Mining Zone

It took about thirteen hours to travel from KQ-03 to the Asteroid Belt Mining Zone with the Mine Overlord Type 2's powerful engines.

The route had long since been cleared and was regularly maintained.

Wang Dong didn't need to pilot the ship manually the entire way.

Once it entered the automatic navigation phase, he could leave control entirely to the Shipborne Optical Computer.

After setting Mining Zone Entrance 2 as the destination, Wang Dong left the control console.

He methodically went through a set of stretches, followed by a core-activation routine, and finished with an advanced upper-body muscle workout.

It was a substantial workout, lasting a full hour.

Wang Dong was drenched in sweat.

"My physical fitness is still a little poor without training in the Body Forging Technique."

Shaking his head, Wang Dong muttered to himself with some dissatisfaction.

"Unfortunately, the privileged classes control the entry requirements for training in the Body Forging Technique. Out here in the backwater Mining Zone starfield, meeting them is just too difficult."

From ancient times to the present, class divisions had always been hard to avoid in human civilization.

That remained true even in the interstellar era, when theoretical productive capacity far exceeded actual demand.

Compared with the planetary era, the privileged classes of the interstellar age held—or, rather, monopolized—various high-end resources, making their position even more secure.

The absolute divide between classes in the interstellar era was far greater than it had been in the planetary era.

But Wang Dong wasn't worried about that.

The date was June 1, 10103 on the Star Calendar, just ten short days away from the turning point of fate in his previous life.

If all went well, Wang Dong would be able to reach that class in ten days.

Wang Dong was used to dating things by the Star Calendar rather than using some local system of timekeeping.

Every planet had a different orbital and rotational period. The definitions of a day as 24 hours (one rotation) and a year as 365 days (one orbit) applied only to humanity's home, Blue Star.

Strictly speaking, then, every planet had its own calendar suited to its particular conditions.

But for people who lived in space for long periods or frequently traveled between planets, a fixed calendar was clearly needed as a standard for calculating time.

The Star Calendar served that purpose.

It used a day of 24 hours and a year of 365 days, establishing a system of timekeeping that could be used throughout human civilization.

Thirteen hours passed in a flash.

As Wang Dong organized the threads of his thoughts, the Mine Overlord Type 2 had already reached its destination.

"Arrived at Asteroid Belt Mining Zone Entrance 2. Automatic navigation is about to end. Please switch to manual mode."

The Shipborne Optical Computer's prompt was flat, stiff, and dull.

This Mine Overlord Type 2 near-space mining spaceship was not only an old model, but also a low-end one. It didn't even have personalized voice prompts enabled.

Old Niu, who was in charge of procurement, was as stingy as ever.

Wang Dong had already taken his seat at the control console. At the prompt, he pulled the control stick and switched to manual mode.

With the airspace conditions in the Asteroid Belt so complex, using the Shipborne Optical Computer's automatic navigation mode would be like asking the Mine Overlord Type 2's "486"-level computer to do the impossible.

It really couldn't handle it.

The Asteroid Belt Mining Zone in space wasn't like a mining zone on a planet's surface, where everything stayed in a fixed position.

It was constantly in motion, just as planets were always revolving around their stars.

Whether viewed from outside or from within the Asteroid Belt, everything was in motion at all times.

So Entrance 2 didn't refer to some actual "entrance" in the Asteroid Belt.

Rather, the mining company had built a small Forward Base in this region of space near the Asteroid Belt, at a relatively fixed location.

This helped miners pinpoint their position and gave them a degree of logistical support.

Wang Dong piloted the Mine Overlord Type 2 and easily brought the ship alongside the Forward Base at Entrance 2.

It was a spindle-shaped structure of steel, dark and reassuringly solid.

Regular lights blinked across its surface, like a cozy travelers' lodge in the middle of a pitch-black wilderness.

It was a beacon for interstellar miners.

"How's it looking?"

Connecting to the local area network's short-range communications, which used the Forward Base as its hub, Wang Dong asked the base's observer as he switched on the Mine Overlord Type 2's scanner to study the nearby Asteroid Belt.

"Flow rates are normal. The next Clear Window Period should arrive within an hour. Brother Dong, welcome!"

A lively, enthusiastic woman's voice came through.

Wang Dong paused and blinked.

"Liya, is it your turn on duty today?"

"It's the first week of the month, so of course I'm on duty. Brother Dong, you've even forgotten which shift the adorable little Liya works? That's so heartbreaking!"

Her enthusiastic voice turned feignedly sorrowful, in a performance so contrived that it was obvious at once.

It's her, it's her, it's definitely her: blond hair, blue eyes, a broad face, 180 centimeters tall and 180 kilos, the guardian goddess of all interstellar miners—little Liya.

A catchy tune involuntarily rang through Wang Dong's mind.

She was a warm, outgoing big sister who could always lift people's spirits with her kindness.

To feel that warmth in the lifeless reaches of space was a blessing.

After all, it had been more than ten years since he'd last seen her. It was perfectly normal to forget her shift schedule.

And now, having just been reborn, Wang Dong didn't care whether acting this way seemed strange.

What was the big deal about occasionally forgetting someone's shift?

Aside from Liya, that warmhearted big sister, there weren't many other Forward Base staff members the miners cared about.

Laughing, Wang Dong ignored her teasing and chatted with her briefly, mostly about recent developments in the Asteroid Belt and whether anything had changed.

In his memories of his previous life, this Asteroid Belt Mining Zone had always been fairly stable. But when it came to something involving his own safety, it never hurt to be too cautious.

That was a habit shared by all interstellar miners.

Your life was your own. If you didn't value it, who else would?

"Oh, right. Old Shi chose Entrance 2 this time, too. Keep an eye out."

Before they signed off, Liya gave Wang Dong a small warning.

"Old Shi?"

Wang Dong thought it over, then, with the familiar surroundings as a guide, finally dug the distant memory out of his mind.

After crossing over, with the help of his golden finger, Wang Dong had always been able to pick the ship in the best condition from among the mining vessels.

And with his golden finger, he could keep track of his own ship's exact condition in real time.

That let him bring out the full potential of the ship he piloted whenever necessary.

With such a substantial advantage, Wang Dong could often venture deep into the mining zone and return with more than the other miners.

Although Wang Dong had done a good job of concealing his golden finger, the haul he brought back was there for everyone to see. Inevitably, some people grew jealous.

Old Shi was one of them.