Volume One: Planet of Ten Thousand Beasts Chapter 64: Young Master Li

The effects of a tier-two potion far surpassed those of a tier-one. Although Li Juxu’s outward appearance remained unchanged, his cellular structure had undergone a heaven-shaking transformation, most notably in his physical strength. Previously, wielding the Huben-74 required a solid brace; firing without one was immensely strenuous and resulted in abysmal accuracy. Now, however, he felt confident that he could achieve the exact same stability and performance even without any support at all.

Had there been a candle on hand, he would have loved to test this new strength. He reckoned that with his current power, slicing through six candles in a single breath would be effortless.

A deep, earth-shaking engine roar approached from the distance, coming to a halt directly beneath the building, followed immediately by the sharp crack of gunfire. Li Juxu and his younger sister exchanged glances. Such a coincidence? Or were they specifically targeted?

The two of them quietly cracked open the room door and peeked downward, immediately spotting the Young Master Li’s Golden Chariot. They weren't the target—the vehicle's tires were ruined.

The Golden Chariot was riddled with battle scars, bearing the marks of numerous repairs. Overall, though dented and pitted, its frame remained largely intact, save for the two front tires, which were more than half-corroded, exposing the bare metal rims.

For reasons unknown, the heavy machine gun atop the Golden Chariot was not in use, but its auxiliary heavy firepower was formidable. Gatling guns, rocket launchers, Thunder-88 machine guns, Storm-77 machine guns—virtually all heavy ordnance, with the lowest grade being the Brown Bear-121. Their elite equipment unleashed unbroken lines of suppressive fire; regular volcanic scorpions stood no chance, and even silver-tailed fire scorpions would buckle under the onslaught.

"Can we still drive it?" A charismatic young man wearing sunglasses emerged from the cabin. He was 180 centimeters tall, wore body armor, and cut an imposing, formidable figure. In his hands, he wielded a Longwei-55 heavy machine gun, while two sidearms were tucked into his belt—one electromagnetic pistol and one particle pistol.

Such an ensemble of gear could not be purchased for less than 200 million credits. The seemingly ordinary sunglasses alone were worth 11 million; they were all-weather multifunctional tactical optics.

"That's the eldest young master of the Li family, the owner of the Golden Chariot," the younger sister whispered in Li Juxu's ear. Li Juxu nodded, having already deduced as much.

"No, we must find spare tires," the short-statured mechanic replied after inspecting the vehicle, shaking his head in utter helplessness. If only one tire had been corroded, they could limp along at a reduced speed, but with both front tires ruined, there was no way forward. The chariot was simply too heavy for standard tires to support.

This was troublesome.

"Then abandon the chariot here and retreat first. We'll return once we secure suitable spares. By the way, how much longer until the seismic cannon is ready?" Young Master Li asked, his expression cold and humorless.

"Thirty minutes," the driver replied, stepping out with his weapon raised.

"Hold them off for thirty minutes." Young Master Li’s tone brooked no argument. The others remained silent, silently raising their weapons to fire. Li Juxu focused his attention on the team's sniper. The sniper was around thirty-five years old, tall and robust, with muscles resembling those of a black bear. Wearing night-vision goggles, he carried a Tianhu-zz01 sniper rifle—without a doubt the finest long-range weapon produced by Tiangong Industries.

From acquiring the target to pulling the trigger, the sniper completed every shot within two seconds, scoring a headshot every single time. He was the most lethal marksman Li Juxu had ever witnessed. If not for the brief moment required to reload, Li Juxu would have suspected the man could maintain an endless barrage. Whether he had a brace or not, every single shot hit home without the slightest hesitation or strain.

Having operated as a hunter for years, Li Juxu had encountered numerous snipers, many technically superior to him, yet those individuals merely possessed more seniority—effort could close that gap. Only this sniper made him acutely aware of a chasm that could not be bridged.

The entire party consisted of merely eight individuals holding down an entire street—a seemingly impossible feat, yet they were pulling it off. To be precise, it was seven people, as the leading young man had not yet engaged. The tide of volcanic scorpions was halted twenty meters away from the chariot, unable to cross an inch further, until an unexpected event shattered the equilibrium at the twenty-five-minute mark.

A wall suddenly collapsed, spilling out a faction of battered hunter remnants. Both sides were startled by the sudden encounter, but the remnants quickly rejoiced upon recognizing the Golden Chariot. Young Master Li’s team, however, was far from pleased; they had previously only needed to defend two directions, but now they faced three.

These remnants had fled here with a massive swarm of volcanic scorpions hot on their heels. Not only were they battered and bruised, but their ammunition was nearly depleted, and exhaustion clung to them so heavily that they could collapse at any second. Expecting them to hold back the pursuers was a pipe dream. Young Master Li felt a surge of frustration. Had the chariot been operational, he wouldn't have lingered for a second; in his eyes, these stragglers were nothing more than dead weight. Yet now, he had no choice but to shoulder his Longwei-55 and charge forward.

Tat-tat-tat—

A golden stream of light erupted from the muzzle of the Longwei-55. Wherever it swept, volcanic scorpions instantly shattered into fragments, their bodily fluids splashing through the air. The golden trajectory whipped back and forth, cutting down the volcanic scorpions like weeds by the roadside, batch after batch. Though classified as a machine gun, the Longwei-55 rivaled a Gatling in sheer destructive output, stunning everyone present. Yet its drawback was equally glaring: in less than half a minute, the ammunition was completely exhausted. Tossing the weapon aside, Young Master Li drew his particle pistol.

Hum—

A brilliant blue particle beam swept across the street, reducing half a street's worth of volcanic scorpions to fine powder and instantly clearing the thoroughfare. Holstering the particle pistol, Young Master Li drew a Huanghe-94 pistol from his thigh holster. Its stopping power vastly exceeded that of a Desert Eagle, yet its recoil was a mere tenth of the latter—another masterpiece by Tiangong Industries.

Despite his pampered appearance, Young Master Li’s marksmanship was terrifyingly proficient. Requiring virtually no aim, crack, crack, crack... volcanic scorpions clinging to the walls dropped one after another. His firing speed far outpaced the sniper's, and every shot found its mark.

"Are all wealthy people this monstrous?" Li Juxu muttered, dumbfounded. He wasn't the only one; the surviving hunters on the ground were equally frozen in shock. Clearly, none of them had anticipated that Young Master Li possessed such capability. Having high-end gear didn't make one skilled—it merely showed wealth. But god-tier marksmanship could not be bought; it required relentless practice, sheer grit, and the accumulation of time.

The remnants' elation was short-lived. In Young Master Li’s team, one of the heavy machine guns suddenly jammed and went silent. A dozen seconds later, the second heavy machine gun followed suit—they had run out of ammo.

With the suppressive fire of two heavy guns removed, the front line of volcanic scorpions rapidly closed the distance. The venom of several blue-tailed fire scorpions nearly splashed onto the Golden Chariot, which served as the tactical anchor for Young Master Li's squad.

"Don't just stand there, help!" Young Master Li shouted at the surviving hunters. The remnants wore bitter expressions; it wasn't that they didn't want to help, but they simply couldn't. Though they held guns, their remaining rounds could be counted on one hand, reserved strictly as a final lifeline.

"Watch out—!" the short mechanic suddenly shrieked. At that exact instant, the first heavy gunner who had run out of ammo leaped forward with lightning speed.

Bang—

A gunshot rang out from above. A silver-tailed fire scorpion and a glob of corrosive venom plummeted to the ground almost simultaneously. The scorpion's carcass slid down the side of the wall, while the venom hissed against the ground, missing Young Master Li’s body armor by a hair's breadth. Drenched in a cold sweat, Young Master Li instinctively stepped backward, evading the heavy gunner's airborne tackle.

The heavy gunner stood 1.9 meters tall, yet his momentum from the leap could have easily knocked the wind out of a lesser man. Despite his massive frame, he possessed incredible agility, adjusting his balance mid-air to land smoothly on his feet before glancing up toward the rooftop. There, Li Juxu stood with his sniper rifle, firing continuously into the wall as a dozen silver-tailed and blue-tailed fire scorpions rained down.

It was precisely because Li Juxu had timely intercepted and eliminated the silver-tailed fire scorpion that its venomous projectile had been deflected. Otherwise, Young Master Li would have been in mortal peril—and had Young Master Li fallen, none of them would have survived.

"Young Master Li, go upstairs and rest for a bit, leave this to us!" the second heavy gunner shouted as he rushed over, having realized the same reality. Their lives were expendable, but Young Master Li could not afford to scratch a hair.

Young Master Li cast a sharp glance at them, knowing full well what crossed their minds. Yet, he offered no objections. With a short sprint, he leaped forward. The first heavy gunner was already prepared, interlocking his hands to form a step. As Young Master Li's foot found purchase, the burly man heaved upward with all his might. Young Master Li soared like a cannonball eight or nine meters into the air, and before his momentum faded, he reached out, grabbed a fourth-floor window ledge, and vaulted inside with clean, effortless precision.