Target X Possible Materials

Snake Nest.

Kevin and the others returned to the base.

The information was shared with everyone, but all that followed was silence.

"This should be considered our first encounter with Demonic Beast since arriving on the Dark Continent, right?"

Biscuit crossed her arms and murmured.

Kurapika was standing next to him, nodded.

"If nothing unexpected happens, that should be it."

Demonic Beast, a non-human race possessing intelligence.

These Machine Lifeform can be categorized into this type. After all, according to Kevin's words, these Machine Lifeform are not actually machines that have gained life, but rather life forms that use machines as a shell.

"So, if we're out there on missions, we'll likely encounter this guy Tuck. He'll come to us to talk to us in order to maintain our own stability?"

Biscuit looked at Kevin and asked seriously.

After all, when you encounter something strange while exploring, you must remain extremely vigilant if it gets close.

Kevin nodded.

"He couldn't come to the Snake Nest; after all, this isn't a place where one can move around freely. It's only because of our special circumstances that we're able to stay here temporarily."

The area around the Snake Nest was practically a tiger's den for Tuck.

That's a place you'd only go to if you were looking for death.

"Doesn't this Machine Lifeform's speech contain many strange contradictions?"

"Since communicating with humans and exchanging information with civilizations can sustain their will, why doesn't he share this information with his other companions?"

"Aside from the madmen, aren't there still those normal Machine Lifeform operating around the High Tower?"

He pondered for a moment and asked.

He can quickly summarize all the information in his mind and then analyze it.

Naturally, the flaws in his words were so obvious to him.

"In Tuck's words, the normal consciousness of his kind has completely died down and shut down, and he doesn't know how to reactivate his kind's thinking for the time being."

"His kin, those who haven't yet succumbed to madness, are now in isolation, with only the most basic computing power remaining to keep their bodies running."

Because there is no concept of lies, only the difference between what can be said and what cannot be said.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, anything Tuck says is not a lie. At most, the information Tuck says might not be true.

But this false information is true to Tuck himself.

Ce nodded; that made more sense.

After all, according to Kevin, if Tuck hadn't encountered humans so early on, he would have ended up like his crazy counterparts, attacking indiscriminately and wandering aimlessly.

"So, after all these years, the only Machine Lifeform left that can truly act with self-awareness is this being named Tuck?"

Kurapika asked from the side.

Kevin nodded.

"That's what he said. Of course, there might be other possibilities, but he's unaware of them."

At least that's true in this area.

"If you have any questions later, or if you run into him outside, you can talk to him about it. He's generally very open to answering any questions you have."

After all, Tuck's most basic survival need is to communicate with humans or other civilized life forms.

"However, we still need to be vigilant, because even if he may not have malicious intent, his condition may not be normal."

Kevin solemnly reminded everyone.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

This is essential.

In the Dark Continent, vigilance is absolutely essential.

Then they arrived at the Meeting Room; the second exploration of the Gale Grassland was complete.

It's time to start making a clear plan for the future based on the current situation.

Meeting Room.

Kevin stood in front of the whiteboard, looking at everyone.

"It has been one month and eighteen days since I arrived in the Dark Continent, and it will be two months in a short while."

"I believe everyone has fully adapted to the environment of the Dark Continent."

Everyone nodded slightly.

A little over a month is enough time for them to fully adapt to their surroundings.

For example, they can now sense the small creatures that are hiding.

Their bodies became wilder and more instinctive.

Necessary vigilance has become ingrained in their daily lives.

Humans are incredibly adaptable.

At least for now, they will no longer make mistakes due to not adapting to their surroundings.

"First, let's clarify our ultimate goal in exploring the Dark Continent and establish a Forward Base that is entirely under our control and has a certain level of security."

This was their ultimate goal, even before they set off for the Dark Continent.

This was also the goal they had to achieve during their first exploration of the Dark Continent.

Otherwise, this operation will have failed.

"To have such a Forward Base, we need a safe location, strong capabilities, and comprehensive logistics."

These three points are indispensable.

"Now, we have none left."

There's nothing to be discouraged about, after all, they've only been here for less than two months.

"The secondary objective after achieving the primary objective is to find hope and resolve a disaster."

"Given our ability to achieve the first objective, I believe that achieving this next objective will not be difficult for us."

If no hope can be found, and no disaster can be averted, then whether the so-called first safe base is truly safe is questionable.

After all, when it comes to disasters, the weakest form might only be considered a threat at the level of Occupier.

They couldn't even be considered Lord, let alone Overlord.

In other words, as long as they, whether individually or as a group, reach the level of Occupier force, they can have a safe Forward Base.

"Between Kim's team and Beyond's team, who do you think will succeed?"

Kevin suddenly asked.

This problem did not stump the group, since there were only three teams exploring the Dark Continent.

Of course, I've considered other options.

"Beyond De, I think their actions will yield results in less than six months."

"By the time we achieve our goals and begin to return to human society, I believe By Beyond and his group will likely have already gone back."

Biscuit said directly.

This result was accepted by everyone, even Kevin had to nod in approval.

"That's right, they're no weaker Beyond, and they've received full support from the Kakin Empire, gaining far more resources and preparation time than we have."

Bringing thousands of people of all kinds—even if they were just cannon fodder to scout ahead—is an insurmountable advantage.

Sometimes you have to admit that in many strange environments and dangers, rules can be built up by human lives.

Not to mention Beyond and the professional Nen ability unit he led.

Not one or two.

Instead, it's twenty or thirty.

Various experts, various outstanding individuals.

"The most important thing is that the guy already got it the first time, but there were still lurking dangers, which led to their crisis at sea."

Simply put, he has far more experience Beyond, and last time, he was just one step away from victory.

We've been preparing for this for fifty years.

Beyond's operation this time is bound to succeed.

Or rather, it's hard to imagine that Beyond would fail this time.

"However, his actions won't affect us, since our goals have been completely different from the beginning."

Kevin said something that drew everyone's attention back.

What about Jin and the others?

It will fail.

Pairo said without hesitation.

These words silenced everyone.

Because Kim never came here with any hope in the first place.

This is a guy who came purely for the unknowns of the Dark Continent.

What he wanted was not to gain anything, but to witness something.

If obtaining the Unmanned Stone is too dangerous and there's no immediate solution, then Jin will lead his team to change course without hesitation.

Go explore the Dark Continent, and other less dangerous areas.

"I don't think that guy will ever go back, just like his ancestors."

Biscuit complained.

"Sigh, that's what I think too."

Men Qi agreed.

Anyone who knows Kim would come to this conclusion, and his teammates who followed him had already anticipated this.

"So that guy definitely used us as a reason to recruit his teammates, how annoying."

Pairo seemed to have thought of something and said something rather displeased.

Not everyone is like Kim, who doesn't want to leave.

There might be people who would follow him without hesitation, but definitely not many.

I want to explore the Dark Continent, and some teammates are indispensable to me.

In situations like this, Kevin and his friends become the best option.

After exploring for a while, if you want to go back, you can just go through Kevin and the others.

If you want to explore, you can stay in his group; it won't affect anything.

This is something Kim would absolutely do.

"It's mutually beneficial, I'm sure Uncle has also considered the role of gold."

Kurapika chuckled beside him.

Kevin nodded.

He chose this direction, and Kim also chose this area with him.

The two teams were united from the very beginning.

The Forward Base that Kevin wants to build is definitely a good thing for King.

Now, this exploratory behavior, coupled with their capabilities, will become an important tool for Kevin and his team to explore the surrounding area.

Take, for example, the current exploration of the Unmanned Stone.

Kevin and his group don't have the time or energy right now, so Kim and his group will naturally help them out.

"Alright, let's put those future goals aside for now and focus on the practical, short-term objectives we need at this stage."

Kevin wrote a few words on the whiteboard as he spoke.

"Mindset, nutrition, defense."

"Firstly, regarding security, the crises posed by the Dark Continent can be broadly categorized into three types: overwhelming power, unsolvable mystique, and an environment that is difficult to resist."

"First of all, they are incomparably powerful. Those monsters are enormous, with thick defenses and exaggerated strength; they are simply beyond the capabilities of humans to deal with."

This crisis can be described as a real, purely fundamental gap.

"Unsolvable mysteries are like human Resentment or the Nen ability of certain individuals; once certain conditions are met, they become difficult to overcome."

If the problems above are numerical differences, then the problems here are mechanistic differences.

"The most difficult problem to solve is also the one that is hardest to overcome; it's the easiest problem to solve, yet also the one we can most easily solve."

Because all we need to do is find a good location as our Forward Base operations, and we can plan out dangerous areas and avoid them when needed.

"The first problem isn't actually that difficult for us to solve, because we're already on the path to solving it."

"As I told you before, I still have nineteen vials of the potion made from the Ant King Heart left."

"This is a potion that can break through limits, and it's the core ingredient that will elevate our strength to the point where we can fight the monsters of the Dark Continent."

"I need a surge of Nen energy. I need this potion that can provide extreme power in one go to unlock my limits and allow me to rapidly increase my strength."

[Blank Meteor] caused a reversal in the improvement of Kevin's and others' strength.

After breaking through the First Stage.

Kevin's power limit has exceeded one million, but the problem is that his Nen power doesn't reach that level.

His mental capacity has now reached 500,000.

They wanted to break through by relying on "memory".

He would then have to create a potion that could provide him with more than 500,000 units of Nen at once.

Even if it's temporary.

It will undoubtedly reach the level of A-rank.

In other words, he needs to create a potion using materials that, when simply drunk, will provide pure power—that is, a potion that provides Nen strength and power.

Furthermore, it must be sustainable, with the main ingredients of the potion being obtainable repeatedly.

This is because it is a drug that needs to be used in large quantities over a long period of time.

This is why Kevin set his sights on the Long-haired Yak.

The other party's Milk is incredibly nutritious.

Nutrition is Life Force, and Life Force is equivalent to mental energy.

Furthermore, Kevin believes that this Milk can not only be used to make this potion, but also to make all sorts of derivative potions.

After all, this Milk is so potent.

Moreover, yaks live on grasslands, so Milk can be obtained repeatedly.

"This is my improvement, but you need a potion that can significantly deplete your Nen without spiraling out of control."

"To increase your Nen consumption, there are similar beings who are important creatures that can provide you with assistance."

"And the second question is, how should we deal with the bizarre abilities of those powerful creatures?"

This is the most difficult crisis for the Dark Continent to deal with.

Previously, the large armies of various countries had almost all been consumed by this kind of problem.

"There's probably no solution for now, or rather, your strength has become so great that it's difficult for the opponent's rules to apply to you."

This was Biscuit could think of.

For example, why are those special Nen ability so outrageous? What are the rules behind them?

Especially those mandatory rules that come at a significant cost.

Because if you want to deal with such mandatory rules, you may need to have ten or even dozens of times more mental capacity than the other party.

This is a qualitative difference.

This gap means that even mandatory rules that come at a significant cost lack binding force.

But this is the Dark Continent.

What's the problem with not having enough mindset?

Do you really intend to increase your mental capacity to tens of millions just to avoid the dangers of this well?

Having reached that level of understanding, do we still need to consider these issues?

Without solving this well problem, you won't reach that level.

They've hit a dead end.

"I'm referring to those harmful abilities that damage the spirit and soul."

Kevin reminded him.

There's absolutely nothing that can be avoided by any legal means for this well.

"To be honest, I had absolutely no idea how to make this rice bowl, so you discovered that you can enhance the materials used in this area?"

Biscuit asked directly.

"Hmm, don't you think the properties of Ji Kui Crystal, the core of those Machine Lifeform, are quite suitable?"

The Meeting Room was completely silent.