Super Soldier

Chapter Seventeen: The Hero Faces the Dragon

At the loud bellow of the prison guards, two hundred inmates shuffled toward the far corner of the yard, selecting pieces of battered exoskeletal gear suited to their size and build.

As the self-proclaimed king of the first prison canteen, Lin Fei had no obligation to toil. His appearance at the mining site was purely ceremonial; he wasn’t required to don any of the mechanical limbs. Yet, intrigued, he wandered over for a closer look at the aging exosuits.

The exoskeletons were rusted relics from a forgotten era, many missing critical components, some still bearing dark, dried clots of blood—likely remnants of fallen inmate miners.

It was just as Lin Fei had expected. A mining site this remote wouldn’t waste high-grade equipment on expendable labor. These crude metal suits, decades old, were only intended to quicken the pace of the prisoners’ work.

After some ten minutes of chaotic preparation, the prisoners, now clad in their primitive exosuits, were herded by the guards into groups and loaded onto a groaning, clanking lift that descended into the bowels of the mine. Each man was handed a crude mining tool as they vanished into the dimly lit depths.

Lin Fei descended with them, though more out of curiosity than duty. He wore a helmet, a cotton jacket, and a breathing mask. The subterranean world was lit by high-powered industrial floodlights—illumination was adequate, but the air was rank with staleness and chemical fumes. The temperature dropped drastically; from the scorching desert above, he now stood in a realm of steel and stone, cold and labyrinthine.

The cavernous mine resembled a refrigerated crypt, its frigid air wrapping around the bones.

Every few meters stood thick metal columns supporting the rock ceiling above. Embedded in the dull gray-black stone were jagged veins of white—raw energy crystals the size of fists, untouched and potent. These crude gems powered mechs and warships alike, forming the lifeblood of industrial warfare.

An older inmate, seasoned by dozens of mining assignments, explained to Lin Fei that they would be living and working underground for the next seven days, extracting as many energy crystals as they could.

Ten white stones could be bartered for an apple or a single cigarette. A blue crystal could fetch a full pack of smokes. A fingernail-sized shard of rare black crystal? That could earn a man a carton—or even two bottles of fine liquor.

All mined crystals would be tallied at the end of the seven days, their value calculated based on size and energy density, and exchanged for supplies upon return to the prison.

Lin Fei glanced around. His fellow inmates were already hard at work, wielding their tools with practiced motions. He, by contrast, felt listless. Though excused from labor, he knew his subordinates would provide him with crystals regardless. His authority, hard-won in blood, ensured no one dared question his leisure.

Still, since he was there, Lin Fei wandered to the corner where a heap of decrepit spare exosuits lay. He found one that looked serviceable and strapped it on. Slipping a small drill onto his shoulder, he began chipping away at the stone wall, carefully placing each white crystal he found into the pack mounted to his back.

After half a day’s work, he’d unearthed only four crystals—proof enough that mining was an art. Veterans had already pocketed over a dozen. The rarer stones, it seemed, relied more on luck than skill.

Unbothered by the slow progress, Lin Fei shed the exosuit, climbed onto the creaking lift, and surfaced to the open air, eager for a breath away from the stifling underground.

Night had fallen. The desert’s chill cut deeper than even the mine’s cold.

At the exit platform stood two guards, each cradling energy rifles. They sat on stone blocks, watching the darkness.

When they saw movement from the lift, both men raised their weapons.

“It’s me, Lin Fei. Just coming up for some rest,” he called, tossing each a cigarette.

The guards, already familiar with the infamous inmate from their transport trip, relaxed without resistance.

Officially, inmates were forbidden from leaving the mine during the seven-day period—but Lin Fei wasn’t just any inmate. As long as he didn’t cross certain lines, the guards were content to turn a blind eye. None wished to provoke the human tyrant who commanded such fear.

Following the guards’ directions, Lin Fei found an empty windbreak hut and collapsed onto the metallic bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

For the next five days, his routine remained unchanged—he mined when he felt like it, rested when he didn’t, and strolled lazily around the mining field under the indifferent eyes of the guards.

On the sixth day, Lin Fei sat atop a boulder at the mine’s surface, idly surveying the metal structures scattered across the mining field. He assumed the remaining two days would pass uneventfully.

But then, a sudden scream echoed from below—

“Help! A snake—no, a dragon!”

“It’s a dragon! A black dragon!”

“It breathes fire! My God, help us!”

Panic erupted from the depths. Agonized cries followed, and soon thick black smoke began to rise from the mouth of the shaft.

The guards scrambled. Rifles were c****d, energy turrets brought online, all weapons trained on the lift’s gate.

The mine shook with blasts and crashes, each explosion more violent than the last. Tension gripped the guards, none daring to descend into the chaos. No pay was worth that kind of suicide mission.

Whether the c*****e was the result of a prisoner riot or a monstrous intruder, one thing was certain: no inmate had made it back up.

And yet the screams grew louder, more desperate.

Lin Fei felt a rush of relief—thank God he wasn’t down there. He turned to leave the shaft entrance, planning to seek refuge near the energy turret, when the maddening voice of his wretched “War God System” rang out in his head:

“Unknown draconic entity detected in subterranean mine. Classification: variant sand wyrm. Threat level: 177. Environmental match: 81%.

Initializing mission: The Hero Faces the Dragon

Mission Brief:

The beast is slaughtering your kindred. As one who aspires to become a War God, you shall know no fear. Bathe in dragon’s blood to prove your might.

Objective:

Enter the mine and slay the sand wyrm.

Penalty for Failure:

If you fail to kill the beast, it will kill you. No further punishment required.

Time Limit:

Option 1: Enter the mine within 10 seconds.

Option 2: After 10 seconds, the system will commandeer your body and force you to jump.

Reward:

What, you want premium loot just for killing one fat lizard? The system will issue a standard reward, based on performance. Item(s): classified.”

Would you like me to continue with Chapter 18 in this same style?