The base commander's body trembled.
"Good! Good! Good! You have not let down the base, nor have you let down the brothers who sacrificed their lives! On behalf of all the survivors in the base, I thank you for your sacrifice!"
Even deep inside the air-raid shelter, she truly felt the terrifying roar of the earth-shaking explosion!
Although I was mentally prepared, hearing it with my own ears at this moment still brought an indescribable surge of excitement and sorrow to my heart.
The base commander suddenly stood up, his eyes slightly red, and solemnly gave Zhao Chun and the group of players a standard military salute.
Her voice was a little choked up, but she still stepped forward and patted Zhao Chun's shoulder hard, then said a few words of comfort: "The mission is complete, you can go home and get some rest."
"Yes." Zhao Chun nodded heavily.
Even after Zhao Chun left, the heavy atmosphere in the operations room did not completely dissipate.
All irrelevant personnel have left, and now only the base leader and Xiao Jin, along with a group of players, remain in the room. It's time to talk about "rewards".
The heavy alloy door of the command center closed silently behind us, cutting off our view of the outside world.
The base commander first chatted with the players for a while, focusing on praising their actions in saving the base from danger. Finally, when everyone was getting impatient, he quietly got up and stood in the corner of the command room.
Only then did everyone realize that there was actually a hidden door there.
Base Commander: "I will keep my promise. What you want is right here."
After saying that, the base commander touched the wall, and with a 'beep', the invisible door opened inward.
Xiao Jin and the others stood up and approached, looking inside at the same time.
Inside the door was a small space, like a hard metal stomach. The walls were made of cold alloy, and the pale light from the ceiling poured down sparingly, making the contents of the small cart in the middle appear particularly glaring.
Strengthened Stone Ore!
These weren't small, fragmented pieces, but uncut raw stones the size of an adult's fist! They were even larger than the ones the base chief had shown the players before.
Beneath its rough outer skin, a viscous, lava-like halo surges within, predominantly blue-purple, interspersed with streaks of vibrant gold-red and somber dark green.
Yes, it's a strengthening stone.
Beside the cart, the base commander stood with his back to the door, his figure somewhat distorted by the light of the ore.
Hearing footsteps, she slowly turned around: "Everyone, thank you for your hard work." Her voice sounded particularly dry in the energy-filled space.
"Everything I promised you is here, not a single penny less." She stretched out her hand and pushed the cart toward the players.
Splash—
As the cart approached, the light was no longer obstructed and instantly surged!
The entire vault seemed to have been thrown into a chaotic furnace of colors.
The light, carrying a tangible pressure, brutally assaulted everyone's eyes.
Some people instinctively held their breath, their Adam's apple bobbing up and down with difficulty; others' pupils suddenly contracted, their bodies tensing up like a fully drawn bowstring.
Xiao Jin even clearly saw that Yu Liu's fingers twitched almost imperceptibly, as if he were holding something in his palm.
The air suddenly froze, and heavy breathing rose and fell, unusually clear in this deathly silent space.
Greed is like a poisonous vine, silently growing and entwining itself in everyone's eyes.
The fragile bridge of trust that players had temporarily built for the mission was as fragile as thin ice under high temperature in the face of such crazy rewards, and it cracked under the weight of the burden.
An invisible killing intent, so intense it was almost dripping down.
The base commander's worldly-wise eyes accurately captured every subtle restlessness and hostility in the air.
The stiff smile on her lips seemed to deepen, carrying a chilling indifference that seemed to know everything.
She said nothing more, but simply stretched out her calloused hands and firmly grasped the cold metal handle of the cart.
The next second, the screech of metal axles scraping the ground shattered the suffocating silence. The base commander calmly and steadily pushed the cart in front of everyone.
"Please go ahead." She uttered two words, her voice calm and even, but her body subtly shifted back half a step, making way for the center position.
At that moment, the atmosphere around us instantly became extremely tense!
Almost the instant the cart came to a complete stop, a faint, teeth-grinding metallic scraping sound and a low hum of energy starting up rang out simultaneously from several corners.
Some people gripped the hilt of the dagger behind their waists with their backs, while in others' seemingly casually hanging hands, a few faint yet extremely dangerous arcs of electricity flickered and danced at their fingertips.
The base commander's eyelids twitched almost imperceptibly, his muscles tensing beneath his uniform, bracing himself for a chaotic battle.
On the verge of deathly silence, where tensions were running high and a conflict seemed imminent—
A figure moved.
It's Xiao Jin.
She didn't hesitate at all, and didn't even glance at the players around her who were eyeing her like hyenas, ready to pounce at any moment.
Her movements were swift and almost cold as she walked straight toward the cart that exuded a deadly allure.
Under the tense gaze of the others, she stretched out her right hand, fingers spread, and without picking or hesitating, casually grabbed a few black rough stones with restrained luster and deep color.
It feels heavy, cold, and hard.
Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Jin pulled her arm in and easily grasped the heavy pieces of ore in her hand.
Then she turned and walked away. Her steps were steady, her back straight. From beginning to end, her gaze did not linger on the other enhancement stones for even a second.
Time seemed to freeze completely inside the vault the moment Xiao Jin turned and took a step.
Dead silence.
Absolute silence; even the sound of breathing had vanished.
Those players who were secretly gathering their strength and preparing to launch an attack remained frozen in place, their bodies still in the posture they were about to use.
They stared intently at Xiao Jin's unguarded back, their eyes churning with naked greed, resentment, astonishment, and... a deep-seated fear.
Some people gripped their weapons so tightly their knuckles turned white, but ultimately couldn't muster the courage to swing them.
Xiao Jin's footsteps echoed clearly in the empty metal space, each step feeling like it was stepping on everyone's tense nerves.
She walked to the door, reached out, and the alloy door slid open silently. Light from the hallway outside flooded in, outlining her cold and resolute silhouette.
Then, she stepped out and disappeared outside the door.
Seeing Xiao Jin take the items and leave, the other players all breathed a sigh of relief.
They genuinely didn't want to face Xiao Jin; they couldn't win! They really couldn't! Even if they could win, it would be a crushing defeat. Now that Xiao Jin was gone, the others were starting to get restless.
The heavy alloy door slowly closed behind Xiao Jin with a dull "clang".
The sound was like a starting gun!
The string inside the vault, stretched to its limit, snapped!
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