Early the next morning, when it was just getting light, Dudian and the others were woken up and gathered outside the ancient castle.
There were more than a dozen large black horses parked here. Dudian already knew that these extremely tall black horses were called "Black-toothed Horses". They had strong disease resistance and could move outside the Great Wall for a short period of time.
"Get on the horses. We're ready to set off," Pete, riding on a tall horse and looking like a handsome knight, ordered.
Dudian and the others each selected a Black-toothed Horse and leaped onto it. If their bodies hadn't been strengthened, with their stature, they would have needed a ladder to get on such a large horse. Now, they could just lightly use some strength to mount it.
"Let's go!" Pete gave a low shout, clamped his legs around the horse's belly, and galloped off first.
Dudian and the others held the reins and followed closely behind.
These Black-toothed Horses had received professional training. They weren't as terrifying as they looked on the outside but were docile and obedient, making them extremely easy to control.
There was still some damp fog on the streets in the early morning. The sound of the horses' hooves was extremely clear. Under Pete's lead, Dudian and the others galloped all the way along the street, gradually heading towards the outer area of the commercial district. And that Great Wall, which was faint and seemed to be far away in the distance, gradually became clearer in its outline. Its black shadow was like a crouching giant beast in the morning fog, giving people an indescribable sense of awe and oppression.
In the outer area of the commercial district, just like in the residential area, there were large tracts of unopened wasteland. The land was desolate, mainly consisting of sand and waste soil, which was not suitable for cultivation and planting, and naturally not suitable for people to live in.
When they stepped into this desolate radiation area on the outskirts, the Black-toothed Horses they were riding became restless, seeming both excited and manic, and their running speed suddenly increased. After riding straight for more than ten minutes, the Sylvia Great Wall, which was hidden behind the morning fog, gradually became clear in everyone's sight. And as it became clearer, the huge sense of black oppression was deeply imprinted in everyone's hearts.
This was a Great Wall so tall that it was almost impossible to see the top. The closer they got, the less they could see its height, as if it extended into the depths of the clouds. The thick wall surface seemed to be a natural formation, as if it had been built by the gods. There were no signs of construction at all, just like a complete natural boulder!
This was... the Great Wall!
Including Dudian, everyone stared with their mouths open, full of shock. When they came in front of the Great Wall, they all felt as tiny as ants. Compared to the entire Great Wall, they were like a grain of sand!
"So... tall!" Mekin tilted his head back, his neck almost bent at a ninety-degree angle, but he still couldn't see the top of the Great Wall.
Zach stared blankly and said, "This, this is the Great Wall built by our ancestors?"
Everyone was stunned by this great and magnificent project.
Dudian felt the most deeply. He knew very well how remarkable it was to build such a Great Wall in front of him. Even in the old days, it was an extremely difficult thing to accomplish, requiring countless manpower and time. And the disaster broke out so suddenly that there was simply no time for people to build such a super shelter. He couldn't imagine that just those who survived the nuclear bomb explosion could create such an incredible architectural miracle.
"This is the Sylvia Great Wall that shelters us. It was jointly built by our ancestors and the gods," Pete said with a hint of pride in his eyes. He turned to look at everyone and smiled. "Follow me, little guys." He gently lifted the horse's reins, approached the Great Wall, and stopped about a hundred meters away. He dismounted, looked around on the ground, and soon found what he was looking for. He walked over and bent down to lift it.
With a creaking sound, the sound of the heavy iron door being pulled open, it turned out that under the sand here, there was a huge iron door. With Pete's astonishing arm strength, he lifted it up. Below the iron door was a staircase leading underground.
"Go in," Pete said.
Everyone was a bit surprised but quickly dismounted and entered the tunnel under the iron door.
Pete was the last one to enter. He closed the iron door behind him, and everyone suddenly felt isolated from the outside world. They couldn't help but feel uneasy. They saw that the steps of the tunnel ahead extended into the darkness, seemingly leading to hell. There were faint oil lamps on the wall, and a trace of cool air gushed out from the front of the tunnel, accompanied by a 呜呜 sound, like the wailing of ghosts.
"Aren't we going outside the Great Wall?" A girl turned around and said timidly.
Pete smiled and said, "What, are you scared already? It seems that Tobu didn't train your courage well in these three years."
Dudian asked in surprise, "Do we enter outside the Great Wall from here? Not from the top? Isn't there a door?"
"Of course not," Pete urged. "Hurry up. Everyone is waiting for you."
Dudian asked in surprise, "There are others?"
"Of course. Although you've graduated as regular scavengers, this is still your first time going outside the Great Wall. The headquarters has arranged two seniors to go with your team this time to guide you. Also, according to the usual practice, twenty scavengers cultivated by the consortium have been incorporated into your team. Although they are a bit lacking in some professional knowledge compared to you, they have been outside the Great Wall many times and have more experience than you. At crucial moments, you also need to learn from them with an open mind," Pete said with a smile.
Dudian was taken aback and didn't say anything more.
At this time, everyone walked down the steps. The steps were surprisingly deep, at least over a hundred meters. When they finally reached the bottom, in front of them was a spacious underground passage. It was silent inside the passage, and the oil lamps on both sides were quietly shining, casting light on some stone carvings on the wall.
"This is the 'Goddess of Harvest', Tike," Pete pointed to an elegant and graceful woman on the wall and said, "Pray to her well and wish you a bountiful harvest on this trip."
Dudian and the others had seen these statues of the goddess in the square of the Holy See of Light and at some intersections in the residential area, so they were not unfamiliar. They immediately stopped in front of the Goddess of Harvest as Pete had said, clasped their hands together, and bowed their heads to pray.
"This is the 'Goddess of the Hunt'," Pete pointed to another stunning and valiant woman next to it and said, "Every time hunters go out, they will worship the Goddess of the Hunt to bless them with a smooth hunt." With that, he took the lead and walked forward.
Dudian and the others finished their prayers and followed behind him.
This spacious underground passage was extremely long, about two or three hundred meters. At the end of the passage was a similar set of steps. Everyone walked up the steps. Before long, they reached the top end of the steps. There was also a huge iron door here, which had already been lifted up, like a skylight.
When Dudian followed Pete out, he immediately saw that this was a desolate, withered grassland. More than twenty figures were either sitting or standing, waiting more than ten meters away.
"You're finally here, Pete. You're so slow," At this time, a soft laugh was heard. The one speaking was a young man in black soft armor. He stood tall and straight, wearing a two-foot short sword at his waist, and his black mask was pulled down to his chin.
Pete smiled and said, "What's the hurry? It's still early."
The young man in black soft armor smiled slightly, swept his gaze over Dudian and the others, and said, "I heard that among the newbies this time, there's a promising candidate who has a chance to become a hunter?"
Pete raised his hand and patted Dudian on the shoulder, smiling, "It's him. I'll trouble you to take good care of him on this journey."
The young man in black soft armor looked at Dudian and smiled, "No problem. All right, it's getting late. We should set off. We'll have a drink together when we come back. Remember to treat us."
"You always make me treat every time. You stingy guy," Pete cursed with a laugh. He turned to Dudian and the others and said, "I wish you all the best. Remember not to act on your own and don't leave the team. I hope to see everyone come back safely in ten days." With that, he turned around and entered the underground passage and left.
Dudian looked in the direction of his figure and saw that the towering Great Wall was still behind them. He didn't expect that they had come out through a passage dug at the bottom of the Great Wall's foundation.