A restless night's sleep. The next day, Twilight, Thorn and Flint continue on their way...

During the night, each of the trio was on duty, guarding the camp and waiting for an opportunity to sleep.

However, the sleep of each of the three rabbit-scouts was restless.

Too many thoughts disturbed the consciousness of each of them.

Until the moment of falling asleep, Twilight thought about the fact that the current scouting mission would be different from the usual.

Secret instructions of chief-researcher Zephyr...

An atmosphere of increased secrecy...

The mystery of the object that needs to be found...

The purpose of the search and its meaning are not clear to any of the trio of rabbit-scouts.

"The less anyone knows about it - the better. You three just have to do your job" - this is what, the day before leaving the territory of The Warren, chief-researcher Zephyr answered persistent attempts of Twilight to find out details about their scouting mission.

Twilight dreamed of vague images and landscapes of wastelands. The appearance of many places he had visited during his long scouting career over the years underwent strange changes in the dream. It was as if... all these landscapes became darker and... unnatural due to some kind of all-pervading fog.

Thorn, when it was time to rest, lay down on the floor and put his backpack under his head.

He tossed and turned for a long time.

The pain in his injured ankle did not disappear (although it became weaker - thanks to the treatment of the wound with disinfectant liquid and bandaging the wound).

Thorn thought about the need to finish this mission as soon as possible: "Fucking stinking lizardmoles! Because of these shit-eaters, I have to endure pain... And now I move slower... We need to complete our task and quickly return home..."

Flint was able to sleep only a few hours before dawn.

Before falling asleep, he thought about the words of Twilight: "This time our scouting mission is not just a search for supplies or water sources. I have a bad feeling... After all, none of us three know the details about the place we need to find... If only Twilight told us the truth... But what if he was not completely frank and in fact he is hiding something from us?"

His dream was filled with a kaleidoscope of absurd images that combined features of reality and fantasy: steppe expanses, ruins of cities, aggressive savages who have... lizardmoles heads...

Chief-researcher Zephyr, who talks to each of the three members of the group, and from whose eyes shines... an unnatural frightening light of a greenish hue...

What kind of crazy things will not be dreamed of in the middle of the night by a tired scout...

So, the next morning, Twilight, Thorn and Flint set off again.

A trio of rabbits-nomads moves south across the steppe expanses.

Soon they reach the northern outskirts of the ruins of a huge ancient metropolis.

During the first half of the day, the group manages to avoid unpleasant encounters and threats thanks to their pathindering skills.

From afar, Twilight noticed a flock of gekkons, which (near the ruins of a gas station) were eating the corpse of some unlucky traveler.

Twilight warned his companions and so the group was able to bypass this place and avoid a potential threat.

The path among the ruins of the ancient city continued.

Flint, carefully taking one step after another, vigilantly examined the area.

The silhouettes of huge concrete structures towered like a mountain.

The streets of the ruined city were covered with asphalt, which in some places was destroyed and through which lush vegetation of wastelands grew.

Thorn muttered discontentedly: "I don't like all this... These streets are too tightned... I feel better in the vast steppe... The huge stone and concrete ruins are a good place for an ambush... The sooner we complete the task, the better..."

Flint says ironically: "However, it was in the "vast steppe" that your leg was almost bitten off by a lizardmole... Each location has its disadvantages and advantages..."

Thorn grumbles: "The best advantage is to go home. I want to go back to The Warren, get drunk on whiskey and forget about all this shit!"

After many hours of walking, Twilight stops the group near one of the almost completely destroyed buildings.

This ancient building was once a large multi-story structure.

But now...

Now it is just a mountain of construction waste, pieces of which are covered with moss, dirt, rust.

Twilight looks around and says: "We have almost reached the desired coordinates... We still have a little more to go... Now we need to move inside the ruins of this building..."

Flint skeptically examines the ruins of this incomprehensible structure.

The walls are almost completely destroyed.

What were once the upper floors of the building are now simply destroyed (only a few supporting pillars and beams remain).

What were the walls are now just a mountain of concrete chaotically scattered in different directions, from which sharp pieces of metal of bent reinforcement protrude.

Among this pile of pieces of destroyed walls and roofs, one can only with great difficulty find a path along which one can move further.

Twilight sighs and says, "Guys... We have to finish our mission successfully!"

Thorn spits a wad of saliva to the side and says in annoyance, "Fine! Let's get this whole fucking thing over with!"

The trio walks deeper into the ruins of the large building.