Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1506: Snow Town

When Adam approached the Detached Mountains, he realized that it was not a distant, abandoned region like the ruins at the Dead Lands.

No, the Detached Mountains had been used by the Gamma Vision and Phantoms for an unknown period of time and had been completely transformed.

To some extent, it was a small town where most of the permanent residents were the Gamma Division members who managed the place, and the Phantoms were guests who came and went.

In fact, almost no one ever used the iron gates to come to or leave the Detached Mountains. Usually, the gate was used as a test for those visiting the Detached Mountains for the first time.

Step. Step. Step.

Adam and Damien walked forward, passing under a deep passageway beneath the mountain, one end of which was the gate and the other was the beginning of the central square.

Soon, light fell on them as a gentle breeze, not as harsh as outside, swept past, leaving bits of snow on their shoulders.

Many lamp posts, decorated as tall iron torches, stood along the stone roads, where trucks drove slowly, and people walked.

Still, even the appearance of the trucks and people differed from the strictly military style at the Citadel. The Gamma Division members wore long, warm coats and jackets, while the trucks had more neutral and softer colors. Their headlights were dim and did not dazzle, and their wheels blended in with the snow and the general scene so as not to disturb anyone.

Near the main square were shops, snack stands, and places to relax, decorated like a winter fair rather than a trendy shopping center at the First Ring.

Anyone could buy hot chocolate to warm up, hot dogs, waffles, or any other food that fit perfectly into the winter atmosphere, which was almost festive.

If the houses had more decorations, Adam would have easily believed that this was the set for a New Year’s commercial.

Everything looked cozy, quiet, and peaceful.

“Wow… This is not what I expected,” Adam muttered. He was being honest. These words came from the bottom of his heart.

He didn’t know why, but he felt as if he had come to visit an old friend, where it was almost as good as home, only it was his friend’s birthday, and everyone was getting ready to celebrate, eat a lot, and relax.

Damien nodded.

He knew Adam would react this way. Every Phantom who came to the Detached Mountains for the first time went through this.

“Yeah, there’s everything you need here, from coffee shops and restaurants to regular grocery stores where you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables as well as chips and soda. It’s almost like a small village at the Second Ring, only for Phantoms and Gamma Division.” Damien shrugged.

It was no surprise to him, as he was one of the people who helped create this place. He knew more about the Detached Mountains than anyone else.

“I see… Hah, there are quite a lot of people here, right?” Adam chuckled, looking at the multitude of figures rushing about their business.

Damien waved his hand dismissively.

“They work in facilities located right in the mountains. You saw some of them as you approached the gate.”

Adam nodded.

“As you can see, many here are Gamma Division members, but even now, there are several Phantoms in the square. Some of them are returning from missions, while others are just getting ready to leave.”

“But… Why is all this here? It takes at least half an hour to get here on a fighter jet, not counting takeoff and landing time. This place is well hidden. No K3-Phantom, let alone anyone lower, would ever find these mountains.”

Damien put his hands on his hips and looked ahead.

“Well, you’ll find out soon enough. Although you should already understand that it’s all about anomalies.”

Tap.

He patted Adam on the shoulder.

“Come on, Alexia should be here soon. We’ll wait for her at the coffee shop of your choice.”

Adam didn’t know where would be best to go, so he just pointed to a place on the right side of the square. The coffee shop, with its wooden beam facade and cozy amber light shining from the windows, was located on the corner of one of the streets that was actually at the foot of the mountain.

Damien didn’t answer as he simply walked ahead.

As they walked across the main square, where there was no separation between the roads for pedestrians and trucks, Adam got a fuller view of the Detached Mountains.

In addition to what he had already seen, he could now see the iron bridges connecting some of the mountains, as well as the external elevators leading to passages at different heights.

Adam didn’t know how much the mountains had been altered from their original appearance, but now he understood that everything inside was used for housing, offices, or warehouses.

“Hah, instead of building skyscrapers, they just turned the mountains into them? That’s impressive…”

Several people looked at Damien and Adam, but no one bothered them.

Whether they were the Phantoms or the Gamma Division, they understood that it would be rude to disturb Damien without a good reason. If he had been walking like this at the First Ring, it wouldn’t have been an hour before hundreds of people and reporters surrounded him, and news about him appeared in all the media.

For someone of his level, this place was a breath of fresh air.

This was not surprising, as the weakest person here was a K4-Phantom who had already created the Two Grand Stars.

Even the Second Rank Phantoms were not a rarity here, despite how few there were in the whole world.

Tap.

Two cups of coffee and waffles with cream and salted caramel appeared in front of Adam and Damien.

“Enjoy your meal!” The waitress, who was actually a Gamma Division personnel, said with a bright smile.

She was strong enough to fight monsters and control the Citadel, but here she was happy to be of service to such powerful Phantoms.

“So, what do you think of this place?”

Adam took a deep breath.

“It’s incredible.”

Damien grinned.

“Hah, you haven’t seen the main thing yet—the Anomaly Grid, our goal. We’ll go there as soon as Alexia arrives.”