Chapter 433 – Meteorite

“…The observatory reports that at 21:37 Duoling time, a super large meteor shower will land in the southwestern outskirts. To avoid accidents, please refrain from going out during the meteor shower… Please be advised…”

Under the night-shrouded land, white beams of light occasionally pierce through the darkness, illuminating a sliver of space.

These are the lights from the patrol Mecha of the city’s defense system, occasionally casting light onto the ground as they fly high above.

On the black expanse of wilderness, a few figures stood at the base of a slightly arched hill, as though waiting for something.

“Just three minutes left…”

One of the four people glanced at their watch and reported softly.

The other three remained silent, appearing to be teenagers around sixteen or seventeen years old.

One of them continuously looked up, focusing intently on the dark sky. The other two, one tall and one short, stood on either side of him like followers, occasionally glancing at their mobile phones.

The last teenager seemed somewhat out of place, standing a bit away from the other three, clutching a bag around his waist with a nervous expression.

The time on the virtual screen projected among them ticked away.

When the three-minute countdown ended, the group instinctively looked up.

Almost simultaneously, colorful light flames from meteors began to streak across the dark sky above them like rain.

Exactly as the observatory predicted, a super large meteor shower appeared. The eyes of the four teenagers watching this spectacle lit up.

It is said that this meteor shower was formed by an asteroid that accidentally entered the planet’s orbit.

The main body of the asteroid had already been shattered multiple times outside the planet, and what appeared before them, becoming the meteors, were merely remnants of meteorite debris yet to be completely eradicated.

Even these remnants have less than a one-in-ten-thousand chance to “safely” fall to the ground.

The “autonomous defense system” covering the entire metropolis would precisely lock onto and shatter them as they approached.

In the eyes of the four teenagers, shooting stars appeared brightly as they streaked across the sky, before exploding into a shower of sparks and disappearing-a spectacular sight.

This process lasted for several minutes.

Perhaps the scale of tonight’s meteor shower was indeed quite large.

Amidst the “lively” sparks, a few “lucky ones” managed to escape the defense system’s “kill zone,” plummeting towards the ground below.

One of them seemed to be landing quite close to where the four were standing.

“Let’s go!”

The leading boy among them quickly averted his gaze, swiftly pulling a capsule-sized object from his pocket and tossing it to the ground.

With a soft “pop,” a rugged, beast-like black off-road vehicle materialized in front of them.

The boy was the first to jump into the passenger seat and then urgently prompted the others.

“Stop dawdling, get in the car, before the patrol Mecha shows up!”

The others reacted quickly, with one slipping into the driver’s seat and another jumping into the back.

The timid youth with the bag hesitated briefly before being shouted at to get in.

The black off-road vehicle’s engine roared as it sped across the wilderness.

Standing in the passenger seat, the boy leaned halfway out of the window, staring unblinkingly at a fireball rapidly descending from the distant sky, eyes ablaze with excitement.

“Qiyuan, why are you so determined to collect a meteorite?”

As the vehicle sped along, the boy in the driver’s seat asked nonchalantly while controlling the car.

The boy at the front, hair blowing wildly in the wind, had a tender expression on his face and replied, “Vinia’s birthday is in a week. I plan to give her a ‘Star’.”

Upon hearing this, the two companions exchanged glances that said “so that’s it.”

In their perspective, only his “goddess” could drive him to such passionate lengths.

To them, coming out late at night to collect stones and play romantically was utterly foolish. Even if it worked, it would only serve to move Qiyuan himself.

But as his “followers,” it wasn’t something they could say outright, so one muttered under his breath, “Why come out here for this? You could easily buy something like this online…”

“You know nothing.”

Qiyuan snapped back, “How could some store-bought rock compare to one I pick up myself? Vinia hates anything done without sincerity… Faster, come on!”

He urged his companion in the driver’s seat once more, “Speed up a bit. If the patrol Mecha catches us, we’ll be forced back to the urban area.”

“The engine’s already maxed out…”

“Don’t give me that. This car can hit three hundred and now we’re barely at what?”

Amidst the teenagers’ bickering, the timid youth in the back seat clutched his bag, remaining silent throughout.

From time to time, he glanced back towards the main urban area that was growing distant, then checked the time, squirming uncomfortably in his seat as if sitting on pins and needles.

After about ten minutes, the black off-road vehicle began to slow down across the wilderness.

Before the car came to a complete stop, the boy from the passenger seat leaped out and rushed toward a spot directly ahead.

The rest quickly followed suit.

The group came to a halt at the edge of a smoking crater.

This meteorite crater was only a few meters wide, and from the edge, they could faintly see a glow emanating from the bottom.

It was the first time any of them had witnessed a meteor landing like this, and they all looked on with fascination.

Even the timid youth, usually the most reserved, seemed to forget his worries, stretching his neck alongside the others to peer into the crater with curiosity.

As time passed, the fiery glow from the crater began to fade, and the intense heat from the impact rapidly diminished.

The surrounding area darkened, but from the cool crater floor, a faint golden light emanated.

“Depth, 17.8 meters. The temperature inside has dropped below 300. A level one protective suit should be more than sufficient…

Judging by the glow, this meteorite could be some kind of precious metal. Vinia will definitely love it. It’s a pity I couldn’t bring my Mecha, or this would have been much easier.”

The lead boy, brimming with excitement, used a portable device to quickly measure the conditions inside the meteorite crater. He then pulled a capsule-like object from his pocket and tossed it onto the ground, transforming it with a “pop” into a heavy, pale protective suit.

He glanced at the two followers beside him and asked, “Which one of you is going down?”

The two boys, who had been snapping photos and recording videos of the crater with their mobile phones, froze at his words.

They looked at Qiyuan, then at the scorching meteorite crater, and forced a smile. “You’re joking, right, Qiyuan?”

“I’m not joking at all.”

The lead boy looked at them with a cold expression. “Why else would I have dragged you two out here in the middle of the night?

You didn’t think I was going down there myself, did you? Stop stalling, put on the protective suit and get down there. Don’t keep me waiting…”

The two followers exchanged glances. After a few seconds, one of them spoke up first. “I just drove us here! You go!”

“I…”

The other was immediately at a loss for words, wanting to come up with an excuse, but as he saw the increasingly cold gaze of the lead boy, beads of sweat began to form on his forehead…

Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he glanced to the side.

“Let him go! Let this guy go!”

One follower roughly grabbed the timid youth who had been standing with his bag beside them and pulled him forward, quickly saying, “This guy has been with us the whole way and hasn’t done a thing. It’s perfect for him to go down there and collect the rock.”

As soon as he said this, all eyes shifted to the timid youth, who had been virtually invisible until now.

Under their scrutiny and upon hearing what they wanted him to do, the timid youth became visibly anxious.

Unexpectedly, he broke free from the grip of the follower, clutched his bag tightly, and without another word, turned and ran.