At this depth, Wang Dong searched for more than thirty hours.
His haul was three units of Low-grade Energy Crystal.
As for the other ores, aside from those hundred tons of Ghost Titanium Ore, Wang Dong didn't mine anything else.
He needed to save time.
Near-space mining spaceships generally didn't have much endurance.
After all, they were used for near-space mining, where both safety and logistical support were excellent.
There was no need for long endurance. It would only take up limited space, reduce cargo capacity, and lower cost-effectiveness.
Energy Crystals were exceptionally rare minerals.
Compared with other ores, which were often found in deposits hundreds of tons in size, Energy Crystals were measured in units.
The exact amount in one unit of Energy Crystal depended on the energy it contained, but it weighed no more than one kilogram.
They were tiny, and ordinary miners really weren't equipped to handle them.
Wang Dong had found these three units of Energy Crystal inside a deposit of Aotong Ore.
He had successively used a large mining drill, a medium mining drill, and then a small mining drill to strip the ore away. After moving it into the cargo hold, he had finally chipped the crystals free with a hand-held alloy hammer.
The whole process took more than ten hours.
Once he was done, Wang Dong let out a long breath and wiped away his sweat.
He had met his minimum target for the haul.
The long hours of continuous work had left Wang Dong's body and mind struggling to keep up.
Although he had only just met his lowest expected target, Wang Dong still decided to call it a day.
With his condition less than ideal, Wang Dong took extra care while piloting the spaceship.
At times like this, he especially couldn't let fatigue make him lower his standards.
He carefully left the mining zone, then paused at its edge to wait for the next Clear Window Period.
The astronomical conditions at the edge were much better than those deeper inside.
Only there did Wang Dong dare to relax and rest a little.
The intervals between Clear Window Periods weren't very long. A few hours later, Wang Dong left the mining zone without incident and returned to the Forward Base.
Big Sis Liya was still on duty. Wang Dong made a few inquiries and learned that Old Shi had already left the mining zone and gone back after admitting defeat.
Without Wang Dong deliberately interfering, Old Shi had avoided the deadly mishap that befell him last time. From the sound of it, he had also been behaving himself a lot more.
It was a welcome change, and Wang Dong was satisfied.
One potential problem had been eliminated.
Wang Dong only needed Old Shi to behave for a while.
He could deal with this minor nuisance whenever he wanted later on.
Wang Dong didn't stay long at the Forward Base and soon set off on his return journey.
Once he was out of the mining zone, he could use the autopilot again.
On the way back, Wang Dong ran into a patrol squad.
There were four squads responsible for routine patrols within the mining zone's star region.
Each squad consisted of three warships: two fire-support reconnaissance ships and one assault ship.
The route from KQ-03 to the Asteroid Belt Mining Zone was one of the patrol squads' main areas of focus, so it was quite safe.
Wang Dong calmly watched the three-warship formation pass, his eyes showing not the slightest emotion.
Back then, when Wang Dong saw warships like these, he had been thrilled and full of longing.
It wasn't just because of their menacing gun barrels and sturdy hulls protected by thick armor.
Or because of the romance of it all.
More importantly, Wang Dong had thought they were the vessel through which his golden finger would officially activate.
After his rebirth, Wang Dong felt nothing at all toward these warships.
"Just a bunch of cannon fodder, judging by their combat rating."
These standard-issue warships didn't meet the system's requirements.
They had no potential for growth.
The Auxiliary System had principles and good taste.
Though it had never shown any sign of intelligence.
After all, it was only an auxiliary system. Making jokes, padding out the word count, and driving the plot forward weren't among its major responsibilities.
Wang Dong returned Mine Overlord Type 2 to its berth at the Mining Company's docking yard.
Automated settlement equipment sorted, screened, crushed, and refined the ores in the cargo hold.
Wang Dong's final earnings wouldn't be calculated until the entire process was complete.
He didn't need to wait around; the whole process was recorded and could be checked at any time.
The Mining Company's reputation in this regard was still quite good.
It wasn't a matter of conscience.
The Mining Company already took the lion's share of the profits.
Miners not only had to pay to rent their mining spaceships, but also covered the cost of processing and refining the ores. In the end, they were required to sell the finished products to the Mining Company.
By the time the whole process was over, ordinary miners were basically working for the Mining Company and earning only a little for their hard work.
Only when they collected valuable minerals like Ghost Titanium Ore could they make a decent profit.
With those three units of Low-grade Energy Crystal in his pocket, Wang Dong strolled leisurely through the streets of KQ-03's residential district.
The Mining Company offered a decent purchase price for Low-grade Energy Crystal, but Wang Dong's plans hinged on having this stuff.
Keeping the Low-grade Energy Crystal for himself technically violated the contract he had signed with the Mining Company.
But it didn't matter. As long as he didn't put it on the market, the Mining Company wouldn't notice.
Since the Mining Company's purchase price for Energy Crystal was no lower than the market price, this sort of thing had rarely happened before.
Ordinary people had absolutely no use for Energy Crystal.
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