Twenty minutes later, the vehicle slowed and came to a smooth stop. A faint hum signaled the activation of camouflage and peripheral security systems.
- "We've arrived," announced Lazare, his voice breaking the silence like a stone tossed into still water.
The tactical screens simultaneously displayed the location: "Mirador Industrial Complex Exclusion Zone 27." Satellite images showed a tangle of abandoned structures, corroded by time and encroaching vegetation. Half-collapsed industrial buildings, truncated smokestacks like accusing fingers pointed at the sky, and a chaotic web of rusted piping created a bleak post-apocalyptic landscape.
At the center of this modern ruin, a stable D-rank portal had recently been reported by reconnaissance teams. Preliminary data, shown in green characters across the screens, indicated minimal energy activity, low mana concentration, and an estimated negligible level of hostile biomass.
