Chapter 208:Leaving.
The first light of dawn crept silently across the Yellow Zone. The stars gradually disappeared one after another as a pale orange glow spread across the eastern horizon, bathing the rocky campsite in soft morning light.
For several moments, the camp remained quiet. Only the crackling of dying campfires and the occasional chirping of insects disturbed the peaceful morning.
The night had passed without incident; no beasts had approached the perimeter and none of the warning lines had been triggered. Even the tiny venomous insects Captain Harry had warned them about had thankfully stayed away from the tents.
Everyone had managed to enjoy a proper night’s sleep.
Silver slowly opened his eyes. For a few seconds, he simply stared at the fabric ceiling above him, allowing himself to enjoy the unfamiliar feeling of waking without immediately reaching for a weapon.
Beside him, Ravenna was still asleep. Her hair had spread across the sleeping bag during the night, and her breathing remained slow and steady. She looked considerably more relaxed than she had the previous evening.
Silver smiled faintly.
The battle in the ravine had exhausted both of them far more than either had admitted. He quietly unzipped the tent and stepped outside.
The morning air was refreshingly cool. Several contractors assigned to the final watch were already extinguishing the last campfires before preparing breakfast.
Others stretched sore muscles after sleeping on the hard ground. The smell of boiling tea drifted through the camp.
Silver took a deep breath.
"...Not bad."
Behind him, he heard the tent zipper open again. Ravenna stepped outside while rubbing one eye.
"Morning."
"Morning."
She looked around the campsite.
"I actually slept well."
"So did I."
She smiled.
"I thought I’d wake up every hour."
Silver chuckled.
"I think everyone was too tired."
Nearby, several cooks had already begun preparing breakfast for their own teams.
The atmosphere felt noticeably lighter than it had the previous evening. People were laughing again, sharing stories, and comparing battle scars from the ravine.
Even those who had lost companions seemed calmer after a night’s rest. Life on the road demanded that people continue moving, grief would come later as survival came first.
Silver unpacked their portable stove while Ravenna prepared breakfast.
The menu remained simple. Dried beast meat, hard bread, a packet of preserved vegetables and hot tea. After yesterday’s battle, it tasted surprisingly satisfying.
Ravenna took a sip of tea before sighing contentedly.
"I never thought hot tea could taste this good."
Silver laughed.
"Everything tastes better after almost dying."
She nodded seriously.
"...True."
While they ate, several mechanics performed quick inspections on every vehicle in the convoy. Anything damaged during yesterday’s battle received immediate attention.
Silver also walked around their own vehicle once more. Fortunately, nothing new had appeared overnight.
The engine remained reliable. The scratched bodywork looked ugly, but cosmetic damage didn’t matter out here. As long as it moved, that was enough.
By seven o’clock, tents began disappearing one after another, sleeping bags were rolled tightly and cooking equipment packed away.
Within half an hour, the campsite looked almost untouched, only several blackened circles where fires had burned hinted that anyone had stayed there at all.
Captain Harry climbed onto the hood of his truck once everyone had assembled.
His eyes swept across the convoy.
Although reduced in numbers after the ravine, the remaining contractors stood straighter than before. Yesterday had forged them into something closer to a single unit.
He nodded approvingly.
"Morning, everyone."
A chorus of greetings answered him.
"I’m glad to see everyone awake."
A ripple of laughter spread through the group. Harry smiled briefly before becoming serious.
"We’re entering deeper Yellow Zone territory today."
He unfolded a weathered map across the hood.
"This region isn’t only dangerous because of beasts."
He pointed toward a chain of mountains visible in the distance.
"Those mountains control the weather here."
Several newcomers looked confused.
"The weather?"
He nodded.
"It can change without warning; clear skies one moment then torrential rain the next. There are strong winds, dust storms and flash floods."
He tapped the map again.
"Most of the rivers in this region begin up there. You might not see a single cloud overhead, while it’s pouring rain in the mountains." He paused. "Several hours later... all that water reaches us."
Silver immediately understood.
Flash flooding.
It explained why experienced contractors respected rivers in the Yellow Zone.
Harry continued.
"If weather changes, as usual don’t panic, stay with the convoy. If visibility drops, reduce speed. If I order everyone to stop, you stop. No exceptions."
Everyone nodded. One contractor raised a hand.
"What about beasts?"
Harry smiled grimly.
"They like bad weather almost as much as we don’t."
A few people chuckled. He folded the map.
"The journey isn’t going to be easy."
He looked around at every face.
"We’ve already survived one of the worst ravines on this route. We’ll survive the rest too."
The simple words drew firm nods throughout the convoy. People climbed back into their vehicles and engines started one after another.
Silver settled behind the steering wheel while Ravenna adjusted her rifle beside her seat.
"You ready?"
She smiled.
"As ready as I’ll ever be."
The convoy began moving, leaving the rocky campsite behind.
The morning passed peacefully, the Yellow Zone stretched endlessly around them.
Golden grass swayed beneath the wind. Large herds of ordinary animals occasionally appeared in the distance before fleeing at the sight of so many vehicles. Several Tier One beasts watched from afar but wisely chose not to approach.
Silver almost found himself relaxing.
Around ten o’clock, the terrain began changing again. The grass grew thicker, scattered trees appeared more frequently and small streams crossed the road every few hundred meters. Birds circled overhead.
Ravenna looked outside.
"It looks better the further we go."
Silver nodded.
"Which usually means trouble."
Almost on cue, a gunshot echoed from the front of the convoy.
Bang!
The radio immediately crackled.
"Contact!"
"Right flank!"
Silver’s attention sharpened instantly. Several wolf-like beasts burst from the tall grass.
Unlike ordinary wolves, these creatures possessed elongated forelegs and thick armored plates running along their backs.
Their yellow eyes remained locked on the convoy.
"Tier Three!"
"They’re fast!"
The beasts sprinted alongside the moving vehicles before suddenly leaping. One landed atop a transport truck and another smashed into a pickup carrying three contractors.
Gunfire erupted.
Silver lowered his window.
[Phantom Draw Lv3 Activated. ]
Bang!
The first wolf spun sideways after the bullet entered its eye. Before its body hit the ground...
Bang!
A second beast collapsed with a shattered skull.
The convoy kept moving.
Ravenna opened her own window. She didn’t use the sniper rifle; instead, she drew her assault rifle. Controlled bursts echoed across the plains.
Several beasts fell while others darted between patches of tall grass before attacking again from unexpected angles.
"They’re herding us."
Silver observed.
"They’re trying."
One particularly large wolf sprang directly toward their windshield.
Silver calmly drew again.
Bang!
The bullet entered through its open mouth. The beast crashed harmlessly across the hood before sliding away.
Around them, the convoy began spreading out, and this time from necessity.
The narrow road disappeared beneath thick vegetation, forcing vehicles to navigate around clusters of rocks and trees.
For several minutes, smaller groups fought independently. Ice spears flew through the air, wind blades sliced apart charging beasts and fireballs ignited patches of dry grass before quickly burning themselves out.
The battle remained fierce, but nowhere near yesterday’s nightmare. Within fifteen minutes, the surviving beasts broke away.
The contractors didn’t pursue. They simply regrouped as the scattered vehicles gradually returned to formation.
Captain Harry’s voice sounded over the radio.
"Status check."
One by one, teams reported.
"No casualties."
"Minor injuries."
"Vehicle intact."
"All clear."
Silver glanced toward Ravenna.
She smiled.
"...Much better than the ravine."
He nodded.
"I’ll happily take ten battles like that instead."