In the wilderness, the sun was rising.
A jeep was speeding towards the direction of Dark Fairytale.
Black Sand leaned against the back seat. His face was pale, and there were some dried bloodstains on his body. However, his eyes were extremely bright when he saw the lead box in the Magic Puppet's hand. It was exactly as he had expected.
Black Sand stared at the lead box with burning eyes, but he did not open it because it would cause the car to stop. He licked his lips.
"Is everything inside?"
The Magic Puppet's eyes flashed red as he placed the lead box containing the Asterite between the two of them.
"Apart from Number Two, there are three broken pieces of Asterite!"
Black Sand retracted his gaze reluctantly.
"If it weren't for Ling You's endorsement, the Black Knight leader might not have been willing to cooperate with the Iron Chariots. I thought it would be a tough battle, but I didn't expect it to be so easy!"
The Magic Puppet fell silent. He suddenly thought of Qi Yuan, the young man who had slaughtered everyone in the Underground Arena. If it weren't for his sudden burst of power, defeating Dusk and Venom, and then killing Haematosuchus, this battle would not have been so easy.
"Lionheart Castle and Ghost Town suffered heavy losses in this battle. Do you have any follow-up plans?" Black Sand suddenly asked.
The Magic Puppet paused for a moment, then shook his head.
"It's just a few Peak Tier 3 Hunters and some Tier 3 Hunters who were unwilling to live a normal life. As long as Leonis and Yama are still alive, Lionheart Castle and Ghost Town will not fall into chaos. Even if we intervene, we may not be able to gain much. Instead, it will be a lot of trouble."
"It will be troublesome to reach out to other gathering points rashly, but if there's an entry point in front of us, the situation may be different!" Black Sand said slowly.
The Magic Puppet's eyes flashed red as he thought of something.
"You didn't kill the ghost lizard?"
Ghost Lizard was one of Venom's senior members and one of Venom's confidants. If it wasn't for his betrayal, they wouldn't have been able to find Venom's backup and kill them.
Black Sand nodded.
"Venom is dead, and a cake as big as Venom needs to be divided. Ghost Lizard is Venom's old man. With his help, we can bite off a big chunk of meat from Venom's corpse. If we can get rid of Embers and Luo Fanxiao, the two stumbling blocks, we can even control the whole of Venom through Ghost Lizard!"
Venom was different from other gangs. Under Venom's many years of operation, Venom's tentacles had already reached out of Lionheart Castle and into several surrounding gathering points. As long as they controlled Venom, it meant that they could easily break through the barriers of other gathering points.
For Magic Puppet and Black Sand, who had been developing in the Dark Fairy Tale for many years, their strength in the Dark Fairy Tale had reached its peak. Their leader, the Black Knight, would definitely not sit back and watch them continue to grow in the Dark Fairy Tale. If they wanted to continue growing their strength, reaching out to other gathering points was the only way out.
Magic Puppet was silent for a moment. They had already obtained Asterite No. 2 and had the opportunity to step into the Black Steel Shelter. Once they stepped into the Black Steel Shelter, their strength outside would become a pile of chicken ribs.
However, not only did Black Sand not plan to step into the Black Steel Shelter, but he turned around and began to plan to strengthen his strength. This meant that he had given up on the plan to enter the Black Steel Shelter.
This was completely different from what he had expected.
"We've already obtained Asterite No. 2. Why don't you try to enter the Black Steel Shelter?" Magic Puppet asked.
Black Sand sneered and asked in return.
"Do you really think we have a chance to step into the Black Steel Shelter?"
Magic Puppet fell silent. Asterite was just a stepping stone that opened the tightly shut door of the Black Steel Shelter to the Wilderness Hunters who wanted to step into it. However, it did not guarantee that they would be able to step in.
Although there were several gathering points around the Black Steel Shelter every year, and a few people successfully passed through the gap and entered the Black Steel Shelter, no one could guarantee that they would be the one to pass through.
"I've been waiting for 18 years. I've been at the peak of Tier 3 for seven years. Every time the Black Steel Shelter takes in Wilderness Hunters, I'll do my best to fight for it. What's the result? Every time, I'll hit my head and bleed. I can only watch the young people who are weaker than me step into the Black Steel Shelter one after another, while I can only stand outside the door. I don't even dare to ask the examiners of the Black Steel Shelter why people weaker than me can enter, but I can only stay behind!"
"Magic Puppet, you've also been rejected many times. Are you still hoping for that impossible opportunity to fall on you?"
Magic Puppet was silent. Although Black Sand's words were a little extreme, they revealed the truth that he had never dared to face. If they wanted to enter the Black Steel Shelter, they had to pass their assessment. With their peak Tier 3 strength, they were rejected every time. This could only mean one thing: the Black Steel Shelter had a complete selection system to select the people it needed, and they belonged to the category that was not needed.
If there were no other special reasons, they would never be able to pass the assessment of the shelter!
"Our group already has no hope of stepping into the Black Steel Shelter. Why are you still wasting Asterite on such an illusory thing?!"
Magic Puppet silently looked at the angry Black Sand. Ever since his old partner stepped into the peak of Tier 3, he rarely showed such anger. In the past, every time he was rejected, he would at most be depressed for a few days before quickly returning to normal. This was the first time he had lost his composure like this.
"Since you don't want to step into the Black Steel Shelter, why do you still want to take the risk in the old city?
Why do you still want to get your hands on Venom? "Magic Puppet asked softly.
"You already have the mechanical equipment that suits you, and you already have the strength of a Tier 3 Pinnacle. Other than stepping into the Black Steel Shelter, Asterite can't bring you anything else!"
Black Sand was silent for a long time before slowly saying in a low voice, "I want to step into Tier 4!"
Magic Puppet was stunned for a moment, then the red light in his eyes intensified.
"Are you crazy?!
You'll die! "
Even if the strength of the Wilderness Hunters in the few gathering points around the Black Steel Shelter were generally stronger than the other gathering points, Tier 3 Pinnacle was the limit. The invisible threshold between Tier 3 and Tier 4 blocked all Wilderness Hunters outside.
Even someone as strong as Ling You, who was invincible under Tier 4, had never crossed this threshold!
Regardless of whether it was a Mechanic or an Aptitude User, as long as they crossed this threshold and stepped into Tier 4, they would come into contact with a whole new world.
Level Four Walker Level Mechanics and Level Four Glory Level Aptitude Users were all exclusive powers of the Sanctuary.
Many Pinnacle Tier 3 Hunters who were rejected by the Shelter were unwilling to give up. They had thought of many ways to step into Tier 4 in the wilderness, but the result of every attempt was either losing control of their abilities or self-destruction. There were even a few gathering points that were destroyed because of this.
Bypassing the Shelter and forcefully stepping into Tier 4 was harder than ascending to heaven for Wilderness Hunters.
"If I can't step into Tier 4, I'd rather die!" Black Sand said word by word.
The Magic Puppet looked deeply at Black Sand and suddenly asked, "Have you come into contact with them?"
Black Sand did not answer, and the carriage fell into silence again. Then the Magic Puppet knew the answer.
"They're very dangerous, more dangerous than the Insectoids and Polluters. Once exposed, the Hyenas of Quicksand Shelter will swarm over."
"So what?" Black Sand snorted coldly.
"The Dark Fairy Tale is within the Black Steel Shelter's sphere of influence!
No matter how fierce the Hyenas of Quicksand Shelter are, they will definitely keep their claws and fangs here. Hyenas of Tier 3 and above will definitely not dare to cross the boundary, and those of Tier 3 and below will not be able to do anything no matter how many of them come! "
"What they give you might not be true!" The Magic Puppet said.
"In the past, there have been methods of advancing to Tier 4 from the Shelter, but in the end, they were all scams. Black Sand, before you can distinguish between the truth and the lies, believing in them is gambling with your life. You can't afford to lose!"
Advancing to Tier 4 was the dream of almost all Tier 3 Wilderness Hunters, but only by stepping into the Shelter could one step into Tier 4. It had become an almost unbreakable rule, and anyone who wanted to break this rule would inevitably have to pay a heavy price.
The Tier 3 Wilderness Hunters who died because of this were the best proof.
"It's different this time!" Black Sand said slowly.
"Magic Puppet, do you know how those methods of advancing to Tier 4 in the past were leaked?"
Without waiting for the Magic Puppet to answer, Black Sand continued as if talking to himself.
"In the past, I was like you, thinking that it was secretly leaked by those opportunists or down-and-out Intermediate Aptitude Users, but only recently did I know that it was all a conspiracy of the Shelter."
"Most of those methods were deliberately leaked by someone from the laboratory!"
The Magic Puppet was stunned, and could not help but ask, "You mean the Shelter's laboratory?"
"Yes, it's them!" Black Sand snorted coldly.
"Even in the Shelter, the success rate of advancing to Tier 4 from Tier 3 is not high, so in the Shelter's laboratory, there is a special project team to research the methods of advancing to Tier 4."
"They need experimental data from Tier 3's attempts to improve the advancement methods, so they leaked those methods. They want us to be their guinea pigs, providing them with experimental data at the cost of our lives!"
"Compared to the humans in the Shelter, our lives are worthless. In the eyes of the people in the Shelter, Wilderness Hunters are nothing but cheap consumables, they don't care how many of us die!"
The red light in the Magic Puppet's eyes flickered. Although the origin of the advancement methods was very strange, there were also some parts of the information Black Sand gave that did not make sense. If the truth was as he said, then why had no one ever succeeded in advancing to Tier 4? Over the years, there had been many Tier 3 Aptitude Users secretly trying to advance to Tier 4, but he had never heard of anyone successfully advancing.
The labs in the shelter might have researched methods that didn't have a high success rate, but they definitely wouldn't research methods that were doomed to fail. Since they were using hunters for experiments, there were bound to be some lucky hunters who were able to succeed because of the methods they revealed.
Black Sand glanced at the Magic Puppet, as if seeing through his thoughts, and suddenly asked, "You're wondering why no Wilderness Hunters succeeded in advancing, right?"
The Magic Puppet was taken aback, but still nodded.
"I admit that your theory has a certain degree of truth, but the fact that no Wilderness Hunter has succeeded in advancing is the biggest flaw in your story!"
"Who told you that no Wilderness Hunter has ever succeeded in advancing?" Black Sand said meaningfully.
The Magic Puppet's body stiffened, and then the red light in his eyes brightened. He had already vaguely guessed the secrets Black Sand was about to reveal.
"In fact, there are Wilderness Hunters who succeed in advancing every year. Although there are more or less some sequelae, there are indeed people who have grasped the power of Tier 4!"
"We don't know of their existence because after they succeeded in advancing, they were quickly captured by the Shelter's warriors who were lying in ambush. Then they were sent to the Shelter and sent to the Shelter's laboratory to become experimental materials!"
The Magic Puppet's body shook slightly. Under the impact of this information, his consciousness became a little chaotic.
Black Sand didn't disturb the Magic Puppet. He knew very well how the Magic Puppet was feeling right now. It was just like when he first heard the news, he also found it hard to accept and was also unwilling to believe it.
"Do you know what you're saying?" The Magic Puppet lowered his head, the red light in his eyes flickering.
Black Sand's news was too shocking, almost completely overturning his impression of the Black Steel Shelter in his heart. If what Black Sand said was true, then the Wilderness Hunters in the gathering point were nothing more than livestock reared by the Shelter.
"Regardless of whether what you say is true or not, you've angered the Black Steel Shelter. They'll kill you!"
In front of the massive Black Steel Shelter, let alone a Tier 3 ability user, even an entire gathering point could be destroyed with a wave of the hand.
Just what Black Sand said just now was enough for the Black Steel Shelter to launch a purge of the Dark Fairy Tale.
Black Sand closed his eyes and slowly said:
"Two years ago, Thin Tiger suddenly disappeared. Do you still remember?"
"Thin Tiger was already at the pinnacle of Tier 3. His sudden disappearance in the Dark Fairy Tale caused a panic. At that time, I thought it was Venom's people who did something behind his back and almost went to war with Venom."
"Is Thin Tiger's disappearance related to what you said?" The Magic Puppet's voice had a hint of anger.
Thin Tiger was his brother who had risked his life for him!
All these years, the Magic Puppet had been brooding over Thin Tiger's disappearance and had been looking for news of him. Black Sand's sudden mention of Thin Tiger directly ignited the Magic Puppet's anger.
Black Sand tapped his finger and a smear of Black Sand sent two manuscripts full of experimental data to the Magic Puppet's hands. The manuscripts were full of wrinkles and there was a clear photo pasted on the upper right corner. Below the photo was a detailed experiment number.
Seeing the contents of the photo, the Magic Puppet's right hand made of steel suddenly clenched. The sound of metal rubbing against each other could be heard.
"If it weren't for these things, I wouldn't have believed what they said. As you can see, Shouhu isn't dead, but I think he would rather be dead than lie in the laboratory and become experimental material in the hands of those researchers!"
"Every gathering point, there are Hunters who mysteriously disappear every day. Who knows how many of them are like Thin Tiger, lying on the cold laboratory bench."
Every word that Black Sand said was like a bullet that hit the weakest part of the Magic Puppet's heart. He began to waver, he began to get angry, he began to subconsciously ignore the danger that those people could bring.