Energy Crystal (Seeking Collection)

For over thirty hours at this depth, Wang Dong searched.

His haul was three units of low-grade Energy Crystals.

As for other ores, aside from the hundred tons of Ghost Titanium Ore, Wang Dong didn't touch anything else.

He needed to save time.

The endurance of near-space mining ships isn't generally very strong.

After all, it's for near-space mining, where both safety and logistical support are quite high.

Excessive endurance isn't necessary, and it would also take up limited space, reduce cargo capacity, and lower cost-effectiveness.

Energy Crystals are truly quite a rare mineral.

Compared to other ores which often have reserves in the hundreds of tons, Energy Crystals are measured in units.

One unit of Energy Crystal, its specific quantity depends on the energy contained within, with a maximum of one kilogram.

A tiny piece like that is genuinely difficult for ordinary miners to handle.

These three units of Energy Crystals were found by Wang Dong inside a deposit of Aotong Ore.

He sequentially used a large mining drill, a medium mining drill, and a small mining drill to peel away the layers. Finally, after loading them into the cargo hold, they were separated by hand with an alloy hammer.

The entire process took over ten hours.

Upon completion, Wang Dong let out a long breath and wiped his sweat.

The minimum harvest target had been met.

The prolonged continuous operation left Wang Dong's spirit and stamina somewhat unable to cope.

Although the harvest only met the minimum expected standard, Wang Dong still chose to stop.

With his condition not at its peak, Wang Dong drove the ship with extra caution.

It's precisely at times like these that he cannot afford to lower his standards due to fatigue.

He carefully exited the mining area. In the peripheral zone, Wang Dong paused briefly, waiting for the next window period to arrive.

The astronomical environment in the peripheral zone was much better than in the depths.

Only then did Wang Dong dare to relax and rest a little.

The interval between window periods isn't long. After a few hours, Wang Dong successfully left the mining area and returned to the forward base.

Liya was on duty again. Wang Dong made a few inquiries and learned that Old Shi had already come out of the mining area and returned after admitting defeat.

Without Wang Dong deliberately causing trouble, Old Shi had avoided the deadly tribulation from last time, and it sounded like he had become much more honest.

This was a good change, and Wang Dong was satisfied with it.

One hidden danger had been eliminated.

Wang Dong only needed Old Shi to be honest for a while.

This kind of minor trouble could be dealt with anytime in the future.

He didn't linger at the forward base for long. Wang Dong soon embarked on his return journey.

After leaving the mining area, the automatic navigation function could be enabled again.

On the way back, Wang Dong encountered a patrol.

There are a total of four squads for routine patrols within the mining starfield.

Each squad consists of three warships, with two firepower reconnaissance ships and one assault ship.

The route taken by KQ-03 to the asteroid belt mining area is one of the patrol teams' key focus routes, ensuring a high level of safety.

Wang Dong calmly observed the three-ship formation pass by, his eyes showing no ripple.

The former Wang Dong would have been quite excited and full of longing upon seeing these warships.

Not just because of their menacing cannons and sturdy hulls protected by robust armor.

Nor because of the romance of men.

It was more because Wang Dong believed they were the carriers for his golden finger's official activation.

The reborn Wang Dong was completely indifferent to these warships.

"Combat power evaluation: merely a mob-class warship."

These standard warships didn't meet the system's requirements.

They lacked growth potential.

It was an auxiliary system with principles and taste.

Although it had never displayed any intelligence.

After all, it was just an auxiliary system and wasn't responsible for major tasks like being cute, padding word count, or driving the plot.

He docked the Mine Overlord Type 2 back at the mining company's berth.

The intelligent settlement equipment automatically sorted, screened, crushed, and refined the ores in the cargo hold.

Wang Dong's final earnings wouldn't be settled until the entire process concluded.

He didn't need to wait the whole time; the entire process was recorded and could be reviewed at any moment.

In this regard, the mining company's creditworthiness was quite good.

It wasn't a matter of conscience.

When it came to profit distribution, the mining company itself took the lion's share.

Miners not only had to pay rental fees for their mining ships but also cover the processing and refining costs of the ore, and finally, the finished products had to be purchased by the mining company.

Throughout the entire process, ordinary miners were essentially just working for the mining company, earning a bit of hard cash for themselves.

Unless they mined high-value minerals like Ghost Titanium Ore, their income would be rather meager.

Clutching those three units of low-grade Energy Crystals, Wang Dong strolled leisurely through the streets of the KQ-03 living area.

As for low-grade Energy Crystals, the acquisition price offered by the mining company wasn't low, but Wang Dong's next plan had a crucial point that required these items.

Keeping these low-grade Energy Crystals was, strictly speaking, a violation of the contract agreement signed with the mining company.

But it was fine; as long as they weren't traded on the open market, the mining company wouldn't notice.

Given that the mining company's acquisition price for Energy Crystals was no lower than market prices, such a situation rarely occurred before.

For ordinary people, Energy Crystals were completely useless.