Make money by hiding in the interstellar battlefield!

"Thirty minutes, everyone did their job, and they worked quickly!"

As soon as Elon's stern shout fell, the entire team instantly entered a state of maximum efficiency in their evacuation. Not a single person uttered a word of complaint. In this life-or-death situation, everyone knew that every second of delay increased the danger.

The three mech pilots, exhausted, swiftly dragged the six-legged dog's carcass to a low-lying area in the dense forest. They pulled out animal fat they carried and poured it all over the pile of carcasses. The rainy season air in the jungle was humid, and the vegetation was saturated with moisture, so there was no need to worry about forest fires burning the carcasses. Their sole purpose was to delay the pursuit of the intelligent beast horde as much as possible and erase the most direct traces of blood.

Flames leaped up, and the pungent smell of burning mixed with the stench of beast blood filled the air. Without delay, the group quickly packed up all their supplies, hoisted their equipment, and swiftly retreated towards the stream.

Following the instructions of the old dog, everyone stepped into the icy stream one by one to thoroughly wash away the blood and animal fat that stained their bodies, leaving not a trace. Then, Doctor Rod took out a bucket-shaped sprayer and sprayed it repeatedly all over everyone. The pale green medicine, carrying an indescribable stench of decay, instantly enveloped everyone.

"This is a pheromone masking agent that can completely conceal the scent of humans and prevent them from being tracked by intelligent beasts. It smells bad, so please bear with it," Rhodes explained in a deep voice.

"What the hell is this smell! It smells like feces!" Peter frowned, covering his nose with disgust. He had grown up in the inner city and was used to a life of luxury. He had never been exposed to such a foul smell before, and his face turned pale instantly.

Rhodes's lips twitched involuntarily, and he smiled bitterly to himself—the core ingredient of this potion was indeed extracted from the feces of common herbivorous star beasts native to Mother Nest Star, but it was really inconvenient to say it out loud.

The team marched through the slippery jungle for two hours under the cover of night, until finally the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon.

As dawn broke, everyone's anxiety eased slightly. The intelligent beasts of Mother Nest Star naturally preferred to hunt at night, and the high-level intelligent beasts were extremely intelligent. They knew that if they confronted the human mech team head-on during the day, they would lose the cover of night and would not gain any advantage, thus greatly reducing the danger.

Once the sun had fully emerged from the forest and cast its light upon the jungle, Elon finally ordered a rest on the spot.

As soon as the order was given, everyone collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, their bodies soaked in sweat, their legs weak and trembling, almost completely exhausted.

"Captain, I suggest we abandon this mission immediately." Old Dog panted heavily, his expression extremely grave. "I've been a guide in the South City Valley for over a decade. I know all too well the significance of the Hydras. Those who can command the Hydras are at least medium-sized or larger intelligent beast tribes. Last night's six-legged dog was merely a scout. Who can guarantee that none of them slipped through the net and ran back to report? Once we're spotted by the main force, we'll all be doomed!"

These words instantly brought the atmosphere in the room to a freezing point.

Everyone understood the stakes involved—if they voluntarily abandoned the mission, they would not only receive no reward but also have to return double their deposit. However, facing the Beast Tribe, which controlled general-level intelligent beasts, their five broken D-level mortal mechs were utterly ineffective. Once surrounded, they would face certain death.

Elon frowned, his fingers clenched tightly, his face full of struggle and difficulty. After a long silence, he slowly spoke: "Since this concerns everyone's lives, we will not let the captain make decisions unilaterally. We will vote and the minority will obey the majority."

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Jian Sheng's eyes, and he cursed the old fox in his heart.

Wilderness expeditions have always been led by a captain, and life-or-death decisions have never involved democratic voting. Elon's actions at this moment are clearly a veiled suggestion that everyone vote to give up, so that he doesn't want to bear the responsibility of abandoning the mission, while also being able to walk away unscathed.

Just as everyone was about to raise their hands to vote, Pete, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, breaking the deadlock: "Wait, I know that the mission is now far more risky than expected, but if we rush back, we may not be able to escape the intelligent beasts' pursuit. Either way, it's a dangerous road. I have a plan, and we might as well listen to it."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and all eyes were fixed on Pete, waiting for him to continue.

"First, the original two-month exploration mission will be compressed to one month. Regardless of whether the target mineral vein is found, we will withdraw immediately when the time is up, without any delay. Second, the team's compensation will be increased by 30% on the basis. If the exploration results meet the target, I will add an additional 20%. I will not go back on my word!"

Pete's voice was firm and resolute, and the terms he offered were extremely tempting.

Elon immediately stood up, stepped forward, and tightly grasped Pete's hand, his face filled with emotion: "Pete, it's not about the money, it's just that I can't bear to risk our brothers' lives. This has nothing to do with money!"

After a heartfelt statement, Elon raised his hand to signal everyone to continue voting.

The result was no surprise: except for Old Dog, who insisted on abandoning the mission, everyone else chose to continue the mission.

People die for money, birds die for food; when faced with a sufficiently generous reward, some people are willing to take any risk.

Jian Sheng watched coldly, already understanding in his heart that Old Dog's worries and Elon's dilemma were nothing more than a charade performed for the inner-city researchers, with the sole purpose of raising their fees.

After a rest, the team set off again, and after another half-day of arduous trekking, finally arrived at the designated exploration area in Zone 49.

"We've finally reached the very edge of the valley. Once we cross that mountain ahead, we'll be in the outer sea of ​​Mother Nest!" Old Dog stood on the high ground, gazing at the distant, rolling mountains, and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"The ocean? I've never seen it before. I've heard that the tides and waves in the open sea can rise hundreds of meters high. Is that true?" Emma asked softly, her eyes full of curiosity.

"That's true. The gravity of the mother planet's satellites far exceeds that of Earth, and the tidal forces are extremely violent, making the seas perpetually treacherous." Old Dog nodded in response.

"Everyone, rest where you are. Old Dog and I will go scout out and select the final campsite," Elon instructed, then led Old Dog toward the forest ahead.

Ultimately, the camp was chosen on a small hillside backed by forest at the foot of the mountain. The high elevation offered a commanding view of the surrounding jungle, while the hillside and sparse trees provided cover, making it difficult for intelligent beasts in the distance to spot the camp. It was an excellent concealed defensive position.

The team once again divided the tasks and worked together: Jian Sheng scouted the area around the camp alone, selecting several concealed observation posts; the mechanic Cross focused on repairing the mechs, wiping parts and replenishing energy; the mech pilots used local materials to build simple defensive fortifications; Emma started a fire and cooked, taking care of the team's meals... Everything was in good order, and the mission was on track.

When it was his turn to be on duty that night, Elon quietly walked up to Jian Sheng and handed him a cloth bag full of blue beast crystals.

Last night, while cleaning up the six-legged dog beast corpse, a total of 107 soldier-level intelligent beast crystal cores were unearthed. Each core weighed less than 500 grams. According to the team's distribution rules, Jian Sheng received 18 cores.

Jian Sheng held the slightly cool beast crystals in his hand and roughly estimated that these crystal cores could be exchanged for 5000 blue crystal coins. This was the first income he had earned that truly belonged to him since he transmigrated to this world. The weight in his palm gave him a sense of security.

Since Xiaobaisheng opened his eyes, he has become more and more lively and active, and his body has quietly grown a size larger. However, he still cannot change his greedy and sleepy nature. Every time he finishes drinking Jiansheng's blood, he will curl up in his chest bag and fall fast asleep.

The next afternoon arrived in the blink of an eye. Jian Sheng woke up from his sleep and found that only Jerry and Da Ji Ba were left on duty in the camp. Two Gatling guns were mounted on their D-class mechs, and the black muzzles exuded a cold killing intent, indicating that they had entered the highest state of combat readiness.

"It seems that Old Man Elon's worries weren't all an act." Jian Sheng thought to himself, but then his mind went blank again. "The ammunition we brought on this trip was already limited. Even if the two Gatling guns were firing at full power, they wouldn't last more than three minutes. Once the intelligent beast horde finds the camp, it's still a dead end."

He gripped the beast crystal in his pocket. The last time he killed Hydra, the system consumed nearly half of its energy. Now that he had income, survival was the top priority. He decided to take out 80% of the crystal cores to recharge the system.

Having made up his mind, Jian Sheng went straight to Cross's tent. Cross was squatting on the ground, performing routine maintenance on KING's mecha. When he saw Jian Sheng come in, he looked a little surprised.

"Jiansheng? Is something the matter?"

"I need your help with something, and I'd appreciate it if you could keep it a secret." Jian Sheng's tone was calm, but his gaze was firm.

"Is your sniper rifle malfunctioning?" Cross asked instinctively.

Jian Sheng shook his head without explaining further. He first took out two beast crystals from his backpack and handed them to Kross, indicating that this was hush money.

Cross was completely bewildered, but he didn't rush to take it; he just looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"I'd like to test drive this mech," Jian Sheng said slowly, glancing at the D-class mortal mech beside him.

Cross was increasingly puzzled. The boy before him looked thin, but people who survived in the wilderness never judged a book by its cover. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "What are your ratings for body perception and electromagnetic tolerance?"

"Grade D"

"That's no problem. The Mortal Body Mech D-level compatibility is sufficient to operate it." Cross breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement.

Jian Sheng said no more, took out 14 beast crystals from the inner pocket of his chest bag, and handed them to Kross again: "Help me put all of these into the mecha's energy tank."

"It's just a test drive, it won't consume much energy at all, you don't need to use so much," Cross quickly advised.

Jian Sheng simply raised his hand stubbornly without offering any explanation. Seeing this, Cross had no choice but to do as he was told and fill all the beast crystals into the mecha's energy bar.

The process was exactly the same as last time, but this time, a massive amount of crystal energy surged into his body, far exceeding his previous tolerance limit. Jian Sheng felt a sharp pain in his brain, his vision went black, and he fell into a coma and passed out.

After an unknown amount of time, Jian Sheng slowly opened his eyes, and the system's cold notification sounded in his mind:

[System energy reserves: 5600 million kcal]

[Brain-to-brain fusion rate: 1.51%]

[Upgraded probability statistics function: Can simultaneously lock onto two targets, single energy consumption 10 kcal]

[Information storage function enabled: Energy consumption of 1 kcal per minute]

[Crystal Energy Sensing Capability: Grade D, Electromagnetic Tolerance: Grade D, Insufficient Upgrade Energy]

"How long was I unconscious?" Jian Sheng propped himself up and looked at Cross, who was staring at him with curiosity in his eyes. His voice was slightly hoarse.

"I've accepted these two crystals after a full half hour. I won't tell anyone your secret." Cross withdrew his gaze and put the two beast crystals he had just collected into his pocket.

Thank you.

Jian Sheng stood up, feeling a sticky, damp sensation in his lower body. His face stiffened slightly, and he quickly walked towards his tent. This time, the energy injection had been too rapid, like super-fast charging. The energy instantly filled his body and overflowed uncontrollably, causing another embarrassing situation. He had to change his clothes immediately.

Days passed by, and a month went by in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Caitlin, Jerry, and Old Dog accompanied Pete and his apprentices to drill, sample, and explore in the surrounding mountains and jungles every day, leaving early and returning late; Elon went deep into the jungle every day to patrol, check for traces of intelligent beasts in the surrounding area, and be vigilant against any potential dangers; Emma and Rod were responsible for the team's food, accommodation, and health care, and managed the camp's trivial matters.

Jian Sheng remained steadfast in his sniper duties, standing guard at night and resting during the day. Occasionally, he would hunt down one or two small, ordinary star beasts to improve the team's meals. However, he strictly followed Elon's orders and never provoked large star beasts to avoid unnecessary trouble.

He could clearly feel his body becoming stronger. The original owner, Xiao, had suffered from malnutrition for many years and was physically weak, unable to keep up with the system's operational needs. This month of full stomachs and physical training had rapidly improved his physical fitness, making him more and more compatible with the "patch" system.

Xiao Baisheng's changes are even more obvious. He sleeps for shorter and shorter periods each day, and his movements become more agile and nimble. When he is awake, he no longer wants to stay obediently in his chest bag. Instead, he likes to squat on Jiansheng's head and look around like a little sentry.

However, its sense of danger is not yet fully developed, and it often jumps out of its skin and sounds an alarm for no reason. Every time it makes a mistake, Jiansheng will gently flick its little head as a punishment, just like a father disciplining a child. The little white dog will then whimper pitifully and hide back in its chest bag, refusing to come out.

Over time, with the help of the system's information storage function, Jian Sheng continuously recorded and analyzed Xiao Bai Sheng's cries and body movements, gradually understanding some of its emotions and intentions. He couldn't help but sigh to himself that artificial intelligence learning languages ​​is indeed twice as effective with half the effort. Before he knew it, he had mastered another "foreign language".

Over the course of the past month, Pete and Peter's expressions grew increasingly gloomy, making it easy to guess that the exploration had yielded extremely unsatisfactory results. However, the two were unwilling to give up, setting off earlier and returning later each day, almost obsessively continuing their exploration.

The peaceful days have finally come to an end.

It was another late night. As usual, Jiansheng was on guard duty on the treetop, more than forty meters high. Xiaobaisheng was squatting on his head, its little nose twitching incessantly as it vigilantly scanned its surroundings. This seemed to be its very nature.

Suddenly, Xiao Baisheng's fur stood on end, and he became extremely agitated, a far cry from his usual liveliness. He quickly climbed from Jiansheng's head to his shoulder, his little paws gripping his collar tightly. He chirped urgently towards the dense forest in the northeast, his voice filled with extreme panic.

Only when Jian Sheng slowly turned his head and locked his gaze on the northeast direction did Xiao Baisheng instantly quiet down, quickly shrink back into his chest bag, his whole body trembling slightly.

Jian Sheng immediately gripped the night vision goggles and stared intently at the dense forest. However, after observing it repeatedly for a long time, there was no sign of any biological activity, no movement of red dots, and no swaying of branches or leaves in the infrared field of vision; it was completely silent.

One minute, five minutes, ten minutes... the jungle remained completely still, an unusual and unsettling sight.

"Patch, retrieve the biological activity data of this forest area over the past month, and calculate the probability that no living organisms will pass through within ten minutes," Jian Sheng silently recited in his mind.

[Probability: 0.1%]

The answer given by the system made Jian Sheng's heart sink to the bottom, and his hair stood on end.

"Calling Old Man Elon! Calling Old Man Elon!" Jian Sheng grabbed the walkie-talkie, his voice low and heavy, carrying an undeniable urgency.

"Received, please speak!" Elon's voice came quickly, tinged with a hint of wariness.

"Within a radius of 200 to 300 meters northeast of the camp, there is a high suspicion that a swarm of high-level intelligent beasts is secretly approaching!"

"Sure?"

"Sure!"

"Continue covert surveillance, do not expose yourself, and await instructions!"

As soon as Elon gave the order, Jian Sheng immediately took action, silently climbing up the trunk to the southwest side of the tree. Using the dense foliage to conceal himself, he then took out the Tree-Beast Disguise Spray given to him by Rhodes and sprayed himself thoroughly to completely cover up his human presence, continuing to stare intently at the northeast direction.

Jian Sheng had made preparations in advance for this long-term sentry post, driving climbing spikes all the way to the treetop. The tree was over forty meters tall, with lush foliage, making it an excellent hiding spot. He carefully moved deeper into the canopy, knowing that if he were exposed, he would surely die in the face of the encircling pack of intelligent beasts.

Time ticked by, and all was quiet except for the sound of my own heartbeat and heavy breathing.

Finally, a very faint rustling sound came from under the tree, the sound of animal claws scraping against the ground vegetation. It was so faint that it was almost imperceptible, clearly indicating that the other party was deliberately hiding its tracks.

The walkie-talkie remained silent, without making a sound. Jian Sheng felt a chill run down his spine as a terrible thought surfaced in his mind—the camp had been completely cleared out.

He was used as a pawn to attract intelligent beasts!

Which escape route will they choose?

Jian Sheng forced himself to calm down and quickly recalled the three evacuation routes that Lao Gou had devised when the camp was first established:

The first option is to retreat eastward to the mountains, circle around the edge of the forest, and return to Fort 49. This route is the shortest but also the most dangerous.

The second route is to go west into the deep mountains and take a detour to Fort 50. It is the longest route, but relatively hidden.

The third option is to cross high mountains to the edge of the peninsula and use signal towers to send out distress signals, but the wait for rescue is extremely long and there is no way to protect oneself.

About half an hour later, from the direction of the first route, the deafening sound of machine gun fire suddenly came. The roar of gunfire broke the silence of the jungle, and fire snakes spewed wildly in the night, less than two kilometers away from the original camp.

The machine gun fire lasted for a mere three minutes before abruptly ceasing. Immediately following, two violent explosions rang out, sending flames soaring into the sky—the sound of the mech's energy core self-destructing!

The forest fell silent again. Jian Sheng held his breath and silently counted in his mind. After six hundred seconds, all the clues became clear in an instant.

"The ones who died were Big Jiba and Jerry. Only their mechs were equipped with airborne Gatling guns... Either they volunteered to cover the retreat, or they were unknowingly used as bait."

"The others didn't take the first route, otherwise, given the speed of the intelligent beast horde, they would have caught up within ten minutes, and it's impossible for them to have remained completely silent; the third route offered no hope of rescue, and Pete and his apprentice found nothing, so they couldn't wait for the S-class mechs to come to their aid. Therefore, they chose the second route, heading west towards Fortress 50."

Jian Sheng felt a chill in his heart. Elon had quietly evacuated the entire team, fearing that in his panic he might jump down from the tree, revealing their location, alerting the intelligent beasts, and jeopardizing the team's chances of survival.

The creature that commanded the intelligent beast horde was extremely meticulous and clearly came prepared. It had already calculated that the humans would flee to Fortress 49 and laid an ambush in advance, but instead of attacking, it chose to surround and annihilate the main force.

"We absolutely cannot get down from the tree tonight. We must wait until dawn before heading west to catch up with the main force." Jian Sheng gripped his sniper rifle tightly, leaning against the tree trunk, quietly waiting for daybreak.

Xiao Baisheng poked his little head out of his chest bag and gently rubbed his cheek against Jiansheng's, as if to comfort him.

"Don't be afraid, we won't die," Jian Sheng said softly, his voice filled with unprecedented determination.

As the first rays of dawn broke across the sky, they gently fell upon Jiansheng's face. He awoke from his light sleep, untied the safety rope around his waist, and prepared to climb down the tree to survey the ground.

He reached out and touched it; the zipper of his chest bag was wide open, and it was completely empty—Xiao Baisheng was gone!

Jian Sheng's heart tightened, and he instantly tensed up. He looked around and was about to call out to search when he saw a small pink figure dart up the tree trunk from under the tree. In a few quick movements, the figure climbed onto his shoulder and started chirping shrilly, its voice filled with extreme fear.

Although Jian Sheng could not fully understand its meaning, he could clearly sense that there was a deadly danger below!

"The intelligent beast horde hasn't retreated yet?" Jian Sheng's pupils contracted sharply, a storm raging in his heart. "Two night raids. The first time, they were outnumbered, but this time, they were perfectly capable of a daytime encirclement and annihilation of everyone, yet they chose a covert ambush. They're not hunting; they're capturing them alive!"

Once he understood this, Jian Sheng felt a chill run through his body, and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

He held his breath and cautiously peered through the gaps in the branches and leaves at the campsite below. The sight before him made him gasp in horror—

The camp was intact, without any signs of damage. Inside the camp, several human figures were walking slowly, while all around the camp were enormous intelligent beasts, watching intently but not attacking, clearly guarding the area!

"I can see them, and after dawn, they'll definitely see me too..." Jian Sheng suppressed his panic, daring not to move an inch. "I must immediately change location, hide completely, wait until nightfall, and then find a way to break through!"

After polishing, the plot tension, character psychology and atmosphere were enhanced, and the sense of battle and suspense was stronger. Should I make some minor adjustments to Jian Sheng's psychological state when he was abandoned to make the emotions more poignant?