Gate of Apocalypse

“Adam, are you sure you don't need all the equipment? ”

Chen stood in what was originally called the main control center, in front of that screen, holding Adam's little hand in his right hand.

“Well, Gibbs, they already told me that's how I was designed.” Adam nodded hard.

“Okay, so, will you help me?” Chen turned his back, squatted down, faced Adam, and held his face with his hands.

“Well... then I'm going to see the sea! Fishing on a sailboat! ”

“Absolutely. ”

“I'm still going hiking! The highest mountain! ”

“Absolutely. ”

“I'm flying! ”

“Absolutely. ”

“I have to...” Adam crooked his head for a long time: “Anyway, I want it all! ”

“I-- it's all for you, Adam, as long as you can get out of here with me. ”

“Okay!” Adam smiled happily and nodded hard.

“Well, let's do it. ”

Chen stood up and dragged Adam to the light screen.

“Chen, have you thought about the consequences of doing this? ”

Zero City sounded up.

“This does not require your reminder. You don't know how long I waited for this moment to arrive...” Chen chuckled, faintly.

Adam reached out and pressed on top of the light screen, his palms pressed on the water and easily penetrated.

Prior to the fall of Zero City, this screen at Zero City's core was placed in the main control center and can be easily touched by either members of Zero City's core team or visitors who have only been granted temporary access.

Whoever it is, when you reach out and press it on this screen, you can just feel a faint response. It also appears on the screen, only slightly rippled at the touch. The rear arm is also visible through a translucent screen.

But -- when Adam reaches out and presses on the screen, it has a completely different effect!

His hand disappeared!

It's like being swallowed up by that screen!

Adam turned around and looked at Chen: “You said yes. Chen, take me out. ”

Then he took a step forward and the whole person disappeared from the screen.

The screen was quiet, just a wave of water swung up, gradually vanished into the invisible, and nothing changed again.

……

“Something's wrong. ”

Nicole frowned and stopped.

“What's the matter?” The heavens also stopped and looked at Nicole.

“The road… is wrong.” Nicole shook her head: “We walked so long we should have been here. ”

“Are you sure?” Tian Li chuckled: “Can't you remember the wrong way? ”

“Though this place is almost destroyed, I still remember the terrain in general. After all, I've lived in this city for so long.” Nicole shook her head resolutely: "From Central Square, after the headquarters of the Hunting Champions, then the headquarters of the Rodrian Regiment, then the garrison of the Angel Regiment, and finally the Presbyterian Church. But..."

Nicole reached out and pointed at a piece of rubble on her right hand side: "The sequence we went through was completely disrupted. This is where the Angel Legion used to be, and this is the second time we've been here. ”

“Someone haunted you?” Heaven clenched his fist.

“No, it's not necessarily human.” Nicole thought about it, slowly.

“Actually, it's easy to confirm that.” Heavenly Haha laughed: “If you look down from the sky, you understand everything? If you can see where the Senate was, fly straight to it. If what you see is different from what you remember, let's... figure out how to find the guy who did it! ”

After that, Heaven extended his hand to Nicole.

“What?” Nicole looked vigilantly at the sky.

“Give me a hand! You have the ability to fly, and I don't.” Sky shrugged: “What do you think I want? ”

“Nothing." Nicole hesitated for a moment, reaching out, pulling up a fierce hand, and suddenly heard a voice: "No need to look, I did change the space around you a little bit. ”

Nicole turned her head quickly, but she didn't see anyone in her sight.

“Don't look, you can't see me. Now, just listen to me quietly.” The voice was so volatile, I didn't know exactly where it was coming from, even as if it were ringing directly in the ears of two people: "I didn't mean it, I just didn't have time to worry about you because I was busy with something else. And now... it looks like I need your help. ”

“Help?” Heavenly sneered: “Who are you? Why should I help you? ”

“No, I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about the girl next to you.” That voice faded: “Nicole, Angel Corps plankton angel, team number 0052. ”

“You... are?” Nicole hesitated for a moment and already had a few guesses in her mind, but was afraid to fully confirm them.

“I'm Zero City. To be precise, Zero City's main control system. ”

Nicole stood still and tried to say something, but was interrupted by Zero City: "Don't question it, we don't have that much time right now. What I need you to do now is urgent. I think... you should be able to feel my presence. ”

When Nicole heard the sound, she suddenly had a strange feeling all over her body, as if she had touched that screen, making a spiritual connection with Zero City's master, but this time she felt stronger than ever before.

If, for example, you were touching the screen before, as if you were looking at a Japanese * * * * * with a thick yard, the feeling now is that you are facing a 3D Blu-ray disc with 4K resolution.

“Yes, I feel it.” Nicole closed her eyes and opened them a few seconds later: “What do you want me to do? ”

“I want you to get... me. ”

Zero City's voice had just fallen, and when the two of them were lit up again, the ruins of the surrounding city had disappeared and they stood on a smooth floor.

The sky is pure white, and the earth is pure white, extending to the end of the line of sight, as if infinite.

In front of both of them, stand a door.

And by the door, stands a man.

A mediocre, middle-aged man, no matter how long he looked at him, as soon as he turned his face, he immediately forgot his face.

“You, the core of the Zero City?” Nicole looks at the man.

“Yes.” The man nodded: “Just call me zero. Though you've never seen me, I'm sure you'll remember what it felt like to touch that screen. ”

“Yes, I remember.” Nicole nodded: “Where are we...? ”

“The core of Zero City.” Zero refers to that door: “More precisely, the road to the core of Zero City. ”

“Core region?” Nicole frowned.

“Yes, where you normally live is just the outer layer of the Zero City. The real core area, no one has ever entered. Not even me.” Smiled: “After all, I'm just an administrator. Only the founders here have access to the core area. ”

“Founder?” Nicole just asked, and Zero waved and interrupted her: “We don't have enough time to answer so many unrelated questions. Come with me, I'll tell you slowly on the way. ”

After that, Zero extended his hand and slowly opened the door in front of him.

The door was pitch black and nothing was visible.

Nicole took two steps forward, but Heaven stood still.

“You said let us in, let us in? What happens if I don't go in?” Heaven looks cold at zero.

“I'm just an administrator of a system, I'm not harmed by anyone, and I don't have the ability and authority to hurt anyone. I'm just gonna send you away.” Zero turns his face and smiles at Heaven: “I mean, completely out of Zero City. ”

“Tell me, where is Chen? ”

“Also on the way to the core region. That's why I want you to go faster, or at least get in front of him.” Zero's expression is slightly anxious, but he's still in style: "Miss Nicole, are you ready? ”

Nicole glanced up at the sky and said, “I'm going. You? ”

Tian Li and Nicole looked at each other and walked towards the door without any hesitation.

The two walked into the door.

After crossing the door frame, the pitch black in front of the two disappeared immediately, replacing it with a narrow passage that would allow only two people to walk side by side.

The channel is made of a pile of bricks and looks sturdy and heavy, splitting two forks in front.

“Please follow me. You don't need to fight to get this key, you two can relax for a while.” Zero smiled slightly at the two of them, turning his head and walking forward.

“This one?” Nicole caught the key in the zero with acumen: “You mean, there are other situations where we have to fight? ”

“Yes.” Nodded nodded, his footsteps continued: "The passage to the core of the Zero City, blocked, was able to open the passage, with six keys. With three of them collected, access to the core area is possible. Each key is collected in a different way. You can understand that… is an extremely miniature copy. ”

“Three?” Tian Li immediately said: "That means we have to clear three copies? ”

“That's right, but I told you, it's just miniature. And as a system administrator, I have certain permissions. While copies originally distributed to each group of visitors were random, I could make some arrangements to pick out simpler copies.” Zero went to the end of the tunnel, without any hesitation, to the left, continuing forward: “The first copy was just a maze. It's complicated, but all you have to do is follow me. ”

In the talking room, the three of them had already crossed three intersections, each passing by without stopping at half an hour, as if the topography of this labyrinth had been completely printed in their minds.

“Well, now you can tell me what's going on here, what's happening, what you want me to do, what's going to happen.” Nicole asked quickly.

“There's a man who wants my authority.” Zero walks around and looks back at the sky: “Sounds like you know him. ”

“Kind of... half a friend.” Heaven nodded: “I came here to find him. ”

“If that's the case, you'll see him later.” Zero continues to say to Nicole: “If he gets my authority, something very bad will happen. But for now, it seems that there is no way for me to stop this from happening. If the seizure of authority is unavoidable, then… getting it must not be the day. ”

“Why?” continued Tian Li coldly: "What's the difference between being seized by Chen or Nicole? ”

'Cause I got an instruction. ”Zero Shake Head:“ The directive tells me to do everything possible to prevent Chen from obtaining my authority. And this directive takes precedence over everything else. ”

Nicole glanced at the sky with some vigilance: "What are you trying to say? ”

“Don't worry!” Tianli laughed and raised her hands: “I have long since withdrawn from the Thorn Blossom, He Chen is no longer a teammate. What he does, what he achieves, it has nothing to do with me. On my way here, it was clear, I just wanted to make sure he was alive and there was no danger. ”

“Are you sure you won't help him take over Zero City permissions?” Nicole glanced at the sky with suspicion.

“Angel, you should be glad that you said that to me now.” Tian Wei glanced deeply at Nicole: “Meet Chen Xiaocai after rebirth, it made my temper a lot better. Until then, everyone who had questioned what I had said was punished. Well, it's a heavy punishment. ”

“Should I thank Chen Xiaoliang then?” Nicole laughed.

“You should thank me for being a big man.” The sky shrugged.

Nicole rolled her eyes and asked Zero, "So... what happens to me when I get access to Zero City? ”

“I don't know.” Zero shook the head: “This has never happened in history. ”

“If that's the case... then why did you get the order not to be deprived of authority by Chen?” Nicole doesn't understand.

“I do not know, even if I do, that answering this question is beyond my competence.” Zero City Smile: “I don't have my own will, I just follow orders. ”

“So who gave the order? Can you answer that question? ”

“Yes.” Zero nodded: “The authority holder who gave this instruction was Chen Xiaolian. ”