Volume One: Planet of Ten Thousand Beasts Chapter 27: Lending a Hand

"I don't have a mobile phone!" Li Juxu replied apologetically. The utility of a phone was a double-edged sword; on one hand, it allowed for constant contact and easy location of others. On the other hand, it was only truly functional within designated safe zones where there was a signal. Outside those areas, it served as little more than a clock—and often an inaccurate one at that. The Beast Planet was plagued by intense radiation that frequently caused electronic malfunctions. Even with humanity's level of technology, they could only maintain small, marginally stable safe zones, which were the best they could manage.

Of course, the primary reason Li Juxu remained phoneless was the exorbitant price, which kept him at arm's length.

"The boss thinks highly of you and wants to be your friend!" The confidant, seemingly anticipating this, produced a brand-new phone.

"What if I don't want to go on the next mission?" Li Juxu glanced at the device. It was a top-tier brand, a "Big Shrimp," renowned as the fighter jet of mobile phones. A single unit cost over 200,000 copper coins. He did not reach for it.

"Our boss is a man of great vision." The aide pressed the phone into his hand with a faint smile. "I won't disturb your rest any further."

After the man left, Li Juxu held the phone, feeling a sense of awe. This was what it meant to be rich; how wonderful it felt. He had worked for wealthy employers before, but Pu Shaoyun was the first to be this generous.

Given such munificence, it would be hard to decline if Pu Shaoyun had a task for him. Twenty-one million copper coins—Li Juxu reflected on his time on the Beast Planet; he had never earned that much in his entire tenure there. Plus, he had gained night vision. Everything seemed to be looking up. He intended to transfer the money back to his home planet immediately; with these funds, his girlfriend could begin her second round of treatment. If his luck held, he could cover all of Zhao Hui'er's medical expenses this year. Once she was healthy, he would no longer need to risk his life here; he could return home, and they could live a happy life together. But he was so tired and drowsy that he didn't want to move once he lay down. Thinking that one day wouldn't make a difference, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep within seconds.

He slept until after eleven the next morning. His first order of business was to eat four servings of egg fried rice. Hunters typically had huge appetites, and while he usually settled for two, he felt exceptionally hungry today. Even after finishing four, he felt he could manage a fifth, but remembering his plan to transfer money to his girlfriend, he refrained from ordering more. Just as he stepped out of his room, Black-Head Bee found him. Hearing that Li was heading to the bank, he immediately blocked his path.

"You're going to transfer money home, aren't you? Don't bother; you won't be able to."

"Why? It's not a rest day today," Li Juxu asked, puzzled.

"You don't know yet? Around four o'clock last night, a mysterious burst of radiation passed through the Beast Planet and happened to strike the communications satellite. Now, the entire network is down. Forget about transferring money; the phones are nothing more than bricks. The Beast Planet is essentially abandoned for now, cut off from the outside world," Black-Head Bee explained.

"How could that be? Such a coincidence? How long until it's repaired?" Li Juxu was anxious. His entire purpose for earning money was to treat Zhao Hui'er. Now that he had the funds, he couldn't send them, and a sense of inexplicable agitation washed over him.

"Who knows?" Black-Head Bee shrugged. The universe was mysterious and unfathomable. Though humans considered themselves an advanced civilization, their understanding of the cosmos was less than one ten-trillionth. There were too many uncontrollable variables. Signal interruptions were common, but usually, they were caused by particle streams and recovered quickly. This time, however, the satellite itself was damaged, which likely meant significant trouble.

"By the way, did you come looking for me for something?" Li Juxu finally remembered why Black-Head Bee had sought him out.

"I wanted to ask for your help!"

Black-Head Bee’s sworn brother, Shark, had taken on a mission to capture juvenile desert scorpions. These scorpions were highly venomous and only emerged at night. They were extremely sensitive to light and would not appear if any light were present, yet without light, humans could not see them. Shark had already lost three men to this, and out of desperation, he had turned to his trusted friend Black-Head Bee for help. Black-Head Bee was knowledgeable, but even he had no easy solution—until he met Li Juxu.

Under normal circumstances, a person's accuracy would plummet in low-light conditions, but Li Juxu seemed to possess a unique talent. Even in the dark, his accuracy remained astonishing. Black-Head Bee believed he could be the key.

"I've never done a mission in the desert. I know nothing about it." Li Juxu instinctively shook his head. He was still haunted by his recent mission, where he had nearly died in the forest, and the desert environment was far harsher. No experienced hunter would voluntarily choose a desert task. Now that he had a large sum of money, he didn't want to take any risks.

"All other dangers have been accounted for; it's just the scorpions. Brother, you're the only one who can help. If the mission isn't completed, Shark will have to pay a massive penalty," Black-Head Bee said. He didn't like forcing people, but for his brother's sake, he had to swallow his pride.

"If you can't finish it, just drop it. It's just a deposit, right? Surely it's not that serious?" Li Juxu wondered. To prevent teams from taking missions without working or stalling, the Mission Hall required a 10% deposit of the reward. If a team failed to complete the task within the time limit, the deposit was forfeited. While it was a significant amount, it shouldn't be enough to cripple a team.

"They signed a gambling agreement!" Black-Head Bee said with a bitter smile. "I suspect my brother fell into a trap."

Li Juxu fell silent. Some teams, aiming for maximum profit, would add clauses to the standard mission rewards. For instance, if a mission to catch red-eyed rabbits paid 100 copper coins with a five-hour limit, a hunter who felt the pay was too low might negotiate with the employer to raise it to 500 coins if completed within one hour. If the employer agreed, the contract was binding. Of course, if the mission failed, the penalty wouldn't be the standard 10%—it would be an exorbitant figure. Such agreements were usually reserved for complex tasks. In all his years as a hunter, Li Juxu had never encountered one.

"Shark said that if you agree to help, there's a base pay of 500,000 copper coins. Supplies and ammunition are on him. Plus, there's a commission: 2,000 copper coins for every desert scorpion killed, with no upper limit," Black-Head Bee promised.

"Fine," Li Juxu agreed. He did it for the money, but also out of respect for Black-Head Bee. Even with 21 million in his pocket, one could never have too much money. If Pu Shaoyun hadn't whetted his appetite, 500,000 would have seemed like a king's ransom. After all, despite working for so long, he was still just a low-level hunter.