112: Chapter 112 Wind and Gold by Lake Issyk-Kul

September 12th, Issyk-Kul Lake.

Li Xin had set off from Tokmok early in the morning and didn't arrive at Issyk-Kul Lake until the afternoon. He had driven along the lake loop road for nearly four hours; the road conditions were inconsistent, and there was even a section under construction.

Upon arriving at the lakeside, he saw some small villages, felt tents, small shops, and herdsmen leading horses along the road to solicit tourists.

However, there weren't many tourists. At this time of year, it was windy and the water was cold by the lake, so there were fewer people swimming, leaving only those taking photographs.

Li Xin didn't stop in the bustling area on the east side of the lake and continued driving south.

The Dolpran Gold Mine marked on the map was described in the information as a medium-sized gold mine with reserves of about 40 tons, and the mining area was at the foot of the mountain on the north side of the lake.

He glanced at the satellite map; a few kilometers to the north of the mining area was a highland with an open view, from which he could see the entire lake.

"That's the spot." Li Xin nodded firmly, muttering to himself.

The dirt road was narrow; the wheels crunched over gravel, kicking up a cloud of dust.

After driving for fifteen minutes, a highland appeared ahead.

It wasn't high, only a few dozen meters from the lake surface, but the terrain was prominent, offering views of the lake on three sides.

He parked the car at the edge of the highland.

The lake surface was a deep blue, so blue it didn't look real.

The distant snow-capped mountains lay across the horizon, their snowy peaks reflected in the lake water like a mirror ruffled slightly by the wind.

The sky was also blue, and the clouds were very white and low, as if hanging right above his head.

Li Xin got out of the car and took a deep breath.

The air was cold and carried the fishy scent of the lake water.

A breeze blew over from the lake surface, making his clothes flap loudly.

He walked to the edge of the highland, took out his photography equipment, and began to take pictures, while silently reciting in his mind.

"AI System, I've arrived, start Scan."

[Scanning. Approximately 8,800 meters from the mining area, within radius. It will take a few minutes.]

He leaned against the car door and waited quietly, watching a small boat drifting slowly in the distance on the lake; the people on the boat were hauling in nets.

In the grass by the shore, there were a few waterbirds with long legs and long beaks; he didn't know what they were called.

He waited for two minutes.

[Ding—Scan complete. This is the Dolpran Gold Mine, a medium-sized gold mine currently under operation. Reserves are approximately 40 tons. It is an owned mine, 60% can be extracted, which is 24 tons. Extraction duration is about 1.5 hours, system load is estimated at 70% - 78%, it will not overload.]

"Start."

[Extraction in progress. Computing load gradually increasing... 44%, 60%, 73%.]

A pale blue light surged out and extended toward the mining area down the hillside.

The progress bar began to jump: 6%, 13%, 21%.

Li Xin continued to take pictures diligently, holding his thermos, occasionally raising his hand to check the camera screen, seriously acting the part of a photographer.

32%. The wind began to pick up.

Layers of white waves churned on the lake surface, slapping against the shore with a "swish..." sound.

[AI System: Weather warning! Wind speed on the lake surface continues to increase and has reached level 7. Dust may interfere with visibility, but it will not affect the Extraction. Please pay attention to concealment.]

A level 7 wind wasn't considered large, but on this open highland, it felt quite strong.

Li Xin hurriedly shoved the tripod back into the car, stood beside the car, and pulled up the hood of his hoodie.

The sand and wind hitting his face stung painfully.

Progress 51%.

Just then, a white pickup truck drove up from the dirt road at the foot of the mountain.

It wasn't a mining vehicle; the words "Issyk-Kul Lake Nature Reserve" were printed on the body. It was a scenic area patrol vehicle.

Li Xin glanced at it but didn't move.

Acting sneakily would only be suspicious.

The pickup stopped at the entrance of the highland, and two people got out.

Both were wearing dark uniforms and hats; one was older, in his forties, and the other was a young man in his early twenties.

The two of them walked toward him.

"Hello." The older one greeted him in Russian; his tone wasn't stern, but it wasn't friendly either.

Li Xin replied in Kyrgyz: "Hello."

The other party was taken aback for a moment, then switched to Kyrgyz: "Are you a tourist?"

"Yes. I'm from China, on a self-driving tour."

"What are you doing here?" The older one glanced at his car and then at him.

Li Xin pointed to the lake in the distance and then to the tripod and camera he had already shoved back into the car.

"Taking photos. Issyk-Kul Lake is too beautiful; I couldn't help but stop."

"How long have you been on this highland by yourself?"

"Only about half an hour. The light was good just now, so I took a few extra shots."

The older one looked at the lake surface and then at the distant snow-capped mountains.

The wind blew his uniform collar up, and he reached out to hold it down.

"It's windy today, it's not safe here. Rockfalls are common." He pointed to the hillside below the highland, "Rocks fell over there a couple of days ago and almost hit someone."

"Okay, I'll leave once I finish taking these few shots."

"Your car is parked in the wrong spot; it's blocking the road." The younger one interjected.

Li Xin glanced at his car; it was indeed parked in the middle of the dirt road.

He hadn't paid attention earlier, too focused on looking at the lake.

He quickly took out his car keys and opened the door.

"I'll move it right away."

He got into the car, drove it forward a dozen meters, and parked in an empty space by the side of the road.

Just as he turned off the engine, the system panel flickered.

Progress 68%, load 71%.

He got out of the car again and walked over to the two patrolmen.

"Is this okay?"

The younger one took a look and nodded.

The older one stared at Li Xin for a few seconds and asked again: "Did you drive here from China all by yourself?"

"Yes. I entered from Almaty, went through the Ak-Zhol border crossing, and toured my way here."

"Which places have you visited?"

"Tokmok, Karaburak, Jeruy. Mainly taking pictures of natural scenery." Li Xin smiled, his tone relaxed. "The mountains and lakes here are too beautiful; we can't get this kind of scenery back home."

The older one nodded, his expression relaxing a bit.

He pointed to the distant snow-capped mountains.

"The scenery is better over there. Drive south, there's an observation deck that many people go to."

"Thank you. I'll go take a look in a while."

"Leave early after you finish taking photos, get down the mountain before dark; the road is difficult to travel."

After saying this, the older one turned and walked toward the pickup.

The younger one followed behind; he walked a few steps, looked back at Li Xin once, but didn't say anything.

The pickup turned around and drove away.

Li Xin let out a long breath.

His palms were sweaty, but not because he was afraid—this kind of situation couldn't scare him.

He was worried that the System might pull some stunt while those two were there.

Progress 79%.

The wind was even stronger; waves on the lake surface churned, and white foam was blown up by the wind, drifting onto the rocks by the shore.

The sand and dust on the highland were whipped up, obscuring the view in the distance.

He stood with his back to the wind, standing by the car, staring at the system panel.

85%. 91%.

A flock of birds flew over the lake, arranged in a V-shape, flying toward the south.

They were flapping their wings hard; the wind was too strong, and they weren't flying fast.

96%. 98%.

[Ding—Extraction complete. Obtained 24 tons of gold. Purity 99.99%.]

[Cumulative gold refined: 2431.7257 tons]

Li Xin closed the panel, bent down to pick up a stone from the ground, and threw it toward the lake surface.

The stone fell into the waves, and not a single splash could be seen.

He got into the car, started the engine, and drove back along the dirt road.

In the rearview mirror, the highland grew further and further away, and the two patrolmen's car was no longer visible.

Once on the main road, he slowed down, found a place where he could park, and turned off the engine.

He opened the system panel and saw the line about the cumulative amount.

Over 100 tons of gold had been refined within Kyrgyzstan.

Adding Karaburak, Jeruy, Taldy-Bulak, Tokoi-Ru, and then today's 24 tons, it had just broken the 100-ton mark.

He stared at this number, the corners of his mouth curling up.

One hundred tons.

Less than a week since arriving in Kyrgyzstan.

The lake surface in the distance was still churning, and the wind poured in through the gap in the car window, making a howling sound.

Li Xin picked up his thermos and took a sip of tea, only to find the water had gone cold.

He put the cup back, started the car, and continued driving along the lake loop road.

The navigation showed that the Kumtor Gold Mine was in a mountain canyon to the southeast.

"AI System, can Kumtor be scanned?"

[The current distance is too far, exceeding the Scan range. You need to drive about another hundred kilometers to the southeast, entering the mountainous area in the southern part of Issyk-Kul Region, before you can start the Scan.]

Li Xin stepped on the gas.

The lake loop road had many curves, so he didn't dare to drive too fast.

To the right was the lake, to the left was the mountain, and the road wound between the two.

The lake surface appeared and disappeared intermittently, and the snow-capped mountains seemed near and far by turns.

After driving for more than half an hour, a small town appeared ahead.

There were a few rows of low houses, a gas station, and a small shop.

He parked the car by the roadside, bought a bottle of water and a bag of cookies at the small shop, and took the opportunity to use the restroom.

The owner of the small shop was a middle-aged man with a round face and a black beard, watching a soccer match on his phone.

When Li Xin paid, he asked casually: "Is Kumtor in this direction?"

The owner looked up at him.

"Are you going to the mining area?"

"No, I'm going to the mountains over there to take photos. I heard the canyons over there are very beautiful."

The owner nodded.

"Drive south, there's a fork in the road after you pass the mountain pass. Don't take the wrong road; outsiders aren't allowed into the mining area road, there's a checkpoint."

"Okay. Thank you."

Li Xin took the water and got into the car.

His heart rate quickened, but there was no expression on his face.

Kumtor. Reserves of 316 tons.

The largest gold mine in Kyrgyzstan, and also one of the top super-large gold mines in the entire Central Asia region.

60% of the country's gold production comes from here.

If the data is accurate, 60% of 316 tons is nearly 190 tons.

Adding what he currently has in hand, he could break through 3,000 tons.

He fastened his seatbelt and stepped on the gas.

The car continued to drive south along the lake loop road.

The sky gradually darkened, and the distant snow-capped mountains were dyed golden-red by the setting sun.

The clouds were very low, pressing down on the mountain peaks like a hat.

Fog had risen on the lake surface, and the distant shoreline was unclear.

Turning a curve, the mobile signal cut out—this was a sign of entering the mountainous area.

Li Xin threw his phone onto the passenger seat and gripped the steering wheel with both hands.

Curve after curve.

To the right of the road was a cliff, and to the left was the mountain.

The guardrail was very old, and in some places, it had broken, revealing the deep valley outside.

The speed dropped to forty.

He stared at the road ahead.

The asphalt on the road surface was quite old, with grass growing in the cracks.

Occasionally, gravel would roll down from the hillside and block the middle of the road; he would steer around it.

The sky was getting darker and darker.

He turned on the headlights, and two beams of light illuminated the road ahead.

He glanced in the rearview mirror; there were no cars behind him.

And none in front.

Only himself, and that road stretching into the mountains.

316 tons.

He gritted his teeth, stepped on the gas, and the car accelerated, rushing into the night in the mountains.