Chapter 2827: Hostile Ten minutes later, Captain Zoran watched as Zaka and his group transitioned and teleported away. Standing on the deck of the ship, he saw below that twenty transport drones were arranged in two rows, quickly advancing westward under Zaka’s lead. In the end, the ship had provided 5,000 multi-functional combat shovels, charging them 100,000 contribution points. When Zoran first heard they wanted 5,000 combat shovels, he almost lost it, taking a long time to calm himself down. What were they planning to do with so many combat shovels? A subordinate soldier approached Zoran and reported, “Captain, I checked the mainframe, and they just submitted 355 B-grade spirit gemstones.” Zoran was surprised. That many? Did the ore site they found yield direct spirit gemstones? And all B-grade? Zoran furrowed his brows, feeling something strange. The same question remained: what were they doing with so many combat shovels? “Also, Captain, several mercenary groups have already moved toward the desert region to investigate. Should we intervene?” “Hmm…” Zoran pondered for a moment. Those troublesome mercenary groups. Last time, they started a fight over resources, and it took Zoran quite some effort to mediate and assign tasks. “Take a few men and follow them. These mercenaries are our assets. See what’s going on and maintain control of the situation. Don’t let things get out of hand.” “Yes, sir! Understood!” … Ten minutes later. At the desert’s edge. Several player mercenary groups had gathered. Mercenary commander Cole gazed into the distant desert. A few days ago, after the discovery of several spirit crystal mines, mercenary groups clashed to seize mining rights. Eventually, under Federation mediation, the mines were divided according to each group’s strength. After a period of transport and mining, most of the mines were nearly depleted. Cole was considering expanding the team to search for the next mine when a new ore area suddenly appeared on the mapped terrain. A subordinate reported, “Commander, it should be deeper into the desert, about five kilometers ahead. It’s a large area.” “Hmm.” Cole nodded slightly and said, “The crystal ore’s energy fluctuation is strong. This might be the largest mine we’ve discovered so far.” “Hehe, Commander, I’ve contacted some friends to investigate. The discoverer of this crystal mine isn’t from any of the major mercenary groups. If we can seize it first, we’ll gain significant leverage.” The Western District Federation recruited teams from all over the world. Unlike Fang Heng, most arrived early and had an extra day to prepare, so they naturally split into their teams. Cole’s expression grew serious as he said, “This desert region is no easy walk.” It wasn’t that no player teams had tried to conquer this area before. During the early days after entering the game world, several player teams had attempted to take control of the domain, and some even briefly formed alliances. But unfortunately, all of their efforts ended in failure. The Burrowing Sand Locusts were too troublesome. The edges of the desert were manageable, but once they ventured deeper, swarms of locusts attacked from all directions, overwhelming them. “Commander, by the way, we just saw a player team pass directly through the desert without being attacked by the Burrowing Sand Locusts.” “Really? How did they manage that?” “No idea.” The subordinate shook his head, then added, “But we also tried entering the desert, and there were far fewer Burrowing Sand Locusts than before. If we’re careful, we should make it through.” “Hmm…” Cole pondered. He thought it was likely that the Burrowing Sand Locusts had somehow significantly decreased in number and that the small team had coincidentally possessed some form of aura concealment technique or ritual, allowing them to smoothly enter the heart of the desert and successfully locate the spirit crystal mine. It was just a stroke of luck for those few, nothing more. Cole raised his head, ready to lead his team into the desert, when a player hurried over and said, “Captain, someone’s coming from behind, and they’ve brought a batch of transport drones.” Hmm? Transport drones? Cole frowned. In fact, after practical testing, players found that the transport drones weren’t very useful. They were slow, bulky, and easy targets for enemies on the battlefield. Furthermore, if they were damaged along the way, players couldn’t repair them, and they couldn’t even bring them back to be fixed. Of course, the worst part was the exorbitant cost of the transport drones. “Captain, the team I saw earlier, that was them.” “Interesting, let’s wait and see,” Cole replied. He signaled for the team to hold off for a moment. After a while, Zaka and his group arrived at the desert’s edge with the mechanical transport convoy. Zaka noticed a large group of players gathered at the desert’s edge. He immediately felt a pang of unease and became more cautious. They weren’t here with good intentions! Players were typically grouped into teams upon entering the game, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t re-form teams after entering. The enemy had a large number of people. If a confrontation started, they wouldn’t have the upper hand. Cole was also observing the group. Something felt off. Despite their small number, they had many transport drones. What were they transporting? Cole’s team was eyeing the large crates loaded onto the transport drones. One of the players from Cole’s group stepped forward and asked Zaka’s team, “Are you all heading into the desert to search for spirit ore as well?” “You too?” “Ha, we’re definitely interested in the mission. But the mutant worms in the desert are so annoying. How did you all manage to get into the desert?” the player asked. “That’s not something we can share. Don’t let us delay your business,” Zate said coldly, shaking his head, signaling his team to continue. “Don’t try to play coy with me!” Another player from the group sneered, stepping in front of Zate’s team and glaring at Zaka’s group, his expression filled with malice. “We know it was you who discovered the ore site. Our leader is kind-hearted, and we’re offering to cooperate because we respect you. But if other teams get their hands on you, they’ll strip you clean of everything.” “Wu Xiao! Enough!” Cole shouted, giving a reprimanding glance at his subordinate before turning to Zate’s group. “I apologize for my subordinate’s rudeness.” “To be honest with all of you, the Federation’s surveying instruments have shared the mining site coordinates. It’s not just us—other teams have already discovered this mining area as well, and most of them are on their way here.” “Even if you don’t tell us, we’ll likely find a way to break through the desert area soon enough.”