The buggy slowly drove forward toward the bustling city.
Just like the smaller city from before, Cairo was surrounded by huge sandstone walls.
Beyond them, however, was an entirely different world.
Countless green plants covered the streets, while massive skyscrapers rose high into the sky, towering above the ancient sandstone buildings below.
High above it all, a faint blue barrier covered the entire city, protecting it from the scorching desert sun and any magical beasts that approached.
As they got closer, an annoyed expression appeared on Jim’s face.
’’Just great,’’ he muttered. ’’Another control point.’’
Up ahead, several other buggies and off-road vehicles sat in line in front of the large sandstone gates.
Following Jim’s gaze, Theo noticed several armed guards standing by the entrance, carefully inspecting each vehicle.
’’They really are strict in other countries, huh,’’ he muttered.
In a way, it did make sense though.
Unlike most of the United States, many countries hadn’t been able to reclaim the land between their cities.
Vast regions remained overrun by powerful creatures, leaving each city to function almost like an isolated fortress.
Because of that, every entrance had to be carefully monitored.
’I remember a prime example of this,’ he thought, glancing up for a moment. ’A news story from years ago.’
A group of hunters had stolen the eggs of an S-rank Glacial Mammoth that had settled deep within Siberia.
They had fled hundreds of miles to the city of Novosibirsk, only to discover that the beast had tracked them the entire way alongside its partner.
By the time the two S-rank Glacial Mammoths recovered their eggs, nearly fifty thousand people had lost their lives, and a quarter of the city had been destroyed.
’Had they been caught at the city’s entrance that day,’ he thought, shaking his head. ’Fifty thousand people would’ve still been alive.’
Fortunately for them, the line moved fairly quickly.
One vehicle after another passed through the gates until it was finally their turn.
A middle-aged guard stepped toward the buggy before his eyes immediately landed on Owen’s unconscious body.
’’Hospital?’’ he asked.
Jim nodded once.
The guard quickly inspected the vehicle, asked for their identity cards, and a few more basic questions.
After a minute or two, he just let out a sigh and stepped aside.
’’You’re clear,’’ he said. ’’Welcome to Cairo.’’
’’Thanks,’’ Jim said with a smile.
Without wasting another second, he drove into the city.
They quickly drove onto solid roads, filled to the brim with cars, pedestrians, bikes, and much more.
’’Looks far more alive than the other place,’’ Jim remarked.
’’That’s for sure,’’ Theo replied, glancing around as well.
After another ten minutes of driving and constantly asking for directions, a massive white building came into view in the distance.
A large red cross hung above the entrance, telling them they were in the right place.
Jim pulled the buggy to a stop near the entrance.
Before he could even say something, Lyra had already climbed out of the buggy.
"Let’s go," she said, her face filled with worry.
Iris, Theo, and Jim immediately climbed out after her.
Together, they carefully carried Owen’s stretcher into the hospital.
From there, everything went fast.
Several nurses took the stretcher over instantly while Lyra explained what had happened during the worm attack as best she could.
The entire time, Theo couldn’t help but feel terrible as he watched the scene.
Even so, he didn’t doubt his decision for a single moment.
’It’s better this way,’ he thought.
About thirty minutes later, one of the doctors walked back into the waiting area.
Like they’d been told before, Owen’s body was in perfect condition.
The doctors assumed severe mana exhaustion was keeping him unconscious and that he’d wake up on his own.
Even so, they decided to keep him under observation for the next couple of days.
’’That’s some good news,’’ Iris said, letting out a sigh of relief.
Lyra nodded right away.
They all fell silent for a moment, still processing the information.
Finally, Jim spoke up first.
’’So...’’ he said slowly. ’’Who wants to go buy some phones?’’
Theo glanced over and raised an eyebrow slightly.
’’Phones, huh,’’ he muttered.
He hadn’t thought about those after theirs had been blown up inside the airplane.
’’I definitely need a new one,’’ he said, nodding.
’’Same here,’’ Iris said lightly.
Lyra looked between the three of them before turning back toward the hallway Owen had disappeared into.
"You guys go ahead," she said. "I’ll stay here."
Theo wasn’t surprised by her decision.
If it had been Iris in the hospital bed, he would’ve done the same.
’’Alright,’’ he said. ’’We’ll take a phone for you and Owen along with us too.’’
Lyra nodded once.
’’Thanks.’’
With that, the three of them left the waiting area and walked back outside.
Jim immediately stretched his arms above his head before looking around.
’’Now...’’ he muttered. ’’Let’s just hope finding a phone store is easier than finding a hospital.’’
Fortunately for him, finding a phone store wasn’t particularly difficult.
After asking for directions once, they found a large shopping street only a few blocks away.
It didn’t take long before the three of them left with five brand-new phones.
As soon as they stepped back onto the street, Iris powered her phone on.
The first thing she did was enter a familiar number.
Theo recognized it right away.
It was her father’s private number.
’Should I also call my parents?’ he thought, tilting his head faintly. ’I did tell them I wouldn’t contact them for a while though...’
As he thought about it, Iris’ expression gradually changed.
After a single ring, her call disconnected.
A deep frown appeared on her face immediately.
She didn’t say a word and pressed the call button again without hesitation.
It disconnected after a single ring.
’’Dad?’’ she mumbled quietly.
As she pressed the call button for the third time, both Jim and Theo couldn’t help but look over.
Yet, even this time, the call disconnected after a single ring.
’’Something... is wrong.’’