Chapter Fifty: The Armored Ants

A previously unknown type of mining area had been discovered, and the official reward from Southport New City was astonishingly high.

“Well done, Little Millet.” Ji Cheng happily squeezed Millie’s shoulder.

He did have tens of millions in his account, enough for an ordinary person to spend over countless lifetimes, but as a gifted individual, he was still considered poor.

In the Southport Virtual Mall’s price list, the weapons and equipment used by gifted people were astronomical in cost.

A weapon forged from Kun steel ranged from ninety million to more than two hundred million.

A set of advanced all-terrain combat attire sold for four hundred million.

A swarm shoulder cannon was priced at over one billion.

A mass-produced lightsaber from the era before the catastrophe cost about three billion.

The most iconic mechanical weapon for gifted individuals in Southport New City, the Whistle Arrow, started at ten billion.

“This is truly striking it rich.”

In low-risk areas like the one they were currently in, even if energy crystal mines were found, the haul would usually be just one or two thousand units of low-grade minerals. A trip like this could bring in tens of millions, which was considered substantial.

However, according to relevant policy, discovering and documenting a new type of mining area awarded a bonus of—

Five billion.

“Check your gear once more—make sure your combat suits aren’t damaged. If everything is fine, let’s prepare to set out.” Ji Cheng surveyed the group, ensuring everyone had secured their bio-masks.

“No issues, boss,” the team replied in unison.

Ji Cheng led the way to the fissure they’d found earlier, shining a conical beam of light inside to illuminate the space.

He pointed to the corpse within. “If this really is a new type of mining area, then this person was likely killed by some mutated creature within.”

“So his teammates escaped?” Su Yi mused.

Ji Cheng shook his head. “Most likely, they all died.”

Had anyone survived, this mining area would have already been reported—there’d have been no chance for them.

“This fissure looks like a dead end, no sign of an entrance to a mining area,” Qiao Tongtong said, cautiously glancing at Millie.

Millie’s cheeks flushed, her eyes seeking help from Ji Cheng.

He pondered a moment, then stretched his hand toward Mu Zhi, palm up, pinky and ring finger slightly curled. “Engineer’s shovel.”

Mu Zhi immediately drew a shovel from the bottom of his pack and placed it in Ji Cheng’s hand, repeating, “Engineer’s shovel.”

In mining areas, exploration team members followed strict protocols. For example, when requesting tools, a verbal code must be paired with a matching gesture, to avoid miscommunication under stress.

Ji Cheng accepted the shovel and entered the fissure alone, his light falling on the bones scattered on the ground.

“Forgive me, brother,” he murmured, using the shovel to move the decayed skeleton into a corner.

With the corpse shifted, the ground beneath was exposed in the lamplight—grayish-yellow sand, uneven as if plowed, riddled with tiny holes upon closer inspection.

Ji Cheng raised the shovel and drove it forcefully into the earth, the blade sinking deep.

“What is that!” the others outside the fissure cried out.

Suddenly, the sand beneath Ji Cheng’s feet heaved into a mound. Like a fountain, hundreds of black ants surged forth. The wave didn’t stop; more mounds burst from the sand, and in moments, thousands of ants swarmed out—dense and chilling.

The ground churned violently, forming more than a dozen pits, with ever-increasing numbers of ants crawling out, like a breached dam, countless in number. Each had a hornet-like build, their thorax and abdomen covered with wrinkled lead-colored plates, their dark brown mandibles thick and long.

“They’re helmet ants.”

Ji Cheng instantly recalled the relevant data, his reaction more of excitement than fear.

[Species Name]: Helmet Ant
[Mutation Level]: Primary Order
[Habitat]: Arid deserts, Gobi, extensive and complex underground stone cavities
[Radiation Tolerance]: Medium
[Diet]: Plastic waste or humus
[Genetic Origin]: Hybrid of black ants and discarded nano-silicon batteries
[Identification]: Powerful mandibles, head nearly square or rectangular with a deep groove at the rear, a central longitudinal furrow on the forehead, irregular lead-colored plates on thorax and abdomen
[Structure]: Body length 25–26 mm

This mutated creature had no aggression; its sole passion was collecting filth and debris, wrapping them in its saliva for decoration.

“The presence of helmet ants means there must be underground space below. We can now confirm this is the entrance to the mining area.”

Ji Cheng stepped back, avoiding the ants. They circled a few times before returning to their burrows.

He pressed his headset, initiating a call to Chen Qian. “Team 1257 calling monitoring station.”

“Monitoring station received, please go ahead.”

“Team 1257 confirms discovery of an unknown mining area type. Requesting naming rights and exploration orders from the council.”

This was the standard procedure for discovering a new mining area.

“The council has approved your request. The mining area will temporarily be designated RX-23, which you may later modify. Exploration orders… will arrive in about three seconds.”

Beep.

— Correction to Team 1257’s survey mission: immediate execution of RX-23 mining area exploration.

“Let’s head down,” Millie’s gaze remained fixed on the burrow openings.

“Little Millet, always remember one thing.” Ji Cheng grinned, revealing a row of neat teeth.

“When you’re about to enter a mining area, never go in unprepared. At the very least, analyze the geological environment and all available clues to predict what mutated creatures you might encounter.”

If you want to survive, that is.

“How… How do you analyze?” Millie’s voice was confused. “Apart from rocks, sand, ants, where are the clues?”

“These are the clues.” He spoke with confidence.

Ji Cheng moved between standing and crouching, his eyes scanning the area, then sniffed the rock wall.

He cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention, and spoke slowly:

“Look, the speckled moss on the rock wall—called ‘rock damp umbrella’—indicates there’s an underground river below.”

Where he pointed, the others saw only a layer of white frost; to the naked eye, the moss was indistinguishable.

“So the mutated creatures in this mining area are likely amphibious,” Su Yi murmured.

Other types could survive here, but amphibians would naturally prefer such an environment.

Ji Cheng touched the ground with sensitive fingers, pinched a small amount of sand.

“The sand is fine-grained, but you can see it’s mixed with at least two types of rock dust. One is uranium rhinestone, implying considerable radiation.”

“And think about the helmet ants’ behavior.” Ji Cheng continued, “This reminds me of something.”

“You mean… self-healing plastic?” Millie ventured.

“Smart.”

Mu Zhi slapped his thigh. “I get it—there’s a large quantity of self-healing plastic below, which is the helmet ants’ food source.”

Ji Cheng smiled back. “Actually, I’m thinking of automotive materials.”

“It’s a half-bodied salamander! There could be a half-bodied salamander below!” Millie nearly jumped.

The creature earned its name because half its body was fused with a car.

Lacking one forepaw and one hindpaw, it walked with an unstable center of gravity; among the gifted, it was commonly called ‘the cripple.’

Su Yi stared at Ji Cheng, articulating each word:

“You mean, the car fused with this half-bodied salamander may use self-healing plastic, and its secreted skin flakes become the helmet ants’ food?”

“Yes, these two species should have formed a symbiotic relationship.” Ji Cheng smiled. “Prepare the reagents for dealing with the half-bodied salamander.”

Terrifying, indeed.

The others were at a loss for words. Let alone seeing such things, they couldn’t even have imagined someone deducing the likely mutated creature from such scant clues.

“How did you do it?” Su Yi asked.

Ji Cheng walked to the spot where the helmet ants emerged, drew an X in the sand with his toe, and replied calmly, “Experience, and careful observation.”

Innate resonance was so useful, he silently added under the gaze of his awe-struck teammates.

“Boss, do we dig here?” Mu Zhi pointed at Ji Cheng’s X, eager.

“Yes. Qiao Tongtong, help estimate the depth.”

Ji Cheng withdrew from the fissure, letting Mu Zhi take the excavator inside.

“Millie, is this salamander… very dangerous?” Hou Shang whispered.

Millie rolled her eyes. “Order-level. What do you think? One stomp and you’d be water at both ends.”

“Order-level!” Hou Shang gasped.

…

Ten minutes later, the passage was open, and the group descended into the pit, formally entering mining area RX-23.