Chapter Twelve: A Timely Rescue

Of course, there was another reason—poverty.

Along the way, he had encountered many monsters that stirred his heart, but lacked the Source Beads to obtain them.

Take the Rock Ant Queen and the Venomous Bee Queen, for example. These prolific species made Lu Sheng’s mouth water. Yet the price—far too many Source Beads—placed them well beyond his reach.

He could only keep flipping through the listings.

Half an hour passed, and he still hadn’t found anything satisfactory. Disappointment crept over him.

“What kind of breeding monster are you looking to buy?” the shopkeeper finally spoke up, unable to watch Lu Sheng’s aimless searching any longer.

Lu Sheng slapped his forehead. Why hadn’t he asked for help? He’d spent half an hour fruitlessly searching on his own.

“I need a monster that’s easy to breed, costs no more than five first-tier Source Beads, and has a high reproduction rate.”

“Are you dreaming, or just here to mess with me?” the shopkeeper snapped, his patience worn thin by Lu Sheng’s unrealistic demands. High fertility and ease of breeding—these kinds of monsters always cost at least a hundred first-tier Source Beads.

Lu Sheng gave an awkward smile. “Boss, I’m really not joking. Those are my requirements. I don’t care about anything else, as long as it breeds well and is easy to raise.”

The shopkeeper scrutinized Lu Sheng, sensing the sincerity in his words. His irritation eased considerably.

“Wait here. There happens to be one that fits your criteria.”

Lu Sheng wiped imaginary sweat from his brow; the shopkeeper’s anger had been intimidating enough to make his legs weak. It was true—anyone who could run a shop in the main city was not to be underestimated.

Before long, the shopkeeper returned.

“Here, take a look at this.”

[Bloodthirsty Mosquito]

Quality: White

Tier: Early first-tier

Skill: Bloodsucking

“This creature isn’t good for much, but it can reproduce like crazy. The requirements for breeding are simple: a pond and plenty of blood.”

Lu Sheng’s eyes lit up. The breeding conditions were easy—he could easily provide what was needed.

“How many offspring can it produce at a time?”

“About three hundred to five hundred, and they grow rapidly—fully matured in three days. Aside from being more bloodthirsty, they’re not much different from pre-apocalypse mosquitoes; an ordinary person could swat them dead. The only mutation is their increased ability to suck blood.”

“So, are you interested?”

“Yes, yes, yes! I’ll take it! This is exactly what I want!”

“I’m warning you, don’t cause trouble. These mosquitoes are a nuisance in summer—don’t do anything immoral.”

“I won’t, I won’t…” Lu Sheng was genuinely excited. This met his requirements perfectly.

After acquiring a pair of Bloodthirsty Mosquito cards—one female, one male—Lu Sheng was eager to return to the settlement and settle them in.

It was worth noting that monster cards had a detail: the red dot in the upper left corner indicated female, the blue dot male. He hadn’t known this until now—he’d learned it only after questioning whether the shopkeeper had given him two males, earning himself a scolding and this bit of knowledge.

He retraced his steps to the assembly point, no longer caring about the buildings in the main city.

“Shen Bao, don’t go too far. I’m a member of Gale Settlement now. Do you want to spark conflict between two settlements?”

“Oh, so impressive! I’m terrified~”

“You? Trash. Will Gale Settlement fight for you? Don’t overestimate yourself. You’re nothing!”

A crowd had gathered, watching the commotion. Originally, Lu Sheng intended to avoid them and head straight back.

But the situation seemed to involve Gale Settlement, and one of the voices sounded familiar.

Frowning, Lu Sheng decided to investigate. He pushed through the crowd.

Wei Liang stood surrounded by members of the cleaning team, encircled by more than a dozen burly men. One, facing Wei Liang, was particularly arrogant.

“Crawl under my legs, and I’ll let you go today.”

Shen Bao spread his legs mockingly, staring at Wei Liang.

Wei Liang’s face was dark, fists clenched, helpless. These men all possessed combat cards; if he made a move, he’d be doomed. All he could do was pray the city guards arrived soon.

Shen Bao wanted to humiliate Wei Liang—he’d always enjoyed doing so when Wei Liang was around, and found it hard to adjust after he left.

Suddenly, he felt himself lifted into the air. “Who? Which bastard?”

Lu Sheng had grabbed him by the neck and flung him aside.

“Liang-ge, are you all right?”

Wei Liang breathed a sigh of relief at Lu Sheng’s arrival, but seeing him alone, anxiety returned.

“You came alone? Hurry up and leave.”

“Don’t worry. The captain and the squad will be here soon,” Lu Sheng said loudly, his words ringing out for all to hear. He had to bluff—if a fight broke out, he could handle it, but Wei Liang and his team would be in trouble.

“If you’ve got guts, don’t run. When our captain arrives with a hundred men, you’ll regret it!” Lu Sheng shouted at Shen Bao, who was just getting up.

Shen Bao hesitated, his expression uncertain. He looked at Lu Sheng, who seemed unfazed, and decided to back down.

“Let’s go!”

His retreat wasn’t solely because of Lu Sheng’s bluff. Whether true or not, the captain’s arrival would take time—enough for a confrontation.

But the city guards were the real concern. He’d been keeping track since the disturbance began; their arrival was imminent. If a fight broke out and they were caught, the consequences would be severe.

Another factor was Lu Sheng’s strength—he’d been unable to break free when Lu Sheng lifted him. Shen Bao was a late first-tier, meaning Lu Sheng had to be at least peak first-tier, perhaps even second-tier.

As for losing face... In the apocalypse, reputation was the least of anyone’s worries.

Once the group dispersed, Lu Sheng asked, “Liang-ge, who are those people? Seems like you have some history.”

...

From Wei Liang, Lu Sheng learned that these men belonged to the Demon Wolf Settlement—Wei Liang’s old home. The arrogant one was Shen Bao, one of the cleaning team bullies from back then.

Afterward, nothing more happened. Once the team was assembled, they gathered their supplies and set off.

On the way back, Lu Sheng was quiet. After Wei Liang’s ordeal, he understood even more deeply the importance of strength in the apocalypse.

Had he been strong enough, he wouldn’t have been so powerless when Lei Yan stole his skill card.

Fortunately, he now held the key to his future.

The two Bloodthirsty Mosquito cards were his foundation for becoming powerful.

The journey passed without incident, and three hours later, the team returned safely to the settlement.

Dusk had fallen. Lu Sheng took advantage of the fading light to get to work.

He didn’t want to waste a single moment on breeding.