GOR Chapter 428 Arriving In Jerusalem
At half past two in the morning.
A roaring sound came from the sky, spreading out toward the grasses on the ground. The sound shocked a monkey that was inside the forest and it screamed out sharply. It jumped and hid itself deep within the treetops.
Within the wilderness, the roaring sound gradually faded away.
The Tidal Fighter descended from the sky while in stealth mode. Through the use of retro-reflective technology, the entire Tidal Fighter appeared like a transparent glass. An observer who was standing at least 100 metres away would probably miss it.
After the Tidal Fighter had landed, the powerful air currents gradually subsided.
Inside the cockpit.
Roddy pulled down his headphone, looked at the instrument panel and the display screen before saying, “We have landed safely. There are no unusual signatures on the radar. We are safe.”
Chen Xiaolian pondered it and said, “We… did we just invade Israeli airspace?”
“If we are found out, that is.” Lun Tai smiled and got up from his seat.
Roddy too, broke into a smile. “That is right. This fighter’s level of technology is very advanced. Considering the present level of technology, I don’t think the Israeli military radar can detect us.”
Chen Xiaolian turned around and looked into the cabin.
Qiao Qiao and Soo Soo had already gotten up. Xia Xiaolei was looking outside the window in excitement. Only Qimu Xi looked dispirited – it turned out she was feeling slightly airsick.
Chen Xiaolian turned to look at Lun Tai who nodded his head. “Since we are here to train, let’s raise our spirits!”
Chen Xiaolian smiled and immediately shouted, “Xiaolei!”
“Ah?” Xiaolei jumped to attention.
“Be alert. Lun Tai will bring you and Qimu Xi down the aircraft first.”
Lun Tai picked up the gun that was resting by the side. Holding the gun so that its muzzle was pointing at the floor, he walked until he was beside Xia Xiaolei and said, “Let’s go, kid!”
When the cabin door was opened, Xia Xiaolei was the first to jump down. His landing posture was quite good, one knee down the ground. Next, he raised his gun and looked around vigilantly. There was also a thermal sensor on his head.
The second to jump down was Lun Tai, followed by Qimu Xi.
The three of them entered a ‘品’ formation and moved forward with a crouching posture before spreading out.
A few minutes later, all three of them reported through the guild channel.
“Safe.”
“Safe.”
“Safe… ah, boss. There are monkeys here!” said Xia Xiaolei.
Chen Xiaolian jumped down the fighter, walked to Xia Xiaolei’s side and gave him a light kick. “Be serious. We are not here for a vacation.”
Qiao Qiao, Soo Soo and Roddy were the last to get down from the aircraft.
Chen Xiaolian then gave them 15 minutes to organize themselves.
After keeping the Tidal Fighter back into the Storage Watch, he brought out two jeeps.
“We are now around 11 kilometres north of Jerusalem,” said Roddy after checking the GPS.
Chen Xiaolian checked the map as well. “There is no deviation in our landing location.”
“Yes, now we can move south along the road. The nearest densely populated area from our location is Har Hotzvim. If we are to take the jeep, we will need less than 15 minutes to reach it. As for Jerusalem, we will only need around slightly more than half an hour.”
Chen Xiaolian nodded his head. “We have two jeeps. Me, Roddy, Qiao Qiao and Soo Soo will be taking one. Lun Tai, Xia Xiaolei and Qimu Xi will be taking the other. Maintain a distance while we are on the way. If any accidents occur, deal with it with the method we discussed. Now, let’s move out.”
Under the cover of the dark sky, two jeeps emerged from the wilderness and into the road before going south.
Inside the jeep, Roddy drove while Chen Xiaolian sat in the front passenger seat. He turned behind and noticed the absent-minded expression on Qiao Qiao who was looking outside the window.
“What is it?”
Qiao Qiao forced out a smile. “I feel… … somewhat strange.”
“Because this is your first time here?”
Qiao Qiao thought about it. “This is my first time here… … but that is not why. I keep getting this feeling…”
As she spoke, she raised her hand to point south. “The closer we get there, the stranger I feel… mm, I myself don’t understand why that is.”
Chen Xiaolian turned to look into Qiao Qiao’s eyes. A few seconds later, he smiled gently. “It’ll be fine. This instance dungeon’s difficulty level is not too high. I think there should not be any issue. The system will not lie.”
Qiao Qiao cast a solemn gaze at Chen Xiaolian and a smile quickly appeared on her face. “You are right.”
Around one hour later, two jeeps made their way into Jerusalem and arrived at Jaffa Gate (David’s Gate).
Darkness still shrouded the ancient city and the sky had yet to brighten.
The outline of the ancient city appeared vague amid the darkness.
The only luxury hotel beside Jaffa Gate was the David Citadel Hotel.
Two jeeps entered the hotel. Despite being in the early morning hours, they were well received by the hotel.
Naturally, Chen Xiaolian did not bring out his passport… … they had not gone through the legal procedures to enter the country.
However, he had the Universal Access Badge that Phoenix had gifted him. While it may not work for highly classified government areas, a hotel was not a problem.
It did not take long for them to rent two luxury suites. The two suites were connected.
The hotel had a very unique design, allowing them to see the outline of the ancient city through their room.
Qiao Qiao stood before the terrace and looked into the distance. She suddenly sighed out. “Of the 10 measures of beauty that God hath bestowed upon the world, nine of these fall to the lot of Jerusalem.”
Chen Xiaolian stood behind Qiao Qiao and his hand snaked around her waist. He smiled and whispered, “By Talmud?”
Qiao Qiao turned around in surprise as she looked at Chen Xiaolian.
Chen Xiaolian smiled. “I am a writer after all.”
Roddy’s voice then came from behind. “We are human beings too, you know? When you two want to express your love for each other, can you please consider the feelings of us bachelor dogs?”
Chen Xiaolian laughed and released his embrace on Qiao Qiao. He then turned around to assign the tasks.
“We have less than 30 hours before the instance dungeon begins. Now… … Roddy, I need the road map for Jerusalem.”
“No problem, leave it to me.” Roddy swiftly nodded his head. “I will get the most detailed and up-to-date map from the municipal system.”
Chen Xiaolian nodded and turned to Lun Tai. “Follow our plan and proceed with the collection of information. Using our experience in the London instance dungeon, before the instance dungeon begins, we must collect the various local information on Jerusalem. I think… there is a high probability that this instance dungeon is similar to that of the London instance dungeon. One of Jerusalem’s historical moments will be used as the background. Thus…”
“Understood.” Lun Tai was quick to nod his head. “We’ll rest for a while before moving out separately. This hotel has a Jerusalem tour map. We will split up according to the map. I will be responsible for the south side of the city while you deal with the north. Xiaolei and Little Xi will come with me. Just make sure to stay in touch.”
“Make sure you keep your identity a secret. Now that the instance dungeon is about to begin, many Awakened ones will surely arrive. I don’t want to start anything with other guilds before the instance dungeon even begins.”
Lun Tai laughed.
“For this instance dungeon, our primary goal is to ensure our own safety! Try to complete the quest while observing our primary goal – remember, the survival of our team takes precedence. I’ll reiterate, everyone must be careful. Do not underestimate this instance dungeon just because its level of difficulty is not high,” said Chen Xiaolian.
“The Wailing Wall, Temple Mount, Al-Aqsa Mosque, Church of the Holy Sepulchre… … these are all locations that we must check out.” Lun Tai took a tour recommendation map from the hotel room and said, “We don’t have much time and there are so many places to go. We need to hurry.”
“Rest for 15 minutes. Then, we’ll head out. Everyone… … make arrangements for your clothes as well. Try your best not to attract attention,” Chen Xiaolian added.
…
Tel Aviv (Ben Gurion) Airport.
Walking out from the passageway, Tian Lie stretched his waist.
There was a frown on Nicole’s face as she looked at the sky outside the passageway.
“I’m sure we are already behind.”
“Don’t complain.” Tian Lie shook his head. “I have already checked. Chen Xiaolian and the others, their names are not in any of the flights. That fellow must have some other method of getting here. So maybe we are behind, so what?”
“From what I can judge of Chen Xiaolian’s nature, he would surely arrive early to collect information on the place. Although he is young, he has a very traditional way of working. He is not like a young man at all, more like an old man.”
Tian Lie grinned as he walked. “All right, enough nonsense. Since we have arrived, let us head to Jerusalem. It is all your fault for not being able to buy the tickets. We have to head to Jerusalem through Tel Aviv.”
“Is this your first time here?” Nicole furrowed her brows as she regarded Tian Lie. “Don’t you know that it is only less than an hour’s drive between Tel Aviv to Jerusalem?”
Tian Lie was taken aback.
“Idiot. The land of Israel is very narrow. Although Tel Aviv is a coastal city, it is located close to Jerusalem.” Nicole regarded Tian Lie curiously. “Although I don’t know who you are, I am certain that you must be a very experienced veteran. How could this be your first time here?”
Tian Lie suddenly stopped walking. He cast a serious gaze at Nicole. “What about you? How many times have you been here?”
“… … …” Nicole blinked. “Are you trying to probe? Trying to figure out my identity? Don’t forget our agreement, if you can defeat me, you’ll get to know.”
Tian Lie spread out his hands. “This is indeed my first time.”
“That is why I am curious. Every time the system opens up an instance dungeon here, it would be a huge event in the Awakened circle. And yet, you have… … never come here before?”
Tian Lie smiled. “Enough. You are trying to probe me now.”
Nicole pursed her lips and smiled.
Tian Lie looked into Nicole’s eyes and frowned. “All right, I’ll be honest. Back then, I did hear that there are some lively events going on here, but… … I chose not to participate.”
“Why?”
“Because…” Tian Lie considered his words. “The local fellows here are a real pain. Although I am not afraid of them, I am not one to recklessly go look for trouble.”
After walking out from the airport, Nicole rented a car from a car rental point.
It was a small 1.4 L car – in Europe, small cars like this was favoured for the sake of saving fuel.
Tian Lie did not hesitate to seat himself in the front passenger seat.
“You are really uncivil.” Nicole knitted her eyebrows and moved to sit in the driver’s seat. “You are going to let a woman drive you?”
“I don’t have a driver’s license.” Tian Lie gave Nicole a righteous looking expression.
Nicole was left dumbfounded.
Tian Lie picked up the brochure in the car. “All right, you drive then. I will check to see which hotel we should stay when we reach Jerusalem. I should warn you… … you have enough money on you, right? I have always wanted to try out a few of the luxury hotels here. But, I don’t have money… … don’t look at me like that! Hey! Don’t forget, I am just a security guard for a residential complex. How much do you think I earn?”
…