After sending a few people off to work, Li Mufan settled onto a fur sofa and asked in his mind, "System, can you take these captives in my base?"
During his second entry into the space, he had encountered a tribal attack with hundreds of assailants. Now that Aqiang, Cuihua, and A-Shou were in the outside world and could not return, he realized that having only five people left in such a large base was inadequate. Following the principle of "the more, the better," he had captured a dozen half-dead captives, intending to recruit them once they were healed. However, now he reconsidered; with food supplies in the colony running low, it would be wiser to sell them off rather than feed people who would only eat without contributing.
"The system has two ways to recycle captives. The first is to recycle them for silver. Depending on their attributes, each captive can be sold for 500 to 2,000 silver."
Li Mufan's eyes lit up. This could be a significant source of income.
"The second option is to convert the captives into civilians. The host needs to pay 100 silver to brainwash the captives and release them from the space. After brainwashing, all their attributes will reset to 0, and the system will implant relevant memories. Upon leaving the space, they will automatically become civilians in the host's territory."
Li Mufan was momentarily taken aback before swiftly dismissing the second option.
Between silver and civilians, he decisively chose silver.
"500 silver can cover a set of ordinary equipment," he thought. "That equipment can fetch a good price in Tianheng Continent. With enough money, I can recruit people."
Rising from the sofa, he left the luxurious entertainment room and called for Cuihua before heading to the captive room.
Cuihua was a short-haired beauty and the sister of Cuihua. The two girls bore a strong resemblance, both at the first level of the body-refining realm with decent attributes—Cuihua was simply a weaker version of her sister.
The captive room was decorated lavishly, making it a comfortable space despite its purpose.
Inside, there were 17 captives. Li Mufan checked their attributes one by one; only two stood out, while the rest were of little value.
"System, sell everyone except for the ones called Da Mu and Bai Yang!" he ordered.
"Ding Dong! The host will sell 15 captives for a total of 13,000 silver. Are you sure?"
"Absolutely!"
The captives in front of him shimmered with a white light before vanishing, leaving only two young men with calm expressions.
"13,000 silver? Not bad. That should cover another colonist," he mused, satisfied.
He turned to Cuihua beside him. "These two need to be well fed and looked after. Recruit them as soon as possible, and then dismantle everything valuable in this room!"
"Yes, Master!" Cuihua replied.
A Week Later
Seven days passed. One day, while Li Mufan practiced swordsmanship in the entertainment room, the base alarm blared. Simultaneously, the system's voice echoed in his mind: "A group of members from the Hunter Fleet have been airdropped near the base. They will begin attacking the colony immediately. Please prepare!"
"Hunter Fleet!" Li Mufan was momentarily stunned. Unlike the tribal attack, the Hunter Fleet was a formidable force within the entire Ring World. They possessed technology that surpassed the industrial age, wielding Hunter Rifles with long range and rapid firing capabilities. Their Hunter Armor offered robust defensive power, making them a difficult opponent.
"Everyone, immediately assume defensive positions!" he roared, sprinting toward the defensive line outside the base.
A short time later, the remaining five colonists in the base were ready. Li Mufan climbed the watchtower, positioning himself to survey the situation.