Volume One: Planet of Ten Thousand Beasts Chapter 18: Black-Headed Bees

A teammate rushed onto the war vehicle, whose roof was mounted with a heavy machine gun. The teammate opened fire in the direction of the sniper, unleashing a rapid burst of gunfire. Another teammate pulled out a rocket launcher and fired a missile. Amidst the explosive blaze, Li Juxu saw the sniper tumbling across the ground—highly skilled, still clutching his rifle. But no matter how professional a sniper was, he couldn't withstand being surrounded. At the very moment the sniper’s movements slowed, Li Juxu pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The sniper’s entire right shoulder was shattered. He let out a miserable scream of pain. Li Juxu fired again, a clean shot to the head, ending the sniper’s suffering. With the sniper threat eliminated, Pu Shaoyun’s men felt completely liberated. One by one, they emerged from behind cover, firing wildly at the enemy. Li Juxu began reaping lives as well; with the enemy suppressed, he was practically shooting at stationary targets. Soon enough, all the enemies lay dead. His teammates rushed forward to check, but Li Juxu did not rise immediately—he waited until his comrades confirmed there were no survivors before emerging from behind the rocks.

In total, the enemy had lost 36 men. Whether any had escaped was unknown; after all, it was night, and perhaps some had fled. Their own side suffered 14 dead, 3 severely wounded, and 18 lightly injured. Li Juxu thought he was unscathed until a burning pain flared in his thigh. Only then did he realize a five-centimeter cut had been slashed across the outside of his thigh, bleeding profusely and staining his trouser leg red. He had no idea when the injury occurred—his nerves were taut in battle, oblivious to any pain.

He quickly had the medics in the squad apply bandages to stop the bleeding. Watching Pu Shaoyun and a few trusted aides discussing something, Li Juxu assumed they would be heading back; after all, so many had died. Yet, after some deliberation, Pu Shaoyun surprisingly decided to push forward.

“Boss, are you hiding something from us? Not sharing information leaves us at a disadvantage,” a bearded hunter blocked Pu Shaoyun with a dissatisfied tone.

The other members stared hard at Pu Shaoyun and his confidants. None were fools. This ambush was clearly premeditated; it couldn’t have been aimed at them. The only possible target was Pu Shaoyun himself, who must have known but said nothing. Had he revealed even a little, so many wouldn’t have died.

“There are matters I cannot fully disclose. All I can say is the mission was a competition between myself and another. I did not expect my rival to be so despicable as to strike us en route. I assure you, I was unaware of this,” Pu Shaoyun said, but received no response from the members.

Everyone was evaluating both the credibility of Pu Shaoyun’s words and the risk of continuing the mission.

“Regardless, the casualties are my responsibility. I apologize to you all. Furthermore, I promise that the compensation for all the casualties will be quintupled, and upon mission completion, the reward will be tripled,” Pu Shaoyun declared. His words moved the group; whether to take the risk hinged on the pay. When the reward was enticing enough, even mountains of fire and blades were no longer obstacles.

The atmosphere quickly returned to its former harmony.

The squad’s mechanical expert, skilled and efficient, tinkered briefly and repaired the two disabled war vehicles. The deep roar of the engines stirred excitement. Perhaps it was the vehicles’ inherent strength and minor damage that allowed quick repairs. While the mechanic worked, Pu Shaoyun approached Li Juxu.

“Thanks to you just now, if you hadn’t distracted and shot the enemy’s sniper, our casualties would have doubled,” Pu Shaoyun admitted. Initially, he hadn’t paid Li Juxu much mind. But after tallying losses, his aides informed him that nine had fallen to the sniper rifle model ‘Blaster-002B,’ meaning Li Juxu alone had taken out a quarter of the enemy force, including their sniper and several rocket launcher operators—a remarkable feat.

To be honest, Li Juxu had been recruited mainly because there were few snipers at the No. 11 gathering point, and three had explicitly refused the task. He was the tallest dwarf among the short, so to speak, chosen by default and somewhat underestimated. But upon hearing his performance, Pu Shaoyun immediately recognized a treasure. This made him very pleased.

“You’re welcome. I’m just doing my job according to contract,” Li Juxu replied, immune to such thanks. Over the years, he’d taken on eight or ten side jobs annually, encountering all kinds of employers. Some were kind but stingy, some harsh but generous, others cold yet strictly contractual. He had grown accustomed to insincere gratitude. As long as Pu Shaoyun paid promptly and didn’t skimp after the mission, Li Juxu considered him a good employer.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not just sweet-talking. The payment has been settled and will not change. Moreover, in light of your outstanding performance, I’m awarding you an extra 900,000 copper coins—ten thousand per person. Hmm, let’s round it to one million,” Pu Shaoyun said generously.

“Then I won’t refuse,” Li Juxu said after a few seconds of scrutiny, convinced Pu Shaoyun was serious and accepted the offer. Such good fortune should not be wasted, especially since Pu Shaoyun clearly had no shortage of funds.

“Everyone who killed an enemy just now, one for one, will get an extra 100,000 copper coins. I’ve already recorded the numbers. Follow me, and rest assured, I won’t let you down,” Pu Shaoyun’s words dispersed all lingering negativity, rekindling goodwill toward him.

For hunters, nothing pleased them more than money thrown their way.

Pu Shaoyun arranged for the most damaged vehicle to transport the bodies back to the gathering point, along with the severely wounded. This act further won the favor of the members. Though they were accustomed to death and abandoning bodies in the wild, if given a choice, everyone hoped for a proper burial.

With four war vehicles remaining, they resumed their journey. Though one vehicle was lost, there was more space inside as fewer people remained.

“Thank you!” The big man who Li Juxu had reminded was still in the same vehicle.

“It was nothing!” Li Juxu replied casually. In a team, saving each other was normal; no need for special thanks. After all, only sincere cooperation could carry them to the end—this was basic respect.

“If not for you, I’d be in that vehicle,” the big man said, pointing to the one heading back. “My name’s Du Shangfeng, but everyone calls me Black Hornet!”

“Night Owl!” Li Juxu was moved slightly. So he was the Black Hornet. Li Juxu didn’t know Du Shangfeng personally, but the name Black Hornet had long been renowned.

Hunters had no formal lineage, but teams did. After Cao Gang entered the field, he had followed Black Hornet closely. Many survival skills he now possessed were taught by Black Hornet. After leaving the team, Cao Gang ventured alone, later forming his own group and gaining some fame at the gathering point. Cao Gang had once said the person who had done him the greatest favor in life was Black Hornet.