Chapter 120: 120: Greenhouse 2
The greenhouse was quieter than before. The groaning of collapsing steel had faded behind them, leaving only the occasional creak of old iron and the whisper of the evening wind passing through shattered panes of glass.
Outside, the sun had almost finished its slow descent beyond the western hills. Golden light filtered through broken sections of the roof, painting the overgrown gardens in warm shades that somehow made the place even more unsettling.
No one spoke. Claire’s absence was almost tangible.
Only a few minutes had passed since they had left her behind, yet every member of the group unconsciously glanced over their shoulders, expecting to hear one of her jokes or one of her sarcastic remarks.
Nothing came. The silence hurt more than any scream.
Silver walked near the front of the group, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, while Ravenna remained close beside him. Neither of them had said a word since leaving the collapsed entrance.
She could see it in his expression, his shoulders, and even the way he walked. He blamed himself. It wasn’t difficult to understand why.
Silver had always carried responsibility as though it belonged to him alone. Whenever something went wrong, his first instinct was never to ask who was at fault but to ask what he could have done differently.
Ravenna knew that expression. She had seen it after the assassination attempt and after the underground worm. Now it had returned.
Finally, she broke the silence.
"Silver."
He looked toward her.
"You’ve been blaming yourself ever since we left."
He forced a small smile.
"...Am I that obvious?"
"You’ve barely blinked."
He looked away.
"I should have noticed the greenhouse."
"You couldn’t."
"But I should have."
She stopped walking.
"So tell me."
He turned fully toward her. She cupped his face. Silver unconsciously leaned into her touch.
"If you had known... What would you have done?"
"I would’ve teleported everyone," he whispered.
The answer came instantly. Ravenna shook her head gently.
"No, you couldn’t."
Silver opened his mouth to argue before remembering the System notification.
Shared Transit.
It was still unstable and a high burden to him. He had only managed to bring one person, and even that had nearly collapsed his body.
He lowered his head.
"...No. I couldn’t."
Ravenna’s voice softened.
"Claire knew that, Brian knows that, and so do I."
She lightly caressed the corner of his eye. Silver blinked.
"You don’t honour someone by carrying guilt forever. You honour them by making sure their sacrifice wasn’t wasted."
Silver closed his eyes. He understood what she meant.
’Don’t carry everyone’s problems’
He slowly released a breath.
"...I’ll try."
"No." Ravenna smiled faintly. "You’ll do it."
Brian quietly watched the exchange from several metres away. He didn’t interrupt; instead, he tightened the straps around the handle of his hammer before speaking to the remaining contractors.
"We’re almost there. No unnecessary risks, and if something feels wrong... Say it."
One of the contractors nodded.
"No heroes," Brian looked toward him. "We’ve already paid enough."
No one disagreed.
The deeper they moved into the botanical gardens, the stranger the scenery became. Ordinary flowers gradually disappeared; instead, white blossoms covered nearly every surface.
They climbed tree trunks, spread across old stone benches, hung from broken railings, and even abandoned statues had become wrapped in flowering vines.
Yet, none of them moved. Without the massive underground root network actively attacking, the gardens seemed strangely lifeless.
Silver frowned.
[Spatial Sense Lv2]
The familiar pressure settled behind his eyes. This time, the change was immediate. The countless glowing roots that had once stretched beneath the entire town were fading. Many had become smaller. It looked and felt almost comical, as though the plant was trying to keep its characteristics despite the large roots around it.
"It seems occupied by something; the roots are red." Silver whispered.
Brian looked over.
"What?"
"The roots are getting thinner the deeper we move inside."
Jonah frowned.
"Seriously?"
Silver slowly nodded.
"I think... the core is close."
They continued another hundred metres before the gardens suddenly opened into a wide circular courtyard. In its centre stood an old marble fountain, long dry and completely overgrown.
Beyond it... a second greenhouse, far smaller than the first. Unlike the entrance greenhouse, this one remained almost perfectly intact.
Every pane of glass shimmered in the evening sunlight. White flowers bloomed inside so densely that the interior looked almost completely hidden.
No one felt tempted by its beauty; instead, every instinct warned them away.
Silver’s heartbeat quickened.
"...It’s there. WATCH OUT!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Everyone ducked as bullets whizzed past, chipping the head of one of the many statues. Silver pulled Ravenna with him behind a statue as the others scrambled to get out of the way.
"Attack from three o’clock."
Silver mouthed to those who could see him. Brian nodded. Then relayed the news to the others. Silver leaned in slightly to get a better look.
He could see from afar a figure standing among the flowers.
"The infected."
He mouthed.
He slowly pulled out his gun, taking another peek at the attacker.
[Phantom Draw Lv3 Activated]
BANG!
The bullet left his handgun, followed by a small groan. They waited a few seconds, but no more shots came.
Johan was the first to step out, shield at hand. Nothing happened. Silver followed the others.
"What the hell?"
Someone muttered in the ground.
"It’s the infected, they’re probably the last defence."
"Okay, everyone, be careful, you might get ambushed at any moment. This is their turf," Brian said.
The others nodded. As the group cautiously approached, they noticed several figures standing motionless around the greenhouse.
Five people. It was clear that all of them were contractors. Their clothes were torn and covered in dust. Their expressions were empty.
They neither spoke nor reacted as the group approached. They simply stood there, staring toward the greenhouse, almost like statues.
This was weird after the first attack. Silver eventually found the sixth body, who was lying next to a broken statue with a bullet wound on his forehead.
Brian quietly raised one hand.
"Careful."
Silver watched them closely.
"They’re breathing and alive."
Jonah nodded.
"They don’t even know we’re here."
One of the contractors suddenly took a slow step towards the greenhouse, then stopped as though they were sleepwalking.
"Should we kill them?" Jonah whispered.
Brian looked at the people, then at the dead one. He shook his head.
"They’re all rank ones; we should be able to subdue them fast. The Association said they’re still alive. But if attacked, kill them."
Working together, the group carefully approached the dazed contractors. There was surprisingly little resistance. Most merely looked confused as they were gently guided away from the greenhouse.
A medic checked their breathing.
"They’re stable. Just... unresponsive."
Silver felt relieved. The Association’s report had been correct. They were victims, not monsters; most of them, that is.
Once the last survivor had been moved a safe distance away, Silver stepped toward the greenhouse doors. The old hinges groaned softly as they opened.
Warm air drifted out. Unlike the rest of the gardens, the greenhouse smelled pleasant like spring. It almost made him forget where he was.
The centre of the greenhouse contained only a single raised flower bed with just... One flower. It stood no taller than Silver’s knee. Six silver-white petals gently reflected the fading sunlight. Tiny blue veins shimmered faintly across each petal.
At its centre rested a pale golden stamen that emitted an almost moonlike glow.
Ravenna stared in disbelief.
"...That’s it?"
Silver couldn’t believe it either.
"This... did all of that?"
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
[Analysis Complete]
{Species Identified: Moonlight Flower (Juvenile)
Rank: Tier 2
Threat Classification: Rare Environmental Organism
Description:
A rare mutant flower capable of establishing vast underground root colonies while young.
Primary abilities include:
• Airborne pollen dispersal.
• Limited neurological influence over nearby hosts after prolonged exposure (brainwashing).
• Root network expansion.
• Nutrient absorption through connected flora.
Assessment
This specimen is unusually young.
Most Moonlight Flowers are destroyed before reaching maturity.
Without decades of uninterrupted growth, direct combat capability remains extremely limited.
Threat derives from preparation, concealment, and environmental control rather than physical strength.}
Silver read every line twice, then looked back at the tiny flower.
"You caused all of this..."
It swayed gently, almost innocently.
His Spatial Sense revealed something else.
"Beneath it."
He knelt.
"The core isn’t inside the flower, it’s underground."
Brian stepped back.
"We’ll leave it to you."
Silver nodded. Carefully, he used the tip of his sword to loosen the soil beneath the flower instead of simply hacking downward. Only a short distance below the roots, something glowed.
A crystal, no larger than a plum. Soft green light pulsed within it. The moment the surrounding roots were exposed, the flower visibly wilted.
Silver looked toward Brian.
"...Ready?"
Brian gave a single nod.
"Finish it."
Silver drove his sword cleanly through the crystal. A sharp pulse spread through the greenhouse, and the green glow vanished instantly.
The flower drooped. Its petals slowly dissolved into pale light before scattering into the evening air like tiny flakes of snow. Throughout the gardens, the countless roots beneath the earth began to crumble.
Silver quickly reached down and picked up the intact core before its remaining energy dispersed.
Another notification appeared.
[Unique Core Detected]
Moonlight Flower Core
Characteristic Preservation Recommended.
Would you like to store this item in Core Storage?
YES / NO
Without hesitation, Silver selected YES. The glowing crystal disappeared into the System’s preserved storage slot.
A second notification immediately followed.
{Core Successfully Stored.
Characteristics Preserved.
Future integration, research, or absorption remains possible.}
Silver slowly stood. Outside, the last rays of sunlight disappeared beyond the horizon. And for the first time since entering Detroin, the air felt still. The nightmare was finally ending.
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