Alternative 1.2

"Alright, listen up!" a corporation employee under the M.I.C jurisdiction came forth before the twenty miners for their attention. As most of the employee like this are well known to be professional miners before they sign a contract with the M.I.C, they're very well respected from both inside and outside of M.I.C.

"Our shuttle will travel across the South China Sea section and releases the entrance capsule that will send all of you into the zone of Hai Phong, Old Vietnam. Once you're down there, follow the path suggested by the handheld device to Hanoi's city center."

"We will wait for a total seven days. If you're not here by then, we will leave you there with the land defend unit. I believe each of you knows that failure to return in designated time will grant M.I.C a total of 50% of your harvest, and you will be subjected to a protection penalty."

"Am I clear?" the corporation employee questioned all of them in case one of them fallen asleep during this short briefing. With a few more words about what to pay attention and also constant checking on the handheld device for further information, the twenty of them is given access into the armory for their equipment.

Within, hot weaponry in multiple forms is available to choose. While all of them here are just the most basic equipment available in the market, to be given access to them without purchase shows how magnanimous M.I.C towards their fellow miners.

Of course, if anyone feels that the quality of weapon is too low for his standard, he can pay an additional fee to request for higher grade weapon, such as the Corporation Employee's Alteration Dominic's 12-Gauge Pump Shotgun.

With improved stability, recoil absorber, swift barrel reloading, Red dot sight, and three electronic shells to choose from, the shotgun can slaughter the entire team of newbies like them before he emptied the bullets.

"Armory Keeper, I'd like to choose these three as my equipment for this trip," Chen Fan hand his handheld device to the person in charge to finalize his selection. With almost everyone present is experienced in firing a hot-weapon, it did not take them too long to suit up.

Chen Fan selected the Agile-Hawk Rifle as his main weaponry, Automatic Jumper handgun as his side, and an extendable staff with an electrical charge on both ends. After getting his part of general protection suit and Emergency Aid Kit, Chen Fan excused himself for other's turn.

When all of them is strapped tight on their launching seats, the shuttle made their way. After a series of reporting, number reading, and approvals, the shuttle launches and headed straight into the coordinate they're assigned to perform their harvest.

As he was seated on the left side of the shuttle, Chen Fan notices three more shuttle launched. Perhaps, like himself, there's more miner as he expected. To become the top miner might be easy to say, but he got too many competitors to be beaten before he stands on the top.

It took the shuttle twenty-six minutes to reach the New Earth. After bracing for the impact of entering its atmosphere, the Corporation Employee lifted his thumb as a sign that they'll be launch on their own pod and starting their mining mission!

"Go!" the Corporation Employee pressed a button on his left and twenty capsules is fired towards the Continent where Old Vietnam used to be.

The descending speed reaches 70 km/h from the launch, and within a few minutes, the air friction helps to slow the capsule before it landed on the ground. On touchdown, Chen Fan is discharged from the container with his selected weaponry and therefore began his mining mission.

"I remember that the documentation says Old Vietnam is infested with... Here they come..." after equipping himself properly, Chen Fan prepared to left this landing area and starts looking for resources. But before he even moves, a golem-like crawler came out from the sand surrounding him.

Chen Fan checked the handheld device for some further information.

[Cultist Stonecrawler]

[Threat: 5]

[Weakness: Upper Back/ Four Limbs]

[Drops:]

[Cultist Crystal Shards / Processable]

[Cultist Mineral Shards / Processable]

"Ai... I won't complain if credits came to my side on their own, but why did you make it so hard to earn?" Fan Chen withdraws a nice shape square board from his backpack and presses a serial of codes on its reactive surface.

The correct serial code activated the board, deploying into a 50cmx50cmx50cm cube. An opening can be seen from its top, ready to place certain products within for processing. This is also the reason why Chen Fan complained.

While some product can be harvested in whole, some must be processed before they yield a value. As for the Mutated Alternative monster before him, it was one of the lowest yield monsters available in New Earth, with an unusual nickname.

=Bullet Waster=

Hard to kill, stupid, very aggressive, yield poorly. There are not many miners willing to hunt this monster in exchange of bullets. While the weapon cost them nothing unless it's lost or broken, the ammunition is charged separately.

But for Chen Fan, who's on his first mining mission, it was not his leisure to choose not to hunt! Who knows that in the latter part of his journey more difficult monsters appear? By that time, Chen Fan's situation will be the same as the word from the wise.

"Complaining that the mouse too small, while himself is nothing much against an elephant." It means that one should not complain about how small is his benefit as he wasn't good enough to fight for a bigger one.

"Eat my bullet!" Chen Fan aimed his crosshair against the incoming Cultist Stonecrawler and fired three continuous shots. Two struck the target but missed the crucial parts and allowed the monster to continue moving.

"Continue!" Chen Fan motivated himself to keep firing. By firing on hip, Chen Fan's accuracy is even higher, allowing him to get one of the four limbs before Chen Fan have to dodge the charging attack.

The moment he dodged the attack, Chen Fan shifted his rifle to his side firearm and fired a few shots and decapitate one of the limbs.

"Gedak... Dak... Dak..." the monster turned around trying to put Chen Fan into its sight, but with three limbs left from four, Chen Fan's sprinting speed is was faster than the monster. The advantageous movement allowed Chen Fan to extend his staff from a distance before he followed with an attack.

"Gegedak!" the thrust overturned the Cultist Stonecrawler bottoms up, but that wasn't all he wishes to do. With both hands holding the staff at one end, Chen Fan delivers a rain of attack on the head until it separates from the main body.

Because the Cultist Stonecrawler is not a living organism, there weren't any blood flows when the head is separated from the body. But this wasn't a killing strike. The monster will continue to move as long the protruding part on the upper back remain intact.

This is because the real threat of the Cultist Stonecrawler comes from the puppeteer controlling the monster from this part, which is the most hidden part an enemy can attack!

But being overturned, this hidden part revealed itself, allowing Chen Fan to thrust his staff with an electrical discharge and electrocute the puppeteer into a pile of charcoal. Lack of puppeteer holding the body together, the Cultist Stonecrawler crumbled and shattered into parts.

Lucky for him, the shattered parts would be the best as it made processing the product runs smoother. Spending between ten to fifteen minutes, Chen Fan collected a proper Cultist Crystal Shard and half Cultist Mineral Shard before he can leave.

As for the dead puppeteer he electrocuted, only a small grain of crystal in a green hue came out. As the green crystal grain did not catch the attention of the Handheld Device, Chen Fan prepared himself to start traveling.

"BOOM!" an explosion and tremors happened not far from him, with a silhouette seen flying in the air.

"Holy Moly!" everything surprised Chen Fan as his jaw dropped. Luckily, the Handheld Device in his hand vibrates fiercely for his attention, and with the entire display panel turned red, it carries the meaning of life-threatening danger.

With the processor cube is disassembled, Chen Fan quickly retreats. The Handheld Device on his arm vibrates even fiercer, causing his heart to beat faster. While as he escapes from where he stops earlier, booming sound and tremors keep spreading until where he was previously.

"Shit! Shit! That's a Red Land Wyrm!" Chen Fan run without looking back!

Even without looking at the device, Chen Fan knows that this monster exceeds 20 points in Threat Level. Running from this monster might not be difficult, but if ten people are placed on this situation, maybe lesser than three people managed to collect themselves and escape.

"HUOOOOR!" the Red Land Wyrm unburrows itself from the underground, causing higher level tremors near the surrounding.