Then let them offer their loyalty!

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Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, the jackal first shook his head, then nodded.

He chuckled and corrected, "My lord, the Third Sanctuary doesn't have members of this organization. Rather... this organization originated from the Third Sanctuary."

He thought for a moment and roughly guessed that Qiu Tu knew the origin of "technological burstism." So, he added,

“I remember that the head of the Lin family at the No. 7 shelter once visited the No. 3 shelter and was deeply influenced by their political leanings.”

Upon hearing the jackal's words, Qiu Tu's face immediately showed a look of realization. It felt like everything was starting to go smoothly.

He nodded, then gestured for the jackal to continue.

The jackal shifted his knees forward, adjusting to a more comfortable kneeling position, and continued, "The reason Sanctuary 3 is the birthplace of 'Techno-Exploitation' is because their situation is rather unique."

"After all, they were one of the earliest shelters established by mankind. Back then, they faced greater pressure from evil gods and catastrophic creatures, so many of their practices were quite radical, and the competition was also quite intense."

"For example, their political system. Although they also have a parliament with supreme power, there are many factions."

"If I remember correctly, there are more than twenty factions in one of their sanctuaries, and these factions compete for the 36 seats in parliament every five years." (Chapter 458)

"Only the faction that holds the most seats in the new parliament will be able to form a new government and become the new rulers of the sanctuary."

"This forces all their factions to evolve, iterate, and develop at all costs. Only in this way can they avoid being eliminated."

"Over the years, they've changed ruling factions seven or eight times. Things like the 'Mechanist Faction,' the 'True God Faction,' the 'Unification Faction,' and the 'Lawful Faction' have come and gone, constantly rotating."

"Because they have so many factions, generally speaking, no matter which faction is in power, the other twenty-odd factions can discover new, explosive new technologies during those five years."

"After that, the power of that faction will increase rapidly, quickly gaining absolute dominance in the sanctuary, and then successfully taking over in the next five years."

At this point, the jackal paused, then commented, "To some extent... they did indeed follow the path of 'technological burstism.'"

Qiu Tu: .....

Just from what Jackal said, Qiu Tu felt that this Third Shelter had a slightly crazy vibe. This made Qiu Tu, who liked to follow order and stability, feel vaguely uncomfortable.

So he asked, "Could you tell me about the factions that ruled the Third Sanctuary?"

"For example... what are those 'Mechanical,' 'True God,' 'Fusion,' and 'Lawful' factions?"

The jackal nodded.

He stated, "The 'Mechanical Faction' was actually the earliest faction to emerge in the Third Sanctuary."

"Because this faction was created by some scientists from the National Weapons Research Institute and Armory before the Cataclysmic Era."

"They believe that even in the Cataclysmic Era, humanity's greatest advantage over cataclysmic creatures will still be science and machinery."

“Abandon your strengths to learn the power of cataclysm, and then fight against cataclysmic creatures that can use the power of cataclysm themselves. It’s actually using your weaknesses to fight against your strengths.”

"Therefore, relying on the legacy of the old era and the arsenal built on the foundation of the 3rd Sanctuary, they began to study the integration of cataclysmic power with mechanical products."

"This allowed them to develop advanced mechanical weapons such as unmanned ships, Hive drones, and mechanical wolf packs at the very beginning of the Cataclysmic Era."

"After that, their ambitions grew, and they set a goal to excavate and connect all the arsenals and industrial facilities that existed before the world's destruction. They aimed to rebuild the human industrial system and build an endless mechanical army to fight against the evil gods and the catastrophic creatures."

Upon hearing the jackal's account, Qiu Tu frowned slightly.

Having lived two lives, Qiu Tu's deepest realization is that the course of history is difficult to alter by human effort. The wheels of history roll ever onward, crushing everything that attempts to stop them...

Even a pig can fly if it's riding the wave of opportunity. But if you go against the tide, you're destined to be eliminated.

Sure enough, a mocking smile appeared on the jackal's face. He said, "Initially, when the concentration of cataclysmic power in the real world was relatively low, the 'Mechanical Faction' did indeed lead the Third Sanctuary into a golden age of development."

"However, as the concentration of cataclysmic power in the real world increased, and the rank of cataclysmic creatures rose, even reaching rank 3, 4, and even 5, the 'Mechanical Faction' was completely overwhelmed."

"After all, no matter how powerful the mechanical legion is, it cannot enter the 'Boundless Heart Sea,' nor can it capture the elusive cataclysmic creatures."

"The turning point was actually a joke played by a powerful evil god in the 'core area.'"

At this point, the jackal paused, then looked up at Qiu Tu and asked, "Does Master know about the book 'Brave New World' and related events?"

Qiu Tu paused for a moment upon hearing the title "Brave New World".

He recalled that when he was still in the New Territories, Yu Die (Qin Shuman) had told him the story of this book.

It seems that... this book was incredibly popular in various shelters a decade or two ago. After reading it, many people committed suicide or died mysteriously. This led to the birth of a terrifying cataclysmic creature in the "Boundless Heart Sea - Edge Region".

That terrifying catastrophic creature possessed unique abilities; it could directly impact reality by unleashing catastrophes within the "Boundless Sea of ​​the Heart." As a result, it successively destroyed six or seven cities within the Third Sanctuary. (Chapter 81)

The Third Sanctuary also paid a heavy price to eliminate this catastrophic creature.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu looked at the jackal, nodded, and said affirmatively, "I know about that incident."

Seeing this, the jackal stopped discussing the details and explained directly, "Back then, the restrictions on the 'Boundless Heart Sea - Core Area' were quite high; even evil gods above level 5 couldn't reach the 'Edge Area.'"

"But the rapid development of technology and machinery in the Third Sanctuary was indeed interesting, so a powerful evil god wrote this book and threw it into the Third Sanctuary."

"They intend to exploit human thoughts and distractions to directly cultivate a peak Tier 4 or even Tier 5 catastrophic creature in the 'Fringe Area,' causing trouble for the Third Sanctuary."

"Unexpectedly, it actually succeeded."

"Because that Tier 5 Cataclysmic Creature only operates within the 'Boundless Heart Sea,' the 'Mechanical Faction's' mechanical wolf pack, unmanned airships, and hive drones are completely useless. They can only take a one-sided beating."

"As a result, the entire Third Shelter suffered heavy losses under the attack of that catastrophic creature. In the end, it was only through the desperate efforts of the experts and the assistance of the Second Shelter that they managed to survive."

"Afterwards, the 'Mechanical Faction' was impeached and removed from power, becoming a minor faction that declined and completely withdrew from the core power structure of the Third Sanctuary."

Qiu Tu nodded slightly upon hearing this.

After some thought, the jackal still gave the "Mechanical Faction" a fair assessment: "Of course, even so, the 'Mechanical Faction' has made a great deal of contribution to the human camp."

"Weapons like nuclear weapons, as well as various other weapons such as light man-portable mortars, shoulder-fired light howitzers, and P12 rapid-fire machine guns, were all researched, manufactured, and supplied to various shelters." (Chapter 323)

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu was taken aback, and then couldn't help but pay tribute to the "Mechanical School".

He felt this was similar to the insight Su Wanqing had shared with him regarding the "ancestors of the Kou family":

The decline of a family may not be due to doing anything wrong. Rather... it's because the world no longer needs them...

The mechanical faction didn't actually do anything wrong, it's just... times have changed.

Thinking this through, Qiu Tu asked again, "What about the 'True God Faction'?"

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, the jackal grinned and said, "My lord, the 'True God Faction' is even more interesting."

"The 'True God Faction' is the faction that seized power in Sanctuary 3 after the events of 'Brave New World'."

"They were inspired by the events depicted in *Brave New World*. They believed that since the Cataclysmic Era was a spiritual 'revelation,' the spirit could alter the material world and even give rise to cataclysmic creatures."

"Then... humanity can also unite in faith, and with the thoughts of all mankind, faith can give birth to a powerful human deity."

"Wouldn't that mean the powerful human deity could protect humanity itself?"

"So they began to study various methods of uniting spirits and faith, and called upon all the residents of the Third Sanctuary to unite with the deity they named 'Nuwa'."

"For the sake of pure faith, the 'True God Faction' regards 'Nuwa' as the only true god in the world."

At this point, the jackal paused, then brought up a different topic, "So...we deities who are opposites to 'Nuwa' are evil gods."

"This is also the origin of our name as the evil god."

Qiu Tu frowned slightly upon hearing this. He said, "This one probably failed too, right?"

The jackal bared his two rows of sharp teeth and said with a laugh, "Of course."

"If it were so easy to create a god, then that powerful evil god wouldn't have written a book specifically to create catastrophic beings."

"Furthermore... even if 'Nuwa' were to truly be born, it might not necessarily be a good thing for humanity. After all... even if 'Nuwa' were born, it doesn't mean that humanity can control her."

"If He were to turn against us, humanity would face an even more devastating blow."

Qiu Tu nodded slightly, finding it to be reasonable.

Following that, the jackal gave Qiu Tu a detailed explanation of the various factions, including the "Integration Faction," the "Agriculture Faction," and the "Destruction Faction." Each of them had its own peculiarities.

Overall, the entire Third Shelter was like a concentration camp for madmen.

Human diversity flourishes within it. Various experiments, research, and technological explosions emerge one after another.

Furthermore, because the Third Sanctuary has a five-year term, with over twenty factions vying for 36 seats in the legislature, it's rife with bloodshed and infighting. That's why evil gods like the Jackals consider the Third Sanctuary even more sinister than they are.

Even... let alone them. After listening to Jackal's story, Qiu Tu felt that the Third Shelter was becoming a bit abstract.

This also made him think of Yan Yan...

He remembered that Yan Yan seemed to have also studied at the 3rd Shelter... (Chapter 228)

Qiu Tu recalled that the intelligence at the time indicated that Yan Yan was going to the Third Shelter [Agricultural University] for further studies. She was learning about plant and animal breeding and hybridization...

Hmm... For some reason, Qiu Tu felt that Yan Yan's contrasting and strange behavior seemed to make sense now.

Even the fact that Yan Yan was constantly trying to set him up with women and bring them back to him now had a more plausible reason: Could that girl be doing her job, trying to help Qiu Tu breed and crossbreed?

After discussing the various factions and history of the Third Sanctuary, the two finally got to the current ruling faction of the Third Sanctuary, the "Orderly Faction," to which Shen Ling Shuang's father belonged.

Whether it was just his imagination or not, when the topic of "lawful systems" came up, Qiu Tu noticed that Jackal's expression became much more serious.

The jackal knelt on the ground, then looked up, his eyes filled with solemnity, and said, "My lord."

"I've always had a bad impression of Sanctuary No. 3. The main reason is their current ruling faction, the 'Lawful Faction.'"

He said, "The 'Lawful Order' faction is a major faction that has existed since the founding of the Third Sanctuary. And its strength has consistently ranked among the top three."

"Over the years, the 'Lawful Faction' has maintained a balanced and peaceful development. Regardless of which faction comes to power, they are always courted, which has allowed their influence to expand rapidly."

"Of the seven Tier 6 Cataclysms in Sanctuary 3, three are in their faction."

"Furthermore... we suspect that there are Tier 7 Cataclysmic beings within the 'Lawful' faction."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu nodded slightly: he wasn't actually surprised that there were Tier 7 Cataclysmics in the 3rd Sanctuary.

After all, the two major hurdles for Cataclysmics are actually "Cataclysmic Awakening" and "Tier 4". The former may result in death after taking the drug, while the latter is the "Yellow Demon's Calamity".

After passing the fourth level, every step after that was difficult, but... it wasn't as dangerous anymore.

In addition, those who attempted to reach Tier 4 back then were all exceptional talents. Therefore, even if the "Cataclysmic Path" is relatively ordinary, there is still a chance to grind out one or two Tier 7 items over the years.

However, just as Qiu Tu was thinking this, the jackal suddenly repeated, "Master, I didn't mean a Tier 7 Cataclysm, I meant a Tier 7 Cataclysm Being."

Hearing the jackal repeat itself, Qiu Tu was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but look up at the jackal.

The jackal grinned, revealing his two rows of sharp teeth.

He said, "You may not know... but actually, your political approach of 'using evil gods to control evil gods' wasn't the first to be proposed."

"Initially, a small faction also proposed the idea of ​​Sanctuary 3. Later... that small faction was swallowed up by the Lawful faction."

"After that, the 'Orderly' school seemed to be constantly tinkering with some strange things."

“For example... their vice speaker, Shen Yuzhou. His daughter is a bit strange.”

Upon hearing the jackal's words, Qiu Tu was startled. He didn't show it on the surface, but he became wary inside.

He looked at the jackal and asked, "What's wrong?"

After he finished speaking, he kept a close eye on the jackal's expression, trying to figure out if the jackal was deliberately mentioning Shen Yuzhou.

The jackal seemed to be genuinely interested in this topic. He hesitated and said, "Specifically... I can't say for sure."

"But, my lord, you know. I am a dog. My nose and senses are very sharp."

"I just feel like Shen Yuzhou's daughter has become a different person over the years."

Qiu Tu keenly caught the jackal's choice of words. He frowned slightly and asked, "A different person?"

He glanced again at the jackal's loyalty rating of 72, then probed, "Are you sure it wasn't her soul that was separated, causing the change in her aura?"

Upon hearing this, the jackal quickly shook his head. "Definitely not. She's just a different person. And... she has a very strong 'evil god' aura' about her."

"However, I still don't understand what the 'Lawful Order' did to that girl, or what they replaced her with."

"Could it be some kind of horrific human or soul experiment?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu's expression finally became serious.

He still remembered when Zhao Ji examined Shen Ling Shuang. She said that Shen Ling Shuang's soul was incomplete, consisting of only one soul and one spirit. (Chapter 467)

Afterwards, Zhao Ji speculated that Shen Ling Shuang's true form was likely the result of some kind of special catastrophe, requiring the splitting of her soul to remove the "impurities" within it; or that she had encountered some great upheaval, causing her mental distress... (Chapter 468)

Now it seems...it's most likely the latter.

Combined with the information revealed by the jackal, a terrifying conjecture arose in Qiu Tu's mind...

The "Lawful Order" faction, in order to enhance their own power, goes to the point of madness and radicalization to cultivate evil gods that devour humanity. Or they use humans to create evil gods.

Afterwards, through some means, they controlled the evil gods they had cultivated, replacing their original human identities and making them fight for them.

Shen Lingshuang was very likely chosen as a "sacrifice".