Building My Empire in the Frozen Apocalypse (Riley Carter) novel Chapter 79

Chapter 79 Overhearing the Enemy

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“Hey, didn’t Rat mention earlier that there might be a mine somewhere over there?” The lanky guy gestured vaguely in the direction where Riley had been.

“Yeah, maybe. But the storm just let up–roads are probably a mess. Let’s grab a bite first, then go check it out.”

The bald man got to his feet, rolling his stiff neck. A greedy, predatory glint flashed in his eyes.

“If there really is a mine, we’re golden. We could upgrade our gear, maybe scout around for some soft camps to hit nearby… Heh.”

Each of them wore a red band around the upper arm–a crude marker of their group.

Riley came to a stop at the mine entrance, sliding her skis to the side. She pulled off her goggles, letting her vision adjust to the dim interior.

Even for an abandoned pit, the place was in better shape than she’d expected. A couple of rusted mining carts lay tilted near the entrance, next to a dispatch shack that had half–collapsed under the weight of time and snow.

“Not bad.”

Riley stepped into the remains of the shack, crouching to sift through the debris under a rotting wooden desk. It was mostly junk, but a few things stood out.

“Obtained: Basic Iron Pickaxe xl

“Obtained: Miner’s Hard Hat (headlamp broken) x1

“Obtained: Work Gloves x 1”

Nothing special–just common supplies. Still, that “Basic Iron Pickaxe” was exactly what she needed.

Game rules were clear: you could chop wood with an axe, but try mining stone with one and the durability would plummet–not to mention the pathetic yield. Right tool for the job, always.

Riley settled the yellow hard hat onto her head. Even with a dead lamp, it’d offer some protection against falling debris. Might not show up in stats, but it sure felt like a few extra points of defense.

Neeko mimicked her, grabbing a pickaxe of her own.

There was only one hard hat, though. Neeko glanced around, then–with a soft shimmer of light–a hard hat appeared on her head as well.

Riley blinked in surprise, reaching out instinctively before realizing it was just an illusion.

Neeko seemed to understand the gesture.

“Neeko is clever, not clumsy.”

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Chapter 79 Overhearing the Enemy

Riley smiled faintly and let it go.

“Stay close, Neeko.”

Pickaxe in hand, Riley led the way into the mine.

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Inside, the air felt slightly warmer than outside. Thick frost crusted the walls, but between the cracks, veins of coal darker than oil stood exposed–like black blood vessels threading through stone.

“Let’s give this a try.”

Riley moved up to the wall and swung.

“Clang-!”

Sparks scattered.

With 22 Strength behind it, the pickaxe bit deep. The rock face cracked open, and several chunks of black coal tumbled free. D

“Obtained: High–Grade Anthracite x2

“Mining Experience +2”

“That’s all it takes?”

Riley felt a surge of relief.

Mining coal was turning out to be way simpler than she’d thought. Spot a dark vein, swing, and coal came loose–no messy sorting or digging like in real life.

“Clang, clang, clang-”

A steady rhythm of strikes echoed through the tunnels.

Riley worked like a machine, relentless and efficient.

“Obtained: High–Grade Anthracite x1

“Obtained: High–Grade Anthracite x3 (Critical)

“Obtained: Raw Iron Ore xl”

Within ten or fifteen minutes, a small pile of coal had grown beside her.

She did a quick count: a full 60 units.

Going by the game’s fuel conversion, one unit of “Coal” equaled about five units of “Wood” in both heat and burn time. This haul could keep her fireplace going for days–more than enough for heating, maybe even for smelting if she needed.

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Chapter 79 Overhearing the Enemy

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“Whew…”

Riley finally paused, wiping sweat from her brow.

Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion hit. Her arms felt heavy, her breaths came quicker.

“What’s going on?”

She was surprised. With her stamina, she could chop wood for an hour straight without feeling this drained.

Quickly, she pulled up her status panel.

Her eyes fixed on the “Energy” bar, and her expression tightened slightly.

“Energy: 60/100 (Fatigued)”

“It dropped that fast?”

She remembered clearly: before heading out, she’d eaten and drunk her fill. Her energy was at 91. Less than twenty minutes of mining had cost her over thirty points.

So this was the game’s way of keeping things balanced.

Resources might be easy to get, but the system made sure you couldn’t just hoard mindlessly. Mine too long without enough food or rest, and you’d end up collapsing from exhaustion before you made it back.

“Sixty’s enough for now. Any more and I might not make it out.

“Guess that energy–recovery couch is even more useful than I thought.”

Riley stowed her pickaxe.

When she turned, she saw Neeko hadn’t been idle.

The little one was back in human form, pushing an old mining cart along its tracks, her small frame leaning into the effort.

TUE