Chapter 126: 126:Transit research station.
The morning sun climbed steadily over the endless Green Zone, its warm light stretching across the cracked highway as Silver’s vehicle rolled smoothly toward Delta Four.
Behind them, the smoke rising from the direction of Detroin had become little more than a dark stain on the distant horizon.
Inside the vehicle, neither of them spoke very much, not like they needed to. Ravenna rested against the passenger-side window, quietly watching the scenery pass by while absentmindedly turning the small blue flower Silver had given her that morning between her fingers.
She had carefully pressed it inside a small notebook instead of leaving it in her hair, wanting to preserve it for as long as she could.
Silver glanced over for a brief second before returning his attention to the road.
"You actually kept it."
Ravenna looked down at the notebook.
"...Of course. I lost the one you gave me yesterday."
"It probably fell off during one of the searches. I thought you’d forgotten about it since you never removed it from behind your ear."
"I really did forget." She smiled faintly. "So I’ve decided to protect this one, since it’s not a rose like the others, hope it doesn’t wilt too early."
Silver chuckled.
"I guess I should find a different variety of flowers next time so you won’t miss this one."
She looked out the window again.
"I think I prefer this more. I love blue as a colour because it’s the colour of the sky, which means it’s vast."
"Now that’s a take on colours I’ve never heard of."
She chuckled at that. The conversation ended there, comfortable in its simplicity.
Nearly an hour passed before Silver gradually eased off the accelerator. Ahead, movement caught his attention.
Several horned creatures were grazing on the weeds growing through the broken asphalt.
Six of them. Each was roughly the size of a large deer, though their thick gray hides resembled weathered stone. Curved horns swept backward over their heads, and every step they took left faint cracks in the pavement beneath their heavy hooves.
Silver smiled.
"Perfect."
Ravenna had already reached for her rifle.
"Tier One?"
He nodded.
"Stonehorn Rams. They’re sturdy but slow."
Silver pulled the vehicle safely onto the side of the road before switching off the engine.
"Training?"
Ravenna answered by opening the door.
"I was hoping you’d say that."
The moment both of them stepped onto the road, the nearest ram lifted its head. A low growl escaped its throat before the entire herd instinctively turned toward the newcomers.
One charged. Silver didn’t even draw his sword immediately; instead, he calmly observed them.
"Watch its shoulders."
Ravenna nodded.
"It lowers them before changing direction."
"Exactly."
The beast accelerated. Silver remained perfectly still. At the last possible instant...
[Short-Step activated.]
His figure vanished. The ram thundered harmlessly through empty air before skidding several metres along the road.
Silver reappeared behind it. He slashed once, his blade separating the head from its body. The beast’s momentum carried it another few steps before it collapsed without another sound.
[Short-Step Proficiency Increased.]
The remaining rams immediately split apart. Two charged Ravenna, and three rushed Silver. Silver moved first, but toward Ravenna.
He deliberately intercepted one of the charging rams before it could reach her flank. At almost the same moment, Ravenna shifted sideways, using the opening Silver had created.
Her rifle fired.
BANG!
The report echoed across the empty highway. One precise shot struck directly through the eye of the second ram. The beast collapsed instantly.
Silver smiled.
"Much cleaner."
"You made the opening."
"And you took it."
She gave him a small nod.
"...We’re getting faster."
The remaining beasts proved little more than practice. Silver intentionally avoided finishing them immediately; instead, he focused on controlling their movement.
He forced them into predictable patterns. One beast attempted to circle. Silver noticed it instantly.
"Left."
Ravenna reacted before he finished speaking. She repositioned herself. The ram entered her line of fire, and another clean shot followed.
[Spatial Sense Lv2]
{Environmental awareness successfully utilized.
Proficiency Increased.}
Silver’s smile widened. He barely needed to think anymore since the information simply... appeared. Every movement, every shifting shadow, and every change in terrain. Spatial Sense was allowing him to process the present far more efficiently than before.
The final two rams attempted to flee, but neither made it very far. Silver threw his combat knife directly into its neck. The first beast stumbled and fell.
Ravenna calmly finished the second before walking over to retrieve the blade. She handed it back handle-first.
"You’ve been throwing this more often."
Silver accepted it.
"I’m starting to like it."
"It suits your fighting style."
After collecting the cores, the two of them moved the carcasses away from the road. Silver selected the best cuts of meat before storing them in his limited storage. The remainder would eventually attract scavengers.
Ravenna placed four beast cores into a small pouch.
"We’re getting quite a collection."
Silver glanced at them.
"We’ll sell most of these."
She nodded.
"Tier One cores aren’t worth keeping anymore," she said, then smiled softly," a month ago I’d have celebrated finding even one."
Silver looked at her thoughtfully.
"...We’ve really grown stronger."
"We have."
Back inside the vehicle, they continued their journey. The road gradually climbed into a series of gentle hills, and the forests became denser.
Occasionally, small beasts could be seen darting between the trees, but none ventured close enough to attack. For almost forty minutes, the drive remained peaceful.
Until...
Silver frowned. He noticed movement, high above.
"Three o’clock."
Ravenna immediately rolled down her window. Three dark shapes burst from the treetops.
Tier Two Razor Crows.
Their wings shimmered with metallic feathers capable of slicing exposed flesh during a dive. The lead bird screamed.
Silver accelerated.
"They’re testing us."
The first crow folded its wings and dived. Ravenna remained perfectly calm. She waited until the last second, then...
BANG!
The bird spun through the air before crashing into the roadside ditch. The remaining two separated. Silver deliberately swerved toward the left. The sudden movement disrupted their attack pattern.
"Now."
Ravenna fired twice in rapid succession. The second bird lost control, and the third attempted to climb up.
Silver smiled.
"Not happening."
His knife flashed through the open window. The spinning blade struck the crow beneath one wing, and its balance instantly disappeared. Ravenna calmly finished it before it hit the ground.
[Target Synchronization]
{Combat coordination improved.
Current Synchronization: 44%}
Neither of them celebrated their kill. Silver simply slowed the vehicle before retrieving the three corpses.
"Good feathers."
Ravenna looked over them.
"Still useful, only a small bullet hole. They’ll sell well."
"Then they’re coming with us."
Late into the morning, another structure gradually appeared beside the highway. An old chain-link fence stretched for several hundred metres before surrounding a cluster of aging concrete buildings.
Most windows had long since shattered. Rust covered nearly every exposed surface. A faded metal sign leaned crookedly near the entrance.
Transit Research Station – Sector Seven
Silver’s eyes lingered on it as the vehicle rolled past. The abandoned facility stood silently beneath the morning sky, vines climbing over its walls while nature slowly reclaimed what humanity had left behind.
Ravenna noticed him looking.
"...Still curious?"
Silver nodded once.
"A little."
Silver simply lifted one hand in a small salute toward the rusting gates.
"Next time."
Then he gently pressed the accelerator. The research station disappeared in the rear-view mirror.
Ahead, the road curved around one final hillside. Beyond it, something enormous slowly emerged from the shimmering midday air.
Massive steel walls, watchtowers stretching high above the surrounding forest, and an endless stream of vehicles entering and leaving fortified gates.
Silver couldn’t help smiling.
"...There it is."
Ravenna followed his gaze. For the first time since leaving Delta 3, they had reached another of humanity’s great strongholds.
Delta Four.
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