"...If the mission succeeds, 3 million copper coins. If it fails, 500,000 copper coins. During the mission, don't be stingy with bullets; fire as needed. All your expenses during the mission are on me. Here's the contract. Take a look, and if there are no issues, sign it." It was evident that Pu Shaoyun was indeed not short of money; his tone was extremely confident.
"When do we leave?" Li Juxu carefully read through the entire contract. This was very important. Some teams were treacherous, inserting clauses that seemed reasonable but actually concealed deadly traps. He had never encountered this himself, but many rookies had fallen for it. They would complete the mission perfectly, yet not receive the corresponding reward, with no one to appeal to because it was all written clearly in black and white.
Pu Shaoyun's contract was very正规, above board, with no hidden tricks.
"Eight o'clock tonight. Assemble here at seven," Pu Shaoyun said.
"I'll be here by 6:30," Li Juxu replied.
"Need to purchase any supplies? I have connections; I can get you a 20% discount," Pu Shaoyun reminded him.
Pausing for a moment at the door, Li Juxu tossed out a sentence: "12.3mm sniper rounds, 10 boxes of chocolate." Since Pu Shaoyun was being so generous, he wouldn't stand on ceremony.
A sniper's job could be rather monotonous, spending long periods lying in one place without moving. Chewing on something could effectively help relax the body and ease tension. Usually, he chewed candy because it was cheap. Chocolate was high in energy and tasted good, providing energy while relaxing—it was the best supplementary food. However, it was too expensive, and he usually couldn't bear to buy it.
At eight o'clock in the evening, the team departed on time. When Li Juxu saw the five beast-like war vehicles, he was deeply shocked, and he also understood why Pu Shaoyun dared to choose to set out at night.
On the Planet of Ten Thousand Beasts, due to a bizarre magnetic field and an unknown force that humanity had yet to fully understand, high-tech equipment was almost unusable. Radios, communication devices, radar—tools that were extremely mature and practical on the home planet—were all unusable on the Planet of Ten Thousand Beasts. Currently, only a small amount of high-tech tools could be used within the settlements.
Vehicles could only be used on the Planet of Ten Thousand Beasts after being modified to remove parts that would conflict with the planet's conditions. The only limiting factor on their numbers was cost. The Planet of Ten Thousand Beasts was 50 light-years away from the home planet. Whether shipping a complete vehicle or transporting materials to assemble one on the planet, it cost a fortune. The shipping cost was more than ten times the value of the vehicle itself.
Anyone without considerable wealth wouldn't even dare to entertain the thought.
Calculating based on 10 people per vehicle, this team had at least 50 people. In Settlement 11, this was already a remarkably large team. The vast majority of teams had around 10 people. Settlement 11 wasn't that big; it was difficult for large teams to sustain themselves there.
Li Juxu rode in the last vehicle. Everyone else had already boarded; he was the last one. As soon as he got on, the convoy set off. Including Li Juxu, there were 10 people in the cargo compartment. The space was quite large, so it wasn't cramped. If the driver and co-driver positions were similarly configured, that would make 12 people per vehicle.
Li Juxu quietly observed the others. Their reactions were similar; everyone was sizing each other up. From this, Li Juxu knew that these people were all hired temporarily and were unfamiliar with one another. This gave him a slight sense of foreboding about whether the mission could be successfully completed.
A team that hasn't trained together—if the mission had no difficulty, it might be fine. But once an emergency arises, coordination and teamwork would definitely be problematic. A small mistake could cost lives. Judging from the situation of the sniper who had shared a hospital room with his contact, the mission difficulty was definitely not small.
However, he was already on the vehicle. It was useless to talk about it now. Li Juxu suspected that everyone on board was here for the high pay. What Pu Shaoyun offered was indeed a lot.
Li Juxu had only been to Settlement 11 twice before and wasn't very familiar with it, so he didn't recognize anyone on the vehicle. But based on their builds and demeanors, he could roughly guess their specialties. The big guy was probably a strength-type, usually the team's firepower担当, standard issue being a Type 38 submachine gun. Given Pu Shaoyun's financial resources, a Vulcan cannon was a likely possibility. The one on the left had alert eyes and was probably skilled in reconnaissance. The one on the right had knuckles wrapped in thick calluses, which came from close-quarters combat. The person opposite had a large backpack, contents unknown...
No one spoke. It was very quiet inside the compartment.
"It's quite a long way. We won't reach our destination until dawn. Everyone can rest for now," said the young man in the passenger seat, turning back to address everyone. He was probably one of Pu Shaoyun's trusted men.
Hearing this, no one stood on ceremony. One by one, they closed their eyes. Any veteran who had done a few missions knew how important it was to conserve energy and be well-rested before a mission. Li Juxu also closed his eyes, but he couldn't sleep. Maybe it was because of the strength potion, or because he had rested for several days and had enough sleep, he felt energetic and didn't feel the need to rest.
There was no denying the defensive capabilities of the war vehicle, but it had a drawback: poor comfort. The Planet of Ten Thousand Beasts had almost no roads. Only these war vehicles, with their exceptional off-road capability, could manage. Ordinary vehicles wouldn't stand a chance. But even for these war vehicles, speed couldn't be high—averaging around 50 km/h.
Pu Shaoyun did not reveal the specific details of the mission. This was not because he had forgotten; many missions, in order to prevent leaks, were only disclosed upon arrival at the destination. Li Juxu did not speculate about the mission. He was no longer a rookie and had long passed the age of being plagued by doubts and anxieties. Yet, despite himself, a face as enchanting as a celestial being surfaced in his mind—Zhao Huier, his girlfriend, and his only remaining family in this world.
Although Zhao Huier was not an orphan, her situation was little different from one. She was born with a certain illness and abandoned by her biological parents, only to be saved by her adoptive parents, who managed to cure her. But happiness was short-lived. When she was fifteen, her adoptive parents died in a car accident. Around that time, her biological parents found her again. However, her joy was fleeting; soon after, she was diagnosed with central nervous system cancer. Once again, she was abandoned by her biological parents. Li Juxu found it difficult to comprehend how parents could be so cruel—to abandon their own flesh and blood, not once, but twice...
His mind wandered aimlessly until, unnoticed, he drifted off to sleep. Suddenly, an intense sense of unease struck him, jolting him awake. He opened his eyes to the dim interior of the vehicle. The first thing he saw was a pair of resolute eyes—those of the tallest and most muscular among the ten men. His frame was like rock, and even while seated, he loomed like an iron tower, exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure. This man had awakened at almost the same moment, also sensing the approaching danger. Instinctively, Li Juxu looked outside. In the rearview mirror, a faint red light rapidly approached. Every hair on his body stood on end as he roared, "Rocket-propelled grenade! Ambush—"