Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

Bai E paused while digging the trench, as a shadowy image flashed through his mind.

He helplessly glanced at the warrior who had spoken... Had that kid's mouth been touched by the divine?

He didn't utter a warning, for the sandy movements of the worm weren't clearly indicated in his mind; he could only roughly sense that the sandworm was attacking from underground but couldn't discern the exact spot it would emerge.

Perhaps near the vehicle?

"Boom!"

The sandworm burst forth from the earth, its ferocious bone blades revealing their sharp curves in mid-air.

"Ah!"

The warriors, engrossed in their digging, trembled as they turned to look at the giant worm that had just landed.

"Sandworm!"

"The worm!"

They cried out in unison.

Having undergone training about the newly emerged sandworms, related information sprang to their minds—

Its weakness is blunt-force trauma.

Concussion Grenade!

"Quick, grab the grenade launcher!" The captains of the other two squads commanded their members immediately.

Rose reacted even faster, pressing her hand against Bai E's chest. In the next moment, she shot out like an arrow, "Don't you intervene!"

Barehanded!

Having heard that Bai E had killed so many sandworms with his bare hands, she wanted to give it a try too.

Bai E leaned on his shovel, standing in place without any rush to act.

It was just one worm; they were more than capable of handling it, so it didn't matter whether he stepped in or not.

"Snap!" Facing a sandworm as massive as a transport vehicle, Rose was the first to charge forward.

Her tiny frame contrasted with the monstrous beast, creating a strikingly impressive scene.

The warrior holding the hastily assembled grenade launcher hesitated to shoot, as the worm hadn't fully emerged from the ground, and its visible body was in a straight line with Rose and himself; he feared hitting a friendly.

"Move!"

Without turning back, Rose gestured with her hand and then flipped in the air, landing a kick on the sandworm's lower jaw.

The intention to engage in hand-to-hand combat was crystal clear.

"Damn!" The captains of the two squads cursed quietly, each directing their own close-combat experts, "You guys help out!"

The soldier with the grenade launcher began to move in an arc based on the sandworm's emergence point, trying to circle around Rose to reach the creature's back and land a couple of shots.

Another captain, also quite skilled in close combat, had approached Rose by this time, watching her – still with a passionate smile on her face – striving to outmuscle the sandworm. In his eyes sparkled an uncontainable mixture of fear and envy.

"Big sister, how about you join our squad? I'll make you the captain."

So fierce! So fierce!

How could such a formidable person be underused and under someone else's command?

What virtues and abilities did that kid named Bai E have to deserve commanding such a powerhouse?

Rose glanced at him, "You guys? Far from enough."

"But still better than that kid..." the talking captain looked back, noting Bai E still digging the trench not far away...

???

Why was he still digging? Didn't he see the fight had already broken out?

"That kid..." Rose followed his gaze back, then burst into laughter, "You'd better pray that kid doesn't take action."

If it came to a situation where he needed to get involved, then this mission would no longer be so easy.

Rose focused again and with a soft shout at the spot, forcibly snapped off the two bone blades that were slashing down.

The captain next to her with his shield felt his throat constrict.

Is this really a newbie from the last batch? It's been a month since the last batch; has she become this fierce already?

...

Bai E diligently continued to shovel dirt—admittedly, the object was buried quite deeply. They had been digging around the gradually emerging metal exterior wall, going down in circles to reach at least two meters deep, but still hadn't found the entrance to this base station...

It would be nice to have some help.

Bai E glanced at the sandworm not far away, now being gradually driven back under the siege of a bunch of melee brutes… especially Rose. He felt a bit of regret that his "Hive Mind Will" wasn't powerful enough; otherwise, he could simply command these sandworms to dig for him, and that would be the end of it, right?

"Ssshhh!"

The dark imagery assaulted him once again, and Bai E raised an eyebrow.

The next moment, a colossal force overturned the soil beneath his feet, and Bai E's body was propelled high into the air by some unseen power.

"Flying... flying up?"

The first warrior to witness this event stared dumbfounded, the evening sky's sunset serving as the backdrop for the figure being hurled into the air.

Bai E, in mid-air, quickly adjusted his center of gravity; plummeting from a height of dozens of meters, he showed no sign of panic.

Overcome by weightlessness, Bai E nonetheless managed to adjust his posture in an instant, even sparing the effort to glance at Rose—who was also looking his way—and spread his hands open.

There was a hint of helplessness.

'This was them coming after me, not my fault.'

"Boom!" Bai E, falling from the sky, landed a punch right on the top of a sand worm's head, the unparalleled force spreading out from the core point of impact.

Charged with power, even using the one-punch strength that could instantly kill a hundred, the explosive force penetrated the insect's chitin shell and traveled downward.

"Crack~"

The shell cracked inch by inch, gradually widening.

The shattered Chitin Armor could no longer protect, or rather confine, the flesh beneath it, which was shockingly blasted open by the astounding force, the flesh and blood exploding first.

"Pfft!"

Gore and blood were ejected in all directions, but conspicuously avoided one.

It was as if an invisible barrier stood before Bai E, the jetting flesh and blood unable to cross the boundary by even half an inch.

The most vital central nervous system was smashed by one punch, and while it wasn't fatal, the momentary weakness caused the sand worm to slump down limply.

The creature, having just emerged from underground, didn't even get a chance to show off its might before carrying its king, it lay down collapsed.

Bai E lightly hopped down, landing on the ground from over a meter high on the sand worm's body.

"I'll leave this one to you."

"Crack~" Bai E pulled out the shovel stuck in the ground and, full of excitement, ran towards the direction of the large hole made by the sand worm.

Let's see if this sand worm has been helping with the work...

"Gulp~" The sound of swallowing saliva was exceptionally clear in the quiet scene.

Rose, grinning, reached out to lift the chin of the team captain who was gaping, "It's a regular performance, relax a little."

That kid... that kid...

What kid? That's obviously my dad.

The captain, who had tried to poach Rose, shut his mouth, his gaze steely.

All the soldiers in the city are brothers; once this battle is over, he would seek guidance from this good brother, this good father.

["Luck Strike" energy charge +13.]

And by now, the good father in his heart had already jumped into the underground tunnel made by the sand worm.

The sand worm naturally couldn't drill through the base station walls made of metal from the Origin Alloy series, yet its path stayed close to the wall's edge. Following its tunnel all the way down, Bai E actually saw a noticeable door gap at a winding turn.

The silver-gray metallic door seam was still mostly covered in dirt, but just the exposed part was enough to bring delight—

Finally found the door, heh!

Taking advantage of the ongoing fierce battle elsewhere, Bai E began to dig immediately.

"Shush, shush, shush!"

"Shush, shush, shush!" Dark silhouettes appeared one after the other.

Two more?

Bai E pressed his earpiece and whispered inside, "Do you need help?"

Rose's voice, panting through clenched teeth, rejected outright, "No need!"

Three teams, and they can't take down four sand worms? What face would she have to be with Bai E's team?

"Just try not to have any losses," Bai E whispered back, not saying anything further.

Sacrifice was indeed the cornerstone of the Empire; human warriors needed the stimulation of blood to maintain lasting combat strength, but since he was present, it was best to avoid injuries if possible.

"Understood," Rose replied tersely, with the sound of a violent clash of steel in the background.

Trusting Rose's judgment, Bai E was somewhat reassured. Since she had given her word, he didn't need to worry too much.

As the disturbances above started to subside, Bai E's solitary excavation was also nearing its end.

A pale artificial light source illuminated the underground hole, where Bai E brought the only technician in the team to the silver-gray door.

Bai E patted the smooth wall with his palm and said to him, "It's up to you now."

The ruins of the Golden Age invariably had concepts of locks, and the methods to unlock them often survived, held by the various crumbling cities.

As long as the civilization hadn't declined too drastically, creations from that era were absolutely reliable and robust.

Even after more than four hundred years, the vestiges of the Golden Age still sheltered all mankind of this era.

The technician pulled out a small bag he was carrying, taking a small, silver-gray mechanical key from the innermost compartment.

The gate, almost impossible to break with external force, could be opened easily by hand once the key was inserted. The sliding doors opened to the sides, which was necessary given the limited space that might have been obstructed by the underground soil otherwise.

Both holding flashlights, they walked inside.

The interior of the base station was pitch black, and at the center illuminated by the flashlight, there stood a semi-transparent crystal pillar that reflected the light.

The crystal pillar was located in the middle of a circular tower base, looking fragile yet exquisite.
Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire

There were some cables around, but the overall technological style was quite different from what Bai E had anticipated.

The technology of mankind's Golden Age was certainly quite different from the present...

"It's taken care of upstairs," Rose's voice came through the earpiece.

"Mm~" Bai E hummed softly in reply, "Let them regroup, package the bodies, and if there's nothing else, you can come down and have a look."

"Yes."