601: Chapter 596 Forbidden Zone of Life

Shen Yan didn't look at him.

His gaze had already fallen upon the next document.

To him,

this was merely a new chess piece being placed within his vast commercial empire.

Nothing more.

The days passed one by one in such a fast and efficient rhythm.

Shen Yan's life consisted only of the company and home.

A simple commute between two points.

Liu Hui would calculate the time and prepare dinner for him.

Youyou would hug his legs and tell him interesting stories from kindergarten.

His younger sister, Shen Ya, would also frequently come back from the Branch Company to visit him.

Everything was very good.

So good it was almost mundane.

Shen Yan knew that this mundanity was just the calm before the storm.

His empire needed a more solid foundation.

He needed more wealth, more resources, and more trump cards.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the system to give him a new guide.

A goal significant enough to pique his interest once more.

Finally,

late one night,

just as he finished processing the last document,

that familiar holographic interface, which only he could see, popped up.

[Ding!]

[Detected that the Host's current wealth level is stable; the career has entered a steady development phase.]

[To prevent the Host from becoming complacent, advanced wealth intelligence is now being released.]

A golden light unfolded before Shen Yan's eyes.

It was a three-dimensional, constantly rotating map.

The focus of the map landed on a vast and desolate plateau.

Zangqing.

The Roof of the World.

[Intelligence Name: The Lost S-17 File]

[Intelligence Source: Former Soviet KGB Top-Secret Geological Exploration Archives]

[Intelligence Content: In the 1970s, a Soviet geological exploration team named 'Eye of Siberia' secretly entered the Xilikoko No-Man's Land in the western Zangqing Plateau for resource exploration. Deep in the Lunkun Mountains, in a salt lake basin codenamed 'Devil's Eye,' they discovered an ultra-high-grade copper vein. Based on the raw data evaluation in the archives, the copper resource reserves of this vein are sufficient to effectively alleviate our country's 'copper deficiency.']

[Intelligence Details: The exploration team encountered a catastrophic blizzard on their return journey, and all members went missing. All equipment, including the S-17 file containing the precise coordinates of the vein and the encrypted hard drive with key mining technology, were lost deep within the no-man's land.]

[Mission Objective: Find the S-17 file and the encrypted hard drive.]

[Mission Reward: Unlock the first cornerstone of an Energy Empire.]

[System Tip: The environment in this area is extremely harsh with unknown risks. It is recommended that the Host be fully prepared.]

The light from the interface slowly faded away.

Silence filled Shen Yan's office.

Only the computer tower emitted a faint hum.

Shen Yan leaned back in his chair.

His fingers unconsciously tapped on the desk.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

In his eyes, finally, a flicker of heat ignited once more.

A copper mine.

Copper deficiency.

This wasn't just about money.

It was an opportunity to grasp the future resource landscape.

He picked up his phone.

He didn't call Chen Guangke.

Nor did he call any business partners.

He dialed a number he hadn't contacted in a long time.

The phone rang three times.

It was picked up.

On the other end was a rough, steady male voice.

There were no greetings.

Only two words.

"Speak."

Shen Yan looked at the city's night view outside the window.

The lights were brilliant.

But what he saw was a vast, white snowy plain.

And the massive treasure buried beneath that snowy plain.

He likewise said only two words.

"Zangqing."

There was no sound from the other side.

Only the sound of wind.

It sounded like the cold wind atop the Alps.

Shen Yan spoke.

He wanted a set of equipment.

Not mountain climbing equipment.

Expedition equipment.

Equipment that could sustain a twelve-person team for thirty days of high-intensity operations in temperatures of minus fifty degrees and at an altitude of five thousand meters.

The other side remained silent.

The sound of wind was the only answer.

Shen Yan continued.

He wanted twelve Tundra-class exoskeleton life-support systems.

Integrated with oxygen supply, heating, vital signs monitoring, and short-range communication functions.

He wanted three snow leopard no. 6 all-terrain tracked vehicles.

Capable of carrying deep-ground exploration radar and core drills.

He wanted a portable energy core.

Sufficient to support the energy consumption of the entire team's equipment.

Finally,

he wanted a team of twelve.

A geologist.

A demolition expert.

A mechanical Engineer.

A medic from the former Alpha Group.

Eight former special forces members with polar operation experience.

Shen Yan finished speaking.

He waited quietly.

On the other end of the phone, the sound of wind stopped.

A low voice, sounding like metal grinding together, spoke.

"Specific location."

"Zangqing, Xilikoko."

"Time."

"The sooner the better."

"Deposit."

The other side quoted a figure.

Nine digits.

US dollars.

From Shen Yan's account,

a sum of funds was transferred out.

Through an encrypted channel in Switzerland.

Without a moment's delay.

"Delivery at the mountain pass in one week."

The call disconnected.

Shen Yan put down his phone.

He had never met this man codenamed 'Artisan' in person.

He only knew that he was the world's best supplier of extreme environment equipment and operation planner.

An accident in Siberia had brought them into contact.

'Artisan' never asked why.

He only provided solutions.

And collected the corresponding price.

Now the equipment and the people were settled.

There was one last thing left.

The most critical thing.

A document that would allow him to legally enter that no-man's land.

A permit that would allow him to turn the underground treasure into his own.

Three days later.

Shen Yan appeared in the capital.

Xicheng District.

An unmarked building.

The guards at the entrance stood ramrod straight.

Their gazes were colder than winter ice.

Shen Yan handed over his identification.

The guards verified it.

And let him through.

He walked into the building.

Inside, the decor was simple.

Only gray and white.

There was a solemn atmosphere in the air.

A middle-aged man wearing a Zhongshan suit was waiting for him at the elevator.

There were no unnecessary pleasantries.

The man led Shen Yan into a dedicated elevator.

The elevator went up.

The floor display screen was dark.

Ding.

The elevator doors opened.

It was a long corridor.

At the end was a heavy wooden door.

The man pushed the door open.

He gestured for Shen Yan to enter.

He himself remained outside.

The door closed silently behind him.

This was a massive office.

It looked more like a small library.

An entire wall of bookshelves was filled with various files and dossiers.

An elderly man was standing with his back to him, in front of a giant map.

It was a panoramic map of Huaxia.

The elderly man wore an old military uniform.

There were no ranks on his shoulders.

But Shen Yan knew.

If this elderly man before him stomped his foot, the entire mineral resource sector of Huaxia would tremble.

He was the head of the National Strategic Resource Committee, Elder Zhou.

Elder Zhou did not turn around.

His voice was very resonant.

"Young man, do you know what the place you want to go is called?"

Shen Yan stood there.

He didn't speak.

"We call it the Forbidden Zone of Life."