Several Autochthonous Warriors each raised their weapons, and with a series of thunderous clangs, they fired. All the bandits collapsed in response, the whole skirmish taking less than five seconds. As the last gunshot echoed and bodies fell, the plains returned to their original silence.
A silence so deliberate that even breathing was controlled with care.
Bu watched the emotionless killing by the Autochthonous Warriors and swallowed hard to himself. These guys were too strong, far beyond the comprehension of the people on Taoran Star. Although Taoran Star had birthed so mutants or different kinds of people with special abilities, the Autochthonous Warriors felt far more terrifying to Bu than those mutants or different individuals.
They were pure killing machines, humanoid weapons, eliminating their targets with utmost efficiency, and they also wielded inconceivably advanced alien weapons.
It was this exact power that Bu so desperately craved. The people struggling to survive on Taoran Star all lanted their own lack of strength, fearful of becoming prey to powerful monsters or being eliminated by rivals in the Shelter. The power of the Autochthonous Warriors fascinated Bu, and he couldn't help but think that if he could possess such power, he would be prestigious and respected not only in the Shelter but across the entire planet.
However, Bu was careful not to show his eagerness too openly, nor did he grovel too obsequiously before Bai Zhongqi. He smartly knew that Bai Zhongqi had his own intentions on Taoran Star; serving Bai well would likely pay off.
Bai Zhongqi looked at the bandit leader's head, now burst open under his feet. He had swiftly dispatched dozens of people, but such scenes no longer stirred any emotions in him. During his first defensive battle on Teizene Earth and the Gigite Star battle, the Iridium Star Earth Fleet had annihilated millions of Teizenens, all buried by his own hands. He was undoubtedly still a kind man, compassionate, but he had no cheap grace to spare for these bandits.
They had blocked his path, and he had killed them. Simple and sensible.
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The convoy set off again, and for so reason, its mbers had beco much quieter. Bai Zhongqi kept the automatic cruise control on, Nan Ma and Hu seed lost in thought, and the hunters from Shelter 101 looked at Bai and his companions with undeniable fear.
This sowhat awkward and uncomfortable journey eventually reached its endpoint. The terrain of the plains began to undulate more, and at the horizon, one could now see the silhouette of a mountain range. Though it was not particularly tall, it served as a barrier, separating the plains from whatever lay on the other side.
"We are now at Bei Mountain," Bu said to Bai Zhongqi, looking towards the mountains.
This wasn't Bu's first ti here; he had many experiences and mories associated with this mountain range.
To Bai Zhongqi, the mountains weren't majestic or scenic. They were ordinary, even sowhat ugly.
"The big market is at the top of the main peak of this mountain range. I've heard that it used to be the satellite launch center of Tuoluo Shan Country. People leveled the mountain peak to build a six-lane road leading to the launch center. Every ti I think of Taoran Star's nations before the nuclear war, I can't help but admire the extraordinary abilities of those ancient people," Bu said with a slight sense of awe.
Such engineering capabilities, naturally, weren't particularly impressive to Bai Zhongqi. Nations on old Earth had the sa level, even stronger.
Hu, sitting in the vehicle, looked at the mountain peak, seemingly stirred by mories. He said to Bai Zhongqi, "The spaceship I took was launched from here."
Bai Zhongqi was sowhat surprised. He didn't know if this was a coincidence, just looking at Hu with skepticism. After going in circles, Hu had returned to the place he had once left this planet. But there were no traces of the past here anymore.
Bu hadn't heard what Hu had conveyed to Bai Zhongqi telepathically and continued, "After the aliens arrived here, they made so modifications, but exactly what they did is beyond our knowledge."
If Bai Zhongqi still had his vast drone army at his disposal, he would deploy nurous unmanned reconnaissance devices to thoroughly scan Bei Mountain. Even if they were hiding underground, he would be able to capture any of their military installations. Unfortunately, in the absence of quantum communication, these unmanned devices could not operate as quickly or sensitively as usual, nor could they coordinate in battle.
Bai Zhongqi thought to himself, "Tomorrow is the day those benefactors are supposed to co, but so far, the Yinglong Cruiser hasn't detected any signs of warp activity. Are these benefactors planning to arrive on the last day?"
Bai Zhongqi didn't realize that he had already fallen into a misconception, that the benefactors had never left this planet. Although the benefactors held a big market tour twice a year, they weren't coming from outer space to Taoran Star, as they were actually always on Taoran Star.
Bu said to Bai Zhongqi, "We are a bit late. Many hunting groups from different shelters arrive three days early and set up stalls here, selling so of their shelter's items in exchange for needed supplies. The sa thing happens within the three days after trading with the aliens, so the whole market actually runs for seven days, with only one day dedicated to trading with the aliens."
Bai Zhongqi asked, "What is the process like for trading with the aliens?"
Bu smiled wryly, "What other process could there be? These aliens, unlike you, place great importance on procedure and decorum. Just their entrance alone takes up an entire morning. All the hunters and tradespeople from the shelters line up neatly and bow towards the alien spacecraft, and after a lot of fuss, the trade process begins."
Bu paused slightly, his expression a mix of resignation, "They call it trade, but it's really one-sided. Each shelter draws lots to decide their order of trade, and then we approach the radiant-eyed, extravagantly dressed alien officials, offer the Eternal Crystal Stones, and bow deeply three tis and nine tis in respect. The aliens take the Eternal Crystal Stones, and we get a chance to state what we need. But what the aliens give us in return depends entirely on their mood."
Bai Zhongqi listened, sowhat astounded, "Can it really be like that?"
Bu sighed, "It's never been a fair trade, so whatever we get, we accept. Most prefer to receive weapons. Last ti, so fool asked the aliens to create a never-ending food-producing bowl, and the aliens gave them a frog instead, which was downright laughable."
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