Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

The Montenegrin coal mine, the "black gold" treasure trove that supplies life to the "Montenegro Iron City" and countless workshops, has run into trouble.

"Your Highness! The No. 3 main tunnel of the Heishan Coal Mine collapsed again yesterday! Seven miners were injured, but fortunately no one died."

Mine supervisor Zhou Tietou reported, his face ashen, "This is the third collapse in half a month! And... and..."

"And what? Speak!" Xiao Chen put down the charcoal pencil in his hand, his gaze sharp.

"And the miners are all saying... there's a 'monster' in the mine!"

Zhou Tietou's voice trembled, "They say that monster can spew black smoke that knocks anyone who touches it down; it can also move mountains and rocks, and block tunnels. Now the miners are terrified, many are afraid to go down the mine, and the coal supply to Iron City and the workshops is already running low!"

"monster?"

Xiao Chen sneered, "What monster? Someone just doesn't want us to mine coal properly!"

The Night Owl's intelligence report arrived almost simultaneously: "The Northern Yan 'Shadow Guards' are making unusual movements, suspected of infiltrating the Black Mountain direction with 'poisonous fire smoke' and other items. The remnants of the former Black Mountain bandits, the 'Mountain Rat' gang, have been appearing near the coal mine recently, their movements are elusive."

"It really was them!"

A cold glint flashed in Xiao Chen's eyes. "Trying to use trickery to sever the industrial lifeline of Han Yuan? Very well!"

"Send the order! Gather one hundred personal guards, fully equipped with horses, crossbows, short swords, and gas masks. I will personally go down into the mine and meet this so-called 'monster'!"

"Your Highness! You mustn't!"

Han Lie, Wang Dashan, and others hurriedly tried to dissuade him, saying, "The dangers underground are unknown. Your Highness is of noble birth; how can you lightly venture into such a perilous place? We are willing to go in Your Highness's place!"

"No need for further explanation."

Xiao Chen said decisively, "This is no ordinary banditry; it's a battle of wits. If I don't go, the people's hearts will remain uneasy, and the rumors will be hard to stop. Besides..."

He paused, a glint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. "I want to see which demon or monster dares to run wild on my territory!"

Heishan Coal Mine, entrance to the No. 3 main roadway.

Hundreds of miners gathered outside, their faces filled with fear, whispering amongst themselves. When they saw Xiao Chen, clad in finely crafted black armor and with the Zhenyue Sword at his waist, riding up on horseback, surrounded by a hundred equally gleaming and menacing guards, the miners hurriedly knelt down.

"Your Highness! There really are monsters inside!"

An old miner lamented, "As soon as the black smoke cleared, people collapsed! The rocks would move on their own, blocking the way!"

"Fellow villagers!"

Xiao Chen announced loudly, "I will descend into the mine today to slay this monster for everyone! You all await good news here! Zhou Tietou, lead the way!"

"Yes!" Zhou Tietou gritted his teeth, raised his specially made kerosene lamp, and took the lead into the dark mine. His guards, in pairs, stood guard in front and behind, protecting Xiao Chen in the middle.

Inside the alley, darkness filled the air, broken only by the dripping of water and the sounds of breathing and footsteps. The deeper they went, the more murky the air became, carrying a faint, pungent odor of sulfur and fish. Loose stones occasionally tumbled down from the rock walls.

"Your Highness, the area just ahead is where the landslide occurred recently," Zhou Tietou said, pointing to an alleyway that was mostly blocked by rubble.

Xiao Chen squatted down and carefully examined the rubble.

"The cut is clean, unlike a natural landslide."

He rubbed the powder between the rubble with his fingers. "There's gunpowder residue. It was a deliberate explosion."

"Keep moving forward, watch your step and your head," Xiao Chen commanded in a low voice.

After walking about a hundred steps, the alleyway ahead suddenly opened up, seemingly a natural mining chamber.

"Stop!" Xiao Chen abruptly raised his hand. His ears twitched slightly. "There's movement!"

Before the words were finished, with a soft "hiss," a thick plume of black smoke suddenly shot out from the ventilation opening above the alley, quickly spreading outwards!

"Black smoke! The monster is spewing black smoke!" Zhou Tietou exclaimed.

"Hold your breath! Put on your mask!"

Xiao Chen shouted, simultaneously covering his mouth and nose with a damp cloth. His guards, well-trained, quickly put on makeshift gas masks.

The black smoke was extremely pungent and had a strong numbing effect. Several guards who were a little slower inhaled it and immediately felt dizzy and weak in the limbs.

"It's poisonous smoke! From the Northern Yan Shadow Guards!" Xiao Chen knew perfectly well, "It really was them!"

"Retreat!" Xiao Chen decisively ordered.

But then a loud "boom" came from the alley behind them! Another pre-buried explosive device had been detonated, and rocks fell, blocking their escape route!

"Hahaha! Xiao Chen, you little brat, you've finally met your match!" A hoarse and arrogant voice came from deep within the mine chamber.

The black smoke gradually dissipated. Deep within the mine chamber, a dozen torches were lit. Beneath the torches stood more than thirty masked men dressed in black, wielding curved knives and crossbows, their eyes fierce.

The leader was short and stocky, with a hideous scar running from his left eye to the corner of his mouth. He was none other than "Drilling Rat," the former leader of the Black Mountain bandits!

Beside him stood a tall, thin man from Northern Yan with sinister eyes, presumably the leader of the Shadow Guard.

"You mountain rat, you stray dog, how dare you bark at me?"

Xiao Chen gripped his sword and sneered, "And you, you rat of Northern Yan, instead of digging your own burrows on your grasslands, you come to my Cold Abyss to die?"

"Still being stubborn even when death is imminent!"

The burrowing rat grinned maliciously, "Xiao Chen, you destroyed my Black Mountain and killed my brothers! This is an irreconcilable hatred! Today, this mine will be your burial ground!"

"Why waste your breath on him!"

The Northern Yan leader said coldly, "Fire! Kill him, and the Khan will reward you handsomely!"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—" More than a dozen crossbow bolts came flying.

But the alley was narrow, and the guards had already raised their large iron shields. With a series of crisp clangs, all the arrows were blocked.

"Is that all you've got?"

Xiao Chen chuckled, "It seems I won't need to take action myself."

He waved his hand, "Crossbow!"

The twenty crossbowmen among his personal guards were already loaded behind their shields. "Fire!"

"Whoosh—" A denser and more powerful volley of crossbow bolts shot out, heading straight for the other side!

"what!"

"Ugh..." A scream rang out from the other side, and seven or eight people fell down instantly.

The Northern Yan leader and the Mountain Rat's expressions changed drastically. They hadn't expected that the Cold Abyss Army's crossbows would be so effective even in such unfavorable terrain!

"Charge! Kill them!"

With bloodshot eyes, the mountain rat led the remaining men and charged forward. Inside the mine, a fierce melee immediately erupted.

Xiao Chen's personal guards were all battle-hardened elites, with excellent teamwork and superb martial arts skills. On the other hand, the Mountain Rat's men were mostly desperate criminals, and the Northern Yan Shadow Guards were also skilled in assassination and sneak attacks. In a head-on confrontation, they quickly found themselves at a disadvantage.

Xiao Chen did not rush to make a move; his gaze swept across the entire mine chamber.

Suddenly, he noticed that in one corner of the mine chamber, there were several rock walls with an unusual color and obvious signs of artificial excavation.

"organ……"

A thought struck him.

Just then, the leader of the Northern Yan, seeing that the situation was not good, quietly retreated to the side of those rock walls and pressed his hand hard on a protruding rock!

"Boom!"

A muffled, loud noise suddenly came from the top of the mine chamber and the surrounding rock walls, and countless pieces of rock began to fall down!

"He's going to detonate the pre-set explosives, collapse the mine chamber, and die together with everyone else!"

"Protect the prince!" the guards exclaimed in alarm.

"court death!"

A fierce glint flashed in Xiao Chen's eyes, "Treading Swallow!"

With a roar, he moved like lightning, advancing instead of retreating, charging straight at the Northern Yan leader! The "Zhenyue" sword in his hand was drawn, and a streak of cold light pierced through the dim mine chamber!

"puff!"

The Northern Yan leader felt a chill on his neck, and the world before him began to spin. His last sight was his headless body and Xiao Chen's eyes, cold as ice. His hand, in the end, failed to fully press the detonation mechanism.

"Your Highness is truly awe-inspiring!"

The guards were greatly encouraged and fought even more bravely against the enemy. The mountain rat, seeing that the leader of the Northern Yan had been killed and the traps broken, was terrified and turned to run into a side passage deep in the mine.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Xiao Chen wouldn't let him escape. With a flick of his wrist, the "Zhenyue" sword flew out of his hand, turning into a streak of light. With a "whoosh," it pierced through the back of the "Mountain Drilling Rat" and emerged from his chest, pinning him firmly to the rock wall!

"The leader is dead!"

Seeing this, the remaining bandits and Shadow Guards lost all fighting spirit and knelt down to beg for mercy.

The battle was over. Xiao Chen walked to the suspicious rock walls and examined them carefully. Sure enough, the rock walls had been hollowed out and filled with "poisonous smoke" and "mountain-opening drugs," connected by fuses. If detonated, they would be enough to completely collapse this mining area.

"What a vicious plan!" Zhou Tietou was still terrified.

"Tear it down," Xiao Chen ordered.

The engineers in the guard stepped forward and carefully dismantled all the mechanisms and explosives.

"Search the entire mine chamber and side passages to see if there are any stray fish or other traps."

Soon, the guards discovered a temporary camp deep in a hidden side road. Inside, there was a lot of food, weapons, and several bound miners—the very people who had "disappeared" earlier.

It turns out that they were kidnapped by the Mountain Rat and others, who interrogated them about the structure of the mine and spread rumors about "monsters".

"Your Highness! It was Your Highness who saved us!" The rescued miners wept bitterly.

"It's alright now."

Xiao Chen reassured him, "The monster has already been slain by me."

He walked to the center of the mine chamber and tapped the rock beneath his feet with his sword, producing a hollow echo.

"Dig it open."

The guards used their entrenching tools to quickly dig away the surface rubble and soil.

Below, a patch of jet-black, glossy, pure black gold—a high-quality coal seam! Moreover, its reserves are astonishing, and its quality is exceptional!

"I see!"

Xiao Chen suddenly realized, "They want to blow up the mine shaft, so they can kill me and destroy this newly discovered rich mine at the same time—killing two birds with one stone!"

"May His Highness be blessed with boundless good fortune!" the crowd exclaimed in unison.

"Get out of here!"

Xiao Chen waved his hand, "Let the villagers see the monster's true face!"

Outside the mine, hundreds of miners waited anxiously.

When Xiao Chen and his guards emerged unharmed, carrying several prisoners and the corpses of the Mountain Rat and the Northern Yan leader, a thunderous cheer erupted.

"Long live the Prince!"

"The monster has been slain by the prince!"

Xiao Chen made the rescued miners and prisoners tell the truth of the matter in front of everyone.

"So it was the Northern Yan dogs and the remnants of the Black Mountain who were behind this!"

"Using poisonous smoke and gunpowder to play tricks is despicable!" the miners exclaimed indignantly.

"Fellow villagers!"

Xiao Chen proclaimed loudly, "There are no demons in this world, only demons in people's hearts! From this day forward, there will be no more 'monsters' in the Black Mountain Coal Mine! Only inexhaustible 'black gold,' and only the flames burning for the rise of my Cold Abyss!"

"Long live the Prince! Long live Han Yuan!" The cheers once again resounded through the sky.

"Furthermore," Xiao Chen continued, "I have discovered a new rich mine underground! From today onwards, the output of the Black Mountain Coal Mine will double again! All miners will receive a 30% pay increase this month! The injured will receive double compensation!"

"Thank you for your grace, Your Highness!" The miners were so moved that tears welled up in their eyes, and they all knelt down.

They not only overcame their fears but also reaped the benefits, reaching the pinnacle of their loyalty to Xiao Chen and the Han Yuan government.

With the "monster" eradicated and a new mine discovered, the Black Mountain Coal Mine resumed production, and output increased significantly. High-quality "black gold" was continuously transported to "Black Mountain Iron City" and workshops across the country via the newly built "Black Mountain Avenue."

The blast furnaces of "Black Mountain Iron City" ignited with even hotter flames; the machines of the "Hydraulic Workshop" roared even more powerfully.

The industrial heart of the Cold Abyss beats even stronger.

Standing atop Black Mountain, Xiao Chen gazed at the bustling scene below and said to Wang Dashan beside him, "Look, this is the power of Han Yuan. I fear neither ghosts nor evil spirits; I only believe in the blade in my hand, the fire in my heart, and the inexhaustible 'black gold' beneath my feet."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Wang Dashan sincerely replied, "With such power, where in the world can't I go?"

"yes……"

Xiao Chen's gaze turned to the far south, where the Central Plains and the capital city lay—the path he was destined to embark on.

And the rolling "black gold" beneath his feet will be the most powerful driving force on his journey.