Monkey and Hound were dead. Drummer would need half a month just to walk again, and at least a month to regain combat effectiveness. Just like that, the team had lost three fighters in one go. Continuing missions was out of the question.
Fortunately, the missions they had accepted were not time-sensitive; failing to complete them only meant no rewards. Each person now had over 500,000 copper coins, enough to get by for a while, so there was no urgent pressure.
As team leader, Cao Gang was responsible for recruiting new members. The others were free to do as they pleased. But before leaving, Cao Gang warned everyone to stay inside as much as possible. The settlement was not peaceful right now.
The settlement was merely a temporary haven built by humans on the Beast Planet for mutual survival. Many rules and order were makeshift and incomplete. If you accidentally offended someone you shouldn't mess with, you could die for nothing.
Furthermore, the settlement was a den of mixed characters, including professional con artists. Many newcomers fresh to the Beast Planet were robbed of all their belongings. Worse still, some lost their lives.
Even Cao Gang, an experienced veteran, had to tread carefully in the settlement, as if walking on thin ice.
No sooner had he left the motel than Li Juxu headed out as well. He made his way to the only bank in the settlement: Solar Bank. Its slogan was implied: Where there was light, there was Solar Bank.
He kept only a small amount for living expenses and transferred the rest of his savings to Zhao Huier's account at Xinhe Hospital on his home planet. Zhao Huier was his girlfriend, suffering from central nervous system fission cancer. The chance of cure was only 0.05%. But Li Juxu refused to give up. He had traveled across the stars to the Beast Planet to earn money, having heard that fortunes could be made here if you dared to risk your life.
Once he arrived, he realized he had been deceived. On the Beast Planet, people risked their lives constantly, but few actually earned much. Thousands came to make money; very few succeeded.
Only after being repeatedly cheated did he learn the rules of survival here. From nearly starving to death, he had become a qualified sniper and gradually earned a steady income. He knew the money was nothing compared to the total medical cost, but he had tried his hardest.
His greatest wish was to buy a Super Potion to strengthen his body. Yet even the cheapest Super Potion cost 120 gold coins. All his money had been sent to Zhao Huier, so he could only watch and sigh.
Transferring money at Solar Bank charged fees, divided into three tiers based on amount: 0.6%, 1.1%, and 2.3%. Li Juxu's savings fell into the 0.6% tier. Even the lowest rate pained him, but Solar Bank had no competitors or alternatives.
After leaving Solar Bank, Li Juxu wandered aimlessly through the streets. There were not many proper stores, but plenty of street vendors, most with temporary stalls. They sold weapons, bullets, military knives and other gear from unknown sources. Not wanting to be ripped off by middlemen, selling on the street was their best option.
Generally speaking, there was nothing good on display. Anything valuable was kept hidden. Even though he knew there was no chance of finding a hidden treasure, Li Juxu still glanced carefully over each stall.
Bullets — all kinds: for pistols, submachine guns, sniper rifles, shotguns… Bullets on the street were much cheaper than in shops, but risky. Many were defective: expired, factory rejects, flawed products, or even deformed rounds that had been roughly fixed. Anything was possible. Buying from stalls required both good eyes and luck.
Li Juxu had personally witnessed an amateur make a batch of cheap bullets. Many bought them, only to suffer disasters in combat: jams, explosions, deaths. The amateur was later found and beaten to death.
Of course, that was only because he had angered the crowd. If only a few people were cheated, they could only blame their own judgment. Caveat emptor — what's done is done.
Li Juxu had been fooled too. He once bought cheap bullets from a stall, which exploded mid-fire. His very first sniper rifle was destroyed. His face was injured, three finger bones broken, and he had spent more than a month recovering. Since then, he had been extremely careful with stall goods. He might occasionally buy something, but never bullets.
He also avoided grenades, landmines, signal guns and the like. He lingered longest at knife stalls. He had long wanted a dagger sharp enough to cut through iron, useful both in daily life and combat. But such premium blades were hard to find. When one finally appeared, someone else either grabbed it first or outbid him. He could only keep waiting.
Ancient cold weapons such as bows and crossbows shone brightly on the Beast Planet. They made almost no sound and were highly efficient for ambushes — unlike sniper rifles, which remained loud even with suppressors, and spat fire.
Li Juxu was not interested in bows, but he liked wrist-mounted mini crossbows. They held at most five bolts, some only one. Despite their size, they were surprisingly powerful. Tests showed they could pierce red bricks within 10 meters. They were excellent for saving lives in critical moments.
But when he saw the price, he silently walked away. Even the cheapest used one cost 60 gold coins. Haggling was possible, but final prices usually landed between 65 and 68 gold coins.
Suddenly, Li Juxu felt someone bump into him. He tensed immediately. As he turned, he discreetly checked his money pouch — it was still there. The person who had touched him was a boy around twelve or thirteen.
"Got something good. You interested?" Despite his age, the boy spoke like a seasoned veteran. "Something good" was underworld slang for valuable, secret goods.
"Not interested." Li Juxu gave him a cold look and walked away. He had been tricked like this before. Lured into an alley, then surrounded by burly men with sharp knives. Only one choice: hand over the money voluntarily. Refuse, and they would choose for you — beat you senseless, then rob you themselves.
Of course, that was how they treated easy targets. For those with status, they actually showed real treasures, willing to trade for the right price. They did have valuable goods — but only a select few qualified as customers.
Li Juxu thought that was the end of it.
Then a violent explosion suddenly roared, shaking the entire street. The blast came from the exact alley the boy had gestured toward. The explosion was so fierce that buildings on both sides collapsed.
Before pedestrians on the street could react, an even louder detonation erupted. Fireballed into the sky, shockwaves swept outward, smoke billowed. The noise was deafening; people nearby were temporarily stunned.
Bricks shot into the air, then fell like rain. Li Juxu ducked and covered his head like everyone else. As he scrambled to flee the area, his peripheral vision caught something.
His steps involuntarily halted.