I grow stronger by making my wife happy.

Chapter 160: 160:Revisiting.

After their visit to the Association, Silver and Ravenna guided their car through the Sanctuary’s quiet streets. The eastern gate of Delta Four came into view.

After a routine inspection by the contractors stationed at the checkpoint, the massive steel gates slowly began to part.

Silver eased the car forward. Behind them, the Sanctuary gradually disappeared from view. Ahead lay another stretch of wilderness.

The first hour of driving passed quietly. The paved highway remained in surprisingly good condition, winding gently through the forest and buildings around them.

Occasionally, they passed old maintenance stations or weathered emergency shelters built along the roadside decades earlier. Most had long since been abandoned.

Silver kept his speed steady since there was no reason to rush. Ravenna unfolded the map across her lap.

”We stay on this road for another three hours.”

Silver nodded.

”Then we leave the highway just a little; the station should be close after that.”

She folded the map again before looking out the passenger window.

The flat plains gradually gave way to gently rolling hills. The road began rising and falling with the landscape, weaving naturally between rocky slopes and a forest surrounding it. Here and there, exposed stone broke through the earth, giving the entire region a rugged appearance.

The hills stretched as far as the eye could see.

As the hours passed, signs of civilization became increasingly scarce. The occasional maintenance building disappeared entirely, and traffic became almost nonexistent.

Only once did another contractor vehicle pass them heading toward Delta Four. Silver briefly raised a hand in greeting. The other driver returned the gesture before continuing on.

Silence settled over the car once more. Eventually, Ravenna spoke.

”I’ve been thinking.”

Silver glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to the road.

”About the station?”

She nodded.

”If there really was some kind of outbreak... Why leave the buildings standing?”

Silver had asked himself the same question.

”They probably judged demolition to be unnecessary or too expensive. Or...” He hesitated. ”...Whatever happened there couldn’t spread anymore.”

Ravenna wasn’t convinced.

”Maybe. But if that’s true... Why classify everything?”

Silver smiled faintly.

”That’s exactly what bothers me.”

Neither of them had an answer. The mystery only seemed to deepen the closer they came. Nearly four hours after leaving Delta Four, Silver finally slowed the vehicle.

”There.”

Ravenna looked ahead. An old roadside sign emerged from behind a bend in the road. Time had faded much of its paint, and rust covered nearly every exposed bolt.

Even so, the words remained readable.

Transit Research Station 17

A smaller arrow beneath pointed toward a narrow side road branching away from the highway. From the highway, the station was visible but still a distance away.

As they drove in, they noticed that wild grass had begun reclaiming the cracked asphalt and several shrubs grew directly through the broken pavement.

It was obvious that very few vehicles had traveled this way in years. Silver turned onto the old access road. The tires crunched softly over loose gravel and scattered debris.

On either side, nature had steadily reclaimed the land. Bushes crowded the edges of the road, and young trees leaned inward, forming a loose canopy overhead. In several places, Silver had to slow further to avoid broken branches lying across the pavement.

”It doesn’t look completely abandoned,” Ravenna observed.

Silver nodded.

”The road’s old... but it’s still usable.”

Another few minutes passed before the station finally came into view. It sat atop one of the larger hills overlooking the surrounding countryside. Several broad concrete buildings formed the main complex. Most remained structurally intact despite obvious signs of age.

Tall fences surrounded the outer perimeter. Sections had collapsed long ago beneath rust and creeping vines. To one side stood what appeared to be a maintenance depot.

Beyond it stretched several railway tracks disappearing toward the horizon. The rails themselves were badly rusted, their wooden sleepers cracked and overgrown with weeds.

Nature had slowly reclaimed nearly everything; even so, the facility didn’t resemble ancient ruins. It looked... Forgotten, as though everyone had simply left one day and never returned.

Silver parked the car beneath the shade of a large tree overlooking the main entrance. He switched off the engine. Silence immediately settled around them with only the faint sound of wind moving through the grass.

Ravenna quietly unbuckled her seatbelt.

”This place feels...” She searched for the right word. ”... weird”

Silver agreed.

”It’s an old building that was a research centre, put under classified information; it’s going to be creepy.”

They stepped out of the car together. The cool breeze carried the scent of old concrete and damp earth. Silver locked the vehicle before slinging his backpack over one shoulder. His sword rested comfortably across his back, while his pistol remained secured at his waist.

Ravenna adjusted her own equipment in practiced silence. Neither of them intended to underestimate whatever might be waiting inside. Before approaching the entrance, they spent several minutes surveying the surrounding area.

Silver crouched beside the pavement leading toward the main gate.

”No recent tire tracks.”

He brushed aside a thin layer of dust.

”At least none that I can see.”

Ravenna examined the perimeter fence.

”Several openings, but none look recent.”

She pointed toward a section where the metal had collapsed years earlier beneath the weight of climbing vines.

”The damage is old.”

Silver slowly nodded.

”Meaning if anyone’s been coming here... They’re not doing it often.”

He looked toward the silent buildings again. Broken windows reflected the afternoon sunlight, several rooftop antennas leaned at odd angles, and one exterior wall had partially collapsed, exposing dark hallways beyond. It almost looked peaceful.

Silver took a slow breath.

”Let’s circle the outside first.”

Ravenna nodded.

”I’d rather understand the layout before going inside.”

Together, they began walking around the perimeter, carefully observing every visible building, entrance, and possible escape route.

They had barely rounded the first corner of the complex when a distant sound reached them. It was low and faint, almost swallowed by the wind.

Silver stopped immediately.

”...Did you hear that?”

Ravenna was already turning toward the road.

”...An engine.”

The sound grew louder, then another came and another. It was clear there were multiple vehicles approaching quickly.

Silver’s expression sharpened.

”Hide.”

Without hesitation, the two of them slipped behind a dense cluster of overgrown bushes overlooking the entrance road. From there, they could observe without being easily seen.

Moments later, the first vehicle appeared. A large off-road contractor transport rolled slowly through the broken entrance. Behind it came another, then a third and then two more. There were five vehicles in total.

They came from the direction of Detroin before gradually slowing to a stop in front of the station’s main entrance.

Silver carefully peered through the leaves. His eyes moved from one vehicle to the next. Contractors climbed out; most appeared young, well-equipped, and confident. Then, one familiar face stepped out of the lead vehicle.

Silver narrowed his eyes.

”...No way.”

Standing beside the driver’s door was a young man with short blonde hair and a calm, approachable expression. Silver recognized him immediately.

”Dillian...”

The name escaped his lips in little more than a whisper. Of all the people he had expected to find at an abandoned research station... Dillian had been the last person on his list.