novelraw Chapter 248
Chapter 248
At the entrance of Hanford Advanced Finance College underground parking lot, the large convoy couldn’t fit completely and had to wait outside. Magnus Specter rode in Harper Quinn’s vehicle to reach the parking lot, where Charlotte Renard was overseeing the construction of steel shelters. By the time Magnus arrived, 45 steel shelters were already completed, and the focus had shifted to preparing the supply routes between vehicles designed by Liana Jabbar.
After brief discussion among the team, they decided Magnus would personally take a sleeper truck out during the day for a test run. The previous test handled the apocalypse creatures at night, but daytime behavior might differ—and they didn’t want surprises.
This approach had another advantage: the truck Magnus drove carried the leaders of all 40 vehicles, giving them a firsthand experience of the excavation process, ensuring they could later train their teams with confidence.
The test site remained the same—an old rubber football field. This time, Mia Hadid carried out the sealing process herself, using a Metal Crystal. As they worked, giant sparrows overhead caught the scent of Mia’s energy. One dove straight towards the steel barrier of the sealed site. Magnus reacted instantly, ready to rush forward.Magnus had just started moving when he noticed a sparrow pinned to the steel rod of the metal roof, writhing a couple of times before going lifeless. The other sparrows circled in the sky, seemingly reluctant to come down. Magnus stopped in his tracks, watching anxiously from a distance.
Mia sealed the entrance near the convoy first, then moved to secure the one near the meteorite. The same thing happened—a sparrow was again nailed against the steel rod of the roof. One was dead, and the rest didn’t approach, likely deterred by the dead bird masking Mia’s scent for the time being.
Magnus let out a slight breath of relief. In just over an hour, the team, made up of vehicle captains, successfully unearthed the meteorite.
The haul was impressive—17 crystals in total: 5 Water Crystals, 3 Fire Crystals, 3 Metal Crystals, 2 Earth Crystals, 2 Super Fire Crystals, and 2 Life Crystals.
Finding 2 Life Crystals, 2 Earth Crystals, and 2 Super Fire Crystals from a single small meteorite was more than Magnus had expected. Usually, Life Crystals and Earth Crystals weren’t supposed to be this easy to find.
Could this all be due to the effects of the second meteor shower? Was it causing the yield and rare crystal ratios to increase?
Back in Ashbrook Town, after digging up those 33 meteorites, Magnus hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. But from these past two trials, the numbers didn’t seem right.
He made a mental note—this needed more observation.By midday, Magnus Specter figured it was time and brought the forty team leaders back to the underground parking lot for one last brief meeting to lay out the Hanford City meteorite excavation plans.
A total of 45 sleeper trucks were divided into nine groups, each consisting of five trucks, supported by one small crane per group. Emily Ward, Mia Hadid, Chloe Clark, Molly Robinson, Lucy Horváth, Amelia Rossi, Kristina Jarvis, Luxe Hristov, and Ashton Honda each led a group, deploying across various regions of Hanford.
Grenades served as the emergency signal. Magnus rode Harper Quinn’s vehicle, ready to move wherever help was needed.
As dusk crept in, the sunlight faded, and the blue sky darkened, as if ink was being poured into a lake, shadows slowly swallowing the light.
After nearly four hours of digging in the afternoon, everything ran smoothly with no major issues—except for one incident where a female team member’s steel canopy was positioned too far from a meteorite during sealing. The gap allowed a giant sparrow to swoop in and snatch her away. She activated a Metal Crystal and, in under ten minutes, killed the creature mid-air and safely returned to the convoy, shaken but unharmed.Magnus Specter gave the order for nonstop digging—each sleeper car loaded with 70 women, divided into shifts of 30, working through both day and night. The goal? Clear out all 200-plus meteorites in Hanford City before dawn.
By midnight, with no major issues to report, Magnus returned to the underground parking lot to rest. Liana Jabbar and Charlotte Renard were still pushing through the night, assembling steel-panel canopies.
They were working on the grain and water supply route, but Magnus noticed something off. The width didn’t match what Liana had mentioned earlier; it should’ve been narrower than the ones meant for meteorite digging. Yet, the dimensions were identical. He couldn’t help but ask about it.
Liana glanced at one of the steel canopies under construction and shrugged. "We did plan to make it narrower, but storing stuff would’ve been a hassle. Couldn’t fit it on the trucks. So, we had to go with the same size."
Just then, a woman tasked with keeping an eye on the excavated soil sprinted over. "Captain, it’s snowing outside!"
The skies had been clear earlier, but now snow was lightly falling. Magnus stepped out of the underground granary to check. It wasn’t heavy snow—it wouldn’t disrupt the digging.
Morning came. By 8 a.m., all nine meteorite excavation squads reported back to Hanford Advanced Finance College, mission accomplished. At 8:50 a.m., the last group, Luxe Hristov’s team, returned, wrapping up their task seamlessly.From yesterday afternoon until now, the nine teams, with a total of 45 sleeper vehicles and nearly 3,000 female members, had completed their mission without a single casualty.
At 4 a.m. last night, Magnus Specter got up to hunt animals, while Liana Jabbar and Charlotte Renard finished their vehicle modifications. Those who stayed behind at the underground parking lot started grilling meat and collecting animal blood.
By the time Luxe Hristov’s team returned, Magnus had already butchered three chickens, two large white geese, and a few other choice animals. All the good cuts were kept to reward the team for their hard work excavating the meteorites overnight.
The team ate their meals in shifts—breakfast for some and dinner for others. Emily Ward and the other eight vice leaders reported back at the parking lot. The meteorite excavation across Hanford City was complete. All 237 meteorites had been dug up and retrieved, leaving no stone unturned.
Each of the nine leaders carried a large woven bag, dumping it all in the center of the parking lot. Emily dusted off her hands, took a big swig of mineral water, and plopped herself onto the ground without caring for appearances. “It’s all here. Liana, get your people to do a count and see how much we’ve got.”
“Is this even real?” Liana’s eyes lit up with surprise and excitement. She quickly turned to call over a group, and fifty female members carefully began organizing and categorizing the crystals, pouring them out from the nine huge bags.Last night, 237 meteorites were excavated, yielding 4,856 crystals in total: 1,875 Water Crystals, 1,644 Fire Crystals, 977 Metal Crystals, 127 Earth Crystals, 97 Life Crystals, 132 Super Fire Crystals, and 4 Nature Crystals.
Four Nature Crystals—unbelievable. Magnus Specter went over to check again and again, confirming they were indeed Nature Crystals.
A single county-level city produced 4 Nature Crystals and even 97 Life Crystals. The sheer numbers left Magnus stunned.
It proved the theory he tested during the day—the second meteor shower wasn’t just about an increase in output. The ratio of rare crystals had also shot up significantly.
If a small city like this could produce nearly 5,000 crystals, what about the larger Ridgehaven City or Springvale City?