28: Poison bait and blueprints

"Boss, you... are you saying you want me to spread rumors?"

Inside the maintenance room, Ma Liu's face turned pale after hearing Chen Feng's order.

"It's not a rumor." Chen Feng didn't even look up; he was processing a few stones he had randomly picked up from the ground with a high-temperature blowtorch. "It's a secret."

"Is... is there a difference?"

"Of course there is." Chen Feng's voice was calm and clear. "A rumor is false, but a secret is true. You need to tell those you trust—and who have loose lips—that I, Chen Feng, have locked myself in my room, researching the 'Immortal Ore' brought back from Sector B day and night, trying to find a way to smelt it into something more valuable."

"This..."

"Remember, mention it as if casually, and make them promise never to tell anyone." Chen Feng put down the blowtorch, picked up a glowing red stone, and dropped it into a small bucket filled with murky liquid.

With a "sizzle," pungent white smoke rose up.

"I understand, Boss!" Ma Liu shuddered and nodded heavily. "I need to make them feel like this is a huge secret that only they know!"

"Smart." A hint of approval appeared at the corner of Chen Feng's mouth. "Go on then. Do it well, and there'll be wine to drink tonight."

"Yes!"

After Ma Liu left, Chen Feng took out several bags of powder from a corner.

These were a cheap "Visual Camouflage Coating" and several worthless but brilliantly colored low-grade mineral powders he had just purchased through the Interstellar Exchange, costing less than 0.5 credit points in total.

He mixed these powders in specific proportions and evenly applied them to the ordinary stones that had been heat-treated. Under the influence of a certain catalyst, the coating reacted with the burning stone surface, quickly solidifying into a layer of shimmering crystals that seemed to contain infinite energy.

A fake sample of "High-grade Associated Ore," appearing a hundred times more advanced than the "samples" in Bachm's office, was thus born.

Having finished all this, Chen Feng sat back down at the terminal and pulled up the structural map of Sector B downloaded from the mining area's database.

After a night of analysis, he had found his target.

It was an area previously marked as a "High-stress Resonance Point," located deep within Cave B-7. According to a long-forgotten Exploration Log, several core support pillars in that area had become extremely fragile due to geological shifts. Once subjected to small vibrations at a specific frequency, they would trigger a massive, chain-reaction cave-in of the entire area, like falling dominoes.

"This is the place."

Chen Feng's fingertip lightly tapped the red danger marker on the screen.

This was the grave he had prepared for those two mad dogs.

"...Have you heard? That 734 kid has locked himself up to practice alchemy!"

"Alchemy? More like refining his life away! Does he really think he's the chosen one?"

"Shh! Keep it down! My brother's brother said he saw Steward Bachmu personally deliver several boxes of high-grade tools to him. There might actually be something to it..."

In the mining area's cafeteria, similar whispers were incessant. In a corner of the cafeteria, two burly Supervisors sat with grim expressions, taking in all these conversations.

"Big brother, it seems to be true." Fisk lowered his voice and said to Kruger beside him, "That kid must have found something big in Sector B and wants to bypass the Steward to keep it for himself!"

"Hmph, a stinking mine slave, he thinks he's worthy?" A flash of ruthlessness crossed Kruger's eyes. "When he refines it, the item will be ours, and the credit will be ours too. Steward Bachmu will only praise us for our efficiency."

"So when do we make our move?"

"No rush, wait a bit longer." Kruger sneered. "It'll be much easier to 'invite' him out after he's exhausted all his strength, wouldn't it?"

"Beep, beep, beep—"

The piercing sound of a communication request interrupted Chen Feng's thoughts. He glanced at the caller ID—Bachm.

A flash of disgust crossed Chen Feng's eyes, but his hands moved quickly. He swiftly minimized the half-drawn cave-in plan on the screen and switched to a fake analysis report interface filled with complex chemical formulas and mineral structural diagrams.

"Steward." He connected the call, his voice carrying just the right amount of exhaustion and excitement.

"Chen Feng! How is the analysis of my ore coming along?!" Bachm's impatient voice came through the communicator.

"Reporting to the Steward, the results are coming soon!" Chen Feng blathered using technical terms. "The energy structure of this associated ore is very peculiar, possessing the stable structure of an 'Alpha-7' crystal, yet the energy dissipation rate shows the non-linear characteristics of 'Beta-3.' I'm currently trying to use the 'Pulse Focusing Method' for purification, and the success rate is expected to reach..."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Bachm was made dizzy by the pile of incomprehensible words. "I don't care about any methods! I just want results! When can you give me an accurate location for the ore vein?!"

"Please give me one more day, Steward!" Chen Feng said earnestly. "One day at most, and I will definitely be able to locate the core area of the main vein!"

"Fine! Just one day! If you dare to play any tricks..."

"I wouldn't dare! Absolutely not!"

After ending the call, Chen Feng let out a long breath. He picked up the most perfectly made fake sample of "High-grade Associated Ore" from the table, walked to the door, and while dumping a pile of waste, "accidentally" let his hand slip, allowing the glittering stone to fall into the waste pile by the door.

As if he hadn't noticed, he turned and hurried toward the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was still bustling with noise.

Chen Feng sat alone in a corner, eating his Special Meal.

A tall figure carrying a food tray sat down across from him.

It was Reno.

The surrounding clamor seemed to vanish instantly, leaving only silence in the air. Reno didn't speak; he just stared intently at Chen Feng with those searching, slightly wary eyes.

Chen Feng didn't speak either, calmly meeting his gaze while continuing to eat his food.

It was a silent confrontation.

After a long time, Reno finally broke the silence, his voice raspy and low: "What exactly are you trying to do?"

Chen Feng swallowed his food, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and then slowly looked up at him, asking in return, "What do you think a person who just wants to survive could be trying to do?"

Reno's brow furrowed even deeper.

He couldn't understand the person in front of him. A few days ago, he had thought he was just another dog wagging its tail for Bachm, but now, the sense of calm and control radiating from him gave him a faint, inexplicable sense of trepidation.

Night fell.

A sneaky figure, under the cover of night, crept to the door of Chen Feng's maintenance room.

The person looked around warily, then dove headfirst into the foul-smelling waste pile, rummaging through it frantically.

Soon, he found his target.

By the moonlight, the fake sample of "High-grade Associated Ore" emitted a charming, lethal luster.

A look of ecstasy appeared on the person's face as he tucked the stone into his shirt and quickly vanished into the darkness.

In the shadows opposite the maintenance room, Chen Feng saw everything clearly through a pinhole-sized camera.

A cold, hunter-like smile slowly spread across the corners of his mouth.

The fish had finally bitten the poisoned bait.