Chapter 46: Enemy Attack

“Consultant Luo, you’re back just in time. We were just about to contact you.”

Seeing Luo Yan walk in, Xiao Wang greeted her with a smile, a trace of surprise flickering in his eyes.

It seemed he hadn’t expected Luo Yan to stay in the mine for so long.

Luo Yan nodded slightly, glanced around the storage area, and saw that the transport vehicles were already loaded.
The members of the transport team had also slung their rifles back over their shoulders.

“It seems you’re all ready.”

Lin Yuanyao pulled on her black tactical gloves, clenched her fists a couple of times, and said, “That’s right. We can leave now.”

“Huh?” As Luo Yan stepped closer, Xiao Wang finally noticed the ore in her hand. He blinked in disbelief.
“Consultant Luo… you actually went down to dig for ore yourself?”

At his words, many people turned to look at Luo Yan and the two clearly freshly dug pieces of Odegaard ore in her hand, most of them wearing puzzled expressions.

Digging ore wasn’t a big deal in itself, but few thought Luo Yan was the type to personally engage in such dirty, grueling work.

When they heard earlier that she had gone into the mine, everyone had speculated on how long this delicate-looking consultant could last in the harsh environment of an open-pit mine surrounded by sweaty, grimy miners.

They still remembered a new female member of the transport team who, out of curiosity, had gone down into the mine before New Year’s—only to run back holding her nose in under ten minutes.

Her teammates had laughed about it for weeks.

In many people’s eyes, Luo Yan was just a “new broom sweeping clean.”

While she might be pretending to be diligent, she was probably already thinking about who to go out with that evening.

Since she had just taken office, she had to put on a show—especially in front of higher-ups like O’Berain.

With that logic, her visit to the mine was merely symbolic. No one had expected her to actually go down there and dig.

That was why Xiao Wang was so stunned to see her return carrying raw ore.

Hansen was the first to burst out laughing. “Haha! I told you, Consultant Luo isn’t as delicate as she looks…”

At this, several people around them showed embarrassed expressions, and some even gave Hansen warning looks, signaling him to stop talking.

Luo Yan gave them a glance, quickly grasping the situation, but she had no intention of pursuing it.

Instead, she turned to another matter.

“Do I need to hand over the ore I dug up?”

Zhou Jianzhong smiled. “That’s up to you, Consultant Luo. If it’s only two pieces, you can take them back directly. Compared to the regular miners, we don’t go through such strict inspections at the checkpoint.”

Luo Yan returned his smile. “Since you say so, Uncle Zhou, I’ll gladly accept.”

Lin Yuanyao had no objections.

She simply said, “Time to go,” and climbed into the armored vehicle first.

In truth, her mind wasn’t on Luo Yan at all at that moment.

She remained uneasy about the overly calm journey so far.

To minimize risk, she had already planned an entirely new return route, which she had synchronized with the transport team.

Because Luo Yan had been down in the mine during the briefing, she hadn’t been informed of this adjustment.

But after they left the Aros mining area and traveled for a while, Luo Yan noticed the deviation from the original route and asked, “We don’t seem to be going back the same way?”

Xiao Wang was about to explain when Lin Yuanyao spoke first.

“That’s right. The original route passed through some narrow and marshy terrain—not ideal for transport vehicles. This new route avoids those risks, though it means a longer detour. Originally, we expected to return before sunset, but now that may not be possible.”

Xiao Wang glanced at his captain with mild surprise.

He hadn’t expected the person who had been most reluctant to bring Consultant Luo along would now take the time to explain things to her.

Clearly, Luo Yan’s performance along the way had earned a bit of Lin Yuanyao’s approval.

This woman… is not simple.

Luo Yan gave a slight nod but then frowned thoughtfully.

She had no objections to the route change—in fact, she appreciated the captain’s caution. But something still didn’t sit right with her.

After activating her auxiliary system, she noticed fluctuating environmental parameter warnings appearing intermittently around the transport team.

These “abnormal parameters” had started flashing only after they left the mining zone’s alert radius, and they had been tailing the convoy closely ever since.

Though they hadn’t approached directly, they were enough to make Luo Yan uneasy.

She had held back from issuing a warning at first, partly because the transport team had already made preventative changes, and her input might not improve the outcome.

More importantly, she had no solid way to justify her warning, and exposing her capabilities prematurely might not be wise.

However, when she saw the abnormal parameters suddenly closing in, her expression shifted slightly.
It was time to speak up.

“Captain Lìn—”

She paused. The anomaly that had been lagging behind the convoy just moments ago was now rapidly closing the distance.

“What’s wrong, Consultant Luo?”

“Watch the rear.”

“What?” Lin Yuanyao frowned slightly and instinctively checked the rearview mirror. “I don’t see anything. Consultant Luo, what do you—”

Her voice cut off abruptly, her eyes narrowing.

In the distance, dozens of motorcycles began to appear—dark shapes swarming like locusts.

“It’s an armed mob. Enemy attack!” she shouted.

At once, the transport team sprang into action. The soldiers at the back raised their rifles through the firing ports. Simultaneously, the convoy adjusted formation.

Several armored vehicles slowed down, allowing the transport trucks to move ahead. Then they closed ranks around the trucks, forming a protective formation like stars encircling the moon.

Even this quick response revealed their near-military discipline.

As both sides accelerated, dark clouds rolled overhead. Suddenly, the sun broke through, casting a blood-red afterglow across the barren land.

And just as that firelight caught up with the convoy—

A gunshot shattered the wasteland’s silence.