Volume One: Planet of Beasts Chapter 61: Refusing to Save

Choosing a five-story building as a temporary resting place, Li Juxu ensured there were tall buildings on all four directions to facilitate escape. Under normal circumstances, this would have been the prime moment to retreat into the Peach Blossom Spring, but Li Juxu did not do so. It was not because the Peach Blossom Spring hotel had fallen; on the contrary, it was one of the very few areas that remained uncompromised. The Peach Blossom Spring served as the final stronghold for him and his younger sister, and unless it was an absolute last resort, he had no intention of exposing it.

The interior of the building was littered with corpses—some human, some belonging to volcanic scorpions. The carcasses of the volcanic scorpions were torn apart, while the human bodies were similarly mangled. The difference was that the scorpions had been physically shattered by bullets or explosives, whereas the humans had their flesh essentially dissolved by venom, filling the air with a foul stench.

Black Ant cleared out three rooms on the fifth floor with utmost efficiency. Li Juxu and his sister shared one room, he and Handsome Tiger shared another, and Redhead took a room to themselves, while simultaneously destroying the stairs. Seizing this brief window of opportunity, they forced themselves to rest; whether it was half an hour or twenty minutes, it was immensely precious to them.

The group had not rested for far too long.

Li Juxu’s judgment was dead-on. Everyone in this vicinity had converged on the golden chariot, yet the chariot accepted no one and drove away directly. This vacated area was quickly reoccupied by volcanic scorpions, turning the zones where hunters gathered in large numbers into prime targets for the creatures.

The sounds of gunfire, explosions, and screams merged into a continuous roar. The building where Li Juxu and his companions rested was on the edge of the zone, and only the peripheral buildings escaped the devastating impact of the shockwave cannons. By the time the volcanic scorpions swarmed to the base of the building, two hours had already passed. It was not that the scorpions were slow; rather, they had been distracted by other hunters.

Under normal behavioral patterns, volcanic scorpions crawled along the streets, only scaling walls if they sensed movement inside a building. If no target was detected, they generally would not climb up—though, of course, one could not rule out the occasional rebellious juvenile among the scorpions.

The only reason this particular building got caught up in the warfare was because fleeing hunters from elsewhere happened to choose it as a sanctuary. With no choice left, Li Juxu and his group were forced to take up arms and fight.

"A bunch of jinxes!" Redhead grumbled angrily, though there was nothing they could do about it. Handsome Tiger and Black Ant, however, showed no signs of blame. One wielded a heavy machine gun and the other clutched a submachine gun, unleashing a barrage of fire upon the approaching volcanic scorpions. Firing from an elevated position with intersecting lines of fire, they tore the scorpions to pieces and slowed their advance to a crawl.

In a sense, they owed these fleeing hunters a debt of gratitude for being able to rest for so long. Had those people not drawn the scorpions' fire, the creatures might have overrun this building much earlier.

Li Juxu tied his sister securely to his back with a rope, draping a heavy coat over her to keep her from catching a chill, before stepping out of the room with his Huben-74 rifle in hand.

His sister's body temperature had long since normalized, and her breathing was steady. Outwardly, her cold seemed to have completely vanished, yet for some reason she still had not regained consciousness. They had not encountered a single doctor along the way; otherwise, they could have had a professional examine her.

Quite a few hunters had retreated into the building—thirteen or fourteen in total, comprising men and women, old and young. Judging by their formation, the person of highest status was a woman wearing lavish attire. To be wearing a skirt and high heels in a situation like this meant she was either completely ignorant or possessed extraordinary means. Their weapons were exceptionally refined, but it appeared their ammunition was running low.

Gunfire had suddenly erupted on the roof, startling them first, followed by a surge of joy. However, they quickly discovered that the stairs leading to the topmost floor had been destroyed, forcing them to stop on the fourth floor.

"Why are the stairs gone?" the woman's voice carried a hint of confusion and anger.

"Someone destroyed them on purpose to keep the volcanic scorpions from climbing up," someone explained.

"Clearly they didn't want us going up! Volcanic scorpions can climb walls, so how is a flight of stairs supposed to stop them? What do we do now?" The woman's tone was filled with dissatisfaction.

Before the group could decide on a course of action, panicked cries rose from the lowest level.

"They're catching up! The volcanic scorpions are catching up! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

"Blow up the stairs to keep the volcanic scorpions from climbing up!" An experienced veteran hunter immediately followed suit, copying the tactics of those above them.

Accompanied by a deafening explosion, the staircases on the first, second, and third floors were blown away. The volcanic scorpions on those stairs were either killed in the blast or plunged to the ground below. Unable to pursue them via the stairs any longer, the scorpions were forced to scale the walls, instantly slowing their progress. Yet, over a distance of a dozen meters, even slowed down, they would close the gap soon enough. Scarcely a few minutes would pass before they caught up, plunging the group into sheer panic.

"Don't all crowd into the stairwell! Get to the corridor, don't let the scorpions climb up from the outside!" Though flustered, there were still level-headed individuals among the crowd.

Immediately, a fraction of the hunters rushed to the long corridor, only to discover that the volcanic scorpions had already reached the third floor, scaring them into frantically opening fire. Li Juxu's group occupied the fifth-floor rooftop, while this new group was on the fourth floor, jointly dealing with the volcanic scorpions. Originally, this arrangement could have remained peaceful, but those positioned lower down were at a distinct disadvantage. As the scorpions mounted the building, the lower group was the first to be attacked. Despite having greater numbers, their efficiency in shooting down the scorpions fell short compared to Li Juxu's smaller group. As a chorus of screams rang out, casualties began to mount among the newcomers.

"Can the people upstairs lend a hand and pull us up? We're all hunters here—if you help us out, we will definitely reward you!" With no other options, the group below cried out for help.

Under normal circumstances, hunters had an obligation to assist one another, but under the current conditions, everyone was struggling just to save their own skin. Whether to help or not depended entirely on one's mood. The group below understood this well, which was why they attempted to sway Li Juxu and his companions with the promise of rewards. In truth, they could have forced their way up; with standard hunter techniques, scaling a single floor was hardly an issue. However, they did not dare. Since this building had been claimed first by Li Juxu's group, it constituted their territory. Anyone else wishing to enter had to seek permission from Li Juxu's side. Without consent, forcing an entry would categorize them as enemies. Toward enemies, Li Juxu and his crew were fully authorized to open fire, and they would bear no responsibility even if they killed them all.

It was akin to breaking into someone else's home.

Li Juxu and his companions completely ignored them. To begin with, had these people possessed even slightly stronger combat capabilities, Li Juxu wouldn't have minded lending a hand—having more manpower to deal with the volcanic scorpions would have been beneficial. However, this group was a mixed bag of varying competence. Rescuing them wouldn't add any strength; instead, they would become a burden. Even Redhead held them in disdain, so naturally, no one was willing to offer assistance.

No matter how generous the reward, it was worthless if one lost their life.