Chapter 456 – Waste Ore

The roar of engines was completely drowned out by the massive noise of the mining machine at work.

Lu Yuan glanced back, smirked, and fished out a few chewing gum-like pieces from a hidden groove in the control panel, tossing them into his mouth before slamming on the accelerator…

The ultra-small aircraft, which resembled a motorcycle, shot forward at high speed, leaving a long red tail flame and completely shaking off someone’s pursuit from behind, diving straight into the ink-black primal forest ahead.

“Whoosh-“

After turning off the aircraft’s built-in energy protection shield, the cool breeze rushed in, wildly tousling Lu Yuan’s hair and bringing a refreshing and exhilarating sensation.

Chewing the gum, Lu Yuan navigated the hover motorcycle skillfully along the forest’s surface, flying swiftly as guided by the map.

This vehicle was originally bought by Lu Qiyuan, who followed the nobility’s trends, specifically to take Vinia for thrilling rides.

Unfortunately, Vinia never once sat on the back seat, but now it served Lu Yuan well.

In the vastness of the night, Lu Yuan drove the motorcycle swiftly over the sea of trees.

Above him, the stars sparkled brilliantly.

Gradually, numerous glowing green light spots began to rise from the primal forest and drifted upwards.

Lu Yuan watched in wonder, reaching out to grab them.

However, as soon as his hand touched the light spots, they rapidly vanished.

“Hmm?”

A change came over Lu Yuan’s expression; he clearly felt those disappearing light spots merging into his body.

Not only that, but these light spots seemed to contain wisps of Life Energy.

It was very faint, but undeniably present.

Lu Yuan was extremely sensitive to Life Energy, which was beneficial for his power recovery; an average person wouldn’t have noticed it at all.

The number of glowing green light spots above the forest increased, resembling countless fireflies, gradually forming a dreamlike sea of light spots.

Lu Yuan seemed to be traveling through this shimmering green sea of light.

“So many…”

Lu Yuan gradually slowed down the hover motorcycle, his expression transfixed as he muttered, “If only I could absorb them all…”

Even though the Life Energy contained in a single light spot was minuscule, the accumulation of so many light spots was quite considerable.

Unfortunately, these free-floating light spots were not affected by any Strength, making them difficult to capture.

Lu Yuan tried to use his [Devour] skill, but even if he turned his entire body into a viscous black liquid state, it would take a considerable amount of time to devour this whole “ocean.”

After five minutes, the light spots started to disperse rapidly.

The vast and magnificent sea of green light gradually dissolved.

Lu Yuan had no choice but to give up.

“Forget it.”

Lu Yuan increased the hover motorcycle’s speed, his eyes glinting briefly.

“I’ll come back to study where these Life Energy-containing light spots come from and why they’re produced… but for now, I need to take care of business.”

He had lingered for a short time due to the mysterious sea of light spots.

If he delayed any further, Lu Feng might catch up with him, following the trail.

He didn’t believe that simply not carrying a terminal and turning off the Light Brain pendant hanging around his neck would be enough to completely shake off Lu Feng.

Lu Feng likely had other means to track him.

With a final glance at the forest, gradually dimming from its once magnificent and enchanting spectacle, Lu Yuan stepped on the gas, and the hover motorcycle shot forward like an arrow once again.

Fifteen minutes later, the motorcycle’s speed gradually slowed.

In Lu Yuan’s field of vision, a brightly lit scene appeared.

Lu Yuan maneuvered the motorcycle to a stop in front of a large tree with a dense canopy.

He jumped off the bike and stored it back in the spatial capsule.

Standing atop the tall treetop, he narrowed his eyes, chewing on his chewing gum as he surveyed the brightly lit area from afar.

“This should be the place…”

Xiao’s Mining Company, a small company primarily engaged in bismuth metal ore excavation.

It was also the nearest bismuth metal mining site shown on the map.

The destination of his trip.

“Let’s go.”

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze, and like a nimble monkey, he leaped down from the treetop, tens of meters high.

Using the vines and branches connecting the trees, he quickly made his way towards the brightly lit place at a fast pace.

“Strength points: 16, Agility points: 16, Constitution points: 16… This body’s base stats are still lacking…”

After several minutes of agile jumping and maneuvering, Lu Yuan started feeling the strain, his breathing becoming slightly labored.

In the past, he could cover this short distance effortlessly without breaking a sweat, barely breathing heavy.

Riding the hover motorcycle, it would’ve taken just a press of the accelerator.

Unfortunately, now he was weaker and couldn’t afford to get spotted, so he couldn’t continue riding the hover car and had to resort to this primitive method.

Fortunately, when Lu Yuan left home today, he specifically changed into a snug biker jacket and wore night vision goggles.

These items, which came with the hover motorcycle, provided good Protective capabilities, shielding Lu Yuan from countless vines and branches along the way. Otherwise, he would be covered in minor scratches and wounds by now.

A few minutes later, Lu Yuan successfully reached his destination.

He steadied himself on a sturdy tree branch, adjusting his breathing while quietly observing the situation at the mining site ahead.

Similar to his own mining site, this site had an area artificially cleared in the forest, with a few makeshift buildings erected for habitation.

The layout formed a semi-circle, with the central area serving as a small square for human activities, and the semi-circular opening facing the mining site.

Most small mining sites had a similar structure.

Lu Yuan didn’t see anyone at first glance; they were likely working at the mining site or resting in their rooms.

“Small mining companies like this one, located deep in the forest, don’t have strong armed Protective forces. They only need enough to fend off wild beasts.”

Lu Yuan thought to himself as he casually fished out two more pieces of chewing gum from his biker jacket pocket and popped them into his mouth.

This chewing gum had a slight nerve-stimulating, energizing effect, perfect for replenishing the energy he expended on his run here.

“But basic security measures are definitely in place. If I just rush in, I’d probably be spotted immediately…”

Lu Yuan chewed his chewing gum, feeling the minty flavor gradually spread throughout his mouth.

He surveyed the surroundings, his eyes flickering slightly as a plan quickly formed in his mind.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out four or five spatial capsules.

Each capsule contained a different mode of transportation, and aside from the hover motorcycle he rode earlier, he activated the rest all at once.

A six-wheel off-roader, a doorless supercar…

These were considered top-tier land vehicles.

In the age of Mecha artillery, they were more akin to oversized toys.

“Go,” Lu Yuan said calmly, pressing the remote control button in his hand.

In an instant, five steel beasts roared to life, bursting out from the dark, primal forest with a thunderous roar, racing toward the miner base from five different directions.

The vehicles clashed and skidded over the rugged forest terrain, their engines roaring fiercely.

Except for an orange supercar with a low chassis that got stuck halfway, spinning its four wheels in place, the remaining four vehicles charged successfully into the semicircular square.

The once peaceful base immediately erupted with alarm sirens.

Lu Yuan watched as a dozen drones and robot guards swarmed out like a hive.

Four or five men emerged from the buildings, their expressions tense, shouting commands in distress.

Without a personal terminal or a functioning Light Brain, Lu Yuan couldn’t understand what they were yelling.

He could only see most of them running towards the same building, while one person broke off, running in a different direction.

Lu Yuan’s gaze locked onto the solitary figure, allowing the vehicles to continue their havoc in the square.

Crouching slightly, he vanished silently into the shadows.

…

“Damn it, what just barged in out of nowhere at this hour?!”

Ping Zhi, a brawny man with a full beard, was a typical Solkari mixed-blood.

His features were more pronounced than most people’s, with the distinctive large nose of a Solkari and unkempt, curly brown-black hair that hadn’t seen a wash or comb in about a month. He resembled a grizzly bear awakening from a nap for a stroll.

Ping Zhi hurriedly sprinted toward another direction of the weapons warehouse.

He had no idea what the commotion was or what had triggered the alarm, but the valuable ores and gems stored in the warehouse couldn’t be jeopardized under his watch.

The mining site controlled by Xiao’s Mining Company primarily extracted common bismuth iron ore. However, during the mining process, they occasionally unearthed small quantities of precious metals and gemstones.

Half of these incidental byproducts needed to be handed over, while the miners got to split the remaining half-a nice little bonus for them.

If Ping Zhi lost this extra income, not only would the mine manager be unforgiving, but his fellow miners would also cause him trouble.

Ping Zhi quickly made his way to the warehouse.

Of the eight warehouses, seven had their doors securely locked, while one was left wide open, with a faint colorful glow emanating from inside.

That glow was caused by various types of radiation from the waste ore, shimmering beautifully yet inconveniently at night.

The mining site dealt with waste ore bi-monthly, and the next scheduled cleanup was still more than half a month away.

“Who the hell left the door open again…” Ping Zhi muttered under his breath, kicking the door of the waste ore warehouse shut before heading straight for the third warehouse.

Ideally, these valuable materials should be stored in a spatial item to carry securely. However, not even the mine manager, with the highest income, could afford such items on this site, let alone the ordinary miners like them.

Just as Ping Zhi was about to open the warehouse door, he suddenly sensed a faint breeze behind him.

He instinctively turned his head, glimpsing a shadow sweeping swiftly past his vision.

Before he could react, he felt something gently placed on his shoulder.

A strange, tingling sensation rapidly spread from his neck, and suddenly, all his strength seemed to drain away.

His knees failed him, and with a thud, he collapsed in front of the warehouse door.

At that moment, a calm, youthful voice came from behind him.

“You understand me, right? I’ll ask, and you’ll answer.”

“The strength is really too weak…”

Lu Yuan thought to himself as he knocked down the big bearded miner in front of him, once again inwardly grumbling.

According to his initial expectations, the person hit should have been writhing in pain, convulsing uncontrollably. But instead, this big bearded guy seemed merely weak in the limbs, showing no signs of pain.

It could only mean that his current strength was quite lacking, only slightly stronger than an average adult Duoling male.

If it weren’t for his martial arts skills and combat awareness, along with his thorough understanding of Duoling’s body structure after devouring Lu Qiyuan, it would have been difficult to take down this burly miner so quickly.

“@$%…”

The big bearded man jibbered a whole lot after being hit.

Without a translator, Lu Yuan couldn’t understand what he was saying, but from the miner’s tone and expression, he could tell it was likely some form of plea.

Not wanting to waste time, Lu Yuan directly asked, “Where do you normally store the waste ore from this mining site?”

Even if he couldn’t understand the answer, any terminal communicator from twenty years ago would have basic translation functions, so the miner, unless he was a caveman, should understand him.

The big bearded miner jabbered again, then, seemingly understanding, struggled to his feet and shakily opened the warehouse door in front of them.

“That convenient? It’s right here?”

Lu Yuan felt a bit surprised and sensed something was off; it seemed the miner hadn’t fully understood him.

So, he repeated the question, emphasizing the part about the waste ore.

The miner kept nodding, obediently leading Lu Yuan into the warehouse.

Winding through the container piles stacked like small hills, they finally stopped at a concealed corner within the warehouse.

“Waste ore! I said waste ore! Bismuth metal waste ore!”

Lu Yuan repeated, seeing the box in front of him brimming with dazzling gemstone raw ore and precious metal raw ore, trying to stress, with a restrained tone, that he was after waste ore.

The big bearded miner looked utterly bewildered.

It was clear that, in his understanding, someone barging into the base of the mining site in the middle of the night, causing such a commotion, and making threats and demands had to be after the most valuable thing at their mining site. Otherwise, what else could it be?

Waste ore?

He assumed it was simply a translation error by the outdated software on his terminal.

“Fine, I’ll find it myself.”

After several failed attempts at communication, Lu Yuan finally gave up on the idea of being guided around.

He couldn’t tell if he’d gotten lucky or unlucky, having run into such a thick-headed individual right from the start.

Exerting a little pressure with his hand, Lu Yuan made the big bearded miner roll his eyes and pass out.

He glanced at the small container filled with gemstones and precious raw ore, and after a moment’s consideration, decided to stash it in his portable storage spatial item.

It didn’t really take up much space, after all.

“There might be surveillance in this warehouse. Things are chaotic outside, and they might not have noticed because they’re short-staffed.

But they will come looking if I take too long, so I better hurry…”

Lu Yuan quickly exited the warehouse and began searching around its perimeter.

Finally, in a half-open warehouse, he found what he had come for.

“All this sneaking around like a thief for a few worthless pieces of rock…”

Lu Yuan shook his head, thinking that just the value of the cars he used as decoys could probably buy an enormous amount of bismuth metal waste ore. This whole escapade was really just him acting on a whim, driven by an urgent need to restore his strength.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Yuan stepped into the warehouse filled with waste ore.

The place was dense with radiation, to the point that it even slightly affected his vision.

Undeterred, Lu Yuan squinted his eyes and slowly made his way inside.

The formation of waste ore isn’t caused solely by the Source Worm. However, in a place dedicated to mining bismuth iron ore, the primary reason for the creation of bismuth iron waste ore is undoubtedly the pollution brought about by the Source Worm.

Lu Yuan hadn’t walked far before he spotted a mound of bismuth iron waste ore piled up to seven or eight meters high on one side of the warehouse. These waste ores shared a common feature: their surfaces were coated with a large amount of dark green, jade-like crystalline deposits.

In the dimly lit warehouse, under the glow of surrounding radiation, these crystals emitted a mysterious and serene light. The glow reflected in Lu Yuan’s bright eyes, making them glimmer with intrigue.

Lu Yuan gazed at the heap of bismuth iron waste ore before him, and then spread his arms wide.

In the next instant, his entire body melted like water, transforming into a mass of viscous black liquid that swiftly flowed toward the mound in front of him…