Hyberian Wars Chronicles

"Don't worry too much, it's just casual chatting. You can express any dissatisfaction or emotions you have in there. If you're lucky, you might even meet a beautiful female doctor," Jones winked at Qianlong.

Qianlong's mouth twitched slightly; he suddenly realized that the person he thought would be the hardest to get along with, Jones, was actually the easiest.

"Please proceed to Diagnostic Room Six, Mr. Qianlong."

Qianlong stood up and said, "I'll go in first."

"Go ahead."

Following the prompt, Qianlong arrived at Diagnostic Room Six and pushed the door open. Inside, a woman in a white lab coat was facing away from him, looking at data.

"Sorry to interrupt."

The doctor turned around, and Qianlong was somewhat surprised to see a very beautiful woman with black hair, though her expression was a bit cold.

"Please lie down in the machine and try to relax. Don't worry; the machine is just an aid," she instructed.

Qianlong nodded and walked over to a special machine.

This machine allowed a person to lie down, and then it would rise from both sides in a semi-arched manner, eventually merging to completely envelop the subject for examination.

He lay down, and soon the machine began to close in.

Instantly, the world before him turned pitch black.

"Relax, try to let yourself loosen up, and keep your mind open," the female doctor's voice clearly conveyed through the darkness.

Qianlong replied, "Okay."

"The test is divided into three stages. You must answer my questions truthfully; this is for your own responsibility. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Are you afraid of the dark?" the doctor asked.

"Are you referring to visual darkness like now, or in a general sense?" Qianlong asked, puzzled.

"You can answer both."

"I'm not afraid."

The doctor looked at the data fluctuations displayed on the screen before her; they were very stable, which surprised her. Generally, only those who were incredibly resilient and had been through the trials of fire would exhibit such calmness.

"Were you afraid the first time you encountered death?"

"I wasn't afraid."

"Talk about your feelings."

"Shock, more confusion," Qianlong replied after some thought.

...

About half an hour later, Qianlong opened his eyes.

The machine began to release him.

"Your mental values are at a healthy level; there are no issues. You can leave now."

Qianlong got up and replied, "Thank you."

He then walked out, but did not see Aina or Jones in the waiting hall.

Qianlong decided to leave first.

Walking down the street, Qianlong checked his wristband; it was still very early.

"Shall I take a stroll?"

Thinking this, he changed direction and walked the opposite way.

Before long, he arrived at the bottom of a large shopping mall. Qianlong hesitated; should he go in? It seemed like he would end up spending money.

Since he was planning to see if he could buy some energy stones, he indeed intended to save his Points.

However, energy stones were generally controlled items and could not usually be purchased.

After hesitating, Qianlong chose not to enter and continued walking forward.

Unknowingly, Qianlong arrived at a small park. It could be understood as a small slope filled with green vegetation, with stone steps leading up the middle.

He was surprised; such a large area of greenery, and not many people came here, making it feel very tranquil.

Qianlong stepped onto the steps and walked up.

When he reached the top, he was taken aback; the slope was surrounded by a circle of white railings.

Inside, stone tablets were orderly erected, each displaying a photo of the deceased and inscribed with historical accounts.

What surprised Qianlong the most was that he actually saw someone he recognized.

He saw Aina quietly standing in front of a grave, the photo of the deceased looking very cheerful in a blue uniform, smiling broadly.

Qianlong hesitated and did not approach Aina; although he didn't quite understand, he could feel that it wasn't the right time to greet her.

A gentle breeze blew by, causing Aina's hair to flutter slightly.

"Fool."

Aina said this with a hint of sadness before turning to leave.

Not long after, Qianlong emerged from behind a dense thicket.

Everyone has a side they don't want to be seen; this is everyone's secret, and Qianlong respected her privacy.

After a long while, Qianlong returned to his small abode.

Lying on the bed, Qianlong raised his wristband and searched for energy stones.

Energy Stones: A general term for crystals containing energy, they have a low probability of being found on planets and meteors, but a high probability of coming from alien nests. They have a wide range of uses and can be considered hard currency in the interstellar era.

Energy stones are graded: broadly classified as Level I, II… to Level V, above which they are defined as special energy stones with independent names.

The information was quite vague, indicating it had been processed. Qianlong was not too surprised by this result.

He continued searching but found very little additional information.

However, a particularly eye-catching advertisement popped up, which surprised Qianlong.

He clicked on the information.

Voluntary recruitment for retired Harvesters, requiring experienced Harvesters with excellent driving and mining skills, aged under 100 years.

Job content: During off-duty periods, go to meteorite zones to detect energy stones, with extremely generous compensation.

Application method: XXXXXX Qianlong opened his wristband, accessed the binding information, and quickly found this long-term task. This task was indeed not only aimed at retired Harvesters but also at active Harvesters.

This long-term task was actually issued by the Hyberian Logistics Resource Department, but it was voluntary.

He tried to click on the task and submitted an application.

"Application in progress."

Qianlong finished and laid back on the bed quietly.

After a while, the wristband emitted a crisp notification sound; the application was approved.

"Gather at the E Zone hangar at 7 AM the day after tomorrow for a meteorite group detection activity, expected to last three days, with a reward of 1000 Points + 20% of the energy stone value."

On the third day, Qianlong arrived at the E Zone hangar early. The large hangar was eerily quiet, with only five people present.

The person in charge of this operation was a squinting man named Fatty, with a kind smile.

"Gler, I really doubt how you got so fat."

"Eat more, and you'll get fat too," Gler replied without much anger. To put it bluntly, anyone standing here was an old hand at making extra money, and their presence was very important because this job was specifically to clean up after certain people.

However, it was somewhat surprising that a newcomer was added this time; of course, he was very new, but Gler did not look down on the young man before him at all. Instead, he had high hopes for this kid, who was participating in a long-term task for the first time. His resume looked almost too good to be true.

Of course, Gler wouldn't think that way; a Harvester's resume cannot be faked, and there's no point in faking it. This job is all about putting your life on the line.

"You must be Mr. Qianlong."

"Um, hello," Qianlong replied calmly.