Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Ke Li Nuo Grasslands

Ling Mo watched the three of them gag and sprawl without a hint of guilt.

They were the ones who had meant to attack her. She wasn’t stupid.

Once they were reduced to helpless retching with no ability to fight back, Ling Mo grabbed all three of their backpacks and bolted.

If she stayed any longer, she’d end up suffering right alongside them.

After she’d put enough distance between them, she finally stopped and ducked into tall grass. She opened the backpacks one by one.

The moment she checked the first one, Ling Mo knew she’d gone too easy on them.

Inside were seven or eight smiley badges, each glowing at a different brightness.

She’d seen the three of them clearly—each had their own smiley badge hanging neatly on their chest.

Which meant these extra badges were stolen.

The bags were also stuffed with nutrient tonic and energy bars. Ling Mo didn’t need to guess where most of those came from.

She took what she wanted, then hung the backpacks on a tree.

They were smeared with shit and stank so badly she didn’t want them anywhere near her.

Ling Mo continued on, harvesting as she traveled, and finally made it out of the woods before noon. Before leaving, she looked back longingly—then forced herself to turn away and run, as if she might regret it if she slowed down.

Finishing the mission came first. If she had the chance later, she could come back.

Inside her Pocket Space, the purifying moss and water-storage mushrooms she’d transplanted still showed no signs of taking root. Maybe it was too soon.

At least the purifying moss wasn’t wilting. That was something.

Back on her electric scooter, Ling Mo watched the forest shrink behind her until it vanished from view. Only then did she breathe out, the tension easing from her shoulders. She was genuinely afraid those three would chase after her.

Being a lone wolf was nice—you only had to feed yourself—but the drawbacks were obvious.

If she hadn’t been alone earlier, those three wouldn’t have dared target her so openly, let alone try to kill her.

Two fists couldn’t beat four hands, unless she was strong enough to crush everyone.

And right now, that wasn’t happening. A mental power talent user leaned toward support in the early stages.

Maybe… she should find teammates.

For some reason, Jiang Xin and Ye Kai immediately came to mind.

Back at the lion beastman’s place, the way those two had stepped forward had left her with a good impression. And she could tell they hadn’t been scheming against her.

But Ling Mo shook her head and dismissed the thought.

Teaming up wasn’t all upside. Even if she only wanted Jiang Xin and Ye Kai, what if others wanted to join later? Would she accept them or refuse?

And she had too many secrets. If someone discovered them and got greedy…

No. Teammates were something she’d leave to fate.

After all, the kind of person you could trust with your back was rare. Better to have none than the wrong one.

As she rode, something struck her nose.

A raindrop.

Ling Mo looked up. The sky had darkened without her noticing. A few drops became a mist, the mist became rain, and the rain turned into a downpour.

She wasn’t panicked. She pulled out the raincoat she’d prepared and put it on, ready to keep moving.

Then thunder exploded overhead, and a bolt of purple lightning tore through the clouds.

Ling Mo stopped dead.

Lightning was no joke. She’d better find shelter.

She scanned the surroundings. Endless grassland in every direction. Nowhere obvious to hide.

She could always slip into her Pocket Space.

Ling Mo didn’t actually dislike storms. Rainy days meant she could tell herself it was fine to rest, and the sound of rain was perfect for sleep.

But that lightning had genuinely startled her.

As she hesitated, she spotted a building in the distance, its shape similar to the lion beastman’s home she’d seen before.

Over the last few days, she’d noticed a pattern: weaker beastmen tended to gather in groups, while stronger ones preferred to live alone.

She didn’t care what kind of beastman it was.

Shelter was shelter.

Ling Mo sprinted for it.

As she got close, she stowed her scooter in her Pocket Space and kept running. After about five minutes, she reached the entrance.

A gray wooden door stood before her, old and imposing.

It was smaller than the lion beastman’s door, which probably meant the owner was weaker.

As she was trying to guess what kind of beastman lived here, the door swung open without warning.

A soft chime sounded, and an automated voice greeted her: “Welcome, my friend.”

Ling Mo froze with one foot lifted, staring at the open doorway. Something about it felt… off.

Then another bolt of lightning split the sky, and the thunder hit so hard it made her heart lurch.

Whatever unease she’d felt vanished.

Ling Mo dashed inside.

Only after crossing the threshold did she realize this wasn’t a beastman’s house at all.

It was a drink shop.

No wonder there’d been a doorbell.

A woman approached—a feline beastman, judging by the animal ears atop her head and the tail swaying behind her. Her skin was bronzed, her build strong and wild, and her gaze sharp as she sized Ling Mo up.

“You here to help out?”

She frowned. “You’re tiny. Are you even an adult? We don’t hire child labor.”

“I’m an adult,” Ling Mo said firmly. “And I’m not here to help. I’m here looking for work.”

Helping meant pay depended on someone’s mood. Work was different.

The feline beastman raised a brow. “Work, huh? Can you brew kakas? Our kakas are hand-ground.”

Kakas?

Ling Mo hesitated.

Qie Man supplied the answer at once. “Kakas is a popular drink in interstellar. It wakes you up, helps you focus, and improves work efficiency. It’s similar to coffee on Blue Star.”

Hand-ground coffee.

Ling Mo straightened her back. “I can’t brew kakas, but I can haul trash.”

Hand-ground coffee was the kind of thing that looked easy until you tried it—then you ruined it. She wasn’t stepping on that landmine.