Gate of Revelation

Worst-Case Situation

The Angel Corps truly lives up to its name as the guardians of Zero City, both in action and efficiency.

Chen Xiaolian and Bluesea were still standing in the passageway of the central square, with Chen Xiaolian pondering over what exactly the “irrevocable” order entailed…

Behind them, a squad of Angel Corps fighters had already taken their positions.

More than twenty Sentinel Mechs marched in formation, even while in motion, deliberately adopting a combat formation.

Zero City was in chaos!

After the Angel Corps issued the evacuation order, especially when Chen Xiaolian activated all available permissions, all the outsiders who had been locked in their rooms tonight were released.

Initially, all of these people were awakened ones – as awakened ones, who among them is without a hidden agenda? At the beginning, with the suppression of the Angel Corps, the patrolling Sentinel Mechs kept broadcasting announcements on the streets, warning everyone to stay indoors, and not many dared to defy the Angel Corps’s orders.

After all, this was Zero City, where the authority of the Angel Corps was not to be trifled with.

Although there were some individuals with unruly characters who attempted to break out to see what was happening, they were quickly subdued by the patrolling fighters of the Angel Corps.

But later, when the evacuation order was issued… Zero City truly descended into chaos!

Evacuation!

This was something that had never happened in the history of Zero City.

The Angel Corps had abandoned maintaining order, with only the combat units starting to assemble in the central square, quickly setting up a cordon here.

A line of Sentinel Mechs holding weapons formed the cordon, and no one dared to challenge it… Some attempted, but soon, the energy weapons in the hands of the Sentinel Mechs were fired without hesitation, leaving deep trenches on the ground, and no one dared to take another step beyond the line!

More and more outsiders rushed out of their rooms, wandering on the streets, some bewildered, some anxious, some filled with suspicion and fear.

As the crowd on the streets grew, many began to flock towards the central square.

“For the first time, I feel like there are too many people in Zero City.”

The War Angel stood on the steps beside the central square, coldly watching the chaotic crowd surging towards him, while in the distance of the long street, more and more figures hurriedly approached.

The Angel Corps had already erected several high-powered searchlights around the central square.

The War Angel, at this moment, was seated inside a mech with a very peculiar camouflage pattern.

With the cockpit door open, he sat inside the driver’s seat.

This mech stood about four meters tall, although it was considered a small mech, it was still larger than the patrol Sentinel Mechs.

The War Angel sat in the cockpit, wearing a leather jacket, with a thick cigar clenched in his mouth, his eyes scanning back and forth like an eagle.

“Maintain the cordon,” the War Angel said coldly. “Deploy an additional team to maintain order. Yes, send Team C over. And… clear the streets to the south for me. We need a fast evacuation route!”

Beside him, several aides quickly took orders, and an atmosphere of tension pervaded the central square!

…

“We need to know what’s happening!”

“Yes!! Let us through!!”

“Damn it! I need to get out of here!”

“I’m leaving Zero City!”

“What the hell is going on!!”

“Why the evacuation! Why are they blocking us here!!”

“Come out and explain!!”

“Damn it!!”

“You bastards!!”

The bustling crowd crowded the northern street of the central square, with some shouting loudly, some pleading, and some asking questions.

But under the barrels of the Sentinel Mechs, no one dared to approach.

At this moment, the rumbling sound of a convoy could be heard.

On the southern street, peculiarly shaped armored vehicles slowly approached.

Chen Xiaolian glanced at them and could only make out that these vehicles resembled Thunderstorm Tanks in appearance, but they were slightly larger, and each vehicle was towing a huge trailer behind it.

As a dozen or so armored vehicles approached, they filled up the originally wide southern street.

The vehicles drove directly onto the central square, crushing the surrounding greenery, steps, and stone sculptures without hesitation into pieces.

After the vehicle trailers opened, fully armed members of the Angel Corps’s combat unit rushed out, dragging along strange equipment, which they placed around the central square’s teleportation array.

Bluesea walked over and exchanged a few words in a low voice with a member of the Angel Corps, who quickly cleared the way. Bluesea then led Chen Xiaolian towards the War Angel.

“Do you have any plans, old friend?” Bluesea stood before the War Angel’s mech.

“Evacuation,” the War Angel glanced at Bluesea, smiling wryly. “I thought you had already left.”

“I’m the leader. Leaders don’t flee first,” Bluesea shook his head. “What about you? The Angel Corps has pulled out all the stops? I’ve never seen such a spectacular scene before.”

The War Angel chuckled and jumped down from the cockpit.

He still had the cigar in his mouth and glanced strangely at Chen Xiaolian. “This kid… though his appearance has changed, I guess he’s the guy who participated in the Blood Court at the Heavenly Arena, right?”

Chen Xiaolian stood silently beside Bluesea.

Bluesea squinted his eyes. “Alright, War Angel, tell me about your plan. Between us, there’s no need for the scheming like those in the Elder Council.”

“…,” the War Angel pondered for a moment. “I do have a plan, but it requires your cooperation.”

Bluesea raised an eyebrow. “Go on, then.”

The War Angel spat out the cigar, crushed it under his boot, and swiftly outlined his plan.

“We don’t know the situation outside… just like that kid Gibbs said. The external communication system of Zero City has stopped protecting us, and the coordinates outside the gates have been fixed—God knows if there’s a horde of electronic sentinels waiting to attack.

So, even for evacuation, I believe we shouldn’t recklessly rush out of the gates like a swarm of bees… that’s too dangerous.

So my plan is to be prepared on two fronts.

Firstly, I’ll send a team of fighters out of the gates to confirm the safety outside, then set up several teleportation arrays outside at the fastest speed possible!”

Bluesea’s eyebrows raised at this point. “That was a very clever approach. I agreed!”

It had been absolutely necessary.

The coordinates outside the gates had been fixed. If, at that moment, they hadn’t prepared, and thousands of people in Zero City had rushed out blindly, it would have been not only dangerous but also foolish!

To give an analogy, if the coordinates outside the gates had been fixed to a specific street in a city, then if everyone had rushed out blindly at that moment… all the thousands from Zero City would have still been concentrated in one place. If enemies had besieged and attacked from outside, with everyone gathered together, there wouldn’t have been time to escape.

And that had been the best-case scenario.

The worst-case scenario would have been if the coordinates outside had been on some island. That would have been a big problem!

Everyone would have essentially run out, still trapped within a very small area, surrounded by endless ocean. Where would they have gone?

Not every awakened one had flying equipment or boats.

So, it had been best to send out a team first to scout outside the gates, establish a defensive position, and set up several teleportation arrays.

Then, once the people had started evacuating through the gates, they could have used the teleportation arrays to go to various locations around the world.

Otherwise, there would have been a risk of being blocked outside the gates as well.

So, the first step of the War Angel’s plan, Bluesea agreed with wholeheartedly. “What about the second step?”

“You’ve seen it,” the War Angel pointed to the vehicles parked beside the central square, along with the equipment being unloaded.

“Electromagnetic interference devices?”

“Yes,” the War Angel said gravely. “I have to prepare for the worst-case scenario. If the team sent out to scout finds that the enemy has blocked the way outside… then running out from the gates won’t be possible. We’ll have to use these electromagnetic interference devices to temporarily… block the gates.”

Bluesea frowned. “Block the gates? Is that even feasible?”

“Temporarily,” the War Angel said coldly. “The Angel Corps has been guarding Zero City for countless years, and we haven’t been idle. Over the years, we’ve been constantly trying to crack the permissions and programs of Zero City. Although progress has been minimal, it hasn’t been entirely fruitless.

These electromagnetic interference devices are secret weapons manufactured by our technicians. In case of an emergency, we can use these devices to emit electromagnetic fields and disrupt the external teleportation channels.

You know, these teleportation gates utilize spatial technology, which is of a very high level, far beyond what we can control. But… although we can’t control it, there’s a saying you should know: Destruction is always easier than construction.”

“When absolutely necessary, I’ll activate the interference devices, releasing electromagnetic fields to disrupt the spatial teleportation array.

This method will temporarily disrupt and seal the spatial passage of our ‘gates’, preventing anyone outside from entering Zero City through the gates.

But… these interference devices can only be maintained for a maximum of 45 minutes. That’s already the limit. The Zero City system has automatic repair and anti-interference functions, and these destructive weapons we’ve created can only be sustained for 45 minutes.

When absolutely necessary, I’ll have to seal the gates for 45 minutes.

And then…”

“And then it’s holding out until the end, right?” Bluesea sighed softly.

For a moment, both titans fell silent.

Both of them knew very well that if the situation truly reached the point where the interference devices were needed to close the gates, then it would be truly dire.

This was already the only passage of Zero City.

The need to seal the gates meant that the enemies outside had already blocked them, leaving those inside with nowhere else to run.

So, using the interference devices to seal the gates for 45 minutes would be the final chance to catch their breath.

The final preparation time!

The last moments to prepare for the decisive battle!

In the sky, several aircraft emitting silver light glided in and then hovered above the central square.

Chen Xiaolian looked up and saw the door of one aircraft open, with Guan Shan leaning out half of his body, waving to Bluesea on the ground.

“Your people have arrived,” the War Angel said, glancing up at the several large aircraft in the sky.

Guan Shan had already slid down from the rope dropped by the aircraft and ran to Bluesea’s side. “Sir!”

“Yes, how did it go?”

“Following your orders, everyone has assembled, and I’ve taken all the aircraft from the warehouse. The rest of the team has boarded the vehicles, but the streets are filled with the Angel Corps’s convoy. Our convoy is behind them.”

“Very good, stand by for now,” Bluesea nodded, then turned to the War Angel. “So, the first group going out to scout has a heavy task. They not only need to set up a temporary defensive position but also quickly establish several temporary teleportation arrays.”

“So let’s cooperate,” the War Angel said in a low voice. “I need a few people who understand spatial magic. You know, magic talents have always been very scarce, and I’m short-handed. There are too many tech-oriented individuals in the Angel Corps.”

“Guan Shan, bring the entire Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild over! Equip them!” Bluesea didn’t hesitate for a moment.

Chen Xiaolian stood outside the circle of people, frowning as he looked around.

On the square, the Angel Corps had already formed a defensive circle, and people were nervously adjusting equipment. In the distance, on the northern street, the outsiders from Zero City crowded outside the boundary, creating a noisy scene.

Chen Xiaolian’s mind raced with thoughts.

Soon, Guan Shan brought over a team from the Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild, led by a man wearing a black leather jacket… This guy had a belt around his waist, filled with uniquely shaped wooden sticks.

If one looked closely, they would see that they were all wands.

Behind him, there were several others, each with different attire, but what they all had in common was that their equipment clearly bore traces of magical enchantment.

“These are our experts in magic from the Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild. From now on, they’re under your command,” Bluesea glanced at the group and said in a low voice, “From now on, you’re part of the Angel Corps, under the command of the War Angel! His orders are as good as mine!”

The man in the black leather jacket at the head nodded. “Yes.”

The War Angel looked very satisfied and smiled. “Indeed, the militarized management of the Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild lives up to its reputation. Let’s get started.”

In less than five minutes, a mixed team of over thirty people was formed.

Six members from the Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild, twenty Angel Corps combatants, and four technicians.

Fully armed, along with six of the peculiar-looking vehicles belonging to the Angel Corps, they all entered the teleportation array at the center of the square!

“Survey the terrain, assess the enemy situation! Then swiftly proceed with the plan and immediately send someone back to report!” the War Angel commanded.

After the six vehicles, each carrying thirty members of the reconnaissance team, entered the teleportation array, they quickly disappeared into the green light.

“Now…” Chen Xiaolian whispered.

“Now, all we can do is wait,” Guan Shan replied in a low voice beside him.

Guan Shan continued, “The teleportation array takes one minute for each transfer. It’s an irreversible rule. That means, for someone to go out, it takes one minute, and for someone to come in from the outside, it also takes one minute. So, a round trip takes at least two minutes.

The people who go out will immediately send someone back to report after seeing the situation outside… in any case, let’s wait. We’ll have results in two minutes.”

Whether it was an illusion or something else, Chen Xiaolian suddenly felt that the central square had quieted down, with only the noisy crowd of outsiders on the distant northern street still clamoring.

On the square, everyone was nervously staring at the teleportation array—the only “gateway”!

Two minutes, a total of 120 seconds.

Chen Xiaolian noticed that Bluesea, the War Angel, and several others had taken out timers, anxiously watching as time passed.

Time seemed to crawl at this moment! Every person was nervously fixated on the teleportation array emitting green light.

Everyone’s gaze was so tense!

90, 89, 88, 87…

30, 29, 28…

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Time’s up,” the War Angel’s eyes were fixed tightly on the teleportation array, as were Bluesea’s and the others’.

But the central teleportation array remained silent, unresponsive!

“Don’t worry, maybe they need to first assess the surroundings and environment before coming back to report. It takes time to survey the terrain,” a deputy beside the War Angel explained with a forced smile, seemingly trying to reassure everyone, or perhaps, himself.

Soon, another minute passed!

The central teleportation array remained silent.

“This isn’t right,” the War Angel gritted his teeth. “My people wouldn’t disregard my orders. I made it clear, they were to send someone back immediately after going out to report! They wouldn’t…”

After more than ten seconds had passed, finally, at this moment, someone exclaimed, “There’s a reaction!”

Suddenly, a flash of green light appeared on the central teleportation array. It was clearly a teleportation in progress.

“Be on guard!” the War Angel roared, and quickly, all the sentinel mechs on the central square aimed their weapons at the center of the teleportation array.

“They’re coming out!”

“It’s our troops…”

The voices abruptly ceased!!

After the dissipation of the green light, the silhouette of an object appeared on the teleportation array, plunging the central square into a deathly silence!!

…

As the green light of the teleportation array faded away, a vehicle materialized on the teleportation array.

It was one of the vehicles from the Angel Corps’s convoy that had departed earlier.

With a futuristic design, it was even larger than the thunderstorm vehicles Chen Xiaolian had seen.

Even more horrifyingly, on the vehicle, there remained the insignia of the Angel Corps.

However, at this moment… that insignia of the Angel Corps was only half there!

Because, the vehicle itself was also only half there!

It had been cut diagonally!

The upper turret and the frontal armor had been sliced diagonally, revealing the internal mechanical structure of the vehicle and about half of the cockpit within a diagonal cross-section! Only half remained!

The turret was gone, and the top third of the vehicle was missing!

The remaining half, in the cross-section, had an extremely smooth and straight cut, with traces of high-temperature burning visible. Some parts of the cut had even crystallized!

It was as if an energy weapon had cleaved the vehicle open directly!

Most terrifyingly, within the cockpit!

A mixture of red and black filled the area, something instantly recognizable to experienced combatants: blood!

It was the trace of burnt blood! A large amount of blood!

At the driver’s seat of the vehicle, there remained a body, or more accurately, half a body!

The upper half of the body, like the top portion of the vehicle, had vanished. The body seemed to have been instantaneously sliced, leaving only the lower half below the waist. As the half of the vehicle came to a stop, the half of the body dropped from within and fell onto the floor of the square.

His abdomen had been split open, but strangely, his internal organs seemed to have vanished, as if incinerated by intense heat, leaving behind only a charred half of a body.

Some parts of the uniform remained recognizable, identifying the deceased as a member of the Angel Corps!

The faces of everyone in the square turned extremely grim!

Walking over, War Angel stared at the body on the ground for several seconds before lifting his head.

His eyes had turned bloodshot, his face contorted with rage as he roared, “Activate the disruptor! Immediately! Right now! Activate the disruptor!”

After a momentary daze, the Angel Corps soldiers quickly sprang into action.

The machines arranged around the square’s teleportation array were activated, each emitting a buzzing sound as they focused on the central teleportation pad. Soon, a humming noise filled the air.

War Angel took a few steps back, forcefully pushing aside the aide who tried to assist him, glaring and shouting, “Stand aside! I can still manage!”

However, it was evident to onlookers that War Angel’s steps were unsteady.

“The captain of the Angel Corps leading the advance team just now… was… a disciple of War Angel,” said Guan Shan, his expression grim.

Chen Xiaolian remained expressionless.

From the departure of the team to the return of the half-destroyed vehicle, it took about three and a half minutes.

Two minutes for the round trip through the teleportation array.

In other words, within a minute and a half of their departure, thirty elite fighters, along with six formidable vehicles, had been wiped out!

The extent of the devastation outside could only be imagined!

“War Angel, I’m sorry, I understand your current feelings… but this is not the time for mourning. As you said, the worst-case scenario has occurred!” Bluesea’s gaze was stern, fixed firmly on War Angel.

Everyone knew deep down that to be annihilated within a minute and a half, without a single survivor returning to report, could only mean one thing:

At this moment, beyond the gates, the enemy was unprecedentedly powerful!