At this depth, Wang Dong spent over thirty hours searching.
The result: three units of Low-Grade Energy Crystal.
As for other ores, aside from the one hundred tons of Dark Titanium, Wang Dong didn't mine anything else.
He had to save time.
Low-Altitude Mining Vessels generally had poor endurance.
After all, they were built for near-orbit mining. With high safety and strong logistics support, there was no need for extended operational range. Greater endurance would just take up limited space, reducing cargo capacity and cost-efficiency.
Energy Crystals were truly rare minerals.
Unlike other ores that could yield hundreds of tons, Energy Crystals were measured in units.
One unit of Energy Crystal, depending on the energy density it contained, never exceeded one kilogram.
Just one tiny piece was difficult for an average miner to extract.
These three units of Energy Crystal were found inside an auric copper ore deposit.
Wang Dong had to use a large Mining Drill, followed by a medium, then a small one to carefully strip away the surrounding material. After hauling the ore into the cargo hold, he manually hammered the crystal fragments free using a hand-held alloy hammer.
The entire process took over ten hours.
After completing it, Wang Dong let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his brow.
At the very least, he had achieved his minimum goal.
The long hours of continuous operation had pushed both his mental and physical stamina to their limits.
Even though the harvest had only met the lowest expectations, Wang Dong chose to stop.
With his current depleted state, he exercised extra caution when piloting the ship.
It was precisely at times like these that one couldn't afford to lower their standards due to fatigue.
Carefully exiting the mining zone, Wang Dong paused at the edge, waiting for the next Mining Window.
The astronomical conditions at the zone's edge were far more favorable than deep within, which allowed him a brief moment to rest.
Mining Window intervals weren't too long. A few hours later, Wang Dong safely exited the belt and returned to the Forward Base.
Sister Liya was still on duty. After a quick chat, Wang Dong learned that Old Shi had already exited the mining zone and returned after conceding defeat.
With no deliberate sabotage from Wang Dong this time, Old Shi had avoided his fatal ending—and from the sound of it, was acting much more subdued.
That was a pleasant surprise. Wang Dong was satisfied.
One hidden threat had been neutralized.
All Wang Dong needed was for Old Shi to behave himself for a while.
Minor problems like him could always be dealt with later.
Wang Dong didn't linger at the Forward Base. He quickly began the journey home.
Once outside the mining zone, he re-engaged auto-pilot mode.
On the way back, Wang Dong encountered a patrol squad.
There were four routine patrol squads operating within the Mining Star Region.
Each squad was composed of three Battleships—two Firepower Recon Ships and one Assault Ship.
The route from Planet KQ-03 to the Asteroid Belt Mining Zone was a key patrol corridor, with solid security.
Watching the Battleship formation pass by, Wang Dong remained calm and unmoved.
In the past, he would've been excited, even awestruck, at the sight of such ships—admiring the fierce gunports, the sturdy armor, and the masculine romance they represented.
More importantly, he had once believed that these ships were the vessels meant to activate his golden finger system.
But now, reborn, Wang Dong felt nothing toward them.
"Combat rating? Just grunt-level Battleships."
These standardized warships didn't meet the system's criteria.
They had no Growth Potential.
Wang Dong's auxiliary system had standards—and taste.
Though it never showed any sign of having intelligence.
After all, it was just an auxiliary system—not responsible for being cute, padding word count, or advancing the plot.
Wang Dong docked the Mine Overlord Type II back at the mining company's port.
The automated settlement system began scanning, sorting, crushing, and refining the ores in the cargo hold.
His final earnings would only be calculated once the full process was complete.
There was no need to stay and wait. Everything was recorded and could be reviewed at any time.
In this respect, the mining company was fairly trustworthy.
Not out of conscience, of course.
It was just that the mining company already took the lion's share of profits.
Miners had to pay rental fees for their Mining Vessels, bear the cost of mineral processing and refinement, and were required to sell the final product back to the mining company.
At the end of it all, most miners were essentially just working for the company, earning a bit of hard-won pocket money.
Only when high-value minerals like Dark Titanium were discovered could miners make any significant profit.
Carrying the three units of Low-Grade Energy Crystal, Wang Dong strolled leisurely through the streets of the residential zone on Planet KQ-03.
In terms of Low-Grade Energy Crystal, the mining company actually offered fairly high buyback prices.
But Wang Dong had plans that required these crystals for critical stages.
Technically, pocketing these Low-Grade Energy Crystals violated his contract with the mining company.
But it didn't matter—as long as he didn't sell them on the open market, the company wouldn't notice.
Since the company's buyback prices were comparable to market value, cases like this were rare.
After all, ordinary people had no use for Energy Crystals whatsoever.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]