Chapter 492:Halloween creek.

Chapter 492: 492:Halloween creek.

They found the first corpse approximately two hundred meters beyond the damaged farmland, belonging to a Tier Two beast with thick gray fur and a pair of short horns.

Its body had been crushed.

Elias crouched beside it and examined the surrounding tracks.

He frowned a few moments later.

"Something heavy passed through here," he said.

Silver nodded.

"Very."

Elias looked toward the forest.

"Multiple things, actually."

Silver raised an eyebrow.

He pointed toward several impressions in the mud.

"These belong to at least three different species. The spacing suggests they were moving at high speed."

Silver smiled faintly.

"Good eyes."

Elias laughed.

"That’s the idea." Then he pointed toward another set of tracks. "Those are different."

Silver crouched beside them. The impressions were enormous, much larger than the others; each was nearly as wide as his torso. The depth suggested extraordinary weight.

Silver frowned.

"That’s not normal."

Peter approached and studied the tracks, his expression changing.

"Nobody touch anything," he firmly said.

The students immediately stepped back.

He crouched beside the print and examined the impressions carefully.

He activated his communicator.

"Captain Ross."

Static crackled.

"Go ahead."

"We’ve found tracks belonging to something considerably larger than the species reported in the initial attack."

A pause then the exhausted voice.

"How large?"

Peter looked toward the ground.

"Unknown. But potentially Tier Four or higher."

Silence followed then Ross cursed.

"Understood."

Silver looked toward the forest.

The trees stood quietly beneath the afternoon sunlight. Birds moved through the branches. A gentle breeze stirred the leaves. Everything looked too peaceful.

Mina suddenly crouched and placed her fingers against the ground.

Silver noticed.

"Mina?"

She frowned.

"Something’s moving."

Peter looked toward her.

"Where?"

She closed her eyes.

For several seconds, she remained still, then her expression changed.

"Farther north."

Silver activated Spatial Sense.

He extended his perception as far as he comfortably could but nothing, at least, nothing nearby.

She opened her eyes.

"Multiple signatures," she said in a grim voice

Peter frowned.

"How many?"

She hesitated.

"I can’t tell."

Silver looked toward her.

She swallowed.

"But they’re moving in the same direction."

Peter stood.

"Everyone back to the settlement."

The next several hours were spent interviewing survivors and examining the remaining damaged areas.

Silver spoke with an elderly farmer who’d lost his livestock during the attack. The man described hearing strange noises, something deeper, from the forest several hours before the beasts appeared. It was sort of a continuous rumbling that seemed to travel through the ground.

Another survivor claimed she’d seen two predators running alongside a herd of grazing beasts. A third described a large creature crashing through the northern fence without even looking toward the nearby civilians.

The reports were consistent.

The beasts hadn’t behaved like hunters, they’d behaved like frightened animals.

He found that considerably more disturbing.

By late afternoon, the investigation team returned to the settlement’s military observation post.

Peter stood beside Captain Ross, examining the collected evidence. Helena was organizing the students’ reports. Ravenna stood near the window.

He approached her.

"Anything?" He whispered.

She shook her head.

"Nothing good."

He smiled faintly.

"That bad?"

She looked toward the forest.

"The farther we investigate, the less sense it makes."

Silver nodded.

"Agreed."

She turned toward him.

"Do you think it’s connected to the research facility?" She whispered.

Silver considered, then nodded slowly.

"Possibly."

Ravenna frowned.

"But how?"

"I don’t know." He looked toward the distant trees. "Maybe something escaped."

She remained quiet.

Silver continued.

"Or maybe something happened inside the Red Zone that disturbed the beasts."

Ravenna looked thoughtful, then nodded.

"Either way, I don’t like it."

Silver smiled.

"Neither do I."

A voice suddenly sounded behind them.

"Silver."

They turned.

Elias approached.

He was holding his communicator.

Silver smiled.

"What’s up?"

Elias looked excited.

"I got the updated evaluation."

His eyes widened.

"Now?"

Elias nodded, his excitement reaching it’s peak.

"The academy processed yesterday’s energy readings," he said.

Silver smiled.

"And?"

Elias grinned.

"Ninety-eight percent."

He fully turned to him, equally excited now.

"Seriously?"

Elias nodded enthusiastically.

"Ninety-eight percent saturation."

Ravenna smiled.

"Congratulations."

Elias laughed.

"Thanks."

Silver raised his fist.

"Almost there."

Elias bumped it.

"Almost."

For a moment, his expression was brighter than Silver had ever seen it.

"I think I can reach Rank Two soon."

He smiled.

"I know you will."

Elias nodded, then laughed.

"I might actually surprise my brother."

Silver shook his head.

"Forget surprising him."

Elias stopped, confused.

Silver smiled.

"Do it for yourself," he encouraged.

Elias stared at him for a few seconds before slowly smiling.

"Yeah." He nodded. "You’re right."

Before Silver could answer, the observation post’s emergency alarm sounded and a sharp electronic warning echoed through the building.

Everyone froze.

Then Captain Ross’s communicator began flashing red.

He answered immediately.

"Ross speaking."

A frantic voice responded.

"Captain! Reconnaissance Team Three reporting! We have a major migration approaching from the northern forest!"

Ross straightened.

"How many?"

Static crackled, then the voice returned.

"Unknown! Hundreds at least! Possibly thousands!"

The room became silent.

Peter approached.

"Distance?"

The voice hesitated.

"Approximately twenty kilometers and closing!"

Ross’s expression hardened.

"Projected route?"

Another burst of static.

Then...

"Directly toward Hollow Creek!"

For several seconds, nobody spoke. Silver slowly looked toward Ravenna whos expression had changed. The excitement from Elias’s evaluation disappeared.

Peter immediately reached for his communicator.

"All Class Four students, report to the observation post. Now."

Captain Ross turned toward the nearest soldier.

"Activate the settlement emergency sirens."

The soldier hesitated.

"Sir?"

"Now!"

The soldier ran.

Moments later, a deep warning siren began echoing across Hollow Creek.

People stopped working,market stalls fell silent, and children looked toward the sky.

Somewhere beyond the northern forest, the ground began to tremble.

Silver closed his eyes.

[Spatial Sense Lv3 Activated.]

He extended his perception.

At first, he detected nothing unusual, then... A faint vibration followed by another and several more.

He opened his eyes, his expression becoming serious.

Ravenna looked toward him.

"Silver?"

He nodded slowly.

"They’re coming."

Captain Ross was already shouting orders.

"Prepare the defenses! Contact Alpha Three! Request immediate reinforcements and evacuation support!"

Peter turned toward the students, his expression colder than Silver had ever seen it.

"Everyone, listen carefully."

The room fell silent.

"This is no longer an investigation."

Outside, the emergency sirens continued wailing.

Peter looked toward the northern forest, then back at his students.

"We have a beast tide approaching."

Silver felt Ravenna’s hand close around his.

He squeezed it gently.

Elias stood nearby, his communicator still displaying the ninety-eight percent energy saturation he’d been so excited about only moments earlier.

But he wasn’t looking at it anymore, he was staring toward the forest.

And for the first time since arriving at Hollow Creek, Silver understood that their mission might become something none of them had been prepared to face.

Because the beasts weren’t coming to hunt, they were running.

And whatever had frightened them enough to abandon their territories was still somewhere behind them.