"Give me your belongings and I'll let you go. Of course, you could kill me—but then you'll get nothing. The bomb on me can level a hundred-meter radius in an instant. It's linked to my pulse. If my heart stops, it detonates." The huntress spoke calmly.
"Leave everything you have. You can go." After a short silence, Li Juxu decided there was no need to kill her—they had no grudge. Taking loot was safer and more rewarding than risking a fight.
On missions like this, bosses usually turned a blind eye to trophies taken from enemies.
He'd started with only a sniper rifle; coming back with extra gear was fine as long as he didn't take obvious large items. Pistols, daggers, and small supplies were unwritten rules. The boss cared about the mission, not loot. And by custom, trophies were split fifty-fifty anyway.
For maximum profit, letting her live was the best choice.
The huntress had plenty:
6 grenades,
2 boxes of micro-bombs,
1 spring dagger,
1 box of healing medicine,
2 pistols,
various tools,
and a pouch of gold coins.
"That's all."
Her last item was a small crossbow on her arm. She held out her hands.
"Want to frisk me?"
"You can go."
Li Juxu knew she was hiding more, but he stopped while he was ahead. Those two micro-bomb boxes alone were more than enough. They were capsule-sized but powerful enough to destroy a tank—impossible to buy legally, only rarely seen on the black market.
On the Beast Planet, they were top-tier weapons.
And the medicine? Worth a fortune, lifesaving in critical moments.
The huntress had an alluring, perfect figure, tempting even in the dark. But Li Juxu knew she was no helpless lamb—she was a rose with thorns. Up close, his chance of dying was 99%.
She vanished into the woods.
Li Juxu quickly stuffed the loot away… then froze at one item.
A glass bottle.
Inside was a live, active spider.
A crown spider—not gray.
Red.
The red-spotted crown spider.
Their entire mission target.
He returned to the battlefield. The fight was still going on; his allies were chasing the enemy, who fought back while fleeing. At night, visibility was poor—lots of noise, few kills.
Once Li Juxu rejoined, everything changed.
With his godlike vision, he set up his Burster-002B, fired 6 shots, and killed 5 enemies.
The enemy broke. They ran for their lives, not daring to counterattack.
His allies wanted to keep chasing, but Li Juxu stopped them.
He had the red-spotted crown spider. It was time to go home.
Hearing the mission was complete, they lost all desire to fight and agreed to retreat immediately.
Li Juxu didn't care if others looted the battlefield—he was taking the two enemy sniper rifles. They were high-quality; leaving them was a waste. The snipers' gear also suited him perfectly.
Everyone was eager to return, but traveling at night was torture, especially with wounded. They had to stop in a relatively open area to rest until morning.
As they chatted, Li Juxu learned the full story.
Except for Black Hornet, everyone was new to this mission and had underestimated it. After running into disaster in the woods, small teams and loners had banded together for safety. Black Hornet and Li Juxu had moved too fast and been separated.
Hours earlier, the night watch spotted movement.
The rival force Pu Shaoyun mentioned had found the red-spotted crown spider. Battle broke out at once—but they were outnumbered and outgunned, quickly suppressed.
The enemy was brutal. A sniper had shot Huadanlian in the leg, trying to lure the others into a trap. If Black Hornet and Li Juxu hadn't arrived in time, none would have survived.
After the battle, the team's attitude toward Li Juxu shifted.
Gone was the cold indifference; now there was clear respect.
He was quiet and awkward socially, but Black Hornet was a natural, chatting and laughing with everyone.
When morning came, the wounded were in bad shape.
No surgery in the woods, only rough bandaging. They were just holding on.
The group hurried out of the forest.
Pu Shaoyun was having morning tea. When he saw they had the spider, he was delighted.
The convoy raced back to the settlement.
It took half the time to return, traveling by day. No trouble on the road.
Everyone went to the hotel to rest.
Pu Shaoyun left immediately with the spider.
Li Juxu was thinking about his payment when one of Pu Shaoyun's aides knocked on his door.
"Your original contract: 3 million copper coins for completing the mission.
The boss promised triple pay later — 9 million.
You killed 9 enemies during the ambush: bonus 1 million.
You killed 14 in the forest: rounded to 1.5 million.
You killed a black bear: valued at 5 million. Normally you get half — 2.5 million. The boss gives you 3 million.
Found the red-spotted crown spider within three days: 200,000 bonus.
Loot from the mission, split evenly: 800,000 per person. The boss gives you 1 million, special treatment.
A one-time compensation for ammo and equipment: 3 million.
You found the spider — biggest credit — solo bonus: 2 million.
Total: 20,700,000 copper coins.
The boss rounded it up to 21 million.
You're the only one in the team with this treatment.
Check if it's okay. Sign here if no problem."
The aide laid down a pay slip and a bank card.
The boss was incredibly generous.
No problem at all.
Li Juxu signed his name.
"Pleasure working with you. Can we get your contact info? The boss wants to work with you again on future missions."