27: A false crown

"Excellent, excellent!"

Steward Bachmu's fatty palms excitedly caressed the sealed bag containing the colored crystals, as if he were stroking the skin of a lover. His eyes gleamed, and his breathing grew heavy.

"Chen Feng, you've done well! You will be my, Bachmu's, greatest contributor!"

He looked at the swaying Chen Feng, who was being supported by two Guards; his gaze was no longer that of looking at a dog, but at a rare treasure.

Chen Feng coughed violently at the right moment, speaking in a voice weak to the extreme, "Steward... I... *cough cough*... I can do even more for you."

"Oh?" Bachmu's eyebrows shot up. "Speak, what do you want? As long as I can give it, just ask!"

"I need... an independent maintenance room." Chen Feng wheezed, every word sounding as if it were squeezed out of his lungs. "These ores... are very peculiar. I need a place where I won't be disturbed to study them, find their properties, and... and prepare for the next entry into Area B to find the true vein."

He paused for a moment and added, "Also... food. My body... is about to give out."

"Hahahaha! No problem! No problem at all!" Bachm waved his large hand and said grandly, "I'll not only give you an independent maintenance room, but I'll also give you A-rank clearance! You can call upon the best tools in the mining area at any time! Food? From today onwards, you'll enjoy the same treatment as I do!"

This promise caused the two Guards nearby to show looks of envy.

Bachmu's greed far exceeded Chen Feng's expectations; he seemed terrified that Chen Feng might die, immediately adding to the deal: "I'll also open up part of the mining area's unencrypted database to you! Mainly the geological data and exploration logs for Area B! Analyze them well for me, and make sure to find the exact location of that treasure vein!"

"Thank you... thank you, Steward!" Chen Feng put on an expression of tearful gratitude and overjoyed surprise, lowering his head deeply.

From an angle where no one could see, the corner of his mouth curled into a cold smile.

Coming out of the office, Bachmu actually "escorted" Chen Feng personally, his affectionate manner making it seem as if Chen Feng were his long-lost biological son.

"See clearly, everyone!" Bachmu's booming voice echoed in the hallway. "No. 734, Chen Feng! He is the great hero of our Mining Area No. 7! He survived a narrow escape to bring back hope from Area B for us! From today onwards, he is my Chief Exploration Consultant!"

Along the way, all the Mine Slaves and Guards who witnessed this scene stopped in shock, their gazes converging on Chen Feng, filled with awe, envy, and confusion.

Chen Feng kept his head down, appearing to be weakly supported by Bachmu, but the corner of his eye locked onto two special figures in the crowd.

They were two burly men wearing Supervisor uniforms, their physiques a size larger than the average Guard. Their gaze toward him was different from the others; there was no awe, only a naked greed that was almost overflowing.

Like two hyenas that had caught the scent of blood.

Chen Feng was given a dusty but internally lockable independent room.

This place had once been a squad leader's dormitory, and now it had become his first true private space in this mining area. He quickly checked it over, confirming he found no obvious listening devices.

"Knock, knock, knock."

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

A handyman pushed in a dining cart, delivering a dinner so sumptuous it was staggering. Beast meat roasted until it sizzled with oil, a small keg of synthetic beer, and even a small dish of pickled vegetables.

"Mr. Chen Feng, this was specially prepared for you by the Steward." The delivery man's voice was full of flattery.

"The Steward is truly too generous." Chen Feng deliberately raised his volume so the sound would carry outside the door. "Thank the Lord Steward for me!"

He held the tray and stood right by the doorway, taking large bites of the roasted meat, letting the enticing aroma waft out. Several passing Mine Slaves stopped in their tracks, watching the food on his plate, their Adam's apples bobbing as they drooled.

Envy, awe, greed... various emotions spread and fermented among the crowd.

Chen Feng closed the door and pushed the other half of the untouched roast meat to the opposite side of the table.

"Eat."

Ma Liu had already been called over; he shrank into a corner, looking at the plate of roast meat but not daring to move.

"I told you to eat," Chen Feng's voice was calm.

Only then did Ma Liu act as if he had received an imperial decree, pouncing over to gorge himself, eating until his mouth was covered in grease.

"Is it good?" Chen Feng asked.

"Good! It's so good!" Ma Liu replied unclearly, his eyes even brimming with tears. "Boss, I... I've never eaten anything this good in my life!"

"Do you want to eat like this every day?"

"I do! Even in my dreams!"

"Very well." Chen Feng's tone instantly turned cold. "Once you're done eating, go handle something for me."

Ma Liu's movements froze.

"Those two Supervisors who are always by Bachmu's side, do you know who they are?" Chen Feng asked.

"I know, Boss! They are Kruger and Fisk, the Steward's right-hand men. No one in the mining area dares to mess with them!"

"Go, find out everything about them for me." Chen Feng's voice was like quenched ice. "Their habits, their character flaws, where they go every day, who they talk to, and who they trust the most. Everything—I want to know it all."

"Boss..." Ma Liu's face instantly turned pale. "This... this is too dangerous! If they find out, I'll die!"

"If you don't go, you'll die right now." Chen Feng looked at him calmly. "I give you food and a chance to live, not to be a useless waste. Do it well, and there'll be plenty of roast meat in the future. Do it poorly..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but the killing intent in his eyes made Ma Liu tremble all over.

"I... I'll go! I'll go right now!" Ma Liu didn't even have time to wipe the grease from the corners of his mouth as he scrambled out the door.

Late at night.

Chen Feng sat before his newly acquired terminal, utilizing the clearance Bachmu had given him to frantically download and analyze everything regarding Area B.

He wasn't looking at the ore vein distribution maps, but at the data marked as useless: blueprints of abandoned maintenance tunnels, structural stress reports from previous years, forgotten equipment node locations... a blueprint of death was slowly taking shape in his mind.

The door was lightly knocked upon, and Ma Liu slipped in like a ghost, his face a ghastly white from a near-death experience.

"Boss... I... I found it..." He handed over a crumpled piece of paper, his voice trembling.

Chen Feng took the paper and scanned it quickly, his gaze instantly becoming sharp.

The intelligence Ma Liu brought back far exceeded his expectations.

"Boss, those two guys... they aren't just greedy!" Ma Liu lowered his voice, speaking with a sob, "They're secretly selling off the mining area's rare metals to line their own pockets! Two years ago, three disobedient Mine Slaves were secretly killed by them, and their bodies couldn't even be found! Steward Bachmu... he's been kept in the dark the whole time! They... they are just two complete mad dogs!"

Chen Feng slowly put down the paper, a trace of grim, cold light flashing in his eyes.

Mad dogs?

Mad dogs are good.

To deal with mad dogs, one doesn't need overly complex schemes.

One only needs a bone that is enticing enough and laced with deadly poison.