Once again, he resumed his identity as a miner.
He focused on mining.
And at the same time, searched for any trace of Energy Crystals.
Of the three units of Low-Grade Energy Crystal he had originally obtained, one had already been consumed by the auxiliary system while capturing Hyperspace signals.
The remaining two units were used to activate the double-effect enhancement when upgrading the Quantum Entangled Brainwave Manipulation System.
They were now completely used up.
In the next dozen hours of searching, Wang Dong found nothing.
The appearance of something like an Energy Crystal still came down to luck.
Hard work didn't always yield returns.
That's how the world often was.
Wang Dong had always approached it with a go-with-the-flow mindset. He wasn't in a hurry.
Unlike his previous life, where he was forced into the spotlight to face the storm.
Now, he had successfully hidden himself behind the scenes, giving him all the time he needed.
Low-Grade Energy Crystals did circulate in small quantities in places like the Mining Star Region.
If it was just one or two units, Wang Dong could acquire them without arousing suspicion.
After all, who didn't have a little collector's hobby?
He returned to port.
Delivered the collected minerals.
Then Wang Dong went home to rest.
The next day, he once again visited the Meizu Internet Café.
Just another day in the life of an ordinary interstellar miner.jpg.
Wang Dong's role-play was flawless.
At the same time, aboard the Jin family's battleship—which after days of searching had still failed to find any trace of the Battle Axe—
"Brother sixteen, what are you doing here?"
Sima Decao, with his sinister features, glared at the young man on the virtual screen and barked angrily.
"Brother Thirteen, I was just worried that Yuan Shu, that desperate dog, might go down fighting and drag you down with him."
The young man had a decent appearance, but his tone was dripping with sarcasm.
Sima Decao's eye twitched as he suppressed his fury and said in a low voice, "Yuan Shu has already fallen into my trap and suffered a fatal blow. He has no strength left to resist.
I appreciate your concern, Brother Sixteen, and I'll repay it in the future. The task ahead is just a routine search. I can handle it alone. I suggest you head back."
"Hahaha, Brother Thirteen, if things were really going that smoothly, you wouldn't be stuck wasting your time in this godforsaken Asteroid Belt Mining Zone.
Even a rabbit bites when pushed into a corner. Let alone Yuan Shu and his Battle Axe—after all, they've been on the family's bounty list for years.
So let me give you a hand."
The young man didn't care about Sima Decao's anger and continued speaking leisurely.
"Sima Delang!
Just because you've been assigned a LV.12 destroyer doesn't mean you can challenge your older brothers. You're still way too naive!"
Sima Decao could no longer hold back his anger and roared.
"If you want to snatch the credit, you'd better ask yourself if you have what it takes! Battles are not decided by combat rating alone! You'd better keep training in the virtual arena for a few more years!"
"The family's bounty is on Battle Axe and Yuan Shu, regardless of who strikes first. As long as I find the Battle Axe first, this bounty is mine—Sima Delang's!"
Sima Delang's laughter was full of mockery and open contempt.
"Sima Decao, I call you Brother Thirteen out of courtesy. But if I drop the act, what are you really?
Just someone who barely got a taste of the main bloodline through a backdoor connection—yet you really think you're one of the core members?
And you're talking about future rewards? Don't make me laugh, hahaha…"
Sima Decao clenched his teeth tightly.
He had long been fed up with this cousin, Sima Delang, who also belonged to the "De" generation and ranked sixteenth.
When Sima Decao came of age, the family had offered him a choice between a LV.9 second-generation Spark Warship and a first-generation Spark Warship.
If he had sufficient lineage and resources, the first-generation Spark Warship would have been the better choice.
But as Sima Delang had mocked—
Sima Decao only managed to squeeze into the Jin family's core line because his mother remarried and whispered favors at the bedside.
So, the LV.9 Spark Warship, which could save him decades of effort, became his only realistic choice.
Over the next decade, Sima Decao seized every opportunity and worked relentlessly, gradually upgrading his ship's combat rating to LV.11.
But Sima Delang—what was he, really?
Just a spoiled brat.
And yet, thanks to his superior family background, he got his hands on a LV.12 second-generation Spark Warship as soon as he came of age.
And that ship was meant to be a mere training vessel.
How could Sima Decao swallow that?
Never underestimate the difference between LV.9 and LV.12—it meant a gap of a thousand Source Points, which could take twenty years to close.
To make things worse, Sima Delang had chased Sima Decao all the way to this remote mining star system, clearly here to steal the credit.
And that might have been bearable—competition was everywhere among Jin family sons. Sima Decao had stolen others' credit too.
But the most infuriating part was—
Sima Delang wasn't lacking in resources!
He didn't need the bounty achievements, nor did he lack tangible assets!
He was simply here to mess with Sima Decao.
Pure sabotage with no gain to himself.
Sima Decao could no longer suppress his emotions.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。