The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

Chi Zhengyang's analysis sent a chill down Zhou Jian's spine.

He could perfectly imagine that scene.

If Comrade Lin Mo hadn't been calm and quick-witted enough...

The mere leak of this information alone could create a huge rift between the two sides.

The real end will come when the official Dragon Kingdom loses trust with Comrade Lin Mo.

"yes!"

"Mission accomplished!"

Zhou Jian straightened his back, raised his hand, and gave a standard military salute.

The voice was strong and resolute.

Even though Ainz Ooal Gown was indeed very good to him, he genuinely considered him a friend.

But when it comes to survival, to the fate of a billion people, everything must give way.

In the face of crisis, personal emotions are both insignificant and a luxury.

Chi Zhengyang nodded, seemingly unsurprised by his reaction.

He opened the drawer of his desk and took out a black remote control.

A gentle press.

The projector on the office ceiling emitted a soft operating sound and then lit up.

"Could you please draw the curtains?"

Zhou Jian didn't ask any more questions. He turned around, walked to the window, and completely closed the heavy curtains.

The entire office was instantly plunged into darkness.

Only one beam of light was projected onto the opposite wall, forming a bright square.

The next second, a huge map appeared clearly on the wall.

There are four large characters at the very top.

Wasteland Era

This is a map of the safe zone and its surroundings in Wasteland Era.

This map is marked in great detail.

The outline of the safe zone, as well as the unknown areas surrounding the safe zone, are all marked in detail.

Chi Zhengyang stood up from his seat and slowly walked to the projector.

He pointed to a region on the map.

That area was marked as an extremely dangerous zone in bold, bright red lettering.

The deadly mine.

"Zhou Jian".

Chi Zhengyang spoke, breaking the silence in the room.

"Now that you have the power of death, don't waste your talent."

"We'll have to work harder while dealing with Ainz Ooal Gown."

"I will give you three thousand soldiers."

"You will lead the team to explore the Death Mine."

Chi Zhengyang turned his head and stared at Zhou Jian with a solemn expression.

"Let's try to wrest the mining rights of the Death Mine from those monsters!"

The deadly mine is not far from the safe zone.

Even ordinary people who haven't completed their first genetic awakening can easily reach the destination.

Inside the mine, a special mineral called "blue fluorite" is produced.

One standard unit of blue fluorite can be recycled into three source crystals.

Zhou Jian was well aware of this information.

Even those who are not qualified to enter Wasteland Era are familiar with the Deadmines.

That live broadcast caused quite a stir.

If it weren't for the official support, those bloody scenes would never have been broadcast.

If we could control the Deadmines, even just a small part of them.

This will be an immeasurable boost to the strategic reserves of the entire Dragon Kingdom.

However, behind the huge profits, there must be an equal level of risk.

"The situation in the deadly mines is far more complex and dangerous than you imagine."

Chi Zhengyang pressed his fingertip heavily onto the four blood-red characters "Death Mine".

"In the mine, there lives a kind of mineral insect—the Black Armor."

Chi Zhengyang made a gesture with his finger.

The information about the black armor covered the safe zone map.

Black Armor

[Rank: Servant]

[Combat Power: 300+]

[Combat Rank: E]

"These monsters are mutants. Don't be fooled by their low rank of servant; their overall combat strength surpasses that of ordinary elite monsters."

"This should not be underestimated!"

"And what's even more deadly is that these monsters are extremely small, only about the size of an adult's fist, but their numbers are dense and endless."

Chi Zhengyang pulled up another document, and a blurry but terrifying image immediately appeared on the projection wall.

That was the last footage retrieved from the helmet recorder of a fallen soldier.

In the dimly lit mine tunnels, gunfire spewed wildly.

Countless fist-sized black beetles surged in from all directions like a tide.

They ignored the dense hail of bullets; the bullets struck their black shells, producing only a series of sparks, leaving not even a white mark.

The warriors' attacks were completely unable to break through the defenses.

The scene shook violently as a soldier's assault rifle was bitten in half by a mineral worm. The hard alloy gun body was as fragile as a biscuit in its mouth.

Accompanied by a piercing scream, the scene was finally swallowed by blood and darkness.

Zhou Jian watched all of this in silence.

He could clearly tell that the soldiers in the video were absolutely the elite of the elite.

Their tactical skills and firepower configuration are both top-notch.

Even so, they were still powerless against those mineral worms.

"We have organized three large-scale clearing operations."

Chi Zhengyang turned off the projector, and the office returned to silence.

"The first time, it was an elite team of two hundred men that was completely wiped out. They held out for less than a minute."

"The second time, the number of people reached 500, and all of them were equipped with the latest armor-piercing rounds and high-explosive grenades, but the result was still failure."

"The black armor on those mineral worms is extremely sturdy, even capable of withstanding considerable explosive impact."

Of course, it was just a considerable explosive impact.

The main concern is that the explosion might be too intense and wipe out the ore inside as well.

"The third time, all those who participated in the exploration were experts who had completed their first genetic awakening, a total of 300 people."

"And they are equipped with top-of-the-line weapons."

"But the result..."

Chi Zhengyang didn't say anything more, but the ending was already self-evident.

Even the best weapons in the hands of warriors are nothing more than slightly harder food in the eyes of those mineral worms.

Three operations, three crushing defeats.

The Death Mine has thus become a nightmare for everyone.

In fact, besides the official team, there are countless players who don't believe in superstitions and want to try their luck.

After all, the cake is right there, and everyone can see it.

They all wanted to go over and take a bite.

Without exception, they all became nutrients for the mineral worms.

That place was a veritable death trap!

In fact, even if it weren't for Zhou Jian, the official team would have launched their fourth exploration soon.

I want to test whether the power of the runes can counter the black armor.

After all, this cake is just too tempting.

"Now, you hold the power of death."

Chi Zhengyang finally steered the conversation back to Zhou Jian.

"This is a power we have never encountered before."

"No matter how strong their physical defenses are, those mineral worms are still flesh and blood beings."

"And your authority over death might be our greatest hope in taking over the Death Mine."

"yes!"

Zhou Jian suddenly looked up and saluted again.

"Mission accomplished!"