91: Rare minerals appear

The heating pipes still carried some residual warmth. Chen Wang stood in front of the vehicle, his fingertips lightly touching the screen. The warning had disappeared, and all equipment was packed away properly. He checked the time—there were still more than seven hours remaining until the black tide arrived.

"Lin Wei," he called out.

Lin Wei looked up. She was still adjusting the wires in her hands, remaining silent, waiting for him to continue.

"A new signal has appeared on the map." Chen Wang opened the map interface. A red dot flashed in the valley area. "The energy is stable; it looks like high-purity Titanium-Tungsten Ore."

Lin Wei walked over and stared at it for three seconds. "This kind of ore shouldn't be here. The geological structure doesn't match."

"It might have been left behind by people from earlier years." Chen Wang zoomed in on the location, comparing it with Old Zhou's route map. "It's G-7 Valley. The military once mined it, but it was later sealed off."

Su Ling walked out of the armory and stopped when she heard the conversation. "That place is surrounded by mountains on two sides, with only one exit. Going in is a dead end."

"It's not a frontal assault." Chen Wang took out his pocket watch and placed it on the console, flipping open the cover. The hands moved steadily, ticking. "We'll go in when they change shifts."

"They?" Su Wan walked in, holding a prescription list.

"The system captured a large number of life signals, distributed on both sides of the valley entrance." Chen Wang switched the display; two moving shadows were clearly visible in the thermal image. "Every day at noon, these two teams leave for seventeen minutes. During that time, the pass is unguarded."

Lin Wei frowned. "Seventeen minutes isn't nearly enough time to complete the excavation."

"We aren't digging," Chen Wang said. "We're going to confirm the location, scale, and mining conditions of the ore body first. We'll formulate a specific plan when we return."

Su Ling looked at the projection and asked, "Who is going?"

"You are responsible for reconnaissance. Take the drone, photograph the terrain, record the route, and observe the monster activity patterns." Chen Wang looked at Lin Wei. "You adjust the jammer to ensure our equipment doesn't reveal our whereabouts. Su Wan, prepare emergency medicine, adding two extra doses of anti-freeze blood agent, just in case someone gets frostbite and needs support."

Su Wan nodded. "I'll go check the backup oxygen again."

"You also need to sign." Chen Wang opened the system and pulled up the Mission Confirmation Form. "One copy for everyone, entered into the system. If anything goes wrong, we can trace responsibility."

Lin Wei took the tablet and quickly filled in the information. Su Ling stood nearby, pressing her handprint after finishing her input. Su Wan submitted last, and the system displayed a green notification: [All Personnel Confirmed | Deployment Plan Archived].

Chen Wang closed the page and walked to the power distribution box to check the battery level. Three bars full, one bar half-full. It was enough to support a long journey and maintain high-consumption equipment for a while.

"Power consumption will be high this time." Lin Wei stood beside him. "The system just issued a warning advising against proceeding."

Chen Wang glanced at the screen: [Energy Consumption Exceeds Safety Line, Recommend Prioritizing Base Operation].

He reached out and dismissed the notification.

"As long as the vehicle can move, there's a path," he said. "We can fix even a broken-down vehicle, so why should we stop ourselves?"

Lin Wei didn't reply, turning instead to check the toolbox. She opened the compartment door; the drill bit, separator, and sample containers were all in their original positions. Plugs were tight, and latches were secure.

Su Ling took down her sniper rifle and disassembled the lens for inspection. It was clean, with no deviation. She attached the silencer and put on her backpack—it contained four small drones and two spare batteries.

Su Wan placed the medical kit under the passenger seat, adding an extra bottle of adrenaline and three tubes of hemostatic glue. She then activated the medical pod monitor to ensure she could track the status of the personnel in real-time from inside the vehicle.

Chen Wang performed a final inspection of the vehicle. The tracks were normal, the armor plates were secure, the main cannon was locked, and the electromagnetic shield was on standby. The Spatial Folding System was operating well, and the anchor points were stable.

He sat in the driver's seat, gripping the steering wheel with both hands.

"Let's go."

The engine hummed low. The wuling divine vehicle slowly started, its tracks rolling over the accumulated snow, leaving two deep grooves. The roof lights turned on, their beams cutting through the wind and snow, pointing directly toward the red dot on the navigation.

It was silent inside the vehicle, save for the occasional notification sound from the system.

[Entering High-Risk Zone Edge | Suggest Slow Travel]

Chen Wang did not slow down. The wind and snow struck the glass, melting instantly. The navigation showed forty-three kilometers remaining until the valley.

"How long until we arrive?" Lin Wei asked.

"Fifty minutes." Chen Wang looked at the radar. "No unusual movement on the road; we are safe for now."

Su Ling leaned back in the passenger seat, holding the reconnaissance device. She opened the drone control interface; the signal was clear. Flying altitude was set to fifteen meters, and avoidance mode was activated.

"I'll get out first when we arrive," she said. "I need to find a high place to launch the drone."

"Don't go too far ahead," Chen Wang warned. "If you detect monster activity, stop advancing immediately, take the photos, and retreat at once."

"Understood."

Lin Wei sat in the back seat, sliding the screen to adjust the jammer frequency. She set three modes to block ore body, mechanical, and human signals, respectively.

"If an anomaly appears, it will automatically shield us," she told Su Wan. "No one outside will detect our presence."

Su Wan nodded. "I added an insulation layer to the medical pod. Even if someone suddenly suffers hypothermia, it can hold out for ten minutes."

Chen Wang checked the rearview mirror. The two women were busy, their movements practiced. This vehicle had long ceased to be just a means of transport; it was a mobile base capable of independent combat.

He lowered his head and glanced at the scar on his left arm, reaching into his pocket to gently rub the copper watch. His father's voice echoed in his mind: Fixing a vehicle isn't about replacing parts; it's about bringing the metal to life.

And what they had to do now was more than just keeping the vehicle alive.

It was about making it live longer and travel farther.

The wind and snow intensified, and the red dot grew closer.

[Ten Kilometers from Target]

Su Ling picked up the binoculars and pressed them against the car window to observe. The mountains on both sides appeared, like two giant walls sandwiching a narrow passage.

"It matches the data," she said. "The entrance is very narrow, less than eight meters at its widest point."

"We can get through," Chen Wang said. "The vehicle is 6.2 meters wide. If we retract the armor plates, we can just barely make it."

"The problem is getting out," Lin Wei looked up. "If someone chases us, getting stuck in the middle means we're finished."

"That's why we can't alert anyone." Chen Wang stared intently at the screen. "The shift change at noon is our only chance. If we miss it, we have to wait until tomorrow."

[Five Kilometers from Target]

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense. Su Ling checked her holster again, ensuring a smooth draw. Lin Wei shut down non-essential systems to conserve power. Su Wan re-verified the medication list; all emergency supplies were in place.

Chen Wang slowed the vehicle. The radar showed rugged terrain ahead with dense potholes. He switched to manual mode, carefully steering around the deep pits.

[Two Kilometers from Target]

The first noticeable sign of human activity appeared in the snow—a half-buried cement pillar with a rusty warning sign hanging on it.

"We've reached the Restricted Zone," Su Ling said. "It was set up by the military."

Chen Wang drove around the pillar and continued forward. The navigation showed only 1.5 kilometers remaining.

[1.5 Kilometers from Target | Slight Vibration Detected]

"Something is moving underground." Lin Wei pulled up the data. "The frequency is very low, but continuous."

"It might be the ore body generating heat," Chen Wang said. "Or it could be a defense mechanism."

"Should we stop?" Su Wan asked.

"No stopping." Chen Wang tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "Eight hundred meters further, find a sheltered spot to park. We'll cover the final stretch on foot."

Su Ling began putting on her exoskeleton—a lightweight model, low noise, suitable for concealed movement. She put on her backpack and carefully checked her oxygen mask for leaks.

Lin Wei packed the jammer into its casing, connected the power, and tested it. A green light turned on, indicating the equipment was functioning normally.

Su Wan activated the medical pod's emergency deployment function, setting a shortcut key that allowed for remote injection of analgesics and life stabilizers with a single press.

The wuling divine vehicle slowly drove into a depression. Surrounded by rocks, it was difficult to spot.

Chen Wang turned off the ignition and shut down all lights.

The cabin plunged into darkness, illuminated only by the faint blue glow of the dashboard.

He unfastened his seatbelt and stood up.

"Prepare to disembark."