Chapter 222: Worth More Alive

Emergency evacuation tunnels were standard in mines. These tunnels served as the final escape route for personnel during an emergency.

The tunnels were narrow, only two and a half meters high and less than two meters wide, winding through solid rock. They were structurally sound and unlikely to collapse.

Yang Bo, as expected, was the last to walk through. The others, including the fat boss, were all wearing battle armor, allowing them to move quickly.

The exit of the emergency evacuation tunnel was located above the canyon. It took Yang Bo twenty minutes to reach the exit.

“Oh my…” Yang Bo stepped out and was greeted by a shocking sight—hundreds of warplanes descending from the sky.

“Boss, who are these Anti-Government Fighters?” Yang Bo also had a Camouflage cloak, a gift from the fat boss.

“Complicated folks. They started as idealists wanting to build a utopian society. But as you know, human nature doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. They preached equality while some enjoyed special privileges. There are opportunists, real utopian dreamers, and even agents from other countries among them.”

“Two other countries have Anti-Government Fighters too, and they’re not weak. Essentially, each country’s rebels are backed by the other two.” The fat boss explained over the communications channel.

“Otherwise, how could they have such ships? Those ghost ships are clearly tech from the Azure Blue Empire.” The fat boss pointed at the warships overhead.

“Boss, were we set up?” Hank asked through the communications channel.

“Judging by the current situation, someone did lay a trap, but do you think we’re worth the effort?” The fat boss replied rhetorically.

Zhou Zheng, surprised by this, asked: “Boss, are you saying those warships are the real target?”

“There’s a 99% chance, yes. No matter how strange or mysterious this situation is, just think of it as a trap. And a trap this big needs a prey of equal value.”

“Neither we, the Bounty Hunter Guild, nor the third-party faction here are worth setting up such an elaborate trap for. The interests tied to this mine are too massive for them to waste such big bait on small fry like us.”

The fat boss’s deduction made Yang Bo’s eyes light up. Whether a conspiracy or a trap, it always has a target.

“No matter how illogical something seems, there’s always a result. Focus on the outcome, and everything starts to make sense.”

“Boss, who do you think’s behind this?” Zhou Zheng asked again.

“Who else dares aim for warships like that? Most likely, it’s the Parliament’s group of old fossils.”

“This is probably the fallout from the Pado Planet rebellion. Someone will have to take the blame for it, and they’ll need to offer up all the mines they used to control. My guess is this mine was family-owned.”

“But they can’t just hand it over without consequences. Given how much this mine has produced, they’ll have to account for all those minerals.”

“At that point, they’ll need a scapegoat. And who’s better for that than the Anti-Government Fighters? Plus, if managed well, they could score military merits from it.”

“Looks like we’re in for a tough fight.” Hank said, watching armored troops and mechas descend from the warplanes.

“It’s inevitable. If this mine were empty, the militants wouldn’t have taken the bait. We’ve all been set up, but there’s an upside for us as well.” The fat boss said while watching over 300 armored troops and 50 mechas being deployed from the warplanes to patrol.

“Boss, are you saying we can dig up the energy stones here, claim them as spoils of war, and when the Alliance military arrives, say they were captured from the militants?” Wu Bing quickly caught on and asked.

The fat boss nodded, then turned to Yang Bo. “Yang Bo, go inside the mine and find energy stones. Any spoils from the militants in the fight are ours to take. We’ll claim the energy stones as captured from the Anti-Government Fighters.”

“Also, you’re not strong enough to help here, and you’ll just hold us back.”

“Alright then!” Yang Bo glanced at himself. His outfit was indeed unsuited for battle—it’d be bad if he got exposed, still wearing armor under his heavy-duty protective suit.

“Boss, what if they get desperate and use a planetary-destroying energy cannon on us?” Yang Bo asked, worried.

“That’s impossible. The Anti-Government Fighters don’t have that level of weaponry. If they did, the other two countries’ rebels would have similar weapons immediately.” The fat boss, having retreated into the tunnel, replied.

“Be careful, Yang Bo. If it’s not safe down there, come back to this tunnel. Also, don’t trust those other two groups too much. They’re illegal organizations.” The fat boss reminded him.

Yang Bo agreed, then started heading back. The fat boss and his team planned to hold their position in the tunnel. Mechas couldn’t fit in such a small space; only those wearing armor could, so defending it wouldn’t be too difficult.

Moreover, most of the mine had collapsed. Only tunnels dug by those bugs remained, making mecha movement extremely difficult.

The emergency tunnel connected to every level of the mine. When Yang Bo reached the first level, he saw the third faction’s forces, guarding the entrance and clearing out mutated crawlers.

Yang Bo headed directly to the fifth level. Finding an opportunity, he deployed his mecha, placed the Heavy-Duty Protective Gear in the cockpit, and retracted it. Then, he disguised himself as a pirate leader. Energy stones weren’t as useful as skills; any new skill, even just mecha piloting, would be good.

He reached the very bottom level and moved through the crack he originally escaped from.

“You’ve arrived, sir?” Within five minutes, Yang Bo quickly reached the exit and saw laser fire in the distance. People from the Bounty Hunter Guild saluted him over the communications channel.

“Who are the attackers outside?” Yang Bo asked directly.

“Seems to be Anti-Government Fighters.” The Bounty Hunter Guild president quickly responded upon hearing Yang Bo’s voice.

“How much is one of them worth?” Though money wasn’t his goal, Yang Bo needed to maintain a certain facade.

“The Alliance offers a minimum bounty of 100,000 credits per head. As president of this branch, I can issue bounties: 100,000 credits per person, with double points.” The guild president quickly replied.

This was a temporary bounty and couldn’t connect to their headquarters, but once the network was restored, the data could be synchronized.

“Let them inside. I’ll take care of them.” Yang Bo wasn’t about to charge out and fight head-on.

“Worth more alive!” The Bounty Hunter president was so thrilled he nearly hugged Yang Bo. He quickly added that reminder in the process.

Yang Bo grunted in response, and the Bounty Hunter Guild began retreating while holding off the militants. The anti-government troops faced stiff resistance on two fronts. At the fat boss’s position, the cave was small, and even with bombs, the militants’ progress was slow, made worse by debris clogging the tunnel.

The situation was even worse for those assaulting from the main entrance. First, they had to fight the mutated crawlers, which didn’t usually attack humans, preferring to consume metals. But if provoked, they would retaliate.

So, as the Anti-Government Fighters attacked the mutated crawlers at the main entrance, they suffered a counterattack, losing several mechas.

After reaching the entrance, they realized it had collapsed. Bombs were too risky to use since one could bring down the mine. They had to dig manually.

Meanwhile, the militants prepared excavation equipment while continuing their assault.

The area around the Bounty Hunter Guild tunnel remained clear of cave-ins, making it the natural gathering point for half of the militant forces.

The Bounty Hunter Guild had established a second defense line at a narrow section within the tunnel.

The first defense line’s troops quickly retreated. By this time, Yang Bo had vanished.

The Bounty Hunter Guild members sounded relaxed over the channel: “Our president is a genius.”

“These militants have no idea we’ve got an A-class Gene Evolver in our ranks.”

“Maybe we should straight-up take out their warships too while we’re at it.”

The Anti-Government Fighters were eager to press forward once they saw the retreat, issuing orders for reinforcements over their channels.

The mountain crack wasn’t a single, clean tunnel; it had branches.

Yang Bo wasn’t using his invisibility ability, instead hiding in a dead-end side tunnel.

He waited quietly. After about 20 minutes, he felt the walls tremble.

This was the signal to act, prearranged with the Bounty Hunter Guild president, who used a shockwave bomb.

With the boost from his anti-gravity power, Yang Bo shot out from his hiding spot in an instant.

The Bounty Hunter Guild troops were holding the second defense line against the militant assault.

Angry shouts filled the militant channels: “Are these idiots really using bombs?!”

“Get our bombs ready! Teach them a lesson!”

“Are you insane? If we use bombs here, what if the tunnel collapses?”

“There are 200 of us, and only a few dozen of them. Why even bother with bombs? We’re here to loot energy stones!”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this mission.”

Suddenly, a scream echoed down the tunnel. “There’s someone behind us—ah!”

Around 200 militants in Energy Suit were blasting away at the Bounty Hunter Guild’s second defense line with their laser weapons.

Yang Bo sped ahead, slamming into two militants passing by. Before they could react, he slammed them into the rock wall with a powerful charge.

Two unremarkable combat +8 abilities!

“What lousy luck!” Displeased with the worthless skills, Yang Bo decided to stop killing and focus on capturing them alive for the bounty.

If they’d at least given him a new superpower or even mecha piloting skills, he’d be in a better mood.

The two died silently, and without pause, Yang Bo shot forward again.

Yang Bo, using his anti-gravity ability, manipulated over 120 football-sized stones, all rock-solid.

The energy fluctuations of his anti-gravity ability were noticed by the armored militants, but by the time they saw Yang Bo, it was too late. A stone smashed into them.

The immense kinetic force shattered the stone on impact, sending the militant flying. Their armor flickered dimly as they crashed into the canyon wall, limp.

It wasn’t just one; five or six militants were simultaneously sent flying by the stones.

Finally, a scream echoed from the front, alerting the 200 militants to the presence of an enemy behind them.

“Get out of the way!” Yang Bo shouted over the communications channel.

The Bounty Hunter Guild members quickly ducked out of sight upon hearing the command.

Yang Bo raised his hand, sending over 100 stones hurtling forward at once.

Among the militants, several powerhouses showed themselves. Ten or so of them shot upwards in their Energy Suit, escaping the stones.

The others weren’t as lucky. In the narrow tunnel, over 100 football-sized stones, moving at three times the speed of sound, turned the corridor into a death trap.

At least 40 militants were blasted away by the stones.

“Fire! Fire!” The airborne militants, realizing Yang Bo wasn’t easy prey, immediately gave the order.

Over 100 militants aimed their laser rifles at Yang Bo, but in the blink of an eye, he was among the ten airborne militants.

The light from Yang Bo’s armor was blinding, making him look like a glowing bulb as he zipped overhead.

Before the militants below could react, they saw only chaotic flashes of light above.

Ten airborne militants, three of whom had their Energy Suit shining, flew towards the cave entrance. However, the next second, a blinding flash followed them, piercing through like a laser shot.

By the time the militants below realized what had happened, their comrades’ armor dimmed, and they fell, lifeless, to the ground.

The 100 militants below were stunned.

“We were tricked!” someone finally shouted over the communications channel.