Swallowing the Stars: Level 1, One Talent, Invincible Chaos Origin

Chapter 184, Tempering Crystal Ore
Deep within the Dark Tide Star Abyss, colorful nebulae surge slowly and dangerously, like the breath of a giant beast.

Inside the lounge.

Marquis Yanyuan brought up the star map, his gaze sweeping over the area marked as extremely dangerous, his brows furrowing slightly.

"The environment here is too unstable."

Energy tides are occurring more frequently in the core area, and the frequency of temporary wormhole openings is also increasing.

The unpredictable opening of temporary wormholes greatly increases the uncertainty of encountering enemies, which undoubtedly raises the danger of Dark Tide Star Abyss once again.

"Captain, I think we can find a base in the core area and operate around it."

Jiang Ming then spoke up and made a suggestion.

Upon hearing Jiang Ming's words, everyone in the Flame Abyss Squad looked at him.

"The frequent appearance of short-distance temporary wormholes within the core area makes combat highly unpredictable. Sweeping through in such an environment is a very dangerous task."

After all, the highest combat power within the Dark Tide Star Abyss includes those who have been granted the title of King. If they were unlucky enough to encounter a powerful enemy, it would be troublesome.

Jiang Ming spoke calmly and slowly, his eyes gazing into the distance.

"Yeah, I think so too."

Marquis Yanyuan nodded, agreeing with Jiang Ming's opinion.

The other members of the team also agreed.

Danger stems from the unknown; no one can say for sure when a temporary wormhole will appear or whether a powerful enemy will emerge near it.

If there is a base, there will be more options for whether to fight or flee.

Although a consensus was reached, choosing a base was not so simple; it was not a matter of finding any random place to serve as a base.

Therefore, the Flame Abyss Squad's ships are still wandering within the core area.

Time flies, and more than ten days have passed in the blink of an eye.

"Captain, we've made a discovery."

In the quiet lounge, Jiang Ming suddenly spoke.

The tip of his gleaming silver spear lightly touched a spot on the star map, a region on the outer edge of the Dark Tide Star Abyss.

"My detector just detected a faint but very stable high-energy response, and the coordinates have been marked."

Based on the energy fluctuation characteristics, it resembles a small-scale 'quenching ore' mining site, but the internal conditions are still uncertain.

Everyone's eyes instantly focused on the star field that Jiang Ming was pointing to.

"Quenched crystal ore?"

Sofia's eyes lit up.

"That's a valuable item! It can create an 'extract' that has a special effect on immortal weapons, enhancing their lethality. It's incredibly valuable! Currently, it's in extremely high demand on the extraterritorial battlefield, and the exchange rate for military merits is very high!"

The divine bodies of immortal-level powerhouses are difficult to destroy, and therefore there are not many things that can effectively kill immortal-level powerhouses.

The 'extract' extracted from the quenching ore can increase the corrosive power of the laws on weapons, increasing their lethality against immortal powerhouses.

However, the increased lethality of this 'extract' is relatively minor, so its price is relatively low.

A few units of 'extract' would not be of much importance to any immortal present, but a crystal mine that can refine 'extract' is a different story.

The rock giant Redstone replied in a deep, muffled voice, with a hint of excitement.

"A small-scale collection point? Is it really a crystal ore deposit?"

“I’m not sure either. The data my AI gave me was only speculative, but I’m certain that there is a high-energy mineral vein there.”

Although Jiang Ming's tone was uncertain, he knew very well in his heart that it was a crystal quenching mine.

Because this was the suitable resource point he had chosen for the Flame Abyss Squad.

With the authority of the Zerg commander, almost no information within the Zerg camp could escape his notice, and he could take any resource points he wanted.

"Alright! In that case, let's head towards that resource point. Everyone, prepare for battle."

Marquis Yanyuan immediately ordered that every high-energy resource point, regardless of whether it was a crystal-refining mine or not, would be guarded and protected by powerful members of the Zerg faction. If it were an ordinary resource mine, things might be simpler, but if it truly was a crystal-refining mine, then the opponents they would face would be far more formidable.

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison, and the atmosphere in the lounge became tense yet full of anticipation once again.

On a small asteroid that has been largely hollowed out, there exists a Zerg fortress.

The fortress's surface was covered with a thick biomass shell, and several thick crystal-collecting tentacles penetrated deep into the asteroid's interior, their ends shimmering with a faint energy halo.

Three protruding biological turrets, like malignant tumors, were distributed around the base, slowly rotating.

As the crystal-collecting tentacles undulated, strange energy fluctuations continuously spread outwards.

"Great! The data collection is correct, it really is tempering crystal ore! Wow! Champion Marquis, you're amazing!"

Sophia's excited voice rang out in the lounge, and rows of energy fluctuation samples appeared on the screen.

The raw ore of the quenching crystal is hard, and when it is mined, a slight energy fluctuation is generated and spreads over a considerable distance.

However, specialized mining equipment can suppress this fluctuation to a minimum, and it is only possible to detect it if one is extremely close or has extremely powerful detection equipment.

"Yes, Hou deserves at least 60% of the credit for winning this championship."

"Hahaha, I'm rich!"

The other members of the team were also very excited. They usually only heard about other people's good luck in encountering valuable resource points in the outer battlefield and picking up the treasures left behind by the strong.

Now that I'm the protagonist of the story, I'm naturally happy.

"Don't be careless. Once you take it, it's yours. If you just choose to report it, you can still get 10% to 30% of the military merit, but I think you definitely don't want to take only that much."

Marquis Yanyuan has seen his share of grand occasions and was not blinded by the quenching ore before him.

"Ah."

The team members all nodded in agreement, their expressions becoming serious.

The Zerg must know the value of the crystal ore, and the fighting force they station there would certainly not be weak.

Deep within the Dark Tide Abyss, the Zerg base on that hollowed-out asteroid exudes a dangerous aura, like a venomous scorpion lurking in the shadows.

The Flame Abyss Squad's spaceship was hidden behind a huge piece of celestial debris, and the probes activated their concealment mode.

"Structure scanning of the base is complete."

Sofia's voice was low and heavy.

"Three biological turrets, with energy reaction intensity reaching the immortal level! The life reaction inside the base indicates at least five immortals, and the energy intensity of the leader is suspected to be above the Marquis level!"

"Female title?"

The rock giant Redstone gasped.

"Captain, this is a tough nut to crack."

The value of the quenching ore indeed attracted powerful guards.

A high-ranking Marquis, coupled with four or more Immortal Military Lords, a solid base, and powerful artillery, is not much weaker than the Flame Abyss Squad.

Marquis Yan Yuan frowned slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the scanned image as he quickly analyzed it.

"The fortifications are a fixed threat, and they're not difficult to deal with. The key is that marquis and the other immortals."

We must act swiftly; if we are bogged down, Zerg reinforcements could arrive quickly via temporary wormholes.

Her gaze shifted to Jiang Ming.

"Zhao Yun, can your detector pinpoint the internal situation more precisely?"

The Terran race's technological level is somewhat higher than that of the Zerg. The Flame Abyss Squad's detectors are quite advanced, capable of detecting the situation inside the Zerg fortress at close range, but that's about all they can do.

At this moment, everyone's attention was once again focused on Jiang Ming.

(End of this chapter)