Volume One: Planet of Ten Thousand Beasts Chapter 37: Zeroing Out

Upon returning to Settlement 11, Li Juxu and Xiaomei parted ways; she went to turn in their mission, while he inquired whether the satellites had been repaired. The news that they were still down, and that the Beast Planet remained cut off from the outside world, prompted him to act on a decision he had made along the way. He first returned to the hotel, where Cao Gang had yet to recruit any suitable new members, meaning they would not be heading out on missions for the time being.

He carried the gear and weaponry he had scavenged from the bandits to a specialized arms dealer. The pile of weapons fetched 1,000,000 copper coins. Though he inwardly cursed the merchant for being a profiteer, he had no choice but to accept the fleecing; only this place had the capacity to buy such a large haul at once. Elsewhere, dealers would only want specific items—either rifles, shotguns, or pistols—and would never take the entire lot. This money was still far from his goal, so after a moment of hesitation, he brought out the items he had looted from the huntress in the forest. Though few in number and small in size, they were highly valuable, selling for a full 2,500,000 copper coins.

In truth, he still possessed another cache: the weapons and gear belonging to the group in camouflage suits he had encountered during his private job. However, that equipment was too recognizable; he dared not put it on the market. He planned to lay low for a while before trying to sell it. He wanted to get rich, but he did not want to invite trouble.

Afterward, he visited one of the most prominent shops at the heart of the settlement: White Rat Biotechnology. It was one of the three major bio-pharmaceutical companies; their products were not the best, but they were the most accessible—though "accessible" in this context did not refer to the common folk, but to the wealthy.

A single Grade 1 serum cost 12,000,000 copper coins, with no room for negotiation. Li Juxu first purchased a Strength Serum. After much hesitation regarding the second, he chose a Bone Serum.

Strength Serum provided an immediate boost to one's power, but Bone Serum offered a continuous, gradual remodeling of the body. While the effects were subtle and slow to manifest, the Bone Serum served as the foundation; only when the foundation was solid could one avoid hitting a bottleneck in strength development. The Bone Serum was also more expensive, costing 12,500,000 copper coins per dose.

With the two vials in hand, Li Juxu was left with nothing but pocket change, his finances reset to square one. As he returned to his hotel, he was intercepted by Heitou Feng. It turned out that Xiaomei had completed the mission and received the reward, but unable to find him, she had asked Heitou Feng to pass the payment—1,000,000 copper coins—to him.

"This is too much!" Li Juxu refused to take it. The agreed-upon pay was 1,000,000, and the commission was 2,000 copper coins per desert scorpion. He couldn't recall exactly how many scorpions he had shot, but it certainly wasn't enough to justify an extra 500,000.

"Take it," Heitou Feng said, leaving no room for argument. He shoved the card into Li Juxu's hand and hurried off, muttering that he had other business to attend to.

Li Juxu felt both grateful and ashamed, but the money solved his immediate crisis. He returned to White Rat Biotechnology to purchase three nutrient packs at 200,000 coins each, then bought half a roasted pig and various other meats from a food stall before heading back to the hotel. The room was empty—he didn't know where the others had gone, and he didn't care. He told the staff not to disturb him, locked the door, and began the process of taking the Bone Serum.

Having taken the Strength Serum before, he was familiar with the procedure. The difference was that he started with the Bone Serum this time. The agony was similar; when it subsided, he didn't feel any physical change, save for a ravenous hunger. After consuming a nutrient pack, the hunger faded, leaving him feeling nothing else.

A 200,000-coin item truly had its reasons for being expensive. He rested for 24 hours before taking the Strength Serum. Perhaps the interval was too short, for this time the pain was doubled. He rolled off the bed onto the floor, his entire body burning as if he had been pulled from boiling water. The agony lasted for a full hour. When it finally ebbed away, he felt as if he had been reborn. He consumed two nutrient packs in a row to soothe his frailty.

Next came the food—chicken, duck, and fish. While these lacked the concentrated nutrients of the packs, they contained substances that the artificial supplements could not provide, creating a complementary effect.

After eating more than half, a wave of exhaustion hit him, and he fell into a deep sleep. When he awoke, it was already the next morning. He set up a candle and took out a deck of playing cards.

Channeling strength into his arm, wrist, and fingers, he flicked a card. It traced an arc, sliced through the first candle, and slammed into the wall, leaving a deep gash in the plaster. He had been too excited and lost his aim. He threw a second card, this time adjusting his trajectory. A flash of silver light cut through the air, and the first, second, third, and fourth candles were severed at the base, while the card embedded itself one-third of the way into the fifth candle, remaining motionless.

Joy and relief flooded Li Juxu's heart; those 20-plus million copper coins had been well spent. His strength had increased significantly. "The poor rely on mutation, the rich rely on technology"—he now deeply understood that saying. If not for the luck of landing the mission from Pu Shaoyun and receiving a large payout, he would never have enjoyed such technological results. Having no mutations, he would have remained a low-level hunter for years to come.

He pondered how Pu Shaoyun had dared to venture deep into the forest on his first mission and escape unscathed; the man must have taken countless serums, his physical strength perhaps reaching a terrifying level. He wasn't just a rich fool; he was a man confident in his own power.

With these chaotic thoughts churning in his mind, he finished the rest of the meat, patted his stomach, and headed out. He looked for Heitou Feng but couldn't find him, and Xiaomei was nowhere to be found either. After some hesitation, he pulled out his phone, only to find no signal. After a moment of thought, he went to the Long-Eared Rabbit Hotel. One of Pu Shaoyun’s confidants was stationed there—money really did make things easy; Pu Shaoyun had rented out an entire floor for a year. Li Juxu explained his request.

"Wait a moment, I need to ask the boss," the aide said. He didn't agree immediately and left the room. It was unclear how he contacted Pu Shaoyun, or perhaps Pu Shaoyun was in the hotel himself. About ten minutes later, the aide returned.

"The boss agreed. The vehicle is in the basement. I'll take you!"

"Thank you so much!" Li Juxu was deeply grateful. He had come with a "try it and see" attitude, not holding much hope, as he and Pu Shaoyun were not that close. Pu Shaoyun had never revealed his background, but Li Juxu could sense that the man was extraordinary, while he himself was just a small-time hunter—a world of difference in status. Pu Shaoyun might have forgotten him entirely, yet he had agreed to the request. In that moment, Li Juxu was filled with emotion.

He had to return to the desert. He had to find Lin Lu, Shark, and the others. He needed to see them alive or recover their remains; if he didn't find them, he would never know peace.

With the transportation issue settled, all that remained were food and weapons. Food was easy to procure anywhere. As for weapons, his own "Breaker" had been lost in the desert, and he didn't expect to find it again. He had a few spare sniper rifles, but he wouldn't use them for now. Carrying the Kui-23 sniper rifle, he went to an ammunition shop, restocked his rounds, and bought other supplies, leaving him with almost nothing of the reward Xiaomei had given him.

Hunters certainly made money on missions, but their expenses were astronomical; money was needed for everything. Those who were stingy with their spending died quickly, so whenever possible, they always chose the best equipment. The more sophisticated the gear, the more expensive it was.

He went to look for Heitou Feng again but failed, and Xiaomei still hadn't returned. He asked around, but no one knew where they had gone. Deciding to wait no longer, he drove the borrowed war vehicle out of Settlement 11. Even as a war vehicle, Pu Shaoyun's machine far exceeded Shark's pickup in both handling and comfort. Money truly did make a difference.