I grow stronger by making my wife happy.

Chapter 173: 173:Continue on.

The words ”It leads underground.” Lingered in the corridor long after the guard had finished speaking. Everyone instinctively turned toward the direction he was pointing.

The atmosphere, which had only just begun to settle after the battle, tightened once more.

Silver was the first to break the silence.

”...I don’t think we should go.”

The others looked at him. Dillian raised an eyebrow.

”You don’t?”

Silver shook his head.

”We’ve already found more than enough.”

He glanced toward the enormous corpse of the mutated tiger.

”We discovered confidential research, a hidden laboratory, experimental records, and whatever that thing was.”

He nodded toward the tiger.

”If there was something important underground, it would either have escaped decades ago... or died.”

Silver spoke calmly.

”There are no signs that anyone has entered this station in years. The tiger was intelligent enough to survive. If something stronger had been sealed below... I doubt it would’ve stayed there this long.”

His reasoning was logical; even Maya slowly nodded.

”...That makes sense.”

Selene folded her arms.

”I was thinking the same thing.”

Dillian, however, remained thoughtful. His eyes drifted toward the dark corridor leading to the hidden entrance.

”I understand, but... What if there are more records? Or technology? Or evidence explaining everything?”

Silver sighed inwardly. He had expected that answer. Curiosity was one of his characteristics. It had drawn countless people into places they should have left alone.

Silver wasn’t afraid; he simply knew enough about this world to understand that abandoned research facilities rarely held pleasant surprises.

Ravenna quietly stepped beside him.

”We’ve already achieved what we came for.”

Silver nodded.

”Exactly.”

She leaned slightly closer so only he could hear.

”...The documents.”

Silver blinked, then remembered the archive, the files mentioning Project 006 and... Selena Serenity.

His expression immediately became serious.

”You’re right.”

The fight against the tiger had destroyed part of the archive. Broken shelves lay everywhere, and papers had been scattered across the floor. If they left now, the documents could easily be lost forever.

Silver looked toward Dillian.

”We’re going back to the archive for a moment.”

Dillian nodded distractedly.

”We’ll inspect the entrance; don’t take too long.”

Silver and Ravenna quietly left the group. Neither of them spoke until they entered the archive once more. The room looked even worse than before.

Several shelves had collapsed completely during the battle, burn marks covered one wall, and loose papers littered the floor.

Silver slowly walked toward the overturned cabinet where he had replaced the diary earlier. Fortunately, it was still there. He carefully lifted it from beneath the debris. The worn leather cover remained intact despite the fighting.

He brushed away a thin layer of dust before opening it briefly. Everything appeared untouched.

Ravenna knelt near another shelf.

”I found the Project 006 documents.”

She carefully gathered several scattered pages bearing her mother’s name. Unlike before, neither of them hesitated.

”The station’s already been disturbed,” Silver said quietly. ”The tiger destroyed half the archive; no one will notice a few missing files now.”

Ravenna nodded.

”I’ll keep only the pages mentioning my mother; the rest stays.”

Silver agreed. There was no reason to remove everything. Doing so would only make it obvious someone had deliberately searched the records.

He carefully slipped the diary into his limited storage. The familiar ripple of space briefly appeared before the journal vanished.

Ravenna looked over curiously.

”You really do carry strange equipment.”

Silver smiled awkwardly.

”...Something like that.”

Thankfully, she didn’t question it further. She had always respected his privacy whenever he avoided discussing certain pieces of contractor equipment.

A few moments later, Ravenna finished gathering the selected papers. She held them carefully.

”I never imagined... My mother’s name would appear in something like this.”

Silver looked at her gently.

”We still don’t know her role.”

”I know.” She lowered her eyes toward the papers. ”But at least now... I have something, a lead.”

Silver nodded.

”And that’s better than wondering forever.”

They returned to the others. By the time they arrived, the atmosphere between the two groups had become noticeably different.

Nobody stood together anymore. Maya and Selene quietly spoke among themselves while checking ammunition. Iris inspected the edge of her spear in silence. Dillian studied the concealed entrance alongside the surviving guard.

Cruella... Stood alone.

She noticed Silver and Ravenna approaching. Her expression immediately stiffened. Ravenna simply walked past her without acknowledging her existence.

Cruella lowered her head. For perhaps the first time since Silver had known her, she had no audience. Nobody surrounded her or asked whether she was alright.

Even Dillian, though still concerned for her, remained focused on examining the hidden entrance rather than comforting her.

Silver noticed everything. He said nothing. The consequences of her actions had already begun unfolding naturally.

The surviving guard finally finished clearing away the last pieces of broken concrete. Beneath the rubble, a rusted steel hatch stood partially open.

Cold air drifted upward from the darkness below. The temperature immediately dropped several degrees. The narrow stairway disappeared into complete blackness.

Dillian stepped closer.

”...Definitely man-made.”

The guard nodded.

”The emergency generator must have partially failed. I think the locking mechanism released on its own years ago.”

Silver looked into the darkness. His instincts remained uneasy. Nothing about the stairway felt welcoming, yet there was no obvious sign of danger either.

Dillian finally turned around.

”I’m going down.”

Silver rubbed the bridge of his nose.

”I still think it’s a bad idea.”

”I know.” Dillian smiled faintly. ”But we’ve already come this far. If there’s one last secret hidden beneath this place, I’d rather see it with my own eyes.”

Silver looked toward Ravenna. She gave a small shrug.

”If he goes, we’ll end up following anyway.”

Silver laughed quietly.

”...Probably.”

He could hardly let Dillian descend alone after everything that had happened. Not when there was still the possibility of unknown experimental remnants below.

”Fine.” He finally nodded. ”We stay together.”

The surviving guard activated a powerful tactical flashlight. Its beam pierced the darkness below. Old concrete steps stretched downward farther than the light could fully reach.

Dillian took the lead. The guard followed closely behind. Maya, Selene, and Iris descended after them. Cruella hesitated briefly before silently following. She deliberately kept several steps behind the others. She looked genuinely isolated.

Silver noticed Ravenna watching her.

”Don’t.”

He said it quietly. Ravenna glanced toward him.

”We’re already ahead. She’ll bury herself if she keeps acting like this.”

Ravenna remained silent for a moment before giving a small nod.

”...Alright.”

The two of them intentionally stayed at the very back of the group. Silver preferred having everyone else within the range of his Spatial Sense. From behind, he could monitor every movement, including the one person he trusted least.

One by one, the group disappeared beneath the abandoned research station, descending into the darkness toward whatever secret had remained buried there for decades.