Chapter 290:Questions.

Chapter 290: 290:Questions.

The journey toward Alpha Three was nothing like the journey Ravenna had taken with Silver. There was no uncertainty about whether something would attack them, no need to constantly scan the grasslands for movement, and no frantic attempts to avoid every dangerous area.

They were travelling alongside a genuine subjugation team, a group that operated deep within territories where ordinary Contractors would have struggled to survive. Their presence alone seemed to discourage most beasts from approaching. Anything that did come too close quickly discovered why the people travelling with the convoy were feared.

Ravenna sat in the passenger seat of their own car, staring silently through the windshield while Antony drove. Their vehicle followed behind the main convoy, maintaining a reasonable distance from the larger transport vehicles.

They had been given permission to travel with the subjugation team since they were heading toward Alpha Three anyway, but nobody expected Ravenna or Antony to contribute much during the journey. In fact, after everything that had happened, Ravenna barely cared whether they were expected to fight anymore.

Her mind remained in Death Row Valley. It had been hours since they had left the observation centre, yet she still couldn’t stop thinking about the cave.

Silver was there.

That fact refused to leave her. She looked down at the tracker resting in her hand. The display was unchanged.

Ravenna stared at the screen for several seconds before switching it off. She waited a few minutes, then she turned it on again.

Antony glanced at her.

"You’ve checked that thing about twenty times."

"Twenty-three."

Antony raised an eyebrow.

"You counted?"

Ravenna didn’t look at him.

"I counted because I had nothing else to do."

"That’s actually worse."

She ignored him.

Antony sighed and returned his attention to the road.

He had tried several times to make conversation during the journey, but Ravenna had barely responded. Eventually, he stopped trying. There were moments when even Antony understood that joking wasn’t going to make things better.

The convoy continued through the open terrain.

The landscape was still unmistakably part of the savanna, though they were now far enough from the deeper sections of Death Row Valley that the environment felt less oppressive.

Long stretches of dry grass moved beneath the wind, interrupted by scattered trees and rocky outcroppings. The road itself was rough in places, forcing Antony to slow down occasionally, but it was nothing compared with the paths they had travelled before.

A small group of beasts suddenly emerged from the grass several hundred meters ahead.

Ravenna immediately noticed them.

There were perhaps seven or eight creatures. They looked like oversized hyenas, their bodies lean and covered in dark brown fur. They moved toward the convoy cautiously, apparently intending to test the vehicles before committing to an attack.

Ravenna instinctively reached toward the door.

Antony noticed.

"Don’t."

She looked at him.

"They’re approaching."

"They won’t reach us."

Ravenna frowned.

Before she could respond, a Contractor standing on the back of one of the military vehicles raised his hand. A flash of energy crossed the road and one beast collapsed.

Another attack followed, then another. Within seconds, the creatures that had been approaching the convoy were dead. The remaining beasts turned and fled.

Ravenna slowly lowered her hand.

Antony smiled faintly.

"See?"

She looked toward the convoy.

"I could have helped."

"I know."

"You don’t have to sound so pleased."

"I’m just enjoying not getting attacked. This is like a godsend. Travelling through the valley without even lifting a finger."

Ravenna almost smiled, then her expression faded again. Antony noticed but didn’t comment.

The convoy continued.

It happened again later.

A massive reptilian beast emerged from behind a rocky formation and charged toward the vehicles. It was easily large enough to overturn their car, and its thick hide suggested that ordinary weapons wouldn’t have done much against it.

Ravenna watched carefully.

This time she didn’t reach for her sword but simply observed. The beast didn’t even make it halfway toward the convoy.

One of the Rank Five Contractors stepped out of a vehicle. There was a brief flash before the beast’s body slammed into the ground.

Ravenna stared.

She had fought beasts herself and knew how difficult even a Rank Three creature could be. She remembered the Rank Four beasts they had fought in Death Row Valley and how much coordination it had taken to bring them down.

But these people were operating on an entirely different level. They didn’t fight unless necessary or waste movements, they simply eliminated anything that posed a threat.

Ravenna looked down at her hands. For the first time since entering Death Row Valley, she understood just how much stronger the people around them were.

And strangely, that realization made her think of Silver again. He had always seemed calm around powerful people, even when he was clearly weaker. He never acted as though strength alone intimidated him.

She remembered how he had stood beside her during their encounters with stronger Contractors. How he would quietly observe, analyze and always find something useful to do.

Ravenna’s fingers tightened around the tracker.

"You’re still thinking about him."

Antony’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

She looked at him.

"Obviously. I can’t help it. Until I see him, I don’t think I can stop myself."

Antony nodded but didn’t respond. Ravenna turned toward the window.

"Do you think he’s alive?"

Antony didn’t answer immediately. He drove for several seconds before speaking.

"I think it’s possible."

Ravenna looked at him.

"That’s not what I asked."

"I know." He sighed. "I don’t know."

She lowered her eyes.

Antony continued.

"But there are a few things in his favour."

"What?"

"I read it one of the books in the library, when you were busy crying. The queen had terrible senses compared with other Rank Six beasts."

Ravenna just glared at him and shook her head.

"If Silver figured that out, he might be able to stay hidden."

Ravenna nodded slowly.

"He has really good perception."

"Exactly." Antony’s hands remained relaxed on the steering wheel. "He can probably map areas better than most people could. If there’s another exit somewhere, he might find it."

Ravenna stared ahead.

"The problem is the tunnels."

"Yeah."

Antony’s expression became serious.

"That place is enormous."

Ravenna closed her eyes.

She could still remember the underground network. She opened her eyes again.

"What if he finds another route?"

"Then he’ll probably take it."

"And if he doesn’t?"

Antony didn’t answer.

Ravenna looked down at the tracker.

"I hate this."

"I know."

"I hate not knowing."

"I know."

"I hate that the last thing he told me was not to worry."

Antony glanced at her.

"He probably meant it."

Ravenna shook her head.

"That’s what makes it worse."

The conversation ended there. The convoy continued moving.

By late afternoon, the sun had begun descending toward the horizon. The light turned warmer, stretching long shadows across the road. The subjugation team showed no signs of slowing down yet, but eventually the lead vehicle signaled that they would establish a temporary camp.

The vehicles moved off the road and formed a loose defensive arrangement.

Ravenna stepped out of their car. She stretched her stiff limbs before looking around. The area appeared safe and there were no obvious signs of nearby beasts.

The stronger Contractors immediately began establishing a perimeter. Ravenna noticed how quickly they worked.

A few people checked the surrounding area while others prepared the vehicles. Several Contractors remained on watch while the rest began setting up equipment.

Antony exited the car.

"I’m hungry."

Ravenna looked at him.

"You always are."

"Stress makes me hungry."

"You were hungry before this happened."

"That’s true."

She shook her head. For the first time that day, a tiny smile appeared on her face. Antony noticed but didn’t mention it; instead, he opened the rear compartment and retrieved some supplies.