099 and his two companions secretly hoarded their batch of Purple Ore. Tianxiao had already decided to intercept it.
He not only intended to claim the ore for himself, but also planned to leak intelligence about the area, hoping to curb the greed of the miners in the base and save a dozen of them from an untimely, mysterious death.
But… two million credits' worth of ore wasn't enough.
After careful calculation, Tianxiao decided to wait twenty-five days before taking action. He would let the three veteran miners continue their work for a while. By then, he could do a good deed anonymously.
He left the mini-drones to continue reconnaissance and piloted his craft carefully through the G46 pit.
He focused on his real work.
Mining was a craft.
Like many newcomers, Tianxiao had once piloted his mining drone like a headless fly, relying purely on luck. By the end of the day, he'd burn through energy without finding a single ore, sometimes even damaging the drill head and losing money.
But Tianxiao had a strong learning ability.
He deduced that successful mining required reading the soil, analyzing rock formations, and predicting where ores were most likely to appear. Digging in areas with subtle signs of ore greatly increased success rates while minimizing energy consumption.
Mastering efficient ore extraction allowed him not only to complete daily quotas but also to earn extra from other newcomers' leftover finds.
A month of consistent work could save eight to ten thousand credits—a respectable sum among miners.
Though Tianxiao's drone 3377 was officially a newcomer, his excavation skills rivaled those of the veteran miners 099 and company.
He resolved not to disturb the trio, focusing instead on his daily quota. Yunzhong Group miners were paid daily, and funds were used for nutrition and drone maintenance.
Big money could wait—small earnings came first.
Tianxiao quickly entered his rhythm. Guided by Qinglong's analytical computations and relying on his experience, he followed the pit walls, probing the rock formations, occasionally scoring marks with his multi-functional drill to gauge density and texture.
"Qinglong," he instructed,"mark this section."
"Outer wall is solid; inner wall echoes. Typical ore cavity."
He had found a target.
"Start excavation?" Qinglong asked.
Tianxiao shook his head:"Not yet. Analyze the rock structure first—don't compromise support."
He knew the G46 pit was inherently unstable. A month later, it would collapse completely, becoming a disused quarry. Caution was paramount.
Qinglong executed the analysis. Results confirmed that as long as the damaged area stayed under a hundred meters in diameter and depth, support would remain intact.
Tianxiao activated the drill.
The mining drone vibrated slightly as the conical drill bit spun at high speed, pulverizing the rock. Temperatures climbed sharply on the operation panel.
A smile appeared on Tianxiao's face.
Ore cavity confirmed.
Indeed… an experienced miner once told him that besides textbooks and theory, real mining environments revealed subtle hints—clues indicating ore presence.
Every ore-generating environment had its peculiarities, generally hard and resistant. When a drill hit denser rock, effort and drill temperature increased slightly—a detail invisible to ordinary people but invaluable to those attentive enough to notice.
After a period of drilling, the bit stopped for water-cooling maintenance. A few minutes later, work resumed.
Energy consumption gradually decreased; Qinglong continued monitoring rock integrity.
About forty-five minutes later, the drill hit something unusual.
Tianxiao methodically began polishing and cutting around the excavation, revealing the true object: a solid black ore, roughly two meters in diameter.
Qinglong reported:"Master, this is H4-grade Scale Iron Ore. Can be used for H4-and-below drone hulls. Value isn't high, but size is considerable—at least three thousand credits for this piece alone."
Three thousand credits—half a miner's monthly pay. Next to the thirty million credits in Purple Ore, it was trivial.
But this was Tianxiao's first ore since rebirth. A good omen.
He smiled, breaking the ore into storage compartments, securing it safely.
At that moment, a video call came through. Qinglong notified him:"It's Zhu Xiaotian."
Tianxiao froze slightly. He had heard of her. A schoolmate of his and Wang Jingyi's friend, sweet-faced, who later joined Earth's Sky Army and rose to company commander—quite impressive.
No need to ask—surely Wang Jingyi, noticing Tianxiao had yet to deliver birthday greetings, had urged her friend to call.
Checking the time: 9:30 a.m.
He had been busy and hadn't yet sent Jingyi her gift. She was likely puzzled.
He wasn't inclined to engage with Wang Jingyi, but Zhu Xiaotian deserved a response.
He answered. The screen showed the base headquarters. A girl with bangs and large eyes stared at him.
"Tianxiao," she asked,"where are you? What day is today? You forgot?""We were waiting to celebrate Jingyi's birthday together—everyone's already here."
Seeing Tianxiao in the cockpit, Zhu Xiaotian was astonished.
"I'm skipping Jingyi's birthday. Lately, I've been tutoring her, but my work progress has fallen behind. This tutoring is my birthday gift. From today, I focus on work, earn my pay."
"Did you fight with Jingyi?" Zhu Xiaotian asked, sensing something.
Tianxiao smiled faintly:"Jingyi and I are just classmates. But rumors… hahaha, some classmates even called to ask if we were dating. Crazy! You too think that? Do I have a chance with her?"
Zhu Xiaotian went silent. She knew Jingyi—high standards, refined lifestyle. A plain, penniless boy was no match.
Then Tianxiao spoke:"How could I give up the starry sea for a mere vase?"
Hearing this, Zhu Xiaotian was stunned.
Who am I?Where am I?!