At night, the corpses outside the town burned for a long time. Blackstone Town welcomed its quietest night in the past five years.
The two consecutive battles had hurt Blackstone Town deeply. Although Qi Yuan had killed four of New Moon Town's rank two Transcendents and forced them to retreat, Blackstone Town's casualties still reached 272 people. The number of injuries was even more terrifying. Almost everyone had injuries on their bodies.
After the battle, Qi Yuan and Situ had a tacit understanding not to meet each other. Situ commanded the remaining Warriors and Hunters to begin rebuilding the collapsed houses in Blackstone Town. Qi Yuan stayed in his room alone. That night, apart from Hu Hao who came over to chat for a while, Luo Shiyi came over to take the Death Reaper with the broken scope away with the excuse of repairing it.
The next morning, after Qi Yuan washed up, he put down the towel and looked at himself in the mirror.
The two bullet holes left by the Phantom Gun had already scabbed over. With a gentle rub, the scars disappeared. The new skin was slightly pale, but there was almost no trace of injury.
"I'm recovering well."
Qi Yuan touched the wound on the back of his neck. There were no scars either. With Iron Defense and Iron Strength, his body's self-healing speed seemed to have increased.
Then, Qi Yuan felt the supernatural power in his body and quietly sighed in relief.
The supernatural power that was exhausted by the Annihilation Warhead in yesterday's battle had been replenished after a full meal and a night of rest.
"Qi Yuan, open the door!"
Master Luo's weak and somewhat wretched voice came from outside the door.
Qi Yuan paused and opened the door. He saw Master Luo standing outside with a wooden food box in his hand.
"Hehe!
I know you're hungry, so I brought you some good stuff! "Master Luo said as he lifted the food box.
Qi Yuan's nose twitched. He smelled a rich fragrance and the smell of cumin.
"It smells pretty good. It should taste good!"
"This is the hind leg meat of the Rock Lizard you killed!" Master Luo said mysteriously.
"I spent the whole night roasting this thing. I even added some mysterious spices into it. They are all good stuff that the hunters brought from other places!"
Master Luo came in with the food box. He put the food on the table and found a chair to sit down.
Opening the food box, there was a large plate of roasted meat that had been dissected and roasted until it was golden brown. There was even a layer of powdery seasoning sprinkled on top.
After taking out the barbecue, Master Luo took out two palm-sized iron kettles from the food box. He unscrewed the lids, and the rich aroma of wine instantly wafted out.
"Good meat goes with good wine!"
Master Luo took a deep breath and couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
After Qi Yuan sat down, Master Luo didn't use chopsticks. Instead, he tore off a piece of steaming meat and stuffed it into his mouth.
"You should give it a try too. My barbecue skills are top-notch. Even Situ wanted to try it, but I didn't agree!"
Qi Yuan also tried a mouthful, and his mouth was immediately filled with fragrance.
"It's really good!"
Master Luo took a sip of wine, chuckled, and began to eat heartily. Qi Yuan didn't show any signs of weakness. A full five kilograms of barbecue quickly entered their stomachs.
After becoming an Extraordinary, one wouldn't be exhausted even if they didn't eat for a few days. Similarly, the amount of food they ate would also increase exponentially!
Qi Yuan didn't touch the kettles on the table. After Master Luo finished the kettles in front of him, he still seemed to want more. He picked up the kettles that Qi Yuan didn't touch and took another sip. He burped in satisfaction, then put down the kettles and asked in a low voice,
"Where do you plan to go after leaving Blackstone Town?"
Qi Yuan didn't answer. Instead, he chuckled and said, "Did Situ send you here?"
"That's not it." Master Luo shook his head and took a sip of the wine in his glass.
"Blackstone Town is too small. It can't accommodate both you and Situ at the same time. If you stay, even if the two of you can get along peacefully now, there will definitely be conflicts in the future."
"If we really get into a fight, who will you help?"
Master Luo glanced at Qi Yuan and coughed dryly.
"I'm old, so why would I get involved in this kind of thing? It's the same no matter which of you is the leader. You'll have to serve me well."
Qi Yuan thought about it, and it seemed like he was right. The old man had his own skills, so he could live a good life wherever he went.
"Aren't you afraid that Situ will give you trouble for saying this?"
"Even if he's here, I'll say the same thing." Master Luo snorted softly. His expression was a little proud.
A Rank-1 evoking ability might not have any combat strength, but the armor-piercing bullets it made could directly increase the combat strength and attractiveness of an entire gathering point. Many hunters stayed in Blackstone Town because they wanted to get a few armor-piercing bullets from Master Luo.
In the dangerous wilderness, armor-piercing bullets weren't just useful for hunting. They were also a life-saving asset.
"Although Situ is a man who follows the rules, he's not very smart when it comes to certain things. The strength you showed yesterday not only scared Wei Tao away, but also Situ. He must be worried that you'll sneak a shot at him."
"Blackstone Town can't take any more trouble. If you two do it again, the Black Steel Shelter might intervene."
Qi Yuan frowned.
"The Black Steel Shelter will intervene in Blackstone Town's affairs?"
The shelter and Blackstone Town were not on the same level of existence. Even the smallest shelter could easily crush Blackstone Town. There was no room for resistance.
Blackstone Town was located at the border between Black Steel Shelter and Quicksand Shelter. Additionally, there was a tacit agreement between the shelters not to interfere with the affairs of the common gathering points. That was why there were so many gathering points in the wilderness.
Even if Xu Kui wanted to attack Blackstone Town, the Black Steel Shelter didn't provide much support behind him. They didn't even give him mechanical equipment. This was because once the Quicksand Shelter invaded Blackstone Town, it would give the Black Steel Shelter a reason to intervene.
"Under normal circumstances, they won't intervene."
Master Luo narrowed his eyes and said, "But if it involves the existence and destruction of Blackstone Town, the Black Steel Shelter will definitely intervene. The two black iron ores here are still somewhat valuable. The Black Steel Shelter definitely won't sit idly by and watch Blackstone Town be abandoned."
"Moreover, people from the Holy Court of the Apocalypse appeared here two days ago. After Situ reports this matter to the Black Steel Shelter, they'll definitely send someone to investigate. Situ might even completely side with the Black Steel Shelter."
"Heh, as long as he completely sides with Blackstone Town, he might be able to get his hands on a Tier 3 Evolution Potion. If the Black Steel Shelter sends another Mechanic to repair his collection of junk, Situ's strength will rapidly increase!"
"So, it seems like I don't have a chance?" Qi Yuan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"You think Blackstone Town will catch your eye?" Master Luo rolled his eyes. He then took out a piece of parchment from his pocket and threw it on the table.
"Eleven took two of your mechanical arms. I won't take advantage of you. You should be able to use this thing."
Qi Yuan's eyes moved slightly. He moved the food box away and unfolded the parchment on the table. A hand-drawn map was clearly displayed in front of him.
Large areas on the map were gray. The center of the map was marked with Blackstone Town. Not far away, there was also New Moon Town and a few other gathering points. These gathering points were like scattered stars in the center of the map, making the gray areas of the map less monotonous.
At the edge of the gray area, Qi Yuan saw the Black Steel Shelter and Quicksand Shelter's markings. Further away, there was a blue area with the words "Danger" written in dark handwriting.
"I have a general understanding of the situation of the gathering points marked on the map. Where do you want to go? I can help you refer to it." Master Luo said.
Qi Yuan carefully observed for a while. Suddenly, he asked, "Why is the map divided into two colors: gray and blue?"
"Gray is a safe area." Master Luo took another sip and sighed softly.
"Although the wilderness outside seems to be full of danger, in fact, the gray area is a safe area that the shelter regularly cleans. There are no powerful insectoids, no nests of insectoids, and no caves of pollution where polluters gather."
"If the shelter hadn't cleared most of the insectoids and polluters, a gathering point like Blackstone Town wouldn't have been able to be built. A few Class 3 insectoids would have destroyed it."
"Those blue areas are dangerous areas that have been initially explored but have not been cleaned up. There are a large number of powerful monsters there. The shelter will constantly send out cleanup teams to clean up the surrounding areas bit by bit. When all the powerful monsters in the blue area are killed, the blue area will become a gray area."
Qi Yuan stared at the blue area at the edge of the map. His brows were tightly knitted.
This place was not too far from the blue area. The second check-in area had not refreshed yet. If it refreshed to the blue area, his check-ins later would be a gamble of life and death.
Master Luo noticed Qi Yuan's gaze and said nervously, "Master Luo, Master Luo.
"Although you can kill Class 2 transcendents now, the blue area is still too dangerous for you. Don't go in and get yourself killed!
Even Class 3 transcendents have to travel in groups to enter the blue area. They can't go in too deep. No matter how powerful the transcendents are, there's a chance they will die in the blue area! "
Qi Yuan quietly withdrew his gaze and looked back and forth between Black Steel Shelter and Quicksand Shelter.
"How strong are these two shelters?"
"I don't know."
Master Luo spread out his hands. "If you reach Class 3 one day, go in and take a look."
"Only Class 3 transcendents can enter the shelter?" Qi Yuan was a little surprised.
"That's not it." Master Luo shook his head.
"There are many ordinary people in the shelter, but they are all clean humans who have not accumulated any pollution. For outsiders, the shelter is a paradise. There is endless food and clean water. All you need to do is put in some simple work and you can get enough food."
"Many Hunters are lining up to enter the Shelter. Unfortunately, the Shelter isn't open to the public. Although the Shelter does take in a few Hunters from nearby settlements every year, the threshold is very high. Tier 3 is only the most basic requirement to enter."
Qi Yuan was speechless. In the new era where power belonged to the individual, the social class gap between humans was even greater. It was difficult to cross. Only a few people at the top of the pyramid could stand at the top.
The Class 3 requirement alone was enough to reject most hunters outside the door of the shelter.
It wasn't hard to understand why the Sanctuary would take in wastelanders on a regular basis. A completely closed Sanctuary would inevitably lead to inbreeding. Genetic defects in the new age would have a far greater impact than in the old age, so the Sanctuary would take in wastelanders to reduce the chances of genetic defects appearing.
"How are clean humans better than those from the wilderness?" Qi Yuan suddenly asked.
Master Luo was taken aback. His eyes were empty, as if he was lost in his memories. After a long time, he slowly said, "I don't know.
"I don't know why they're so strong. Some say they're doing this to ensure that the human race doesn't go extinct. In the eyes of many, only humans who haven't been tainted are true humans. We wastelanders who have accumulated tainted energy in our bodies are no different from the tainted ones in their eyes. The only difference is the degree of contamination."
"Some people also believe that clean humans have a better chance of awakening supernatural abilities that are compatible with human genes. Moreover …"
Master Luo paused for a moment. After a few seconds, he continued, "I heard that the supernatural abilities awakened by pure humans can be stably inherited. Some people want to use this method to create powerful new humans."
Qi Yuan's pupils constricted. Compared to humans, the strongest aspect of insectoids was their stable inheritance of superpowers. If not for the emergence of various evolutionary drugs and mechanical equipment, humans would not have been able to resist the invasion of insectoids. If pure humans could also inherit superpowers as stably as insectoids, then it meant that the gap between pure humans and wilderness refugees would only widen. It might even be greater than the gap between insectoids and humans!
One day, humans would completely split into two different races.
If the emergence of high-grade superhumans increased the upper limit of the human race's strength, then the stable inheritance of supernatural abilities would continuously increase the lower limit of the human race's strength.
If Master Luo's rumor was true, then the complete separation of the human race could come at any time.
"Let's not talk about this anymore." Master Luo finished the last drop of wine in one gulp. A drunken red color appeared on his pale face.
"After leaving Blackstone Town, where do you plan to go?"
"I don't know … I'll go wherever the checkpoint refreshes …" Qi Yuan said in his mind.
"What places do you recommend?" Qi Yuan asked.
Master Luo knew more than he expected. The reason he took out this map was because he had thought about this problem.
* Burp! *
Master Luo burped and looked at the map drunkenly. He then pointed at the symbol of the Quicksand Shelter with his finger.
"Try not to go to Quicksand Shelter's territory. Although the Xu family has fallen, they have been working in Quicksand Shelter for many years. They must have left a lot of people there who are loyal to the Xu family. You killed Xu Xiaoshuang. Those people will definitely take revenge on you."
"No one else should know about this." Qi Yuan frowned.
When he killed Xu Xiaoshuang, only Luo Shiyi was there. He did not collect Xu Xiaoshuang's body. Her body might have been eaten by insectoids.
Master Luo tapped his finger on the map, revealing a piece of information.
"The core strength of the Xu family is the clean new human race.
They have a few stable inherited bloodline abilities. One of them is called Bloodline Vengeance. "