A small aircraft plunged headfirst into the pitch-black abyss of the mine.
A deathly silence fell all around, as if entering a dark world. Even with Tian Xiao's military resolve, he couldn't help but feel a wave of dread.
A distinct red light shone on either side of the aircraft.
Two beams of bright light pierced the darkness, piercing the deeper, darker tunnel.
Deep within a tunnel over a hundred meters wide, three beams of light, flashing twelve warning signals, hummed and drilled into the rock.
These were three more H3 mining machines from the Yunzhong Group, but their numbers were closer.
One was numbered 246;
One was numbered 099;
One was numbered 712;
The three were clearly a clandestine team.
At the Yunzhong Group, the base didn't mind miners forming cliques. As long as the daily tasks were met and no trouble arose, they didn't care.
Tian Xiao was more concerned.
When he saw the serial numbers painted on the three mining aircraft, he immediately recalled that it was these same three who had discovered the broken vein and become rich overnight.
But...
What he hadn't expected was that
these three had actually been lurking here long ago, seemingly having discovered something and begun mining here.
No!
They were all H3-type mining aircraft, with similar detection capabilities and limited range.
Even if these three were experienced miners, they might not be able to discover anything deep within the rock formation, let alone spend a month mining.
Tian Xiao keenly sensed that something fishy was going on here.
With a flick of the steering wheel,
the aircraft veered, its two beams of light shifting, and it turned back and left the tunnel.
Just before leaving the tunnel, he quietly activated the aircraft's miniature drones. Two insect-sized machines rolled to the edge of the tunnel, their tiny mechanical arms gripping the edge as they swiftly advanced toward the three aircraft.
Tian Xiao, on his side, didn't go far after leaving the tunnel. Instead, he chose to turn off the lights and warning signals and hover in the dark, deep pit.
The screen displayed a drone feed.
This pocket-sized drone, capable of static, hopping, and flying movements, is typically used to survey dangerous environments or precisely detect cracks in rock formations. It offers powerful functionality and clear images.
The area where the three drones were mining and excavating was quickly detected by the drones.
In the footage, one of the mining drones provided illumination and observed the surroundings, while the other two, one to the left and one to the right, operated their multi-functional drilling drills, working furiously.
Granite splattered!
The fallen rock landed in the tunnel, creating a devastating mess.
Tian Xiao, turning the drone's camera, saw that hundreds of holes had been drilled on both sides of the tunnel, clearly the work of these three drones.
"Damn it."
"What was that aircraft doing just now?"
"They almost broke in! They really don't know the rules."
In aircraft 246, someone erupted in a barrage of rants, their temper instantly apparent.
Another voice chimed in:
"Yeah, he gave me a cold sweat too..."
"We finally found this place, found the markings your cousin left, and collected a few things. If he stole them, we'd be in big trouble." The person speaking was aircraft 712, their tone cautious, as if they'd done something sinister.
"It's okay."
A third voice emanated from aircraft 099, calmly reassuring him:
"I just checked. Number 3377, a newcomer, has been with Yunzhong Group for less than a month. He doesn't know anything, perhaps he doesn't know the rules, or perhaps he didn't notice us."
"Really okay?"
"Don't worry. We've dug up everything underground. It's impossible to find it unless we get close enough to investigate."
"That's good."
"If he's really discovered, I'll kill him."
"Damn it! These days, I'm afraid of rookies who are so brash and brash. They'll just shove themselves into a spot someone else has occupied."
"Never mind."
"Keep going!"
099 spoke.
The other two's complaints finally stopped.
The gentle rumble of drilling continued.
Flying debris struck the aircraft's hull and tumbled into the tunnel.
The three of them didn't notice that, beneath the aircraft, another aircraft, barely the size of a little finger, was pointing its camera at the location they were drilling.
Some time passed.
Bang!
A strange noise.
In the footage provided by the Wuji people, Tian Xiao clearly saw a bluish-brown object emerging from the rock formation. Its astonishing hardness had jammed the multi-purpose drill bit to the side.
Tian Xiao couldn't help but lean forward.
"Qinglong! What is this?"
In a sense, he wasn't a professional miner; he didn't know every type of mineral.
Qinglong was different...
Encyclopedia, open-book questions.
"Master, this is H7-grade violet ore, containing H5-grade philatelic ore. The latter's primary function is to resist erosion from over a dozen types of strong external light rays and is primarily used in the coating of H7-H9 aircraft. The current market price is 2,000 yuan per kilogram; the former is around 10,000 yuan per kilogram."
As he spoke, No. 246's laughter emanated from the drone:
"Haha..."
"Another piece."
"This one weighs about three kilograms, worth at least 20,000!"
No. 246 had already completely chiseled the ore out of the rock layer, grabbed it with a robotic arm, and handed it to No. 099, who was observing the situation.
"Keep going!"
No. 099's voice was slightly excited:
"My cousin's intelligence proved useful. The violet ore is scattered throughout this area. Preliminary estimates put the amount at several tons. We've struck gold."
"Haha..."
The three-person team continued their operation.
The drone feed showed that No. 099 hadn't loaded the purple ore into the aircraft, but had instead lifted a rock slab beneath it.
The moment the slab was lifted, Tian Xiao felt his heart skip a beat, then begin to beat faster.
The ore, large and small, filled a third of the hole, weighing at least 300 kilograms.
That was nearly two million yuan in funds. If all were turned over to the base, they would immediately receive a profit of 600,000 yuan.
It was at that moment that Tian Xiao finally understood.
The so-called broken vein...
It was completely fictitious.
The purple ore, fragmented and scattered throughout the tunnel, was a heap of rubble.
No. 099, No. 246, and No. 712 had simply left all the purple ore in the tunnel, working continuously for over a month. Then, they simultaneously unearthed all the stockpiled ore, faking the discovery of a broken vein and creating the illusion of overnight wealth.
Very clever...
This would ensure the news was kept secret from the base and other miners, preventing them from discovering and potentially creating competition.
However, this misled the other miners, leading to over a dozen miners risking their lives working in a thunderstorm and ultimately being buried alive.
On one side was heaven, on the other was hell.