Meanwhile, during Zheng Yan's investigation of Wu Hao Ze, she discovered that someone else was also gathering intelligence on Wu Hao Ze and his trade fleet.
More importantly, this person, Wang Dong, knew him.
It was Sima Zhong Da.
In his previous life, Wang Dong had interacted with Sima Zhong Da quite a few times.
Sima Zhong Da was a庶出旁系子弟 of the Jin family, in other words, his background was extremely low, and he was considered to be on the fringes of the family.
Not only was his background bad, but his family conditions were also poor.
He lost both parents at a young age and had to depend on his sister for support.
Sima Zhong Da, relying on his intelligence and relentless efforts, not only restored his family's fortunes but also elevated them to new heights.
If it had ended there, his growth trajectory would have been considered a model of a庶出旁系子弟 rising to prominence.
Unfortunately, Sima Zhong Da's background determined his ceiling within the Jin family system.
Once he reached a certain level, he was met with various forms of limitations, both overt and covert.
At the same time, maintaining his independence became an impossibility. Under these circumstances, Sima Zhong Da was forced to become a disciple of Sima De Cao.
The mission to pursue Yuan Shu and the Battle Axe was undertaken at Sima Zhong Da's suggestion, which led Sima De Cao to accept it.
Sima Zhong Da was also responsible for策反 Yuan Shu's crew and the ambush that led to Yuan Shu's death.
However, Sima De Cao was negligent in the actual execution, allowing Yuan Shu to escape death and survive for another twenty-four hours, allowing the Battle Axe to be passed down to Wang Dong.
After losing track of Yuan Shu and the Battle Axe, Sima De Cao was forced to summon Sima Zhong Da for assistance.
In his previous life, Wang Dong's desperate fight to sink Sima De Cao's flagship made Sima Zhong Da the successor to Yuan Shu's mission.
Under his meticulous investigation, Wang Dong's true identity was quickly uncovered.
And through the abnormal traits Wang Dong was forced to reveal, he recognized the immense value Wang Dong possessed, far exceeding that of Yuan Shu himself.
Sima Zhong Da saw him as a hope to break through his limitations and improve his own status, and reported it to his family.
But then Sima De Lang snatched the opportunity.
Compared to Sima De Cao, Sima Zhong Da was even more helpless in the face of Sima De Lang's malice.
To make matters worse, there was trouble brewing in his own backyard.
Sima Zhong Da's sister was targeted by a嫡系子弟, who, after failing to get his way through force, simply killed her.
Sima Zhong Da rushed back and caused a scene, but he only managed to obtain some compensation. While the嫡系子弟 received harsh punishment and paid a certain price, that was all.
Sima Zhong Da, on the other hand, was subjected to continuous suppression.
This eventually led to Sima Zhong Da betraying the Jin family.
In his previous life, during a time when Wang Dong was being hunted down by the Jin family, Sima Zhong Da had provided assistance several times.
Of course, this was out of revenge against the Jin family.
That was also why Wang Dong recognized Sima Zhong Da immediately.
Sima Zhong Da was a talent, and after betraying the Jin family, he caused them far more trouble than Wang Dong ever did.
Unfortunately, no matter how lowly his status, Sima Zhong Da was still a member of the Jin family and enjoyed the basic privileges of the privileged class.
Compared to Wang Dong, he was far more advantaged.
Otherwise, Wang Dong would have seriously considered taking him under his wing.
Sima Zhong Da's appearance further reassured Wang Dong that his planning was proceeding smoothly.
The two Jin brothers were indeed targeting Wu Hao Ze's trade fleet.
Otherwise, there would be no need for Sima Zhong Da to personally monitor and gather intelligence on Wu Hao Ze.
July 10th, another mining day.
With the Jin family warships having a new target, the threat they posed to Wang Dong was significantly reduced.
Wang Dong went to work as usual.
He spent one day mining normally and one day on the Pond Ship, analyzing the ore he had collected.
After analyzing one-third of the ore, Wang Dong obtained eighteen units of low-grade energy crystals and one unit of mid-grade energy crystals.
Combined with the two units of mid-grade energy crystals from the previous analysis, the Pond Ship would at least be free from energy concerns in the short term.
Wu Hao Ze's trade fleet had finished loading yesterday.
Two transport ships landed on the mining planet, unloading various supplies needed on the mining planet and then loading up with a large amount of high-value minerals.
After resupply, the ships took off and joined the escort fleet, preparing to leave the mining star system and head to the next stop on the trade route.
This was the daily routine of the trade fleet.
They stopped and traded at various points along their established trade route.
While making a profit, they also undertook other overt and covert tasks.
Within the Violet Rose Kingdom, without the support of a major noble, such a stable and long-term trade route could not be established.
The vast and boundless cosmos holds numerous lawless places.
Space pirates, remnants of alien races, and other destabilizing factors are found throughout the starry sea.
Space is not a peaceful and pleasant vacation spot.
July 14th, the mining planet, light rain.
With Wu Hao Ze's trade fleet gone, the two Spark warships had also been absent for several days, and the mining star system seemed to have returned to its usual calm.
The patrol fleet's alert level had not been downgraded, but the space fortress had disengaged from combat readiness.
Wang Dong, holding an umbrella, strolled along the street.