77: Chapter 77 Finding the Energy Crystal Mine

"All robots, exit the airship immediately and line up ten meters outside the hatch to wait for further orders." Mo Yufei issued the command through the communicator, his voice steady and forceful, without a hint of hesitation.

The maintenance robots and the Commander Robot, which were performing final checks inside the cabin, received the order and immediately stopped their work. Moving with precise mechanical steps, the maintenance robots followed closely as they floated out.

Mo Yufei checked the cockpit one last time to ensure nothing was left behind, then stepped out of the hatch and gently pulled it shut behind him.

Standing on the open ground, Mo Yufei took a deep breath and focused his mind to activate his space.

Ripples of pale blue spatial energy appeared. He raised his hand toward the massive airship before him and moved his will; the airship, which had been resting on the ground, was instantly enveloped in a hazy layer of spatial light.

There was no earth-shattering noise, nor any blinding light. In the blink of an eye, the multi-meter-tall airship vanished into thin air, securely stored within his secret realm.

With the airship completely hidden, Mo Yufei finally let his suspended heart settle.

As long as he did not voluntarily release the airship from his space, no matter how advanced the Federation's detection technology might be, they would be unable to lock onto the airship's location, let alone revoke their so-called temporary permissions.

In this Fragment World with its unique rules, his secret realm was the safest guarantee; no one would ever be able to snatch this war trophy from his hands.

With the worry about the airship resolved, Mo Yufei could finally shift his attention to the most critical material needs at the moment.

Whether it was maintaining the robots' operations, powering the airship for future travel, or enhancing his own strength, energy crystals were an indispensable core resource.

With a wave of his hand, he retrieved a few fist-sized raw energy crystals from his space. A gentle, lustrous energy flowed across the surface of the crystals, and wisps of pure energy drifted out, swirling around his fingertips.

Mo Yufei called out softly into the void beside him: "Xiao Hei, come here."

No sooner had he spoken than a robust black figure instantly darted out from behind a distant bunker, sprinting over with light, quick steps. It was none other than Xiao Hei, which possessed sensory abilities.

Xiao Hei was jet-black and glossy, without a single speck of other color. Its frame was robust and agile, its ears pointed and erect, and its round black eyes were exceptionally bright. After running to Mo Yufei's side, it immediately rubbed affectionately against his pant leg, its tail wagging happily back and forth, looking particularly excited.

As a mutated sensory dog, Xiao Hei possessed an extraordinary, innate sensitivity to various energy fluctuations, especially toward ores like energy crystals that contained pure natural energy.

It could detect faint traces of energy from a great distance that ordinary people could not perceive, making it a capable assistant for Mo Yufei in searching for resources and avoiding danger.

Mo Yufei bent down to rub Xiao Hei's head and held a raw energy crystal out in front of it, instructing softly: "Calm down and sense if there is a source of this energy nearby."

Xiao Hei immediately understood Mo Yufei's meaning. It sat obediently on the ground, stopped fidgeting, pricked up its ears, and closed its round eyes. It fully activated its sensory ability, its small nose twitching slightly as it carefully captured every subtle energy fluctuation in the air.

Mo Yufei stood quietly in place, motionless, fearing he might disturb Xiao Hei's perception. The robots nearby also maintained absolute silence, and the atmosphere was exceptionally tranquil.

Time ticked by second by second. Mo Yufei waited patiently, his fingertips gently rubbing the raw energy crystal in his hand as he silently calculated his subsequent plans.

If he could find a large-scale energy crystal mine, it would not only resolve the current crisis of resource shortages but also allow him to stockpile enough crystals for future robots and androids.

If he could obtain cultivation techniques, he could also use these energy crystals as cultivation resources. He had heard Wang Chen say that the energy dissipated by energy crystals was also beneficial to exotic beasts and could even enhance the abilities of Xiao Hei and its companions.

About half a minute later, Xiao Hei suddenly opened its eyes. A flash of intense excitement crossed its pitch-black pupils. It abruptly stood up and began barking incessantly toward the east, its tail wagging even more vigorously.

At the same time, it nudged Mo Yufei's palm gently with its head, using the exclusive consciousness link between beast tamer and beast to clearly and accurately transmit the information it had perceived to Mo Yufei.

"Boss! East! Thirty kilometers to the east, there is a super rich scent of energy crystals, way stronger than these raw stones in your hand! There are so, so many of these crystals there; it's a huge crystal mine, and the energy is extremely abundant. I can feel it clearly!"

Xiao Hei's consciousness message was filled with joy and urgency, precisely conveying the location, distance, and situation of the energy crystal mine to Mo Yufei without the slightest deviation.

Mo Yufei's heart surged, and a look of pleasant surprise instantly burst into his eyes. A distance of thirty kilometers—in this Fragment World where the terrain was not particularly complex, they would be able to arrive before long at their travel speed.

Moreover, it was a large-scale energy crystal mine; this was undoubtedly a heaven-sent opportunity that provided help in the nick of time, completely resolving his current resource predicament.

Mo Yufei raised his hand and gently stroked Xiao Hei's neck, his tone full of praise and tenderness: "Well done, Xiao Hei, it's all thanks to you."

Upon receiving Mo Yufei's praise, Xiao Hei became even more pleased with itself. It circled around Mo Yufei twice, barking toward the east every now and then, as if urging its master to set off as soon as possible.

Mo Yufei smiled as he returned the raw energy crystal in his hand to his space, straightened his body, and turned to look at the robots and androids lined up and waiting for orders.

He would also store them in his space; the more people there were, the greater the disturbance. He would only leave Benboba in the sky to scout, have Xiao Hei continue to sense the ore vein, and let Dabai continue to serve as a mount.

"Dabai! Sorry to trouble you to carry me a bit further!" Mo Yufei called out softly.

Dabai immediately walked to Mo Yufei's side with steady steps, slightly bending its knees and lowering its body to make it easier for him to climb up.

Mo Yufei swung his leg over and sat on Dabai's broad back, gently holding onto the soft fur on its neck with both hands. The sensation beneath him was stable and solid, with absolutely no feeling of jolting.

"Xiao Hei, lead the way. Full speed ahead."

Upon receiving the command, Xiao Hei immediately ran ahead with light, quick steps, its small, jet-black body nimbly weaving through the gravel of the wasteland. Every now and then, it would stop and turn its head to look in Dabai's direction, continuing forward only after confirming that Mo Yufei had kept up.

Its nose was constantly and keenly capturing the increasingly rich scent of energy crystals in the air.

Dabai strode forward, galloping steadily. Its speed was extremely fast yet remained smooth. The wind rushed past their ears, kicking up fine gravel from the ground. In just over twenty minutes, the man, the pet, and the dog had arrived at the destination Xiao Hei had sensed.

Before them was a continuous blue-gray stone wall. The rock face was steep and hard, its surface covered in gullies of varying depths, sparsely dotted with a few withered vines.

To Mo Yufei, it looked plain and unremarkable, but upon drawing closer, he could perceive that pure energy fluctuations were continuously emanating from deep within the stone wall.

Xiao Hei squatted at the foot of the stone wall, barking incessantly at the rock face, its little tail wagging rapidly, firmly indicating that the source of the energy was behind this wall.

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