Chapter 2823: Digging

“To be precise, the mapping device has a low probability of malfunction. I think there should be a spirit crystal mine underground. We’ll know once we try.”

Su Guantong, standing nearby, reached out her hand, and a multi-functional engineer shovel appeared in her grasp. She began to dig down at the spot.

“Alright, I’ll help too,” Zaka responded, and he and Zate immediately started digging as well.

Fang Heng stepped aside and, with a flick of his wrist, two rune papers appeared in his hands.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The rune papers were thrown into the air, and they exploded at the same time. Two Lickers leapt out of the explosion, landing and quickly condensing into two flesh cocoons.

“Chi, chi chi…”

The flesh cocoons pulsed rhythmically.

Su Guantong turned her head and saw Fang Heng controlling the Lickers. Her pupils suddenly contracted.

The Licker!

Earlier in the desert, she hadn’t been able to see the Licker clearly due to the distance, but now, with Fang Heng summoning creatures right before them, she could see clearly!

It was indeed a Licker!

The creature Fang Heng had summoned before.

From the intelligence gathered, it was clear that Fang Heng could control large groups of Lickers and even use them to directly confront Holy Court forces from the Holy Realm on the battlefield!

Each Licker had been classified by the Federation as an elite unit in the advanced game world.

Very difficult to deal with.

Su Guantong now did not doubt in her mind. The person in front of her was indeed the World Lord Fang Heng!

However, since Fang Heng had chosen to conceal his identity, there must have been some reason for it.

Su Guantong decided to pretend not to know.

Zaka and Zate also saw the Licker, and both were slightly taken aback.

“Fang Heng? Is that your summoned creature?”

“Mm.”

Fang Heng nodded slightly.

Five minutes passed, and the enhanced stealth skill of the Licker’s modified body activated. The two Licker modified bodies broke out of their flesh cocoons.

The two Licker modified bodies quickly dug through the ground using their evolved forelimbs, and in the astonished gazes of Su Guantong and the others, the Lickers quickly infiltrated the ground and disappeared.

Huh?

Su Guantong’s heart skipped a beat.

Digging? They’re so fast!

In just seven seconds, the two Lickers had completely infiltrated the ground and disappeared, leaving only two holes in the ground.

Zaka and Zate also looked at Fang Heng in surprise.

Using summoned creatures for ore exploration?

This actually worked?

Zaka was stunned for a moment, then finally said, “Fang Heng, brother, you’re really something. I’m impressed.”

Fang Heng’s expression remained calm as he released his perception to control the Licker’s movements.

The underground sand layer in the forest area was much firmer than in the desert, so the digging efficiency of the Licker was a bit slower.

Soon, after digging over thirty meters underground, the Licker discovered a cavern.

“Found it.”

Fang Heng controlled the Licker to climb back up and informed Zaka and the others, “There is an underground cavern about 32 meters beneath us. I think the true entrance to the cavern might be located elsewhere.”

Zaka swallowed nervously.

Goodness, 30 meters down, and how long has it been? If we were digging by hand, it would take us most of the day.

Zate asked, “Can we confirm that the spirit crystal is inside the cavern?”

“Not yet. We’ll have to go down and see for ourselves.”

Fang Heng could only rely on spiritual perception and game hints to control the Licker, so he wasn’t sure whether there was a spirit crystal mine down there.

By the time they finished speaking, the two Lickers had already expanded the tunnel and returned to the surface, staying near Fang Heng.

“It’s ready.”

Fang Heng stepped forward, looked down at the tunnel, and nodded, “I’ve confirmed there are no mutant worms below. I’ll go down first, you can follow me.”

With that, Fang Heng leapt straight into the dark cavern below.

Zaka and the others exchanged glances and nodded, following Fang Heng down the hole.

…

Deep in the cavern, more than 30 meters underground.

The cavern was lit by the faint glow of some unknown ore scattered around, providing a dim light that illuminated the surroundings.

Fang Heng landed and quickly scanned the area.

It was clear that the cavern had been mined. There were also towering stone pillars around, similar to the ones outside. Each pillar was embedded with spirit gemstones.

“There are signs of human excavation here. It looks like the underground structures were built by some ancient race. It seems no one has been here for a long time.”

Zate and the others also climbed down and quickly checked the surroundings. Finding nothing unusual, they turned their attention back to Fang Heng.

“Fang Heng, anything unusual?”

Fang Heng walked up to a large stone pillar, took the spirit gemstone embedded in it, and held it up to inspect.

[Hint: The player has discovered a spirit gemstone (Quality: B).]

“Nothing special. These stone pillars are similar to the ones outside, and the spirit gemstones embedded in them are about the same level.”

“Everyone, come here and take a look.” Su Guantong, holding her mapping device, traced an energy reaction along the stone wall. “The spirit crystal energy reaction here has significantly increased.”

Zate stepped up beside Su Guantong and tried tapping the stone wall with the hilt of his sword. He felt the force and sound of the impact, then furrowed his brow.

“It seems hollow.”

“I’ll take care of it. Everyone, step aside a bit.”

Fang Heng moved toward the stone wall, an alloy metal rod appearing in his hand. He swung the rod and struck the stone wall forcefully.

“Bang!!”

With a loud crash, the stone wall exploded, and large chunks of debris fell from the ceiling.

After clearing the rubble, the shattered rock wall revealed a mining area that had been largely excavated, with mining tools scattered all around.

Zate walked over and began inspecting the area, analyzing the pickaxes on the ground and said, “These tools have been here for at least several decades. Also, the craftsmanship is quite crude. The people who built this cavern were likely the indigenous inhabitants of this world.”

Zate looked puzzled and asked, “Why would the indigenous people have built this underground cavern and then covered up the mining area…?”

“Don’t overthink it. This was hundreds of years ago, and the indigenous people were wiped out by mutant worms. What’s the point in wondering about them now?”

Zaka shrugged and pulled out a multi-functional engineer shovel from his backpack, “Anyway, we should just focus on mining some spirit crystals and take them back to complete the mission, right, Fang Heng?”

“Yeah, let’s mine some ore and take a batch back to check the situation.”

After hearing Fang Heng’s approval, everyone nodded and took out their shovels, starting to mine spirit crystals.

Fang Heng also grabbed a shovel and began digging.

[Hint: The player has obtained spirit crystal ore (Quality: C).]

The game hint appeared on Fang Heng’s retina.

Since Fang Heng’s mining skill was fully maxed out, the spirit crystal ores he mined were of a slightly higher level than the others.

The problem, however, was that once his backpack reached its 100-item capacity, it became fully loaded. Any additional ores would significantly increase his weight, resulting in negative effects like slower movement speed.

For veteran players like Zaka, mining was a core skill, and with the help of high-tech shovels, everyone quickly filled up their backpacks with materials.

After harvesting the spirit gemstones from the stone pillars and collecting most of the ores in the mining area, Fang Heng checked the time, nodded, and said, “Alright, let’s head back to the ship and deliver the mission.”