Unfortunately, life rarely goes as planned.
Old Shi's unexpected death drew the attention of his family.
Wang Dong later learned that Old Shi—despite his silence—was actually a distant relative of the mine owner.
It hadn't mattered much before, but now that a relative had died in the mining zone, the mine owner felt compelled to give the family an explanation.
And so, Wang Dong became a target.
Old Shi's sons, leveraging their connection to the mine owner, demanded a massive amount of compensation—something Wang Dong outright refused.
They then used their influence to trip him up at every turn and began to cling to him like leeches.
This led to numerous troubles later on.
At first, Wang Dong's behavior hadn't raised too many red flags. But once people started paying closer attention, even actions within normal limits became suspicious.
And Wang Dong, unaware that he was being watched, later took steps he thought were cautious—but under scrutiny, those actions were far from secret.
This time, Wang Dong wouldn't handle things with the same recklessness and impulsiveness as in his previous life.
Sure, that method felt satisfying.
But it lacked control.
If the instigator can't manage the consequences, then they've failed.
With all his past-life experience, Wang Dong now had no fewer than three or four ways to deal with this "sticky gum" called Old Shi.
From a long-term perspective, getting rid of a scumbag like that would be the cleanest solution.
Not just his annoying sons—even the mine owner himself could be dealt with, if necessary.
But not yet.
Wang Dong's wings hadn't finished unfolding. If his butterfly effect wasn't strong enough just yet, then any premature action could ruin everything.
In ten days, he would reach a pivotal moment—a turning point in fate.
With it would come opportunity… and enormous risk.
At such a critical time, any extra trouble had to be avoided at all costs.
Even if Wang Dong hadn't suffered from this exact issue in his previous life, his cautious habits—sharpened through years of being hunted—would still keep him from acting rashly.
Instead, he chose the most straightforward and effective way to handle Old Shi temporarily:
His superior piloting skill, demonstrated with crushing dominance.
Just like in a race—when you leave your opponent so far behind that they can't even see your taillights, what pride do they have left to keep chasing?
Right now, Old Shi was experiencing that exact feeling of defeat.
The gap was too wide.
In just over ten minutes of pursuit, Wang Dong's Mine Overlord Type II had completely vanished from his visual range.
Even though Old Shi's short-range sensors could still detect Wang Dong's ship as a blip—
It didn't matter.
It was only a matter of time before that dot disappeared too.
Wang Dong's flight path led in a straight line directly into the deeper parts of the asteroid belt—an area filled with red warning signals flashing across Old Shi's sensor display.
The complexity of that airspace alone made Old Shi snap to awareness.
If he couldn't even see the back of the ship anymore, how could he possibly catch up?
Even if given a fixed route, he wouldn't dare enter such dangerous space. So what chance did he have of following Wang Dong?
At that moment, Old Shi understood.
He had a revelation so obvious, he didn't need anyone to explain it.
Maybe Wang Dong really had been toying with him all along.
But just based on that terrifying display of piloting skills, Wang Dong could mine in zones several tiers deeper than anyone else dared go.
Of course he'd bring back better yields!
And even if he was hiding something, Old Shi couldn't catch him.
And even if he could catch him, he wouldn't dare go that deep.
So how could he possibly uncover any secrets?
What Old Shi didn't know—
Was that in Wang Dong's previous life, their skill levels had only differed slightly.
If they were rated, Wang Dong would have been at the peak of "Veteran" level, just brushing the threshold of "Elite."
Now, however, with all his experience and combat from his past life, Wang Dong's piloting skill had fully surpassed into peak "Elite."
A whole level above Old Shi.
Hence the absolute beatdown.
Through a perfectly timed display of skill, Wang Dong successfully misled Old Shi into believing:
Wang Dong's secret wasn't hidden information or mysterious tech—it was his exceptional piloting skill, allowing him to dive into mining zones others wouldn't dare touch.
Those inner belts were richer, purer, and more rewarding.
This kind of misdirection was enough to squash Old Shi's suspicions—for now.
And that temporary window of peace was exactly what Wang Dong needed.
Old Shi gave up the chase.
Wang Dong didn't think about him anymore.
Old Shi was a veteran miner. Without being deliberately baited into dangerous zones, he could still handle most situations just fine.
The outer mining regions weren't too complex. Even if a directional thruster failed, there was room for maneuvering.
And besides, a malfunctioning component didn't always break.
In his previous life, had Wang Dong not intentionally triggered it, Old Shi's ship wouldn't have suffered a failure so easily.
But Wang Dong had other business to attend to this trip.
He couldn't return empty-handed. That would be too suspicious.
Caution defined the reborn Wang Dong—but priorities mattered.
This time, his target was Energy Crystals.
Energy Crystals were technically a type of mineral.
Their composition was extremely pure—a unique crystalline substance formed under complex conditions with a wide range of uses.
Energy Crystals rarely formed their own veins. They were typically found alongside other mineral deposits.
Their quality varied based on the energy compression level within the crystal.
Wang Dong's auxiliary system required no more than physical stamina to maintain its passive features.
But once activated, many of its advanced functions consumed Energy Crystals.
In his past life, Wang Dong hadn't known that.
After officially gaining ownership of a Battleship and activating the full system, he was hit with an awkward surprise—
Many key features required Energy Crystals to use. No crystals, no features.
Now that he knew this in advance, there was no reason to waste time.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]