I grow stronger by making my wife happy.

Chapter 288: 288:still trying.

"I’m being realistic."

"I don’t want realistic." Her voice suddenly became louder. "I want you to help him!"

The entire group fell silent for a moment. Antony stepped closer to her.

"Ravenna."

She looked at him.

He could see the exhaustion in her face now. She had been awake through the entire journey, fought beasts that had tried to delay them, and had spent the last several minutes begging people for help. Her eyes were swollen from crying, but she still looked ready to keep going until somebody finally agreed.

Antony lowered his voice.

"Let’s find the administrators."

Ravenna hesitated, then she nodded. The two of them moved toward the main administrative building.

The observation centre’s interior was considerably busier than Ravenna remembered. Contractors came and went through different entrances, while screens displayed information about the valley and the surrounding zones.

The deeper they moved into the building, the more obvious it became that this place was designed for people who operated in territory far more dangerous than the ordinary Green and Yellow Zones.

Eventually, an administrator agreed to hear them out.

He was an older man with grey hair and tired eyes, sitting behind a large desk covered in reports. He listened silently while Ravenna explained everything that had happened, from the moment they entered the cave to the moment Antony carried her outside.

When she finished, he leaned back.

"You said the team consisted of eight Rank Four Contractors?"

"Yes."

"And you three?"

"Rank Two."

The administrator frowned.

"That doesn’t make sense."

Ravenna wiped her eyes.

"What doesn’t?"

"Why were eight Rank Four Contractors travelling toward that section with three Rank Twos?"

Ravenna stared at him.

"They recruited us."

"Officially?"

She hesitated.

"I don’t know, we just made a call after seeing the notice and they told us where to meet."

The administrator immediately turned toward his terminal.

"Give me the name."

"Larry."

"Larry what?"

Ravenna paused. She realized she didn’t actually know his full name.

The administrator looked at her.

"Anything else?"

"He’s the captain and we also came through here two days ago or three I’m not sure. You can check the cameras for facial ID or something."

The administrator began searching through the records. After several seconds, his expression changed.

"I found them."

Ravenna leaned forward.

"What does it say?"

The administrator read through the information.

"Larry and eight Rank Four Contractors. Registered expedition."

He frowned.

"Interesting."

"What?"

"They weren’t supposed to be there."

Ravenna’s heart sank.

"What do you mean?"

The administrator turned the screen slightly toward them.

"The expedition was registered as a collection and hunting operation on the western side of Death Row Valley."

Ravenna stared.

"We were on the eastern side."

"Exactly."

Antony’s expression became serious. The administrator continued scrolling.

"There is no record of an authorized expedition from this group into the section you’re describing."

Ravenna remembered Larry. His polite attitude. The way he had always tried to convince them to stay behind and repeatedly told Silver and the others that they were too weak.

The way the group had isolated them and then the moment the queen appeared.

Larry had used them as bait.

Ravenna’s hands trembled.

"He betrayed us."

The administrator looked at her.

"You believe that?"

"He deliberately left us behind."

"Why?"

"I don’t know."

The administrator leaned back.

"Then there’s something else you should know... Any official expedition attempting to travel that far toward the Red Zone border requires at least one Rank Five Contractor."

Ravenna’s eyes widened.

"They didn’t have one."

"Exactly."

Antony frowned.

"So either they violated regulations or..."

"Or they weren’t telling you their real objective."

The room became quiet. Ravenna looked down. The strange gathering of beasts, the cave, Larry’s behavior, and the way the group had been moving.

The administrators’ words suddenly connected everything.

"They were looking for something."

The administrator nodded.

"That’s our assumption."

"Do you know what?"

"No, I’m not really sure they were acting pretty normal the whole time." Ravenna stared at the screen. "What could be there that is valuable enough for them to risk their lives?"

The administrator shook his head.

"Death Row Valley contains many unexplored areas. There are rare materials, unusual beasts, old ruins, abandoned military facilities, research sites, and things that haven’t been properly documented. People have killed each other over discoveries there before."

Ravenna’s expression darkened.

"Then Larry knew."

"Possibly."

"That’s why he took us."

"Possibly."

"And when the queen appeared..."

"He decided your group was expendable. That kind of thing happens around this areas, they trap naive contractors."

Ravenna’s fingers curled into fists. She suddenly understood why Silver had been suspicious. He had noticed something was wrong long before she had.

She remembered him asking Larry about the strange concentration of beasts around the cave, how he had repeatedly used Spatial Sense to inspect the area, and him warning her to activate her tracker.

He had known.

Maybe not exactly what Larry was planning, but he had sensed that something wasn’t right.

The administrator continued studying the records.

"If they were operating outside their authorized route, we can’t treat them as a normal missing team."

Ravenna looked up.

"What does that mean?"

"It means their disappearance may require an investigation before a rescue operation."

"An investigation?" Ravenna’s voice rose. "My boyfriend is trapped under a collapsed cave!"

"I understand."

"No, you don’t!" She stood. "You keep talking about reports and routes and regulations, but he’s down there!"

The administrator remained calm.

"If we send people into an unstable cave occupied by a Rank Six creature without proper preparation, we could lose more people."

"Then prepare!" Ravenna’s voice broke. "Please."

The anger disappeared. She looked exhausted.

"Please."

The administrator sighed.

"We can put in a request."

"When?"

"Not immediately."

"How long?"

"Weeks."

Ravenna stared at him.

"And if he’s alive?"

The administrator didn’t answer.

"What if he’s still alive?"

"He would have to survive until then."

Ravenna’s lips trembled. She lowered her head.

Antony stepped beside her.

"That’s not an answer."

The administrator looked at him.

"It’s the only honest answer I can give."

Ravenna suddenly pulled out her cards.

"I’ll pay."

The administrator frowned.

"Miss..."

"I have money." She placed the cards on the desk. "Whatever it costs."

The administrator stared at them.

"You understand that money doesn’t solve everything?"

"I don’t care."

Ravenna’s tears started again.

"Take everything."

Antony looked at her.

"Ravenna."

"Everything." She looked at the administrator. "Just send someone."

The administrator slowly shook his head.

"I can’t authorize that."

Ravenna stared at him for several seconds, then she picked up her cards.

Her hands were shaking.

"Fine." She turned away. "Then I’ll go."

Antony followed.

Outside the office, Ravenna stopped. She pressed a hand against her face.

"I don’t understand."

Antony waited.

"He had everything." Her voice was quiet. "He had his cards. His equipment. Everything."

She looked toward the vehicle outside.

"He left almost everything in the car."

Antony frowned.

"That’s strange. Silver doesn’t do that."

"No."

Ravenna stared toward the vehicle. It was another tiny reason to believe he was alive.

Silver wouldn’t abandon his belongings without a reason, but there was another possibility. Maybe he had simply never expected the cave to collapse and thought he would return.

Maybe he had believed his own promise.

’I’ll catch up.’

Ravenna closed her eyes. Antony stood beside her.

"He could still be alive."

Ravenna opened her eyes.

Antony looked toward the valley.

"I don’t know if he is." He paused. "But I’ve seen that guy survive things that should have killed him."

Ravenna stared at him.

"So have I."

"Then don’t give up yet."

Ravenna’s eyes filled again.

She nodded.

Antony didn’t promise that Silver would return or tell her everything would be fine. He simply stood beside her.

And somehow, that was enough to keep her standing.

The administrator eventually informed them that the observation centre’s subjugation team and a few escort contractors would be leaving in the morning for Alpha Three to deliver the materials they had recovered from the deeper Red Zone.

Ravenna immediately decided to accompany them. If she couldn’t reach Silver, she would at least continue toward the academy.

It was what Silver had wanted and what they had been working toward. And if he was alive, she would find a way back to him.

She looked down at the tracker one last time.

Ravenna clenched it tightly.

"Please be alive."

Then she whispered something even quieter.

"Because I’m coming back for you."

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