Chapter 253:Collecting.
The convoy continued. After another half hour, Larry finally ordered a stop. His vehicle pulled toward a broad rocky area where several enormous stones formed a natural shelter from the wind.
The others followed. Silver parked and climbed out. The moment he stepped from the vehicle, he felt the difference in the air.
It was cooler here.
The wind passed between the rocks, carrying the smell of dry earth and vegetation.
Larry walked toward the group.
"We’ll be collecting herbs here."
Several contractors immediately began unloading equipment. Silver looked around.
"More plants?"
Larry nodded.
"Several species grow around this section. Some of them are extremely valuable because they’re onky found in this section."
He pointed toward a narrow crack between two rocks.
"Blueleaf."
One of the contractors walked over.
Larry continued.
"There’s also Crimson Root farther down the slope. Don’t confuse it with Bloodvine, that’s poisonous. They look similar from a distance."
Silver listened carefully. He hadn’t expected herb gathering to be such an important part of the expedition but the more Larry explained, the more sense it made.
Death Row Valley was one of the largest unexplored regions accessible from the Yellow Zone, and that meant there were resources here that had never been properly catalogued.
Researchers paid enormous amounts for rare plants. Pharmaceutical companies wanted them and awakeners wanted them.
Even the military was interested in certain species because some possessed properties that could be used in medicine or enhancement products.
For an expedition like theirs, collecting herbs was almost free profit but the danger was the only problem.
Ravenna walked beside Silver as they moved toward a cluster of plants.
"Which one are we looking for?"
"Blueleaf and anything you think is valuable. He said there are a few plants that are native to this side if the valley. Fascinating, isn’t it?"
She looked around.
"Yeah... but... everything here looks blue."
Silver smiled.
"Stop smiling at that, it’s not helpful. How are we supposed to find a blue plant in a field of blue."
"It wasn’t supposed to be to be easy. That’s why they’re valuable."
"Tsk!"
He crouched beside a small plant growing beneath a rock. Its leaves were pale blue, almost translucent.
"This."
Ravenna examined it.
"It looks ordinary."
"That’s the whole point." Silver carefully removed it from the soil." Most of this useful plants tend to be unremarkable as a form of defense but the more colourful one should be approached with caution. Remember Detroin?"
The moment the plant entered the preservation container, its leaves began to glow faintly.
Ravenna’s eyes widened.
"Okay, that’s something..."
Silver smiled.
"Now it looks less ordinary."
She laughed.
They continued collecting. For several minutes, everything went smoothly, then Silver noticed something. The ground beside him was disturbed.
He stopped. Ravenna noticed immediately.
"What?"
Silver pointed.
"There."
She looked down.
A series of small holes ran beneath the rocks. Ravenna raised her weapon.
"Something lives there."
Silver nodded.
Before they could move away, the ground exploded. A creature burst from beneath them.
Silver grabbed Ravenna and pulled her backward as a set of sharp jaws snapped through the space where her leg had been.
The beast landed heavily. It resembled a giant armored monitor lizard, its body covered in overlapping plates.
Ravenna fired.
The bullet struck its head and the beast staggered. Silver fired immediately afterward. The shot penetrated its eye.
The creature collapsed.
[Phantom Draw Lv3.]
{Proficiency increased.}
Antony’s voice came from nearby.
"Are you two okay?"
"We’re fine."
Antony walked over and looked at the dead creature.
"Another ugly one."
Ravenna sighed.
"Everything is ugly to you."
"Have you seen these things?"
Silver laughed.
"He’s not wrong."
They continued collecting but the attack had changed everyone’s behavior. Nobody moved without checking the ground first.
Every rock was treated as though something might be hiding behind it. Every patch of grass was examined before anyone stepped into it. Even the Rank Four contractors were becoming more cautious.
The valley was teaching them quickly that there were no safe places but only places that hadn’t attacked yet. They moved farther along the rocky slope.
Silver noticed a group of strange red plants growing beneath a cliff. He compared them with the information Larry had given them.
Crimson Root.
He carefully collected several with Ravenna’s help. Antony wandered farther than the others.
Silver immediately called him back.
"Stay close, stop wandering off. This place is dangerous."
Antony looked over his shoulder.
"There’s nothing here."
"That’s what you think, get back here."
Antony returned.
"Uurgh... You worry too much."
Silver stared at him.
"That’s why I’m alive."
Antony smiled before rolling his eyes. They continued their harvest.
The convoy eventually resumed movement. This time, they traveled for only twenty minutes before another attack came.
A flock of winged creatures descended from the cliffs. Their bodies resembled massive bats, but their wings were covered in hard scales instead of skin.
They didn’t attack the vehicles directly; instead, they targeted the people on the outside. The contractors immediately responded.
Ravenna raised her rifle.
BANG!
One creature fell.
Silver drew his gun.
[Phantom Draw Lv3 Activated]
One fell, then another. The Rank Fours made short work of the rest and the creatures scattered. Silver watched them disappear into the cliffs.
"They’re becoming more frequent."
Ravenna nodded.
"And stronger."
Silver looked toward the mountains.
"We’re getting deeper."
The convoy continued but the attacks didn’t stop but simply changed. A group of horned herbivores suddenly charged across the road.
They weren’t interested in fighting, it seemed as though they were simply fleeing from something. The convoy was forced to stop while the animals crossed.
Everyone watched them disappear, then came the sound of something roaring in the distance. The herd had clearly been running from a predator.
Silver exchanged a glance with Ravenna.
The convoy waited but nothing appeared. It seems whatever was chasing them had given up. Eventually, they continued.
As afternoon approached, they encountered another collection area.
Larry ordered them to stop again.
"This section has Moon Grass."
Several contractors immediately became interested. Silver had heard of it; it was a medicinal herb used in certain recovery medicines.
It wasn’t particularly rare in the Green Zones but the variety growing in Death Row Valley was different. It contained significantly more energy which meant the researchers paid heavily for it.
Silver and Ravenna began searching. The grass was difficult to identify since it looked almost identical to ordinary vegetation. Only the faint silver color along the edges of the leaves gave it away.
Ravenna crouched.
"Here."
Silver looked.
"Yeah, it’s that one. Pull it with the roots we can try and replant it."
She carefully collected it.
They continued searching. Within an hour, their preservation container was nearly full. Silver was beginning to understand why expeditions were willing to risk coming here.
The resources alone were worth a fortune, and they hadn’t even reached the deeper sections. That thought should have excited him; instead, it made him uneasy.
If the outskirts already contained valuable resources, what existed farther inside?
More importantly, what kind of beasts had evolved to protect them?
A sudden roar echoed through the valley.
Everyone froze.
The sound was distant but it was powerful enough that Silver felt it vibrate through his chest. The Rank Four contractors immediately stopped what they were doing.
Larry raised his hand.
The valley became completely silent, even the insects seemed to have disappeared. Silver slowly reached for his sword. Ravenna stood beside him.
Antony’s expression lost its usual humor.
"What was that?" he whispered.
Silver shook his head.
"I don’t know."
Another roar came, closer than before. This time, several smaller creatures scattered from the rocks and ran directly past the convoy. Nobody attacked them but simply watched.
Larry’s expression became serious.
"Pack up."
The contractors immediately obeyed. Silver helped Ravenna gather the herbs and they returned to the vehicles. Nobody asked questions.
The roar didn’t come again but the tension remained.
The convoy moved and ghey traveled for another hour. The terrain became noticeably steeper. The road wound around the side of a large rocky formation, with a steep drop visible on one side.
Silver drove slowly.
One mistake could send a vehicle tumbling down the slope. The convoy was forced to move in single file.
The sun had begun descending; long shadows stretched across the valley. Silver looked toward the horizon.
"We’re losing daylight."
Larry’s voice came over the convoy communication system.
"We’ll continue until we reach a suitable stopping point."
Silver nodded. They continued.
Another attack came, this time, the beasts emerged from a ravine. They were small, but there were dozens. The contractors fought them quickly.
Silver remained inside the vehicle initially, using his firearm through the open window. His Phantom Draw allowed him to fire accurately despite the moving vehicle.
Ravenna covered the opposite side.
The beasts were killed before they could reach the convoy but nobody celebrated. The attacks were becoming routine and that was the dangerous part. Everyone was beginning to expect them.
Silver knew that complacency was one of the easiest ways to die. He kept his attention focused.