Chapter 196:Leaving.
Silver climbed into the driver’s seat and let out a slow breath. The events of the past hour replayed through his mind one after another. It had all happened quickly, yet every decision still felt fresh in his memory.
Beside him, Ravenna quietly fastened her seatbelt. Neither of them spoke immediately. Both simply needed a few moments to collect themselves.
Silver finally turned the key, and the engine came to life with its familiar low rumble. He glanced through the windshield toward the roadblock one last time.
"...One more thing."
Ravenna looked at him.
"The barricade?"
He nodded.
"If we leave it like this, someone else might stop."
She immediately understood.
"They’ll think the road is blocked because of beasts or probably new bandits."
The two climbed back out of the vehicle. Working together, they began dismantling the makeshift barricade.
The abandoned cars were far too heavy to move completely, but several had only been positioned to funnel vehicles into a narrow choke point.
Silver used the immense strength of a Rank Two contractor to push one sedan aside while Ravenna helped steer it off the road. The tires scraped loudly across the cracked asphalt.
A second vehicle followed, then several steel beams, concrete blocks, and old oil drums. Within twenty minutes, they had opened a clear lane wide enough for ordinary traffic to pass safely.
Anyone approaching from either direction would immediately recognize the abandoned town as dangerous instead of becoming trapped at the obstruction.
Silver wiped a little dust from his hands.
"That should do."
Ravenna nodded.
"At least no one will drive straight into another ambush."
Silver glanced toward the restrained bandit. He sat against the side of an overturned truck, fear preventing him from standing properly.
His face had lost all of its earlier arrogance; instead, he simply looked tired. When Silver approached, he raised his head.
"...Why?"
Silver stopped several meters away.
"What do you mean?"
"You won."
He gave a bitter laugh.
"So why did you kill everyone else and leave me alive?"
Silver answered honestly.
"Because you’re worth more alive."
He stared at him.
"You think the Association will let me live?"
"I don’t know," Silver replied calmly. "That’s their decision. I don’t really care what happens to you"
He lowered his gaze.
"...Fair enough."
For a long moment, neither spoke. Finally, the former bandit shook his head.
"You know... I almost feel sorry for whoever tries this road next."
Silver frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
The man gave a humorless smile.
"People like us don’t disappear; another gang will eventually move in. Maybe not here but somewhere. The roads between Sanctuaries... They’ve always belonged to whoever is strong enough to take them."
Silver remained silent. He couldn’t deny it; the world outside the Sanctuary walls lacked order. Power created its own rules. The Association simply couldn’t patrol every road, every abandoned town, or every ruined city.
Eventually, Silver turned away.
"We’re leaving."
The man didn’t answer. Ravenna had already climbed back into the passenger seat. Silver followed a moment later.
This time, the vehicle rolled smoothly through the gap they had cleared in the barricade. The abandoned town slowly disappeared behind them.
For several minutes, neither spoke; the atmosphere inside the car remained unusually quiet. Finally, Ravenna broke the silence.
"...Do you think he’ll tell the Association everything?"
"I don’t know, but..." Silver shrugged slightly. "If he wants a lighter sentence... he probably will."
"And if he doesn’t?"
Silver kept his eyes on the road.
"Then they’ll find other ways."
She nodded thoughtfully. A few moments later she spoke again.
"...It’s always the same everywhere."
"Hm?"
"The beasts."
"What about them?"
"They aren’t the only danger."
Silver smiled faintly.
"They never were. The laboratory and the bandits. They’re completely different, but both nearly got us killed."
Ravenna looked out the side window at the passing forest.
"When I first left home... I thought becoming stronger only meant fighting beasts." She laughed quietly. "But I soon learnt that people are just as frightening."
Silver couldn’t disagree.
"In some ways... they’re worse. Beasts follow instinct. They hunt, defend territory and survive, but humans..." He paused for a moment. "They choose to be who they are."
Ravenna understood immediately. The bandits hadn’t robbed because they were starving; their camp alone contained enough food to feed dozens of people for months. They had continued because it was profitable and they wanted to. That made all the difference.
The road gradually left the abandoned town behind. Nature returned once more. The peaceful scenery contrasted sharply with what they had just experienced.
After nearly half an hour of driving, Silver finally relaxed his shoulders slightly.
"...We lost more time than I expected."
Ravenna unfolded the map.
"We can still make it."
She checked the distance carefully.
"If we don’t stop again."
Silver nodded.
"No more training today."
She smiled.
"I figured."
"The checkpoint first, we’ll rest there."
He pressed slightly harder on the accelerator. The vehicle responded smoothly. Kilometers disappeared beneath the tires one after another. As the afternoon slowly gave way to evening, more contractor vehicles began appearing on the highway.
Several small convoys traveled toward Delta Four carrying fresh supplies. Others headed in the same direction as Silver and Ravenna.
The closer they drew to Checkpoint Fifteen, the busier the road became. Military patrols also became more frequent. Armored trucks occasionally passed in the opposite direction while reconnaissance vehicles drove between groups of civilian contractors.
The increased security was immediately noticeable. Ravenna pointed toward the horizon.
"I think that’s it."
Far in the distance... A massive defensive wall slowly emerged above the surrounding hills. Although nowhere near the size of an actual Sanctuary, Checkpoint Fifteen still resembled a small fortress.
Watchtowers overlooked the surrounding Green Zone. Floodlights had already begun switching on despite the remaining daylight. Long defensive barriers extended outward on both sides of the highway.
The checkpoint guarded the final safe stretch before contractors entered the Yellow Zone.
Silver checked the dashboard clock.
A little after six-thirty.
They had made it, just barely. The sky had begun turning brilliant shades of orange and red. The setting sun painted the surrounding hills in warm golden light.
Behind them, the last rays illuminated the distant forests they had spent the entire day crossing. Ahead, checkpoint Fifteen stood ready to welcome another stream of weary travelers.
Ravenna smiled softly.
"We actually made it before dark."
Silver smiled back.
"Only because we didn’t waste any more time."
She looked at him sideways.
"I don’t think stopping a gang of murderers counts as wasting time."
Silver laughed quietly.
"...Fair point."
The line of vehicles approaching the checkpoint moved steadily forward.