America: The neighbor's wife is so incredibly hospitable!

Half an hour later.

The dark opening in the devil's throat reappeared before everyone.

The distinctive, chilling whistling sound instantly fogged up Dr. Evans' glasses.

"Interesting... what an interesting wind effect."

Dr. Evans eagerly took out his instruments and measured the wind speed and temperature.

"This continuous low-temperature airflow indicates that there is a huge cavity below, which may even be connected to deep underground veins."

The group, armed with powerful flashlights, entered the cave.

When the dreamlike underground lake came into view, even Robert, who was used to grand scenes, couldn't help but take off his hat.

"My God..." Robert murmured to himself, "There's such a sapphire hidden beneath this desolate Montana."

Dr. Evans, on the other hand, was more professional.

Instead of admiring the beautiful scenery, he quickly walked to the water's edge, took out a sampler, filled it with water, and then dripped in some kind of reagent.

Then, he took out a small hammer, knocked off a rock from the shore, and examined it carefully with a magnifying glass.

Ten minutes passed.

Twenty minutes passed.

The only sounds in the cave were dripping water and Dr. Evans's rapid breathing.

Finally, the doctor stood up abruptly, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Mr. White... I think you need to take a look at this."

The doctor pointed to the discolored liquid in the test tube, and then to the cross-section of the rock.

"This is no ordinary underground river. This is... lithium-rich brine."

"What?" Robert and Chen An asked at the same time.

"Although it still needs to be taken back to the laboratory for spectral analysis to determine the specific content."

"But the conductivity of this water and the reaction with the reagents... my God, this is practically liquid 'platinum'!"

Dr. Evans spoke rapidly, "The geological structure here is very special. Deep geothermal activity dissolved lithium in the rock strata into this underground river, which then accumulated in this natural cave."

"If my guess is correct, the reservoir's reserves... plus the surrounding mineral veins..."

He swallowed hard, looking at Chen An as if he were looking at a walking money-printing machine.

"...This is a small, high-grade lithium salt deposit."

"Preliminary estimates suggest that if developed properly, its potential value is at least $200 million."

Two hundred million US dollars.

These words echoed in the empty cave.

Sarah covered her mouth, her legs went weak, and she almost fell to the ground.

She had considered that the land was valuable, perhaps worth a few hundred thousand, but... two hundred million? How many zeros is that?

Chen An also took a deep breath.

Although he was mentally prepared, the shock of hearing the number from the expert still made his heart race.

This is no longer a small-scale operation involving selling a few mushrooms or wasabi.

This is a true upward social mobility.

"It seems Smith's nose is even more sensitive than a dog's." Chen Anping calmed himself down and sneered.

"No wonder he tried to force me to buy and sell, and even cut off my electricity."

"Two hundred million US dollars is enough for his small company to take a gamble, even if it means going to jail."

Robert, having recovered from his shock, regained his businessman's shrewdness.

He looked at Chen An with an unprecedented seriousness in his eyes.

If before it was out of respect for Katie as an elder, it's now out of respect for an equal, or even more powerful, partner.

"Chen," Robert spoke up, "this secret can't be kept for long. Since Smith has already made his move, it means he's guessed about 70-80% of it."

"If action is not taken soon, the conglomerate behind him may resort to even dirtier methods."

"so?"

"Let's work together." Robert held out his hand. "I'll provide the money, the connections, and I'll get the mining permit and that damn EPA sorted out."

"You provide the land. We'll set up a joint venture mining company and split the profits 50/50."

"Forty-six." Chen An grasped Robert's hand without hesitation, but his tone was firm. "I get six, you get four. And I have a veto."

"I don't want to turn my backyard into a dusty open-pit mine."

"It must be an environmentally friendly brine lithium extraction technology."

Robert stared into Chen An's unwavering dark eyes.

a long time.

"...You're even more ruthless than those vampires on Wall Street."

Robert burst out laughing and shook Chen An's hand vigorously. "Deal! You get 60%, I get 40%! Who told you to control the core resources!"

………………

When they emerged from the cave, it was already dark outside.

The last rays of the setting sun disappeared below the horizon.

Sarah was floating.

She held Chen An's arm, feeling that none of this was real.

"Ann...we...are we rich now?" she asked softly.

"Rich on paper right now," Chen An patted the back of her hand, trying to bring her back to reality.

"There's still a long battle to fight to turn underground brine into numbers in the bank."

"And the first battle is to drive away the wild dogs that want to steal this piece of the cake."

After seeing Robert off, Dr. Evans, who was excited, left.

The farm has returned to tranquility.

But beneath this tranquility lies a chilling atmosphere.

"Zeus doesn't need to come inside tonight."

Chen An stood under the porch, looking at the darkness not far away, and unfastened the collar of the Caucasian Shepherd. "Let it roam freely in the yard."

"Why?" Sarah asked, puzzled. "Are there wolves at night?"

"Perhaps worse than wolves."

Chen An touched the M1911 at his waist, his eyes cold.

Smith's construction site was shut down by the Environmental Protection Agency, and now Robert is bringing people here to explore in a big way. There must be Smith's informants who spotted the Lincoln.

That madman should have already realized that Chen An is making contact with other capital.

Tonight is his last chance to make a move before this $200 million secret is fully revealed.

Or a fire could burn everything to the ground, forcing bankruptcy.

Or perhaps we could cause some kind of "accident" to happen to this "arrogant" heir.

"Sarah, go to the basement tonight. Spread those wolf pelts on the floor, and bring two bottles of red wine."

Chen An turned around and kissed her on the forehead. "If we can hold this place tonight, tomorrow we'll go to the car dealership and buy that Porsche you've been eyeing for so long."

Although Sarah didn't know what was about to happen, she sensed the tension before the final battle.

"I'm not going to the basement. I want to stay with you."

She ran into the house, grabbed the double-barreled shotgun, cocked it with a click, and declared resolutely, "This is our home. Anyone who dares to come, I'll shoot them."

At this moment, this once frail housewife, under the influence of this man, finally transformed into a true Western ranch mistress.

Chen An looked at her and smiled.

"Okay. Then we'll stay here together."

He turned off all the lights in the room.

In the darkness, there were two pairs of eyes, two guns, and a giant beast lurking in the shadows of the yard.

The hunters are in position.

They are just waiting for their prey to come to them.

………………

At the same time.

In a motel a few kilometers away.

Smith, his eyes bloodshot, slammed his phone onto the bed.

"Damn it! That Robert White... he actually got involved!"

"If I make him submit the geological report, then this land will be completely out of my hands!"

He turned around and looked at several men in the room wearing black windbreakers, wiping some kind of silenced weapon in their hands.

These aren't motorcycle gang thugs with baseball bats.

This is a true professional street cleaner.

"That Chinese kid... can't be allowed to live." Smith gritted his teeth, his voice sounding like it was dripping blood.

"Tonight, make him disappear. Set the house on fire to make it look like an accident."

"Once the person is gone, the land will be an unclaimed estate, and with that widow... I have plenty of ways to take it over."

"Understood, boss. That big dog is a bit of a problem," the leader said.

"Prepare meat with added seasoning for that beast. Get to work quickly."

"Yes."

Several dark figures disappeared silently into the night.

The wind in Montana is unusually cold tonight.