Bab 6: Self-Awareness
"Jane, did you get through to Ryan? Where is he now?"
As Aeloria walked over, carrying her bag gracefully, Jane hurriedly turned off the video function on her smartwatch.
One had to admit, Aeloria had her charms. She was tall, beautiful, and carried herself with a certain elegance, attracting many admiring glances from the miners at the base headquarters.
When Aeloria reached Jane and saw her flustered expression, she grew suspicious. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing… it's just that Ryan…" Jane recounted what Ryan had said earlier, omitting only his final remark.
After listening, Aeloria seemed slightly regretful. "Did he really say that? Well, it's good. At least he knows where he stands."
"Huh?" Jane was taken aback.
Aeloria smiled at her. "I've always been grateful for his help, but as he said, we could never be together. I originally thought the rumors about us dating were spread by him on purpose, but now I see I misunderstood him."
Saying this, Aeloria looked relieved. "It's better this way. I didn't know how to clear up the misunderstanding with him. Since he's distancing himself, it's good for both of us."
"But… weren't you good classmates and friends?" Jane was puzzled, looking at her best friend, suddenly feeling she was a stranger. "He wasted his time helping you out of your troubles, and now, because of these misunderstandings, you can't even be friends?"
"But if we stay close, everyone will think I'm dating Ryan."
"Does it really matter what others think?" Jane didn't voice this thought.
Although Jane didn't say it out loud, Aeloria understood. She quickly changed the subject, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Alright, it's my birthday today. Let's not talk about these unhappy things. Let's go shopping, and someone is taking us out to sing tonight."
Aeloria's mood wasn't affected by Ryan's earlier distancing.
Jane asked, "Was it the person you were talking to on the phone earlier?"
"Yes, Flock from the base logistics department," Aeloria nodded, brushing her hair aside. "He graduated from our school two years before us, earns 300,000 a year, and has good prospects."
"…" Jane was silent.
Aeloria was already looking for her next target. Or rather… her next stepping stone.
For some reason, Jane suddenly thought of what Ryan had said: "How could I give up conquering the vast universe for a mere vase?"
Feeling a bit disheartened, she forced herself to keep up with Aeloria.
On Ryan's side, Jane's call hadn't affected his mood. He saw Jane as a potential future ally.
Jane's rise to the rank of battalion commander in the Earth Space Force within three years showed her determination, ability, and talent were on par with his. If possible, he hoped to recruit Jane into his team.
Mining continued. With his past life's memories and experience, Ryan collected a considerable amount of ore in just half a day, returning fully loaded.
Back at the base, he headed straight to the logistics department to submit his haul. The logistics department was the busiest part of the base, responsible for receiving daily resources from miners, settling wages, and running a large supermarket for employees' daily needs.
Mining aircraft hovered before twelve conveyor belts. The miners disembarked, watching the belts with the logistics officers and staff.
A circular pipe extended from the tail of the mining aircraft. The stored ore rolled out onto the conveyor belt. The logistics department identified and analyzed each piece, calculating its value, with the numbers jumping on the display screen.
It was like a game… very simple. The final number was the total value of the ore, clear at a glance. Miners received 30% of the value.
If they completed the daily quota and the ore's total value exceeded 1,000 dollars, they received 33% of the value.
The miners ahead were all veterans, collecting over 1,000 dollars' worth of ore. Unfortunately, the excess was minimal… their daily wages barely exceeded 300 dollars.
On another conveyor belt, a newcomer hadn't met the daily quota, fined 100 dollars, receiving only 70 dollars, looking pale. As he left, many gave him sympathetic looks. That amount wouldn't even cover the maintenance of his mining aircraft.
When it was Ryan's turn, the conveyor belt started moving. As a large amount of H4-grade Scale Iron ore filled the belt, other miners couldn't help but look over, their eyes filled with envy and jealousy.
From the conveyor belt's vibrations, it was clear that the newcomer, number 3377, had a substantial haul. Thousands of dollars in a day meant a four-figure income.
Ryan stood by, arms crossed, silently watching the numbers on the screen. The conveyor belt kept moving, the unloading pipe still clattering as more ore rolled out.
The numbers quickly broke into five figures. Now, the twelve logistics staff and waiting miners couldn't help but gather closer.
Wow! There's more! Over 10,000 dollars!
"Wow! Brother, you're rich!"
"Where did you find this?"
"Which area? Take us with you!"
Ryan didn't reject the curious miners, directly offering, "Today's task log,1,000dollars. Analyze it yourself, earn more or less, it's up to you."
The crowd fell silent. Selling the task log directly… it was clear 3377 wasn't a newcomer; this was the behavior of a seasoned miner.
At that moment, the ore's value on the conveyor belt exceeded 20,000 dollars. But no one bought the task log… it was obvious the ore came from multiple locations, making the log worthless.
Instead, Flock, a logistics supervisor, glanced over several times. Although TerraCore Group often saw lucky miners, this kid was a newcomer. Checking his ID, he saw they graduated from the same school.
As the conveyor belt's load slowly climbed past 27,000 dollars, it finally stopped. The staff announced, "The ore's total value exceeds 27,000 dollars. According to the company's profit-sharing ratio, your daily wage is 8,900 dollars, already credited. Congratulations."
"Hehe, thanks," Ryan said, pleased, as he left the logistics department.
Behind him, Flock made a call. "Do me a favor, get the task log for newcomer 3377 from the tower… Sure, no problem, dinner's on me tonight, and I'll introduce you to a pretty girl, a friend's friend."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone