wuxianovels18 Chapter 78 : Chapter 78
Chapter 78 : Chapter 78
Chapter 78: What the Hell Do You Think You Are?
Li Mu laughed inwardly.
It seemed this Zhang Kang really was nothing but a useless wastrel with an A-Grade talent.
Although he was at the peak of the Third Grade Realm, his actual strength might not even surpass Zhang Zhiwei’s when the latter had first entered the Third Grade Realm.
Then again, Zhang Zhiwei and Lu Chenfeng had already joined the Abyss-Suppressing Army Reserve Force for four or five days by now, had they not?
With their monstrous rate of improvement, plus an endless supply of Spiritual Energy Concentrate, they were probably already in the middle stage of the Third Grade Realm by now.
While Li Mu was still thinking, Wang Yinhuan’s device suddenly gave off a faint buzzing vibration.
Li Mu immediately became alert.
Wang Yinhuan used a small trowel to scrape away the surface layer and picked up a fragment.
“There are fragments. It should be somewhere nearby.”
“Living Crystals absorb huge amounts of energy and exist in a semi-living state.”
“A lot of monsters are especially fond of eating this kind of thing.”
“It can trigger their evolution and mutation, so wherever there are a lot of fresh crystal ore deposits,”
“there is a high chance there will be monsters.”
Wang Yinhuan continued walking forward as she murmured to herself.
It was hard to tell whether she was explaining things to Li Mu or simply talking to herself.
In any case, she was extremely absorbed in her work.
The two of them searched for a full twenty minutes before Zhang Kang and Jiang Linlin entered this area from another direction.
Jiang Linlin had also entered work mode, taking out her instrument and conducting measurements everywhere.
Neither side encountered any monsters.
Occasionally, a few small creatures appeared, but they were dealt with casually.
This working state continued for about thirty minutes.
Then Jiang Linlin reported with a frown, “Command Center, we have already been surveying this area for half an hour.”
“We’ve only found a lot of inactive crystal fragments.”
“There are no signs of any Living Crystal ore underground either!”
The middle-aged man and woman in the Command Room both nodded.
“It seems this place may indeed once have had a crystal vein.”
“It’s just that it has already been completely mined out.”
The female researcher immediately gave an order.
“In that case, move closer toward the mountain and inspect three more exposed points.”
“If there’s still nothing, then we can wrap things up.”
“Yes!” Jiang Linlin replied.
Exposed points were simply areas where crystal fragments appeared in relatively high concentrations.
If a vein really existed, then the chance of finding it underground near such places would naturally be the greatest.
These people had absolutely no intention of asking Liao Feng and the others for their opinion.
Nor were they paying much attention to Wang Yinhuan’s side.
In any case, that side had not found anything either, so in the end they would still have to listen to them.
Meanwhile, Wang Yinhuan took out a small notebook.
She would explore for a while, then stop and write or sketch in it for a while.
Li Mu found an opportunity to lean over and take a glance.
It looked as though Wang Yinhuan was drawing some kind of mineral vein distribution map.
Liao Feng, who had been observing both screens from an objective perspective the entire time, could already tell what was happening.
Li Mu and Wang Yinhuan had already searched an enormous area spanning at least several thousand meters.
Wang Yinhuan was sketching as she walked, and those two large dogs kept bringing back various things to provide her with information.
As for Jiang Linlin, although she looked busy enough, the route she walked had no obvious pattern.
It was just one winding, crooked line, and many areas had not been explored at all.
It was hard to tell whether that was because she was lazy or because she was incompetent.
Another full half hour passed.
Jiang Linlin reported again.
“Command Center, I’ve already surveyed the three exposed points.”
“There are indeed traces of a former vein here, but I have definitely not detected any existing ore vein!”
She was quite angry herself.
The middle-aged man and woman from the research institute also looked extremely displeased.
The Pearl Military District had plainly reported false intelligence.
Who knew which idiot had reported that Living Crystals had been discovered nearby?
They had originally thought they were about to pocket a contribution.
Instead, the trip had been for nothing.
“Prepare to return!”
The middle-aged female researcher issued the order irritably.
Then she looked toward Liao Feng.
At that moment, Wang Longcheng asked, “Wang Yinhuan, have the two of you found anything over there?”
Wang Yinhuan had been fully immersed in her work just now and had not made any reports back. On the contrary, the more she searched, the more excited she became.
When she heard her father speak, she immediately came back to herself.
Her eyes brightened as she looked toward the mountainside.
“Commander! I think there may be a Mother Crystal here!”
“What!?”
Wang Longcheng was immediately startled.
Liao Feng beside him also turned to look over in surprise.
The middle-aged man and woman frowned deeply at once.
“What is your basis for saying that?” Wang Longcheng knew full well that this was no joking matter, so he hurriedly asked.
Wang Yinhuan said, “I just finished examining all the crystal fragments found within this range.”
“These fragments are distributed in a fan-shaped pattern, and the farther out they are, the earlier they lost their activity.”
“That means the crystal vein here once underwent a self-collapse in a regular pattern, from far to near.”
The female researcher immediately strode over and said coldly, “That is complete nonsense!”
“How are you determining when those crystal fragments lost their activity?”
“By color!” Wang Yinhuan said decisively.
“Although the difference in color is extremely slight, once the search range becomes large enough and the number of samples becomes great enough,”
“it becomes very easy to distinguish!”
The female researcher was instantly at a loss for words.
That part was true enough.
Jiang Linlin had searched along a line, while Wang Yinhuan had searched across an area.
In terms of thoroughness, Wang Yinhuan had indeed done a better job.
When the two began speaking just now, Liao Feng had already switched on shared communications, so Jiang Linlin could hear Wang Yinhuan’s conclusion as well.
She immediately said with great displeasure, “As a professional surveyor from the research institute, I do not agree!”
“You say the vein underwent self-collapse. Then what was the cause?”
The reason Jiang Linlin had been able to come on this mission was not because she was the very best in her field.
It was only because she was considered relatively outstanding among those at Yellow Rank Third Grade.
But even so, she had still come from a professional research institute.
I was the one who already said there was no ore vein here.
And now you, just some student, actually dare question my conclusion?
Wang Yinhuan immediately replied, “Only a Mother Crystal possesses the awareness to collapse itself.”
“The crystals that collapse from it will rapidly release energy aura and attract monsters.”
“The Mother Crystal’s purpose is to devour monsters.”
“It keeps collapsing crystals, just like scattering food on the ground to lure birds.”
“Step by step, it draws its prey into its trap.”
“And that place is right there!”
As she spoke, Wang Yinhuan pointed toward the mountainside.
“According to the distribution map I drew, that is the central point from which the vein extends outward.”
The moment Jiang Linlin heard that Wang Yinhuan had even drawn a map, she immediately felt that her authority had been gravely challenged.
I am the one from the research institute!
What the hell are you?
And you think you are qualified to draw a map?
This was simply outrageous.
She immediately sneered, “How absurd!”
“Forget a Mother Crystal. If there were even the slightest remnant of a broken ore vein, I would already have detected it!”
“Command Center, I don’t want to keep listening to this amateur babble nonsense anymore!”
“I request to return!”
“Permission to return to the city granted. The mission is over, Commanding Officer Liao. Give the order!”
The female researcher also coldly chimed in.
Liao Feng glanced at Wang Longcheng.
Wang Longcheng gave him a look in return.
So Liao Feng said, “Zhang Kang, Jiang Linlin team, return to the city.”
“Li Mu, Wang Yinhuan team, continue surveying!”
The moment Liao Feng said that, the middle-aged male and female researchers both erupted.
“Commanding Officer Liao, what do you mean by this!?”
“I said the mission was over. Did you not hear me??”
Liao Feng suddenly sprang to his feet and stared at her coldly.
His aura exploded outward with a thunderous force, making even the surrounding space buzz and tremble!
The pressure from a Martial Artist above the Profound Rank was terrifying to the extreme.
The bones of those two Sixth and Seventh Grade Martial Artists immediately began to ache sharply.
“I’ve given you too much face, haven’t I?”
“The mission is over. I’ve already ordered your people to return!”
“As for our military district’s people, they will continue carrying out the survey mission themselves.”
“And you still dare point fingers here?”
“What the hell do you think you are?!”