Mine Area

From KQ-03 to the Asteroid Belt Mining Zone, with the powerful engine of the Mine Overlord Type 2, it takes about thirteen hours.

The route along the way has long been cleared and is regularly maintained.

There's no need for Wang Dong to manually pilot the entire time.

Once it enters automatic navigation, he can leave it entirely to the shipborne optical computer.

Setting Mining Zone Entrance 2 as the destination, Wang Dong leaves the console.

He methodically goes through a set of stretching exercises, then a core activation routine, and finally upper-body advanced muscle training.

The workout is substantial—a full hour.

Wang Dong is drenched in sweat.

"Without the physical conditioning from Body Forging Technique, my body is still a bit lacking."

Shaking his head, Wang Dong mutters to himself in dissatisfaction.

"Unfortunately, the privileged class controls the entry requirements for practicing Body Forging Technique. In a backwater like the mining sector, the difficulty is just too high."

From ancient times to the present, in human civilization, the existence of class has always been unavoidable.

Even in the interstellar era, where theoretical productivity far exceeds actual demand, it's the same.

Compared to the planetary era, the privileged class of the interstellar era, relying on the high-end resources they control—or rather, monopolize—has made their position even more stable.

In the interstellar era, the absolute gap between classes is far greater than in the planetary era.

But Wang Dong isn't worried about this.

The current time is Star Calendar year 10103, June 1st—only ten days away from the turning point of fate in his previous life.

If everything goes smoothly, in ten days, Wang Dong will be able to touch that class.

Wang Dong is accustomed to using the Star Calendar, rather than some local timekeeping system.

Every planet has different orbital and rotational periods. The definition of 24 hours a day (rotation period) and 365 days a year (orbital period) only applies to humanity's home, Blue Star.

Strictly speaking, each planet has its own calendar that matches its actual conditions.

But for groups that live long-term in space or frequently travel between planets, a fixed standard calendar is clearly needed for easy time calculation.

The Star Calendar is exactly that.

Based on the calculation of 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, it establishes a timekeeping system that can be used throughout all of human civilization.

Thirteen hours pass in a flash.

As Wang Dong organizes the threads in his mind, the Mine Overlord Type 2 has already arrived at its destination.

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

The shipborne optical computer's prompt is monotonous, rigid, and dull.

This Mine Overlord Type 2 near-space mining spaceship isn't just an old model—it's a low-spec one. It doesn't even have personalized voice prompts enabled.

Old Niu, the one in charge of procurement, is as stingy and tight-fisted as ever.

Wang Dong is already seated at the console. Hearing the prompt, he casually pulls the joystick and switches to manual mode.

In the complex airspace of the asteroid belt, using the shipborne optical computer's automatic navigation would be asking too much of the Mine Overlord Type 2's "486-level" optical brain.

It really can't handle it.

The asteroid belt mining zone in the starry sky isn't like a mining zone on a planetary surface, where positions are fixed.

It's always in motion—just like planets constantly orbiting their stars.

Whether relative to the outside or within the asteroid belt itself, everything is in perpetual motion.

So the so-called Entrance 2 doesn't refer to some "entrance" on the asteroid belt.

Rather, it's because the mining company has built a relatively fixed micro forward base in this airspace near the asteroid belt.

This helps miners pinpoint their location and provides some logistical support.

Maneuvering the Mine Overlord Type 2, Wang Dong easily docks the ship at the forward base of Entrance 2.

It's a spindle-shaped steel structure, dark, sturdy, and reliable.

Regular lights flicker on it, like a warm, heartening traveler's cabin in a pitch-black wilderness.

It's the lighthouse for interstellar miners.

"What's the situation?"

Connecting to the local area network communication via the forward base as a node, Wang Dong asks the observer at the base while activating the Mine Overlord Type 2's detectors to scan the nearby asteroid belt.

"Flow rate is normal. The next window should arrive within an hour. Brother Dong, welcome."

A warm, energetic female voice comes through.

Wang Dong pauses slightly, blinking.

"Liya, is it your shift today?"

"It's the first week of the month, so of course it's my shift. Brother Dong, you actually forgot which shift your cutest little Liya is on—how heartbreaking."

The warm female voice turned feignedly sorrowful, so obviously put-on that it was instantly detectable.

It's her, it's her, it's her—the golden-haired, blue-eyed, broad-faced woman, one-eighty in height and one-eighty in weight, the guardian deity of all interstellar miners—little Liya.

Wang Dong couldn't help a catchy tune echoing in his mind.

She was a warm and cheerful big sister, always able to infect others with her kindness.

In the dead silence of space, being able to feel that warmth was a blessing.

After all, it had been over a decade since they'd last met; forgetting her shift schedule was perfectly normal.

And now, having just been reborn, Wang Dong didn't care whether such behavior seemed unusual.

Occasionally forgetting a shift worker's schedule—what was the big deal?

Aside from Liya, that overflowing fountain of warmth, there weren't many Forward Base duty personnel that miners bothered to pay attention to.

With a hearty laugh, ignoring the big sister's teasing, Wang Dong chatted with her for a bit, mainly about recent movements in the Asteroid Belt and whether there were any abnormal changes.

Though in his past life's memory, this Asteroid Belt Mining Zone had always been relatively stable, when it came to matters of life and death, no amount of caution was excessive.

That was the habit of all interstellar miners.

Life was your own—if you didn't value it yourself, who else would you expect to?

"Oh, by the way, Old Shi also chose Entrance No. 2 this time. Keep an eye out."

At the end, Liya gave Wang Dong a small warning.

"Old Shi?"

Wang Dong thought for a moment, piecing together the familiar surroundings, and finally dredged up the distant memory from his mind.

After his transmigration, with the help of his golden finger, Wang Dong could always pick out the best-condition ship among the fleet of mining vessels.

Moreover, with the golden finger's assistance, Wang Dong could monitor the real-time status of his own ship.

Thus, when necessary, he could fully unleash the extreme performance of the ship he piloted.

As a result, Wang Dong, with his ample "capital," could often venture deep into the mining zone and bring back more harvest than other miners.

Although Wang Dong had done a decent job concealing the existence of his golden finger, the final haul was laid out for all to see, and inevitably, some people grew envious.

Old Shi was one of them.