Chapter 78: The Vein of Nuclear Crystal Ore

[Beep! Traces of nuclear crystal ore detected on the target’s body!]

Upon hearing this, Wang Ji’s pupils contracted. He extended his psychic senses over the body of the Great Wolf King, soon spotting some blue, crystalline particles wedged between its claws.

He picked up one, rubbing it between his fingers as his mind raced.

“X-System, can you identify the source of these ore fragments?”

The X-System responded immediately.

[You may consume 1,000 energy points to scan a ten-kilometer radius!]

Having just acquired nearly ten thousand energy points, Wang Ji didn’t hesitate to initiate the scan.

[Scanning… Estimated time: five minutes.]

Suppressing the anticipation and excitement in his heart, Wang Ji eagerly grabbed his comm and contacted Long Qianwen, instructing her to escort Luo Ji and his apprentice back to base and to receive her brother and settle him in.

Wang Ji then contacted headquarters. After being briefed, Li Chengming informed him that the armored support unit would arrive in half an hour.

He checked the scan timer—less than a minute remained. He paced restlessly, his nerves taut, until the final ten seconds.

Who could blame him for being excited? The presence of nuclear crystal ore veins was at stake. A single nuclear crystal cost 1,000 energy points to exchange; even the slightest possibility was too valuable to ignore.

[Beep. Scan complete. No nuclear crystal veins detected within ten kilometers. However, an iron ore deposit has been found three kilometers away at coordinates XXX.XXX, thirty meters underground.]

Wang Ji couldn’t help but curse—iron ore! And buried thirty meters deep, no less. Deep deposits were difficult to mine and their value greatly diminished.

He glanced at the corpse on the ground, hesitated, then asked, “Can the scan range be increased?”

[Yes. Doubling the range will require 10,000 energy points per scan. Confirm?]

Checking his status panel and seeing just over 10,000 points remaining, Wang Ji gritted his teeth and confirmed.

[Scan initiated. Estimated time: five minutes…]

The five minutes felt like a decade for Wang Ji.

Finally, the X-System’s voice sounded again.

[Beep! Congratulations, Commander. A small nuclear crystal vein has been discovered fifteen kilometers away at coordinates XX,XXX, estimated to contain 1,327 tons of nuclear crystal ore.]

Wang Ji clenched his fists and shouted in excitement.

He pulled out his tablet, entered the coordinates, and swiftly dashed toward the site.

Within minutes, he arrived at the location of the nuclear crystal vein: a sheer cliff with a deep cave, ten meters or so into the rock. Entering, he realized it was the den of the Great Wolf King.

Upon inspecting the site, Wang Ji finally understood.

“This beast! It must have absorbed the immense energy from the nuclear crystals, causing it to mutate into a leader and ignite the potential for a higher-tier evolution!”

Satisfied, Wang Ji patted the exposed ore. The nuclear crystal was mostly gray, interspersed with blue flecks that glimmered faintly in the darkness.

“Excellent. Next, I just need to haul all this ore back!”

He stood, opened the X-System, and began to calculate. After a while, he sighed in frustration.

He would need another 10,000 energy points to materialize a mining vehicle, and a further 10,000 points to exchange for the blueprints of a nuclear crystal refinery for the base. Factoring in transportation and security, at least 20,000 nuclear crystals would be required to develop the vein.

With his plan set, Wang Ji remotely instructed Xiao Liuzi to convert 10,000 nuclear crystals into energy points at the individual weapon production workshop, yielding nearly 23,000 points—enough for his immediate needs.

He exchanged the refinery blueprints and sent them to Xiao Liuzi, ordering him to immediately assign a team to the most defensible site to begin construction. The actual machines would be materialized by Wang Ji upon his return.

After some thought, Wang Ji decided to materialize a multifunctional mining machine outside the cave.

With a flicker, a compact, van-sized mining machine appeared at the entrance. Wang Ji was surprised by its sleek, futuristic design—it looked nothing like the drilling machines he’d imagined.

Opening the X-System’s operating guide, he discovered to his delight that it was an AI-powered automatic mining machine, saving him a great deal of secrecy and manpower.

Following the instructions, he started the mining machine. With a soft whir of metal, the vehicle’s front lifted, two multipurpose robotic arms extending, their tools adaptable to various tasks.

Wang Ji uploaded the scan map of the ore vein from his tablet into the mining machine’s database and set it to work. It whirred quietly into the depths of the cave.

Within five minutes, it returned to the entrance, unloading five cubic meters of gray ore.

Impressed by the machine’s efficiency and convenience, Wang Ji exclaimed, “Ten thousand energy points—worth every bit!”

He patted the neatly stacked nuclear crystal ore, content to sit nearby. The ore had been pre-processed, making it easier to transport.

At this rate, the entire vein could be mined out in just five days. Not one to waste resources, Wang Ji also scheduled the iron mine, located over ten kilometers away, for the machine’s roster after completing the current job.

Once everything was arranged, Wang Ji contacted the base and had Liang Jingyang assign a team for transport.

Meanwhile, he opened a video link with Haozi, who had arrived with three armored vehicles and two tanks for support.

“Haozi, I need you to assign personnel for a task. I’ve found some ore and arranged for transportation. Please organize an escort and security—coordinates will follow.”

Haozi was still rushing to the scene, having scrambled his team when the scout squad was ambushed, only to find Wang Ji had already resolved the crisis.

He sighed, “No problem, boss. Send me the coordinates. I’ll rendezvous with Wolf Four Squad first.”

“Good. But take this escort and security job seriously. Our base’s future depends on it—there’s no room for error,” Wang Ji cautioned.

Seeing the seriousness in Wang Ji’s expression, Haozi straightened up, “Understood, boss! I’ll assign two platoons immediately!”

Wang Ji smiled, “That’s good. Anyway, this is a great opportunity. I’ll give you a heads-up now—we’re about to strike it rich. That electromagnetic rail weapon you’ve been dreaming about? I think we’ll finally have a chance to make it happen.”

With the discovery of the nuclear crystal vein, Wang Ji began estimating its value. He’d already noted in the X-System that individual and armored weapons included the railgun, but each of these weapons required at least one nuclear crystal per unit—1,000 energy points per magazine. An electromagnetic rail rifle could fire five hundred shots per magazine, or two points per shot—practically burning money.

The rail cannon was even more extravagant, consuming ten nuclear crystals per shot—that’s 10,000 energy points each time.

Upon hearing this, Haozi’s entire demeanor changed. As Wang Ji’s confidant, he’d known about these revolutionary weapons for some time.

“Boss! That’s fantastic! If our infantry can be armed with rail rifles, we’ll no longer be at the mercy of those massive beasts,” he said, elated.

Wang Ji nodded in agreement. Wolf Four Recon Squad had been nearly overwhelmed by the wolf pack—after their explosives ran out, their rifles’ metal bullets barely made a dent. No wonder they’d been so desperate.

Reflecting on how Wolf Four’s mishap had inadvertently led him to the crystal vein, Wang Ji said, “Haozi, go join up with Wolf Four first. Make sure nothing else goes wrong. Award each of them 100 honor points—their contribution was invaluable.”

Haozi grinned, “No problem, boss. I’m on it!”

Wang Ji remained at the cave entrance, sitting cross-legged as he awaited the arrival of the transport convoy and infantry platoon, using the time to cultivate his psychic power with the Extreme Mind Technique.

After more than four hours, a convoy of transport trucks, escorted by armored personnel carriers, finally arrived.

The lead platoon commander, spotting Wang Ji from afar, quickly disembarked and saluted, ready to receive orders.

Wang Ji directed them to escort the ore in shifts, to set up a temporary camp nearby, and to establish patrol outposts within a three-kilometer radius.

Once all was in order, he patted Haozi, who had just arrived, on the shoulder.

“Alright, I’m leaving this in your hands. In five days, move on to the iron mine coordinates. Stay alert and safe—this is tough work.”

Now fully aware that this ore was crucial for the railgun project, Haozi gave his solemn assurance, “No problem, boss. I’ll guard this place with my life. By the way, the leader of Rhino Base requested our help—their beast legion is rioting. Wolf Four was on a tracking mission for them when they ended up here.”

Wang Ji frowned slightly. “Is the unrest at Rhino Base really affecting our territory? Haozi, intensify the sweep for mutated creatures around us, and send some support to Rhino Base as well.”

“Yes, boss! Our special ops team is already en route to back them up. That’s why we were delayed in sending reinforcements here,” Haozi replied, scratching his head in mild embarrassment.

He then produced a bag of nuclear crystals. “We salvaged these from the wolves on the battlefield—fifty-four in total.”

Wang Ji took them, immediately absorbing them as energy points. Among them were a dozen second-tier crystals, netting nearly two thousand points.

With everything settled, Wang Ji began his journey back to base.

Since taking over the base—more accurately, since his men captured it—he hadn’t yet returned. He chuckled at himself, moving swiftly across the wilderness, a fleeting shadow beneath the sky.

Much awaited him back at base: finding a way to heal Long Shanhao and, most crucially, establishing the nuclear crystal refinery.