Chapter 101: The Restricted Zone’s Hidden Treasure

Summer had barely finished getting ready when she received a message telling her that he had arrived. Since he was coming to pick her up personally, she grabbed her belongings and headed straight for the rooftop.

The moment she stepped outside, the sound of helicopter blades filled the air.

She raised a hand to shield her eyes as she approached the helicopter.

The strong wind whipped her hair around, but before she could get any closer, Balian descended from the helicopter and greeted her with a dazzling smile.

"Good morning, Miss Summer!" he called out, raising his voice so she could hear him over the noise of the helicopter. "How are you feeling today?!"

"I’m good!" Summer replied as she stopped in front of him.

She then looked him up and down, only to realize how different Balian looked in his official uniform.

His uniform was light blue with silver trim along the collar, shoulders, and sleeves. While the darker blue belt around his waist made the whole outfit look even more elegant

With the morning sunlight falling on his shoulders, he looked almost like the clear blue sky on a snowy day.

Summer blinked a few times before giving him an approving nod. ’Wow, he looks pretty good in that uniform.’

Meanwhile, Summer had also requested a few changes to her own uniform. Instead of the original black and gold design, she had chosen royal purple as the main color with silver embroidery along the collar and cuffs, while delicate violet patterns ran down the sleeves like flowing vines.

A few subtle lavender accents softened the darker shade, and the silver buttons gave the outfit a clean, polished finish.

She had also added a matching belt and a small SSS-Rank insignia on her chest, making the uniform look both stylish and official.

Balian’s gaze fell on her uniform, and his smile widened as he took in the changes. "Miss Summer, your uniform looks amazing!" he exclaimed. "The color suits you perfectly!"

"I know!" Summer replied confidently, lifting her chin with a proud smile.

Balian couldn’t help but chuckle at her response before gesturing toward the helicopter. "Then, shall we get going?"

"Let’s go!"

With that, Summer climbed into the helicopter, followed by Balian.

Once everyone was settled, the pilot started the engine, and the helicopter slowly lifted off the rooftop before flying toward the distant Blackstar Restricted Zone.

The journey turned out to be much longer than Summer had expected.

The Blackstar Restricted Zone was located far beyond Zone 0, in a remote area separated from other zones by vast stretches of wilderness and several military-controlled regions.

Since the distance was so great, the pilot even had to make a stop at a military headquarters along the way to refuel before continuing the journey.

Summer spent most of the flight looking out the window, watching how badly the world beyond the safe zones.

By the time five hours had passed, Summer was beginning to wonder how much farther they had to go.

"Are we there yet?" she finally asked, turning toward Balian.

Balian glanced at her with an amused smile. "Almost, Miss Summer. We should arrive in a few minutes."

Sure enough, not long afterward, the pilot announced their arrival.

Summer leaned closer to the window, and her eyes widened slightly at the sight below.

A massive military facility stood in the middle of the remote landscape, surrounded by towering walls, watchtowers, and several layers of security checkpoints.

Armed guards patrolled the perimeter, while military vehicles moved along the roads inside the compound.

Beyond the outer walls, she could make out several large buildings, training grounds, and what appeared to be a series of obstacle courses.

The entire place looked more like a fortress than an ordinary military base.

"So, this is the Blackstar Restricted Zone," Summer murmured as she looked around.

"Yes," Balian replied with a smile. "This is one of the most heavily guarded military zones in the country. But don’t worry, Miss Summer. We don’t experiment on people here."

Summer gave him a strange look. "Why would you suddenly bring that up again?"

"Well, who knows. Maybe you’re still thinking about it." Balian chuckled before continuing his explanation. "The real reason this place is so heavily guarded is that it contains a lot of valuable crystals. These crystals can be used to grow special medicinal plants, and some of them can even be made into medicine."

He paused for a moment before adding, "To put it simply, this place is basically a giant hospital. Unfortunately, two weeks ago, the southwestern wall collapsed, allowing polluted creatures to break into the area."

Summer’s expression grew more serious as she listened.

"The military has done its best to seal off the infected area and keep those creatures from spreading," Balian continued. "However, the problem is that the place they occupied contains a lot of valuable things that we can’t afford to lose, so I have to restore that area."

"If those things are so important, why are you only asking me to come here now?" Summer asked curiously.

Balian smiled as if he had been waiting for her to ask that question. "Because the crystals in that area are currently evolving, and they’ve become extremely fragile. If I eliminate the polluted creatures by force, I might end up damaging the crystals in the process."

Summer nodded slowly, beginning to understand his problem.

"And that’s also why I don’t trust the other Sentinels to clear the area," Balian admitted with a troubled sigh. "They’re too rough with their abilities, and I can’t risk letting them get anywhere near my precious crystals."

Summer stared at him for a moment before giving him an incredulous look. "Wait a minute. You’re telling me that you’re more worried about your crystals than the polluted creatures running around in there?"

Balian blinked before smiling awkwardly. "Well, it’s not that simple, Miss Summer. Of course, I want those creatures gone, but those crystals are extremely rare. If we lose them, we might never get them back."

Summer couldn’t help shaking her head at his answer. This man really did seem to care about his crystals more than anything else.

"But you said I could livestream while I’m there," she reminded him. "Are you sure that’s alright? Isn’t this place supposed to be highly restricted?"

Balian had mentioned before that this place would eventually be opened to the public, probably because of the hospitals. But still, wasn’t this place supposed to be highly restricted for now?

What if someone tried to steal his precious crystals?

"Oh, don’t worry about that. None of those people know what the crystals are actually used for, anyway." Balian smiled again. "Besides, even if someone tried to steal them, they wouldn’t be able to extract the crystals. I’m the only person in the world who can do that."

Summer raised an eyebrow. Well, that’s certainly convenient.

She had a feeling that her trip to the Blackstar Restricted Zone was going to be far more interesting than she had expected.