Danger and Opportunity

The Earth Rank barrier had been like a great mountain pressing down on Yuan for eighteen years, but now he was on the verge of breaking through!

As he walked down the street, he rarely let his mind go blank and wandered without any particular destination.

Most passersby hurried along, working hard to make a living and obtain cultivation resources.

Just as he was about to head home, a piercing alarm suddenly rang out in the sky.

The transparent energy shield system that constantly covered the entire city and usually went unnoticed was suddenly activated at full power.

The faint hum of overloaded energy could be heard everywhere, and the energy shield dyed the entire sky a brilliant golden yellow.

The passersby and passenger aircraft all came to a stop. They looked around in confusion, not knowing what was happening.

Some well-informed people and the elderly recalled what the change meant and cried out in alarm, "This is the energy shield system's 'war mode'! A foreign race has invaded!"

Sure enough, just then, a holographic image flashing red and blaring a warning appeared on everyone's Smart Wristwatch, including Yuan's, confirming their suspicions.

"Warning! Warning! The Tuka Tribe has entered a state of wartime alert!"

"All residents, follow the instructions on your personal smart devices, protect any Apprentice Rank children nearby, and return to your homes immediately. No one may leave without special authorization!"

"All residents living in buildings with a metal strength below A9 Grade, proceed immediately to the nearest shelter. We will provide free food and lodging!"

Yuan was about to do something when his Smart Wristwatch instructed him to stay where he was.

Then two young, burly men at the ninth step of Earth Rank grabbed him nearby and dragged him off at a run without giving him a chance to refuse.

One of them hurriedly explained, "The two of us were assigned by our personal smart devices to take you home!"

To Yuan, who was only at the ninth step of Apprentice Rank, the full running speed of two men at the ninth step of Earth Rank (Planet Rank) was truly "like the wind and lightning."

Yuan tried several times to speak, but the wind rushed into his mouth and left him unable to get a word out. By the time they reached his door, he had no chance to thank them; the two young men had already disappeared.

As soon as he got home, Yuan called his parents, but he couldn't get through after four or five attempts.

He stood anxiously by the window and watched the entire city start moving like a wound-up machine beneath the shadow of war, operating in an orderly and rapid fashion.

"The No. 3 Main Mine has powerful experts stationed there, so there shouldn't be any major problems. Is it the Light-Deriving Snake Race attacking, or are those Desolate Beasts invading?"

The internet was full of speculation, but no one had a clear answer.

"If only I were Earth Rank or higher! Then I wouldn't be completely helpless like this!"

Slumped on the living room sofa, Yuan stared at the dozen or so missed calls on the virtual screen before him. For the first time in his life, he felt utterly powerless.

After a long while, his mother Doris finally answered. She smiled and reassured Yuan that everything was fine, telling him to stay home and take care of himself.

But after he repeatedly asked about his father, Autumn, Yuan could make out a trace of worry that his mother had tried to hide.

Doris finally told him the truth: "Two Universe Rank members of the Light-Deriving Snake Race arrived at the No. 3 Main Mine. They're fighting each other in the air, and the shock waves have caused tremendous damage to the mine's surface."

"Several nearby mining teams that were working at the time were buried underground. Your father's mining team was among them!"

"But don't worry. Your father and the others took shelter in a 'safety pod' made of B9 Grade Star Blue Gold. They just have to wait for those two Light-Deriving Snakes to leave!"

"Damn those Light-Deriving Snakes! Aren't there powerful experts stationed at the mine? Why don't they just drive them away?"

"I asked the general manager. He said it involved secrets we aren't allowed to know..."

After all, when the Northern Rock Race was wiped out, four or five Immortals from the Light-Deriving Snake Race had all appeared.

With the Immortal God Lord on humanity's side out of contact, the humans of the Isis Race could only endure the Light-Deriving Snake Race's less serious provocations.

This was not something a lowly commoner like Yuan was meant to know. Even the mine's general manager, who was also a Universe Rank expert, only knew part of the story.

Yuan slumped on the sofa. After a brief spell of sadness, a fierce urge suddenly came over him to go take a look at the mine.

He knew that, at the ninth step of Apprentice Rank, he couldn't be of any help, but his father was there!

"Even if I can't help, I won't get in the way. At least I can find out what's happening to my father as soon as possible!"

Once he'd decided to sneak out of the city and take a look at the No. 3 Main Mine, Yuan inexplicably found himself torn. It was as if a voice inside him kept urging him to give up.

"You're only at the ninth step of Apprentice Rank. You can't help at all, and you'll only get in the way! Stay home and wait for news!"

When he was just about to give up, Yuan suddenly realized something was wrong! He immediately sat cross-legged and entered his Consciousness Sea to examine the purple crystal inside.

The diamond-shaped purple crystal was rotating as always, absorbing the Universe Energy entering his Consciousness Sea, as if nothing had changed...

Yuan knew perfectly well how important his family was to him. Even if he couldn't get out of the city, he would still try, rather than give up so easily like he'd just done!

Besides, war hadn't actually broken out. Though the mine's security forces couldn't "actively" provoke the two Light-Deriving Snakes, they were more than capable of protecting the many miners and their families still at the mine.

Yuan dug out the backup identity card his father had kept at home and tried to sneak out.

An undisclosed secret signal was quietly sent from near the Stone family home...

"Report from Number Ten. The target has left home. Change the patrol routes of the robotic patrol officers and security mechs according to plan..."

Keeping his head down as he walked along the street, Yuan managed to evade the robotic patrol officers and the security mechs in the sky one after another without incident.

He soon reached the north gate of the Tuka Tribe, the city gate closest to the No. 3 Main Mine. He hid beside a flower bed where some unknown plants were growing.

Beneath the golden energy shield, which radiated danger, a giant gap dozens of meters long and wide had been carved out by a half-oval metal gate. All sorts of people, machines, and transport vehicles passed through it...

Dozens of giant cannons atop the metal gate stood ready to fire, making it clear that this was not a place anyone could enter or leave at will.

"Damn it! Who provided the intelligence? The target is only at the ninth step of Apprentice Rank. How could he possibly leave the city right now?"

"There was a problem with the intelligence. The original report said the target could break through at any moment. While setting up surveillance, the intelligence staff slacked off and changed it to say he'd already broken through, so they relaxed their monitoring. They weren't authorized to know the specific details or timing of the plan..."

"Damn it! After this is over, kill everyone involved!"

"Yes! The kid sure does value his life. With the hope of breaking through after cultivating the Seven-Layer Divine Consciousness Tower, he had to drag it out until now! Could the thing be influencing him?"

"Shut your mouth! No discussing anything related to this! Send someone to stop the target, and be careful not to make him suspicious!"

Yuan pulled his hood down to hide his face completely in the darkness. Just as he was about to get up, someone behind him quietly grabbed him.

Before Yuan could react, the person whispered, "You're trying to get out through the city gate, aren't you? They've sealed it off. You're only at the ninth step of Apprentice Rank, so you can't get out!"

"Mind your own business. I have my own way." Yuan replied confidently and began to stand again.

The person grew anxious and grabbed him once more. With the strength of a ninth-step Earth Rank expert, he only gave a light tug, yet Yuan could no longer move. "You're planning to use a mine employee card to get through the employee entrance, aren't you?"

"Who are you? How do you know I have a mine employee card?" Yuan asked warily.

The person pointed at Yuan's Smart Wristwatch and smiled. "I guessed. Normally, no one would stop you, but it's wartime now. Even the employee entrance requires verification by your personal smart device."

To put Yuan at ease, the person deliberately said, "My name's Tuowei. Pay me some Credit Points, and I can get you out!"

"I live nearby, so don't worry. I'm sure you have enough confidence to call the police before I can subdue you, right?"

Since the other man had put it that way, Yuan finally let his guard down a little and prepared to go with him and see what happened.

After all, in the short time they'd been there, Yuan had seen an Apprentice Rank person trying to sneak out through the city gate get stopped and sent back.

Tuowei said, "He was probably family of a miner trapped at the mine, too. Good thing it isn't really 'wartime' right now, or that Apprentice Rank fellow would've been in for a rough time..."

It seemed Tuowei knew a few things about what was going on. Following him through several winding streets, Yuan entered the back room of an ordinary-looking little shop.

Tuowei gave the excuse they'd prepared: "We have a 'Scavenger Team' here. Like I just said, as long as you pay enough Credit Points, we can get you out."

As the name suggested, a Scavenger Team searched for useful resources outside the city. Strong fighters hunted powerful Desolate Beasts again and again, and always left behind some resources and treasures they didn't care for.

On top of that, ever since the Northern Rock Race had been wiped out, decent things were often dug up in the ruins of nearby cities. This had given rise to a thriving scavenging business.

There were plenty of dangers, but it certainly paid far better than being an honest miner...

Yuan understood and tried to bargain with Tuowei. After all, even though he came from a fairly well-off family, he was an underage Apprentice Rank youth and didn't have much money.

Tuowei was happy to drag things out while waiting for new instructions from above.

"I had another Scavenger Team try to get an Apprentice Rank person through the city gate, but they were stopped. This won't work! What now?"

"Damn it! I want to grind those intelligence staff to dust this very second! We have no choice. Use the 'Mandala Liquid'!"

"No! This precious resource was supposed to be saved and offered to our master! The Mandala Liquid comes from the heart of the Yisi Kingdom's territory. It's useful even to Demigod Rank (World Rank) experts and can increase affinity with the laws. You can't buy it outside, not even for a fortune."

"Our organization spent years operating in the Yisi Kingdom and used up all our Credit Points just to buy this single drop. It's such a waste to use it for a minor breakthrough by an Apprentice Rank kid!"

"Have you forgotten the master's original instructions? At any cost! Make the target leave the city of his own accord! Decide quickly. If we delay too long and provoke a Demigod Rank expert into attacking those two Light-Deriving Snakes, the mission will fail! Can you take responsibility for that?"

"We have no choice, then. It's a pity after all our effort these years. Sigh!"