After collecting crystals for years, the team had to go deeper in the mines to find more.

While venturing deeper into the mines, they stumbled upon a purple crystal.

Research found that these new crystals contained more energy per square centimeter then the usual green crystals.

The researcher believe that this came to be due to the higher pressure at this depth.

Though the pressure allowed the crystals to contain more energy, it made the rocks denser and harder to get through.

The equipment used until this point had great difficulty getting through these rocks, often overheating in the process.

To keep the drills from overheating, gaps were implemented in the drill allowing airflow to keep the drill cooler.

The core of the drill is internally cooled by the (improved) powerpack, hence the exhausts in the front to expel the heat.

To allow optimal operation of this improved granite grinder, the crew was increased to two, opting to add a Technician alongside the driver.

The driver could now focus on operating the machinery whereas the technician could search for crystal deposits and monitor the drill and powerpack during operation. and so the U(pdate)225 version of the Granite Grinder came to be.

A new life form was also found at these depths.

The crew affectionately called these creatures "Slimy Slugs".

Although when first encountered, there were some disturbances due to them stealing energy from vehicles and stations.

The miners found that they were rather friendly when you share the crystals with them.

Some Slugs even allowed their favorite miner to ride (race) them in the tunnels!