He resumed his identity as a miner.
He focused on mining.
While searching for traces of Energy Crystals on the side.
Of the three units of Low-grade Energy Crystal he'd originally acquired, one had been consumed when the Auxiliary System captured the signal from the Otherworldly Space.
The remaining two units of Low-grade Energy Crystal had been used to enhance the doubling function of the Quantum Entanglement Brainwave Control System.
They were all gone.
After more than ten hours of searching, Wang Dong came up empty-handed.
Whether one found something like Energy Crystals ultimately came down to luck.
Putting in the effort didn't always guarantee a reward.
That was often how things went in life.
Wang Dong had only been taking things as they came in the first place, so he wasn't in a hurry.
Unlike before his rebirth, when he'd been forced into the spotlight to face the storm.
Now, he'd successfully hidden himself behind the scenes, so he had plenty of time.
Low-grade Energy Crystals still circulated in small quantities in places like mining zones.
If he acquired just one or two units, it wouldn't raise any suspicions.
Everyone had a little collecting habit, after all.
He headed back.
He handed over the minerals he'd collected.
Wang Dong returned home to rest.
The next day, he went to the Meizu Internet Cafe again.
A day in the life of an ordinary interstellar miner.jpg.
Wang Dong's role-playing was flawless.
At that same moment, aboard the Jin Family warship, which had searched for days without finding a single trace of the War Axe.
"Little Sixteen, what brings you here?"
Sima Decao, his features sinister, stared intently at the young man on the virtual screen and demanded angrily.
"Thirteenth Brother, I was worried that Yuan Shu, that cornered dog, might Break the cauldrons and sink the boats and launch a last-ditch counterattack, dragging you down with him."
The young man looked fairly respectable, but he spoke in a mocking, affected tone.
Sima Decao's eye twitched. He suppressed his anger and said in a low voice, "Yuan Shu has already fallen into my trap and suffered a devastating blow. How could he possibly fight back?
"I appreciate your concern, Sixteenth Brother. I'll repay you in time. All that remains is a simple search, and I can handle it myself. Please go back for now."
"Hahaha, Thirteenth Brother, if things were really going as smoothly as you claim, you wouldn't be stuck wasting time in this barren Asteroid Belt Mining Zone.
"Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, and Yuan Shu's War Axe has been on the family's wanted list for years. Let me give you a hand."
The young man continued in his relaxed tone, completely unfazed by Sima Decao's anger.
"Sima Delang!
"Don't think that just because you've been assigned an LV.12 destroyer, you can lord it over your older brothers. You're still far too naive!"
Sima Decao could no longer contain his anger and exploded.
"If you want to swoop in and claim the prize, you'd better make sure you're capable of it. Combat isn't decided just by comparing overall combat ratings! You'd be better off spending a few more years learning in virtual battles!"
"The family's bounty is on the War Axe and Yuan Shu. It doesn't matter who makes the first move. As long as I find the War Axe first, this family bounty is mine!"
Sima Delang's laughter was full of mockery and undisguised contempt.
"Sima Decao, I call you Thirteenth Brother to humor you. Without that, what are you even worth?
"You only managed to scrape into the main branch through your mother's marriage. And now you really think you're one of the legitimate heirs?
"You think someone like you can promise to repay me? That's hilarious. Hahahaha..."
Sima Decao clenched his teeth.
He'd never liked his cousin Sima Delang, who belonged to the same "De" generation and ranked sixteenth.
When Sima Decao came of age, the family had given him a choice: a second-generation LV.9 Kindling Warship or a first-generation Kindling Warship.
If Sima Decao had come from a powerful family branch and had sufficient resources, a first-generation Kindling Warship would have been the best choice.
Unfortunately, just as Sima Delang had mocked, Sima Decao had secured his place among the Jin Family's legitimate heirs thanks to his mother's influence after she remarried.
So the LV.9 Kindling Warship, which would save him decades of struggle, had become his first choice.
Over the next decade or so, Sima Decao had seized his opportunity and worked hard, painstakingly raising his flagship's overall combat rating to LV.11.
But what was Sima Delang, anyway?
He was nothing but a spoiled playboy. Yet, thanks to his family background, he'd received a second-generation LV.12 Kindling Warship as soon as he came of age.
And even that was just a training ship, specially prepared for someone else to practice on.
How could Sima Decao possibly accept that?
Never underestimate the gap between LV.9 and LV.12. It represented a difference of a thousand Source Points, one that would take twenty years to make up.
What's more, Sima Delang had followed Sima Decao to this remote mining star system, arriving right on his heels. It was obvious he'd come to steal the prize.
That alone would have been bad enough. Competition was everywhere among the Jin Family's heirs, and Sima Decao had stolen other people's prizes himself.
The most important thing was that Sima Delang, the spoiled playboy, didn't lack resources at all!
He didn't lack merit from bounty missions, nor did he lack actual resources!
He was simply looking for trouble with Sima Decao.
Hurting others without benefiting himself.
Sima Decao could no longer suppress his emotions.
Before you continue