Chapter 275:Passing by.
Morning came quietly. There were no roars close enough to shake the ground, no sudden movements among the rocks, and no alarms from the watch teams. When Silver opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the pale sunlight slipping through the fabric of the tent.
For a moment, he simply remained there, listening to the sounds outside. Contractors were already moving around the campsite, equipment was being packed, and someone nearby was arguing about breakfast. It sounded almost like an ordinary morning.
Ravenna stirred beside him and slowly opened her eyes.
"Morning."
Silver turned toward her.
"Morning."
She stared at him for a few seconds before smiling.
"You look like you’ve been awake for a while."
"I have."
"Still thinking about the cave?"
Silver hesitated.
"Maybe."
Ravenna sighed.
"I knew it."
Silver smiled.
"Can you blame me?"
"No, I also thought about it for a while."
She sat up and stretched before looking toward the entrance of the tent.
"We’re actually going to see it today."
"Not exactly."
Ravenna frowned.
"What?"
Silver looked thoughtful.
"We’re supposed to pass near it, close enough to see it."
"It’s the same thing with more steps."
Ravenna’s expression immediately brightened afterwards.
"Then you can finally check whether your memories match."
"That’s the plan."
They left the tent shortly afterward and joined the others for breakfast. The campsite had already become busy. The eight Rank Four contractors were gathered together, eating quickly while discussing the route. Larry stood near the lead vehicle with a map in his hands, occasionally pointing toward different sections of the valley while speaking to Elena since she was driving the lead vehicle.
Ravenna sat beside him and quietly ate breakfast while Antony talked about the previous night’s patrol.
"This place was far more comfortable than I expected. I thought we would be sleeping with bugs today."
Silver looked at him.
"Don’t jinx us, bugs give me the creeps."
"Are you scared of bugs, really?"
"I never said that, stop twisting my words. Do you think anyone in their right might would want to wake up with a giant poisonous bug on top of them."
Antony shrugged.
"Potato, poteito same thing," he turned to Ravenna," you should really protect your man."
"He’s not scared, bugs are generally creepy."
"They’re cute... half of the time."
Ravenna laughed.
"Then you’ll take the lead when we encounter them from now on."
"Whoa, whoa hold your horses. I never volunteered for that, it’s Silver’s job to do the protecting. I just collect the scraps behind both of you."
Silver almost choked on his food.
Antony looked offended.
"I’m not scared of them or anything, I just don’t want to steal your designation. You like to lead, don’t you?"
Silver shook his head. Ravenna continued laughing. After breakfast, everyone began preparing to leave.
The camp disappeared surprisingly quickly. Silver helped Ravenna check their supplies before returning to their vehicle.
He glanced toward Larry.
"Everything ready?"
Larry nodded.
"Almost." He looked at the valley ahead. "We’ll be moving for about an hour before reaching the mission area."
Silver nodded.
"And the cave?"
Larry pointed toward the eastern ridges.
"We’ll pass close to it before turning toward the mission route."
"How close?"
"Maybe a few hundred meters."
Silver’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"That’s close."
"Don’t get any ideas."
Silver smiled innocently.
"I didn’t say anything."
Larry gave him a look.
"You didn’t have to."
Ravenna laughed. Larry shook his head before walking away.
The convoy finally started moving.
The vehicles rolled away from the campsite and followed the winding road through the valley. The morning sun had risen higher by then, illuminating the rocky terrain and revealing the countless tracks left behind by the wildlife. Silver kept his attention on the surroundings as they traveled.
The previous day’s unusual animal activity hadn’t disappeared. If anything, it seemed more noticeable in the morning.
Several groups of herbivorous beasts moved across the distant slopes. Birds flew between the mountains. A few predators watched the convoy from elevated rocks before disappearing into the grass.
Silver occasionally checked the road ahead with spacial sense. Nothing immediately dangerous appeared.
The convoy continued.
The further they went, the more Silver felt the anticipation building in his chest. He knew that the cave was somewhere ahead.
Eventually, Larry’s voice came through the communication system.
"We’re approaching it."
Silver straightened. Ravenna immediately looked toward him.
"This is it?"
"Probably."
Silver slowed their vehicle slightly without falling behind. The convoy turned around a large rocky formation, and then Silver saw it.
At first, he almost missed it.
The cave was carved into the side of a low rocky hill, partially hidden by vegetation and shadows. There was nothing particularly impressive about the entrance. It wasn’t enormous, and there were no glowing crystals or strange formations around it.
It looked like an ordinary cave, but Silver immediately noticed the animals.
His eyes widened slightly.
There were dozens.
A small group of four-legged beasts rested near the entrance. Several reptilian creatures were scattered around the rocks. Two large birds stood on a nearby ledge, while another creature that looked like a wolf sat several meters from the entrance.
Silver’s hands tightened around the steering wheel.
"This is it."
Ravenna looked through the windshield.
"Are you sure?"
"Not completely but the weirder the place, the surer I am of it."
He activated Insight and the world seemed to sharpen. Information appeared over several of the creatures.
[Rank 1 Beast.]
[Rank 2 Beast.]
[Rank 2 Beast.]
Nothing unusual.
Silver frowned.
He checked another. They were ordinary beasts but there was something strange about their behavior. The wolf suddenly raised its head, and, at almost exactly the same moment, three of the reptilian creatures did the same, the birds turned; even the small herbivorous beasts shifted their attention toward the cave.
Silver’s eyes narrowed.
They were all looking at the same place which was the darkness inside the cave.
"What are they doing?" Ravenna whispered.
"I don’t know."
Silver watched.
For several seconds, nothing happened, then the animals slowly relaxed again. The wolf lowered its head. One of the reptiles crawled back toward the rocks. The birds resumed their previous positions. It was almost as though they had heard something.
Silver glanced at Ravenna.
"Did you see that?"
"Yes."
She frowned.
"They all reacted at the same time."