121: Chapter 121 Kandahar

The sun in Kandahar is different from everywhere else.

It's not that it's rounder or brighter; it's the way it feels on your skin. It's like someone is pointing a hairdryer at your face—not hot, but dry. There isn't a drop of moisture in the air; it hurts your nostrils when you inhale, and your throat feels like it's smoking when you exhale.

The first day Li Xin arrived in Kandahar, he experienced this "dryness."

He parked his car in a lot outside the city and walked into the downtown area with his backpack. There weren't many people on the street, but the way everyone looked at him felt off—not hostile, but scrutinizing. In this place, an Eastern face was too conspicuous.

He rented a shop in the south of the city.

It was called a shop, but it was really just a mud house with a small storefront; once a counter was placed inside, there was no room for anyone to stand. There was a small courtyard in the back piled with miscellaneous items, and a dead pomegranate tree in the corner.

The landlord was a man in his fifties with a graying beard, wearing a dirty camouflage uniform. He looked Li Xin up and down several times before speaking.

"How long are you renting for?"

"I'll rent it for three months first. We'll see how business goes."

"What business are you doing?"

"Lapis lazuli." Li Xin took a few stones out of his backpack and placed them on the counter. "Look, the quality is good."

The landlord picked them up, examined them, and nodded. "Two hundred dollars a month. Pay in advance."

Li Xin took six hundred dollars out of his pocket and handed it over. The landlord counted it twice, tucked it into his pocket, and turned to leave. He stopped after a few steps.

"Are you alone?"

"Yes."

"Be careful. It's not peaceful around here at night."

"Thank you."

Li Xin waited until he was far away before entering the shop. He closed the door, took some lapis lazuli out of his space to display on the counter, and arranged his small scale, magnifying glass, and velvet cloth.

Then he sat behind the counter and opened the system panel.

[Cooldown time remaining: 8 hours. Extraction can begin tonight.]

The Durrani Treasure.

It was beneath the royal mausoleum in the center of Kandahar. It was 27.5 kilometers away from his current location, just within the range of the System Scan.

He couldn't get close to the mausoleum; that area was a military restricted zone, with barbed wire and guard posts within five hundred meters. He could only perform the Extraction bit by bit from here, in this small rented shop.

25 kilograms, 30 kilograms—on a lucky day, he could extract about 5 tons.

It was much slower than before. But there was no other way.

He leaned against the wall, staring at the system panel. Outside the window, the sunset dyed the entire street orange-red. In the distance, the call to prayer from the mosque drifted over, long and desolate.

He pulled a roast chicken out of his space and tore off a small piece to pop into his mouth. It was still hot and incredibly fragrant, filling the air with its aroma. He took out a bottle of water and took a gulp.

Eight o'clock at night. Cooldown ended.

Li Xin straightened his body, his hands pressing against the counter.

"System, begin Extraction."

[Extracting... Target: Durrani Mausoleum Treasure. Depth: 15-40 meters underground.]

[Maximum continuous Extraction for this session: 24 hours. Countdown: 23:59:59.]

[Current Extraction rate: 1.2 kg/minute.]

A pale blue light poured out of the System, extending toward the mausoleum. The progress bar began to jump, very slowly—even slower than when he was in Kyrgyzstan.

He stared at the panel, not daring to blink.

His neighbor was a rug seller named Abdul. He was in his forties, with a round face, a thick beard, and a cheerful disposition. He came over to say hello on his first day of opening the shop.

"New here?"

"Yes. Selling lapis lazuli."

"Where are you from?"

"China."

"China? That's a good place." Abdul gave a thumbs up. "I went to Urumqi when I was young. Things are cheap there, and the baked buns are delicious."

"Does Kandahar have baked buns too?"

"Yes, there's an old, established shop at the corner. I'll treat you tomorrow."

"Okay."

That was how the two of them became acquainted.

Abdul was talkative; he would sit at the entrance of his own shop drinking tea and chat with Li Xin over the wall. They talked about the weather, business, and his son's studies.

Li Xin would respond while keeping his eyes on the system panel.

The progress was jumping. Three percent, five percent, eight percent.

He could only perform Extraction for twenty-four consecutive hours, and then it needed a twelve-hour cooldown before he could continue. At the current Extraction rate, he could extract a little over five tons of gold a day at most. 28.7 tons would take half a month. Adding in the cooldown time, extracting twice a month, it would take over two months.

He wasn't in a rush. Take it slow.

The first week went very smoothly.

During the day, he opened for business as usual and drank tea and chatted with Abdul. At the same time, he was constantly performing Extraction; at night, he would return to the small room in the back courtyard to continue.

When sleepy, he drank coffee to stay alert; when the System was on cooldown, he rested well. He kept his alarm set at all times, and as soon as the cooldown ended, he would continue immediately. The life of a treasure hunter was just that monotonous and dull.

Occasionally, customers came to ask for prices. He would greet them with a smile and haggle, appearing as if he were truly doing business.

Occasionally, he would sell a piece or two, which was enough to pay the rent.

The first week ended in this calm and peaceful atmosphere, with countless gold extracted. Progress was at ten percent.

The eighth night.

Li Xin sat on a small stool in the back courtyard, staring at the panel. Progress was at twelve percent. System load was fifty-one percent.

Suddenly, "thump, thump, thump..." several chaotic footsteps sounded outside the door. The footsteps were heavy, and people were talking in an aggressive tone.

Li Xin stood up and walked to the wall. He peeked outside through a crack in the wall.

There were three men in camouflage uniforms standing at the shop entrance. Two were carrying guns, and one was holding a walkie-talkie. The leader had a buzz cut, a square face, and a scar on his face.

He pounded heavily on the door and shouted, "Open the door! Open up!"

Li Xin took a deep breath, walked over, and opened the door.

"Hello. Do you need something?"

The man with the buzz cut glanced at him and walked into the shop. He looked around the shop, inspected the lapis lazuli on the counter, and then looked at Li Xin.

"Are you Chinese?"

"Yes, officer."

"What are you doing here?"

"Lapis lazuli business. Just a small trade."

"How long have you been here?"

"Only been here for a little over a week."

The man walked behind the counter and rummaged through the drawers. Inside, there were only a few stones and some loose change. He went to the back courtyard, checked the small room, and found nothing unusual.

Li Xin stood at the doorway with an expressionless face, but his palms were covered in sweat.

The man walked around and then returned to the shop. He stared at Li Xin.

"Have you seen anyone suspicious?"

"What kind of suspicious people?"

"You know... people with shifty eyes and strange behavior."

Li Xin hurriedly shook his head. "No. The people who come here are all normal customers. They just buy stones, and I haven't noticed anything wrong."

The man looked at him for a few more seconds, then turned and walked out.

When he reached the door, he stopped.

"Don't cause any trouble. This is our territory."

"I won't. I'm just doing a little business to make a living."

The man snorted and left with his men.

Li Xin closed the door and leaned against it. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat.

He walked back to the back courtyard and sat on the small stool. He checked the system panel; Extraction progress was at fourteen percent. Load was at fifty-two percent.

He stared at it for a long time, his hands still shaking.

It wasn't because of fear. It was just the adrenaline wearing off, and his body was recovering.

He took a big gulp of Red Bull to perk himself up.

The next day, Abdul asked him, "What happened last night? It seemed like Old Ke's soldiers came to inspect the rooms?"

"It was nothing. Just a personnel check."

"That's how the people under Old Ke are. They come to check every few days." Abdul lowered his voice. "Be careful, don't provoke them."

"I will."

Days passed just like that.

Extraction, cooldown, Extraction, cooldown. Like a machine, running strictly according to schedule.

His daily life became fixed: open the shop at 8:00 AM, sit behind the counter and drink tea. Around 10:00 AM, Abdul would come over to visit, and the two would chat for a bit. At noon, he ate naan in the shop; occasionally, Abdul's wife would bring food over—stewed lamb with rice. In the afternoon, he continued selling stones; sometimes he made a sale, sometimes he had no business all day. In the evening, he closed up and returned to the back courtyard. At night, he stared at the system panel to perform Extraction. When sleepy, he would sleep for a bit, and when the alarm rang, he would continue.

As time went on, the people around him all got to know him. The spice seller next door, the dried fruit seller across the street, the baked bun seller at the corner—they all became familiar with him.

Everyone knew there was a Chinese man in Kandahar selling lapis lazuli; he was honest and his prices were fair, so they would greet him with a smile regardless of whether they bought anything.

Even the soldiers under Old Ke often came to sit at his place. They didn't buy anything; they just drank tea and chatted.

There was a young soldier named Karim, eighteen or nineteen years old, with acne on his face, who especially liked chatting with Li Xin.

"Li, is the salary high where you're from?"

"It's alright. If you do well, you can earn a few thousand a month."

"Dollars?"

"RMB. A few thousand RMB."

"That's not bad at all. We only get two hundred dollars a month."

"You have guns, we don't."

Karim laughed.

Li Xin would sometimes treat them to something to eat. He would buy dried fruits and candied fruits locally and place them on the counter for them to take.

They wouldn't be polite; they'd grab a handful, stuff it in their pockets, and leave with a grin.

No one knew.

This Chinese merchant, who called them brothers every day, treated them to dried fruits, and was interrogated by them, was slowly, bit by bit, emptying out the gold their ancestors had buried underground.

The first month ended. About 9 tons extracted. Progress was at thirty-one percent.

The second month ended. Another 9+ tons extracted. Progress was at sixty-three percent.

The System was stable, with the load consistently between fifty and sixty percent. No major problems occurred. It would occasionally jump, but it would recover quickly.

But Li Xin didn't dare to relax. He stared at the panel; when his eyes were sore, he rubbed them. When sleepy, he stood up and walked a few steps. If he really couldn't hold on, he would lean against the wall and doze for five minutes, and as soon as the alarm rang, he would open his eyes immediately.

He took coffee, Red Bull, chocolate, and beef jerky out of his space. They were all high-calorie, stimulating things. He was sick of eating them, but he had to.

Sometimes Abdul would come over for tea, and he would minimize the system panel and talk to Abdul as if it were a normal conversation.

Abdul asked him why he stayed up until midnight every day; he said he suffered from insomnia and was used to it. Abdul shook his head, telling him to take care of his health and not work himself to death.

Li Xin smiled and didn't explain.

The eleventh day of the third month, 4:00 AM.

Li Xin sat on the small stool in the back courtyard, staring at the panel. Extraction progress was at ninety-eight percent. Load was at sixty-one percent.

Two tons left.

His palms were sweating. He stared at the progress bar, counting every second.

Ninety-nine percent.

The System load jumped to sixty-three percent. Then it dropped back down to sixty-one percent.

[Ding---Extraction complete. Durrani Mausoleum Treasure, emptied.]

[Total extracted this time: 28.7 tons of pure gold, 2.7 tons of gemstones.]

[Top-tier artifacts detected: 105-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond, remnants of the Peacock Throne, Mughal Empire court jewelry, Durrani Dynasty gold scepter.]

[Total comprehensive value of this harvest: 26 billion USD.]

[Current cumulative gold: 2826.8057 tons.]

Li Xin stared at these lines of text, unmoving.

28.7 tons of gold.

105-carat diamond. Remnants of the Peacock Throne. Mughal Empire court jewelry. Durrani Dynasty scepter.

Worth 26 billion USD.

He stood up; his legs were a bit numb. He stomped his feet and walked back into the room.

He took a bottle of water out of his space, unscrewed the cap, and drank more than half of it. Water flowed from the corner of his mouth, down his chin, and dripped onto his clothes.

He sat on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Outside the window, dawn was breaking. The call to prayer from the mosque drifted over from the distance.

The next morning, Li Xin opened the shop for business as usual.

Abdul came over for tea and asked him why he looked so good today.

"I slept well last night."

"You finally got a good night's sleep, kid."

"Yeah. Finally got a good night's sleep."

At noon, the soldiers under Old Ke came to the shop to sit. Karim was there, too, still with that grinning look.

"Li, when are you going back to China?"

"Soon. I'll be leaving in a few days."

"Are you coming back next time?"

"Yes. Business is okay here."

"Then you need to come back quickly; don't make us wait too long."

"Okay."

Li Xin treated them to a meal. He bought roasted lamb, naan, and rice from outside, spreading it all over the table. The soldiers ate happily, slapping the table and singing.

When they left, Karim held his hand.

"Li, you're a good man. Next time you come to Kandahar, you must look for me."

"I will."

On the third day, Li Xin returned the shop.

The landlord took the keys and asked why he was leaving so suddenly.

"I miss home. I've been out too long."

"Then come back next time."

"Okay."

Abdul came to see him off. He stood at the shop entrance and patted his shoulder.

"Take care."

"You take care too."

Li Xin got into his car and started the engine. In the rearview mirror, he saw Abdul still standing at the shop entrance.

The car drove out of Kandahar and onto the road heading north.

After driving for about twenty kilometers, he stopped the car and looked back.

Kandahar was on the horizon, gray and hazy, its outline unclear.

He had stayed there for three months. Calling the warlord's soldiers brothers, treating them to dried fruits, and being interrogated by them. Performing Extraction for twenty-four hours a day, cooling down for twelve hours, not missing a single day.

No one knew.

Those soldiers still thought he was an honest, simple lapis lazuli merchant.

They were probably still muttering, "Why did Li leave? When he comes back next time, he'll treat us to drinks."

Li Xin's lips curled up.

He stepped on the gas, and the car accelerated toward the distance.

The system panel flickered in front of his eyes.

[Durrani Mausoleum Treasure. Emptied.]

[Koh-i-Noor diamond, stored in the System space.]

That diamond, one hundred and five carats.

A century of legend, the search of countless people, and in the end, it was obtained by him.

Now, it was lying quietly in his space.

He looked at Kandahar, which was gradually fading into the distance, feeling wonderful inside. The only things left in that mausoleum now were a small amount of gold and not-so-valuable artifacts. When those warlords dug it open, he wondered if they would cough up blood.

No one would ever know that it was the Chinese merchant who sold stones right under their noses every day who had emptied out all the valuable things here.

He withdrew his gaze, his mouth twitching from smiling so hard. He floored the gas pedal, and the car sped across the Gobi Desert.

Next, it was time to go to Tillya Tepe; there might be even bigger surprises waiting for him there.