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

Su Chen rubbed his eyes, got up, washed up, and went out.

A cold wind rushed into his collar, and he shivered.

In Montana, the morning temperature is below -10 degrees Celsius, and even your breath turns white.

Juan and Luis were already waiting at the door.

The two were wearing thick work clothes and cotton hats.

Wearing safety boots, with the tools prepared yesterday beside him.

Mining picks, steel shovels, and wheelbarrows are all available.

Juan rubbed his hands together.

"Boss, let's go."

"Let's try to dig as much as possible today."

Su Chen nodded, and the three of them headed towards the mine.

Black Fang emerged from under the porch and followed.

Ling Feng flew up from the roof and headed northwest.

Upon arriving at the mining site, Su Chen first activated the system's Earth Treasure Hunt function to reconfirm the location and direction of the ore vein.

[Vein Direction: Northeast-Southwest]

[Ore-rich layer distribution: depth 8-9.5 meters, thickness approximately 1.2 meters]

[Recommendation: Prioritize mining the rich ore layer and avoid the waste rock zone to the east]

Su Chen drew a line on the ground with white lime.

Mark the range of rich ore layers from northeast to southwest.

"Dig along this line, first dig to a depth of eight meters, then expand to both sides."

"Don't touch that area on the east side. That's just waste rock; digging there will be a waste of effort."

Juan and Luis were already quite used to this precise positioning.

The boss always knows what's underground, where to dig, and how deep to dig; he's never made a mistake.

The two men picked up their pickaxes and began to dig.

Yesterday's pit was already six meters deep, and we'll continue digging today.

Su Chen squatted by the pit, using the system to monitor the depth and location of the ore vein in real time.

When the digging reached 7.5 meters, the system popped up a notification.

[We are 0.5 meters away from the rich ore layer. We recommend slowing down to avoid damaging the ore body structure.]

"Dig slowly, it's almost too late," Su Chen shouted.

Juan slowed down, gently digging with his pickaxe.

After a dozen or so strokes, the pickaxe no longer struck rock.

Instead, it is a bluish-gold ore with a metallic luster.

We've reached the rich ore layer.

Juan's voice rose eight octaves.

"Boss, we've arrived!"

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

This one is of a higher quality than the one we dug up yesterday.

The surface is almost entirely covered with the metallic luster of copper, with silvery associated mineral veins embedded inside like blood vessels.

[System Real-Time Monitoring:]

Ore Sample Analysis

Copper content: 67.2%

Silver content: 0.42%

Gold content: Trace (0.03%)

[Quality Rating: Excellent]

[Estimated value: Approximately US$1.8 per ton of ore in this batch]

Su Chen's pupils contracted.

With a copper content of 67%, it's close to the standard for concentrate.

Generally, a copper ore with a yield of 20% to 30% is considered a rich mine.

The concept of "sixty-seven" means that once it's mined, it's money; there's basically no need for ore beneficiation.

"Dig, expand to both sides."

"We'll mine as much as we can, following the vein's direction."

Juan and Luis took turns chipping away at the ore with pickaxes and loading it into a wheelbarrow.

Su Chen was above the pit to provide support.

Push the wheelbarrow full of ore to the open space next to it and pile it up.

Black Fang led his wolf pack to keep watch around the area, and no one approached within a radius of two hundred meters.

Lingfeng hovered in the sky, monitoring the activity within a two-kilometer radius in real time.

Mining efficiency is much higher than yesterday.

The main thing is that a rich ore layer has been found, so there's no need to dig out waste rock anymore.

Every strike of the pickaxe yields genuine high-grade ore.

In the first hour, they dug up 300 kilograms.

In the second hour, it was another 300 kilograms.

By the third hour, the handcarts were already full, with four carts already loaded.

The ore piled up on the open ground weighs at least one ton and two kilometres.

Su Chen opened the system panel.

Total ore mined today: 1.25 tons

Estimated total value: Approximately US$2.25

[Value per ton: US$1.8]

Su Chen felt reassured.

More than 20,000 US dollars, and this was just in one morning.

If you work all day, making 40,000 a day is not a problem.

That's over a million a month, and over ten million a year.

Moreover, this is only a small-scale, manual mining operation.

With the addition of equipment and expansion in the future, the profits could increase several times over.

Emma drove up in her old pickup truck.

She was wearing a beige down jacket, her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she was holding a camera.

"Su Chen, I'm here to take some photos, to keep proof of my assets."

Emma squatted down and took a picture of the pile of ore.

"Be careful, don't get too close."

Su Chen pointed to the edge of the pit.

"That's a mine pit; falling in there must have been quite a fall."

Emma moved to a safe position.

I took a few close-up photos of the ore and a few panoramic photos of the mining site.

Juan just pulled a cartload of ore out of the pit; the bluish-gold ore glittered in the sunlight.

Emma captured the moment and pressed the shutter.

Emma looked at the photos and exclaimed in amazement.

"If you take this photo out, who would believe it was dug out by hand?"

Su Chen smiled but didn't say anything, continuing to accept the ore that Hu An handed over.

By noon, the ore piled up on the open ground had exceeded two tons.

Su Chen told Juan and Louis to stop and rest.

The two sat down next to the pile of ore, took out their water bottles to drink water, and ate the sandwiches they had brought.

Juan said, wiping his sweat.

"Boss, this mine is incredibly rich."

"I've seen copper mines in my hometown in Mexico, but the grade there is less than a third of this."

"I was lucky," Su Chen said.

"Let's continue this afternoon and try to dig another ton."

Louis took a bite of his sandwich.

"No problem, this ore is easy to mine. No need for blasting, we can just dig it out with a pickaxe."

After a half-hour break, the three of them continued working.

The afternoon was more efficient than the morning.

Juan and Luis found their rhythm.

One person dug while the other loaded, taking turns, and they almost never stopped.

Su Chen was responsible for receiving and stacking the materials, and also used the system to monitor the structural safety of the mine pit.

By 4 p.m., the pit had expanded to nearly 10 square meters, with a stable depth of about 8.5 meters.

A large section of the rich ore layer had been peeled away, and the bluish-gold ore glittered under the headlamp.

[System Real-Time Statistics:]

Total ore mined today: 2.4 tons

Estimated total value: Approximately US$4.3

Total ore mined: 3.8 tons

[Estimated total value: approximately US$6.8]

Su Chen called a halt.

"That's enough for today."

Juan and Luis climbed out of the pit, covered in dirt, but both had smiles on their faces.

The two loaded the last batch of ore onto a wheelbarrow and pushed it to the storage point.

Su Chen took out his phone and took a picture of the ore pile.

More than two tons of ore were piled together, the bluish-gold ore blocks standing out conspicuously in the setting sun.

"Let's leave this batch of ore for now, and contact the recycler to come and inspect it tomorrow."

"If the price is right, we'll make the move."

Emma took notes in her notebook.

"The total ore volume is 2.4 tons, with an estimated value of US$4.3."

Su Chen instructed Juan and Louis to cordon off the mining site with warning tape and erect warning posts.

Black Fang left two wolves at the mine site to guard it and prevent anyone from getting close.

Back at the main house, Su Chen organized the data from the day.

The total ore volume is 3.8 tons, valued at $6.8 according to the system's estimate, averaging nearly $1.8 per ton.

This is only the result of two days' work. Once the mining process stabilizes, efficiency can be further improved.

He opened the system panel and glanced at the side quest progress.

Side Quest: Small-Scale Mining Development

Mineral exploration: Completed

[Mining process establishment: In progress (65%)]

[First round of ore sale: Incomplete]

[Remaining time: 13 days]

Progress is good; two-thirds of the mining process has been completed.

Once the ore is sold, the mission will be complete.

Su Chen made a phone call to the recycler.

The person who answered the phone was Goldstein, a Jew who had previously bought silver ingots and medieval gold coins.

"Mr. Goldstein, I have a shipment of high-grade copper ore. Would you like to buy it?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

"Copper ore?"

"Did you dig this out from under your ranch?"

"right."

"How much taste do you have?"

"Those over sixty years old are accompanied by silver and gold."

Goldstein's voice immediately changed tone.

"Mr. Su, are you serious?"

"Seriously."

"If you're interested, come to the ranch to see the goods tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll bring the equipment over tomorrow afternoon."

After hanging up the phone, Su Chen went to the livestock shed to check on the cattle.

The top-quality cattle are in stable condition, the calves are growing normally, and there are no abnormalities in the ordinary cattle herds and the high-quality beef cattle herds.

The total number of cattle on the system panel is still 393.

Su Chen figured that once the ore was sold and the money was in his account, he would go to the livestock auction market to buy another batch of cattle.

Once you have 450 heads, you can fulfill the prerequisites for obtaining the brown bear summoning permission.

That evening, Su Chen sat in his study and opened the mineral section of the system shop.

[Ore Production Booster: Increases ore production rate by 20% for 30 days, priced at 1200 points]

[Mine Reinforcement Blueprint: Permanently improves the structural stability of the mine, priced at 2000 points]

[Mineral Refinement Card: Increases the extraction rate of valuable metals from ores by 15%, priced at 800 points]

Su Chen checked his points balance; he still had over ten thousand.

I haven't spent much of the 8000 points I received as a reward for expanding the elite cattle herd last time.

Adding what was left over, it's enough.

He first bought ore production booster, which cost 1200 points.

This thing can increase the mining rate by 20%.

This means that with the same manpower input, nearly half a ton more ore can be mined every day.

There's no rush to get the purification cards; let's wait and see what feedback the recyclers give us after we sell the ore.

The mine reinforcement drawings will be left for now.

The current mine structure is stable, and the system has determined that there is no risk of collapse, so it is not needed for the time being.

After purchasing the production booster, a system notification popped up.

[The ore production enhancer has taken effect, increasing the current ore extraction rate by 20% for 30 days.]

Su Chen turned off the system panel, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and thought about the next steps.

The copper mine should be stabilized first, maintaining a daily output of two to three tons.

That's sixty or seventy tons a month, worth over a million US dollars.

This money is more than enough to expand the cattle herd and upgrade the facilities.

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

Once brown bear summoning privileges are unlocked, the ranch's security capabilities will be able to reach a new level.

We're waiting for the second batch of orders for the premium beef.

With the stable income from the copper mine, the ranch's cash flow was completely revitalized.

Su Chen opened his eyes, stood up, and walked to the window.

It was pitch black outside the window, with only the alarm light of the smart electronic fence flashing in the distance.

Black Fang crouched under the porch, ears perked up, alertly listening to the sounds around him.

Lingfeng remained motionless on the rooftop, like a statue.

Su Chen pushed open the window, and a cold wind rushed in. He took a deep breath.

It was freezing cold in Montana at that time, but his heart was warm.

......

At six o'clock in the morning, Su Chen was awakened by a series of urgent system notification sounds.

[Main Quest Updated!]

[The prerequisites for unlocking brown bear summoning privileges have been met]

【Condition 1: Ranch security level ≥ 100%, Current progress: 100% (Completed)】

【Condition 2: Herd size ≥ 450 head, Current progress: 393/450 (Incomplete)】

【Condition 3: The mining site has been operating stably for ≥7 days, current progress: 2/7 (incomplete)】

After completing all the conditions, you can unlock the brown bear summoning privilege and tame large predators (brown bears, cougars, etc.)