Mining

This asteroid belt mining area in the airspace near KQ-03 doesn't contain high-quality ore veins, but Wang Dong doesn't dislike even low-grade Energy Crystals.

What's more, the system requires a higher quantity of low-grade Energy Crystals in the early stages.

Continuing deeper into the mining area, the Mine Overlord Type 2 slowly decelerated after thirty minutes.

"Should be about enough."

Wang Dong estimated the depth of his penetration.

Going any further would be a bit challenging, even with the piloting skills he brought back from his rebirth.

In fact, if it weren't for the Energy Crystals, Wang Dong wouldn't have ventured this deep into the mining area.

For valuable minerals like Energy Crystals, the chances of finding them were clearly higher in the depths of the asteroid belt mining area compared to the outer regions.

The outer areas of the mining zone had been visited many times, so even if there were Energy Crystals, the chances of them being taken were high.

Switching the scanner mode to mineral detection, Wang Dong patiently maneuvered his spaceship.

He kept the particle stream emitted by the scanner's external antenna aimed at the target. Based on the size and composition of the celestial body being scanned, he would wait for varying amounts of time to receive a scan report.

While carefully observing the surrounding airspace, Wang Dong operated the ship, maintaining a relatively stable flight attitude to ensure the scanning particle stream didn't detach from the target celestial body.

This was a technical job.

And it was also physically demanding.

Not every asteroid or asteroid fragment contained minerals.

Furthermore, the value of minerals varied depending on their type.

"Such a large volume, and it took only 32 seconds to get results. Most likely trash. As expected, iron ore."

"28 seconds, ha, copper ore, trash."

Talking to himself was a common habit of interstellar miners.

The complex celestial environment within the asteroid belt mining area made long-distance communication very difficult.

In such situations, talking to oneself became a natural way to alleviate emotions like tension or anxiety.

Over the next hour or so, Wang Dong meticulously scanned all the small celestial bodies in the vicinity that might contain minerals.

The results were not optimistic.

Let alone the Energy Crystals he hoped for, he didn't even find any high-value mineral types.

However, Wang Dong wasn't discouraged at all.

Miners.

Even interstellar miners were still miserable.

Didn't you hear that miner's song?

"One, two, three, four, five, mining is truly hard, all we dig is copper, with a purity of five."

Interstellar miners were pretty much the same.

In this interstellar era, common minerals like copper and iron were truly worthless.

But these were also the minerals found in the largest quantities.

Relying solely on these cheap minerals, even filling the cargo hold every trip wouldn't yield much profit.

Mining also required capital.

Spending an hour or so on screening was nothing.

After scanning this area, Wang Dong pushed the omnidirectional control stick and began to move to a new location.

Luck struck.

Just by changing to a different area, the results improved significantly.

"85 seconds, good heavens, gas ore."

"112 seconds, haha, look what I found, Ghost Titanium Ore!"

After more than forty minutes, Wang Dong made some good discoveries.

Gas ore, a solidified gaseous mineral, was quite expensive, thousands of times more valuable than copper or iron ore.

Ghost Titanium Ore was even more unusual. This metal, which turned silvery-white after refining, possessed extremely high toughness and hardness, making it an excellent material for Warship armor.

Its price was thirty times that of gas ore!

Based on Wang Dong's experience, apart from Energy Crystals, Ghost Titanium Ore was one of the most valuable mineral types in this asteroid belt mining area.

Although Wang Dong's main target was Energy Crystals, he still needed some normal harvest.

This piece of Ghost Titanium Ore came at just the right time.

Skillfully adjusting the flight attitude, the Mine Overlord Type 2 aimed its wide belly at the asteroid containing the ore.

This is a guy over 300 meters in diameter. It's not too big, but it's already close to the processing limit of the Mine Overlord Type 2.

Next is the crucial part.

Wang Dong needs the Mine Overlord Type 2 to get within a hundred meters so it can use its magnetic grappling hooks to capture the asteroid's core.

No matter how small an asteroid is, its mass is still colossal compared to the Mine Overlord Type 2.

At such close range, the gravitational forces between the two are enough to affect the Mine Overlord Type 2's flight attitude.

If it accidentally collides with the asteroid, the trouble would be immense.

This is the interior of the asteroid belt, after all.

After a collision, both the Mine Overlord Type 2 and the asteroid could be affected, changing their trajectories and getting caught in some gravitational turbulence.

Wang Dong isn't a novice, and they aren't in the true depths of the asteroid belt yet. With his skills, he can handle it with ease.

The omnidirectional joystick in his hand constantly micro-adjusts the eight directional thrusters on the ship's hull, allowing the Mine Overlord Type 2 to slowly and steadily approach the asteroid.

The gravitational disturbances affecting its flight attitude are immediately canceled out by the micro-adjustments of the directional thrusters.

There's no need for conscious calculation, nor to look at the scrolling data prompts on the ship's computer. Relying on subconscious reactions, Wang Dong perfectly completes the entire approach.

The instincts of an interstellar miner have long been ingrained in his body.

After aligning with and approaching the asteroid, the Mine Overlord Type 2's belly opens wide.

First, four large magnetic grappling hooks extend out and, upon capturing the asteroid, bind it with magnetic beams.

This process takes five minutes.

Once completed, Wang Dong slightly loosens his grip on the omnidirectional joystick.

The magnetic binding temporarily makes the Mine Overlord Type 2 and the target asteroid a single entity, which is a prerequisite for the entire mining operation.

The subsequent process is much simpler.

From the Mine Overlord Type 2's belly, multiple large mining drills extend. Following the mineral distribution mapped out by the probes, they begin to destructively mine the asteroid before them.

There's no need to worry about the asteroid deforming, shifting abnormally, or scattering debris randomly during this process.

With the aid of the magnetic binding, these are not issues.

The mining drills, made of high-strength alloy, are the most expensive components on the entire Mine Overlord Type 2.

Driven by powerful engines, the mining drills strip away the asteroid's outer rock like a destructive force, burrowing deep into the asteroid's interior at a considerable speed.

More than five hours later, with the assistance of the ship's computer, the mining drills complete their operation on the entire asteroid.

In the Mine Overlord Type 2's cargo hold, there are now over a hundred tons of Ghost Titanium Ore.

The asteroid before them, one-eighth of its composition, has become a chaotic aggregate of scattered rocks.

Although a considerable volume remains, all the Ghost Titanium Ore it contained has been extracted.

Wang Dong leisurely operates the Mine Overlord Type 2, first retracting the mining drills, then recalling the magnetic grappling hooks.

Then, he pushes the omnidirectional joystick, and the ship quickly departs from the asteroid.

A few minutes later, the asteroid, freed from magnetic constraint and inertia, scatters a large amount of fragmented rocks in all directions, while its own trajectory begins to deviate.

This triggers some chain reactions in the vicinity.

Wang Dong has long since departed.

This is the daily routine of an interstellar miner.

Brutal and direct, yet also meticulous and cautious.