115: Chapter 115 Large Mine Amidst Wildfire

September 20th, Jalal-Abad Region.

Li Xin drove from Issyk-Kul Lake, taking a whole day. The roads here were really difficult to navigate—first the lakeside highway, then turning onto the national highway, and finally turning into the provincial road. The provincial road wasn't any better; the asphalt was riddled with potholes, and some sections had turned directly into gravel roads.

He arrived in the evening. He gave up on entering the city and drove straight to the Jeruy Gold Mine.

There was an abandoned village near the Jeruy Gold Mine, which he had found only after spending half the night researching information at the hotel. The information online was very fragmented; some said it was a mining settlement from the Soviet Union era that dispersed once the mine closed, while others said it was a livestock point that had been abandoned after the pasture degraded. Regardless of the claim, the common point was—it was uninhabited now.

He arrived at a fork in the road, stopped the car, and checked the map. There was still nearly four kilometers to go, but this stretch of road didn't look easy to travel. Only a small dirt road remained here, with overgrown bushes on both sides covering the path.

"AI System, is this the right direction?"

[Yes. Follow this road forward, park at the foot of the mountain, and then walk up.]

"Alright." Li Xin threw his phone onto the passenger seat and started the car.

The dirt road was bumpier than hell; the car swayed left and right, and the steering wheel was shaking. Shrub branches scraped against the car doors, making a screeching sound. After driving for about ten minutes, a gentle slope appeared ahead, covered in gravel. He tried driving up for a bit, but the tires slipped, and he almost got stuck.

"Damn it." He had to reverse the car and find a relatively hidden spot to park.

He shouldered his old backpack, grabbed his camera, and started walking.

Although the slope wasn't long, there was so much loose gravel that he slipped half a step for every step he took. Li Xin could only inch his way up step by step.

After walking for over twenty minutes, he finally crested the slope, but what appeared before him was a ruin—this was the village Li Xin was looking for.

Dozens of houses, all built of stone, lined up along the hillside. The village was larger than he had imagined.

However, some roofs were long gone, leaving only walls. Some walls had collapsed halfway, with rubble piled on the ground, overgrown with weeds. At the entrance of the village stood a few dead, old trees with bare branches—a scene of utter desolation.

Li Xin stood on the ridge, looking around. The place was desolate and uninhabited, with nothing but the wooshing sound of the wind blowing through the ruins and the chirping of birds in the distant mountains.

He walked along the main path of the village. The middle of the dirt road was overgrown with grass, showing that no one had walked here for a long time. The houses on both sides were increasingly dilapidated; some were only corners of walls, while others had even collapsed, leaving only piles of rubble.

After searching for quite a while, he found a relatively intact courtyard. The courtyard wall was still standing, and although the stone floor inside had cracks, it was still relatively flat. In the corner, there was a large walnut tree that provided excellent shade.

Li Xin looked around the courtyard for a while. He felt this place was good, with a good view, and he could see the village entrance and the road he came from at a glance.

He put down his backpack and sat down against the wall.

"AI System, Scan."

[Scanning... Scan complete. Gold detected, 11,600 meters to the south-southeast. Reserves are approximately 74.6 tons. This is an owned gold mine; you can extract 60%, which is 44.76 tons. Extraction time is approximately 2 hours, load estimated at 70% - 78%.]

The corners of Li Xin's mouth curled up. The research hadn't been in vain; he had found the right location.

"Start Extraction."

[Extracting... Load gradually rising... 42%, 58%, 72%.]

A pale blue light surged out, extending toward the mountains outside the ruins. The progress bar began to jump: 3%, 7%, 12%.

Li Xin took his camera out of his backpack, hung it around his neck, stood up, and walked around the courtyard. Some of the stones on the walls still retained traces from back in the day, such as words carved in Russian, though they had become blurred. There were a few broken tiles on the ground; he bent down to pick one up to look at it, then put it back.

He walked to the gate and looked out. The main road led to the village entrance, and the houses on both sides cast long shadows in the setting sun. In the distance, he could see mountains—no trees on them, only grass and stones, looking gray and hazy.

As time passed, the sun gradually set, the light became softer, and the ruins were slowly dyed orange-red.

Li Xin raised his camera from time to time to take pictures; the scenery at this moment was indeed quite beautiful. This kind of place had a sense of post-apocalyptic desolation; it looked very atmospheric and photogenic when captured.

Progress 21%. Load 74%.

After wandering around, he returned to the walnut tree, took out a lounge chair and a palm-leaf fan from his space, and lounged like a lazy person, even pretending to fan himself—it was truly invincible.

Finally, he had a glass of iced fruit juice. Taking a sip, the cool juice went down his throat, and his whole body felt instantly refreshed.

Well, this guy was truly here for a vacation.

"AI System, will anyone come here?"

[Hard to say. This is far from the highway; maybe some herdsmen will pass by.]

"Herdsmen my ass. There isn't even any grass; what would they herd?"

[AI System: ...]

Li Xin didn't speak again, just stared at the system panel as the progress slowly jumped. 25%, 28%, 32%.

When the sun set, a smell of smoke drifted from afar.

It wasn't cooking smoke, but the smell of burning grass—acrid and choking. Li Xin looked up toward the mountains. On the hillside to the west, a thin trail of black smoke was rising, dispersed by the wind, but the smell of smoke was getting stronger.

"AI System, Scan and see if there's a fire over there."

[AI System: Yes, a wildfire has been detected, 3 kilometers to the southwest. It has already burned over 2,000 square meters, and the wildfire is still expanding.]

"Damn..."

Li Xin stood up, feeling a bit worried, and walked to the gate to look west.

Smoke rose from behind the ridge, gray-yellow, covering half the sky. As the wind blew, the smell of smoke became stronger, and his eyes felt a bit uncomfortable from the irritation.

"Will it burn over here?"

[AI System: Currently, the wind is blowing from the north. You are on the southeast side of the fire zone, so you are safe for now. But if the wind direction changes... you're on your own!]

"Got it."

He returned to the walnut tree and sat down. Progress 41%. Load 76%.

The smoke grew thicker, the sky turned somewhat gray, and the acrid smell in the air became heavier, choking his throat.

Li Xin had no choice but to take a mask out of his space and put it on.

The sound of "crack... crackle..." came from afar—the sound of fire exploding through the shrubs. At this moment, the bird chirping was gone, and only the sound of wind and fire remained in the surroundings.

Progress 53%.

He glanced at his phone; there was no signal. He looked into the distance again; the fire zone was slowly expanding, spreading to the north. He was safe for now, but if the wind direction changed, it was hard to say.

"AI System, keep an eye on the wind direction."

[Understood. Current wind is from the north, stable. However, new fire points have appeared on the south side of the fire zone; it is unclear whether it is natural spreading or human-ignited.]

Li Xin frowned. "Human-ignited? Did someone set the fire on purpose? Or is someone doing something on the other side of the mountain?"

He didn't have time to think too much. Progress 61%. Load 78%.

The sky was completely dark. The firelight in the distance was reflected on the ridge, orange-red, flickering. The siren of a fire truck came from very far away, intermittent.

Li Xin huddled under the walnut tree and pulled up the hood of his hoodie. The smell of smoke was getting stronger, the mask couldn't block it, and it made him cough a little.

Progress 73%.

Just then, the sound of an engine came from the direction of the village entrance.

He jumped up and walked to the gate to look out. A headlight shone up from below the slope, flickered a few times among the ruins, and then turned off. Someone had come.

[AI System: Vehicle detected approaching. The vehicle has reached the village entrance, two people have gotten out and are walking this way. Be careful and stay hidden.]

Li Xin's heart rate accelerated. He retreated behind the courtyard wall and looked out through a crack in the wall.

Two people appeared at the village entrance; they were wearing dark uniforms and hats. One was holding a flashlight, and the other was holding a folder.

"AI System, who are they?"

[AI System: They might be local mining inspectors. Checking for illegal mining.]

Li Xin was silent for a long while: "44 tons of gold are still being extracted, the load is about to reach eighty, there's no way to stop it. If I stop, all the gold will be wasted."

He took a deep breath and walked out of the courtyard gate.

"Hello?" He shouted in Kyrgyz, his tone relaxed, with a smile on his face.

The flashlight beam swept over and shone on his face. The two people were stunned for a moment, then walked toward him.

One was about forty years old, with a square face and sunspots on his face. The other was younger, in his early twenties, holding a folder.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The older one asked in Kyrgyz, his tone not fierce, but vigilant.

Li Xin raised his camera and shook it, replying with a smile. "I'm a photographer. I'm on a road trip and just happened to pass by here. I discovered this abandoned village, so I came up to take some photos."

"Photographer?" The older one looked him up and down. "Where are you from?"

"China. I'm here on a road trip."

"You're alone?"

"Yes."

The older one looked at the courtyard behind him, then at the camera around his neck. "How long have you been here?"

"Just about an hour. Waiting for the light; it looks the best at sunset."

He handed the camera over. "Do you want to see? I just took them."

The older one took it and flipped through a few. Ruins, dead trees, sunset, smoke—it really looked like legitimate photography.

He returned the camera. "There's a fire over there, didn't you know?"

"I saw it. I was just shooting here when I happened to notice thick smoke over there. After observing carefully, I realized there was a fire, so I didn't go that way and just stayed here in a safe place to shoot."

The older one stared at him for a few seconds, then asked: "Did you see any suspicious people on the road when you came here? Excavators or cargo trucks?"

"No. Since I turned off the highway, I haven't seen a single person the whole way."

The older one turned his head and exchanged a look with the younger one, then nodded.

"This is close to the mining area, you can't stay long. Leave early after you're done shooting." He turned off his flashlight. "Also, the wildfire is spreading north. You're safe here for now, but don't spend the night."

"Alright. Thank you."

The two turned and walked away. The pickup started, turned around, the headlights flickered a few times among the ruins, and then it turned and drove away.

Li Xin waited until the taillights disappeared completely before letting out a long sigh of relief.

His palms were full of sweat.

Progress 85%. Load 76%.

He returned to the walnut tree and sat on the ground with a thud.

"Damn... that scared me to death."

[AI System: You stabilized it. The fire zone is expanding, but the direction hasn't changed.]

"How much longer?"

[About 15 minutes.]

Li Xin leaned against the wall, staring at the panel. Progress 89%, 92%, 95%.

The firelight shone in the sky, orange-red, flickering. The siren was still blaring, but getting further and further away.

[Ding—Extraction complete. Obtained 44.76 tons of gold. Cumulative: 2,688.0857 tons.]

Li Xin didn't stay long. He shouldered his bag, picked up his camera, and walked quickly out of the village.

Not long after, he arrived at the car, said nothing, got in, started the engine, and turned around in one go.

After driving less than a hundred meters, the system popped up a notification.

[AI System: Zhuzi~ A gold mine has been discovered about 18 kilometers to the south. According to data comparison, it should be the Yunketasi Gold Mine, with 71 tons of reserves. It belongs to an owned gold mine, and an exploration team is currently working there.]

Li Xin slammed on the brakes and parked the car on the side of the road.

He opened the map and marked the location on his phone. It wasn't far—drive south for a dozen kilometers.

"AI System, is there anyone there now?"

[AI System: The exploration team is working, active during the day. Currently, the system still needs to cool down for 56 hours; it is recommended to choose a suitable time for Extraction.]

Li Xin thought for a moment: "Now I just need to wait for the cooldown to end. When the time comes, I'll choose to go at night. I'll drive straight there, and by the time I arrive, it will be very late. Those exploration teams should have finished work, which is just right for Extraction."

He stepped on the accelerator and sped toward the city.

"Just this one gold mine, and I'll be able to break through 2,700 tons soon. Hahaha..." Thinking of this, Li Xin's mouth twisted with a smile.