A small mining drone plunged into the black abyss of the pit.
Silence fell. The world seemed to vanish into darkness. Even with a soldier's resolve, Tianxiao felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Two red beams flared from the sides of the drone, cutting through the black, illuminating the depths of the tunnel ahead.
A hundred-meter-wide corridor stretched into shadow. Three sets of lights flickered in the distance, each accompanied by twelve warning signals, drilling steadily into the rock.
Three other H3-class mining drones from Yunzhong Group were at work—earlier in the numbering system: 246, 099, and 712.
The three were clearly operating as a private team. The company didn't mind miners forming small groups, as long as quotas were met and no trouble arose.
Tianxiao, however, paid attention.
The numbers on the drones triggered a memory: the very three who had discovered the "fractured vein" years ago and become overnight millionaires.
But… he hadn't expected them to be here so early, already extracting ore as if they had anticipated something.
Impossible.
All H3 drones had similar detection capabilities with limited range. Even seasoned miners wouldn't normally locate deep hidden veins—and certainly wouldn't need a full month just to dig through normal rock layers.
Tianxiao sensed something was off.
He adjusted the drone's direction. The red beams shifted as he turned, exiting the tunnel.
Before leaving, he deployed the drone's miniature reconnaissance units—insect-sized machines that rolled to the tunnel edges. Four delicate mechanical arms latched onto the rock, advancing toward the three other drones.
Once outside, Tianxiao powered down his lights and warning signals, hovering in the dark abyss above the pit.
The mini-drones transmitted live feed.
Tiny but powerful, they could move, hop, or fly. Perfect for exploring dangerous areas or probing fissures with precision.
The three drones' excavation area soon appeared on the feed.
One drone acted as a spotlight, analyzing the surroundings. The other two operated multi-functional drill heads in tandem.
Rocks and debris flew, scattering across the tunnel in chaos.
Through the drone cameras, Tianxiao observed hundreds of small holes bored into the rock walls—obvious handiwork of the three miners.
"Damn it," a voice erupted from drone 246."What the hell was that? Nearly ran us over! No manners at all."
Another voice added:"Yeah, nearly scared the crap out of me too… We finally found this spot, tracked your cousin's markings, collected some ore. If he stumbled on it, we'd be screwed."
That was 712 speaking, cautious as if guilty.
"No problem," said 099, calm and measured."I checked—3377 is a rookie. Less than a month with Yunzhong Group. He probably doesn't know the rules… or he didn't notice us."
"Really?""Relax. The ore we mined is all stored underground. No way he could find it from above.""Good. If he did, I'd… rip his heart out.""Damn. Newbies these days, all confident. They see a claimed spot and dare to poke around.""Forget it. Keep going."
The minor complaints ceased, drilling continued.
Rocks splintered against the drones' hulls, cascading into the tunnel.
Unnoticed beneath them, a tiny drone the size of a pinky finger aimed its camera at their drilling site.
A moment later—clang!
A sharp sound echoed. On the feed, Tianxiao saw something within the rock: a bluish-brown ore, incredibly hard, jamming one of the drill heads.
He leaned forward instinctively."Qinglong! What is that?"
Tianxiao wasn't a professional miner. Not every ore type was familiar.
Qinglong, however, was a walking encyclopedia."Master, this is H7-grade Purple Ore, containing H5-grade Fenni ore. The latter resists over a dozen types of high-intensity radiation, commonly used as coatings for H7-H9 drones. Market price: ~2,000 credits/kg. The H7 ore itself sells for roughly 10,000 credits/kg."
Laughter rang out from drone 246:"Ha! Another piece!""This one's about three kilos, worth at least 20,000!"
246 had extracted a chunk from the rock, handing it to 099, who monitored the environment.
"Keep going!" 099 shouted, excitement in his tone."The intel your cousin left is spot-on. This purple ore is scattered throughout the area—preliminary estimates suggest several tons. We're going to get rich."
The trio continued.
Through the drone feed, Tianxiao noticed 099 didn't store the ore in their drone, but lifted a slab of rock beneath it.
As the slab moved, Tianxiao's heart skipped.
Beneath it, chunks of Purple Ore filled a third of the cavity—over 300 kilograms, worth nearly two million credits, which would immediately net sixty thousand in profit once allocated.
At that moment, Tianxiao realized: the so-called "fractured vein" was a myth.
The H7 ore had been scattered in pieces throughout the tunnel. 099, 246, and 712 had been slowly extracting it over a month, creating the illusion of a single, miraculous vein—an overnight fortune.
Clever.
The deception ensured secrecy, preventing the base and other miners from discovering the ore, minimizing competition.
Yet the lie misled others. In the following thunderstorm, over a dozen miners risked the pit—and were buried alive.
One side: paradise.The other: hell.