Chapter Twelve: The Mine Conflict

The biting cold wind swept through shards of amethyst crystal, like countless tiny, razor-sharp daggers mercilessly scraping the barren surface of the planet, leaving intricate scratches on the rocks.

Lin Yu pressed close against the basalt covered in icy stalactites. The white mist exhaled from the breathing valve of his tactical mask instantly crystallized into delicate frost patterns along its edges in the extreme cold, resembling a work of ice sculpture art. He raised his hand to wipe the visor, only to find the inside of the lens already glazed with fine ice crystals.

The planet’s atmospheric pressure was 17% lower than expected. Each breath felt as if his lungs were being sanded repeatedly by coarse sandpaper, delivering unbearable stinging pain, while his throat burned fiercely.

Around the perimeter of the mining site, twelve automated turrets formed a circular array. Dark red scanning beams, like mechanical serpents’ tongues, wove lethal energy grids through the suspended dust; wherever the beams passed, the dust instantly turned to powder.

The armed guards wore matte black energy armor; their serpentine masks’ compound eyes glowed with an eerie green light. The particle rifles’ charge indicators resembled crimson pupils ready to erupt at any moment, radiating a chilling aura.

Silver patterns flowed across the armor’s surface—clearly the priceless inverse-phase coating from the black market. In the dim light, they shimmered with an uncanny luster, twisting and writhing like living things with every movement, silently flaunting their formidable defensive power.

“Defense matrix cycles every 30 seconds; next blind spot in 17 seconds,” Su Yao’s voice crackled with harsh electrical interference through the tactical earpiece, like a whisper from some distant abyss.

She crouched within a meteor crater a hundred meters away, her figure flickering in the shadows like a ghost. The energy core of her shock rifle emitted a high-frequency hum, sharp enough to pierce eardrums. The air around the barrel rippled unnaturally, as if space itself was being warped by invisible forces.

Lin Yu keenly noticed her voice trembling slightly—an unmistakable sign of adrenaline overload, revealing her inner tension and unease at that moment.

He rubbed the electromagnetic pulse grenade in his palm. Despite the minus 70 degrees Celsius cold, the metal casing remained wet with fine beads of sweat rather than freezing solid—a peculiarity caused by the special quantum gel infused within, as if harboring the hope to turn the tide of battle. The grenade grew faintly warm in his hand.

“Copy that. I’ll infiltrate from the north ventilation shaft. Prepare suppressive fire.”

He deliberately slowed his tone, trying to sound calm and composed, but immediately took three deep breaths afterward to steady his nerves before the sedative kicked in, calming the storm raging within his chest. He could feel his heart pounding wildly.

As the countdown hit zero, Lin Yu shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. His nanosuit instantaneously adapted to the surrounding spectral environment, perfectly cloaking him in the purple dust haze. His silhouette flickered like a phantom.

He weaved nimbly through the intersecting scanning beams, every leap and roll executed with pinpoint precision. Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed his left rib. He realized a shard of amethyst had somehow pierced his suit. A bead of blood oozed out but instantly froze, leaving a dark red streak on the armor. The pain made him falter slightly.

At that moment, Su Yao’s command exploded in his ear: “Open fire!”

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The roar of the shock rifle shattered the silence, deafening and earth-shaking, as if the entire planet trembled. The team sprang from cover like leopards, quantum grenades trailing ghostly blue tails hurtling toward the turrets.

Amid the fiery explosions, Lin Yu saw A-Jie, in charge of fire support, grazed on the left shoulder by an energy beam. His suit instantly melted away in a charred hole, revealing the gears of his mechanical prosthetic limb beneath, sparking tiny embers in the firelight—grim testament to the ferocity of the battle. Pain contorted his face.

Inside the mine, a pungent sulfurous stench filled the air, nauseating like a vast chemical laboratory, stinging eyes until tears flowed. The heavy mining machinery’s thunderous roar rattled the insides, the ground trembling subtly beneath their feet, as if the very rocks were groaning.

Lin Yu crawled within the ventilation duct. The metal walls were so cold they seemed to cling to his skin. Every move brought biting cold, as though countless icy needles pierced him.

Below came the sharp clatter of ore striking the conveyor belt, mingled with a low-frequency vibration—abnormal sounds for mining equipment, hinting at hidden secrets, quickening his heartbeat.

When he finally reached the core control chamber, the scene stole his breath. Sixty mechanical arms methodically fed glowing blue ore into a high-temperature smelter. Crystals piled high on the conveyor belt, each shimmering with a mysterious aura, as if infused with boundless power.

More bizarrely, the patterns flowing across the crystals’ surfaces matched exactly the signal patterns of the deep space probe that vanished near the black hole three years ago—suggesting some enigmatic connection. Images of the probe’s disappearance flashed through his mind.

“We cannot let these crystals leave this place.”

Lin Yu swiftly drew out nanoscale corrosive agent, pouring the silver liquid like a stream into the equipment’s mainboard. Nanoparticles infiltrated the circuits instantly, ravenous scavengers devouring delicate components, emitting faint sizzling sounds as if engaged in a silent battle.

A piercing alarm blared, shrill enough to pain the eardrums. The mechanical arms convulsed uncontrollably, and the ore cascaded down like a waterfall. But the alarm also drew a swarm of guards. Particle beams tore through the ceiling, exploding into searing white sparks around Lin Yu, illuminating his tense face.

He caught sight of a guard’s ID badge—a holographic projection bearing the emblem of a long-extinct space pirate faction. Suspicion and caution surged within him. This fight was far more complex than it seemed.

He rolled into cover, activating the sonic shock device on his tactical wristwatch. High-frequency sound waves became invisible blades, shredding the guards’ energy armor with crackling sounds like tearing old cloth.

Those clad in black armor dropped to their knees in agony, blood streaming from their noses and ears, faces twisted in torment, bearing excruciating pain.

Yet more enemies flooded in from all passages like a tidal wave, closing in on him. Lin Yu fought a tactical retreat, struggling toward the crystal storage warehouse, each step fraught with peril, new wounds marking his suit.

The nanosuit’s self-repair system was overwhelmed. The protective layer on his left arm was completely destroyed, revealing charred skin burned by particle beams, wisps of smoke drifting off, emitting a pungent burnt odor. The pain made his arm tremble slightly.

Outside the mine, Su Yao’s squad was locked in fierce combat. Reactivated turrets spewed dense energy beams, carving blackened furrows into the ground, edges glowing molten like fresh wounds torn in the earth.

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Nanorepair fluid seeping from Su Yao’s damaged suit rapidly crystallized into blue ice in the cold, forming strange adornments on her body, yet revealing the extent of her injuries. Her tactical visor suddenly flashed an energy overload warning; the edges of her vision glowed a piercing red, as if forewarning of imminent danger.

“Focus fire—destroy the power tower!”

She roared, hurling a magnetic storm grenade. Two mechs instantly collapsed, billowing thick smoke laced with acrid fumes. The team seized the moment to advance. Quantum shields flickered amidst the hail of bullets, emitting near-shattered wails. Each flicker was a desperate battle against death; cracks spread across the shield’s surface.

Rear guard Lao Zhou found his ankle ensnared by energy nets. Without hesitation, he activated the self-destruct protocol of his prosthetic limb. The resulting blast sent three pursuers flying, scattering metal shards and dust. The scene was heart-stopping, and Lao Zhou vanished in the fiery explosion, leaving only devastation behind.

Lin Yu finally burst into the warehouse. The cold blue glow of crystals cast eerie light on his blood-stained face, which now held a resolute gleam. He swiftly packed the crystals into a specially designed container. Each touch sent a piercing chill up his fingers, accompanied by faint temporal tremors, as if the crystals possessed their own life, whispering secrets.

Clutching the container, he dashed out of the warehouse. Su Yao’s squad had broken through the defenses, carving a bloody path through the gunfire for him. He saw a fragment of shrapnel lodged in Su Yao’s left leg, blood trailing down to the ground in a winding streak, yet she maintained perfect firing posture, her eyes blazing with unyielding will. Each shot carried determination and fury.

“Enemy reinforcements fleet has breached the atmosphere!”

An urgent warning crackled over the comms, saturated with fear and despair. Everyone sprinted toward the extraction point while the mine’s backup energy surged, amplifying firepower to terrifying levels. Energy beams rained down like hail, erupting into massive sparks behind them.

Just as they were about to board the ship, a tracking missile tore through the sky, its fiery tail like Death’s scythe, bearing destruction. The missile’s flames illuminated the entire sky.

Lin Yu threw the electromagnetic pulse grenade with all his might. The explosion’s shockwave slammed them to the ground, nearly stealing their breath, as if their internal organs were about to shatter.

His tactical visor displayed the EMP grenade’s effective radius at 23% larger than theoretical calculations—the crystals seemed to be affecting the surrounding energy field. This revelation both surprised and exhilarated him. He knew these crystals concealed immense secrets.

The ship’s engines roared, piercing the heavens. Through the viewport, Lin Yu watched the mining site shrink into the purple dust haze below, emotions churning within him. The crystals in the container pulsed restlessly, as if harboring unknown powers awaiting revelation, their light flickering erratically within the cabin.

At that moment, Su Yao’s tactical visor flashed an encrypted message. The sender was marked “Unknown.” The blinking cursor in the darkness resembled a watchful eye, heralding a new looming crisis. Attached was an audio clip which, after spectral analysis, turned out to be the last distress signal from the deep space probe lost three years ago.

Silence fell over the cabin. Everyone knew they were about to confront a far greater mystery and challenge—the path ahead fraught with unknown dangers.