The crimson sky and the air that tasted of rust kept stirring memories that lay dormant in Wang Dong's mind.
"Along the H-22 moving walkway, three intersections. I should transfer there."
"Mm, that's right. This is the intersection. Transfer to the S-19 moving walkway."
He had actually made his way straight back to the residential community where he lived, without a single mistake or detour.
It was a route he hadn't taken in over ten years.
He gave a self-mocking smile. It seemed that this peaceful stretch of time on KQ-03 had left a deep impression on his life.
That made sense. Neither the revelation of his origins and his move to a baron's domain, nor the decade-plus that followed, spent on the run, made for fond memories.
By comparison, his days in the mining star region really had been the most carefree time of Wang Dong's life.
With the system's assistance and his own hard work, he'd earned widespread recognition and respect as an interstellar miner.
Financially, he'd also enjoyed a fairly substantial income, steadily accumulating his first pot of gold.
Without comparison, there was no pain.
So KQ-03, where there was no birdsong, no fragrant flowers, and no bright sunshine to speak of, had become a symbol of peace and happiness.
What a disgrace to transmigrators.
His self-criticism and self-assessment complete,
Wang Dong passed the identity check and stepped into his home.
The tidy, minimalist interior and thoroughly masculine style highlighted his status as a lifelong bachelor.
KQ-03 had only a few hundred years of colonial history.
The planet had a permanent population of just over ten million, supported by mining and related industries.
The technology on this planet wasn't very advanced. Aside from the heavy industry supporting mining and metallurgy, other fields offered little beyond what was needed for daily life.
In the interstellar age, distance in the literal sense had become the greatest obstacle.
Not only could the distance between star systems be measured in light-years, but even the planets within a single system could have vastly different levels of technology.
That was perfectly normal. Disseminating technology also required resources. Without a good reason, who would spend vast resources spreading technologies that improved people's lives?
It was like the Industrial Revolution on the old homeworld: how many resources did it take to build countless factories? How many to provide education and produce enough qualified workers? How many to build sufficient roads and lay enough railway tracks?
Let alone in the Purple Thorn Kingdom, where Wang Dong currently lived. Under a social system resembling feudal enfeoffment, how many noble lords would go out of their way to spend vast resources just to improve the lives of their subjects?
This was a kingdom where a privileged class monopolized supernatural power and high-end military might, its foundations of rule secure.
Things like public opinion were best taken with a grain of salt.
The noble lords didn't need votes.
By Wang Dong's habits, the 1st, 10th, and 20th of every month were the days he set out on mining runs.
Three trips a month brought in around three hundred thousand yuan (the currency of the Purple Thorn Kingdom).
That counted as a very high income.
Wang Dong belonged to the soul-transmigration type. He'd transmigrated directly into an infant's body and grown up in an orphanage.
His original life plan had been to save up enough money, then head to a more prosperous star region and find a way to get his hands on a battleship.
Then he'd officially activate his cheat and rise to the peak of life.
Now that he'd been reborn at the age of twenty, Wang Dong naturally knew his original life plan had been nothing more than a reflection of the moon in the water.
There was no way it could ever come true.
A life was really just the result of countless choices coming together.
And Wang Dong's life from here on out would be one in which more than half of those choices had been frozen.
Before his rebirth, this so-called life had barely given Wang Dong any choices at all.
Fortunately, the experience and memories he'd brought back this time had at least let him carve out a little breathing room from within those unyielding ropes.
Over the next few days, Wang Dong put together a thorough plan.
His previous stretches of free time had been too short to sort things out systematically and make a plan.
Then, taking care not to attract attention, he made a few preparations.
Time always passed quickly when he was busy.
Before long, it was June 10th.
A day Wang Dong would never forget.
Mining Company, mining spaceship docking area.
"Your share of the proceeds from last time came to 822,600 yuan. It's already been deposited into your account. Everything look right?"
While Wang Dong was choosing a ship, the scruffy administrator took the opportunity to go over the accounts with him.
For the record, the administrator nicknamed "Old Third Zhou" was quite a talent.
He handled security, warehousing, accounting, and several other jobs, and kept them all in good order.
At least, every account he'd gone over with Wang Dong had been clear as could be.
Wang Dong nodded to confirm there were no issues.
The money had been transferred to Wang Dong's account two days ago, and he'd already skimmed through the details.
The reason the proceeds were so high was the Ghost Titanium Ore.
This income made Wang Dong's preparations all the more complete.
He still chose a Mine Overlord Type 2 in relatively good condition.
What Wang Dong liked about it was the maneuverability provided by its eight directional thrusters.
At some critical moment, its high maneuverability might give him that tiny extra chance of survival.
His thoughts were turbulent, but he showed nothing on his face.
As usual, Wang Dong boarded the ship briskly, took off, and set a course.
Destination: Entrance Three.
Sixteen hours later, Wang Dong reached his destination.
Entrance Three was farther away than Entrance Two, where Wang Dong had gone last time.
This time, Wang Dong was lucky. When he reached Forward Base, it happened to be a Clear Window Period, so he could go straight in.
Wang Dong took a deep breath.
Then he let it out slowly and evenly.
From this moment on, it was all a test of his acting skills.
He went straight into the mining area. Once he reached a suitable depth, he started mining.
"Thirty-three seconds. Junk ore. Move on."
"Sixty-eight seconds. Aluminum ore. The yield's too low. Not worth it."
As usual, Wang Dong muttered to himself, commenting on the conclusions reached by the detector.
After a while, picking and choosing, Wang Dong selected an irregular asteroid containing Aotong Ore and began mining it.
He approached with practiced ease, applied the magnetic restraints, drilled it out, and finished the job perfectly.
Wang Dong displayed the skills of a seasoned interstellar miner to the fullest.
Anyone watching could easily tell.
This was a young interstellar miner with real talent.
But the tension in Wang Dong's heart never eased.
Just as Wang Dong was about to finish mining in this area and move on to search the next, something changed!
A strange distortion of space rippled through the area, and a gigantic vessel suddenly appeared above Wang Dong's Mine Overlord Type 2!
It was a battleship over three hundred meters long and more than sixty meters wide!
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