God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World! Chapter 88: Arriving at Halden Settlement

"What?!" Victor swerved in shock. "It was just here when we left!"

Cassie went pale, her lips trembling slightly. "No... no way. We risked our lives just now and it’s gone?!"

"This, how did this happen?!" Gabriel exclaid, for the first ti losing his cool.

"This doesn’t make sense. When did it..." Sophie was speechless, not knowing what to say.

All this while, they’d fought the enemies, not allowing even one to co two ters close to their vehicle.

’Was it during the ti of the illusion?’ Gabriel mumbled, a slightly dazed look on his face.

He quickly turned toward the others and asked, "Did any of you suddenly find yourself in an icy terrain during the fight?"

"No, I didn’t," Cassie answered.

"Sa here," Victor said, shaking his head. "I didn’t see any illusion either."

"Then we were the only ones trapped in the illusion." Sophie’s expression turned grim.

The more they tried to think about how the crate had gone missing, the more their heads ached.

Gabriel thought long and hard, piecing several things together. His eyes flashed as he realized sothing.

"During the ape attack, everyone had stepped out," he said. "I think the enemies sohow sneaked into the vehicle during that ti fra and made away with the crate."

No one said anything, realizing what he said made a lot of sense.

Subconsciously, both Cassie and Victor began cursing in their minds.

"If only we’d stayed back!" Cassie clenched her fist so tightly that vines popped out of her skin.

Victor was muttering "damn" under his breath, as if it were the only word he knew.

"It’s none of your fault," Gabriel said calmly. "For soone to get away with the crate unnoticed, I’m sure they’re no ordinary person."

"In fact, I wouldn’t be shocked if they were Hero Rank," he mumbled under his breath.

Although he appeared calm, Gabriel felt a wave of frustration—but he didn’t dare let it show. A leader doesn’t show signs of weakness, especially not in front of his subordinates.

"So what now?" Sophie furrowed her brows.

"We..." Gabriel paused, then said, "We continue to Halden and deliver the news to the receivers. At least they deserve that much."

The rest of the journey continued in silence.

So ti later, the sun slowly rose into the sky, revealing towering walls with guards patrolling ahead of them.

"We have arrived!" Victor announced, a slight trace of excitent in his voice.

As the vehicle reached a certain range, the archers manning the walls slowly aid their arrows at them.

Seeing this, Victor stepped out and waved a white cloth at the archers.

They slowly lowered their weapons, and the front gate of the settlent opened.

The vehicle drove in. From the windows, they saw several buildings made of concrete and tal, all appearing to be in very good condition.

"Halden Settlent is considered a Tier-Two settlent," Victor explained. "It’s one of the safest settlents out here in the wilderness."

"I can see that," mumbled Gabriel, slightly impressed by the architecture, which was a blend of modernity and technology.

So far, this was the most advanced city he had been to—even surpassing Stellar City. The only thing Stellar City surpassed it in was size.

Right in front of the entrance, Gabriel spotted so individuals waiting in the distance.

Their vehicle ca to a stop, and one after the other, they stepped out.

"I’ll go talk to them," Gabriel said to the others.

"Alright," they nodded.

"Are you Gabriel Reyes from the Adventurer Guild?" the first man asked.

"Yes." Gabriel nodded confidently.

"Where is the crate?" The man frowned, trying to look behind him but found nothing.

"About that..." A wry smile appeared on Gabriel’s face.

Behind him, both Sophie and Cassie looked to the side with slightly embarrassed expressions.

However, before Gabriel could part his lips to speak, he felt an arm on his shoulder.

"It’s okay, Gabriel. Thank you for safely escorting back," Victor smiled.

"Huh?" Both Sophie and Cassie exclaid at once.

Sophie stepped forward. "Wait, don’t tell —"

"Hahahaha, yes, I’m the one you people were ant to protect."

"So the crate... it was a decoy," Gabriel mumbled under his breath, thinking back to how calm Victor had been.

Victor’s knowledge about the terrain hadn’t seed suspicious—Gabriel had simply assud he was soone who frequently traveled the wilderness.

"Does this an we completed the mission?" Cassie asked.

"It seems so," Sophie replied with an uncertain expression. "Then what was inside the crate? And who are you, really?"

"Oh." Victor scratched the back of his head. "The crate is most likely empty. Vice Leader Scarlet suspected sothing like this might happen, so she ca up with this plan."

"So she knew there was a chance of the crate going missing..." Gabriel’s eyes glinted. "That ans she knew that even we wouldn’t be able to stop the person responsible."

And ironically, she had been right.

Gabriel felt a pang of admiration for the Vice Leader of the Adventurer Guild.

"You still haven’t answered the question," Cassie pressed. "Who exactly are you?"

"Not many people know , but... well, my na is Victor Halden, a Level 67 chanic." He gave a small smile.

Both Sophie and Cassie sucked in a deep breath. Now they realized why a major guild like Crimson Star had co after them.

’Halden... so he’s the owner of the settlent,’ Gabriel deduced.

"Okay, since you’re all here, why don’t you take a rest in my mansion before returning to Stellar City?" Victor suggested. "With a warm al, at least—that way, I can properly thank you guys."

Gabriel looked at the rest of his teammates, and seeing no objections, he said,

"Sure, we’ll be in your care then. Hope you treat us nicely."

"Of course! Feel at ho!" Victor laughed loudly as he led the team toward his mansion.

---

anwhile, in an undisclosed location, a magic circle lit up on the ground, and a woman appeared along with the armored crate Gabriel and the others were ant to protect.

She had flowing red hair like fire and a star-shaped blindfold over her eyes.

And on her flawless, beautiful face was a smirk.

"That was easier than I thought," murmured Lilith Valentine, the leader of the Crimson Star Guild...

The woman known across the wilderness as the Silent Whisper.

***

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