Chapter 202: The Hope for a Breakthrough

Without waiting for Zhou Chu to answer, Long Aofei asked with even more concern: "Are you two injured? Do you need me to call a medical team over immediately!"

"Don't worry, we are both fine," Zhou Chu replied with a smile.

Only then did Long Aofei reveal a brilliant smile. He punched Zhou Chu on the shoulder and said: "Just like last time, it still took two hours. Your timing for this mission is truly precise."

Zhou Chu had not expected this either, considering he had spent quite a long time in the mine digging for Soul Crystal Raw Stones.

Moreover, such a large area of Soul Crystal Raw Stones—he had mined almost all the high-purity ones, and they had piled up like a small mountain inside his Life Soul Artifact.

Logically speaking, these Soul Crystal ores belonged to the state, but as a meritorious official who had resolved the crisis in the mine, it shouldn't be excessive for Zhou Chu to mine some raw stones for himself.

However, Zhou Chu was not a person who would line his own pockets, and mining such important mineral resources privately without reporting it to his superiors would be no different from corruption.

Therefore, Zhou Chu decided to mention it.

After all, since it concerned the state, he could not just make a decision privately without even bringing it up.

As for whether they would agree, that was a matter for his superiors; whether he spoke or not was his own business.

At this moment, Wu Guangzhou also stepped forward and said with relief: "It's good that you're fine. As long as you came out safely, that is better than anything else."

"This mission was completed excellently. The mine map drawn is very detailed, which is crucial for our subsequent development and research of the Soul Crystal Mine."

"You two have made a huge contribution to the country this time. To commend your outstanding achievements, I, on behalf of the Shenxia Military, will grant you one request. As long as it does not violate regulations, we will satisfy it as much as possible."

Zhou Chu did not dawdle and said straightforwardly: "Chief, this time in the mine, I discovered some high-purity Soul Crystal Raw Stones. They might be helpful for upgrading my Life Soul Artifact, so I collected some."

"I know that Soul Crystal ores belong to the state, so I wanted to report it to you and hope to receive your approval."

Hearing this, Wu Guangzhou smiled calmly: "Zhou Chu, that you could take the initiative to report this matter shows that your character is upright and you have great righteousness in your heart."

"Given your great service in resolving the mine crisis, collecting some high-purity Soul Crystal Raw Stones to upgrade your Life Soul Artifact is a reasonable request. I approve."

"Not only that, if you have any other needs related to the Soul Crystal Mine, as long as it can improve your strength and is within the Military's capabilities, you can bring them up."

"And for you, this counts as what you deserve, not a request, so you can feel free to make your request."

Once Zhou Chu heard this, his heart settled, so he spoke frankly: "Upgrading my Life Soul Artifact requires refining them into higher-purity Soul Crystals. I would like to ask the Military to help keep an eye out and see if we can find someone who has mastered this skill."

"This is not only critical for my personal strength improvement, but also of great benefit to the country's future development of the Soul Crystal Mine."

Wu Guangzhou nodded and pondered for a moment, then said: "Hmm, according to our current expert team, it is indeed a bit tricky to refine Soul Crystals from raw stones, but it is not impossible."

"And your suggestion is excellent. The Military will mobilize resources from all sides and launch a collection effort nationwide. You can rest assured and wait for news; I will notify you the moment there is progress."

Zhou Chu nodded with a smile and said: "Then many thanks, Chief, for your trouble!"

Wu Guangzhou shook his head with a smile and said: "This time, I should be the one thanking you. If it weren't for you, the exploration and mining work of this Soul Crystal Mine would have been shelved for a long time."

"However, I will issue your mission rewards in the form of Military Merit Value, which will be directly deposited into your Officer Card. You can then go to the headquarters' Military Supplies Department to exchange for the resources you need."

Zhou Chu then took a raw stone out of his Storage Space and handed it to Wu Guangzhou: "Chief, this is a raw stone I collected from the mine. You can give it to the expert team to study first; it might be helpful for mining and refining."

Wu Guangzhou took the raw stone, examined it carefully for a moment, then nodded with relief and said: "You are very thoughtful. I will immediately arrange for experts to study this raw stone. Rest assured, your hard work will not be in vain."

Immediately after, Zhou Chu took the compression bags containing the remains of the ten Field Officer-level officers out of his Storage Space and placed them on the ground one by one.

"These are the remains of those ten officers. By the time I got inside, their Soul Power had already been sucked dry by the monsters within."

Zhou Chu said with a solemn expression, his eyes full of regret: "They gave their precious lives for the country to explore the Soul Crystal Mine. They are heroes of the Shenxia Kingdom and deserve a proper burial."

Looking at the compression bags neatly arranged on the ground, Wu Guangzhou's expression also became solemn. He said slowly: "They are the pride of the Shenxia Kingdom and have made a huge sacrifice for the country. The Military will certainly hold a grand funeral for them so they may rest in peace."

"Zhou Chu, thank you for everything you have done. Bringing their remains out is letting them return to their roots. The Military will properly arrange the subsequent matters and give their families an explanation."

After Wu Guangzhou observed a brief moment of silence for the remains of these martyrs, his expression could not help but be moved.

He suppressed the sorrow in his heart, waved his palm, and collected these remains into his Storage Space. After composing his emotions, he then instructed: "Alright, I must hurry back to the Military to convene an emergency meeting. From here on, Commander Long will arrange the subsequent matters."

Having said that, Wu Guangzhou turned and walked into the teleportation array, his figure then disappearing into the light and shadow.

Watching Wu Guangzhou leave, Long Aofei then said: "Alright, since the mission is complete, it's time for us Demon Snipers to withdraw."

At this time, Zhou Chu pulled Long Aofei back and said somewhat mysteriously: "Chief, there is something I want you to see."

Long Aofei looked at Zhou Chu with some confusion and said: "What thing?"

Zhou Chu did not intend to keep him in suspense any longer; he took a black Crystal out of his Storage Space and handed it before the other's eyes.

After seeing this Crystal, Long Aofei's eyeballs almost flew out. He immediately asked with an excited expression: "This, this is a Dragon egg? And it's a Black Dragon egg? Zhou Chu, where did you get this?"

"It was in the bottom layer of the mine, discovered after I subdued that Calamity Ghost Dragon," Zhou Chu said without hiding anything.

Long Aofei's eyes were locked tightly onto this Dragon egg, his throat bobbing continuously, his expression full of hope and anticipation.

As the only Black Dragon Knight in the Shenxia Kingdom, Long Aofei had been wishing and hoping to own a Black Dragon of his own.

But wanting to obtain a Black Dragon was easier said than done, not to mention whether such a Legendary creature even existed.

Even if it did exist, finding one was extremely difficult.

If it didn't exist, he might just be wasting his time.

But Long Aofei had never given up. Over these many years, he had traveled almost to the ends of the earth, yet he had never been able to find a trace of a Dragon.

It was not until later that Long Aofei gradually lost hope and treated it as an unreachable dream.

It was precisely because of this that Long Aofei had been unable to break through the shackles of the Seven-turn for several years, and had not even been able to refine his own Life Soul Artifact.

But this Black Dragon egg before him was the only hope for his breakthrough.