Chapter 293:Arriving.

Chapter 293: 293:Arriving.

By the time the sun had climbed high into the sky, the landscape had changed completely. The dry, unforgiving terrain that had surrounded them for so long gradually gave way to wider roads, more vegetation, and signs that they were finally approaching the safer territories controlled by the Sanctuaries.

Ravenna noticed the change almost immediately. The road had become smoother, the number of signs along the roadside had increased, and for the first time in what felt like forever, there were vehicles everywhere.

Actual traffic.

She stared through the windshield as Antony slowed their car behind a long line of vehicles.

"There are a lot of people this sides," she murmured.

Antony glanced ahead.

"A ridiculous number. I don’t think even home has this high of a traffic."

"Right, but for me it was a little bit like this."

Antony glanced at her.

"Don’t you come from the same sanctuary as Silver?"

Ravenna shook her head.

"No, we come from completely different sanctuary. He’s from Delta three and I’m from Delta one."

"How did you two even meet when you’re so far apart from each other."

Ravenna chuckled at that.

"It’s a long story. I’ll tell you another time."

"I’ll remember that. It’s rare for people in your sanctuary to even visit the other Deltas so it’s a bit of a shock."

"Okay, look to the front, you’ll bump into the other car."

Their convoy had been travelling almost uninterrupted through dangerous territory for days, where encountering another civilian vehicle had been unusual enough to be memorable.

Now they were surrounded by trucks, private cars, transport vehicles, buses, and Contractors travelling in groups. Some vehicles carried hunting equipment, others appeared to belong to businesses, while a few were heavily modified machines that Ravenna suspected belonged to wealthy Contractors.

The sight was strangely comforting.

Civilization.

That was what it felt like.

The further they travelled, the more signs of ordinary life appeared. There were roadside stations, small shops, service centres, and even restaurants positioned at safe distances from the main road.

Large advertisements were displayed on towering screens, promoting weapons, beast cores, transportation services, and research facilities. Ravenna found herself staring at everything.

She had spent so long moving through the wilderness that the simple sight of people going about their daily lives felt almost surreal.

Antony tapped the steering wheel.

"Welcome back to civilization."

Ravenna smiled faintly.

"I didn’t realize I’d missed traffic."

"You definitely didn’t."

"I did."

"Why do I not believe. You were frowning when we were leaving Delta two and were held by traffic at the gates. I noticed that."

"That was different."

"How?"

"Before, I wasn’t happy to see it."

Antony laughed.

Ravenna continued looking outside. The road gradually widened.

Several lanes stretched in both directions, with elevated sections crossing over them farther ahead. Vehicles moved continuously, their numbers increasing as they approached the Green Zone’s main checkpoint.

Then Ravenna saw something in the sky.

She blinked.

"Is that a plane?"

Antony looked upward briefly.

"Yeah."

Ravenna turned toward the window.

A large passenger aircraft was descending in the distance, its engines producing a low rumble that was barely audible over the traffic. Behind it, another aircraft was climbing into the sky.

Ravenna stared.

"We’re that close?"

"Apparently."

Another aircraft crossed overhead. This one was smaller and moved much faster. Ravenna watched it disappear beyond the clouds.

"How many airports are around here?"

"Probably more than we can count."

She shook her head.

It was strange.

She had spent so much time thinking of the world beyond the walls as dangerous territory that she had forgotten how developed some of the safer zones had become.

The Green Zones here weren’t merely safe places where low ranking monsters lived, it was clear that in this area, they had reclaimed the greenzones.

The road ahead suddenly became even more crowded. A huge structure appeared in the distance. Ravenna initially thought it was a city, then she realized it was the checkpoint.

Her eyes widened.

"That’s the checkpoint?"

Antony looked ahead.

"Looks like it."

The structure was enormous.

Multiple fortified gates stretched across the highway, each one wide enough to accommodate several vehicles simultaneously.

Tall walls surrounded the checkpoint, reinforced with layers of metal and what looked like magical barriers. Watchtowers rose above the walls, each equipped with heavy weapons and observation equipment.

There were enormous screens displaying instructions for incoming vehicles. Traffic was being separated into different lanes.

Commercial vehicles were sent one direction, private vehicles another, and contractor convoys were directed toward a separate inspection route. There were even dedicated lanes for high-ranking Contractors.

Ravenna stared.

"This is a checkpoint? Just how poor are the delta sanctuaries?"

Antony nodded.

"Apparently."

"It’s bigger than some cities."

"Don’t tell the people who built it that, they’ll probably make it bigger."

Ravenna laughed quietly.

It was the few genuine laugh she had managed in days. Antony glanced at her and smiled.

He didn’t comment.

Their vehicle eventually entered the Contractor convoy lane.

The subjugation team’s presence made the process considerably easier. Several officials immediately recognized their insignia and directed them toward a dedicated section. The inspection was still thorough, but there was no unnecessary delay.

Ravenna watched the checkpoint personnel as they worked. There were hundreds of people,maybe thousands; security officers, association representatives, Military personnel, Medical staff, contractors, researchers, and merchants. The place was practically a city of its own.

She looked at the massive walls.

"So this is what the Green Zones in this sides look like."

Antony nodded.

"At least the major ones."

Ravenna thought about the checkpoint they had passed through earlier. The difference was ridiculous. That one had felt like a military outpost, this one looked like a fortress protecting an entire civilization.

Their vehicle eventually reached the inspection area. An officer approached them.

"Contractor identification."

Antony handed over their documents. The officer checked them before looking toward the back of the vehicle.

"Travelling with the subjugation convoy?"

"Yes."

The officer nodded.

"Keep the vehicle within the designated route. You’ll be cleared shortly."

Antony thanked him.

The officer moved on. Ravenna watched another convoy pass through a nearby gate.

It was enormous.

Several trucks were carrying what appeared to be containers filled with beast materials. She could see Contractors sitting on top of some of the vehicles, weapons resting beside them. The sight reminded her of the journey.

Her smile disappeared.

She looked down at the tracker, still nothing. The screen remained completely silent. Ravenna’s fingers tightened around it.

Antony noticed.

"Still nothing?"

"No."

He didn’t say anything else.

The checkpoint gate opened and their vehicle began moving again. As they passed through, Ravenna looked up at the massive walls surrounding them.

She could see defensive weapons mounted at regular intervals. Some were enormous enough to destroy a large beast in a single attack. Others appeared to be energy-based systems.

She couldn’t help wondering what kind of beast would be capable of threatening a place like this, then she remembered the Rank Six queen.

Her expression darkened.

Even these walls wouldn’t mean much to someone trapped underground.

She looked away.

Once they were through the main gate, the road immediately became even busier. Buildings appeared on both sides, then more, and more.

Soon, the distant skyline was filled with towers. Some were covered in glass, while others were enormous concrete structures. A few had massive holographic signs floating above them.

Ravenna stared.

"Alpha Three..." she whispered the name.

This was where she would find answers, where research institutions were concentrated, where people with knowledge of beasts, awakenings, cores, and strange phenomena gathered. And somewhere in this enormous sanctuary was the possibility of finding Shawn.

Her grip on the tracker tightened.

"I’ll find you."

Antony looked at her.

"Who?"

"Shawn."

Antony nodded. Ravenna looked toward the city ahead.

"Then we find Silver."

Antony smiled.

"Sounds simple."

"It won’t be."

"Nothing with you ever is."

Ravenna gave him a small glare.

Antony laughed.

Their car continued deeper into the Green Zone. Behind them, the enormous checkpoint continued processing thousands of vehicles, while aircraft moved overhead and the roads remained packed with people.

For the first time, Ravenna was surrounded by something that resembled normal life. But she couldn’t allow herself to become distracted by it.

Silver was still somewhere behind them. Alive or dead, trapped or free, she didn’t know.

But she had made a decision: she would reach the academy, find Shawn, and if necessary, she would return to Death Row Valley herself.

Because the journey forward might have changed but the promise she had made hadn’t.