Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System - Chapter 258: Missing Federation People

Meanwhile, Rohit and James carefully checked the surrounding area to ensure no surviving Spawn remained. Fortunately, without the Spawn Mother’s control, the remaining creatures had either scattered or burned to death.

Isha examined the holographic recordings calmly. “This should be more than enough for mission submission. Even Headquarters won’t be able to find any faults with this evidence.”

Pooja was still staring at Feiry with sparkling eyes. “That guy is absurdly strong…”

Even though the team had seen Shade before, Feiry’s overwhelming firepower still left a deep impression.

Feiry himself looked extremely satisfied, especially after hearing the team’s praise. However, what made him happiest was Vikram’s approval. The moment Vikram lightly patted his shoulder, the flames around Feiry calmed down instantly.

“Vik… I can go evolve now,” he said respectfully.

Hearing this, the surrounding Team Members grew curious. If Feiry evolved further, his strength would likely become even more terrifying.

Vikram glanced around the destroyed battlefield briefly before nodding. “Yes. You can go.”

At that moment, Sana suddenly frowned while looking deeper into the collapsed nest. “…Something feels strange.”

The team immediately became alert.

“What is it?” Isha asked.

Sana stared at the remains of the organic structure. “There’s too much blood. And the nest feels much older than the mission report suggested.”

Earthy, who had been mostly silent, crouched down and touched the burned ground. His expression changed slightly. “These roots… they’re not natural.”

Vikram’s eyes narrowed. “Meaning?”

“This nest wasn’t created recently,” Earthy replied calmly. “Something underground has been feeding it for a long time.”

The atmosphere grew heavier. According to the mission briefing, this nest was supposed to have appeared recently. Yet now it seemed far older than expected.

Vikram silently recalled his mission regarding the mysterious Origin of Zombies. For some reason, he felt this Ruin’s hidden truth was connected to something much bigger than just Vampires.

Although Team 11 thoroughly searched the destroyed nest afterward, they ultimately found nothing useful. Most of the underground structure had been completely incinerated by Feiry’s flames and Lighty’s purification attacks. Any possible clues, records, or biological samples had already turned to ash.

James finally shook his head. “Nothing remains. The core structures were destroyed too thoroughly.”

Vikram nodded silently. Although he suspected something unusual about the nest, without evidence, there was no point wasting more time here.

Soon afterward, Team 11 prepared to leave Hollow Creek and head toward their second mission target: Blackstone Highway.

After the battle ended, both Feiry and Lighty returned to the summoning space.

Especially Feiry, the moment he entered, the Fire Core Orb began reacting violently as his evolution process officially started. Even through their connection, Vikram could vaguely sense massive fire energy gathering around him.

Inside the armored vehicles, the atmosphere became lively once again. Everyone was still excitedly discussing the terrifying battle they had just witnessed.

—

Raghav leaned back heavily in his seat and laughed. “That firepower was ridiculous.”

Even Pooja looked slightly depressed. “As a fire ability user… I suddenly feel inferior.”

The entire vehicle burst into laughter. Compared to ordinary flames, Feiry’s attacks had looked truly catastrophic. Entire sections of the forest had been wiped out under his abilities.

James suddenly turned toward Vikram with a curious expression. “Honestly… which summon of yours is the strongest right now? Shade or Feiry?”

The others immediately grew interested. After all, both summons had displayed absurd levels of combat ability. Shade excelled in assassination and terrifying stealth, while Feiry specialized in overwhelming battlefield destruction.

Rohit nodded seriously. “That Assassin Druid was already terrifying enough. Now this Fire Mage Druid looks even more monstrous.”

Imran added, “The scary part is… your summons coordinate like experienced Hunters. They don’t feel like summoned creatures at all.”

Vikram quietly listened while gazing out the moving vehicle window. He replied casually, “They’re my companions, just like you guys. They aren’t tools. They have emotions, pain, anger, and happiness.”

For a brief moment, the vehicle fell strangely silent.

Unlike normal Summoners, Vikram genuinely treated his summons as living teammates. The others subconsciously understood why those plant entities followed him with such loyalty. What they didn’t know was just how deep that bond truly ran.

To Vikram, his plants were not just important, they were family. They had supported him through the wasteland, providing comfort, safety, food, and water. He still clearly remembered how the Healer Druid had used every ounce of strength to save him and the entire plant team during a life-and-death crisis.

—

The armored vehicles continued moving along the cracked highway under the darkening evening sky. The lively atmosphere gradually calmed after the earlier excitement, though several team members were still discussing Feiry’s overwhelming firepower and Shade’s deadly stealth.

Vikram leaned quietly against the window, observing the ruined world outside. Abandoned buildings, destroyed checkpoints, and burned-out vehicles passed by. This Ruin world appeared far more organized than the Zombie Lord Ruin, yet it somehow felt even heavier. Here, humanity wasn’t fighting mindless monsters, they were fighting intelligent, cruel enemies. Vampires.

Suddenly, Rohit frowned while looking ahead. “We’re getting close to Blackstone Highway.”

James activated his enhanced vision and scanned the distance. “…Something’s wrong.”

The relaxed atmosphere inside the vehicle vanished instantly. Everyone became alert once more.

Soon, the convoy gradually slowed down.

Ahead of them, the highway was completely blocked. Several destroyed Federation transport vehicles were scattered across the road. Blood stains covered the asphalt, and the surrounding forest remained unnaturally silent, no insects, no birds, nothing.

The armored vehicles came to a full stop near the wreckage.

The moment Team 11 stepped outside, everyone’s expressions turned serious. Destroyed Federation transport vehicles lay scattered across the highway. Some had crashed into roadside barriers, while others were completely overturned. Metal fragments and broken supply containers littered the area.

Ayesha crouched near the ground and spoke softly, “The battle happened here… and not very long ago.”

James scanned the entire convoy area with his enhanced vision. After a few seconds, his expression became strange.

“…No bodies.”

The surrounding team members frowned immediately. They cautiously approached the wreckage and discovered that every single Federation vehicle had been forcefully broken open. Several armored doors looked as though they had been violently ripped apart from the outside using overwhelming strength.

Meanwhile, Deepak crouched beside one of the destroyed transport vehicles and spoke seriously, “The supplies are gone. Most likely stolen.”

Vikram observed the surroundings carefully, his eyes narrowing slightly. “All personnel were taken too. Not just the supplies.”

The atmosphere grew heavier. The complete disappearance of an entire convoy, including trained Federation escorts, was far more terrifying than a simple robbery.

Rohit suddenly pointed toward the road. “…There’s nothing here.”

Everyone looked over. No footprints. No drag marks. No blood trails. Not even any signs showing where the personnel had been taken. The entire battlefield looked unnaturally clean.

James frowned deeply. “How is that possible? Even if Vampires attacked, there should’ve been signs of resistance.”

Arjun suggested, “Maybe they were taken away through the air? Flying-type Vampires exist.”

Isha immediately shook her head. “That’s impossible. Even flying Vampires couldn’t quietly carry away twenty-eight trained personnel without leaving large-scale battle traces.” Her eyes swept across the destroyed highway. “Yet look carefully. There are almost no signs of prolonged combat. No bloodbath. No corpses. No defensive formations. It’s as if… the entire convoy disappeared suddenly.”

The team fell quiet. The situation felt deeply wrong.

“We’ve reached a dead end,” Arjun murmured.

Before anyone could continue, Vikram raised his hand. “Shhh.”

He scanned the surroundings once more, then turned to Ayesha. “Ayesha. Try listening underground.”

Ayesha nodded seriously and knelt down, pressing her ear against the cracked asphalt. The entire team waited in silence as she focused on her sound detection ability.

Several seconds passed.

Her expression suddenly changed. “…I hear something.”

“What?” Isha asked immediately.

“Sobbing,” Ayesha whispered, concentrating harder. “Very faint… but it’s definitely coming from underground.”

Everyone’s expressions shifted at once.

Vikram turned to Rohit. “Find the source.”

Rohit nodded and began carefully scanning the area. Meanwhile, Vikram instructed Raghav and Imran, “Move the vehicles away and clear this entire section.”

With their strength, the damaged Federation transports were quickly pushed aside. Once the highway was cleared, Rohit continued his search.

After nearly two minutes, he stopped. “…Here.”

The team gathered around him. Rohit crouched and touched a patch of dirt near the roadside. “The soil here is different. It was disturbed recently.”

Without hesitation, several members began clearing the area. Deepak and Arjun dug away the loose soil while Imran tore aside metal debris.

Soon, a large hidden metallic structure emerged from beneath the ground.

A gigantic underground metal door.

The atmosphere instantly became tense. This was clearly man-made, and carefully concealed.

Ayesha stared at the door. “The sobbing… it’s coming from beneath this.”

Several team members instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons.

James frowned. “How do we open it?”

The massive door had no visible handles, locks, or control panels. It looked like a sealed underground bunker entrance.

Vikram stepped closer and noticed a small blood-red symbol engraved near one edge, the same symbol he had seen earlier on the destroyed Federation vehicles.

“What’s there to hesitate about?” Raghav said impatiently.

Without waiting for anyone’s reply, he stepped forward and clenched his fist tightly. Muscles bulged across his arm as he activated his full enhanced strength.

“BOOM!”

His powerful punch slammed directly into the massive underground metal door. The ground trembled slightly from the impact.

However, once the dust settled, the door remained almost completely unmoved, only a faint dent marked its surface.

Several team members frowned.

“That thing’s durability is absurd,” Deepak muttered.

Isha stepped forward calmly. “Let me try.”

She activated her strength enhancement ability. Dense power gathered around her arm, causing the surrounding air to distort slightly. Then, without hesitation, she drove her fist forward.

“BAAAAAANG—!!”

A much louder impact exploded across the highway. This time, the metal door visibly caved inward with a heavy dent, and cracks spread through the nearby concrete.

But instead of continuing, Isha suddenly stopped. Her expression turned serious.

“…No.”

The others looked at her immediately.

Isha slowly withdrew her hand and examined the damaged section carefully. “This door was designed strangely. If we destroy it by force… I think the entire underground passage will collapse.”

The atmosphere grew heavier.

She continued calmly, “It feels intentional. Like a security mechanism. The moment the entrance takes too much damage, it will seal everything underneath permanently.”

Several team members frowned. If that happened, the missing convoy personnel trapped underground would likely die.

At this moment, Vikram stood silently in thought. His eyes moved across the giant metal structure, the strange blood-red symbol, and the unnatural engineering around the entrance.

He found opening it was difficult, and if they tried force, then the passage would be destroyed.

Then suddenly, something clicked in his mind.