A month earlier, Mike had shown a different route from the usual one.
By pointing out several locations on the map, they ended up taking a long detour to reach the ruins. Normally, they could have arrived much sooner—but after everything that had happened, they had no choice but to take the longer path.
Mike had told everyone that beyond the ruins there were forests and rivers.
But he had never imagined that nature itself had taken over the ruins.
When they finally arrived, the first thing they saw was massive buildings everywhere. Some were completely destroyed, while others were still standing—barely. The roads were cracked and broken, and machines and cars were scattered all over the streets.
But the most unsettling thing was the vegetation.
Enormous plants had grown everywhere, wrapping around buildings and roads. Strange trees had taken root in every patch of soil.
Amid the destruction, nature had taken over—painting the chaos green.
Mike was shocked.
He had only heard stories from James about what the world—and nature—used to look like.
Elxis had created an artificial forest, where the trees were colorful and glowing.
But it had nothing to do with what real nature actually looked like.
Wait… it was real.
There really were trees and plants.
So… Mike's lie had somehow become the truth.
"Mike… you said there would be forests beyond the ruins—not that the ruins were the forest…"
Mike turned and looked at Liam, who seemed just as shocked as he was.
"Yeah… that's what I thought too."
As they moved deeper into the ruins, everything looked more and more abandoned.
There was a dead silence in the air. And the further they went, the stranger it felt.
Everyone knew the ruins had been bombed during the war. That's why they were called ruins—because everything had been destroyed, reduced to rubble and stone.
But this was deferred...
As night fell, they entered a massive building that had once been a shopping center. Most of the display windows were shattered, but some still had mannequins standing upright after all these years, wearing clothes that had now turned to rags.
Mike and the others didn't understand what this place used to be.
They had been slaves, raised in a factory.
They barely knew anything about the outside world. They couldn't read or write. The only things they understood were screws, tools, and machine parts.
So this place felt… strange.
When they finally sat down to rest, they began sharing what little food they had left. There wasn't much. Everyone ate small portions, trying to make it last as long as possible.
Mike didn't eat.
He hated the feeling of hunger, but today his ribs hurt more than ever, and his fever was getting worse. Even if he tried to eat, he knew he would just throw it up.
Kelly and Liam sat next to him.
"Brother… are you okay?"
"What do you mean? Of course I am."
Kelly placed her hand on his forehead.
"You're burning..."
"I'm fine…"
"You need to rest, if you want—"
"Kelly, no."
"But—"
"We can't stop now. If we do… we'll fall behind."
Mike's tone was cold and sharp.
After what had happened in Raila, he had become like this with everyone.
Kelly and Liam had always stayed by his side…but now, Mike couldn't trust anyone anymore.
Even though reaching the ruins had eased that feeling slightly—since there were no soldiers or masters here—
what had happened still lingered inside him.
And because of that…
Mike couldn't trust anyone.