50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 354 Treasure Hunter

Sun Zhiwei couldn't be more pleased to hear that Clark was so receptive to advice. The two chatted happily as they left the conference room.

With nothing much to do the next day, Sun Zhiwei began to wander around the entire mining area.

Although he told Clark that finding another vein was unlikely, he did not give up on the option.

It's important to understand that ownership of the Swil gold mine extends beyond the mining of underground gold veins; it actually includes the development rights to a large area of ​​hills centered around the mine.

The entire mining area covers approximately 6 square kilometers, but includes seven or eight nearby hills.

It wouldn't be something Sun Zhiwei could accomplish in a single day if he wanted to thoroughly explore this large area.

So he began prospecting for minerals in the mining area at a rate of one hill per day.

Since the last time the space disintegrated the remains of several families and six miners in Kuli, the space's side length has reached 26.8 meters, and its total volume is close to 20,000 cubic meters.

The space, after being stretched, is used for mineral exploration, allowing it to probe hundreds of meters underground.

This depth exceeds that of most mines in the nearby mining area, and he felt there was still a chance to find another vein.

Unfortunately, he searched every hill in the mining area but found no new veins of value.

There are many scattered gold mines, but they are not systematic and have no mining value.

Just as he was about to give up, he passed through a border valley and made a major discovery on the rock face of the valley.

It turns out that there was a small mineral vein hidden here, but this vein had already extended far into the underground of the neighboring mining area.

In his observation, the vein was constantly expanding in size as the distance increased. Could it be a rich mine?
Looking at the boundary marker on the ground, he finally couldn't resist and walked along the vein towards the adjacent mining area.

As he ventured deeper, his spatial perception revealed that the originally narrow underground vein had grown to tens of meters wide, and before he knew it, he was nearing the adjacent mining area.

Just then, he felt a pang of fear, as if some danger was about to befall him.

He immediately stopped and looked around. Before he could figure anything out, he heard a gunshot in the distance.

The instant he heard the gunshot, his body suddenly dropped to the ground, and after a few swaying motions, he darted behind a small tree not far away.

Just then, someone shouted from afar, "This is private property. Outsiders are not welcome. Please leave immediately, or I will really beat you up this time."

“Sorry, I’m James, the owner of the Swell Gold Mine next door. I got lost while hunting and didn’t mean to wander in.”

Sun Zhiwei was in a very awkward situation. He had stumbled upon someone else's property while prospecting for minerals, and he felt incredibly lucky to have escaped being hit by the bullet.

Now he can only say he got lost while hunting; what else can he say? Luckily, for safety, he brought a hunting rifle with him, so pretending to be hunting wasn't a problem.

A short while later, an elderly man dressed in full hunting attire walked slowly toward Sun Zhiwei, carrying a hunting rifle.

Only then did Sun Zhiwei raise his hands and slowly emerge from behind the sapling, indicating that he meant no harm.

The elderly man stopped approaching when the man was about 10 meters away. “Are you really the mine owner next door? I remember the mine owner next door was an old man.”

“I have no reason to lie. I bought the Swell gold mine mid-year. What’s your name?”

“I am Mennon Collins, the mine owner of the South Fork River Mine,” the old man replied.

“Then we’re neighbors. Where is the Nancha River you mentioned? I didn’t see any river there.”

"The river is on the other side of the mining area. You can go now. If you want to visit in the future, please use the main entrance, otherwise you might get hurt by mistake."

“I’m sorry, this is my first time here and I’m not very familiar with the area. I’ll bring Mine Manager Ryan Clark with me tomorrow.”

"Has Clark become the mine manager?" "Yes, the old mine manager left, and Clark got promoted."

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you tomorrow. Also, don't wear cowboy clothes next time you go hunting in this area."

"Why? Don't people usually wear cowboy clothes when hunting?"

"Most of the people wearing jeans around here are treasure hunters, and they're really annoying."

The term 'treasure hunter' surprised Sun Zhiwei: "Treasure hunters still exist in this day and age?"

"Of course there are, and there are many more."

"Be careful if you encounter them; some of them are robbers when no one is around."

"Understood. I'll go back and find out more from Clark, and I'll make a formal visit tomorrow."

“Okay, if you want to go back to the mining area, just go back through my gate; it's much shorter.”

"Really? That's great. I'm afraid if I go back into the mountains, I'll get lost again."

Soon, Sun Zhiwei returned to his own mining area via the Nanchahe Mine.

He summoned Clark and inquired about the South Fork River mine and the treasure hunters.

"You mean Mr. Collins? He was originally a treasure hunter. Decades ago, he was lucky enough to find a gold mine and borrowed money to develop the South Fork River mining area."

"He developed it all by himself. The mining area is smaller than our original one, with about a hundred miners."

"As for the 'treasure hunters' you mentioned, they are very common in this area. They are similar to the gold prospectors of the past, who went around with equipment looking for treasure and gold."

"They also established a 'Gold Nation Treasure Hunters Club' in Sacramento, and often went out in groups in owned mining areas."

"Are we often harassed by treasure hunters in our mining area?"

"We're alright here because we have a security team here, so they don't dare to come."

"But there is no dedicated security team at the Nancha River Mine, so there are many more treasure hunters."

"I see. No wonder Collins hates treasure hunters so much and shoots them whenever he sees one."

"Oh, you're not hurt, are you?"

"No, Clark, we'll visit old Collins tomorrow."

"Okay, Boss, what's our objective?"

“I think Collins is quite old, and I’d like to ask if he’s interested in selling his mine.” Sun Zhiwei didn’t hide his purpose.

“Indeed, old Collins is over 70 years old. He has always believed that there is a big gold mine in his area, but he has not found it in decades.”

Sun Zhiwei couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for the old Collins.

Without using technology or any cheat codes, how could he possibly find a mineral vein buried hundreds of meters underground all by himself?

The vein that Sun Zhiwei discovered today is a large gold mine. The main vein is located right below the old Collins mining area, practically within easy reach.

However, that vein was much deeper than the small gold mine that old Collins was currently in, and it was separated by hard granite, so he would never have discovered it before he died.

(End of this chapter)