Chapter 85
Su Jing, accompanied by five silver-gray robots, moved nimbly among the dark red rocks of the hematite vein—the rocks beneath her feet were rough and painful, their surfaces covered with cracks of varying depths, and occasionally embedded in the cracks were a few pieces of hematite that glowed red, like solidified blood beads.
Under the deep purple sky, the faint but persistent light of a few pale red stars cast long shadows on the rocks, creating crisscrossing dark patterns on the ground. The metallic smell in the air was stronger than before, and the burning sensation in the lungs was slightly more intense, but for Su Jing, who had cultivated a spiritual energy protective layer, this discomfort was almost negligible.
“There is a dense concentration of hematite 3 meters to the left, with a purity of 82%. Start low-power excavation.”
Su Jing gave instructions to the accompanying robots through her mind. The two robots at the front immediately stopped and gently touched the rock surface without making the slightest collision sound.
The diamond-coated drill bit slowly extended, making only a faint "shush" sound when it touched the rock—even quieter than the sound of wind blowing through a crack in the rock. Dark red rock fragments were carried along the drill bit's spiral grooves and fell into the robot's built-in storage compartment. The hematite crystals mixed in with the fragments glowed with a faint red light. As soon as they entered the storage compartment, Su Jing used her consciousness to simultaneously store them in the "ore zone" of her space.
A notification popped up on the panel: [Added 2.3 kg of Hematite Crystals, bringing the total to 102.5 kg, exceeding the basic task (100 kg)].
She breathed a sigh of relief, surprised that the task was completed so quickly—the five robots that stayed behind continued digging in the previous area and had already transmitted a data stream showing that "a total of 85 kilograms had been excavated." Adding the 17.5 kilograms that the accompanying robot had just excavated, the total was 102.5 kilograms, which was much ahead of schedule.
However, she did not stop, but instead ordered the robot to continue digging: "It's good to stockpile more, maybe it will be useful for future equipment upgrades." The accompanying robot received the instruction and continued to dig along the rock fissures. The "shush" sound of the drill bit was almost inaudible in the empty vein, and there were only very faint vibration ripples on the map, which did not reach the perception threshold of the alien guards at all.
Just then, a noisy argument broke the silence of the mine, accompanied by the clanging of metal.
Su Jing immediately stopped and raised her hand to signal the robots to mute. The display screen on the side of the robot instantly went dark, and the drill bit retracted into the robot. The five robots, like five silver-gray stones, quietly adhered to the rock.
She looked in the direction of the sound—about 80 meters away, on a relatively flat rock platform, twenty people in dark protective suits were surrounding three mission takers. One of the tall men was reaching out to snatch the robot remote control from one of the mission takers. The mission taker held on tightly, but was violently pushed down onto the rock by another man in a black jacket. His back hit a protruding rock, and he groaned in pain.
"Hand over the remote! This robot is ours!" The tall man's voice was arrogant and confident. Su Jing instantly recognized Jack's voice through the "voice recognition" function on the system panel—the red American logo flashed on the panel, confirming the other party's identity.
The people next to Jack were frantically dismantling the stolen robot. Some were tearing off the robot's storage compartments, some were trying to hack into the control panel, and two others were holding iron bars, guarding the edge of the platform and watching their surroundings warily to prevent other mission participants from getting close.
The tasker, who had been pushed down, struggled to get up, but Jack pinned his wrist down with his foot: "If you know what's good for you, don't resist. The good stuff in this mine isn't for you to touch!"
Another person on the mission tried to rush forward to help, but was stopped by someone guarding the edge with an iron bar. The bar struck the rock with a sharp clang, startling him so much that he immediately stopped, his face turning pale.
In this instance, without any rules to protect them, violently stealing weapons has become a "shortcut" for some teams.
Su Jing's fingertips paused lightly on the panel, bringing up the mineral vein map—the route next to the platform was the one she originally planned to take, but it was now occupied by the American team. There was another detour route next to it, which went through the rock fissure on the right side of the platform. Although it would take 50 meters longer, it would completely avoid them.
Without the slightest hesitation, she knew very well that there was no need to delay their journey to the gold mine over a conflict with strangers. Jack and his group had 20 people, giving them a numerical advantage. A direct confrontation would only waste their energy and might even attract alien guards, which would be a losing proposition.
"Switch to 'stealth mode', move close to the rock surface, and do not make any noise."
Su Jing bent down and crawled into a narrow rock crevice next to her. The crevice was about 1 meter wide, enough for a person and a robot to walk side by side. Several pieces of orange-red iron ore were embedded inside, glowing with faint sparks, just enough to illuminate the path underfoot.
Five robots followed in one after another, adjusting their bodies to the lowest height and moving along the inner wall of the crevice. They did not encounter any rock protrusions, and only made a very faint "hum" sound, which was almost covered by the faint cracking sound of the burning iron ore.
As she passed through the crevice, Su Jing could occasionally hear arguing coming from the platform: Jack's roar, the muffled groans of those whose missions had been stolen, and the clanging sound of robots being dismantled. But she didn't turn back; she just focused intently on what lay ahead.
The light at the end of the fissure grew brighter and brighter. It was a bright yellow light coming from the direction of the gold crystal vein, softer than the red light of hematite, yet more striking. The bright yellow spot on the map was also getting closer and closer, indicating that "only 300 meters away from the entrance of the gold crystal vein".
After exiting the rift, Su Jing instructed the robot to resume normal movement mode and continue heading towards the gold crystal vein.
At this moment, the hematite crystals in the space had accumulated to 150 kilograms, far exceeding the basic task requirements. She brought up the panel to check the status of the robots left behind—they were still quietly digging in the previous area without any interference, and the data was being transmitted in real time as "currently digging 105 kilograms," and everything was under control.
Under the deep purple sky in the distance, the outline of the gold crystal vein gradually became clear—it was a huge rock formation with a bright yellow luster. The surface of the rocks did not have the cracks of hematite, but was as smooth as if it had been polished. When the light shone on it, it reflected fine golden light. The metallic smell in the air also became purer, without the previous scorching feeling, but with a cool feeling.
Su Jing quickened her pace, with five robots following closely behind. The displays on the sides of the robots lit up with a pale green light, switching to "detection mode" and beginning to scan the rocks ahead, preparing for the upcoming exploration of the gold crystal vein. She didn't know what she would encounter at the entrance, but advance detection always provided an extra layer of protection, just like when she avoided the conflict with the American team. Caution is always the rule of survival in the apocalypse.
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