"Good, looks like we are in the clear."

Nobody answered immediately after Marcus said that.

Not because they disagreed.

But because nobody inside the Black Hawk fully trusted the Forest of No Return anymore.

The helicopter continued pushing forward over the endless canopy, rotors cutting steadily through the cold upper air while the dark sea of trees stretched beneath them.

Minutes passed.

Then more.

Still nothing followed.

No vultures.

No movement beneath the canopy.

No giant tree monsters ripping themselves out of the forest floor.

Just silence.

The co-pilot slowly leaned back in his seat.

"...I think we actually made it."

The pilot didn’t relax yet.

"Don’t jinx it."

Marcus kept watching the forest below through the open side.

The pressure that had been sitting in the cabin earlier was fading now. Not completely gone, but weaker than before. Whatever awareness the forest had seemed to stop at its borders.

Good.

He had no interest in testing whether it could extend farther.

The helicopter crossed the final stretch of dark canopy.

Then finally—

Open land appeared ahead.

The forest ended.

The transition was immediate.

The air felt lighter.

Cleaner.

Even the cabin itself seemed easier to breathe in once the Black Hawk fully crossed beyond the treeline.

The co-pilot let out a long breath.

"Yeah, screw that place."

One of the crew in the back nodded immediately.

"Agreed."

The pilot finally eased his shoulders slightly.

"We’re out."

Marcus looked back one last time through the side opening.

The Forest of No Return remained behind them, dark and silent beneath the afternoon sky.

No pursuit.

No movement.

No monsters crossing the border.

Just endless trees.

Watching.

Marcus turned away from it.

"Set course for base."

"Already on it," the pilot replied.

The Black Hawk banked slightly and accelerated across open land.

The difference in mood inside the helicopter was obvious now. The tension that had been choking the cabin earlier slowly disappeared as familiar terrain began appearing below.

Roads.

Fields.

Rivers.

Small villages.

Civilization.

The crew started talking again.

Not loudly.

But normally.

The pilot glanced back briefly.

"Still can’t believe we crossed that place twice."

The co-pilot snorted.

"And survived."

"Barely."

Marcus leaned back slightly in his seat.

"We learned."

The pilot nodded slowly.

"That forest is bad news."

"That’s putting it lightly," one of the crew muttered.

Marcus stayed quiet after that.

Because honestly—

They still didn’t fully understand what they encountered in there.

The tree monsters.

The vultures.

The way the forest reacted.

The way it healed itself.

That wasn’t normal wildlife.

That was something else entirely.

And the worst part?

Marcus had the feeling they only scratched the surface.

The helicopter continued flying for another hour before the landscape finally became fully familiar.

The outskirts near Berm appeared first.

Then the roads leading toward their territory.

Then finally—

The base.

The Black Hawk descended slightly as the compound came into view.

From above, the base looked active as usual. Personnel moved around the outer perimeter while several vehicles were parked neatly near the main structure. Guards on watchtowers quickly noticed the incoming helicopter.

Marcus immediately saw the reaction below.

People were pointing upward already.

Word had probably spread that the mission had gone badly the moment communication became unstable near the forest.

Seeing the helicopter return at all was likely enough to calm everyone down.

The pilot keyed the radio.

"Base, this is Atlas One returning from contract operation."

Static crackled briefly.

Then a familiar voice answered.

"Atlas One, this is Base. Welcome back."

Marcus recognized the operator immediately.

Relief was obvious in the man’s voice.

"You guys had us worried there."

"Yeah," the pilot replied. "We had some problems."

"That obvious, huh?"

"You have no idea."

The helicopter lowered further.

The landing pad approached quickly beneath them.

Marcus noticed people already gathering near the edge of the tarmac.

Then he spotted her immediately.

Elaina.

She was standing near the landing area, eyes fixed entirely on the incoming Black Hawk.

The moment Marcus saw her, the exhaustion he had been ignoring since Crentis suddenly hit him harder than expected.

The helicopter touched down.

The landing gear hit the concrete with a slight jolt before stabilizing fully.

The rotors continued spinning overhead while the engine slowly powered down.

Marcus unbuckled immediately.

The side door slid open.

Cold air rushed into the cabin.

Then Marcus stepped out.

The moment his boots touched the ground, Elaina was already moving toward him.

Fast.

Much faster than her usual composed pace.

Marcus barely had time to take two steps before she reached him.

Then hugged him tightly.

Not casually.

Not politely.

Tightly enough that Marcus immediately understood how worried she had been.

"You’re back," she said quietly.

Marcus wrapped one arm around her gently.

"Yeah."

Elaina pulled back slightly just enough to look at him properly.

Her eyes immediately scanned him from head to toe.

The scratches on the gear.

The dirt.

The dried dark stains from the vulture attack still visible on parts of his clothing.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

Marcus shook his head.

"I’m fine."

"You don’t look fine."

"We ran into some problems."

The co-pilot, climbing out behind them, immediately spoke up.

"Some problems is the understatement of the century."

Marcus looked at him.

The co-pilot immediately raised both hands.

"What? It was horrible."

Elaina’s expression immediately sharpened.

"Horrible?"

Marcus sighed quietly.

"We’ll explain later."

The pilot climbed out next and stretched heavily.

"Boss, next time somebody says Forest of No Return, I’m voting we respect the name."

Several of the crew immediately agreed.

One of them pointed toward the claw marks along the helicopter’s side.

"Those flying things nearly took the tail rotor."

Elaina blinked.

"...Flying things?"

Marcus rubbed the side of his forehead slightly.

"Long story."

"And very angry trees," the co-pilot added helpfully.

Marcus looked at him again.

"You are not helping."

"I’m helping emotionally prepare people."

Elaina stared at the damage along the Black Hawk now.

The scratches.

The dents.

The impact marks.

The helicopter looked like it had gone through a warzone.

Which honestly wasn’t far from the truth.

Her gaze returned to Marcus again.

"...You really are alright?"

Marcus nodded once.

"Yeah."

That seemed enough for her.

At least for now.

She let out a small breath and relaxed slightly.

Then her eyes narrowed a little.

"Did the delivery succeed?"

Marcus looked toward the helicopter briefly before answering.

"Yes."

"And?"

Marcus gave a faint smirk.

"We got paid."

The co-pilot immediately grinned.

"Oh, we got paid paid."

One of the crew laughed tiredly.

"Best suicidal delivery mission ever."

Elaina crossed her arms lightly.

"How much?"

Marcus answered simply.

"Fifty million from Merchant Kelly."

Several nearby personnel immediately froze after hearing that number.

Then Marcus added:

"And another fifty from Merchant May."

Silence.

Complete silence for a second.

Even the co-pilot shook his head again despite already knowing.

"Still sounds insane hearing it out loud."

Elaina stared at Marcus.

"One hundred million kinah?"

Marcus nodded.

"Contract completed successfully."

One of the nearby guards muttered under his breath:

"What kind of cargo was that?"

Marcus shrugged slightly.

"Didn’t ask."

The pilot immediately laughed.

"That part still kills me."

Elaina looked genuinely stunned now.

Not because Marcus succeeded.

Because of the scale.

One hundred million kinah was kingdom-level money.

Enough to fund armies.

Infrastructure.

Trade fleets.

And Marcus had earned it from one contract.

The co-pilot pointed toward the helicopter.

"To be fair, we definitely earned it."

"Agreed," another crew member muttered.

Elaina looked at Marcus carefully for another few seconds.

Then finally shook her head softly.

"You crossed the Forest of No Return... for one hundred million kinah."

Marcus corrected her calmly.

"Twice."

The entire crew immediately groaned.

"Please don’t remind us."

Marcus finally let out a small laugh.