Chapter 100:Clean up.
Chapter 100: 100:Clean up.
A mechanic carrying a toolbox wandered past before stopping beside them. He scratched his chin.
"You folks need a hand?"
Silver smiled politely.
"I think we’ve got it."
The mechanic nodded approvingly.
"Not bad."
He crouched beside the vehicle, giving it a quick inspection.
"You’re lucky."
Silver glanced toward him.
"The frame?"
"Straight."
The mechanic tapped the door.
"These contractor vehicles are built tougher than they look."
He pointed toward the broken rear window.
"That’ll need replacing."
"I know, but it can wait."
The mechanic nodded.
"If you’re heading toward Delta 4... they’ve got a proper maintenance depot, although it’s a little bit smaller."
Silver mentally noted that.
"How far?"
"About two days if the roads stay clear."
Ravenna smiled.
"Thank you."
The mechanic waved dismissively.
"We’re all trying to stay alive out here, might as well help each other."
With that, he continued walking toward another damaged transport. Silver watched him go then quietly smiled.
"I like this checkpoint."
Ravenna raised an eyebrow.
"Because people are helpful?"
"Yes and also because people don’t waste time pretending they aren’t."
A few minutes later, the damaged tire rolled onto the pavement. Silver inspected it. The thick rubber had been sliced cleanly down the middle.
"Definitely not repairable."
Ravenna peered over his shoulder.
"Keep it?"
Silver nodded.
"We’ll dispose of it properly later."
"You think of everything."
"I try. We’ve got to make sure our daily life is at least on easy mode."
She smiled.
"I’ve noticed."
Together they lifted the spare tire into position. Silver threaded the first wheel nut by hand before Ravenna tightened the opposite side. Within several minutes, the replacement wheel was mounted securely.
Silver lowered the jack and the vehicle settled naturally onto its suspension. He gave the tire one final kick.
’Solid and ready’
That was one problem solved. He let out a small sigh of relief at that.
As they packed the tools away, voices drifted across the parking area.
"...That’s them."
Silver looked over.
Several contractors from earlier were walking toward them carrying steaming cups of tea.
Among them was the older veteran who had explained the scavenger beasts after the worm’s death. He smiled broadly.
"So, the famous tire repair team."
Ravenna blinked.
"...Famous?"
The man laughed.
"Half the checkpoint watched you two refusing help and we had bets on it."
Silver looked genuinely confused.
"...Bets?"
"Whether you’d argue before finishing."
Ravenna immediately pointed toward Silver throwing him under the bus.
"He started."
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
The surrounding contractors burst into laughter. The veteran wiped a tear from his eye.
"Good. If people are arguing about tires again, it means things are getting back to normal."
The laughter gradually faded into comfortable conversation. Someone passed Silver another cup of tea and another contractor offered Ravenna a freshly baked meat bun from the temporary field kitchen.
She hesitated.
"I don’t have any money with me."
The woman waved her concern away.
"Checkpoint tradition. After surviving something big, everyone eats. No exceptions."
Ravenna accepted it with a grateful smile.
"...Thank you."
For nearly half an hour, the conversation wandered from topic to topic. The veteran contractors spoke about ridiculous jobs they’d been assigned over the years.
One man complained that he’d once spent three days chasing an unusually intelligent goat-like beast that kept stealing military radios.
Another swore he’d nearly lost to a flock of extremely aggressive geese before admitting they hadn’t actually been beasts at all.
Even Silver laughed at that story. The atmosphere became lighter but everyone still glanced toward the ruined section of the checkpoint every now and then. The reminder remained, death had visited tonight, but life was stubborn, it insisted on continuing.
Eventually, Silver looked up toward the eastern horizon. The darkness had begun giving way to the faintest hint of blue. Morning wasn’t far away.
He quietly exhaled.
"It looks like neither of us is getting much sleep tonight."
Ravenna followed his gaze.
"I don’t think I’d have been able to sleep anyway."
Silver nodded.
"...Me neither."
In the distance, construction vehicles continued clearing rubble while floodlights illuminated the massive corpse of the Underground Worm.
Teams had already begun cutting it apart. Nothing would be wasted; the armor, flesh, blood, and even the bones. Everything had value that would strengthen humanity.
Silver watched the organized operation with quiet admiration. This world wasn’t surviving because people were lucky. It mainly survived because everyone, from the strongest captain to the old woman serving tea, did their part.
And as dawn slowly crept over Green Sector Checkpoint Eight, Silver found himself looking toward the road ahead with renewed determination.
There was still a long journey to the next Delta Sanctuary but longer still to the Academy. And after witnessing the strength of the Preventive Subjugation Squad, he had never been more certain of one thing; he still had an incredibly long way to go.
The morning briefing horn suddenly echoed across the checkpoint. Contractors all around them immediately began gathering toward the command building.
The checkpoint commander himself had stepped onto the briefing platform, his expression was serious.
Silver exchanged a glance with Ravenna.
"Looks like we’re about to find out whether we’re leaving today."
The morning briefing horn echoed three times across the Checkpoint. Its deep, metallic tone rolled over the compound, reaching every temporary shelter, garage, medical ward, and repair depot before stopping.
Contractors who had managed to get a little sleep emerged with cups of coffee in hand, while others simply walked over from the cleanup crews still covered in dust and dried blood.
The atmosphere was different from the previous evening. The anxiety hadn’t disappeared but had simply been well hidden.
People spoke in lower voices. Every now and then, someone glanced toward the eastern side of the checkpoint where engineers continued dismantling the massive corpse of the Underground Worm.
The smell of fresh concrete mixed with the scent of hot food drifting from the field kitchens filled the air. Life was slowly returning.
Silver and Ravenna arrived together, each carrying a small breakfast packet they had received from one of the volunteers. Neither of them spoke much.
They found a place toward the middle of the gathering where they could both see the platform and observe the crowd. Silver instinctively counted exits.
Ravenna caught him doing it.
"... A habit?"
He smiled sheepishly.
"I don’t think it’ll ever go away."
She shook her head with an amused smile.
"I’ve stopped questioning some of the things you do."
"I appreciate that."
Around them stood nearly every contractor staying at the checkpoint; independent hunters, merchant escorts, military personnel, mechanics still wearing grease-stained uniforms, doctors who had worked through the entire night, and even several cooks from the temporary kitchens stood near the back, wiping flour from their aprons.
The briefing wasn’t just for fighters it was for everyone.