellows lied to you?”

Tian Lie shrugged as he continued gulping down the bottle of alcohol, not saying anything in response .

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” Nicole cast a cold gaze at Tian Lie . “You have so much alcohol inside your storage equipment? I did not know you like drinking so much . ”

“I do not have the hobby of bringing these things . When I went out earlier, I picked these up . ” Having emptied another bottle, Tian Lie burped before gently placing the bottle on the bedside table . “I saw that you were sleeping peacefully . Waking you up just didn’t feel right . If women want to have good skin, they need to have enough sleep . Don’t you even know that? Do the females in your Angel Corps all live such harsh lives?”

“What nonsense?” Nicole scoffed and turned toward the bedroom door . “You can stay here and drink if you want . I am leaving . ”

Tian Lie grinned and he made a ‘as you please’ gesture .

Watching Tian Lie continue to lie lazily on the bed, Nicole let out a muffled harrumph before opening the bedroom door .

Since there was no way to enter Zero City, she should try some other approach . Searching through some information sources within the Awakened circle might net her some news about finding Zero City .

However, the moment she pulled open the door, Nicole was stunned .

She could clearly remember it . Outside the bedroom, there should be a living room .

At present, the living room was no more!

Before her was a damaged and broken wall, utterly ruined .

Not far from the door was the wreckage of a Sentinel mech . Only half of the mech’s body remained .

Further ahead were even more wreckages of combat equipment, and…

Corpses .

Some were generally whole, some were cut in half while others were left with only unidentifiable pieces…

Almost all of the surrounding buildings had collapsed . Not a single intact building could be found .

Right before her was a three-storey building . Only half of its signboard remained on top of its door while the other half had fallen to the ground .

The neon lights on the signboard had gone utterly dark . However, its words could still be made out .

Barrett Restaurant .

This used to be Nicole's favourite restaurant…

When she was in Zero City .

“That shop is very lucky . Their wine store was not destroyed . ”

Tian Lie had, at an unknown moment, quietly appeared behind Nicole .

“You…” Nicole jerked her head back and glared at Tian Lie . “We have arrived at Zero City . Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Finding it out yourself, isn’t it more interesting?” Tian Lie smiled . “After waking up, I enjoyed this moment of despair turning into happiness . I cannot be so selfish as to deprive this moment from you . ”

Nicole took a deep breath, forcing down the impulse to summon her Floater to brutally smack this annoying fellow .

“I am waiting for you to go out . ” Tian Lie had both his hands clasped behind his back, looking down at Nicole . “How long do you plan on standing at the door?”

“You stink of alcohol . ” Rolling her eyes at Tian Lie, Nicole stepped out .

After stepping outside, Nicole looked back .

Looking out from the door, it had looked as though the room was located beside a street . However, after stepping out from the door, she could no longer see the room . There was only a partially ruined wall there .

“It is a backdoor, after all . It has to be hidden . Just remember its location . ” After emerging from the wall, Tian Lie realized what Nicole was thinking about .

“Since we have arrived at Zero City, let’s split up . You go find your friend while I go find mine,” said Nicole coolly .  

“Fine . However, where are your friends?”

Tian Lie’s question stunned Nicole .

Right! Where?

The surrounding areas were filled with wreckages of combat equipment and corpses . Clearly, many days had passed since then .

All was quiet . Be it human voices or the sound of explosions, there were none .

The battle had ended long ago .

Would there still be anyone alive?

The Board of Patriarchs?

The competition arena?

Angel Corps headquarters?

Only then did Nicole realized . She had been wanting to return to Zero City . However, she never properly considered what she should do to find the information she wanted .

“Don’t think to much about it . Just follow me . ” Tian Lie laughed out and walked along the street . “If Shen is really trapped inside Zero City, there will be no other Awakened ones within this city . Follow me, let’s go find him . ”

“Find Shen? The Guild Leader of Thorn Flower Guild? Are you not afraid that I will kill him to avenge my companions?” Nicole snapped out coldly .

Tian Lie jerked his head backward to stare at Nicole with widened eyes . The expression on his face, it seemed as though he was looking at an idiot .

Nicole stood straight and she looked back at Tian Lie fearlessly .

After some time, Tian Lie let out a soft sigh and shook his head . “Thankfully, I am the only one who heard those words . If we do end up meeting Shen later on… … I hope you will not utter that nonsense in front of him again . Never! Listen, I don’t care what kind of bloody Angel Corps pride you have . However… … life is the most important thing . ”

Seeing Nicole’s eyes narrowing, light flashed across Tian Lie’s eyes . Abruptly, his hand shot out to grab Nicole’s neck, pinning her to the wall behind her .

His movements were too fast, so much so that Nicole found herself pinned even before she could react .

Nicole’s face reddened and she quickly summoned out her Floater . Hovering behind Tian Lie, it directed its energy cannons at his back . However, it did not immediately open fire .

“Listen up, little Floating Angel . ” Tian Lie ignored the Floater threatening his back . However, he loosened his grip slightly and said in a whisper, “You may think of yourself as very courageous . However, your words earlier are not courageous at all . That is stupidity, recklessness, naivety, ignorance . It is definitely not courage!

“With my present level of strength, I only need to suffer from some light injuries to kill you . However… … Shen’s power is something that I have never understood . However, I can responsibly say, for him, killing you won’t even make him break a sweat!

“Do you still not understand why I did not want you to come here with me? Why I do not want you to move about on your own now? It is because I am afraid you will run around and bump into Shen! Do you understand?!

“Even though I have left Thorned Flower Guild, there is at least a personal friendship between Shen and me . We can still be considered… … partial friends . For my sake, he will not kill you . However, if, after meeting him, you continue uttering those words of stupidity, I cannot guarantee your life, understand?!”

Since the two of them were resurrected, this was the first time Tian Lie spoke with such ferocity toward Nicole .

After saying that, he released his grip . However, he continued to stare at Nicole . “You just want to know where the survivors of Zero City had gone to . About that matter, I do not know if Shen has that knowledge . If he does, I will get him to tell you . Then, you can quickly leave this place . In the past, he had divulged a little of his heartfelt thoughts to me . His objective is Zero City, not the residents of Zero City . As long as you do not provoke him or stop him from getting his objective, he will not wilfully kill you . ”

The instant Tian Lie released his grip, Nicole jumped away . However, she did not summon the Floater to fused with herself . She simply gasped for breath, her chest heaving up and down .

“That is all I want to say . I am not trying to frighten or threaten you . I am just telling you a fundamental fact . ” Tian Lie sighed softly . “Don’t think you have been humiliated . True humiliation is not the inability to understand the difference in strength between yourself and others . Rather, it is when you can clearly see the difference, yet refusing to accept the difference . ”

“I understand…” Nicole gasped for some time before turning to face Tian Lie . “Thank you for your lesson, Thorned Flower Guild’s Inspector, Mr Tian Lie . ”

“See?” Tian Lie gave her a glare . The solemn expression that was just on his face disappeared and he suddenly let out a laugh . Whistling out, he said, “Women! Even though they know the words they hear are the truth, as long as it does not suit their belief, they will throw a fit . ”

“I am throwing a fit?” Nicole retorted coldly .

“Of course not . ” Tian Lie grinned . “I mean to say; this bad habit is something that only women have . As for you, in my heart, you are not a woman . I am praising you, little Floating Angel . ”

After saying that, Tian Lie turned and continued walking down the street .

“Then, I truly thank you . ” Nicole said coolly as she followed Tian Lie, three steps behind him .

Tian Lie slowly walked down the street, occasionally looking around . Behind him, Nicole’s brows slowly furrowed up .

“You… … can’t you move faster?”

Tian Lie turned, casting a startled look at Nicole . “I… … why should I go faster?”

“Aren’t you very anxious?” Nicole pursed her lips to the side . “You said before, Shen is your friend, right? You went to so much trouble to finally arrive at Zero City, all for the sake of finding him . Why are you suddenly not anxious now?”

“Your words are very reasonable . ” Tian Lie nodded his head solemnly . “If that is the case, I will have to trouble you to lead the way so that we can quickly find Shen, all right?”

“How do I know where he is at?” Nicole rolled her eyes .

“Oh… … so, you do not know where he is at . ” A look of realization was etched on Tian Lie’s face . “Then, take a guess, do I know where he is?”

“You!” Nicole immediately understood that Tian Lie was ridiculing her . She grew so infuriated that she glared at him .

“See? Since we do not know where he is at, we have no objective . What can we do? We can only walk around . Who knows? We might bump into him all of a sudden,” said Tian Lie with a smile . “Hey, this place… … is originally a commercial district, right?”

“Mm . ” Nicole made an assenting sound .

“Not bad . Honestly, I have never actually gone sightseeing before . ” Tian Lie pursed his lips to the side with a smile as both his hands went up to clutch the back of his head . “If so, let me accompany you sightseeing . ”

“Sightseeing? Is your head damaged?” Nicole glared at Tian Lie . “You want to, at a place like this… … go sightseeing?”

Ruined walls surround them, filled with traces of explosions and blood . The area was littered with corpses .

The place should have been a bustling area . At present, however, it was filled with the air of death .

“Why not?” Tian Lie smiled . “I don’t intend on using money to buy anything anyways . It is just for amusement . Since you are an Angel Corps member who lived in Zero City, you should remember how this place originally looks like, right?”

“Of course . ” Nicole nodded .

“Then, let’s start with this place . ” Tian Lie stretched out his hand to point at a collapsed building beside the street . “What is that building?”

“This was a lodge for travellers, a hotel . In addition to providing accommodation, the red wine in their hotel was the best here . ” Nicole swept a glance at the building and recalled for a moment before quickly continuing . “This was one of Rodriar Guild’s downline business . ”

“Mm, I killed six of their guys before . ” Tian Lie nodded his head and his paced slowed slightly, letting Nicole walk ahead . “What about this pile of rubble?”

“Ripple Pub . Its boss is one of Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild’s peripheral follower . His strength is only average . However, as he had managed to grab onto a good thigh, he could get residential rights within Zero City . Their signature item was their ale . However, many people do like their blueberry pie . ”

“Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild . I did not have much dealings with them . I think I have only killed two from their guild . What about this one?”

“Lightning Emperor Café . Theirs was the only shop in Zero City that supplied top-grade Blue Mountain coffee . However… their toasts were as hard as stone and their baguettes were as soft as eunuchs . It was a business under the Knights of Darkness . ”

“Hmm, I remember a guy from their guild . His name is… Jacob . His skill is pretty good, capable of escaping from me . ” Tian Lie suddenly turned to regard Nicole from top to bottom . “I say, how did you know how soft eunuchs are?”

“If you still want me to introduce the places, then shut your mouth . ” Nicole sent a harrumph at Tian Lie, ignoring his provoking question . She then continued to introduce the other shops .

The two of them continued walking forward . Along the way, Nicole continued talking about the places to Tian Lie . In her mind, the ruined district before her gradually transformed back to its original form .

Tian Lie held both hands behind his back and slowly walked behind Nicole, listening to her . Hearing Nicole mention the name of the resident guilds of Zero City, he would then mention how he had killed some of their members .

“That is pretty much it for the South District . If we keep moving forward, we will reach… … the beach . ” Nicole hesitated for a moment, not calling it the Sea of Love .

“Mm . ” Tian Lie nodded his head . It was unknown what he was thinking .

“Just now, you said that you have never went sightseeing before . Is that true?” Nicole glanced at Tian Lie .

“That is not some amazing thing . Is it worth lying about that to you?” Tian Lie rolled his eyes .

“Why?”

“Why? Naturally, because I am poor!” Tian Lie laughed out . “Before becoming an Awakened, I had to work hard from dawn till night, earning a pittance to subsist . Rushing through each day in a muddleheaded manner, where could I find the money and time to go sightseeing? As for after I became an Awakened… … I spent every day killing . How could I find the mood to go sightseeing? Besides, I am alone . What sightseeing? As for the others from Thorned Flower Guild, be it the Players or the Awakened ones, all of them would distance themselves from me . ”

Nicole turned to look at Tian Lie . “So… … that is why you wanted to go sightseeing?”

“No . ” Tian Lie shook his head . “It is just a sudden whim . Forget it, let’s go . ”

“Go where?”

“First, tell me the layout of Zero City . Only then, can I know where to go . All the information you have, including the secret places . ” Tian Lie looked at Nicole . “Why do I get the feeling that you are not using your brain as much?”

“You want to inquire information about Zero City?” Nicole frowned .

Tian Lie heavily slapped his forehead and groaned painfully . “Oh, heaven… … little Floating Angel . What is wrong with you? Do you not see what is before you? Zero City is dead! Utterly destroyed! Have you ever heard of someone expending a great deal of effort to find out the weakness of a dead man, researching how to kill a dead man?”

The moment Nicole said those words, she realized that she had made a mistake . However, hearing Tian Lie’s sarcastic retort, she gave him a glare .

She herself did not understand it . Why was it that when she was together with this person, who was once her enemy, she will subconsciously make stupid decisions .

Nicole crouched down . Her Floater equipped itself onto her right arm and a short metal blade extended outward . Using it, she started drawing on the ground .

“This is the central plaza, the most commonly used teleportation point for entering and exiting Zero City is here .

“There are four streets extending out from the central plaza . They are separated into four directions, east, south, west, north .

“We are currently at the South District, which also serves as the business district . All the shops here provide living facilities, such as hotels and restaurants . We had gone through a considerable area here, but we did not find Shen . As for the Sea of… … the beach, I think he will not rush there for no reason .

“The West and North Districts are also commercial districts . Only, one is a flea market for Awakened ones to sell items while the other is… … something of an official shop area for Zero City . The chances of Shen appearing in these two districts is small .

“That leaves only the East District . The district for the governing institutions of Zero City and the headquarters of the resident guilds are all located there .

Nicole drew a rough map . Finally, she jabbed her metal blade at a point in the East District . “If we want to find Shen, this place is the most likely spot . ”

“Governing institutions? Does that include the headquarters of your Angel Corps?” Tian Lie gave the map a brief glance, his eye brows raised as he asked Nicole .

“As the security force for Zero City, the Angel Corps is a core part of it . Naturally, it is also located there . ” Nicole nodded her head .

“Interesting… … later, let’s go have a tour around the place . For someone nicknamed the Angel Killer to one day be led by an Angel into their headquarters for a tour… I have never imagined this day would come . ” Tian Lie smiled . “Other than the headquarters for the resident guilds and Angel Corps, are there any other institutions?”

“There are not too many buildings left . The most important ones left are the following three…

“The Arbitration Centre, if there is a dispute between Awakened ones and they are willing to let Zero City settle the matter for them, they can go there .

“The Arena . When personal grudges and even that of guilds reach a point where they could not accept the ruling made by Zero City, they can go there to resolve it . Blood Verdict is also held there .

“The Board of Patriarchs building, the place where the seven resident guilds would discuss daily matters, Zero City’s main control system is there . ” After saying that, Nicole raised her head to look at Tian Lie . “I think, the place you want to go should be the Board of Patriarchs building . ”

“Yes . Finally, your intelligence has returned to normal . ”

Tian Lie grinned . “Lead the way, then . Lead this former Inspector of Thorned Flower Guild to your Zero City’s Board of Patriarchs building, my dear Floating Angel!”

…