Chapter 72: Cosmic Minefield, Mining?
Su Ning’s consciousness gradually returned, but when she tried to move her body, she found herself trapped in an extremely confined space, with her limbs tightly restrained, unable to move.
“What is this place?”
The cramped, enclosed environment induced fear—it was all too unfamiliar and full of the unknown.
And the unknown meant danger.
So she quickly activated Scavenger’s Eye to understand her surroundings.
She then discovered what was going on:
[Sleep Pod]: A resting device used during interstellar travel, capable of putting people into deep sleep while maintaining their health.
“A sleep pod?” Su Ning was surprised. She hadn’t expected to be in such a sci-fi-like pod.
She groped around and found the control button, pressed it, and heard a strange hissing sound.
“Zzz-raa—”
The previously pitch-black sleep pod instantly lit up, and her pod slowly opened.
As she stepped out and looked around, Su Ning was shocked to find hundreds of sleep pods arranged in perfect rows inside the room.
Walking over to a window, she gazed out at the brilliant starry sky, utterly awestruck.
Only then did she realize she was in the vast expanse of outer space, and beneath her feet was a spaceship.
In her mind, the name of this survival instance echoed—”Cosmic Minefield.”
She frowned. “This survival instance seems more massive than any of the previous ones.”
Usually, survival instances would tell you how long you need to survive. But this time, there was no mention of duration.
The previous three instances only required survival for a certain amount of time to return. But now, Su Ning realized—it wouldn’t be that simple.
“You can only return after completing the instance’s task. Fewer conditions, but far more unclear and difficult.”
That was even more worrying.
How hard would this mission actually be?
As Su Ning pondered, other sleep pods began to hiss open, one after another.
Figures stepped out, and scanning with her Scavenger’s Eye, Su Ning saw that they were players from various countries and regions.
They were equally shocked by their environment.
“Oh my god, where are we? Is this some sci-fi instance?”
“Are we really in space? What kind of rewards would we get in a sci-fi setting like this?”
People were buzzing, filled with curiosity and excitement.
“So beautiful—the stars are amazing.”
They admired the breathtaking beauty of space…
…completely oblivious to the deadly danger lurking beneath the beauty.
One excited man with blond hair, clearly not from Daxia (a.k.a China), turned toward Su Ning.
Seeing her—such a beautiful female player—he smiled brightly and walked over.
“Beautiful lady, I just got out of that tiny pod and saw you here alone. Do you have any info you could share with us?”
Su Ning glanced at him.
[Player: Aizemark]
Talent: Touch Morph – Can transform into a target’s appearance by touching them.
Skill: Assassination!
Seeing him reaching toward her, Su Ning immediately grew alert.
Morphing + Assassination?
There was no way this guy was as harmless as he appeared.
She dodged his touch without hesitation and replied coldly, “No.”
Aizemark’s face flickered with disappointment, but he quickly smiled again.
“No need to be so cold, beautiful lady. In this vast universe, we should be helping each other out.”
Su Ning wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but everything about this man felt off.
Considering his talent, even his charming appearance might just be a disguise.
She responded icily, “No need.”
A flicker of coldness flashed in Aizemark’s eyes, but he still smiled, saying,
“Alright then, good luck to you.”
He turned and left, looking for another target.
Su Ning breathed a sigh of relief as he walked away.
In this game world, you couldn’t trust anyone—especially not those who looked harmless.
Only by staying vigilant could you survive in this brutal game.
Yet, even after everyone emerged from their pods, no one left the area.
“What’s going on? Why won’t they let us leave?”
“Dude, the ship’s still in flight. You planning to float through space?”
“Watch your tone, or I’ll cut you down.”
“Try me. See what happens.”
Too many players always meant some hot-headed fools would show up.
Su Ning frowned and calmly walked to a corner, quietly sitting down to wait for the system notification to sound again.
She knew very well—this mission wouldn’t be simple.
Especially with a name like [Cosmic Minefield], there was no way they were just going to sit on a ship.
“Minefield?” Su Ning thought, suspecting it had something to do with mining.
“Please… don’t let it be what I think it is…”
She silently prayed—please don’t let it involve actual mining.
Just then, a crisp electronic voice rang out:
[Ding! Sleep pods detected as deactivated. All miners, please proceed to Sector 3 to receive your work equipment. Crystal Mine Planet is arriving soon. Prepare for disembarkation.]
Su Ning looked up sharply.
That voice didn’t come from the game system—it was the ship’s internal broadcast.
She quickly analyzed the key info:
Miners, crystal mine planet, work…
Su Ning clicked her tongue and sighed internally:
“So it’s really… mining.”
She was speechless.
Then another automated voice came on:
“Please proceed to Sector 3 to collect your work equipment.”
As soon as the announcement ended, a wall section quietly opened into a door.
Everyone followed the instructions and headed toward Sector 3.
Su Ning realized her room was just one of many—this spaceship was far larger than she had imagined.
More and more people were pouring out of various rooms and moving in the same direction.
Su Ning also noticed something else:
Among these so-called “miners” were not just players—but NPCs native to this instance world.
Compared to the excited players, these NPCs had blank, lifeless expressions, as if they’d lost all vitality.
(End of Chapter)
