Chapter 74: The Mysterious Company and the Cyborgs
“The specific mission depends on the situation.”
Although Su Ning didn’t yet know what she would face, one thing was certain—she would never spend four years mining in this instance.
Her only option was to complete the second mission: obtain three energy crystals.
Thinking of that, Su Ning sighed to herself, “These energy crystals are definitely not ordinary items.”
At that moment, the spaceship slowly began its landing process, accompanied by a cold mechanical voice over the intercom, “All miners, please prepare to disembark. Your work is about to begin. Please mine diligently and create a fruitful harvest for the company.”
Right now, not just Su Ning, but the hundreds of other players who had entered the instance with her, began to sense something was off.
The initial excitement of entering a sci-fi world had completely vanished, replaced by a deep and growing sense of dread.
“Four years of mining… Who could actually endure that?” A player muttered anxiously.
Another chimed in, “Exactly. We need to find those energy crystals as soon as possible!”
But the moment someone mentioned “energy crystals”, Su Ning keenly noticed something strange—
The native miners, who had been emotionless and sluggish up to that point, suddenly began glancing sharply at the players.
Some even started whispering among themselves.
Alarmed, Su Ning immediately distanced herself from the group of players, avoiding further interaction.
“So energy crystals aren’t just some rare item… even the natives are reacting to them.”
This further convinced her, She knew far too little about this instance world.
“A mysterious company, interstellar travel, intelligent robots, colonized planets—this instance has a massive worldbuilding scale.” Su Ning reflected.
She understood that this instance was completely different from the ones before.
To her, every instance wasn’t just a game—it was a world, full of unknowns worth exploring.
That was the only way she could adapt and survive.
And only through that immersive mindset could she gather the information and resources she needed.
Su Ning quickly slipped into the identity of Miner No. 1008.
In this unfamiliar place, fully embracing the role was the best way to adapt and protect herself.
Once the spaceship landed, they were herded off by more robots.
As Su Ning stepped off the ship, she was immediately struck by the harsh conditions of this so-called “Crystal Mine Planet.”
The air was filled with the roar of heavy machinery and the constant screech of mechanical operations. The noise alone was enough to make anyone anxious.
Su Ning frowned, “I didn’t expect the environment to be this bad.”
She looked up. The sky was blanketed by thick red-gray clouds, completely blocking out any light from nearby stars. The only illumination came from the dull yellow industrial floodlights.
The smell in the air was even worse—an unbearable mix of chemicals and metal.
“This really is a survival instance,” Su Ning muttered. “No way we’re here to enjoy ourselves.”
Barely moments after disembarking—before she could even catch her breath—they were immediately ordered to begin mining.
Su Ning followed the group down the path while quietly observing her surroundings.
What shocked her the most wasn’t the environment, but the people.
The native miners seemed to have lost all vitality. Their expressions were numb and lifeless, repeating the same mechanical tasks day after day.
Su Ning was deeply confused, “These people clearly don’t want to mine, so why are they here?”
“If they truly hated the work, couldn’t they resist or rebel?”
But the looks on their faces were full of deep resignation and numbness—as if they had no choice.
There had to be a hidden reason.
She also recalled the man who had spoken to her earlier.
When he mentioned the colonization company, his tone had been full of fear.
“So this so-called company is definitely suspicious too…”
But Su Ning didn’t have much time to think.
Because at that very moment, some of the players—unlike her—couldn’t stay calm or endure the situation.
Several refused to follow the robot’s orders and tried to move around freely instead.
That caused a scene. A confrontation broke out, drawing attention.
“Every year there’s always some hotheaded fools who get tricked here and try to resist,”
someone nearby muttered coldly, “In the end, they always become part of the system anyway.”
“So naïve… These people are never getting out of this mine.”
Su Ning listened to the whispers and turned to look at the players causing the commotion.
And in the next moment, she understood why the natives didn’t resist.
A man who looked completely human—just like a normal worker—suddenly changed.
His eyes lit up unnaturally, and his voice became frighteningly cold:
“Miner No. 1231 has disobeyed company orders and violated the Public Mining Law. Execution: Electric Punishment!”
In an instant, the player was restrained.
“Let me go! What are you doing!?”
The worker raised both hands. In the next second, a surge of blue electricity shot out, directly zapping the player.
“AAAHHHHH—!”
The player screamed in agony as smoke began to rise from his body.
His pupils turned white.
He didn’t die—but his mind was clearly fried.
The worker continued coldly:
“Miner 1231—punishment complete. Additional sentence: 10 years added to mining time.”
The surrounding players, seeing that horrifying outcome, immediately sobered up.
No one dared to make another move.
Even more “staff” had arrived, silently observing.
Su Ning’s heart sank.
She activated her Scavenger’s Eye, and data about the worker appeared before her:
[Biochemical Combat Unit]
A cybernetic intelligent robot with advanced AI and combat capabilities. Manufactured by the Colonial Company.
“A cyborg!”
From his appearance, you’d never suspect he wasn’t human.
Another terrifying discovery.
“This instance’s tech is far more advanced than I expected… and this company is even more mysterious than it appears.”
And so, Su Ning’s mining career officially began.
“Miner 1008, you’ve been assigned to Shaft No. 10. Prepare for descent.”
With shovel and mask in hand, Su Ning made her way toward the No.10 mining shaft.
All around her were other miners, dressed just like her.
“New here?”
Just as Su Ning was still pondering how to find information about the energy crystals, a pleasant voice spoke beside her.
She turned to see a short-haired girl in the same mining uniform, freckles scattered across her face, giving her a lively and spirited look despite the dull setting.
Su Ning wasn’t sure why she was being approached.
After all, there were plenty of other players around—not all of them were troublemakers.
The freckled girl introduced herself casually, “You can call me Andy. And as for how I knew you were new? Your fair skin and lack of lung crystal disease symptoms gave you away.”
Su Ning blinked. She hadn’t realized it herself—but compared to others who had been mining long-term, her skin was noticeably healthier.
As for “lung crystal disease”… Su Ning had no idea what that was.
Another mystery to unravel.
(End of Chapter)
