Bai Sheng, Ultimate Invincible Master Manipulator Capitalist

Before long, Bai Sheng and Silver Wolf rode the sandworm to their first destination. Luckily, there was still a moderately sized tribe here.

"Let's go."

Bai Sheng put away the game console, deciding to stop crushing Silver Wolf.

"Fine, fine. Just wait—I refuse to believe I can't even beat you at a minigame!"

As expected, Silver Wolf couldn't even outscore Bai Sheng, and she was thoroughly pissed off.

The two jumped off the sandworm. Bai Sheng patted its massive head and said, "Thanks, big guy."

The sandworm shook its head, seeming to be trying to express something.

Silver Wolf looked at it as well. Was this sandworm getting attached to them?

"It says it's the only sandworm left here."

Pandora promptly explained. Although sandworm language had not been recorded in the Synesthesia Beacon, understanding the other party's thoughts through a soul link was easy enough.

"Why? Logically, an environment like this shouldn't have left you as the only one."

Bai Sheng asked, and Pandora helped convey the sandworm's meaning.

"It says that after a star fell from the sky, the entire desert changed. Some bugs stronger than sandworms appeared out of nowhere. By now, it's the only sandworm left."

"A star..."

Bai Sheng pondered it. Could it have been a meteorite?

But at most, a meteorite could plow through the desert's surface. It would have had practically no effect on the sandworms beneath it.

A new species?

Or had some lunatic from the Genius Society released an experimental product?

While Bai Sheng was still thinking, Silver Wolf patted his shoulder and said, "Enough thinking. Why not just ask the locals? We're the Stellaron Hunters, not some animal protection society."

With that, she pushed Bai Sheng toward the tribe.

At the tribe's entrance stood two burly, dark-skinned men on guard. The moment they saw Bai Sheng and the others, they became alert and pointed their bone spears at them.

"Which tribe are you from? Talk!"

Silver Wolf didn't take kindly to being threatened like that. Prometheus had already entered its Light Blade form.

"We're from the Interastral Peace Corporation. We're here to investigate the cause of the local sandworms' extinction."

Bai Sheng immediately began spinning lies. Although this barren planet did not look like much, it had been recorded by the Corporation before. There was no way they had never heard of it.

"What Peace Corporation? Never heard of it. If you want to enter, bring out food. If you have food, we'll let you in. Otherwise, wait until nightfall and let the Scythe Bugs outside eat you!"

The guard threatened them viciously, even looking as though he would stab Bai Sheng in the head if he refused.

"Here."

Bai Sheng tossed him a bag of bread. He had originally saved it to feed the sandworm, but since it would not eat it, he might as well give it to this guy.

"Alright, alright, you can go in. This little lady is really something... heh heh..."

The man leered obscenely at Silver Wolf.

"Keep your hands to yourself! We follow the rules, but that doesn't mean we can't break them."

Bai Sheng drew Pandora and swept it across the man's outstretched hand. Four bloody fingers were cleanly severed.

"Ah!!! My hand!"

The man howled on the spot. By sheer coincidence, a tall man dressed far more impressively than the guard was drawn over by the noise.

"What's going on here? Little brother, let's talk things out. No need to resort to violence. Harmony is most important, harmony is most important."

As he spoke, the man extended his right hand and reattached the guard's fingers.

Bai Sheng raised a brow. Oh? A Pathwalker in a place like this? That was unexpected.

"Why don't you ask him what we did?"

Silver Wolf glared at the man. Thinking of that guard's lecherous gaze just now made her shudder with disgust, as though a swarm of caterpillars were crawling all over her.

"Boss, I was wrong! Ah!"

The man's screams did not stop until all four of his fingers had been reattached.

After wiping away his sweat, the man quietly fled. The Pathwalker from before then greeted Bai Sheng and Silver Wolf.

"Hello, friends from the Corporation. I'm terribly sorry. Young people always have all sorts of nonsense on their minds. Please don't take offense. I'm the leader here. Just call me Batu Sa."

A Pathwalker of the [Abundance]. Bai Sheng did not want to make an enemy of him either. After all, how could you be sure that this seemingly ordinary healer would not suddenly throw out a bottle of poisoned healing?

"It's fine, Mr. Batu Sa. We're specialists from the Interastral Peace Corporation's Biological Restoration Department. We came here today specifically to investigate matters related to the local sandworms."

As he spoke, Bai Sheng took out an employee ID and showed it to Batu Sa.

"Oh, oh, look at me. I haven't kept my men in line. Please don't blame us. Come, come, this way."

As he spoke, Batu Sa invited the two of them into the largest house in the entire tribe.

This move left Silver Wolf completely dumbfounded.

How could he spout such blatant nonsense with such a straight face?

And when had he gotten an employee ID?!

Unable to help herself, Silver Wolf cooperated from the side.

"Um... Team Leader, shouldn't we be asking about the ecological situation here?"

Bai Sheng nodded and then asked Batu Sa, "Mr. Batu Sa, do you know anything about this?"

Batu Sa thought for a moment before answering, "I'm not entirely sure either. I only know that a few years ago, a star suddenly fell onto the altar. After that, the animals here gradually vanished, and many monsters came rushing out from the altar. I think that star was the problem."

At the mention of a star, and recalling what the sandworm had just said about one, along with the timing, Silver Wolf and Bai Sheng spoke in unison.

"A Stellaron!"

"My two friends, what is a Stellaron?"

Batu Sa had also begun to glimpse the answer in his heart.

"A Stellaron is..."

Silver Wolf explained what a Stellaron was and the dangers it posed.

After hearing this, Batu Sa finally understood.

"So that's how it is. Does your company have any measures to deal with it?"

"Over the past few years, the climate has gotten worse and worse. You can barely see any wild animals outside anymore. There's only livestock raised by a few tribes. Everything else has been eaten by those Scythe Bugs that appeared out of nowhere."

Batu Sa shook his head. Life was only getting harder by the day.

"What a coincidence. We're here to solve exactly that problem!"

Bai Sheng said.

Batu Sa asked in confusion, "Aren't you here to..."

"Think about it. Once we take the Stellaron away, won't the ecological environment here recover? As for those Scythe Bugs? Without the Stellaron, they'll be like grasshoppers after autumn—they won't be hopping around for much longer."

Only then did Batu Sa lower his guard and continue, "Then... what are your conditions?"

Bai Sheng smiled.

"I want your planet's specialty ores. Don't worry, the company won't treat you unfairly. We'll restore your ecosystem for free. All you need to do is put in some labor. This contract lasts ten years. When the time comes, you can choose to continue supplying ore to the company or terminate your employment with us.

Chief Batu Sa, trading ten years of hard work for a future where your descendants no longer have to live on the edge of a blade, constantly fearing for their lives—that's a good deal, isn't it?"

After Bai Sheng's round of smooth-talking, Batu Sa signed the contract. Of course, the contract was not the real goal—the true purpose was to successfully retrieve the Stellaron.

This was also Bai Sheng's first beginner mission.

Time passed quickly, and night soon fell.

Looking at the signed contract in his hand, Bai Sheng let out a sly chuckle.

"What do you mean? We're just making them work for us for free for ten years. Then we'll resell the ore to the company. Perfect!!!"

Silver Wolf snarked, "Thank goodness you didn't become a capitalist..."