"One cannot see one's own weakness, nor can such a person find a strong direction!" — — War Goddess Valkyrie
The coastal areas of the mainland were undoubtedly synonymous with prosperity. The various human settlements formed by large and small companies and bases were connected by the long stretch of coastline roads, making it possible for commercial trade to take place in all directions of danger. Although living here was normal, the breath of life was everywhere. However, after leaving this golden link, as he continued to venture deeper and deeper into the western lands, all he saw was loneliness and desolation.
This was a truly uninhabited area.
There were no settlements, no companies, not even large mutants. What lay before Zero was an endless wilderness. At a glance, there were no obstacles in the way. There were only a few tenacious plants covering this desolate land.
Occasionally, they passed through the ruins of one or two cities, which were much more damaged than the ones along the coastline. The city was almost completely razed, and there was no extra building debris for the mutated creatures to roost in. The destruction caused by the previous high fever had caused these ruins to die completely. There was no longer any resources available to be used or the need for reconstruction. Compared to the abandoned cities on the coastline, they were the real ruins.
The Land Cruiser jolted, carrying Zero and Valkyrie through the hellish silence of the earth, around the devilish desert that would stop any vehicle, and across the dried riverbed of the Grand Canal of Bisius. On the fifth day, at dawn, Zero saw the Jourian Mountains rising high into the heavy, radiating clouds of the sky.
Zero's upper body was covered in sterile bandages, and it was taken from the simple medical kit on the SUV. In fact, the medical kit that Valkyrie was carrying was much simpler than the same-type kit sold in any other city on the coastline. Other than the sterile bandage and the hemostatic spray, there was only a tube of universal first aid needle. It was clear that Valkyrie had never thought he would get hurt. Zero also knew that a high-level esper like her couldn't be saved by a mere medical kit if she was severely injured.
As a result, the items inside had been taken advantage of. When he left the Shadow Capital, all he had was a handful of Colt and a remaining bullet. He didn't even have a decent suit, and the wounds that Levin had given him, though he had contracted his muscles to prevent them from getting worse, could not be sustained for long. After the Land Cruiser had left the Shadow City, Zero took out the Valkyrie's medical kit and cleaned his wounds. Finally, he used a sterile bandage to secure them together so they wouldn't worsen.
For the next five days, almost all the zeros were spent in cars. In addition to the necessary physical needs, the feet of zero seldom have the opportunity to set foot on the ground. Valkyrie did not seem to be resting. She drove day and night like a robot. Zero would occasionally fall asleep, and when he woke up, whether it was day or night, the SUV would always be in a Mercedes-Benz state.
After a few days, Zero was certain that this seemingly ordinary SUV had undergone some modifications as well. Otherwise, if it was just a continuous drive, the car parts would have been burnt down by the heat. How could it continue moving day and night without rest?
In any case, the journey had finally come to an end. When he saw the Yurian Mountains, Valkyrie's expression changed slightly. Although his face was as cold as ever, his eyes were filled with an imperceptible trace of gentleness.
"We're here."
In the past five days, the two had not spoken more than ten times. Obviously, Zero and Valkyrie were not talkative people, and if they were to discard their gender and ability, they would be the same kind of people. They all wrapped themselves in ice and faced the world with indifference.
The only difference was that Zero would care about him. Leah, for example, or Monnie, or Atesa. Leah was waiting for him to come back to life, Monnie and Zerutan were on another journey in life, and as for Atesa, she was probably back in Death Ridge working hard to regroup the Shinryan tribe.
In turbulent times, no one dared to think about the future, but Zero still hoped that at a certain point in the future, they could meet again at the crossroads of their lives. It was just like a gathering between friends in the old era, where they would quietly sit together and pour out their various experiences in the sunset.
When his thoughts fell into a mysterious space, a loud 'boom' resounded in his ears. As if awakening from a dream, Ling Chen once again returned to the cruel reality.
The Land Cruiser was parked in a corner of the Jurian Mountains, right in front of Zero. Although the mountain wall was not entirely without edges, it still seemed to consist of large areas of smooth walls. If one wanted to climb such a mountain, they would have to use special equipment to do so. Of course, no matter how you looked at it, the SUV couldn't climb up.
However, it was not necessary for it to climb up the cliff, because under the special rumbling sound of the heavy hydraulic machinery, the cliff that was in front of the SUV was slowly separating from its center and moving towards both sides. Although it was not completely open, Zero could already see a huge door. It was five hundred meters high and at least three hundred meters wide. There was no doubt that it was a big deal to use in driving a SUV. Judging from the size of this door, when necessary, large scale war equipment could be transported out through this door and directly reach the battlefield.
It came to a screeching halt when the gate opened wide enough for an SUV to pass. Valkyrie stepped on the gas and drove the SUV through the gate. Inside the door was a dark world, but red lights flickered on the road, marking the way in the darkness. The SUV drove through the darkness, following the guidance of the lights. A moment later, they could already see the light coming from the exit in front of Zero.
In a flash, the SUV pulled into the light. Zero slightly closed his eyes. When he adapted to the light outside the exit, he opened his eyes and saw a magnificent city.
It was a miraculous underground city, with a steel bridge that connected the exit to the distant city, and water flowing under the bridge like a great river. At the city's entrance, there was a tall golden gate. On both sides of the gate, there were two bronze statues that were hundreds of meters tall. The bronze statues were soldiers clad in complicated armor. Their eyes were fixed on the steel bridge, and they held a magnificent greatsword in their hands. He raised his sword horizontally, as if he had been protecting the city behind him since the ancient times.
Behind the golden door was a bustling city.
The skyscrapers made up the main body of the city, and the lights in the buildings showed that they were not the decoration of the city. Clean and open roads connect the city's regions, allowing fresh blood to flow through the city like blood vessels. At the edge of the city was the area where all sorts of factories were located. Those are simple factory buildings, including water purification plants, nuclear power plants and other kinds of plants. They are both another landscape of the city and an infinite source of power for the city.
The walls of the underground city, on the other hand, were embedded with holographic projection plates ten meters square. These holographic projection plates surrounded the city in three dimensions, projecting images of the blue sky, white clouds, and distant mountains and seas. This brings people living in cities back to the unpolluted world of the old days. It could be said that living here was like living in heaven.
Zero was deeply shocked by the sight of the city. Valkyrie, who was sitting beside him, said in a nearly dreamy tone, "I'm very touched. Every time I see this city, I'm proud to be able to live in it."
"It's called Asgard, meaning City of Mysteries!"