I Can Control Resources-Chapter 40: Magnetic Crystal Ore

Gao Neng’s Spiritual Power was being suppressed by some strange force, so he didn’t notice the footsteps and movement behind him at all. The moment he heard the voice, his expression changed.

’I’ve been discovered?!’

’I get found out just for mining a little ore?’

Gao Neng was speechless. ’Isn’t working overtime to mine a popular thing in this underground factory?’ 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Normally, this would be the time to run.

But Gao Neng wasn’t normal. He quickly grabbed a handful of ore-rich soil, smeared it on his face, and then, while continuing to dig, calmly turned his head.

"Ah... Huh? Hello, Brother Dan!" Gao Neng recognized him the moment he turned around. It was the middle-aged man, Brother Dan, who had said he was going to rest earlier.

"Hm? Why are you still digging so late?" Brother Dan’s brow furrowed. Gao Neng’s face was covered in black ore dust, making his features unrecognizable. However, the fact that the man had recognized him at a glance made him lower his guard.

"Ptooey, ptooey..." Gao Neng didn’t speak this time. The more he said, the more holes would appear in his story. So, he just pointed a finger at the ore dust on his lips and kept spitting.

"Another new idiot? Let me tell you, getting twenty pieces of this stuff a month is considered a high yield. It’s not about hard work, it’s about luck. Go to bed early... Don’t fucking keep me from my rest. Ah... I’m dead tired." Brother Dan yawned again, glanced at the two guards standing with their backs to him not far away, and then left.

Gao Neng smiled, bowed, and waved goodbye to Brother Dan, but inwardly, he had received a definitive answer.

’Twenty pieces? So it really is ore!’

’Keep digging!’

Gao Neng made his movements a little quieter.

’Twenty pieces a month... doesn’t that mean there’s a good chance of finding one per day? My luck has always been heaven-defying. There’s no way I can dig all night and find nothing, right?’

’I just don’t know what it is, exactly...’

But Gao Neng wasn’t too worried. All the ore here was pitch-black. If he dug up something of a different color, that would have to be his target.

’Shovel!’

’Shovel again!’

As Gao Neng dug, he carefully checked his work. Whenever he hit something hard, he would pause and tap it a few times with his wrench.

He just kept digging, and digging...

Before he knew it, he had been digging for nearly four hours.

During that time, Gao Neng would go over and give the two guards a couple more whacks on the head every half hour.

The time was approaching six o’clock.

Gao Neng still hadn’t found anything particularly "eye-catching."

’What should I do? Maybe I should come back and dig again tomorrow? No... I’ve already knocked their heads swollen. If I don’t find anything this time, it definitely won’t be this easy tomorrow.’ Gao Neng weighed his options. Wrench in hand, he went back to the two guards and gave them two more solid whacks.

’One more hour. If I still can’t find anything, I’m out of here.’

Gao Neng resumed digging!

Digging...

And digging...

Just as he was digging, he heard the sound of a shovel next to him.

"Yo, brother, you’re up early, huh? I thought I was early, but I didn’t expect someone to be even earlier." A worker greeted Gao Neng while yawning.

"..." Gao Neng remained silent.

This was very awkward.

’I had no idea work started so early in this underground factory!’

’Maybe I should just knock this guy out, too?’

Just as he was thinking this, a few more workers slowly walked over from not far away. They started changing into their work clothes; some held iron shovels, others held spades.

"Heh!" Gao Neng gave the worker who had greeted him a small smile, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. Then, he buried his head and continued digging.

For some reason, however, he felt like a wolf that had snuck into a pack of huskies.

Soon, more and more people gathered around him.

It started with just a few people.

Eventually, there were more than ten.

Gao Neng was now considering how to get back. If he just ran, he would definitely be discovered. But if he didn’t run, he would be found out all the same when the guards changed shifts.

’Useless System!’

’You said I could make money by mining!’

’I’ve found the ore pile now, so what the hell is this about not being able to dig up any ore?!’

"CLANG!"

Just then, Gao Neng’s shovel suddenly hit something hard. Over the course of the night, he had already dug up more than thirty rocks, so he didn’t pay it much mind.

He lifted his shovel and flipped it over.

A rock about the size of two fists was tossed out.

It landed right at the feet of the worker who had spoken to him earlier.

The worker stared at the rock by his feet, stunned for a moment. Then, his eyes went wide, followed by a surge of frantic joy.

"Ore, ore! I dug up some ore!" the worker shouted, reaching down to pick it up.

"Whoa, someone struck ore?!"

"What great luck! That’s a huge bonus!"

The other workers also shouted.

"Struck... what ore?" Gao Neng glanced over and saw that it was the very rock he had just flipped out. The rock was still pitch-black.

But beneath its black exterior, a faint purple light seemed to flow, as if a piece of amethyst was hidden inside.

"My ore, my ore! This is the ore I dug up!" The worker was overjoyed and reached down to grab it.

Gao Neng didn’t stand on ceremony. He lifted his shovel and swung it directly at the face of the worker who was already bending over to pick up the ore.

"BANG!"

The worker took a shovel to the face and went tumbling to the side.

"What do you mean, *your* ore? This is clearly the ore I dug up with my own skill. You dare to steal it?" Without another word, Gao Neng picked up the ore and stuffed it inside his clothes.

"You little brat, you dare hit me?! I’m the one who dug that up!" The worker who had been sent flying by the shovel clutched his face and tried to get up to fight Gao Neng to the death.

The other workers just stood by and watched the show.

Every time ore was found, fights like this were perfectly normal. It wasn’t uncommon for two people to beat each other bloody, so they weren’t the least bit surprised.

They were even ready to pick up the scraps!

Gao Neng hadn’t expected the guy would actually try to steal his ore. There was nothing more to be said. Before the man could even get to his feet, Gao Neng rushed forward and slammed the shovel down on his head again.

"THUD!"

This time, the worker didn’t get up. He was knocked out cold.

"Someone struck ore?! Who struck ore?" Just then, a groggy Brother Dan and Brother Kai rushed over. They immediately spotted Gao Neng and the downed worker.

The other workers said nothing, merely pointing at Gao Neng.

"So it was you, you little brat. Your luck’s not bad. Hurry up and give me the ore. Go collect your bonus." Brother Dan recognized Gao Neng immediately, despite his face being covered in black ore dust.

"How much is the bonus?" Gao Neng glanced around, wanting to weigh his options.

"What a stupid question. One thousand Alliance Coins, of course!"

"Only a thousand?" Gao Neng felt like something was off. ’Could it be that the System didn’t send me here to "mine ore," but to "steal ore"?’

"What? You’re still not satisfied, kid?" Brother Dan was a little surprised. Usually, whenever these workers found ore, they would all run over to him, ecstatic, to hand it in.

Just by mining here, with a bit of luck, they could get a reward of one thousand Alliance Coins in a month...

This was an extremely high amount.

"DING! Detected that Host has mined one ’Magnetic Crystal Ore (Color: Purple, Quality: Intermediate).’ To facilitate maximum resource utilization for the Host, the System has generously unlocked the hidden ’Resource Recycle’ function. Does the Host wish to recycle it immediately?" Just then, a mechanical voice sounded.

(We’re almost at 100,000 characters! The climax is coming! With that, I’m asking for a wave of recommendation votes, let’s get some passion going!)