Volume 1: Planet of Ten Thousand Beasts Chapter 65: Refusal

"One, two!" Li Juxu murmured in his heart. With a flash of a figure, the Young Master Li had already reached the rooftop. Ascending from the fourth-floor room to the sixth-floor rooftop took two seconds, and the young master's face was neither flushed nor breathless.

"Brother, thanks for just now!" Young Master Li removed his sunglasses, his gaze bright.

Bang—

A silver-tailed fire scorpion on the opposite outer wall was headshot and fell, leaving a trail of liquid on the wall. Li Juxu withdrew his gaze, looked at Young Master Li, stared for a second, and said, "You saved me, I saved you. We merely crossed paths."

"Well said, I like your style. What should I call you, brother?" A smile appeared on Young Master Li's face.

"Night Owl!" Li Juxu said calmly, though inwardly he was marveling at Young Master Li's handsome appearance. His smile was charming; the genes of the wealthy were truly superior.

"Night Owl? Hehe!" Young Master Li suddenly poked his head out and shouted downward, "Viper, I remember you have two backup heavy sniper rifles. Toss the Huben-84 up here, and I'll replace it for you later."

The sniper leaning against the back of the armored vehicle remained silent. He opened the trunk, retrieved a long box, and threw it up forcefully. Seemingly casual, the force was actually precise, landing right at Young Master Li's feet. Young Master Li handed the box to Li Juxu and smiled, saying, "Words of gratitude are too tacky. Consider this a welcome gift, a token of my appreciation. Don't decline, or you'll be looking down on me."

"Giving gifts should be done in full set." Without a moment's hesitation, Li Juxu opened the box, took out the Huben-84, and skillfully assembled it. He tossed his own Huben-74 into the box; reluctant to abandon it completely, he strapped it to his back as a backup.

"What do you mean?" Young Master Li was momentarily caught off guard.

"Bullets!" Li Juxu skillfully handled the Huben-84 for a moment, his eyes growing brighter. A top-tier item was indeed a top-tier item, incomparable to fine goods. Having grown accustomed to the Huben-74, he had believed that even with a better weapon, the difference wouldn't be too vast since handling requires adaptation. However, the moment he got his hands on the Huben-84, he knew he was wrong.

The gap between a fine product and a top-tier product was like heaven and earth. Whether in weight, center of gravity, or calibration, the Huben-84 far surpassed the Huben-74. Especially the improvements in certain details—they could be called the finishing touch. After holding the Huben-84 for just a few seconds, he felt his proficiency instantly return.

Bang, bang, bang!

Three consecutive shots caused the bodies of three blue-tailed fire scorpions to explode. The feeling of ease was as if he were holding a pistol. Li Juxu realized he had fallen in love with the Huben-84; even if someone offered him a Breaker-002B, he wouldn't trade it.

Young Master Li froze for a moment, then laughed in spite of himself. He apologized, "Even a wealthy landlord has no surplus grain. Once we get through this crisis, I'll replace it, I'll definitely replace it."

Aside from the panic-stricken remnants, Young Master Li's team was remarkably stable. Even though the volcano scorpions were right in front of them, even as venom splattered, their gazes remained resolute. On the rooftop, Young Master Li, Li Juxu, and the little sister were firing at full capacity, finally holding out for thirty minutes. By this time, the volcano scorpions had formed a tight circle, leaving only a tiny patch of open space near the golden armored vehicle. The remaining soldiers had retreated into the building, defending against the pursuing volcano scorpions floor by floor.

Just as Viper was about to hurl his last grenade, the driver thrust his upper body into the cab and pressed a button in a flash, accompanied by a visible ripple of energy expanding outward.

Hum—

Everyone heard the sound of air vibrating echoing in their ears. A shockwave swept across the ground in an instant, and hundreds of thousands of volcano scorpions were struck as if by lightning, instantly shattering into pieces. Li Juxu stood at a vantage point and thus had the clearest view. Like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, the dark red street was cleared in the blink of an eye, and even the volcano scorpions crawling on the walls died completely. The effect was vastly superior to any particle gun.

In just over a second, a half-kilometer radius became a pristine zone without a single volcano scorpion remaining. The power of a shockwave cannon bought with money needed no doubt.

"Can't this thing fire continuously?" Li Juxu couldn't help turning his head to look at Young Master Li.

"I'll try to get another armored vehicle later and use them in rotation. Then we won't have to be in such a sorry state as we are today." A flash of regret crossed Young Master Li's eyes. He had still been too conservative; he originally thought one shockwave cannon would be enough to handle the difficulty. Only when truly facing dire straits did he realize one can never have too many weapons.

With the crisis averted, Young Master Li invited Li Juxu to his temporary base, but Li Juxu declined. He knew very well that saving Young Master Li's life counted as a favor. If they stayed far apart, Young Master Li would remember it, but being together every day would turn that favor into a shackle. If he wanted to maximize the value of this favor, it was best to avoid staying together.

Secondly, Young Master Li had countless experts under his command. With his own strength mixed among them, he would instantly blend into the crowd, which was disadvantageous for his growth. Of course, the main reason was that he did not want to transition from a benefactor to a subordinate.

Following Young Master Li might ensure greater safety, but for the sake of his future, he and the little sister still chose to leave.

"Interesting!" Watching the receding figures of Li Juxu and the little sister, Young Master Li did not try to persuade them to stay. He turned, went downstairs, and returned to his temporary base. As for the golden armored vehicle, naturally, subordinates would handle it; minor matters like that did not require his concern.

...

District 11 still had quite a few capable individuals. These people possessed heavy-duty weapons and often struck at critical moments to save many hunters. It was precisely because of their existence that the settlement had managed to hold out until now. Young Master Li was one such capable person, and his golden armored vehicle was practically a banner. Unfortunately, the shockwave cannon could not be fired continuously; otherwise, wiping out the volcano scorpions might not have been impossible.

After parting ways with Young Master Li, Li Juxu and the little sister found a safe place to rest. He knew very well that relying on the people left in the settlement to eliminate the volcano scorpions was impossible. Conserving stamina was more important than anything else; it all depended on who could hold out longer and when the neighboring Base 9 and Settlement 12 would discover the situation and send reinforcements.

Because of the shockwave cannon, this area was temporarily safe. Given the speed of the volcano scorpions, they wouldn't reach them within two hours. Nevertheless, Li Juxu still did not dare to lower his guard. He set up defensive devices at the stairwells and doorways before resting with the little sister. They slept for a full three hours until they were jolted awake by a world-shaking explosion, prompting both of them to rush out of the room.

The sky had turned pale. At the entrance of the settlement, smoke and dust soared a hundred meters into the air. Another section of the city wall had collapsed, and judging by the location, the gate had likely fallen as well. Electromagnetic cannons stood on both sides of the city gate; if the gate truly had fallen, most likely those two electromagnetic cannons could not be saved either.

Li Juxu and the little sister exchanged glances, both seeing the helplessness and shock in each other's eyes. At this point, the city wall was practically nonexistent. Gunfire and explosions inside the settlement suddenly multiplied; needless to say, a large number of volcano scorpions had poured in, making previously safe areas unsafe.

People who had been hiding like the two of them were forced to enter a state of combat, fighting while retreating.

"Let's go to the hotel." Li Juxu had originally planned to rely on their own strength to roam the battlefield and pick up some scraps—potentials for medical agents were out of the question, but getting a few good guns would be nice. Now, he had to change his plan; safety came first.

The entrance of the Utopia Hotel was crammed with hunters.

"I'm begging you, we won't go in, just let the injured ones inside, please! I can pay you money, whatever amount you want..."