"Xiaotian..."
"Did Tianxiao call?"
"Where is he now?"
As Wang Jingyi sauntered over, bag in hand, Zhu Xiaotian hurriedly turned off the video call function on her watch.
It must be said that Wang Jingyi had some talent. She was tall, beautiful, and had a pleasant demeanor. Along the way, she'd already received many heated glances from the miners at the base headquarters.
Wang Jingyi approached Zhu Xiaotian and, seeing her flustered expression, couldn't help but wonder:
"What's wrong with you?"
"...No, nothing. Tianxiao just..."
Zhu Xiaotian repeated Tianxiao's previous words, leaving out the last part.
Wang Jingyi felt a touch of regret after hearing this.
"Did he really say that?"
"That's fine."
"He's got some self-awareness."
"Huh?"
Zhu Xiaotian was stunned.
Wang Jingyi smiled at her and said, "Actually, I'm very grateful for his help, but, as he said, there's no way we can be together. I originally thought he was deliberately spreading those rumors about us dating, but now it seems I misunderstood him."
At this point, Wang Jingyi revealed a look of relief.
"That's fine."
"I was just wondering how to clear up the misunderstanding with him. Since he's taking the initiative to distance himself, it's a good thing for both him and me."
"But... aren't you close classmates? Are you friends?"
Zhu Xiaotian was deeply puzzled. Looking at her best friend, she suddenly felt a sense of strangeness. "He was willing to waste his time for you, helping you out of a difficult situation. Could these misunderstandings mean we can't even be friends anymore?"
"But if we continue to get close, everyone else will think Tianxiao and I are dating."
"Does the opinions of others really matter that much?"
Zhu Xiaotian didn't ask.
Wang Jingyi understood, but quickly changed the subject. She put her arm around her best friend's shoulder and said, "Okay, today's my birthday, so let's not talk about these unhappy topics. Let's go shopping. Someone's treating us to karaoke tonight."
Wang Jingyi wasn't dampened by Tianxiao's premature withdrawal.
Zhu Xiaotian turned and asked, "Was that the person you just called?"
"Yes, Team Leader Li from the base's logistics department."
Wang Jingyi nodded, brushing her hair back from her forehead. "He graduated from the same school as us, two years before us. He has an annual salary of 300,000 yuan and decent conditions."
"..."
Zhu Xiaotian was silent.
Wang Jingyi had already begun looking for her next job.
Or rather...
a stepping stone.
For some reason, she suddenly remembered what Tianxiao had just said to her.
"How could I give up conquering this vast sea of stars for a pretty face?"
She forced herself to cheer up and followed Wang Jingyi.
...
Tianxiao's side.
Zhu Xiaotian's call didn't dampen his spirits.
He simply viewed Zhu Xiaotian as a potential partner for future development.
The fact that Zhu Xiaotian had reached the rank of battalion commander in the Earth Sky Army within three years proved that her determination, ability, and talent were no less than his own.
If the opportunity arose, he hoped to recruit Zhu Xiaotian into his team.
Mining continued.
Drawing on memories and experience from his past life, Tian Xiao accumulated a substantial amount of raw ore in just half a day, returning home with a full load.
Upon returning to the base, he immediately went to the Logistics Department to turn in his harvest.
The Logistics Department was the busiest department at the base. It not only received the daily resources submitted by the miners and settled their wages, but also housed a massive shopping mall to provide daily necessities for the base staff.
One after another, the mining aircraft hovered in front of twelve conveyor belts.
The hatch of the leading mining aircraft opened, and the miners disembarked, staring intently at the conveyor belts alongside the Logistics Department's chief officer and staff.
A circular pipe extended from the rear end of the miner's aircraft.
The ore stored in the aircraft rapidly rolled down from it onto a conveyor belt. After identification and analysis by the logistics department, each piece of ore was calculated to its value, and the numbers on the nearby display screen began to jump and increase.
It was just like playing a game...
It was simple.
The final number was the total value of the ore, clearly visible at a glance.
The miner took a 30% share.
Of course!
If the miner had completed their daily quota, any ore valued over 1,000 yuan would be calculated at a 33% share.
The miners at the front of the line were all experienced miners, each of whom had collected over 1,000 yuan worth of ore. Unfortunately, the excess was minimal... their daily pay was just over 300 yuan.
On another conveyor belt, a newcomer failed to complete his daily quota and was fined 100 yuan, resulting in a salary of just over 70 yuan. He looked pale, and as he walked out, many people cast sympathetic glances at him. With this little money, even the maintenance of the mining machine would be difficult to complete.
It was Tian Xiao's turn to exit the cockpit.
The conveyor belt began to roll.
When a large amount of H4-grade scale iron ore evenly spread across one conveyor belt, the miners on the other conveyor belts turned their attention, their eyes filled with envy.
The frequency of the conveyor belt's vibrations indicated that newcomer No. 3377 had made a considerable profit.
With a few thousand yuan in earnings, his daily earnings were already in the high digits.
Tian Xiao stood by with his arms folded, silently watching the numbers scrolling on the screen next to the conveyor belt.
The conveyor belt continued to roll.
The aircraft's unloading pipe continued to rumble, ore continuously rolling down.
The number quickly broke through five digits.
And now...
The twelve conveyor belt workers and the miners waiting for their daily pay couldn't help but come closer:
Wow!
And more!
It's over ten thousand!
"Tsk tsk!"
"Great job, brother! You're making a fortune!"
"Where did you find it?"
"Which district? Take one of my brothers with you?"
Tian Xiao didn't refuse the miners who approached him, and he made the first offer:
"Today's mission log, only one thousand. Take it back and analyze it yourself. How much you make depends on your ability."
The group fell silent.
Selling today's mission log.
From his tone, it was clear that 3377 was no newbie; this was the behavior of a seasoned veteran.
At that moment, the value of the ore on the conveyor belt had exceeded twenty thousand.
But still, no one came to buy the mission logs...
Everyone could see that the ore didn't come from the same source, so buying the mission logs was worthless.
Instead, Li Ying, a supervisor in the logistics department, took a few more glances.
While Yunzhong Group encountered many lucky individuals every day, the guy in front of him was clearly a newcomer to the industry.
Looking at the other person's identification, he was a junior who graduated from the same school as him.
As the goods on the conveyor belt slowly climbed past 27,000 yuan before finally stopping, the staff member said:
"The total value of the raw ore exceeds 27,000 yuan. According to the company's profit-sharing ratio, your daily pay today is 8,900 yuan. It has been deposited. Congratulations."
"Haha, thank you."
Tian Xiao received his pay, feeling happy, and left the base's logistics department.
Li Ying made a phone call in the back:
"Brother Gao, can you help me? Go to the control tower and retrieve a new recruit's mission log, number 3377... As a thank you, no problem. I'll treat you to dinner tonight and introduce you to a beautiful girl, a friend's best friend."