Chapter 292 Interstellar Journey: Escape from the Mutant Forest
"That's too cunning! We agreed that everyone would rely on their own abilities, how could you run away first!"
Sera gave a disgruntled rebuke, fearing that Lu Xuan might actually agree, and quickly said, "My name is Sera, a cadre of the Dream Mercenary Group. We Dream Mercenaries are on the same level as Morning Star, and our strength is no less than theirs. You can consider joining us."
After saying that, remembering that Lu Jia also had the status of being the number one on the gift list that made Lu Xuan treat him differently, she added, "Although I am not as willing to spend money on gifts as Lu Jia, I am still ranked in the top 100 on your gift list."
So you can't just favor Luca because he spent a lot of money on you.
Sera's introduction seemed to have flipped a switch, and others followed suit, extending invitations one after another.
"Assal, vice-captain of the Thor Mercenary Group, our mercenary group has many warmongers. You won't be disappointed if you join us."
Lu Xuan: "?" What do you mean? It's like he's a battle maniac too.
The gentle-looking young man said, "My name is Lan Yi, and I am a cadre of the Liuguang Mercenary Group. If you join us, you can immediately become a cadre and receive the same dividends as other cadres in our mercenary group, which is part of the S-level mercenary group. Even if you don't go on missions, you can still receive at least a billion star coins a year."
The cold-looking man beside him said succinctly, "The Nightfall Mercenary Group, as long as you're willing to join, name your price."
The others also introduced themselves, including the previously lively blond youth Roland. Without exception, they were all cadres or members of the S-class mercenary groups mentioned earlier that had management authority over mercenary groups.
Lu Xuan was surprised when he learned of Lu Jia's identity, but he quickly calmed down when he found out that all of them were the same.
On the contrary, the members of the Red Maple Mercenary Group were dumbfounded as they mentioned one S-class mercenary group after another.
The leader is from an S-rank mercenary group, and the others are too?!
They clearly didn't see any of the high-ranking members of the S-class groups they had met among the mercenaries looking like this!
So, did everyone in Twilight wear biological masks?
While it's understandable, it still makes one want to vomit blood.
The most powerful group of mercenaries in the entire Star Alliance has actually come here to become space pirates and rob others for fun. You guys are going too far!
wrong!
Finn shuddered.
They hadn't received a single word of it before, but now Luca and the others suddenly made no attempt to hide their secret from them. Could it be that they were planning to silence them afterward?
Those who considered this possibility exchanged a look of horror.
Luca did not stop the others, but waited until they had all finished speaking before throwing out more chips.
"I bet someone in the live stream mentioned that I'm also a special type of ability user, and that my ability is different from yours. Are you interested?"
Lu Xuan glanced at him but did not answer.
Luca said, "If you join the Twilight Mercenary Group, I can give you the same benefits that the other groups can offer you, and I can even replicate my abilities for you for free. How about that? I also know several people with special abilities, and I can help you find ways to acquire them."
The others cursed Luca as cunning.
Although their strength is not bad, they are all of the common type.
It's not that other S-class mercenary groups don't have special abilities, it's just that they weren't present. Even if they said they could replicate Lu Xuan later, it would seem less sincere than Lu Jia being there in person, and they might even be suspected of making empty promises.
Lu Xuan said calmly, "I think there will always be opportunities to gain more abilities in the future."
There's no need to join a mercenary group and be bound by others for this.
Luca narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he understood Luca's concerns, and said with a smile, "If you are afraid that you will lose your freedom if you join Twilight, I can guarantee that you can be my equal as the vice leader after you join. If you want, you can even be on top of me."
"Hiss—" Before Luca could react, the Red Maple Mercenary Group couldn't help but gasp.
Sera, Assal, and the others also looked rather grim.
Apart from Yan Xiao, who is the vice-commander of Yao Ye, the others are all just officers.
With Lu Xuan's level of ability, joining an S-class mercenary group as an officer would be no problem at all. But even if he was strong enough, they didn't have the authority to make him the vice leader.
Otherwise, the leader of the Twilight Mercenary Group wouldn't be Luca.
Not only because he was the strongest among them, but also because he held the highest authority among the S-class mercenary groups.
Without exception, the leaders of S-class mercenary groups are all level eight ability users, but these people have long since stopped taking charge and spend most of their time searching the entire interstellar space for opportunities to break through to level nine. They might not even return to the mercenary group once every eight or ten years.
The main managers of mercenary groups are the level 7 vice-leaders, such as Luca and Yan Xiao.
Luca and the leader of the Morning Star Mercenary Group are sworn brothers, or perhaps Luca once saved their leader's life. Luca is truly the undisputed leader of the Morning Star Mercenary Group.
Although Yan Xiao is also a deputy leader, Yao Ye has two deputy leaders.
Yan Xiao couldn't make a decision without consulting another person, even if the person he was trying to win over was an eighth-level ability user.
Lu Xuan hadn't actually changed his mind, but since Lu Jia was the top fan in his live stream, he still nodded out of courtesy and said, "I'll consider it."
Luca stared at him for a while, then stopped pressing the issue and smiled, "Then take your time to consider it. No rush. How about we make a deal first?"
Upon hearing this, the others immediately perked up.
Especially Sera of the Dream Mercenary Group, who was most interested in doing business and making money.
"That's right! Host Lu, you have so many good items on you, you can't possibly use them all by yourself, you must be looking for suitable trading partners to sell them, right? We are a great choice! As long as you are willing to trade, you can name your price!"
The others nodded in agreement.
If you want something good, you can't haggle; otherwise, you'll only benefit others.
S-class mercenary groups are not short of money; they have the resources to say such a thing.
Lu Xuan toyed with the tip of the vampire vine with his fingertips and casually asked, "What do you want?"
This means you're willing to trade.
The others immediately rushed to name the items their mercenary groups had their eyes on.
Sera: "I want to trade all the natural food you have—grains, vegetables, meat, eggs, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and seafood too!"
These items are numerous and may not seem to be of high value to an S-class mercenary group, but in reality, once the supply is sufficient, it can enable Dream's business to expand rapidly in a short period of time.
Asar and Yan Xiao both expressed their desire to trade for high-level crystal cores, which would allow them to quickly replenish their depleted supernatural abilities during battles.
Both of them were clearly pragmatists.
Of course, they also wanted food, especially since they knew that Lu Xuan had been brewing wine himself and accelerating its aging process after acquiring the time-manipulation ability.
After a thrilling battle, if you could enjoy a few bottles of fine wine made from natural ingredients, along with some snacks, this would be the kind of blissful life that was once known as the "immortal life" in ancient times!
Lan Yi said gently, "I would like to trade for more gene evolution fluid."
The Liuguang Mercenary Group has the fewest members among the S-rank mercenary groups, and they are eager to increase their membership.
The loyalty of people recruited from outside is hard to determine. With enough evolution fluid, they can select the best people from the relatives of the original members to provide evolution fluid, and then cultivate and recruit the awakened people into the group.
After the others finished speaking, Lu Xuan looked at Lu Jia, who remained silent and let the others speak.
"Morning Star has no needs?"
Luca smiled and said, "How could there not be? It's just that I'm different from them. I'm interested in everything you have. Morning Star will take anything you're willing to trade."
Sera and the others: You're so greedy!
Don't they want anything else? They're just afraid Lu Xuan will find their heart-to-heart talk annoying, so they're asking for the most important supplies.
Lu Xuan didn't say that Lu Jia was too greedy.
He didn't have any ill feelings towards the S-class mercenary groups as long as they could afford the price. What difference did it make who he traded with?
Lu Xuan said, "The resources you mentioned can all be traded, but each guild can only sell a maximum of three level 7 or higher crystal cores, and level 8 cores cannot be sold. Evolution fluid will also be subject to quotas."
The group had expected this.
Both of these items are scarce, especially the level 7 crystal core, which can be life-saving in critical moments. Of course, it's impossible to let them buy as many as they want.
Lu Xuan also needs to keep an eye on the new products in the streamer's shop if he wants to get crystal cores.
Furthermore, some should be kept for personal use.
All five mercenary groups placed orders for these scarce items without hesitation.
For level 7 crystal cores, people buy them at the maximum limit; for level 5 and 6 crystal cores, each household buys at least a few hundred or a thousand; and for low-level crystal cores, people buy them in the tens of thousands.
The main force of the mercenary group consists of high-level ability users who don't need low-level crystal cores, but their relatives and friends are mostly low-level ability users, so buying them wouldn't be a waste.
Lu Xuan allocated each family 10 vials of evolution fluid, and they took them all.
Next are other natural foods.
The amount of mutated fruits should also be limited because they can improve physical condition and enhance the efficacy of the evolution fluid.
Each household only sold 10,000 jin.
The modified staple foods, including rice, flour, corn, sweet potatoes, and other varieties, are ordered by each household in quantities of over 100,000 jin (50,000 kg).
There are even more mutated vegetables, exceeding 200,000 jin;
Each household produces 50,000 to 100,000 catties of seafood and mutated meat.
The quantities of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, eggs, and cow and sheep milk are smaller, but can reach tens of thousands of kilograms, thousands of pieces, or hundreds of barrels.
In addition, each family bought about 100 kilograms of honey and hundreds of barrels of various kinds of alcoholic beverages.
Lu Xuan had already drunk up the little bit of monkey wine he obtained in the first year of the cataclysm.
He now possesses several types of fruit wines that he researched and made himself, which have been accelerated by his time-traveling ability. They have a rich and mellow flavor with a long finish, and are in no way inferior to monkey wine.
Besides fruit wines, there are also grain-based spirits such as baijiu (Chinese white liquor), rice wine, and special medicinal wines like deer blood wine and tiger bone wine.
The total value of all these items is immeasurable.
The marginalized Finn and others almost fainted after only a few calculations.
It's certain that this is an astronomical price they couldn't earn in several lifetimes.
Lu Xuan knew the significance of an S-class mercenary group, and he wouldn't mind making friends with them.
Therefore, when it came time to settle the accounts, we gave them a discount.
Other mercenary groups offer a 10% discount, while Luca's Morning Star Mercenary Group offers a 15% discount.
Luca inevitably received envious and sour looks from Sera and the others.
Luca didn't seem to care at all; his smile grew even brighter.
Fein and the others were also taken aback by Lu Xuan's extravagant gesture.
Don't be fooled by the seemingly small discounts of 10% or 8.5%. Considering the volume of these purchases, the savings can be far more than just tens or hundreds of millions of star coins; they can save at least hundreds of millions of star coins.
That's a huge sum of money; even an S-class mercenary group might not earn that much on a single mission.
Now look at Lu Xuan.
A single transaction with the five top-tier S-class mercenary groups netted them billions!
However, everyone present knew that Lu Xuan was not short of money, while the S-class mercenary group, although it earned a lot, also had considerable expenses. Therefore, with both sides willing to cooperate, the final settlement method was Star Coins plus other assets.
After the transaction, Lu Xuan directly acquired more than a dozen properties and prime shops on Mercenary Star.
The mercenary groups were all very cunning, choosing locations very close to their own territory, or even upscale residential areas or prime commercial properties where their own family members lived. Their intentions were obvious to anyone who knew.
Luca was the most cunning of them all; the property address happened to be right next to Luca's.
Lu Xuan wasn't aware of this, but the few days he spent on Mercenary Star were enough for him to understand what these addresses meant.
He had no objection to it.
He may not settle on Mercenary Star in the future, so no matter where these businesses are located, he won't lose money.
Even if the prime shop continues to generate income, he still benefits from it all along.
Therefore, when handing over the goods, he also gave them some processed by-products, which added up to several thousand kilograms.
When the others noticed, they didn't hesitate and accepted them all.
Once the transaction was completed, Sera and the others put away the bulk of the money, and then each kept a little of their favorite food, showing it off on the spot.
Sera and Lan Yi each peeled a mutated durian and a mutated mangosteen for themselves to eat, while Asar and Yan Xiao each took a bottle of strong pure grain liquor, clinked bottles together, and started drinking it on the spot.
The others also picked out food that could be eaten on its own, and Roland even shared some with Finn and the others, making the latter feel very flattered.
Judging from this, they probably won't kill them, right?
That's true, they're not real space pirates.
We're all in the same industry, and as long as they don't talk too much, given the magnanimity of an S-class mercenary group, there's really no need to take it too seriously.
Luca was the only one who didn't rush to enjoy the food.
After collecting the supplies, he asked Lu Xuan, "Considering the pleasant transaction, would you consider maintaining long-term trade relations with Morning Star?"
"Cough, cough—" Sera, who was enjoying her meal, was suddenly robbed of her food and glared angrily at Luca with her beautiful eyes.
Damn it, he ran away again!
Just as she was about to speak up and compete, Lu Xuan said, "I'll think about it."
The tone was exactly the same as when I had just received their invitation to join the group.
Upon hearing this, Asar and the others immediately abandoned their idea of asking questions.
Anyway, it's pointless to ask.
They readily changed the subject, praising the deliciousness of natural foods.
Even if a long-term cooperative relationship cannot be reached, it is still possible to improve the relationship first.
As long as they can maintain a closer relationship than Lu Jia, so close that Lu Xuan wouldn't even realize the identity of the top leader on the leaderboard, then when Lu Xuan has an idea, he won't let Chen Xing take the biggest advantage again.
Lu Xuan would occasionally reply to them, but his mind was still mostly on Lu Jia.
It wasn't because the other person was my number one fan.
When the supplies were being handed over, he was quite certain that when Luca took the spatial ring from him, he touched the other man's finger.
Strangely, he didn't realize he had gained any new superpowers.
Did the viewers in the live stream and Luca both lie, or...?
With this question in mind, Lu Xuan stared at Lu Jia's hands hanging by his side for a moment, and then discovered... that on the other party's fingers, which seemed to be wearing nothing, there was clearly a layer of transparent gloves that were almost invisible to the naked eye!
Tsk.
No wonder he dared to say he would only give him the ability to replicate if he agreed to join the group; it turns out he had already made complete preparations before chasing after him.
His ability to replicate doesn't limit the body part, meaning that not only his arms, but other parts of Luca's body may have been isolated in advance by a special 'protective suit'.
As for the face, it's even simpler.
Putting aside the fact that he wouldn't touch another man's face for no reason, even if it was to replicate his ability, Luca was most likely wearing a biological mask, which was itself a layer of protection.
Luca noticed the change in his eyes, as if he had guessed something, and gave him a meaningful smile with a hint of smugness.
Lu Xuan: "..." Heh.
Just as the transaction was going well and the atmosphere was harmonious, countless flying mutant beasts in the depths of the forest were suddenly startled and scattered.
Then came the panicked howls of other land animals, and... a sudden tremor in the ground.
The mercenaries, who had been eating and drinking just moments before, quickly put away their unfinished food and immediately went on alert.
"What happened?"
"Could it be that some daring person has provoked a high-level mutated beast here and caused trouble again?"
Yan Xiao shook his head, "Even the most daring person couldn't be bolder than Lu Xuan in provoking an eighth-level expert."
Lu Xuan dared to step forward because his own strength had also reached level eight, which was considered a battle between equals.
Just as he thought of this, Yan Xiao suddenly had a flash of inspiration and seemed to understand something.
The others who became members of an S-class mercenary group were not stupid either, and they realized something as well.
Sure enough, an aura even stronger than the pressure Lu Xuan released during his battle with the giant octopus suddenly burst forth from the depths of the forest.
Everyone, including Lu Xuan, changed their expressions after feeling an unprecedented sense of heaviness and coldness.
The only thing that could make Lu Xuan feel pressured, or even threatened, was—Level Nine!
Luca's smile vanished, and he said without hesitation, "Let's go!"
When Lu Xuan was at level seven, he never even considered facing level eight head-on. Level nine is a completely different level of power compared to level eight.
Once they truly clash, there will only be one outcome.
die.
Therefore, the idea of resistance or killing someone of a higher level is simply impossible to come up with.
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Jia and Lu Xuan darted out towards the outer perimeter almost simultaneously.
The others were also fast, following closely behind the two as they quickly escaped.
Originally, the Red Maple Mercenary Group was slower than the others, but Lu Xuan released the Bloodsucking Vine again to entangle them, so they were no longer afraid of falling behind.
During their escape, Lu Jia quickly explained the purpose of the level nine creature to Lu Xuan, who was not very familiar with the background.
"The pressure you released when you fought the level eight octopus probably spread to the territory of a level nine mutated creature. Any beast or human of a lower level who rashly releases pressure on it will be seen as a provocation."
So now, this unidentified level-nine mutated creature has responded to the provocation.
Most of the mutated beasts in the forest could not withstand the fear brought by the level nine pressure, let alone the consequences of the anger of the level nine mutated creatures.
In order to survive, the mutated beasts that can move in the forest will frantically move away from the areas with the densest level nine pressure, that is, away from the central area.
The result of most of the mutated beasts fleeing at the same time is that a beast tide is coming!
Sera, Assar, and the others secretly lamented their bad luck.
Last time, they were already unlucky enough to be implicated in a fight with a giant octopus after accidentally encountering Lu Xuan, but this time they actually triggered a beast tide. Is there anyone more unlucky than them?
While Sorenson does occasionally experience beast tides due to fights between high-level beasts or other unexpected incidents, these are mostly small-scale and only affect certain areas.
A massive beast tide that truly engulfs the entire mutated forest might not occur even once every few decades.
They've caught up with us now, and we don't know if we can escape unscathed.
They were confident they could take down one or two mutated beasts of the same level, and even if there were two or three more, they could retreat with ease if they put in a little effort.
If dozens or even hundreds of mutated beasts of the same or first level go berserk, not only them, but even Lu Xuan would not be able to laugh.
Both are beast tides, but the mutated beast tide of the Star Alliance and the beast tide of the ancient plane are not even in the same league.
Lu Xuan had to admit that it was a miscalculation of him to rashly engage in a fight with the giant octopus without fully understanding Sorenson and the mutated beast horde.
...
The group of several dozen people quickly ran to a relatively spacious area.
Without needing any prompting, everyone tacitly took out their mechs.
What Lu Xuan took out was the Master-level mecha that he had bought a few years ago during a holiday flash sale.
Remembering that several of the Red Maple Mercenary Group's mechs had been damaged by the giant octopus, he took out a few spare mechs and gave them to Finn and the others.
Everyone boarded the mechs as quickly as possible, and only after those who couldn't pilot them jumped onto the mechs' shoulders did they really go full throttle and run away!
However, it's not something that can be done in a short time to escape from the inner area near the center.
They had barely boarded their mechs when they were surrounded by advanced mutant beasts living nearby.
Level 7 mutated black bear, Level 7 mutated leopard, Level 7 mutated tiger, Level 7 mutated python, Level 7 mutated falcon, Level 6 wolf pack, Level 6 mutated vulture flock...
Because advanced mutated creatures all have their own territories, the overall number of these level six and seven mutated beasts is not as exaggerated as that of the lower-level ones.
However, the threat posed by hundreds of level six or seven beasts far exceeds that of ten or a hundred times more low-level mutated beasts.
The ordinary mercenaries, including Finn, who were only at the highest level five, were constantly enduring the oppressive aura of these high-level mutated beasts at close range.
Even though most of the oppressive force had been isolated by the mecha, the remaining pressure still soaked them in sweat, and their faces were deathly pale.
In their extreme fear, the beasts' already cold eyes became even more ferocious than usual. Seeing these foreign two-legged creatures seemed to provide an outlet for their inner terror, and their eyes were filled with hostility and murderous intent.
As the level-seven mutated black bear roared and charged forward, the other beasts seemed to receive a signal, and various supernatural attacks quickly materialized and rained down on them.
While quickly defending, everyone also launched a counterattack immediately.
To reduce the pressure, several clearly custom-designed mechs took out their energy cannons and unleashed a barrage of fire at the densely packed mutated beasts.
Once their numbers dwindled and the surviving mutant beasts dispersed, they switched to using supernatural abilities to attack.
Lu Xuan was also able to witness the fighting style and strength of the S-class mercenaries.
Suddenly, four clay giants, each as large as the mech, appeared around Asar's mech.
As soon as these earth giants appeared, they swung their thick arms and viciously slapped and trampled the surrounding mutated beasts. Each attack could severely injure at least three to five mutated beasts or knock several away.
As these mutated beasts lost control of their bodies in mid-air, a giant fire phoenix, or rather, an immortal bird, opened its beak and spewed flames at them, setting their fur ablaze and leaving them only able to scream in agony.
Those who manage to dodge will be met with several giant fire whips, which Sera, piloting a similarly fiery red mech, wields with ruthless and dashing flair.
Wherever the fire whip passed, death or maiming was the only outcome.
This applies to mutated beasts that are swatted away, and of course, it also applies to flying mutated beasts.
Besides Sera, there was another fire-type ability user on Muye's side named Felix.
When Sera gained control of the air, he used his powers to summon beasts formed from condensed flames.
The Flame Tiger Leopard faced off against the Mutant Tiger Leopard, letting them fight it out.
In addition to possessing the attack power expected of a ferocious beast, the Flame Tiger Leopard also comes with the added advantage of a fire attack. With this two-pronged approach, even if it is one level lower, it can still inflict heavy damage on the mutated beast.
Lan Yi, a water-type creature, and Yan Xiaoze, an ice-type creature, worked together to stop the mutated beasts from chasing them. Once the mutated beasts were frozen over a large area, any nearby companion could easily kill them by breaking the ice sculptures.
Even if a beast manages to break through the ice, its speed will be reduced after its body is frozen, and it can be sent away with a single energy cannon shot.
These are just relatively ordinary attacks; what's truly bizarre is Luca's side.
The mutated beasts surrounding Luca acted extremely strangely. Instead of attacking Luca's mech, they turned on each other and frantically attacked the other mutated beasts around them.
Others, who clearly intended to attack the mechs, suddenly went blind and rushed past them to some inexplicable place, only to fall directly into the mouth of a similarly crazed level seven carnivorous plant and be swallowed whole.
Even more outrageous, some mutated beasts actually self-destructed on the spot, killing several unlucky members of their kind who were caught in the blast.
The bizarre way the enemy was defeated inevitably reminded Lu Xuan of hypnotic abilities.
But Luca had previously said that his special ability was not the one he currently possessed, so it wasn't hypnosis.
Unfortunately, now is not the time to explore these things.
While the others made their moves, Lu Xuan also released his Bloodsucking Vines to assist them, while he himself would occasionally unleash a barrage of lightning strikes.
During the battle, the group did not stay in one place, but continued to move.
About half an hour later, they began to encounter other people who were also fleeing.
Some of them were piloting mechs, while others were running wildly on their own two legs through the dense, difficult forest, looking much more disheveled and terrified than the others.
"Damn it, how could there be a beast tide!"
"We heard a lot of noise earlier, like some high-level mutated beasts were fighting. I guess these beasts were affected."
"What kind of mutated beast is so powerful? All the beasts in the forest have gone on a rampage! Don't let me catch them, or I'll kill them all!"
Before he could finish his threats, a mutated wolf suddenly darted out from the side and bit off the man's head.
Before long, more wolves appeared and quickly engulfed the man's still convulsing body.
His companions didn't even have time to grieve; they could only flee even more desperately, fearing they would become the next unlucky ones to be tackled.
Sera happened to witness this scene while fighting, and suddenly realized that there were people even more unlucky than them.
In truth, these people are the ones who have suffered an undeserved misfortune.
Sera suddenly felt much better.
Once the battle situation stabilized somewhat, Lu Xuan reopened the live streaming system and started broadcasting.
Many viewers had been waiting in the live stream room for it to restart, and as soon as the screen lit up again, they immediately sent messages asking the streamer what secrets he had shared with the Night Star Thieves.
They had only typed half of the text when they saw countless mutated beasts, their expressions ferocious, charging towards them.
The audience: "!?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Reader "Yan" has donated +1 nutrient solution.
Reader "Xuan" watered the plants with nutrient solution +5 on 2025-09-04 at 06:59:38.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com