Planet of Sand and Oasis of Iron

Chapter 46 46. How does the saying go? Too much success leads to failure.

The feeling is quite different from the rough rock area to the severely weathered rock area.

But no matter how it feels, walking on this hot world with my feet gives me the illusion of seeking torture and suffering.

That was what happened to Sefer. He was pulling a cart, followed by several people. They were all dressed the same and walked silently under the sun, where anyone who dared to expose themselves would immediately become a charcoal barbecue.

"Ah... It's so hot and uncomfortable. Is the heat dissipation mechanism of my protective suit broken?"

Someone complained like this, and was immediately laughed at by the people behind him: "How is that possible? It's only over 30 degrees Celsius inside the clothes. It's normal."

"Then why are we making this long journey?"

When Sefer, who was walking in the front, turned around, he saw several silver-shining guys shining brightly in the sun.

...Well, is there any other way to drive to haul the ore?
Pulling on the clothes hanger, Seifer said, "If you really don't want to go on, then you can go back. I'm the only one who wants to buy some minerals anyway."

"What are you talking about! Big sister asked us to help, so we must help to the end!"

"That's right, it was you who came to our rescue a few days ago, so we brothers didn't turn into barbecued jerky!"

...So you were among those prisoners.

Reacting belatedly, Seifer shook his head and continued moving forward in silence.

The mine's location was extremely strategic: its entrance had been widened, tracks installed, and the exterior smoothed. The planned area above ground was filled with ore and stone bricks, while all man-made dwellings, including those in the area, were buried underground.

To be honest, sometimes Sefer really wants to say that the people in this world are called underground people. They have not developed any plan to build small domes and settle on the ground.

Those ores...

The howling wind blew across the ground where there was little hard rock, carrying sand away into the distance, and the sand scraping against the minerals could even make them glow slightly.

It's just that it's not very clear in the sunlight.

The iron-gray stones were mottled with spots that looked like jade. The minerals placed at the door looked so full of impurities that when Seifer asked about them, no one was interested.

"It's just so-so... It's also very troublesome to purify this kind of thing. I guess it would be very troublesome if it lays horizontally in the mine while I'm digging, so I might as well just dig it out and throw it away."

Someone explained it this way, and Sefer believed it.

"Red Crossbow Arrows, don't listen to their nonsense. These low-density ores can be used to make components for simpler energy-consuming tools. Once they're used up, just throw them away."

Leica's voice was as calm as ever: "Remember to send me pictures before purchasing the ore. I will try my best to help you identify the valuable parts."

Do you also know this?
If I participate in gambling on stones, the two of us will probably have no worries about food and clothing in the future.

The group took an elevator that was large enough to allow the mine cart to rise and went down. When they reached the underground fortification level, representatives of the miners immediately came to greet them.

"You're also mercenaries who saw the ad and came here to buy ore, right?"

He was wearing stained underground work clothes, and the reflective strips were a bit ineffective, but he didn't care: "No need to say more, I still have several orders to complete here. Everyone, come here."

After piling the cargo carts at the door, the group walked through the winding road, even passing by some deep and cold mining areas, and saw gravel being turned into powder by working machinery and then hoisted high up.

Then, the other party took them directly to the mineral storage area for sale.

"Please review the terms and conditions regarding the sale of minerals. These are the minerals you can take away immediately..."

Seifer looked up and saw the goods for sale piled up in a pile of cuboids, each one a familiar length and width, a pale blue ore that shone grayish-blue under the light. Compared to the jumbled, mottled ore masses outside, these were clearly of much higher quality. But over the comms, Leica explained, comparing the scan waveforms he'd sent her, that these were merely appearances.

The ore looks even better after being truly refined, and it is difficult to describe in words... In short, although these ores appear to be large in quantity, they actually consume a lot of energy once they are refined.

With this knowledge, Sefer's bargaining process became smoother, perhaps due to his previous habit of bargaining for funds. Even though the miners' representatives were quite shrewd, they had to make various concessions.

The transaction price between the two parties is roughly equivalent to the price of fast food for the younger brothers who came along to load the ore.

The miners' representative shrugged and asked the workers who were resting nearby to come over and divide the minerals for Sefer to take away. He then said that if their vehicles were willing to circle here at night, they could take away more.

Saifu said on the surface that it was not on his way, but he knew deep down that the money he had just earned from selling the parts of his previous car had been mostly spent.

More? Can’t buy!

The transaction went so smoothly that Sefer even felt it was unreal.

How should I put it… After staying in this place for so long, Seifer has become accustomed to being prepared for unexpected events in everything he does.

But life in the Furnace Node City was very uneventful, as if those bad things were far away from them. When they were thinking this, a roar came from not far away, penetrating the entire cave, as if the support beams above their heads were about to collapse.

"What, what's going on?!"

"Has a mine collapsed?!"

The workers around were in chaos. Seifer immediately held down his gun vigilantly and asked his younger brothers who came with him to disperse and hide behind the ore pile.

Because just now, the communication with Leica, who was constantly talking about the advantages and disadvantages of the ore, was suddenly interrupted!

Even the move of cutting off communications... they were really well prepared.

The miners' representative quickly reminded Sefer that there was more than one exit in the mine, and there was no need to stay in such a place, as there were even armed forces of the mine defense team behind them.

The more confidently they say there is no problem, the more dangerous it is. Doesn’t the miners’ representative even understand this?
There were continuous gunshots coming from the front, and the defense team that was organizing resistance on the periphery retreated step by step. As they were beaten by the continuous firepower and fled for safety in the storage area, Sefer saw several black objects thrown into the mine.

Flashbang.

'boom! '

Even if everyone present did not see the flash bomb, the loud noise was like a huge hammer hitting everyone, causing those who were still standing to fall to the ground.

Those who were more fragile had already collapsed, retching, and even the stronger ones covered their ears and screamed - except for Cypher, whose voice system automatically shut down temporarily.

Only the auditory hallucination of "buzz..." remained, and he had already raised the gun and pulled the trigger.

Several strangely shaped projectiles were subsequently thrown into the warehouse in a parabolic trajectory, but their trajectories were stopped instantly.

Several bullets accurately hit the target in the air, and before it bounced high and exploded, it flew back at a faster speed and at a calculated angle.

"Boom boom—"

The continuous panic and shouting in the corridor... were blocked by the roar of grenade explosions.

Auto-aim is normal, ladies!
Seifer walked out of the shelter without hesitation, holding his rarely used gun in one hand, not caring that this arrogant way of walking was simply seeking death.

——The enemies who can pass through the narrow passage must only carry individual weapons. And individual weapons, unless they are particle beam generators or more powerful energy weapons that are wielded close to you, can only do so much damage.
It's easy to beat Cypher, but thinking of defeating him... that's too much.

(End of this chapter)