The richest man started taking advantage of loopholes after joining Alibaba.

In the following days, the land ownership confirmation process went surprisingly smoothly.

Once the policy was implemented, Mr. Chen became incredibly enthusiastic, working exceptionally hard to complete the procedures.

With the help of local connections from their partners and the solid documentation that Lin Che had prepared beforehand, things were done exceptionally quickly.

The parts that I had anticipated getting stuck on, I got through one after another.

The exploration permit has been approved.

The scope of the land use was also redefined and reported according to the locked core area.

He Wei led her team back and forth to several government departments, getting one stamp after another.

The pre-prepared qualification documents passed the review process without any obstacles.

While other companies are still worrying about whether they qualify, their applications are already at the front of the queue.

Even the negotiations with those villages were more relaxed than expected.

Once the policy was introduced, this land became a highly sought-after commodity, and the two villages that were already hoping to start mining became even more enthusiastic.

Even the most difficult village, which was guarding its ancestral graves and refusing to budge, has become more open-minded.

They probably heard rumors and knew that this land would become valuable in the future, so instead of holding on to it, they thought it would be better to negotiate a good price as soon as possible.

Everything is moving in the best direction.

It felt almost unreal.

Logically speaking, Lin Che should be the happiest person since things were handled so well.

The land he secured doubled in value, the paperwork was being expedited, his competitors were eliminated by policy changes, and his partners were completely obedient to him.

This is an absolutely brilliant hand.

But the more he did this, the more Lin Che felt an inexplicable unease that he couldn't shake off.

Having spent so many years navigating the business world, he had long since developed an almost instinctive alertness.

When things are going too smoothly, that's often when you should be most careful.

The most deadly dangers lie hidden beneath the calm surface of the water.

He Wei has been extremely busy these past few days, but she feels light and carefree.

She came to Lin Che with stacks of completed documents, her face beaming with undisguised joy.

"Mr. Lin, at this rate, we should be able to acquire this land completely in another month or so at most."

She said, "You were truly a prophet."

These past few days, she's been running around doing chores, watching one difficult problem after another being solved under Lin Che's strategic planning, and her admiration for him has grown deeper every day.

She had even started to imagine what life would be like after they acquired the land.

Lin Che took the documents, flipped through them one by one, and nodded.

He should be happy.

With things going so smoothly, anyone would be relieved.

But for some reason, he couldn't let his guard down.

The smoother things went, the stronger his unease became.

The feeling was like something unseen was hidden beneath the calm surface of water.

These days, whenever the night is quiet, he always thinks of that mountain ridge and Muvanji's inexplicable words.

Someone has been here.

I set up scaffolding, fiddled with metal tools, and left after a few days.

To outsiders, it was just a cowherd gossiping, but to Lin Che, those words were like a fine thorn, pricking him more and more as the conversation continued.

The more determined he was to get this land, the more that thorn in his side made him restless and unable to eat or sleep.

He couldn't understand who, when, and why, had come to this wilderness that even locals rarely set foot in.

Maybe they were just a few passersby, or maybe they were nothing at all.

But this vague and inexplicable doubt, like a grain of sand stuck in his shoe, made him feel uneasy as he took that step.

Instead of pondering it over and over in your mind, you should see it for yourself.

He realized it was a false alarm and was relieved.

He is the kind of person who never fights a battle unprepared.

But along the way, the only unexpected variable was the inexplicable commotion next to this piece of land.

In the business world, variables are the most deadly thing.

So even if there's only the slightest possibility, he has to personally make sure it's confirmed.

He put down the documents and suddenly asked a question.

Is Mvanji still at the base?

He Wei was taken aback, not understanding why he suddenly asked about the director.

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"Have him prepare the car."

Lin Che stood up. "I'm going somewhere."

Half an hour later, the off-road vehicle was bumping along in the open field.

This time, Lin Che did not go to the core area.

He told Mvanji to drive the car toward that ridge.

It was the place that Mwangi had casually mentioned on the first day we arrived—the place where someone had been recently.

He Wei came along too; she was worried about leaving Lin Che alone.

She couldn't understand why Lin Che would abandon the important matter of confirming property rights at this critical juncture and come to this desolate place.

She asked a question, and Lin Che only said he was going to see something, and then said nothing more.

She didn't ask any more questions.

Having been with Lin Che for a long time, she understood that his expression meant he had something weighing on his mind.

The carriage was somewhat quiet, and no one spoke much.

The only sounds were the wheels rolling over the red soil and the dull roar of the engine.

Kamau, as usual, was present.

He sat in the back row, still holding his notebook, and wrote down everything about his nonsensical trip that day.

After driving for about half an hour, the terrain ahead gradually rose.

As he drove, Mvanji pointed to the undulating mountain ridge ahead.

"Look, that's the area."

He said, "The place I mentioned to you last time, the one that someone came to, is that area."

He seemed to remember something and added another sentence.

"The villagers who were herding cattle at that time said that a few unfamiliar faces came in a big truck carrying a lot of iron equipment."

"They set up a shed over there and stayed for about half a month, tinkering with something, nobody knows."

"Later, the people left, the sheds were dismantled, and only some things remained..."

He thought for a moment, but couldn't find the right words, so he gestured vaguely.

"There are only some things left standing on the ground."

Lin Che looked in the direction he pointed.

The mountain ridge was much clearer in the daytime sunlight than it had been that evening.

It was still a vast, empty field, with red soil and shrubs, nothing particularly special about it.

But the closer he got, the more excited Lin Che became.

The car reached the foot of the mountain ridge and could not go any further, so the group got out and walked uphill.

Mvanji led the way, relying on his memory to find the approximate location that the cowherd had mentioned.

The hillside wasn't steep, but the red soil was soft; if you stepped on it, half of your shoe would sink in.

The sun was blazing, making people dizzy, and the group quickly broke out in a sweat.

The wilderness was very quiet; even the wind had stopped. The only sounds were the heavy breathing of a few people and the sound of their footsteps on the red earth.

This place was unusually quiet.

"It should be just ahead."

He said.

Lin Che followed behind, step by step, walking up the soft red soil.

At first, he walked relatively steadily.

But the further he went, the slower his pace became.

It's not because I'm tired.

It was because the unease in his heart grew stronger with each step he took, so strong that he could hardly lift his feet.

He didn't know what lay ahead.

But an inexplicable intuition told him that he wouldn't like what he was about to see.

Finally, as he reached the top of a gentle slope, his gaze swept over the undulating terrain.

In that instant, his steps came to a complete halt.

On the high ground ahead, there are some things standing.

Those things, not tall, were neatly arranged, and stood out starkly in the open field.

It's too far away to see clearly.

But they were clearly erected by human hands, each one evenly spaced, exuding an indescribable sense of order.

Those were not natural stones, nor were they huts built by local herders.

Those were man-made things with a specific purpose.

These are things that should never have appeared in this "nobody has ever been" wilderness.

He Wei saw it too, and she stopped in her tracks, subconsciously moving closer to Lin Che.

No one speaks.

The group of people stood on the hilltop, gazing at the row of glaring figures ahead.

Lin Che squinted and stared for a long time, not daring to think any further.

So what exactly is it?