130: Chapter 130 Racing Against Time

4:00 AM, the alarm went off.

Li Xin sprang out of bed, washed up hurriedly, and went downstairs. The old man at the front desk was sleeping on the desk, snoring thunderously.

He didn't make a sound, stepping lightly as he left the hotel.

He drove straight toward the stone house. When he was only two or three kilometers away, he stored the car in his space and walked the rest of the way.

The horizon was beginning to whiten, and the mountain's silhouette was slowly emerging.

After reaching the mouth of the valley, he didn't rush to the stone house but first climbed a small hillside nearby to observe the treasure hunters' camp.

The tents were still there, and the cars were parked nearby. Light shone from inside the tents, and people could be seen moving about.

Li Xin retreated into the valley and walked quickly to the stone house. He sat down and checked the system panel.

[Cooldown finished. Extraction can begin.]

[Current cumulative gold: 3869.1057 tons. Remaining in the Underground Royal City: 846 tons.]

[Extraction limit for this session: 12 hours.]

"System, start Extraction!"

[Extraction in progress... Fifth batch started. Current Extraction rate: approximately 20 tons/hour. Estimated Extraction for this batch: approximately 240 tons.]

The progress bar began to jump.

Li Xin didn't sit inside the stone house; instead, he hid directly in the rock crevice behind it. From there, he could see the situation in front of the stone house and hear the movements outside the valley entrance.

Progress: 7%.

Gradually, the sky grew completely bright. The sun rose slowly from the east, casting warm sunlight into the valley.

Just at this moment, the sound of cars came from afar, and vehicles were driving rapidly toward the valley.

Li Xin held his breath.

The cars stopped at the entrance of the valley. Car doors opened and closed. A few people were whispering; their voices weren't loud, but in the silence of the early morning, every word was clearly audible.

"Today, we'll start searching from the ridge and push south. Yesterday's drilling data has been confirmed; there's a void thirty-seven meters underground, and the metal response is very strong. I estimate the passage is in that area."

"Should we scan the valley side first?"

"No need. We scanned the valley yesterday and found nothing. Let's concentrate our manpower on the ridge."

The footsteps faded away as they headed toward the ridge.

Li Xin felt slightly relieved but still didn't dare to fully relax. The group hadn't entered the valley but had stopped not far away. If they noticed anything unusual on the ridge, they could turn back at any time.

Progress: 15%.

Before long, the sound of the drilling rig started up again.

He took a peek from the rock crevice.

He saw the group of treasure hunters setting up the drilling rig at a new location on the ridge today. Compared to the previous drilling spot, they had moved about 400 meters to the south. This place was less than 600 meters from the outermost passage of the Underground Royal City.

Li Xin's heart jumped into his throat.

Six hundred meters.

If their drilling happened to hit the passage, it wouldn't be long before the passage was found, and then they would start large-scale excavation.

He retreated into the rock crevice and checked the progress bar.

Progress: 23%.

The drill chugged, the roaring sound incessant. Every ten minutes or so, it would pause briefly before starting up again. During the machine's downtime, the group's conversation could always be heard. He couldn't make out the specific words, but he could clearly sense that everyone's tone was full of excitement, their speech straightforward and simple.

They must have discovered something.

Progress: 31%.

Near noon, the drill stopped. This time it stopped for a long time; there was no movement for over half an hour.

Li Xin thought they were eating and resting, so he relaxed a little.

Suddenly, footsteps came from the direction of the valley.

He quickly retreated into the deepest part of the rock crevice, pressing his whole body against the stone wall, even holding his breath.

Two people walked into the valley—it was Short Beard and his companion, The Tall Thin Man. Both were empty-handed, not carrying any detection equipment, looking as if they were just strolling around casually.

"Do you think there's really something below that hole the boss drilled this morning?" The Tall Thin Man asked.

"Yes. Sonar detection shows there's a void at least two meters high below, and the metal signal is ridiculously strong," Short Beard said, lighting a cigarette.

"And it's not scattered; it's a whole piece. It's either treasure or ancient architecture."

"So, shall we continue this afternoon?"

"Of course we'll continue. The boss said to drill three more holes to lock in the area. Once confirmed, we'll bring the equipment over to excavate."

The two walked into the valley, chatting as they went.

They were getting closer and closer to the stone house.

Three hundred meters. Two hundred meters. One hundred meters.

Short Beard stopped and glanced toward the stone house.

Li Xin held his breath, embedding himself like a stone into the crevice, not daring to move a muscle.

Short Beard looked for a few seconds, turned his head, and continued walking.

They stopped less than fifty meters in front of the stone house. The Tall Thin Man squatted down, picked up a stone from the ground, and looked at it.

"Did someone live here before?"

"Probably a temporary resting spot for shepherds. Things like this are everywhere in the mountains; it's normal."

The two didn't enter the stone house; they walked around it once and then turned back.

Li Xin waited until their footsteps completely disappeared before he let out a long breath.

His back was drenched in sweat.

Progress: 39%.

The afternoon was excruciatingly long. The sound of the drill was non-stop, and the group stayed busy on the ridge. Li Xin had to curl up in the rock crevice, staring at the system panel, occasionally taking small sips of water. He didn't dare eat anything for fear of making any noise and exposing himself.

When the sun was about to set, the fifth batch of Extraction was complete.

[Fifth batch of Extraction complete. This session's Extraction: 237 tons of gold.]

[Current cumulative gold: 4106.1057 tons.]

[Remaining in the Underground Royal City: 609 tons.]

[Mandatory cooldown of 12 hours required.]

Li Xin turned off the panel and huddled in the rock crevice, motionless.

The drill on the ridge stopped, and the group began to pack up their tools and equipment, loading them onto the cars one after another. There was talking among the crowd, and laughter erupted from time to time; they sounded in very high spirits.

It seemed they had certainly made quite a gain today.

Darkness fell completely. The sound of car engines started at the valley entrance. The two cars had started, but they didn't drive away.

He poked his head out to look.

The group hadn't left; they had set up three tents in the clearing at the valley entrance. Someone started a fire to cook, and the faint smoke drifted with the wind, mixed with the aroma of roasted meat.

They intended to spend the night here and continue tomorrow.

Li Xin retreated into the rock crevice.

He didn't dare leave. The cooldown would take twelve hours, but if he left and rushed back tomorrow morning, what if the group entered the valley in the middle of the night?

"Forget it. I'm not leaving."

He immediately took a sleeping bag out of his space and laid it in the rock crevice. He also took out some dry rations and water, placing them within reach. There was enough food in the space to last for a long time.

He crawled into the sleeping bag, leaned against the rock wall, and stared at the pitch-black night sky outside the crevice.

He really couldn't sleep. The group was only a few hundred meters away, chatting, laughing, and joking—he could hear them faintly.

He turned over and closed his eyes.

He forced himself to sleep.

---

Day three.

The system cooldown was still ongoing. Li Xin crawled out of the rock crevice and stretched his stiff body. It was just dawn, and fog was lingering in the valley.

He walked to the bend in the valley and glanced in the direction where the group had camped.

The tents were still there, and it seemed someone was starting a fire to cook; smoke was drifting upward.

After moving around for a while, he retreated back into the rock crevice and waited quietly for the system cooldown to end.

Time flew by, and soon it was eight o'clock. The system suddenly popped up a notification.

[Cooldown finished. Extraction can begin.]

[Remaining in the Underground Royal City: 609 tons.]

"System, start Extraction, sixth batch," Li Xin said in his mind without hesitation.

[Extraction in progress. Sixth batch started. Current Extraction rate: approximately 20 tons/hour.]

The progress bar started to jump.

The drill on the ridge also started up in real-time. The chugging and buzzing sounds were giving him a headache.

Li Xin huddled in the rock crevice, bored, and could only stare at the Extraction progress on the panel.

Progress: 11%. 19%. 27%.

At noon, the group entered the valley again. This time, all four of them came.

Li Xin huddled in the rock crevice, looking out through the gap.

They stood not far outside the stone house, pointing toward the ridge and talking about something.

"The three holes drilled yesterday have all been confirmed. It is indeed a passage below, and the location matches perfectly."

"Then what are we waiting for? Start digging."

"The equipment won't arrive until tomorrow. Today, we'll set up the camp, and we'll start work early tomorrow morning."

"How deep do we need to dig?"

"Thirty-seven meters at the shallowest point. We just need to clear the collapsed section, and the rest will be open."

The four stood outside the stone house for over ten minutes, then left.

Li Xin leaned against the rock wall, pondering.

"Thirty-seven meters. With this group's equipment and technology, it will take at least seven or eight days to clear the collapsed section."

"Currently, there are 609 tons of gold left to extract. At the current speed, it will take three more Extractions, plus cooldowns, which will take at least three more days."

"Three-plus days versus seven or eight days—the advantage is with me."

"However, I need to be even more careful now. I must not be discovered by them, or the consequences will be endless."

Progress: 35%.

In the afternoon, that group set up a larger tent outside the mouth of the valley and also erected a sunshade. Someone moved several crates of equipment down from the vehicles and stacked them under the shelter.

They were making preparations before excavation.

Li Xin, meanwhile, was curled up in the rock crevice, staring at the system panel, not daring to move a muscle.

Progress: 42%.

The sky gradually darkened. That group didn't leave; they built a fire to cook in the tent, and laughter and voices drifted over from time to time.

Not until late at night, after that group had all fallen asleep, did he emerge from the rock crevice.

He crouched in the shadows behind the stone house, staring at the system panel.

Progress: 51%.

1:00 AM. The sixth Extraction is complete.

[The sixth Extraction is complete. This Extraction: 236 tons of gold.]

[Current cumulative gold: 4342.1057 tons.]

[Underground Royal City remaining: 373 tons.]

[Mandatory cooling of 12 hours required.]

Li Xin didn't move. He retreated back into the rock crevice and crawled into his sleeping bag.

It was very quiet outside, with only the sound of the wind and the occasional snoring drifting from the tent in the distance.

He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep in a daze.

Day four.

Li Xin was awakened by bursts of drilling sounds; the sky was just barely light, and that group had already started working early.

He climbed up and took a look at the system panel. There were still more than four hours left until the cooling ended.

He took water out from his space, rinsed his mouth, and ate a simple breakfast, still nestling in the rock crevice and waiting patiently.

After 9:00 AM, the cooling ended.

[Cooling ended. Extraction can begin.]

"System, start Extraction. The seventh batch," Li Xin said in a low voice without hesitation.

[Extracting. The seventh batch has begun.]

The progress bar began to jump.

Today, the drill on the ridge had changed position again, getting closer and closer to the stone house. The machine rumbled continuously, shaking the stone wall beside him with it.

Li Xin was tortured quite badly. It was already agonizing enough for him to be curled up in the rock crevice, and on top of that, he had to endure the torture of this noise.

He felt like crying but had no tears, so he could only stare at the Extraction progress on the system panel with a resentful look in his eyes.

Progress: 9%. 17%.

By the afternoon, that group began moving various equipment up the hillside—drills, generators, and winches were all being transported up one by one. It looked like they were about to officially start digging.

Li Xin stared at the progress bar, silently chanting in his heart: "Faster, a little faster..."

Progress: 31%.

He struggled through until evening, when the seventh Extraction was finally complete.

[The seventh Extraction is complete. This Extraction: 235 tons of gold.]

[Current cumulative gold: 4577.1057 tons.]

[Underground Royal City remaining: 138 tons.]

[Mandatory cooling of 12 hours required.]

138 tons remaining.

Li Xin curled up in the rock crevice, staring at this number.

The last batch. Only the last batch remained.

Day five.

At 4:00 AM, the cooling hadn't finished yet. He curled up in the rock crevice, staring at the countdown on the system panel.

[Cooling remaining: 3 hours and 47 minutes.]

It was very quiet outside. That group was still sleeping.

He leaned against the rock wall, closed his eyes, and dozed off for a while.

After 7:00 AM, the cooling ended.

[Cooling ended. Extraction can begin. Underground Royal City remaining: 138 tons.]

"System, start Extraction. The eighth batch, the last batch."

[Extracting. The eighth batch has begun. It is estimated that about 138 tons can be extracted in this batch, which is the final part of this treasure.]

The progress bar began to jump.

The sound of the drill rang out on the ridge again. That group had already started working.

Li Xin curled up in the rock crevice, staring at the system panel, not daring to even blink.

Progress: 11%. 19%. 27%.

After 10:00 AM, a team member walked down from the ridge and headed toward the valley.

Li Xin curled up in the rock crevice, holding his breath.

That person walked to the outside of the stone house and stopped. He took out a cigarette, lit it, and leaned against the stone wall to smoke.

Less than ten meters from Li Xin.

He could hear the sizzling sound of the person smoking and could smell the scent of sweat and tobacco on him.

After finishing the cigarette, the man threw the butt on the ground and stepped on it to extinguish it. He then turned and left.

Li Xin didn't dare to breathe until he had walked far away.

He rushed to check the progress bar.

43%.

At noon, that group began moving the drill to the location of the passage. They set up a larger drill on the hillside, and the rumbling sound shook the entire valley.

Li Xin stared at the system panel.

56%.

His palms were full of sweat, his back was full of sweat, and he looked like he had been fished out of water.

68%.

That group's drill kept ringing, constantly boring holes.

79%.

After 3:00 PM, the System popped up a notification.

[Warning: The exploration team's drilling location is less than 300 meters from the outermost passage of the Underground Royal City. Construction is ongoing.]

Li Xin took a glance and continued staring at the progress bar.

Five percentage points remaining.

89%.

The sound of the drill suddenly stopped. It was so quiet it was unnerving.

Someone shouted: "We've broken through! We've hit a void!"

Li Xin's heart jumped into his throat.

91%.

Someone ran down from the hillside, running toward the tent, shouting as they ran: "It's through! We've hit the passage!"

93%.

Li Xin stared at the progress bar, counting second by second.

95%. 96%. 97%.

98%.

Cheers erupted from the hillside.

99%.

[Ding—The eighth Extraction is complete. The treasure of the Jamshid Underground Royal City has been completely emptied.]

[Cumulative Extraction from this deposit: 1806 tons of gold. Approximately 4.5 tons of gemstones. Several artifacts.]

[Current cumulative gold: 4953.1057 tons.]

Li Xin stared at this line of text, his mind a blank.

4,953 tons.

Adding the previous amount, it was already nearly 5,000 tons.

He didn't have time to think too much. He crawled out of the rock crevice; his legs were so numb he couldn't stand steadily, so he leaned against the wall to recover for a few seconds.

He walked to the outside of the stone house and cleaned up all traces. The folding chair, sleeping bag, water bottle, and biscuit packaging were all put into his space. He swept over the footprints on the ground with a tree branch, trying to smooth them out as much as possible.

Then, he walked out of the valley in the dark.

When he reached the mouth of the valley, he paused and glanced up at the hillside.

That group was setting up lights toward the direction of the passage, the lights shining brightly in the night. Someone was shouting: "Move the winch over! Prepare to go down the well!"

They were going down tonight.

Li Xin continued walking forward, keeping his steps as light as possible.

When he reached the place where he parked, he took the car out from his space and started the engine. He didn't turn on the headlights, driving slowly forward by the moonlight.

After driving a few hundred meters, he turned on the headlights.

In the rearview mirror, lights were dotted in the direction of the valley.

Once he got on the road, he dared to accelerate. The car sped through the night, and the wind from outside the window rushed in with a whoosh.

He opened the system panel to review the list of gains this time.

[Treasure of the Jamshid Underground Royal City—Complete List of Gains]

[Gold: 1806 tons. Stored in the form of gold bricks paving the floor; according to legend, it was originally 12,000 tons, and this is the remaining approximately 15%. The gold bricks are of uniform size, each weighing about 5 kg, with 99.9% purity.]

[Ancient Artifacts: 5 Gold-Faced Idols (each about 30-50 cm tall, shaped like ancient Persian deities, visually estimated to be core sacrificial items), 15 Gilded Mythical Beast Statues (griffin, bull, and other shapes, inlaid with lapis lazuli and turquoise), 30 scrolls of lost ancient classics (written on gold foil, the content consists of lost texts of ancient Persian scriptures, never seen by the academic world).]

[Royal Treasures: 1 Golden Throne (weighing about 0.5 tons, the backrest is inlaid with about 130 gemstones, including rubies, emeralds, and sapphires), 60 pieces of complete sacrificial ritual vessels (made of gold, silver, and copper, some inlaid with gemstones).]

[Jewelry: 18 giant raw ruby stones (each weighing about 50-200 carats), 10 raw star sapphire stones (each weighing about 30-150 carats, with obvious star effects), about 0.8 tons of raw Persian turquoise (high quality, sky blue without impurities).]

[Common Artifacts: about 120 pieces of gold and silver vessels (bowls, plates, pots, etc.), about 8000 ancient Persian coins (Achaemenid to Sassanid period), about 50 bronze items, about 200 pottery items, about 40 ancient weapons (gold, silver, copper).]

[Comprehensive Valuation: Gold value is about 75.8 billion USD. Artifacts and jewelry valuation is about 110 billion USD.]

Li Xin looked at these numbers, his hands trembling.

Over 1,800 tons of gold, five gold-faced idols, a half-ton golden throne, and those legendary gold scrolls, gemstones, and ritual vessels.

A value exceeding over 180 billion USD.

And that group was currently crawling into the empty passage.

He curled his lips slightly and closed the system panel.

The car sped along the highway in the dead of night, the road ahead stretching into the distance.

The outline of Shiraz gradually faded into the distance.

There were still many places waiting for him.