Interstellar Beast World: All My Husbands Are Powerful and Rich!-Chapter 33: Scavengers

"I brought everything you asked for—nothing is missing," Gina said as she lowered the large packs of equipment onto the forest floor.

The metal casings thudded softly against the damp earth, sending a light humm through the air. "And we already drank the antidote in the Gravicar," she then added, brushing a bit of dirt from her gloves as if to emphasize they were fully prepared.

Mindy Lane let out a sharp, almost mocking laugh. "We are Etherians," she scoffed arrogantly, her pouty lips curling in disdain. "And you still expect us to put on night-vision goggles meant for Subtherians? If other Etherians saw this, they would die laughing!"

Gina’s expression hardened immediately. She turned and fixed Mindy with a firm, unyielding stare. "Mindy, Rory has entered this forest more times than any of us. She knows this place far better than we do. If she says we need them, then we need them. Trust her—she’s not mistaken."

Mindy frowned, then waved a hand dismissively, clearly unimpressed. "She needs all that because she’s weak. I’m Rank Five, and my mate is at least Rank Six. We outgrew detox potions a long time ago. This is almost insulting to us."

Therians had never feared darkness. Their eyesight alone was enough to pierce through night like blades. Etherians were even more superior in that regard. Mindy and her mate hunted beasts regularly and had never once relied on auxiliary gear. To her, the conclusion was obvious—Rory depended on tools only because she lacked strength.

She felt second-hand embarrassment for her.

Rory didn’t bother responding, though. Arguing would be pointless. If Mindy wanted to dig her own grave, Rory had no intention of stopping her.

The scanner pulsed softly, already locked onto the beasts’ position. The signal pointed toward the eastern side of the forest, near a shallow pond.

Before stepping inside, Rory quietly sent her coordinates to Jasper. She hadn’t forgotten what he told her the night before—always share her location before entering dangerous zones. It was cute of him to worry about her so.

The edge of the forest was unnervingly silent. No wind. No insects. Even the leaves seemed to hold their breath. The group moved swiftly and carefully, keeping their steps light.

Mindy, however, showed no such restraint. She leaned closer to Gina as they walked, her voice dropping conspiratorially. "Gina, guess what? When I was on the Central District, I heard some news about the outer battlefield."

Gina glanced at her. "Is the war over? I heard Prince Vincent and the First Commander were both deployed there."

Mindy nodded slowly and lowered her voice further. "I heard it ended—but both Prince Vincent and the Commander went missing half a month ago."

Gina froze mid-step, her heartbeat jumping to her ears.

"The government has been suppressing the news," Mindy continued. "Almost no therian knows. My cousin matched with an Aurelia Etherian three days ago. That’s how we found out."

Shock hit Gina so hard she nearly cried out. She slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes widening. After several seconds, she forced herself to speak, her voice tight. "Is... is that really true?"

Mindy nodded solemnly. "My cousin’s mate belongs to the Aurelia royal line. He’s not a major figure, but his information is reliable."

She let out a soft sigh, heavy with regret. "There’ve never been any images of Prince Vincent on the light-brain. But once, when I visited the Central District, I saw him from afar." Her gaze grew distant, almost reverent. "I’ve never seen a man so breathtaking. Looking at him felt like gazing upon the Beast God Himself."

"I’ve heard the First Commander is just as striking," Gina said quietly. "If something truly happened to them..." Her voice trailed off. "That would be devastating."

Beside them, Dax rolled his eyes at Mindy’s dramatics.

Is it really that unbelievable? he thought dryly. He doubted Vincent looked better than he did anyway.

After sealing his rank, he had adjusted his appearance—his true face was in no way inferior. And as for the so-called Commander, Silas—people praised him as gentle and virtuous, but Dax knew better. Beneath that polished exterior lay a heart darker than black crystal. Politics had a way of corrupting even the cleanest souls.

"They’ll be fine," Gina said with sudden firmness.

The prince and the Commander they were discussing had once saved her life. She had grown up on a fringe planet of the Interstellar world. When she was fifteen—just after her awakening—high-tier Chitinids attacked. Back then, Prince Vincent and the Commander were not legends yet. They were merely ordinary soldiers of the Interstellar Army. They had fought through the swarm and dragged her out alive.

Across the galaxy, almost everyone knew of Prince Vincent and the First Commander. They never appeared publicly or on broadcasts, but that only deepened the fascination. Countless females admired them. After all, it was hard not to fall for males who were noble, powerful, and impossibly handsome.

Mindy clasped her hands together, her tone reverent. "The Beast God will protect them."

Then, as if sensing the heaviness of the topic, she smoothly shifted the conversation. She spoke of how the war had ended—and how scavengers were already moving in. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Scavengers, simply put, collected what remained after battles. Once the fighting stopped, they combed through the ruins, retrieving fallen Empire soldiers so their bodies could return to the Beast God’s embrace. Anything else they found—damaged ships, shattered weapons, Chitinid remains, insect cores—they claimed.

The Interstellar Empire was vast, but restoring destroyed warships consumed enormous resources. Most vessels were simply abandoned.

Rumor had it that finding a derelict ship on the battlefield was as easy as picking up plastic bottles on Earth. And it wasn’t limited to Empire vessels—Chitinid ships were scattered everywhere too. A single damaged battleship could sell for tens of billions of star coins. Some were even valued at over a hundred billion.

Rory listened quietly. She had heard of scavengers before. At one point, she had even seriously considered becoming one herself.