Chapter 251: going deeper.
Silver realized that everything he had imagined about the place had been wrong.
It wasn’t simply a large valley surrounded by mountains, it was enormous.
The landscape stretched farther than he could see, with layers of rocky hills and towering cliffs disappearing into the distance. Some sections of the valley floor were relatively flat, covered in dry grass and scattered stones, while others dropped sharply into enormous ravines.
Tall cliffs rose on either side, their surfaces broken by caves, ledges, and narrow paths that could easily conceal an entire group of beasts and this was only the beginning.
Silver slowed the vehicle slightly as they followed Larry’s car down the winding road. He had expected Death Row Valley to feel dangerous but he hadn’t expected it to feel so alive.
There was movement everywhere. Something flew between two cliffs in the distance. A large creature disappeared behind a rock formation. Something else moved through the grass and rven the wind seemed to carry unfamiliar sounds.
Ravenna looked through the windshield.
"So this is Death Row Valley."
Silver nodded.
"Apparently."
She stared at the enormous landscape ahead.
"It’s bigger than I expected."
Antony leaned forward from the back seat.
"How big is it supposed to be?"
Silver glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
"No one knows."
Antony raised an eyebrow.
"How can nobody know?"
"Because nobody has mapped the entire thing."
"That’s ridiculous."
Silver shrugged.
"Apparently, people who tried didn’t come back."
Antony went quiet for a moment, then he said, "That’s slightly less ridiculous."
Ravenna laughed.
Silver smiled but his attention remained on the valley. In the original story, Death Row Valley had been described as one of the most dangerous regions accessible from the Yellow Zone.
Not because every beast inside was powerful, there were plenty of weak creatures, the problem was the sheer scale. The valley stretched for an enormous distance and continued deep into the Red Zone.
There were places where the terrain itself became almost impossible to navigate. There were caves that had never been explored, underground rivers, cliffs that had never been climbed, and there were territories controlled by powerful beasts that no ordinary expedition dared enter.
The valley had effectively become its own ecosystem, a massive one at that. And they had just driven into it. Silver’s hands tightened slightly around the steering wheel.
"This isn’t even where we’re going."
Ravenna looked at him.
"What?"
Silver nodded toward the road.
"We’re still on the outskirts."
She frowned.
"We haven’t reached the destination yet?"
"No."
Antony leaned forward again.
"How far?"
"I don’t know."
That answer earned him two looks. Silver sighed.
"According to what was written on the notice, the actual destination is farther east."
Ravenna looked ahead.
"Then this is only the beginning, I thought we were on the east side already."
"Yes we are, but we’ve just started the eastern side."
She was quiet for a moment, then she smiled faintly.
"At least we’re together."
Silver glanced at her, it was clear they were trying to be positive.
"That’s true."
The convoy continued downward. The road had become much rougher. There were cracks in several sections, and large rocks had fallen onto the sides. The vehicles had to maneuver around them carefully.
Nobody complained.
Everyone understood why, because here was no maintenance crew out here. The farther they traveled, the less likely they were to encounter anything resembling civilization.
Suddenly, one of the vehicles ahead stopped. Larry’s car slowed and the rest of the convoy followed. Silver immediately reached for his weapon. Ravenna did the same.
Antony looked out the window.
"What happened?"
Silver didn’t answer, he just watched the terrain. A few seconds later, Larry stepped out of his vehicle. He walked toward the edge of the road and looked down.
Silver could see him speaking with one of the other contractors, then Larry raised his hand. The convoy began moving again.
Silver followed.
When they passed the location, he saw what had caused the stop. There were several strange plants growing beside the road.
They had thick purple stems and pale leaves. One of the contractors had stopped to examine them. Silver recognized them from the information he’d read about Death Row Valley.
They were valuable medicinal plants.
That was one of the reasons expeditions entered the valley despite the danger. The valley wasn’t simply filled with dangerous beasts, it was filled with resources.
Some plants couldn’t grow anywhere else. Some minerals existed only in the deeper regions, and occasionally, people discovered mutated materials with properties that scientists couldn’t fully explain.
Silver understood why the place attracted contractors. Dangerous didn’t mean worthless, sometimes the most dangerous places were also the most profitable.
The convoy stopped several meters ahead. Larry stepped out and addressed everyone.
"We’ll begin collecting herbs."
Several contractors immediately grabbed equipment. Silver parked the vehicle. Ravenna climbed out beside him and Antony followed.
Larry walked toward them.
"There are several plants unique to this section of the valley."
He pointed toward the rocky slope.
"Don’t wander too far."
Silver nodded.
"Understood."
"The beasts here are territorial." Larry gave him a brief smile. " don’t get too greedy."
The group spread out.
Silver and Ravenna stayed together. They began examining the vegetation. Ravenna crouched near a cluster of pale blue leaves.
"This one?"
Silver checked the information provided by the expedition.
"Yes."
She carefully cut the plant near its base.
"How much is it worth?"
"Depends on the condition."
Silver placed it inside a preservation container.
"Probably enough to make collecting it worthwhile."
Ravenna smiled.
"Then we should collect more."
They moved farther along the rocky edge. Silver remained alert through out. He could feel something watching them, not directly but something was nearby.
He stopped.
Ravenna noticed immediately.
"What?"
"Wait."
She froze.
Silver looked toward the rocks but nothing, then a small creature suddenly jumped from behind a stone. Ravenna raised her weapon but silver reacted faster.
His gun fired.
The creature fell. It looked like a strange lizard, though its body was much larger than an ordinary one.
Antony walked over.
"That’s it?"
Silver looked down.
"Apparently."
Antony poked the creature with his foot.
"Ugly."
Ravenna sighed.
"It’s still a beast."
"That doesn’t make it prettier."
Silver laughed.
Then another movement came from the grass. This time, Silver didn’t hesitate.
He fired.
A second creature collapsed, then a third. Ravenna immediately turned.
"More."
Silver saw them. Several pairs of glowing eyes were appearing between the rocks.
"Back."
The three moved toward the vehicles as the beasts emerged. They weren’t particularly large but there were many of them, more than twenty.
Larry immediately shouted.
"Defensive positions!"
The Rank Four contractors reacted instantly; weapons were raised and abilities activated as the beasts charged.