157: Chapter 157 Hishikari's Gold Mine Exploration

Tokyo Station, 8:00 AM.

Li Xin carried his bag into the Shinkansen platform.

The business class waiting room was on the second floor; it wasn't crowded, with several middle-aged men in suits sitting on the sofas, holding newspapers or tablets.

He sat in a corner, bought a can of coffee from a vending machine, pulled the tab, and took a sip.

He lined up at the front when it was time to check tickets.

Boarding the train, he found his seat by the window, placed his bag aside, reclined the seat back, and lay semi-reclined.

The attendant pushed a cart by.

"One black coffee, please."

He took it and had a sip. Bitter, hot, but refreshing.

The buildings outside the train window began to move backward, and the speed increased.

As the Shinkansen left the city, fields appeared.

The rice had just been planted, green enough to be striking.

AI System popped up a line of text on the panel.

[Sado 22.3 tons, Akagi Mountain 18.2 tons. Total 40.5 tons.]

Li Xin didn't respond.

[At the current gold price, it's less than 1.7 billion USD. Zhuzi, this trip to the Japanese Military doesn't even amount to the fraction in your account.]

"Let's get those 20 tons from Hishikari Gold Mine first."

Li Xin added bitterly, "Damn it, the Japanese Military was frantically digging for gold a hundred years ago; logically, there should be more."

Li Xin gazed out the window, lost in thought.

"Either the relevant historical records have long been lost, or they were secretly controlled by the authorities. There aren't many clues now, so I can only extract these twenty tons of gold first, and then search further."

At 1:00 PM, the Shinkansen arrived at Kagoshima Central Station.

Li Xin carried his bag off the train. The platform was crowded with people dragging suitcases, carrying backpacks, and holding souvenirs, jostling each other.

He pushed through the crowd and exited the station.

Li Xin arrived at a secluded spot, scanned the surroundings, and finding no one and no surveillance, he silently took the car out from the space.

He opened the door, got in, started the engine, and set off.

AI System pulled up the information on Hishikari Gold Mine in the background.

[Hishikari Gold Mine, Satsuma Town, Kagoshima Prefecture. The only active gold mine in the Japanese Military, with an annual gold production of about two to three tons. The ore grade is high, averaging thirty to forty grams per ton.]

"What about the outskirts?"

[AI System: The Scan shows an independent signal in the abandoned mine tunnel on the north side. The gold reserve is about 20 tons, about forty kilometers from downtown Kagoshima.]

Li Xin drove onto the highway.

It took less than two hours to drive from Kagoshima City to Satsuma Town.

The road conditions were good, there weren't many cars, and there were farmland and hills on both sides.

He didn't drive fast, and by the time he arrived in Satsuma Town, it was already past 3:00 PM.

He didn't rush into the mining area, but first drove around the town.

This town had only one main street, with small shops selling groceries and food on both sides.

There weren't many people on the street, and occasionally a few farm vehicles passed by.

Hishikari Gold Mine was north of the town, a dozen minutes away by car.

Driving north along the road, there were mountains on both sides with dense vegetation.

After turning a corner, a sign appeared in front: "Sumitomo Metal Mining Hishikari Operation."

Driving further, wire fences appeared on both sides of the road. The fences weren't high, but there was a surveillance camera every few dozen meters.

The surveillance cameras rotated on the poles.

Li Xin slowed down and drove past the outside of the wire fence.

"Did you Scan it?" he asked in his mind.

AI System pulled up the Scan results.

"Abandoned mine tunnel on the north side, the signal point is about 11.8 kilometers from the current location. 20.4 tons, high-grade residual gold."

"What about security?"

[Electronic fences, surveillance cameras, security patrols. The mine is operated by Sumitomo Metal Mining Company, and the control is strict.]

Li Xin continued driving forward. When he reached the vicinity of the mining area gate, he didn't turn in but drove past the main entrance.

There was a gray iron gate, and a security guard in uniform was in the guard room.

A barrier was across the entrance.

He turned into a side road and detoured to the north.

The road became narrower and bumpier.

The wire fence was still there, but it was old, and in some places, it was severely rusted.

There were fewer surveillance cameras, with one every few hundred meters.

He drove to a fork in the road and stopped the car.

He got out, walked to the side of the wire fence, and looked inside.

In the distance, he could see a few factory buildings, gray and white, with white smoke rising from the chimneys.

Further away were mountains.

He returned to the car, turned around, and drove back to the town.

After 5:00 PM, he found an inn in the small town.

It wasn't big, only three stories high, with lanterns hanging at the entrance.

The receptionist was an Old Lady, who was watching a TV series.

"Young man, are you looking to stay here?"

"Yes, how much is it for a night?"

"Eight thousand yen."

He handed over ten thousand, not asking for change. The Old Lady glanced at him and handed him a key.

"Second floor, at the end of the hallway."

The room was small but clean.

The window faced the street, and he could see the grocery store opposite.

He put down his bag, washed his face, and went downstairs to eat.

There was a restaurant in town, the storefront was old, but there were a few cars parked at the entrance.

He pushed the door open and went in; the owner was cutting fish behind the counter.

"Welcome."

He ordered the most expensive set meal.

Sashimi, grilled fish, simmered dishes, tempura, and a pot of sake.

The owner chatted with him while serving the food.

"Is the gentleman here on a business trip?"

Li Xin smiled faintly.

"Can't call it a business trip, just walking around."

"I see, then you must have a good time and relax."

Li Xin picked up a piece of sashimi and took the opportunity to speak: "I heard that Hishikari Gold Mine is the only active gold mine in your Japanese Military now; I'm quite curious to see it."

The owner laughed.

"Our gold mine here is a treasure. Sumitomo Company has been operating it for decades."

"It's truly impressive to be able to operate for so long. How is the efficiency?"

"It's great, many people in the town work at the mine." The owner poured the wine.

"What business is the gentleman in?"

"Investment, just looking around."

The owner nodded and didn't ask further.

After eating, he returned to the inn.

He lay on the bed and scrolled through his phone.

AI System reported from the background.

[It is past 8:00 PM, most personnel have left, there are two security guards at the main entrance, someone is on duty in the surveillance room, and there is no personnel activity in the direction of the abandoned mine tunnel on the north side.]

"What about patrols?"

[Once an hour, along the perimeter of the wire fence. The next shift is scheduled for 9:00.]

Li Xin looked at the time, 8:40.

"Action at 11:00."

[Too late!]

"Too early and I'm afraid of running into people; it's troublesome to explain."

AI System didn't say anything more.

---

At 10:30 PM, Li Xin drove out.

He drove north, following the route he took during the day.

He didn't take the road into the mining area, but turned into another more remote dirt road at the fork.

The road conditions were poor, full of potholes, and the car swayed heavily.

After driving for more than a kilometer, there was no road ahead.

He parked the car behind a grove of trees and turned off the engine.

After getting out, he looked around.

It was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything.

The wind blew through the treetops, rustling.

"How much distance left?"

[AI System: Now the distance is 9.6 kilometers. Within a ten-kilometer range, Extraction is possible.]

Li Xin chanted silently in his heart.

"Okay, AI System, start Extraction."

[AI System: Extraction started. The Extraction speed is 50 tons per hour; 20.4 tons is expected to take 24 minutes.]

A pale blue light that only Li Xin could see gushed out from the system and extended toward the mining area.

The progress bar began to jump.

At the sixth minute, the sound of an engine came from afar.

Li Xin didn't move, squatting behind the car.

The headlights swayed between the trees, getting closer and closer.

[Patrol car is coming, distance is about 800 meters.]

The headlights became brighter and brighter.

A white pickup truck with a yellow light on top, but it wasn't turned on.

Two people were sitting in the car, wearing uniforms.

The car drove along the dirt road on the outside of the wire fence, reached the fork, slowed down, and stopped.

The two people got out of the car and shone flashlights into the woods.

The beam of light swept over Li Xin's head.

He didn't move.

The two people shone the light around a few times and found nothing unusual.

They got into the car and continued driving forward.

The sound of the engine faded away.

At the twelfth minute, the progress jumped to 50%.

At the eighteenth minute, the progress jumped to 75%.

There was movement in the distance again.

This time it wasn't a car, but footsteps.

Someone was walking on the outside of the wire fence.

[AI System: Zhuzi, someone is coming. Distance from here is about 900 meters.]

"Can you tell what kind of person it is?"

[Don't know, wearing casual clothes, no flashlight.]

Li Xin squatted behind the car, motionless.

The footsteps got closer and closer, stepping on the gravel, rustling.

The person stopped outside the wire fence.

He stood for a while and lit a cigarette.

The firelight flickered in the darkness.

At the twenty-second minute, the progress jumped to 92%.

After finishing the cigarette, the person extinguished the butt and continued walking forward.

The footsteps faded away.

At the twenty-fourth minute, the progress bar was full.

[Extraction completed. Hishikari Gold Mine high-grade residual gold, 20.4 tons.]

[Cumulative gold: 1964.0057 tons.]

Li Xin squatted behind the car, not moving.

He waited for ten minutes, confirmed that there was no one outside, and then stood up.

His legs were a bit numb.

He stomped his feet, got into the car, and started the engine.

He didn't turn on the headlights and drove forward slowly.

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

Back at the inn, it was almost midnight.

---

The next morning, Li Xin had breakfast in the restaurant.

It was still a Japanese-style set meal, grilled fish, pickles, natto, and miso soup.

Halfway through the meal, the Old Lady came over to greet him.

"Is the gentleman checking out today?"

"Yes, I will leave after eating."

The Old Lady nodded.

Li Xin finished his meal, returned to his room to pack his things, and drove toward Kagoshima City.

When he arrived in the city, he didn't rush to the station, but drove the car to the port and parked it on the side of the road.

He got out of the car, stood on the embankment, and looked at the sea.

In the distance, a few fishing boats were drifting slowly.

The sea breeze was strong, making his clothes flap.

AI System calculated an account on the panel.

[Sado 22.3 tons, Akagi Mountain 18.2 tons, Hishikari 20.4 tons. Total 60.9 tons.]

Li Xin didn't respond.

[AI System: Zhuzi, this trip of yours didn't even reach the fraction of your account.]

"Hmm."

[This Japanese Military is too trashy, only this little bit of gold. Then why are you still staying in Japan?]

Li Xin didn't answer.

He lit a cigarette and looked at the sea.

His phone vibrated once.

Qiang Zi sent a message: "Brother, is everything going well over at the Japanese Military side?"

Li Xin replied: "It's okay, everything is fine here."

Qiang Zi replied in seconds, "That's good, call me anytime if you need anything."

"Okay, we'll talk later."

Li Xin put his phone back in his pocket, extinguished the cigarette, and got into the car.

He drove to Kagoshima Central Station.

AI System popped up a sentence on the panel.

[Zhuzi, I'm familiar with this look of yours. Are you holding back something bad again?]

Li Xin didn't respond.

[AI System: Tell me, who do you want to mess with?]

"Do you know how many things the Japanese Military snatched from other countries back then?"

AI System fell silent.

"All kinds of cultural relics, ancient books, gold, too many to count. Those things are still in the Japanese Military now."

AI System didn't say anything more.

Li Xin drove the car to a place where no one was, put it into the space, and walked into the station carrying his bag.

He bought a ticket to Tokyo.

Business class, by the window.

When the Shinkansen started, he leaned against the back of the chair and closed his eyes.

The scenery outside the window changed from city to farmland, and from farmland to hills.

He calculated bitterly in his heart,

"A mere 60 tons of gold is not enough, it's still far from enough."

He was thinking about one thing.

"In various parts of the Japanese Military, are there still many such things with 'lost historical records'?"

"Those royal treasures that were secretly transferred, those cultural relics hidden in the basements of temples, those military assets that were sealed up because they couldn't be taken away after the defeat."

Li Xin looked at the scenery outside the window and made a decision in his heart.

"Go back and rest, and then find them one by one."

The Shinkansen sped on the tracks, and the utility poles outside the window fell backward one by one.

He leaned back, closed his eyes, and rested quietly.

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