Chapter 106:Little lessons.
Chapter 106: 106:Little lessons.
The convoy left first. Brian’s truck pulled onto the cracked highway with practiced ease, followed by the second armored vehicle and the cargo trailer. Silver deliberately waited nearly thirty seconds before starting his own engine.
Ravenna noticed immediately.
"You don’t want to drive right behind them."
Silver shook his head.
"If they’re genuine, a little distance won’t offend them."
"And if they aren’t?"
"We’ll have time to react incase of anything."
She gave a small nod.
"Good."
Neither of them lowered their guard. Friendly conversations and shared destinations didn’t change the reality of the Green Zone. They had known these people for less than half an hour.
The road gradually climbed into the foothills. Towering pines replaced open grasslands while enormous boulders dotted both sides of the highway. The terrain forced the convoy to slow considerably, the narrow road winding around cliffs and dry riverbeds.
Silver kept his eyes moving between the road, the convoy ahead and the forest while Ravenna quietly watched the treeline on her side of the vehicle.
Every few minutes, one of them would point something out.
"Fresh claw marks."
"Wolf territory."
"Broken branches."
"Large beast."
"Old footprints."
"Three days old."
It wasn’t really a conversation, more like a habit they were slowly getting used to without noticing.
After nearly an hour, Brian’s voice came through the convoy radio.
"Small movement ahead but there’s no danger. We’ll deal with it while moving."
Silver exchanged a glance with Ravenna.
"...Observe."
She smiled faintly.
"I was hoping you’d say that."
A pack of six Gray Fang Jackals burst from the bushes. Unlike ordinary wolves, these beasts stood barely knee-high. Their lean bodies were built for speed rather than strength, and rows of needle-like teeth filled mouths that seemed too large for their heads.
Tier One.
Usually, they hunted in groups. Brian’s convoy didn’t even stop, the lead truck simply slowed.
The moment the jackals charged, everything happened almost simultaneously. Claire climbed halfway out of the passenger window and her rifle rang twice. Two jackals collapsed before reaching the road. Instead of celebrating the kills, she immediately ducked back inside.
Jonah opened the rear door of the truck for barely a second, his shield slamming into another beast that had leapt toward the vehicle. The impact sent it tumbling down the hillside.
One of the younger contractors calmly leaned out from the second vehicle. A spear flew out. It pierced another jackal through the chest before the contractor reeled the weapon back using a thin steel cable attached to the handle.
The remaining two beasts wisely fled. The entire exchange lasted perhaps, five seconds. Their coordination was superb with no unnecessary movements.
Silver watched carefully.
"...they’re efficient."
Ravenna nodded.
"They’ve done that hundreds of times, from the looks of it, they’re clearly conserving stamina."
"Exactly."
She leaned back.
"They’re treating every fight like they might need that strength later."
Silver smiled.
"Something we should copy."
The convoy didn’t even stop to collect the cores, instead, Brian spoke over the radio again.
"Leave them. Checkpoint scavenging team will collect them."
Silver raised an eyebrow. Ravenna looked equally surprised.
"I thought everyone collected their own cores."
"So did I."
Several moments later Brian explained.
"Anything within ten kilometers of the main road belongs to checkpoint logistics. They sell the materials to maintain the roads," he paused slightly," Nobody really complains since better roads keep everyone alive."
Silver found himself impressed.
"...Makes sense."
Small systems like that, were exactly what kept civilization functioning.
The mountains gradually grew steeper. Occasionally, old tunnels cut directly through the rock while abandoned maintenance stations sat forgotten along the roadside. Some had partially collapsed while others remained surprisingly intact.
Silver quietly memorized each one; potential shelter, potential ambush and potential escape route.
Ravenna noticed his wandering gaze.
"You always remember places."
"I try."
"Planning ahead?"
He nodded.
"If something goes wrong, I’d rather already know where to run."
Near midday the convoy finally stopped beside a natural spring flowing down the mountainside. It wasn’t really a rest stop, just a place to refill water.
Silver and Ravenna remained near their own vehicle while Brian approached carrying two metal canteens.
"You two settling in alright?"
Silver accepted one politely.
"Thanks."
Brian shrugged.
"Free water. The mountain provides enough."
For several minutes they simply watched contractors refill containers beneath the clear stream. Eventually Brian spoke again.
"You’ll probably start seeing more traffic from here."
Silver looked up.
"Oh?"
Brian nodded toward the winding road ahead.
"You two are one lucky couple for choosing this remote road. The more famous Bridge Three actually collapsed last month."
"What happened?"
"Hillbreaker Bears."
Silver frowned.
"I’ve never heard of them."
"You should be thankful because you don’t want to." Brian chuckled. "Two Rank Four beasts fought over territory. One of them collapsed half the cliff and the bridge went with it."
Silver whistled quietly.
"So this road... Is the only way to Delta Four."
Brian nodded.
"At least for vehicles. You can still hike through the mountains, but most sane people don’t."
Ravenna spoke for the first time.
"So everyone uses this route."
"Exactly."
Brian leaned against his truck.
"Supply convoys, hunters, independent contractors and military patrols. You’ll probably meet somebody every few hours."
Silver immediately understood. That also meant, bandits and assassins. Information spread quickly along roads like these.
The conversation naturally drifted elsewhere. Claire wandered over carrying a packet of dried fruit and tossed one toward Ravenna.
"Catch."
Ravenna reflexively caught it before examining the package.
"...Thanks."
Claire smiled.
"You know, I’ve noticed that you barely talk."
"I usually don’t."
"Meh... nothing wrong with that, not everyone has the gift of continuous speech like me."
Claire sat on a nearby rock.
"I talk enough for three people anyway."
Silver laughed.
"I noticed that."
She pointed dramatically.
"Exactly. Silence is suspicious, who wants to stay silent when there are people who can happily listen to me talk about my wonderful life. You all should practice this sometimes," she popped a fruit into her mouth before continuing" anyone who needs teaching can come to me. For the fair price of fifty tier one cores. So who wants in?"
Brian rolled his eyes.
"No, It’s more peaceful without continuous ramblings. And stop trying to scam our new friends."
Ravenna chuckled at that.
As the group rested, conversation gradually shifted toward their destination.
Detroin Town.
Silver listened more than he spoke. Everyone seemed to have heard a different rumor.
"My cousin found military batteries there."
"Nah, thats definitely a lie."
"Someone recovered pre-Collapse medicine."
"I heard there’s an underground shopping district."
"My squad leader says somebody found intact contractor equipment."
"No. The Association would’ve locked the place down."
Another contractor scratched his beard thoughtfully.
"I did hear something strange though."
Everyone looked toward him.
"What?"
He lowered his voice slightly despite nobody else being around.
"...Apparently beasts aren’t staying there."
Claire frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"They leave."
Silence settled briefly. He shrugged.
"That’s what I heard. Hunters keep reporting beast trails heading away from the town but no one’s figured out why."
Brian snorted.
"Rumors, people just love mysteries."
Still... Silver noticed that nobody actually laughed. Ravenna quietly walked back toward their vehicle and Silver followed. She leaned against the hood before speaking softly enough that only he could hear.
"What do you think?"
"About the rumors?"
She nodded. Silver folded his arms.
"Some are probably nonsense but..."
"But?"
"They’re all pointing toward the same place."
She understood immediately.
"When unrelated stories start overlapping... There’s usually something underneath."
Silver nodded then agreed. "I don’t know what but I don’t think everyone’s imagining it."
Ravenna looked toward the mountains beyond the road.
"...We’ll be careful."
"We always are."
The convoy resumed moving shortly afterward. This time Silver deliberately paid less attention to the scenery; instead, he studied the contractors themselves.
He studied how they drove, how often they checked mirrors, who watched which direction, how often they changed positions and every hour the vehicles rotated; the lead truck moved to the rear while the second vehicle took point. Nobody complained or argued, it was clealy an established routine.
Silver quietly committed the system to memory. Efficient leadership wasn’t about giving orders, it was about creating habits that people naturally followed.
Late in the afternoon another attack came. Three enormous Stonehide Tortoises lumbered directly onto the highway.
Tier Two.
Their massive shells covered in moss and thick gray stone made them look like moving boulders. Silver instinctively reached for his weapon.
Brian’s voice came over the radio.
"Wait."
The convoy slowed. One contractor climbed onto the roof of the second vehicle carrying a heavy rifle; instead of shooting the beasts, he fired directly in front of the lead tortoise.
The deafening report echoed through the valley. The tortoises immediately froze, then, as if deciding the road wasn’t worth the trouble, they slowly turned and wandered back into the forest.
Silver blinked.
"...That’s it?"
Brian laughed through the radio.
"Why waste ammunition? They’re herbivores just trying to cross the road, but they’re kind of slow, so we can’t wait for them. Most herbivores aren’t aggressive unless attacked first."
Silver couldn’t help smiling, another lesson learned. Sometimes, winning a fight meant never fighting at all. As the convoy rounded the next bend, the setting sun cast long shadows across the mountains.
Far ahead, nestled between two towering ridges, faint lights began flickering in the distance. Brian’s voice came over the radio one last time.
"Checkpoint Nine... We’ll be there before nightfall."