While the three men from No. 099 were secretly mining the stockpiled purple ore, Tian Xiao had already decided to intercept them.
Not only did he want to steal the ore, he also planned to leak information about this situation beforehand, to prevent the greed of those at the base as much as possible and save those dozen from an unexplained death.
But...
A mere two million in purple ore wasn't enough.
After careful calculation, Tian Xiao decided to wait twenty-five days before taking action.
First, he would have the three veteran miners work for him for a while.
Then, he would do good deeds without leaving a name.
Leaving the drone to continue the reconnaissance, Tian Xiao piloted the aircraft to carefully patrol the deep pits of Area G46.
He returned to his duties.
There were actually some tricks to being a miner.
Like many newcomers, Tian Xiao had once driven his mining rig aimlessly, trying his luck. At the end of the day, he'd used up all his energy and found few pieces of ore, earning nothing, not to mention the cost of drill maintenance. He had a keen learning ability.
He concluded that a miner's first step in mining was to examine the soil and analyze the rock structure. They needed to dig in locations with clues and a high probability of ore. This increased their success rate and minimized energy consumption, preventing wasted effort.
Mastering the art of mining ore at the lowest possible cost allowed him to not only complete the daily quota assigned by the base but also earn some extra daily allowances from other newcomers.
At the end of the month, he could save around 8,000 to 10,000 yuan, a respectable salary among miners.
Thus, despite being a newcomer in mining aircraft No. 3377, his mining experience was comparable to that of the three veteran miners in No. 099.
Tian Xiao decided not to disturb the three veteran miners digging at Zixiao Mine for the time being. He had to complete his own daily assignment—miners at Yunzhong Group were paid daily, and then used the money to buy nutritious meals and maintain his mining aircraft.
Hoard the big bucks and earn the small bucks first. Tian Xiao quickly got into the swing of things, reclaiming his expertise and experience as a seasoned miner. Using Qinglong's analytical calculations and his own experience, he traced the rock formations within the deep pit, occasionally extending his multi-functional drill bit to scratch traces in the rock, observing its compactness and feel.
"Qinglong."
"Mark this area."
"The outer wall is tough, and the inner wall resonates. This is a typical mine."
Tian Xiao found his target.
"Should we start excavating?"
Qinglong asked.
Tian Xiao shook his head.
"No rush."
"Analyze the rock structure first to ensure the support isn't damaged."
He knew the G46 pit was already unstable and would be completely buried and abandoned in a month, so he was even more cautious.
Qinglong followed his instructions, and the results were quickly in.
This wouldn't affect the rock support structure. As long as the area and depth of the damage didn't exceed a hundred meters, there would be no problem.
Tian Xiao decisively controlled the multi-functional drill and began digging.
The mining machine vibrated slightly, and the conical drill bit spun at high speed, expelling a large amount of rock dust from the rock formation.
On the operating platform, the temperature of the drill bit began to rise.
Tian Xiao smiled.
Mine cave.
That's right.
In fact...
A veteran miner he knew once told him that beyond the theoretical knowledge and textbooks of miners, in real-world working conditions, many details can reveal whether the rock formation contains minerals.
The environment in which any raw ore is produced is unique and generally very tough.
When the drill encounters tougher rock formations, it requires extra effort, and the drill bit heats up slightly faster than in ordinary rock formations.
Ordinary people don't notice this, nor are they good at analyzing it.
Only those with true dedication will notice this, transform it into their most valuable knowledge, and gradually widen the gap between themselves and the average person. After drilling for a while, the multi-functional drill stopped for water cooling maintenance.
A few minutes later, it resumed.
The mining aircraft's energy consumption continued to decline.
Qinglong continued to monitor the rock formation and internal conditions.
About fifteen minutes later, the drill seemed to strike something.
Tianxiao slowly began grinding and cutting around the cut, slowly revealing the true depths within...
A single block of black ore, approximately two meters in diameter.
Qinglong announced the good news:
"This is H4-grade Scale Iron Ore, which can be used to craft aircraft hulls below H4. While its value isn't high, the volume is substantial. We can earn at least three thousand yuan from this ore alone."
Three thousand yuan is equivalent to half a month's salary for an average miner.
With thirty million yuan worth of Zixiao Ore nearby, Tianxiao certainly wouldn't be too dazzled by the three thousand yuan Scale Iron Ore.
But this was his first mining trophy since his rebirth, a good start. Tianxiao smiled as he crushed the entire piece of ore into pieces and placed it in the mining machine's storage room, where it was safely stored.
At this moment, a video call came in, and Qinglong reminded him:
"It's Zhu Xiaotian."
Tianxiao was stunned.
He had heard of this person.
She was a sweet-looking girl from his school who had a good relationship with Wang Jingyi. The two seemed to be close friends. Later, she also seemed to have joined the Earth Space Army and risen to the position of battalion commander, a truly remarkable female general.
Tianxiao knew without asking. Wang Jingyi must have noticed that he hadn't shown up to congratulate her, so she instigated her bestie to come and ask.
He checked the time.
9:30 AM.
He had been busy until now.
He hadn't sent Wang Jingyi birthday wishes or a gift yet, and she must have been puzzled and perplexed.
He hadn't wanted to talk to Wang Jingyi anymore, but the caller was Zhu Xiaotian...
He had to give her some face.
The call connected, and the screen showed the backdrop of the base headquarters. A girl with bangs, her eyes wide, met Tianxiao's.
"Tianxiao."
"Where are you?"
"What day is it today? Have you forgotten?"
"We were waiting for you to celebrate Jingyi's birthday with us. Everyone's already here."
Zhu Xiaotian was surprised to see Tianxiao in the cockpit.
"I won't be going to Jingyi's birthday. I've been tutoring Jingyi lately, and my work has fallen behind. I'm almost running out of money. Consider these tutoring sessions my birthday gift to Jingyi. From today on, I'm going to work hard and earn money."
"Tianxiao, what's wrong with you? You and Jingyi are having a fight, aren't you?"
Zhu Xiaotian clearly sensed something was amiss.
Tian Xiao smiled faintly.
"Jingyi and I are just ordinary classmates, but the rumors are getting more and more outrageous. One classmate... haha, even called to ask if I was in a relationship with Jingyi. Insane! What? Even you think so now? How could we possibly be together?"
Zhu Xiaotian fell silent.
As Wang Jingyi's best friend, she knew her character. She had high standards and lived a refined life. There was no way she would spend her life with an ordinary, poor boy.
At this moment, Tian Xiao spoke from the other side of the screen.
"How could I give up conquering the stars and the sea for a vase?"
Hearing this, Zhu Xiaotian was completely paralyzed!
Who am I?
Where am I?!