Split Zone No.13

Volume 4

201 Our Relationship

The hotel Gaoqin Jiuye picked was the equivalent of a three-star hotel in the real world. The condition of the hotel was not bad at all. It even felt like I was back in the real world.

“Do we need to spend money here? We shouldn’t need to, right? There isn’t some kind of currency here in the Northern District I hope?” I mumbled my question to Li Wen.

Li Wen laughed at me. “You really don’t know anything, do you? It’s the same as when you were in the Western District. What currency are you talking about? We’ll just barter with the service provider if need be. If that isn’t needed, then we’ll simply check in. Anyway, whoever with the ability to manage such a hotel in the Gate of Ghost would definitely have a high MF.”

So everything still comes down to MF.

I realized what Li Wen meant by people being categorized here. From the looks of it, especially in the Gate of Ghost, one had to depend on MF to live. The strong survive and the weak are simply left for dead.

Why is it like this everywhere? Is this really how the world works?

Li Wen could read my mind. “You shouldn’t be complaining, Ah Shen. Such categorization might be cruel to most, but have you ever thought about a scenario where it’s not survival of the fittest? How do we continue improving? Some things are not merely coincidences, they just have to happen. That’s the rule of survival. Your greatest weakness is that you’re always trying to go against the natural order, that you refuse to accept it.”

So is this why I was always referred to as a ‘weirdo’?

A pretty lady who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen was seated at the reception desk in the hotel lobby. She smiled as she asked how many rooms were needed. Her attitude was impeccable.

I was suddenly curious about something. Did hotels in the Split Zone need prove of identity?

It was proven that we didn’t need something like that eventually.

Well, how could bodies of consciousness have identities? Would it matter even if we did?

Du Yue was her usual haughty self. She answered the receptionist coldly, “Four. What do you need us to do?”

The receptionist looked like she had seen enough customers not to be surprised at this. She probably had already seen many who had high MF and she wasn’t fazed even though Du Yue looked to be extremely strong. Her smile remained as she answered, “There’s no need for you to do anything. You’re welcome to stay for as long as you have to.”

This was an advantage being in the Split Zone – not needing to spend a single cent on lodging in a three-star hotel.

“I think we should get three rooms. I’ll room with her.” Gaoqin Jiuye interrupted, pointing at me. Du Yue had a stormy expression as she heard this.

I probably did not look too great either. I might have worked with him on this if it were not for the fight which happened between us earlier. Right now, I didn’t want to work with him at all.

I rejected it immediately. “No, I don’t want to room with you. I want a room of my own.”

I looked at Du Yue as I said this, trying to tell her that she should be treating me better on this journey if she wants me to continue following her.

Du Yue was probably happy at this, and she said once again to the receptionist, “Four rooms.”

We were given four adjacent rooms on the third floor.

A family entered the lobby as we were waiting for the elevator. This family did not look too shabby, but I could sense that they did not have very high MF either.

When they asked what they had to do in exchange for accommodation, the receptionist turned unfriendly all of a sudden. She said coldly without any hesitation, “Leave. You’ll never be allowed in here no matter what you do. We do not welcome you.”

I guess there’s no way I can ever understand how things work in the world of soul splitters even when this place looked so much like the real world.

I chose room number 333 when we arrived on the third floor. I just loved the number three.

Gaoqin Jiuye acted like a child sometimes. He seemed to be a little upset at me for not agreeing to room with him, and seeing that I chose this particular room, he said, “It’s no wonder you’re mental, a whole bunch of obsessive compulsive choices.”

I couldn’t be bothered with him.

Gaoqin Jiuye chose room number 334, which was right beside me. Li Wen was in 332 and Du Yue was in 335.

Du Yue had requested for the receptionist to prepare new sets of clothing for all four of us, all of which had to be identical to what we were wearing currently.

I asked Li Wen, “There’s a marketplace for goods here in the Northern District too?”

Li Wen smiled mysteriously. “I can’t tell you about this. Just know that you’ll not be in need of anything.”

I was quite delighted when I entered room 333. It’s been a long time since I’ve lived like I did in the real world. Even though life was pretty much the same in the Western District, there are still differences and limitations, like how different areas like the Academy, the Marketplace and the Residential buildings were divided. I felt like I was revived now that I was staying in this nice hotel.

It felt like I was brought back to life after being dead for too long, and I was almost moved to tears after seeing the real world that I missed so much.

But I wasn’t someone who was dead for too long, I was just a person who had died a long time ago.

Also, I wasn’t someone who was brought back to life suddenly, because this wasn’t the real world. Whatever I’m experiencing now was just a sham, or at least I thought it was.

I began to wonder if the Split Zone was territory belonging to extraterrestrial aliens who copied and imitated everything we did in the real world.

It was only after a long, long time did I realize how idiotic I was at this point.

Even though I was very emotional right now, it wasn’t to the point that I was moved to tears.

I took a comfortable shower and stared blankly at that scorpion insignia that was glowing faintly on my left ankle.

Wrapping myself up in a towel, I looked in the mirror. The girl with red hair in the mirror looked somewhat stubborn. I reached out to touch the girl’s face that was reflected in the mirror, feeling a little weird inside.

Sometimes people just blank out when they look in mirrors, to the point that you wouldn’t notice anyone pass behind you even when they could be seen in the mirror.

“Did you see me? Or did you not?” I got a shock when I heard Nie Zun’s voice behind me, almost letting go of the towel around me.

I wrapped the towel tightly around my chest, turning around to face the visitor after making sure it was tight enough that it wouldn’t slip.

Nie Zun was sitting against the windowsill. I looked at the window behind him. It didn’t look like it had been opened. I believe I would’ve known if the window had been opened, even if I had been daydreaming earlier.

This meant that he didn’t enter through the window. Where did he come from then if he didn’t enter through the door either?

Nie Zun the amnesiac looked audacious but dashing. Starlight was shining in his eyes, and those wispy bangs of his covered part of that charming face.

He was still dressed in black, except that his gloves were gone now. I noticed that he still had that skull ring on his left hand.

“How did you enter?” I asked carefully. Nie Zun the amnesiac was dangerous to me now.

He pointed casually to the door behind me. “The door.”

I brushed my red hair away. “The door? How could that be? There wasn’t any sound. I don’t  think I’m deaf. And also, I have the room keycard with me, so how did you get in?”

He shrugged. “I was already here yesterday. I broke in. I guess they’ve re-installed the lock. Anyway, none of them realized I was here.”

I believed him this time. If he had lost his memories, then this definitely sounded like something he would have done.

I walked over to the bed, crashing into the soft mattress. “Then why did you choose this particular room? Did you know I was coming over?”

Nie Zun laughed. “How could I know that? It was just a coincidence that I arrived here, and I just liked the room number.”

What an unescapable fate this is. Stop getting involved if you’ve lost your memories and if you’ve already forgotten who I am, I thought to myself angrily.

I closed my eyes and said coldly, “You can leave now. I’m staying in this room.”

There was no response.

Opening my eyes to check if he had left, I got a rude shock as I saw his face right in front of mine.

He was using MF to levitate. It’s no wonder I couldn’t sense him approaching.

He smirked as he saw me open my eyes. Deactivating his MF, he dropped immediately.

Though he wasn’t floating at such a height, there was still a muted thud when he dropped onto me.

He was right on top of me now, propping himself up with both hands on the bed. My head was right between his hands. I stared at him coldly, but my heartbeat quickened. “Are you trying to take advantage of me?”

He looked me all over before finally speaking. “I don’t think there’s anything about you that I can take advantage of.”

Gritting my teeth angrily, I said, “Then get off me now.”

Obviously, there’s no way he would listen. He would always tease me, and now that he had lost his memories, there’s no stopping him.

He leaned in closer to me. “I felt that there was something more between us from the very moment I saw you. I want to confirm it now, the kind of relationship we had in the past.”

Still gritting my teeth, I answered, “There was nothing between us.”