The little star from the Gobi Desert, handed over to the state, is hailed as a national treasure.

Fu Dashi originally thought he could provoke Liang Zhe and force him to back down, but to his surprise, the other party was so calm and collected, which made him look like an unreasonable clown.

Given that neither Feng Dapao nor Xu Qiang, among other leaders, had expressed their opinions, if he insisted on driving Liang Zhe away, it would only make him appear petty and heartless.

"You guys handle it," Fu Dashi snorted coldly, flicking his hand. "Just don't drag us down."

He left those harsh words behind and took the lead, climbing up the rugged mountain path.

Feeling a little guilty, Zhou Xiaobing whispered to Liang Zhe, "Brother Liang, this guy just has this bad temper, he's so sarcastic and unpredictable, don't take it to heart."

Unlike Fu Dashi, Zhou Xiaobing greatly admired Liang Zhe. He possessed a calm and experienced demeanor unlike most people, appearing calm on the surface but harboring grand ambitions in his heart.

It's hard not to admire someone like that.

In stark contrast to Fu Dashi's sharp tongue, Zhou Xiaobing genuinely admired Liang Zhe.

Liang Zhe possesses a composure and maturity far beyond that of ordinary people. He appears calm and collected on the surface, but he harbors great ideas and has real skills. He acts prudently and with moderation. It is hard not to admire such a person.

Liang Zhe smiled gently at him, indicating that he didn't care. He bent down to pick up Tian Tian, ​​waved goodbye to Feng Dapao and the others who came out, and then followed behind the group. It seemed that he was not affected by the argument just now at all.

Speechless all the way.

Before long, the group successfully arrived at the foot of the north slope.

The north slope is not particularly steep or precipitous, but it is overgrown with vegetation and thorns, and there are sharp, jagged rocks everywhere. When the mountain wind blows, the patches of wild grass rustle.

The surrounding area was deserted and desolate, exuding an air of remoteness and loneliness.

The group climbed up the slope at the foot, slowing their pace and carefully surveying the surrounding terrain. Before long, they arrived at the outcrop of the mineral vein that Fu Dashi had previously pointed out.

An outcrop is the natural trace of an underground mineral vein breaking through the rock strata and appearing on the surface. It is the most direct and essential field evidence in geological exploration.

Wherever there is a mineral vein, clues can always be found at the outcrop.

Xu Qiang squatted down, picked up a rock sample, examined it closely in his palm, and used a compass to compare the direction of the rock layers. Zhou Xiaobing and the others also dispersed to take samples, record data, and observe the cracks, their movements skilled and professional.

"Dean Xu, look," Fu Dashi stepped forward, picking up a piece of rock with a light gray sheen, "it's right here. The color, texture, even the degree of weathering matches perfectly. I've checked it at least five times; there's no mistake, there's definitely minerals down there!"

Xu Qiang nodded slightly, not rushing to a conclusion, but instead brought the rock fragment close to his eyes and examined it carefully in the sunlight.

"There are traces of mineralization, but the grade is average. The outcrops are scattered and the veins are thin. Even if it can be mined, the reserves and profits will be limited. We need to explore further before we can say anything."

Several technicians also spoke up, their opinions being similar to Xu Qiang's: the surface did have mineralization, but the quality was ordinary and it couldn't be considered a good mining spot; rashly mining it would be a losing proposition.

Fu Dashi's expression darkened slightly. He took out the mineral vein he had found earlier, compared it with the rock, and explained, "Dean Xu, as you can see, the rough stone I found earlier came from this area. Although its quality isn't top-tier, it has great mining value. You can't completely deny the potential of this area based on just this one outcrop."

Xu Qiang examined the mineral seed again. To be fair, it was indeed a good stone, and the reason why Fu Dashi dared to make the "three-day agreement".

However, from a professional perspective, facing the vast north slope, he always felt that the chain of evidence was not yet complete, and he still had a slight sense of unease.

The group then explored the surrounding area, trying to find more samples of similar quality to the "mineral seed," but after searching for a long time, they found nothing except a few scattered fragments.

Just as everyone was hesitant and at a stalemate, a childish shout suddenly came from the bushes on the other side.

"Grandpa Xu, Grandpa Xu!"

Xu Qiang looked up and saw Tian Tian standing about a hundred paces away from him, waving her little hand at him frantically.

"What's wrong?" Xu Qiang asked loudly.

Sweetie cupped her two little hands in front of her mouth, making a makeshift megaphone, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Come quick! There are singing stones here!"

Xu Qiang's expression tightened slightly.

In the little girl's unique vocabulary, "singing" and "sleeping" are both ways she describes the special "activity" of minerals. And in her previous experience, if a stone "sings," it means that it is very likely to contain radioactive materials.

This is the second time since the search began that Sweetie has clearly pointed out the location of the "singing stone." The first time was during the landslide, when she retrieved the ore that changed the course of the battle.

His spirits lifted, and he instinctively lifted his foot to walk towards Tian Tian.

"Dean Xu, where are you going?"

Fu Dashi, who was standing to the side, frowned and reached out to block his way.

Xu Qiang paused, only then realizing that several people around him had a wry smile on their faces when they heard Tian Tian's words.

Clearly, most adults would dismiss the child's description as innocent childish talk, and no one intended to take it seriously. However, if Xu Qiang, a technical authority, were to personally verify it, the situation would be entirely different.

Fu Dashi was already dissatisfied with Xu Qiang's cautious attitude towards the North Slope. Now, hearing Tian Tian's "nonsense" and Xu Qiang's actual intention to go and check, Fu Dashi felt his authority was being challenged. His face darkened and his tone became sharp.

"This is childish nonsense! Talking and singing rocks is utter rubbish! Exploration is a rigorous scientific task, not listening to stories! What is she doing causing all this trouble? Expert Liang should also keep an eye on her."

His voice was loud and clear, tinged with gunpowder, drifting intermittently on the mountain breeze. Sweetie, with her sharp ears, managed to catch about seven or eight parts of what he said.

The little girl was stunned for a moment, then felt a great sense of injustice, and her big eyes welled up with tears.

She instinctively hid behind Liang Zhe, but the next moment, her stubborn streak kicked in. She puffed out her chest, pointed to a hillside in the distance, and loudly retorted, "Sweetie isn't lying! Stone really is singing, Sweetie heard it."

"Aren't you done yet?" Fu Dashi's brows furrowed even more. "Dean Xu, don't pay her any attention. I've said it before, bringing children up the mountain for such an important undertaking as exploration is just adding to the chaos. I don't know what Expert Liang is thinking, but I strongly disagree with this way of working!"

Liang Zhe stood behind Tian Tian, ​​his arm loosely wrapped around her, both to protect her and to offer silent support. Because of the distance, he couldn't hear Fu Dashi's harsh words, but judging from his expression, he knew they were anything but kind.

"Baby, are you sure?" Liang Zhe crouched down slightly, leaned close to his daughter's ear, and asked gently.

"Yes!" Sweetie nodded vigorously, even waving her little fist to bolster her courage. "Sweetie heard you! Daddy, quickly call Grandpa Xu over!"

Before Liang Zhe could speak, Xu Qiang had already strode towards Tian Tian.

Compared to Fu Dashi's arrogance and prejudice, he was certainly more aware of the weight behind every "nonsense" Tian Tian spoke.

But as soon as he took a step, Fu Dashi stepped to the side, blocking his way like a wall.