Chapter 9

A powerful wilderness hunter who could resist bullets with his body had come to Blackstone Town, and the news quickly spread.

The next morning, Qi Yuan came to the convoy, and the looks the surrounding warriors gave him were clearly different.

Was this person really going to mine in the mine?

Two green pickup trucks with canvas covers were parked at the entrance of Blackstone Town, and the back of the trucks were already crowded with ragged miners.

Standing among the miners, who were covered in black marks and had emaciated bodies, Qi Yuan didn't look like he was going to mine; he looked more like a supervisor sent by Blackstone Town.

Besides the drivers, there was a fully armed warrior with a gun in the back of each truck, guarding to prevent the miners from causing trouble.

"Is this the mining team?" Qi Yuan asked casually.

A plump man in a gray combat uniform, with a shiny middle part in his hair and a pleasant smile, came over and greeted him with a smile.

"I am Hu Hao, the captain of the mine protection team. What should I call you, young man?"

Qi Yuan's eyes flickered. After activating the Steel Defense talent, his senses had become more powerful. He sensed a subtle threat from Hu Hao, who seemed harmless.

Hu Hao was also an Extraordinary, and he was not weak!

"Qi Yuan. I accidentally killed someone in the tavern yesterday, breaking the rules set by Chief Situ. I'm going to the mine to cool off."

"With your strength, why suffer in the mine!" Hu Hao smiled and offered a cigarette.

"I still have some influence in the town. If you're short on money, I can help you. You don't have to pay the 1000 yuan fine right away. You can pay it when you have the money. Don't go to the mine. What do you think?"

Qi Yuan's eyes flickered. He suddenly realized that Situ was more vigilant than he had imagined. If he couldn't find a suitable excuse, his plan to infiltrate the mine would fail.

After a moment of contemplation, Qi Yuan said tentatively, "Don't worry, Hu. I just want to experience the mine. I won't cause any trouble for your team."

"There's nothing to see in the mine except for the dark rocks. If you want to experience life, why not go somewhere else?" Hu Hao narrowed his eyes, not giving Qi Yuan any chance to slip through.

"Why are you so wary, Hu? I won't bring any weapons. Can I go into the mine unarmed?" Qi Yuan continued.

Hu Hao just shook his head with a smile.

"Brother, don't make it difficult for me. If you really want to go to the mine, there's another one nearby. I can send someone to take you there."

Am I going to be sent to my death! Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes.

There was indeed another mine near Blackstone Town, and it had a sign-in point. However, the mine was already occupied by insect beasts. The abandoned mine was filled with black-toothed rats and hidden insect beasts. Even Situ wouldn't dare to enter alone. With only first-stage Steel Defense, going in would only turn him into food for the insect beasts.

Qi Yuan glanced at the heavy machine guns mounted on the trucks. The mine needed to defend against insect beast attacks and awakened polluters, so it required sufficient defensive power.

These heavy weapons were partly to deter those with ill intentions and partly to deal with possible insect beasts.

Even with the strong defensive force sent by Situ, the mine still frequently suffered attacks from black-toothed rats, which were giant rats as tall as a person. They liked to dig underground and eat rocks.

The mine, with its rich deposits of ore, was a favorite of the black-toothed rats.

Thinking of the black-toothed rats, Qi Yuan suddenly smiled. He had an idea of how to enter the mine.

Since he couldn't blend in, he would have to find another way!

There were only three sign-in points reflected in his consciousness. If he couldn't handle this one, the other two would be even harder.

"Since Hu is so insistent, I won't make it difficult for you. I won't go down the mine with you!" Qi Yuan said.

Hu Hao's smile immediately brightened.

"I knew you wouldn't make it difficult for me. We're about to leave. When we come back, we'll have a good drink. I'll treat you!"

Hu Hao opened the passenger door, got in, and waved goodbye to Qi Yuan as he left.

Watching the trucks speed away, raising dust, Qi Yuan waited for a moment until they were completely out of sight before leaving Blackstone Town on foot.

Although Blackstone Town had some trucks and motorcycles, they were all tightly controlled by Situ and Xu Kui and not sold to the public. The nearly ten thousand yuan price was also too high for ordinary wilderness hunters to afford.

As Xu Kui's figure slowly disappeared into the wilderness, a black shadow wriggled out from a dark corner and quickly disappeared at the town gate.

In the quiet tavern, a waiter in a white shirt and black bow tie was leaning against the bar, carefully wiping a row of glass cups.

A seductive woman stood up from the shadows, like a boneless flower snake, pressing her exposed body tightly against his back and whispering in his ear.

The waiter's movements froze, then his face darkened. He turned around and grabbed the woman by the neck, lifting her off the ground.

Although the waiter was thin, he was very strong. The woman's neck made a cracking sound, as if it was about to break. In a moment, her face turned red from lack of air, and she was on the verge of passing out.

When the woman's body began to convulse and her eyes rolled back, the waiter suddenly released his right hand.

The woman collapsed to the ground, clutching her nearly broken neck, and coughed heavily.

"I told you not to get so close! If it happens again, you know what will happen!" the waiter said coldly.

"Get out!"

The woman lowered her head, not daring to meet the waiter's eyes, and quickly left the bar as a shadow.

The waiter, while wiping the transparent glass cups, muttered to himself,

"A person who was easily controlled just two days ago is now so strong that even powerful bullets can't break his skin. If he didn't awaken some unknown defensive ability, he must have injected insect beast gene serum."

"If it's the latter, his background is interesting. Chief Situ has already joined the Black Steel Shelter, and Xu Kui has the support of the Sand Shelter. Who is behind Qi Yuan? Could it be the End Holy Court...?"

"Chief Situ has occupied a black stone mine, and Xu Kui is recruiting soldiers to clear another mine occupied by insect beasts. Qi Yuan is also interested in the mine. I wonder what secrets it holds!"

"To stir up the waters of Blackstone Town for two mines that aren't even rich in ore..."

"Chief Situ, will you be as lucky this time as you were last time?"

...

After leaving Blackstone Town, Qi Yuan first went to the abandoned mine to confirm that the sign-in point was indeed deep inside. Then he turned and walked to the mine occupied by Situ.

The distance between the two mines was nearly twenty kilometers. With the guidance of the sign-in point, even without a compass, Qi Yuan didn't get lost. It took him three hours to reach his destination.

The terrain around the mine was flat, with no suitable hiding places. Even if there were, they would have been flattened by Situ's people. Qi Yuan could only hide far away and observe the guards around the mine from a distance.

"The high points are already occupied by Situ's warriors, with no blind spots within three hundred meters. The heavy machine guns provide overlapping fire, making it impossible to approach the mine without a reinforced company to suppress them."

"However, the mine's defense is tight on the outside but loose on the inside. The warriors don't want to stay in the dark mine unless the miners discover danger."

"From here, over five hundred meters away, it's a bit far, but it's the only way to sneak in."

Qi Yuan turned and looked at the two black-toothed rats, whose tails were tied together and were trembling. He smiled, patted their heads, and pointed in the direction of the mine.

"There's the black stone ore you like. Dig a tunnel to get there, and I'll let you go!"

The insect beasts of the new era have intelligence far surpassing that of the old era. Some high-level insect beasts are as intelligent as humans. Although black-toothed rats are not very smart, they could understand Qi Yuan's threat.

Qi Yuan took out his eagle and untied the rats' tails, making his threat clear.

Even without the threat, if he released the black-toothed rats, they would likely dig towards the mine, driven by instinct. However, Qi Yuan wanted to use the threat to intensify this instinct.

The black-toothed rats trembled, looking at the eagle in Qi Yuan's hand, not daring to run away, their eyes filled with委屈 (grievance).

We were just mating in a cave, who did we offend!

How did this demon suddenly appear, beating us and having such strong defense that we can't even bite through it.

He even tied our tails together and dragged us to this dangerous place. Is this what humans do?

Qi Yuan pressed the head of one black-toothed rat and pointed the gun at the other, saying,

"Start digging. If you don't reach the mine by nightfall, I'll turn your girlfriend into a kebab!"

The black-toothed rats: "..."