noveldepot Chapter 14 It Changes Minerals
Chapter 14 It Changes Minerals
"Command, this is Xue Zijing's team. I have arrived at Crystal Rock City No. 4. Please mark the exact location of the target. Repeat, Command, here..."
Inside the exoskeleton, Xue Zijing called the combat command center located on the Whale-class transport spacecraft.
The command post, established half an hour ago with the approval of the Chengmingxing Branch, is responsible for coordinating the current combat and rescue operations on Golun Star until support troops arrive.
The first order issued by the temporary operational command was to send Xue Zijing to the fourth city of the Crystal Rock Clan for rescue.
Xue Zijing's call was answered within five seconds:
"Command received. Precise coordinates have been transmitted. Please be cautious."
Inside the mech, a highlighted marker appeared on the virtual 3D map in front of Xue Zijing, located northeast of his current position, about eight kilometers away.
"Guys, keep up!"
Without hesitation, Xue Zijing waved his hand, activating the machine's dash mode, and strode towards the marked location.
He took the lead, with his squad members forming an inverted triangle formation behind him. Moving at high speed, they covered the 8,000-meter distance in just one minute.
Three conical alloy towers came into Xue Zijing's view. The towers were covered with black ceramic tiles that could absorb light, like arrows piercing the sky.
The tower has a triangular structure, with a large number of non-operational radar arrays arranged at its base, and the tower body has a unique luster after the rigid protective shield is activated.
There are about twenty crystal rock golems near the tower. The spire of one of the towers has been broken off, the black ceramic tiles have peeled off and shattered, and the rigid protective shield has also become dull and lifeless.
Several of the crystal rock giants have exceptionally thick arms. These specially grown individuals are constantly hurling their companions high into the air, slamming them onto the towers and causing violent ripples to spread across the rigid shields.
If Fang Shu were here, he would recognize that it was this individual who, through his throwing ability, broke through their squad's defenses and nearly caused their annihilation.
The agents behind Xue Zijing knew something was wrong; at this rate, the defenses of the other two towers were also in grave danger.
During the journey, the command center sent relevant information about the location to his machine.
These three spires are branches of the Interstellar Mineral Research Institute on the planet Golun, primarily researching the mineral vein structure and characteristics surrounding the Crystal City.
The radar arrays at the base of the tower are not used for early warning or targeting the enemy, but rather for scanning various data deep underground day and night for analysis.
The intelligence report stated that the main structure of this branch office is mostly underground, and the three towers primarily function to maintain the radar array and provide external protection.
The three towers contain special mineral complexes that can effectively interfere with the perception of the Crystal Rock People.
When it was first built, the research institute was intended to prevent the Crystal Rock Clan from accidentally entering the radar array and causing damage. Unexpectedly, it has now become the target of the Crystal Rock Clan's siege.
According to the command center's assessment, most of the personnel at the branch office had taken refuge in underground buildings.
However, if all three surface towers are destroyed, the underground facilities will also be threatened.
"Let's deal with these broken stones first."
Xue Zijing was the first to jump out and took the initiative to find the nearest crystal rock man.
In the afternoon, he and Fu Chen teamed up to deal with a crystal rock golem, but the battle was a foregone conclusion with their two-on-one cooperation.
For Xue Zijing, that level of combat wasn't even enough to stretch his muscles.
With a large number of crystal rock figures right in front of him, a spark of excitement suddenly ignited in his eyes.
Just as his appearance suggests, Xue Zijing's fighting style could be summed up in one word: fierce and powerful.
"Big guy, it's time to die!"
The crystal rock golem he targeted didn't even have time to react before a powerful impact punch slammed into its back, leaving a deep fist mark.
Taking advantage of the Crystal Stone Man's cumbersome body and slow turning, Xue Zijing's fists rained down on its back, producing a sound that was both dull and crisp.
A dull thud is the sound of a heavy punch hitting a rock, while a crisp sound is the crackling of crystalline rock as the surface of a human body shatters under impact.
Seeing Xue Zijing make a bold move, the other operatives also took action.
For them, eliminating the enemy in small squads is a task they are so skilled at that it's as natural as eating and drinking.
Subconsciously maintaining their formation, two of them stood on the left and right sides behind Xue Zijing, activating their laser swords to block the crystal rock golems attacking from the side.
The last operator's unit was equipped with additional long-range firepower—a psionic rifle longer than a human body.
Raise the gun, aim, adjust, calibrate, and fire. The muzzle of the psionic rifle spews out invisible, intangible bullets that fly toward the restless stone golem throwers in the distance.
The thrower, who was tense and ready to throw his comrade, froze, as if he had been frozen in place.
A piercing, sharp friction sound emanated from its body as the crystal rock twisted and compressed, and a high-energy impact exploded within it.
When the bullets from the psionic rifle strike a silicon-based life form, they can disrupt its most basic crystal lattice structure and sever the pathways within its body.
It's fair to say that being hit squarely by the psionic rifle has essentially sealed the fate of this throwing stone golem, though it will struggle for a long time before it completely loses its ability to move.
The pitiful state of the throwing golem triggered a fierce reaction from the other golems. Several golems flanked from both sides, attempting to bypass the operators in front and prioritize attacking the sniper at the rear.
But the two operators positioned at the waist of the formation naturally wouldn't stand idly by. Laser swords danced, each swing slicing off large chunks of crystal.
The cooldown time of the psionic rifles is not short, which will give snipers time to fire the next shot.
During this time, the sniper was not without means of attack. He slung the psionic rifle behind his back, extended two steel arms, and protruded a ring of machine guns from the ends of the arms.
"Da da da da da..."
Large-caliber ammunition poured out, flying towards the face of the crystal rock man.
Operators responsible for combat receive more comprehensive and thorough training within the branch office, including addressing the common weaknesses of the Crystal Clan.
For the crystal rock people, the head is not as important as for humans; their core is located in the center of the body and is protected by thick rock layers.
However, they have a central sensory processing system growing inside their heads. If this system is destroyed, the Crystal Stone Golems' ability to locate enemies and their sense of direction will be greatly weakened.
However, these machine gun shells, which could easily pierce through the human body, could only carve shallow gashes into the stone figures; their power was insufficient to blow their heads off.
"Hahaha! Come on!"
Xue Zijing's maniacal laughter came from ahead, and the other three all showed helpless expressions.
Judging from his comprehensive qualities in close combat, firearms handling, and battlefield adaptability, Xue Zijing is undoubtedly one of the top combat geniuses in the Bureau of Abnormal Affairs.
However, he prefers a head-on, hard-hitting fighting style, often clashing with enemies and frequently getting injured while defeating them.
The crystal rock golem in front of him was covered in wounds, with blood-like lava seeping from its entire body.
Xue Zijing's machine also had several dents, but he looked to be in much better condition than his opponent.
The crystal rock man let out a deep roar, raised his arms, and slammed them down hard at Xue Zijing.
Xue Zijing thought to himself, "Good timing!" He activated the high-output power mode of his machine, and with a flick of his left hand, he slammed the powerful, heavy rock arm aside.
Taking advantage of the stone man's unsteady center of gravity, he reached forward with his right hand and pierced the center of the stone man's chest.
The hardened crystal rock defenses shattered, the blow piercing straight through the core of the crystal rock golem. It let out a mournful screech and collapsed heavily to the ground.
Four powerful, complementary, and perfectly coordinated exoskeleton machines charged into the Crystal Rock Man's formation, like sharks diving into a school of small fish, carving a bloody path through them.
The crystal golems beside the spiked tower were cleared one by one. After the last crystal golem fell, the four of them breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, although fighting these big guys was very physically demanding, we managed to wipe out all the enemies present without taking any damage.
At that moment, on the tower closest to the four people, a rigid shield flickered, and a figure was projected from one of the hidden ports.
"Have the rescue personnel from the management bureau arrived?"
Her voice was urgent and trembling with sobs.
Clearly, there must be ways to see what's happening on the surface from underground facilities.
Watching helplessly as a group of stone figures dismantle the defenses in the underground facility with nowhere left to retreat, these survivors must have felt a sense of despair.
The figure that appeared was not a human face, but a shiny diamond head.
The diamond-head watch face reflects light on countless flat surfaces, with faint marks outlining the features of the face, which are now twisted together.
You can vaguely see a crowd of people behind the diamond man, and you can hear voices such as "The Bureau is finally here" and "Great, we're saved."
"That's right. Xue Zijing, Special Operations Division, Chengmingxing Branch, Anomaly Management Bureau."
Upon seeing the diamond head, Xue Zijing breathed a sigh of relief.
He would not forget such a distinctive head, the projection of which was that of the director of this branch office.
This person belongs to one of the rarer races in interstellar society. According to the Bureau's data, this race has a natural affinity and perception of various minerals.
It's no wonder that he was appointed as the head of this branch by the Interstellar Minerals Research Institute.
"Please come in, everyone. For security reasons, we need to verify your identity. We apologize for the inconvenience."
As the diamond man finished speaking, a crack appeared at the base of the tower in front of Xue Zijing. Behind the crack was a heavy alloy door.
Xue Zijing was not surprised; many institutions in the interstellar society had access control systems that could be registered with the Bureau of Compatibility.
He pressed his arm against the recognition device on the alloy door, and his arm armor cracked open, releasing a crystalline card that covered the reading area of the recognition device.
"Beep! Personnel from the Chengmingxing Branch of the Anomaly Management Bureau have been verified."
The alloy gate slowly opened to both sides, revealing the entrance to the passage, which spiraled downwards, leading deep underground.
The passageway was spacious, and Xue Zijing and his three companions showed no intention of disarming their exoskeletons. They descended the stairs for about several dozen meters before a light appeared before them.
It was a sparkling diamond head.
"Gentlemen from the Anomaly Management Bureau, we've been waiting for you! I'm the person in charge here; just call me Kagaga."
The diamond man ran forward, stood on tiptoe slightly, and tightly grasped Xue Zijing's mecha hands.
Behind him, the staff of the research institute's branch office cheered with joy.
"Please follow me, gentlemen."
After the initial excitement, Kagaga's rationality quickly prevailed.
He knew that the anomalies in the outside world were definitely not isolated cases, and the crisis on Golun Star was far from over.
Since the Bureau of Abnormal Affairs has already dispatched personnel, it is certainly the right choice to disclose all the information one possesses.
Only when the crisis is completely resolved in cooperation with the management bureau can these researchers be considered safe.
He led Xue Zijing and the other three through the passageway and into the depths of the underground facility.
For research purposes, the underground facilities were so intricate and complex that they dazzled Xue Zijing.
The air filtered through the machine carried a faint smell of rock dust. Water droplets condensed on the cement walls, and thick cooling pipes stretched along the ceiling, their surfaces covered in frost.
On one side of the passageway is the institute's sample storage. Dozens of rows of steel frames are piled with cylindrical rock cores: gray basalt, white quartzite, and pyrite with gold flecks, all labeled.
At the end of the cement trough lay various colored crystals, emitting mottled iridescent light under the cold light.
The laboratory door on the other side opened. A red light flashed on the control panel, and the pressure gauge needle remained stationary.
Through the thick glass, you can see the rock samples inside the experimental chamber, and the low hum of the circulating water pump can be heard from the walls.
"Since that incident, all energy consumption in the research institute has stopped, except for the most basic circulation system."
Kagaga explained as she walked.
When Ge Lunxing had the accident, the director took immediate emergency measures, recalling the staff to the underground facility and preparing for rescue.
It was thanks to his decision that most of the people in the research institute survived.
"At the time of the incident, we had two exploration teams out, but we lost contact with them afterwards..."
Kagaga kept his head down, diamond fragments falling from the corners of his eyes. He had witnessed firsthand the ferocity of the crystal stone men outside and knew that his colleagues were likely in grave danger.
Xue Zijing comforted them in a low voice, "They're lucky, they'll be alright."
Upon arriving at the research institute's reception room, Kagaga asked proactively, "Captain Xue, has something happened at the Crystal Rock Tomb?"
Xue Zijing nodded: "This is a disaster that has spread throughout the entire planet Golun. Our preliminary assessment is that the source lies in the Crystal Tomb."
"As expected, as expected..."
Kagaga looked up and stared directly at Xue Zijing's mask:
"I don't know if you know this, but the three spires of our research institute located on the surface actually contain special minerals that are specific to the crystal rock group."
Xue Zijing nodded. This was one of the questions that had arisen in his mind during the battle.
According to the Bureau's data, the three towers were clearly capable of interfering with the Crystal Clan's perception, so why did they become the targets of attacks?
"We didn't actually realize it when the communication was initially cut off. But this is a mineral research institute, and we quickly realized something was wrong."
Kagaga paused slightly, her voice filled with terror:
"Something is altering the minerals!"