Chapter 220:Fog 3.
Three panthers rushed from the fog, he accelerated to outrun them.
Ravenna fired three times; two dropped and the third jumped onto the roof.
[Short-Step Lv2 Activated ]
He appeared above the vehicle where a third panther was standing,he slashed his sword down. Surprisingly, the panther twisted, the blade cutting across its shoulder. It landed behind the car.
Silver followed, jumping off the car.
[Space Slash Lv2 Activated. ]
The beast collapsed, the slash dividing it in half.
[Short-Step Lv2 Activated]
He immediately returned to the driver’s seat. Ravenna glanced at him.
"Show-off."
Silver smiled.
"You liked it."
She looked away.
"...Maybe."
That single word made him smile even more but there was no time to dwell on it.
At that moment, a massive roar shook the fog, the Tier Four beast had returned. This time, it didn’t attack a vehicle, it attacked the road itself.
The creature leapt onto a large boulder and pushed it downhill. The rock rolled directly toward the convoy.
"Rock!" Someone shouted.
Silver saw it. The boulder was enormous, too large to simply drive around.
"Hold on!"
He turned sharply. The vehicle ahead swerved and Silver followed it’s lead. The boulder smashed into the road behind them, dust and fog exploding outward.
Several vehicles narrowly avoided it but the beast had already moved.
Silver sensed it.
"Above."
Ravenna looked upward. The creature was leaping from the rock formation, straight toward them.
She raised her rifle while Silver accelerated.
Ravenna fired.
The bullet struck the beast in the chest but it barely slowed. Silver gritted his teeth.
"Again!"
Ravenna fired.
The second bullet hit the same location, this time, the creature recoiled slightly. He stopped the car, forcing the other ones to stop.
[Short-Step Lv2 Activated]
His body vanished and appeared directly beside the beast. His sword flashed.
[Space Slash Lv2 Activated]
The attack struck its torso causing bood to spray everywhere. The Tier Four beast roared in pain.
Silver immediately retreated.
The creature landed hard enough to crack the ground, it stared at him. For the first time, Silver felt genuine hostility from it. It knew he was dangerous.
Silver raised his sword as the beast crouched, then vanished into the fog.
"Where did it go?" Ravenna asked.
Silver activated Spatial Sense again but found nothing. His expression hardened, then he felt it, a vibration beneath the ground.
"Below!"
The ground erupted, the beast bursting upward. Silver grabbed Ravenna and pulled her toward him, its claws tearing through the space where she had been standing.
Silver’s sword struck upward, the blade cutting across its jaw. The creature recoiled.
Ravenna raised her rifle as fire began gathering around her body.
Her eyes hardened.
"Silver!"
He understood immediately and stepped away.
Ravenna fired.
BANG!
The bullet was surrounded by flames. It struck the beast directly in the chest. The creature screamed.
A second later, Silver moved.
[Short-Step Lv2 Activated.]
He appeared above it, his sword descending.
[Space Slash Lv2 Activated]
The invisible attack tore across its wounded chest and the beast crashed into the ground.
It struggled to rise but Silver prepared another strike, the creature turned and fled, straight into the fog.
Silver stared after it.
"...It’s retreating."
Ravenna lowered her rifle.
"Should we chase?"
"No." He shook his head. "It’s waiting for us to."
Ravenna nodded. Captain Harry’s voice came over the radio.
"All vehicles, keep moving! We’re almost out!"
Silver immediately returned to the car as the convoy accelerated. The remaining mist panthers began withdrawing.
Without the Tier Four beast leading the attack, their coordination weakened. The contractors quickly drove them away.
For another twenty minutes, the convoy fought through scattered attacks but the intensity gradually decreased, then, the fog began thinning.
Silver saw the road ahead. The first rays of sunlight broke through the mist and a cheer erupted over the radio.
"We’re out!"
"We made it!"
Several contractors laughed in relief. Silver finally relaxed his shoulders as the last of the fog disappeared behind them.
The landscape changed dramatically; the air became warmer and visibility returned and the convoy stopped briefly so everyone could inspect their vehicles.
Silver climbed out. Their car looked terrible; the side had deep claw marks, the passenger door was dented, one of the headlights had cracked but the vehicle still worked.
Ravenna climbed out beside him. She ran her fingers over one of the scratches.
"That’s going to be expensive."
Silver shrugged.
"We’ll survive, we have money."
She looked at him.
"You always say that."
"And so far..." He smiled. "...I’ve been right."
Ravenna shook her head.
"Annoying."
But she was smiling.
Captain Harry approached.
"You two did well."
Silver nodded.
"Your convoy held together, that’s what matters."
Harry looked back toward the fog.
"That Tier Four wasn’t an ordinary beast."
Silver nodded.
"It knew the terrain, probably has lived there for years."
Harry sighed.
"I hate this type of beast the most."
He looked toward the distant road.
"We’re through the worst of it, from here, Delta Two’s first checkpoint is only a few hours away."
That immediately lifted everyone’s spirits. The contractors returned to their vehicles and the convoy started moving again.
The afternoon gradually became evening. The road ahead remained relatively peaceful. There were occasional beasts; a few small packs approached before retreating, nothing compared to the fog.
Silver drove steadily. Ravenna sat beside him. The flower she had accepted that morning was still tucked near the dashboard.
At sunset, the first lights appeared in the distance, a massive fortified structure rose beyond the plains. The first Yellow Zone checkpoint of Delta Two.
Ravenna leaned forward.
"That’s it."
Silver smiled.
"Looks like we made it."
The convoy gradually slowed as they approached the gates. Guards stood on the walls while searchlights swept across the vehicles.
The radio crackled.
"Convoy approaching! Identify yourselves!"
Captain Harry responded.
"Delta Four transit convoy, we’ve come through the Yellow Zone."
The gates began opening, one by one, the vehicles entered.
Silver drove behind the convoy. Ravenna looked toward him and he glanced at her. For a moment, neither said anything, then she smiled faintly.
"We’re still here."
Silver smiled back.
"Yeah."
"We are."
The vehicle crossed beneath the massive gate.