Chapter 161:Unexpected meeting.
Silver remained crouched behind the thick bushes, his eyes fixed on the group gathered near the convoy of vehicles. For a moment, he almost wondered if he had mistaken the young man for someone else, but the longer he looked, the more certain he became.
It really was Dillian.
Beside him, Ravenna quietly frowned.
"...Dillian."
Silver glanced at her.
"I’m just as surprised. I thought he went to the eastern green Zones to hunt, but it seems he changed midway or something. It’s just too early for him to be here."
She nodded.
"Right, this is one hell of a surprise."
Silver couldn’t deny that. His gaze shifted across the rest of the group. Four women were accompanying him, and one immediately caught his attention.
Long dark hair, delicate features, and an elegant smile that looked perfectly practiced.
Cruella.
Silver’s expression remained unchanged; inside, however, he let out a silent sigh.
"What are the chances..."
Ravenna noticed where he was looking. Her expression immediately became colder.
"...She’s here too."
Silver gave a small nod.
"Looks like it."
Unlike his reaction to Dillian, there wasn’t even the slightest surprise in Ravenna’s eyes when she saw Cruella, only annoyance. Her dislike for the woman had never been a secret, not after everything that had happened.
Ravenna had seen through the woman almost immediately, and ever since then, the two women had never gotten along.
Silver quietly looked back toward the group.
"...Let’s wait."
Ravenna nodded. There was no reason to reveal themselves yet, not until they understood why Dillian’s team had come here.
Meanwhile, Dillian slowly looked around the old parking area. His eyes wandered across the cracked pavement, the abandoned buildings, and then stopped.
He frowned slightly.
"...Hmm?"
One of the women beside him looked over.
"What is it?"
Dillian didn’t answer immediately; instead, he walked several steps toward the far side of the parking area. His gaze remained fixed beneath the large tree where Silver’s vehicle was parked.
"...That car..."
He stopped.
"I know it."
The others exchanged puzzled looks.
"You do?"
Dillian nodded slowly.
"I’m almost certain."
He studied it for another few seconds before smiling.
"...That’s Silver’s car."
Cruella immediately looked toward the vehicle.
Her expression changed almost imperceptibly.
"...Silver?"
Another member of the team looked confused.
"You know the owner?"
Dillian chuckled.
"We’re from the same Sanctuary. I haven’t seen him since leaving Delta Three. I saw them leaving in that car; I can bet my life on it. Unless it’s stolen, which I doubt."
He looked around the surrounding area.
"If his car’s here... Then he’s probably nearby."
Silver let out a quiet sigh.
"So much for hiding."
Ravenna smiled faintly.
"I suppose there’s no point now."
Silver stood from behind the bushes and brushed a few leaves from his jacket. As he stepped into the open, Dillian immediately turned toward the movement. For a brief moment, surprise crossed his face, then it became a genuine smile.
"Silver!"
He raised a hand in greeting.
"It really is you."
Silver walked over at an easy pace.
"Dillian."
"It’s been a while."
"It has."
The two stopped a comfortable distance apart before shaking hands.
"I recognized your car. I was wondering why there was another vehicle out here."
Silver laughed.
"I could say the same. I wasn’t expecting to meet anyone... especially not someone from Delta Three."
Dillian nodded in agreement.
"Neither was I."
As the two men spoke, Ravenna stepped out from behind the bushes as well. Dillian’s eyes widened slightly.
"Ravenna."
She gave a polite nod.
"Dillian."
"It’s good to see you’re doing well."
"You too."
Dillian smiled warmly.
"So you two have really been travelling together?"
Silver nodded.
"Yes, we’ve been traveling ever since. Did you think I wasn’t telling the truth. "
"No, no, I believed you; it’s just a surprise to meet acquaintances in this large zone, especially you two. What are the odds?"
Silver chuckled.
"Me too, I thought you’d be hunting through eastern routes."
"I wanted to, but we were stopped... There is unrest in the yellow zones, and we were told to be careful. So we decided to just use your route. And look where it got us; we met you."
As the conversation continued, the rest of Dillian’s team gradually approached. Silver greeted each of them politely. There were four Association contractors and the three women in his harem.
Silver recognized them without the need for an introduction. The first was Iris; she was blonde and the tallest of the women, then Selena, who also had dark hair and seemed a little shy, and then Maya, who had purple hair and was the smallest in the ground though a little shy. They were all extremely beautiful, then...His gaze briefly met Cruella’s.
She smiled. It was the same gentle and perfect smile she always wore, almost impossible to criticize.
"...Silver. It’s nice seeing you again."
Silver returned a polite nod.
"Cruella. I hope you’ve been well."
"I have."
Her smile remained unchanged.
"And you?"
"I’m doing well."
Their exchange lasted only a few seconds. Silver had no intention of revisiting the past. Beside him, Ravenna quietly rolled her eyes. She didn’t even try hiding it.
Cruella noticed immediately. For just an instant, the pleasant smile on her face stiffened, then it returned as though nothing had happened.
"...Ravenna."
Ravenna answered with the same calm tone.
"Cruella."
Neither woman offered another word. The silence between them spoke loudly enough. Dillian looked between the two of them before letting out a small, helpless laugh as though trying to diffuse the tension in the air.
"...You two know each other?"
Ravenna answered first.
"Oh, we know each other alright, don’t we... Cruella."
Cruella nodded gracefully.
"Yes, but we aren’t close."
Silver wisely chose not to comment. Fortunately, one of Dillian’s companions changed the subject.
"I didn’t expect anyone else to be interested in this place."
She looked toward the abandoned research station.
"What brings you here?"
Silver glanced toward the weathered buildings before answering honestly.
"We became curious. We found some old public records and decided to explore; the station’s history didn’t quite add up."
Dillian’s smile widened.
"We reached exactly the same conclusion."
Silver blinked.
"You too?"
Dillian nodded.
"There wasn’t enough information. The classified reports only made us more curious."
Silver couldn’t help laughing.
"So we all followed the mystery."
"It seems that way."
For a moment, everyone turned toward the silent research station. The abandoned buildings stood exactly as they had a few minutes earlier.
Silver folded his arms.
"Looks like neither of us expected company."
"No." Dillian smiled. "But now that we’re both here..."
He looked from Silver to the station’s rusted entrance.
"...I suppose this investigation just became a little more interesting."