Inheriting a dilapidated ranch in North America, he became a billionaire through animal taming and t

The treasure hunt notice had been up for almost half a month, but Su Chen hadn't had a chance to use it.

With infrastructure construction just finished, cattle herds just stabilized, and premium beef yet to be delivered, there's no time to worry about copper mines.

But it's different now.

The premium beef sold for 1670 million, leaving a large sum of cash in the company's accounts.

The herd of cattle numbered nearly four hundred, and the wolf pack and eagles had also formed a fighting force.

The copper mine project should be put on the agenda.

Su Chen sat up and opened the detailed interface of Earth Treasure Hunt Lv.2.

The system immediately projected a three-dimensional map into the mind.

The terrain at the edge of the pine forest in the northwest corner of the pasture is clearly visible.

The location of the mineral vein is marked with a golden dot, surrounded by a dense list of data.

【矿脉坐标：N48°13『27「，W114°17』43」】

Burial depth: 8.2 meters

[Vein thickness: approximately 1.5 meters]

[Vein direction: Northeast-Southwest, extending approximately 120 meters]

Estimated reserves: Approximately 800 tons of copper ore.

[Overall grade: Copper 62%, Silver 0.3%, Gold traces]

Su Chen stared at the data, his mind racing with calculations.

800 tons of ore, 62% copper grade, each ton can yield 620 kilograms of copper.

At the current copper price, it's about $4 per pound, so a ton of copper would cost nearly $9,000.

Even after deducting mining and refining costs, the profits are still quite considerable.

Moreover, there was also silver and a small amount of gold that came with it—money that was practically free.

Just as I was calculating, the system popped up a new notification.

[Side quest triggered: Small-scale mining development]

[Mission Objectives: Complete mineral exploration, establish preliminary mining procedures, and achieve the first round of ore sales]

[Mission Rewards: 2000 points, 3 Advanced Grassland Improvement Agents]

[Task Time Limit: 15 days]

[Accept or not? Yes/No]

Su Chen clicked "Yes" without hesitation.

These are easy questions, you might as well take them.

He got up, washed up, put on a thick work jacket, and went out.

A cold wind blew into his neck, and he hunched his shoulders as he walked toward the livestock shed.

Black Fang emerged from under the porch, shook off the frost, and followed at his feet.

Ling Feng flew down from some tree and landed on his shoulder, its claws scratching him painfully.

Su Chen patted Ling Feng's paw.

"Be gentle."

The eagle tilted its head and tightened its grip, but it still hurt a lot.

Su Chen didn't bother with it anymore and went to take a look around the livestock shed first.

Twenty-five top-quality cattle lay quietly in the barn, covered with thick, optimized hides, breathing evenly.

The health data on the system panel is all green, and the loyalty level is consistently above 90%.

The good-breed calves are also growing normally; the eighteen calves are growing very fast.

The purity of the variety has reached 90%, just one step away from being top grade.

The herd has a total of 393 cattle, which is 107 head short of the target of 500.

Once the money for the premium beef arrives, I'll pay for it all at once.

Su Chen turned and walked towards the northwest corner of the ranch.

Black Fang followed, while Ling Feng flew into the sky to scout ahead.

After walking for about twenty minutes, we passed through the grassland and fences and reached the edge of the pine forest.

The terrain here is different from that in the middle of the pasture.

The ground was a mixture of gravel and sand, with sparse vegetation and a few clumps of drought-resistant shrubs.

Further in is the pine forest, where the dark canopies of trees stretch out in one continuous stretch, rustling in the wind.

Su Chen stood at the location marked by the system and activated the depth detection function of Earth Treasure Hunt.

A cross-sectional diagram of the underground immediately came to mind.

The topsoil layer is about two meters thick, below which is the weathered rock layer, and six meters down is the mineral vein.

The veins are distributed in layers with uniform thickness and no obvious fractures or cavities.

[System assessment: The ore body structure is stable, with no risk of collapse, and is suitable for manual mining.]

Su Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

His biggest concern is safety.

If the mine collapses, forget about making money, you'll lose your life.

Lingfeng let out a cry from the sky, meaning "There is no danger nearby."

Su Chen squatted down, picked up a stone from the ground, and examined it.

There is a faint green rust on the surface, which is a trace of copper oxidation.

This indicates that the ore vein is indeed not far from the surface, and the copper element has already seeped into the topsoil.

He stood up, brushed the dirt off his hands, and had a plan in mind.

This mine is worth exploring.

Back at the main house, Su Chen called Juan and Louis over.

The two men had just finished feeding the cows, and their work clothes were still covered in hay. They stood a little awkwardly at the entrance to the living room.

Su Chen pointed to the sofa.

"sit."

"Let's discuss this."

Juan and Luis exchanged a glance and sat down.

Su Chen got straight to the point.

"There is a copper mine in the northwest corner of the ranch, with considerable reserves."

"I plan to drive it out."

Juan was taken aback.

"A mine? There's a mine beneath our ranch?"

Su Chen didn't explain further.

"Yes, it was detected before, and its location has recently been confirmed."

"The vein is not deep, about eight meters, and the structure is stable, so it can be mined manually."

Louis rubbed his hands together.

"Boss, we've never run a mine before."

"No need for large machinery, just manual labor and small tools will suffice," Su Chen said.

"I checked it out. The ore vein is of high quality with little waste rock, so it can be sold directly after being dug out."

Juan thought for a moment.

"Then what do we need?"

Su Chen counted on his fingers.

"Mining picks, shovels, safety helmets, lighting equipment, and wheelbarrows."

"That's all. Let's try digging first, and if it goes well, we can expand."

Louis nodded.

"Okay, let's do it."

Su Chen looked at Juan.

"You're in charge of the tools. Order them from Luke and get them back this afternoon."

"no problem."

"You're in charge of security and vigilance. Put up warning tape around the mine site to prevent cattle from wandering in."

Louis patted his chest.

"Don't worry, boss."

The two accepted their mission and left.

Su Chen sat on the sofa and opened the system panel to look at the mineral vein data again.

At that moment, Emma came downstairs with a stack of reports in her hand.

"Su Chen, the ranch's finances are all sorted out."

Su Chen took it and flipped through it.

There is still nearly 15 million in cash in the account, mainly the final payment for the top-quality beef transaction.

The infrastructure upgrade cost less than 300,000 yuan, while the fence upgrade cost 28,000 yuan.

Upgrading storage facilities cost 45,000 yuan, while miscellaneous grassland improvements cost less than 20,000 yuan in total.

The biggest expenses are purchasing cattle and feed, but they are negligible compared to income.

"We have plenty of working capital," Emma said.

"If you want to start mining, the initial investment is more than enough."

Su Chen nodded.

"I plan to test it out on a small scale first, and then expand if it works well."

"No rush, take it slow."

Emma scribbled a few notes in her notebook, then looked up and asked.

"Are there any sales channels for the ore?"

"Yes, the recycler who sold the silver ingots before, he's Jewish, and he's reliable," Su Chen said.

"He'll definitely buy the copper ore; with such high purity, the price won't be low."

Emma was relieved.

"Then I'll make a separate account for the expenses related to the mining site."

"OK."

In the afternoon, Juan brought back a truckload of tools from Luke.

Mining picks, steel shovels, safety helmets, headlamps, wheelbarrows, and several bundles of warning tape and warning posts.

Su Chen checked them over and found the quality to be good; Luke hadn't skimped on the work.

Juan chuckled.

"Boss, Luke asked us what we're going to do, and I said we'll fix the irrigation canal."

Su Chen gave a thumbs up.

"clever."

......

The next day, just as dawn broke, Su Chen led Juan and Louis to the mine site.

Black Fang led his wolf pack to set up a perimeter, while Ling Feng watched from the sky, observing a two-kilometer radius.

Su Chen used the system to reconfirm the location of the ore vein and drew a circle on the ground with white lime.

"Right here, dig down."

Juan and Luis picked up their pickaxes and started digging.

The topsoil was loose and it was dug open in just a couple of strokes.

Below is a weathered rock layer, which is fairly hard and not too difficult to dig.

The two took turns digging, and they dug more than a meter deep in an hour.

Su Chen squatted by the pit, using depth detection to monitor it in real time.

When the digging reached 2.5 meters, a system notification popped up.

[5.7 meters from the ore vein.]

"continue."

After four hours of digging, the pit was nearly six meters deep.

Juan's pickaxe struck down, and suddenly a crisp sound rang out.

What was unearthed was no longer rubble, but a piece of bluish-gold ore.

"Boss! We've found it!"

Su Chen jumped into the pit, picked up the piece of ore, and examined it.

Its surface has a metallic luster, and the copper content is visibly high.

[System Real-Time Monitoring:]

Ore Sample Analysis

Copper content: 64.3%

Silver content: 0.35%

Gold content: trace amounts

[Quality Rating: Excellent]

Su Chen smiled.

"Good ore, even higher grade than expected."

Juan and Luis were even more motivated.

They dug down the pit one inch at a time, loaded the ore into a wheelbarrow, and pushed it outside to pile it up.

By noon, more than a ton of ore had been piled up.

Su Chen estimated that at this rate, digging two or three tons a day would not be a problem.

One ton of ore, with a copper content of 62%, can yield more than 600 kilograms of copper, worth nearly 12,000 US dollars.

Two tons a day, that's more than 20,000 US dollars.

This is just a small-scale trial; if the mining scale is expanded, the profits could increase several times over.

Su Chen told the two to rest for a while, then squatted down next to the pile of ore and opened the system panel.

[Side Quest Progress: Small-Scale Mining Development]

Mineral exploration: Completed

[Mining process establishment: In progress (40%)]

[First round of ore sale: Incomplete]

[Remaining time: 14 days]

The progress is good. At this pace, the first round of sales can be completed within a week.

They continued digging in the afternoon and unearthed another ton of ore.

Su Chen told Juan and Luis to call it a day.

Load the ore onto a pickup truck and transport it back to the treasure trove ore section next to the main house for storage.

Old Jack's eyes widened when he saw a cartload of lapis lazuli ore at the door.

"Boss, what's this?"

"Copper mine," Su Chen said.

"It was dug out from under the pasture."

Old Jack swallowed hard.

"Just how many things are hidden beneath your ranch?"

Su Chen smiled but didn't answer. He locked the ore in the secret room and made a note of it.

In the evening, Su Chen went to the livestock shed to check on the cattle as usual.

The new 25 premium cattle are in stable condition, and the meat quality optimization process has reached 100%, so they are ready for slaughter at any time.

The purebred calves are 90% pure and will enter the premium-grade conversion process in another half month.

Both the ordinary cattle herds and the high-quality beef cattle herds are healthy and show no signs of disease.

Su Chen stood at the entrance of the livestock shed, watching the sunset turn the pasture golden, and mentally planned what to do next.

Copper mines should be mined on a small scale first to accumulate capital and experience.

The cattle herd continues to expand, with a target of 500 head.

The brown bear summoning privilege is just one step away from being unlocked; it will be available once the cattle herd reaches the required size.

By then, with wolves, eagles, and brown bears, the ranch will have full-scale security, covering both land and air.

Su Chen patted Hei Feng's head.

"Let's go back and eat."

Hei Feng rubbed his hand against his and followed him toward the main house.

Lingfeng descended from the sky and landed on the roof of the main house, preening its feathers with its beak.

As night falls, the pasture quiets down.

Only the alarm light of the smart electronic fence flashed in the dark, while the surveillance camera operated silently.

At the mining site, Black Fang and two wolves were lying in wait to ensure no one approached.

Everything is proceeding according to plan.

......

The next day, just as dawn broke.

Su Chen was awakened by the system notification sound.

[The vein signal is stable; it is recommended to commence formal mining today.]