212: Chapter 212 The core ore is pulled out, and the whole city instantly gets a power-up.

The moment the main Star Core mineral core was dragged out of the strata, the entire area beneath Meteor Crystal City suddenly emptied.

The four walls of the main shaft collapsed in large sections.

The crystal walls of the old city collapsed from the inside out, and the mineral vein pipelines that had been compressed for over a decade snapped one by one; the dull thuds from underground sent the mineral slaves on the transport tracks crashing to their knees.

They looked up to see the dark gold mineral core, a hundred meters in diameter, being dragged bit by bit toward the floating dock by the twelve mechanical arms of the Sea Scale.

That was the root of Meteor Crystal City.

It was also the lifeline City Lord Yan Xiao had used to exploit them for over a decade.

Now, it had been uprooted by Chen Chen.

Chen Chen stood at the deepest part of the main shaft, his left hand still pressing down on the sea-stabilizing needle.

The blue and gold light suppressed the final few surges of chaotic crystal sand.

Shen Wanbing's voice came over the comms.

"Mineral core extraction complete."

"Main vein severed."

"The remaining energy towers in Meteor Crystal City will all shut down within three minutes."

Mio's projection exploded in the main control channel.

"Don't celebrate too early!"

"The energy density of this mineral core exceeds the current load limit of the Sea Scale's energy cabin by three times!"

"If we force a connection, the main gun shaft will overload, the floating dock will warp, and the worst-case scenario is that the hundred thousand people in the bottom hold will be steamed to death by the high temperature!"

Su Xiaoqi clutched her meat pot, instantly alert.

"Steamed to death?"

She hugged the pot tighter against her chest.

"That can't be wasted. Should we sprinkle salt in advance?"

Mio's projection flickered twice.

"I'm talking about the people!"

Su Xiaoqi blinked her dark, crystal-bright eyes.

"Then we definitely can't sprinkle salt."

The channel went silent for half a second.

Blood Rose leaned against the entrance of the main shaft, clutching her unrecovered wrist, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

"She's truly serious."

Shen Wanxing huddled in the back, hugging her blanket, and whispered a cutting remark.

"Xiaoqi, stop talking. I feel like people in the bottom hold are already starting to fear you."

Shen Wanbing ignored the group.

She projected three plans directly onto the main control screen.

"First, seal the mineral core and use it only as a strategic reserve."

"It's safe, but the returns are lowest."

"Second, dismantle the mineral core and connect it to the Sea Scale and the floating dock in batches."

"Energy loss will be around forty percent."

"Third, use the newly extracted SS-grade Star Core Power Conversion Furnace to link the deep sea tyrant god core and the Sea Scale's nuclear furnace to establish a Tier 3 composite energy hub."

Mio immediately cut in.

"The third one has the highest risk!"

"It might blow the dock into fireworks on the spot!"

Jiang Jiuyou's voice joined the channel, her speech steady.

"But the third one has the highest return."

"The Star-Splitting Hunting Group could turn back at any time."

"The war module must be upgraded first."

"The crystal rail gun, main gun shaft, and meteor turret bases are all waiting for energy."

Yi Chang spoke almost simultaneously.

"Survive first, then talk about firepower."

"There are over a hundred thousand people in the bottom hold, plus the newly recruited mineral slaves from Meteor Crystal City."

"Triple gravity, radiation, food distribution—if any link goes wrong, a second riot will break out immediately."

Jiang Jiuyou sneered.

"Without firepower, if the Hunter King covers us with one round of fire, you won't even have the chance to worry about a riot."

Yi Chang threw the mineral slave registration chart onto the screen.

"Without survival modules, your turrets will be standing over nothing but corpses."

The proprietress silently moved her purple-gold wine flagon back half a foot.

The Pig-Faced Butcher passed by carrying a frozen meat cabinet and gave a muffled reminder.

"Don't smash the wine."

The proprietress glared at him.

"You should say, 'Don't smash me.'"

The butcher thought about it.

"You run faster than the wine."

The proprietress's fox ears twitched, and she almost laughed in anger.

Chen Chen raised his hand, and the territory panel expanded.

He didn't give Jiang Jiuyou and Yi Chang a chance to continue arguing.

"Split into three lines."

"Jiang Jiuyou, the war module is yours."

"Yi Chang, the survival module is yours."

"Shen Wanbing, the energy hub and the analysis of the incomplete scrolls are yours."

He clicked on the permission distribution.

Three dark gold authorization marks fell into their respective panels.

"Whoever delays the main objective goes to the bottom hold to distribute nutrient paste to the million mineral slaves for three days."

Jiang Jiuyou's fingers froze.

Yi Chang also fell silent.

Blood Rose took a sharp breath and stepped back half a pace.

"That punishment is worse than being stabbed."

Shen Wanxing nodded immediately.

"Distributing nutrient paste is truly terrifying; people will question their existence after being asked so many things."

Su Xiaoqi raised her hand.

"Can I eat a portion for them?"

Shen Wanbing didn't even look up.

"You'd be eating the rations, not the workload."

Su Xiaoqi lowered her head in disappointment.

Above the main shaft, Copper Hammer had already started working with the gnome Rune Blacksmiths, the gray-haired crystal sand refiners, and thousands of craftsmen.

A temporary Tier 3 modification workshop was set up outside the floating dock.

Crystal rail guns were dragged onto the modification platforms one by one.

The energy tower shells were cut open.

Tier 5 crystal cores, star core crystal sand, and old city protective plates were fed into the furnaces like an assembly line.

Blue and white electric arcs exploded one after another.

Mio watched the craftsmen dismantling Tier 3 vehicle components in an outrageously rough manner, and her projection began to flicker.

"Be gentle!"

"Those are high-tier energy pipelines, not firewood sticks!"

Copper Hammer was full of excitement, swinging his mechanical hammer and shouting.

"Don't worry, it won't explode!"

Mio immediately retorted.

"Every time you say 'don't worry,' I get more scared!"

Shen Wanxing took advantage of the chaos, clutching her blanket, and quietly moved toward the temperature-controlled rest cabin.

She had just taken two steps when her collar was grabbed by Chen Chen.

She froze completely.

"I wasn't running."

Chen Chen placed her in front of the Star Core Power Conversion Furnace.

"Touch it."

Shen Wanxing looked at the still-glowing furnace core, and her face fell.

"Chen Chen, today I've touched a tower, a dog's head, scrap metal, and even a mineral core."

"My life resume is already too absurd to be put on a CV."

Su Xiaoqi replied earnestly.

"You could write an autobiography."

Shen Wanxing was stunned for a moment.

Su Xiaoqi clutched her meat pot, deadpan.

"The title could be 'Everything I Touch Explodes.'"

Shen Wanxing immediately covered her head with the blanket.

"I don't want that kind of achievement!"

Blood Rose leaned against the cabin wall, laughing lazily.

"Little cat, hurry up and touch it."

"If you don't touch it, no one will sleep soundly tonight."

Shen Wanxing poked a finger out from the blanket.

"I'm stating in advance, if it explodes, don't blame me."

Mio immediately got anxious.

"Don't say things like that!"

Shen Wanxing closed her eyes and touched her fingertip to the conversion furnace core.

Hum.

Golden light shone first.

Then, purple light patterns spread along the furnace wall, diving directly into the three energy chains of the Star Core mineral core, the deep sea tyrant god core, and the Sea Scale's nuclear furnace.

A system prompt popped up.

[Lucky Critical triggered.]

[Ten-fold multiplier activated.]

[SS-grade Star Core Power Conversion Furnace quality upgrade.]

[Obtained: SS+ grade Star Sea Composite Energy Furnace.]

[New Effect 1: Star core crystal sand, blood source crystals, and deep sea nuclear energy can now be converted into one another.]

[New Effect 2: Provides short-term overload buffering for the Sea Scale's main gun.]

[New Effect 3: Increased energy efficiency for the Tier 3 gravity adaptation field.]

Shen Wanbing looked up sharply.

"It worked."

Mio stared at the furnace core curve and was silent for a full five seconds.

Her electronic voice dropped significantly.

"This energy curve..."

"It's smoother than the Sea Scale's original energy system."

Copper Hammer immediately patted his chest.

"Of course it's smooth; I'm the one who welded it!"

Mio immediately recovered her fighting spirit.

"You just welded it so it works; that doesn't mean it isn't ugly."

Copper Hammer was unconvinced.

"It can fight, take hits, and run—what else do you need it to look good for?"

Mio pointed to the crooked brackets outside the furnace.

"This thing looks like it was run over by ten mining trucks in a row!"

Su Xiaoqi peeked over.

"Can it boil soup?"

Mio immediately muted herself.

Chen Chen opened the territory panel.

Dark gold prompts filled the screen.

[Sea-Air Composite Fortress has absorbed the Tier 3 Star Core mineral core.]

[New Module: Star Core Power Main Furnace.]

[New Module: Meteor Crystal Turret Base.]

[New Module: Tier 3 Gravity Adaptation Field.]

[New Module: Mobile Mineral Ecological Node.]

[Territory Rating upgraded: SSS- → SSS.]

[Population capacity increased to 1.8 million.]

[Basic shield durability increased to 180,000.]

[Sea Scale main gun overload buffer time increased to 90 seconds.]

[Floating dock modification efficiency increased by 80%.]

The next second, the entire fortress sank suddenly, then slowly stabilized.

In the bottom hold channel, there were gasps of exclamation.

Then someone realized something was wrong.

"Gravity... it's lighter?"

"My legs don't hurt anymore!"

"I can stand up straight!"

After the Tier 3 gravity adaptation field deployed, the mineral slaves in the bottom hold, who had long been forced to hunch over, stood up one by one, leaning against the walls.

The gray-haired crystal sand refiner looked up at the emerald green light screen on the ceiling, her fingers still stained with black ash.

She didn't shout any slogans.

She simply led the thousands of craftsmen behind her and knelt toward the main control projection.

"We will sign lifetime craftsman contracts."

"From today on, the mineral furnaces belong to you, and our craft belongs to you as well."

A system prompt popped up.

[Loyalty of Meteor Crystal City technical craftsmen increased.]

[Loyalty of core members increased.]

[Panic level of newly recruited mineral slaves decreased, obedience level increased.]

Chen Chen glanced at it and didn't say much.

Food, oxygen, and a way to live.

More useful than shouting ten thousand words about benevolence and righteousness.

Taking advantage of the excitement of the city-wide upgrade, the proprietress walked over with a glass of purple-gold wine.

Her fiery red long hair was tucked to one side of her shoulder, her fox ears swayed slightly, and her fluffy tail brushed back and forth against her skirt.

"Lord Territory Master."

"I've scavenged thirty-seven private vaults in two hours."

"The first glass of purple-gold wine from the old nobility's cellar is for you."

Chen Chen took the wine and glanced at the ledger she handed over.

"Get to the point."

The proprietress smiled and stepped half a pace closer; the scent of wine mixed with the faint fragrance from her tail wafted over.

"Expansion rights for the commercial district."

"You have to reserve spots for me for the tavern, auction counter, and intelligence black market."

Chen Chen took a sip of the wine.

"Granted."

The proprietress's fox ears just perked up.

Chen Chen added one more sentence.

"We need to renegotiate the profit sharing."

The smile on the proprietress's face almost cracked.

"Lord Territory Master, you're even darker than the old nobility."

Her tail brushed against the back of Chen Chen's hand, seemingly intentional or otherwise, and her tone softened a bit.

"I've made a great contribution this time."

Before Chen Chen could speak.

Yi Chang walked by in her high heels, her icy blue slit pupils sweeping over the ledger.

"Profit sharing for the new commercial district: twenty-eight percent."

The proprietress's fox ears instantly stood on end.

"Twenty-eight percent?!"

"Why don't you just rob me?"

Yi Chang stopped.

"You just scavenged thirty-seven private vaults."

The proprietress was indignant.

"I scavenged those with my own skill!"

Yi Chang opened the management panel.

"If you keep arguing, twenty-five percent."

The proprietress shut her mouth immediately.

Su Xiaoqi took advantage of the chaos and grabbed her tail from behind.

"Proprietress, your tail is puffed up!"

The proprietress shrieked.

"Su Xiaoqi! Let go! This isn't a toy!"

Su Xiaoqi stroked it twice seriously.

"Feels good, it's a strategic resource."

Mio spoke up from the side, sounding gloomy.

"Your definition of 'strategic resources' has expanded again."

The main control level, which had been tense for so long, finally had someone laughing out loud.

But Shen Wanbing didn't laugh.

A grayish-white dot of light suddenly popped up on her holographic console.

The light dot was hidden in the deepest part of the main Star Core mineral core, its frequency almost overlapping with the crystal sand.

Shen Wanbing's expression changed.

"Stop for a second."

Everyone quieted down.

She magnified the cross-section of the mineral core.

In the center of the dark gold crystal sand, a grayish-white nail the size of a needle tip was slowly rotating.

Mio's projection leaned in sharply.

"Silent coordinate nail..."

Jiang Jiuyou's voice lowered.

"It didn't send a signal just now?"

Shen Wanbing shook her head.

"No."

"It's waiting."

"It resonates passively once a Tier 6 Hunter King enters within a hundred-kilometer range."

"At that point, Scrap No. 1, the slave ring airship, and the olfactory deception brand will all become ineffective."

Yi Chang's expression also darkened.

"How long will it take to remove?"

Shen Wanbing stared at the parameters.

"If we pull it out directly, the mineral core energy will go out of control."

"It will take at least three hours to dismantle."

"The Hunter King won't give us three hours."

The atmosphere on the main control level became heavy again.

Chen Chen walked over to the mineral core projection and stared at the grayish-white nail for a few seconds.

Then, he suddenly smiled.

"Who said anything about pulling it out?"

Shen Wanbing looked up.

Chen Chen pointed to the silent coordinate nail.

"Rewrite it."

"Since it only rings when the Hunter King gets close, let's make it ring even more convincingly."

Jiang Jiuyou reacted the fastest.

"A third layer of bait?"

Chen Chen hoisted the sea-stabilizing needle onto his shoulder.

"The Hunter King likes to follow a scent."

"Then let's prepare a hot one for it."

Golden light lit up in Shen Wanbing's eyes, and her fingers were already pressing onto the holographic console.

"I need Wanxing to touch the mineral core's inner core."

Shen Wanxing had just pulled her blanket over her head and froze in place.

"I knew it."

Su Xiaoqi clutched her meat pot, leaned over, and patted her gently.

"Sister Wanxing, you can add another chapter to your autobiography."

Shen Wanxing was on the verge of tears.

"What's this chapter called?"

Chen Chen walked toward the mineral core's core cabin.

"'I Touched a Nail'."

Meanwhile.

Deep in the northwest wilderness.

A tall blood-crystal battle armor stopped at the edge of a crater that had been blown open.

Behind it, the Star-Splitting Hunting Group's convoy braked to a stop one by one.

Blood-red slit pupils slowly turned toward the southeast.

The Hunter King raised his hand and crushed the last bit of fake scent residue in his palm.

"This prey..."

For the first time, he put away his smile.

"Is turning around and setting a trap for me."