Chapter 282: A Miraculous Haul

Ten minutes later.

Almost a hundred Third-Stage Awakened floated in midair, staring in stunned silence at the mine below.

A dense mist of spirit energy enveloped the area.

As far as the eye could see, countless spirit energy ore filled the view, especially those deep blue gems—the highest quality by any measure.

“Holy crap…”

“Am I dreaming…?”

“I’ve never seen this many ores in my life…”

“Jackpot… Jackpot… My goddamn luck… How on earth did they manage this…?”

Mumbled as if in a trance.

At this point, they had nothing more to say.

Faced with such an overwhelming quantity of spirit energy ore, they were utterly shaken. No exaggeration—the haul was a number they could never have dreamed of.

“Did we just seize an entire mine…?”

“No, it’s like we grabbed dozens of them… Can such bounty really be that easy to come by?!”

(Swallows hard)

A high-ranking member, just emerging from the mine, cradled a fist-sized crystal in a daze, nearly overwhelmed by sheer joy.

Forget the quantity for a moment.

The quality of these ores was undoubtedly the finest he had ever seen.

A quick glance suggested it weighed no less than a few thousand tons—maybe tens of thousands? Even a hundred thousand?!

Who knows!

So many ores—if measured in credit points… no amount of wealth could quantify the true value of this mine!

If Yenir managed to get out, it would be nothing short of a miracle.

It would be a miracle of miracles for the entire Action Team to make it out alive.

But not only surviving—they returned with such a massive haul that it could only be described as a divine intervention! Everything before them defied their understanding.

Even the most imaginative among them would never have envisioned such an outcome.

Almost instinctively, he looked up at Yenir; for some reason, the leader of the group had moist eyes.

His eyes were red with emotion—even a soldier, hardened by blood and sweat, isn’t immune to tears.

Yet in that moment, he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmingly moved.

Recalling repeated setbacks and grave losses, thinking of how his troops had suffered heavy casualties just to salvage a few resources while the rest were exploited by other battle zones…

In comparison, it all felt heartbreakingly bitter.

All past hardships suddenly seemed insignificant.

With this stockpile of ore, they wouldn’t have a care in the world for at least three years—no, even seven or eight years!

They could expand their forces, build a Safe Zone, produce food… they would never have to endure exploitation by other battle zones again!

“Yenir…”

“It must have been incredibly tough for you… you must have suffered a lot…”

“Thank you… On behalf of the entire Action Team and the Military, I, Wang Guoning, express our gratitude to you!”

Wiping away tears of elation, all four high-ranking members of the Action Team saluted the team from the heart, recalling years of suffering.

They had no idea how Yenir and his group managed it all, yet that didn’t stop them from imagining just how impossible it must have been…

A miracle indeed…

And Yenir, whom they had pinned all their hopes on, had not disappointed—he’d pulled off an unbelievable feat in an utterly impossible situation!

“No need for thanks.”

“I was just doing my job.”

Seeing the overly excited crowd, Yenir felt a twinge of emotion. After a quiet sigh, he softly replied.

To be honest, he understood the Military’s feelings.

But…

Although this mission was a bit tough, it wasn’t nearly as grueling as Wang Guoning and the others had imagined.

“Didn’t you run into the Japanese and Korean Battle Zones?”

“Our intel was spot-on, right? They didn’t team up?!”

“How did you manage to survive?!”

In the midst of a cloud of wonder, a question from Chen Ming suddenly rang out, oddly timed.

He practically flew over to Yenir as if he could not believe it, loudly demanding answers.

From the moment Yenir and the others emerged to when they showcased their bounty,

Chen Ming’s awe was mixed with a storm of other emotions!

He glared at Yenir as if trying to decipher some clue.

As a true member of Lu Tianming’s faction, he had never expected Yenir and his team to come out alive!

Yet reality was a slap in the face—his earlier words at the meeting now sounded like a joke.

Not only had the kid survived, but he’d also delivered the most terrifying haul in the history of the Huaxia Battle Zone!

“You didn’t encounter the Japanese and Korean Battle Zones, did you?!”

“Did they not participate?!”

“Tell me! What exactly happened in there?”

With a slight tilt of his head, Yenir frowned as he fixed his cold gaze on the skeptical Chen Ming. The disbelief in his tone sent a chill through him.

He could tell that this young man’s doubt was different from everyone else’s.

“What? Do you want us to perish in there?”

“So what if we did? And so what if we didn’t?”

A shadow of suspicion crossed Yenir’s face as he stared at him, quickly sifting through his memories for clues.

Could it really be that he doubted him so much? Could the Military have a traitor among them?

Under Yenir’s icy gaze, Chen Ming paused, suddenly realizing his mistake.

Forcing a strained smile, he quickly waved his hand.

“No, no—I just want to know how you pulled it off.”

Even as he spoke, he couldn’t help but scrutinize Yenir, looking for signs of battle.

At the same time, the four high-ranking members of the Action Team caught the doubtful tone in Chen Ming’s voice and couldn’t help but feel angered.

In their eyes, they didn’t care how Yenir managed to get out!

Even if he hadn’t encountered any enemies, it was still a miracle! He was a hero!

“Chen Ming! What exactly are you trying to ask?!”

A sharp rebuke rang out.

They too were curious about what had happened inside, but they wouldn’t have dared to ask so bluntly.

Before Chen Ming could muster an apologetic explanation with a sour look, Ming Luo snorted coldly and spoke on Yenir’s behalf:

“Representative Chen, I’ve seen you before.”

“You’re with Committee Member Lu’s side, right?”

“What, did you think that by entering the instance nothing would happen? That you could just take a stroll and come out unscathed?!”

“Did you really think we’re just lucky?!”

Unashamedly airing his displeasure toward Chen Ming, Ming Luo scoffed and shouted proudly:

“I’m telling you! Not only did we bring back an immense amount of resources, but Yenir also led us in wiping out every single Japanese and Korean Awakener!”

“Swish!”

A flash of white light appeared.

Ming Luo, gazing at Yenir with near-reverence, tossed a few severed heads from his storage.

“Look closely! Whose damn head is this?!”

“Those seven battle zone Awakeners are dead and gone beyond any return!”

“Lord Yenir!! You single-handedly wiped them all out!”

Cheers and exclamations rang out.

With that, Ming Luo, brimming with pride, stepped up beside Yenir and unabashedly berated Chen Ming:

“Damn it! Don’t think I don’t know you look down on our Action Team!”

“Do you think we were doomed?!”

“For crying out loud! I’m telling you, don’t underestimate us! You’re nothing but a frog at the bottom of a well—you have no idea what genius truly means, what real badassery is!”

As his words died down, everyone was left stunned, staring at the severed heads Ming Luo had thrown. Those well-versed in battle zone intel instantly recognized whose heads they were.

It was dizzying.

For the Action Team leaders, who already thought things couldn’t get any better, a sudden rush of adrenaline made their heads spin.

Ten against seventy…

No… According to Ming Luo, Yenir alone annihilated them all!?

Such an exaggerated claim nearly defied reason.

Silence fell over the entire area.

Meanwhile, the overly optimistic Chen Ming shuddered violently, his legs turning to jelly as he recoiled in sheer terror, collapsing into the ground.

It was all over!

They had just drawn fire!

The weight of the words ‘massive’ echoed in his mind. In that moment, he was sure he’d gotten himself into serious trouble!

And it was no surprise.

Just yesterday, Committee Member Lu had already taken away every bit of resource from Yenir’s residence.

And the revised Level One report had been submitted!

He couldn’t even begin to imagine the consequences once the news reached the Capital and Yenir learned of everything…