116: Chapter 116 Gold Mine in the Jungle

September 23rd, southern Jalalabad Province.

Li Xin rested in the city for two days, waiting for the system to cool down. The forty-four tons from Jeruy were already in hand, and he had also managed to sneak over to Unkurtash in the middle of the night to finish it off—42.6 tons. Added to the previous amount,

[Cumulative Gold Extraction: 2730.6857 tons]

Only two left.

The Chanach placer gold mine, and that unexplored gold mine he'd heard people chatting about in the city over the last two days. Both were on the edge of the desert to the south, not far apart, with a straight-line distance of less than ten kilometers. His Scan radius was twenty-eight kilometers, just enough to extract both mines together.

He checked the information again before setting off. Information on Chanach was pitifully scarce; he only knew it had reserves of over forty tons and was currently being mined, though production was low. As for that unexplored mine, it was only rumored to exist; he wouldn't know the specific location until he got to the site and performed a Scan.

With the navigation set, he drove south from downtown Jalalabad. The asphalt road ended in less than an hour, turning into a gravel road. He drove on the gravel road for another half hour before it turned into a dirt road. The dirt road grew narrower and narrower, and the trees on both sides disappeared, replaced by the low, sparse bushes typical of the desert—clumps of grayish-green, looking dry and brittle.

After driving for another half hour, the navigation indicated he was seven kilometers from the target. Li Xin parked the car in an open area and got out to check the terrain.

This was the scenery on the edge of the desert. Before him lay a gentle slope extending southward, stretching as far as the eye could see. The ground was covered in gravel and fine sand, with the occasional clump of withered grass blown askew by the wind. In the distance, a dry riverbed wound its way off into the distance. There were no people, no buildings, only wind and sand.

He found a spot between two large rocks where he wouldn't be easily spotted from the outside, yet he had a good view of the surroundings.

"AI System, Scan."

[Scanning. The Chanach placer gold mine is approximately 3,500 meters to the south-southeast, with reserves of 42 tons; it is an owned mine, and 60% can be extracted. The unexplored placer gold mine is approximately 4,200 meters due south, with reserves of 18 tons; it is an unowned mine, and the total amount can be extracted. A total of 43.2 tons can be extracted. The estimated duration for the Extraction is about two and a half hours, with an estimated load of 75% to 82%.]

Li Xin did the mental math: 43.2 tons, plus the previous 2730 tons. The total amount of gold exceeded 2773 tons—truly a staggering number.

He took a tripod out of his space, set it up on the gentle slope, and mounted his camera. He then took out a folding chair, sat down beside it, and held a thermos in his hand. He looked like a serious photographer capturing the desert scenery.

"System, start Extraction."

[Extracting... Load gradually rising... 45%, 62%, 78%.]

The progress bar began to jump. 3%, 8%, 14%.

The sun rose, and the light was blinding, shining brightly on the desert. The distant horizon distorted in the hot air, shimmering like water waves. There was no wind, and the air was so dry that his throat felt tight. Li Xin couldn't feel the heat due to the system's constant temperature control, but he could feel the dryness; his nasal passages hurt when he breathed.

He picked up the thermos and took a sip of goji berry tea. The tea had gone cold, but it was just right for quenching his thirst.

Progress at 23%. Load at 76%.

The wind arrived.

This was the dry, hot wind unique to the desert; it was uncomfortable and not gentle at all. It rolled in from the south, carrying fine sand that stung his face.

Li Xin didn't pay it much mind, but suddenly his expression stiffened. "Hmm? What's going on over there?"

He squinted into the distance and saw a grayish-yellow curtain rising on the horizon, gradually obscuring half the sky.

"Good heavens... that's a sandstorm!" Li Xin's expression immediately turned panicked, and he jumped up from the lounge chair.

[AI System: Why are you making such a fuss? This sandstorm won't arrive for another ten-plus minutes. It will only reduce visibility to under thirty meters, which won't affect the Extraction.]

Li Xin glanced at the progress bar. 31%. There was still nearly two hours left.

Afterward, he lay back down. A sandstorm was actually good for business; with no visibility, no one would discover him.

The wind grew stronger. The tripod began to wobble, so he reached out to steady it as sand pelted against the camera lens with a rattling sound. He then removed the camera and packed it into his bag, stowed the tripod back into his space, sat back down in the lounge chair, pulled up his hoodie, and fished a mask out of his space to put on.

It wasn't long before the sandstorm arrived.

The sky instantly darkened, filled with yellow sand as the wind roared, creating a world of only wind and sand.

Li Xin curled up in his chair, staring at the system panel. Progress at 48%. Load at 79%. He muttered to himself, praying that nothing would go wrong at this moment.

"Vroom... vroom..." The sound of a vehicle's engine came from within the sandstorm.

At first, Li Xin thought it was an illusion, but as the engine sound grew closer, he realized a vehicle was truly approaching. He turned his head and saw headlights illuminating the grayish-yellow dust, blurry and dim. It stopped at the bottom of the gentle slope, and then someone got out.

[AI System: Zhuzi... there are two people from the border Patrol Team walking this way. You're on your own.]

Li Xin's heart leaped into his throat. "Border patrol? Good heavens, this isn't a mining inspection; it's the military. This feels like trouble." He quickly stowed the folding chair into his space and stood in place, waiting.

Two people in camouflage uniforms emerged from the sandstorm, carrying guns on their backs. The one in front shone a flashlight at him, the beam of light dancing wildly in the dust.

"Who are you?" he asked in Russian, his voice muffled by the wind and sand.

Li Xin replied casually in Russian: "Hello, I'm here on a self-driving tour, and I'm taking some photos and doing photography on the side."

"A photographer?" The one behind also walked over, shining his flashlight around Li Xin's car. "You're out here in the desert all by yourself?"

"Yes, here to capture the desert scenery."

"What are you capturing in this weather?" The one in front frowned, squinting as the sand pelted his face.

"It was fine just a moment ago, but for some reason, a sandstorm suddenly kicked up. Still, this kind of weather makes for great shots that you can't usually capture." Li Xin explained with a smile.

The one in front stared at him for a few seconds, then held out his hand. "Show us your passport."

Li Xin took his passport out of his pocket and handed it over. The man flipped through it, shining his flashlight on it to inspect it. The one behind walked around to the side of the car and shone the light inside.

"What's in the car?"

"Photography equipment. Tripod, camera, lenses. They're all in the trunk."

The one behind walked to the back of the car and patted the trunk. "Open it."

Li Xin walked over and opened it with his key. Inside, the camera bag, tripod bag, and a hiking backpack were neatly arranged. The man rummaged through them casually, didn't find any issues, and closed it.

The one in front returned the passport. "Where did you come from?"

"Tokmok. Then to Jalalabad, and then here."

"What are you doing here?"

"Capturing the desert. After I'm done, I'm going to Osh."

The one in front nodded and asked again, "Have you seen any suspicious people in the last few days?"

"No. I haven't seen anyone."

The two exchanged a glance. The one in front turned off his flashlight and looked at the sandstorm in the sky.

"Leave early once you're done in this weather. Don't spend the night here."

"Alright. Thank you."

They turned and left. The headlights turned around, and the sound of the engine grew distant, eventually drowned out by the wind and sand.

Li Xin didn't exhale until the headlights disappeared. His palms were covered in sweat. Progress at 56%. Load at 78%.

The sandstorm continued, showing no signs of weakening. The wind grew stronger, buffeting the car from side to side. Li Xin sat back in the driver's seat, closed the door, and stared at the panel through the car window.

Progress at 64%, 71%, 78%.

Time passed very slowly. It took nearly two minutes for each percentage point to jump. He stared at the progress bar, counting second by second.

Progress at 85%.

The sand began to subside. The light gradually brightened, and visibility recovered from thirty meters to fifty or sixty meters. The distant dry riverbed reappeared, and some blurry outlines could be seen in the grayish-yellow dust.

Progress at 92%. Load at 76%.

Progress at 96%.

[Ding—Extraction complete. Chanach placer gold mine 25.2 tons, unexplored placer gold mine 18 tons. Total 43.2 tons.]

[Cumulative Gold Extraction: 2773.8857 tons]

Li Xin sat in the driver's seat without moving, staring at the number.

2773 tons. Added to the amounts in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, his total assets... he couldn't even be bothered to calculate it anymore.

The sandstorm outside continued, but it had lessened significantly. Visibility had recovered to about two hundred meters, and he could see the ridgeline in the distance.

He started the car, turned around, and drove north.

September 25th, Osh border crossing.

Li Xin rested in Jalalabad for a day, then drove to Osh. The border crossing wasn't large, and there weren't many people. He parked his car in the exit lane to queue.

The staff member at the window was a young man wearing glasses. He took the passport, flipped through it, checked the entry and exit stamps, and then looked at Li Xin.

"Where are you coming from?"

"China."

"How long have you stayed in Kyrgyzstan?"

"About half a month."

"Has it been self-driving and photography the whole time?"

"Yes, I'm a blogger. I came here for a self-driving tour and took some photos on the side."

The young man nodded, stamped the exit visa, and handed the passport back. "You are welcome to come again next time."

"Thank you."

Li Xin took the passport and got into the car. As he drove out of the border crossing, the border line of Kyrgyzstan grew more and more distant.

He got onto the highway and drove west.

"Where should I go for the next stop?" Li Xin muttered to himself.

After long contemplation,

the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.

"System, check the current security intelligence for Afghanistan."

The car sped along the highway, the Tianshan Mountains outside the window dyed golden-red by the setting sun.

The border line of Kyrgyzstan was no longer visible.

The road ahead stretched into the distance, leading to who knows where.