161: Chapter 161 Bloodshed and Horror at the Mine

August in Yekaterinburg was neither hot nor cold.

When Li Xin emerged from the airport, the sky was gray and overcast, with low-hanging clouds. Carrying his old backpack, he stood at the entrance of the arrival hall and lit a cigarette. The air carried an indescribable scent, like rust mixed with the earthy, fishy smell of thawing permafrost.

There weren't many people at the taxi queue. He stubbed out his cigarette, walked over, and opened the car door.

"To the city center."

The driver was a chubby man in his fifties with stubble, wearing an old jacket. He glanced at Li Xin through the rearview mirror and spoke first.

"Little brother, you're Chinese, right? You don't look like the people around here."

"Yes, I'm from China," Li Xin replied indifferently.

"Here for tourism?"

"Yeah, just out for a walk to see things."

"By yourself?"

"Yes, it's more comfortable alone."

The driver chuckled, stepped on the gas, and kept chatting.

"Then you've come at the right time. Yekaterinburg in August is the most comfortable—unlike winter, when you'd freeze to death. It's just that the weather hasn't been kind lately; it rains in the afternoon without warning, and it starts so suddenly you can't even hide in time."

Li Xin responded calmly, his tone even: "That's true. I've also heard the climate here is pleasant, just that the rain comes suddenly. I'll just have to be more careful."

"Haha, it never hurts to be cautious when traveling." The driver replied, then said no more and focused on driving.

After driving for about forty minutes, the car entered the city proper. The streets were narrow, lined with buildings generally five or six stories high, their walls painted a faded white, with many windows welded with iron bars. There weren't many people on the street, just a few elderly people carrying shopping bags, walking slowly.

The driver dropped him off at the entrance of a pedestrian street.

"This is the city center. The Church on the Blood and the market are both nearby."

Li Xin paid the fare, shouldered his bag, and got out, walking straight along the pedestrian street.

The cobblestone street was lined with various small shops: souvenir stores, cafes, and bakeries. Only a few tourists were scattered about, taking photos.

Li Xin strolled leisurely, popping into any shop that looked interesting.

At the end of the street stood the Church on the Blood, with its deep red brick walls and blue domes inlaid with golden stars. Li Xin stood in the square for a while but didn't go in. He took a few photos and then turned to leave.

The century-old market was ten minutes' walk east of the church. It was an indoor market with a roof supported by iron frames, filled with rows of stalls selling everything.

There was honey, pickled cucumbers, fur hats, matryoshka dolls, and amber; the air was thick with the scent of spices and smoked fish.

Li Xin stopped in front of a stall selling honey.

"Young man, want to try some?" A stout woman scooped a spoonful from a jar and handed it over.

Li Xin took it and sipped. "It's very sweet, with a hint of floral scent. How much for this, miss?"

"Four hundred rubles a jar."

Li Xin didn't haggle; he bought a jar directly, along with some black bread, then walked into a small shop in the corner to eat some local snacks.

Halfway through his meal, a message arrived from Chen Hu:

"Boss, I've sent the information to your email. It includes the mine's defense layout, gang distribution, and patrol routes. Berezovsky is not peaceful right now; two groups are fighting for territory, and they just had a clash yesterday."

Li Xin put down his spoon and replied: "Got it."

After eating, he found a hotel to stay in. It wasn't in the city center, but on the edge of the old town—a two-story old building with a few linden trees planted in front. The receptionist was a young girl with her hair tied tightly and freckles on her face.

"Handsome, how many days do you want to stay?"

"Two days for now."

Entering the room, he washed his face and sat on the bed to study the information Chen Hu had provided. Opening his laptop, he found the data very detailed: satellite images, a floor plan of the mining area, marked locations of fences, guard post distributions, and patrol routes and times. There were also screenshots of Russian chat logs containing the local gangs' secret codes, which Chen Hu had paid someone to translate.

The Berezovsky Gold Mine is now an industrial tourist attraction, open during the day with tour guides, a museum, and cafes. Tourists can go down into the mine tunnels to see historical mining equipment and listen to guides tell stories from the Tsarist era.

The tourist attraction is just a facade; deep inside, mining is still ongoing, heavily guarded by armed security personnel.

Several groups of gold thieves occupy the periphery of the mining area, often clashing over territory and veins. Yesterday, two groups fought over a vein, leaving many injured.

Li Xin closed the laptop and leaned against the headboard.

"AI System, let's go take a look tomorrow."

[Okay.]

The next morning, he checked out and drove north out of the city.

About two hours later, the car reached a fork in the road. Signs on either side pointed toward the Berezovsky Gold Mine and the history museum, respectively.

Li Xin turned the steering wheel and drove toward the museum. The building was located on the outskirts of the mining area, a two-story stone structure with grayish-white walls and an iron-sheet roof. Several tour buses and private cars were parked in front. He parked the car, shouldered his backpack, and walked into the museum.

The exhibition hall was small, with dim lighting. Glass cases displayed old mining tools like iron pickaxes, miner's lamps, and dynamite crates. In the black-and-white photos on the walls, miners from the past stood at the tunnel entrance, their faces covered in coal dust. There weren't many tourists; an Old Lady with white hair was explaining things in Russian to a couple, and another young person was taking photos.

Li Xin blended into the crowd, pretending to look at the exhibits while keeping his ears pricked.

The guide's voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear in the quiet museum.

"...In 1914, when World War I broke out, the Tsar ordered increased gold Extraction to raise funds for the war. At that time, the Berezovsky mining area was one of the highest-producing mines in the country. In 1918, the situation changed drastically, and the Tsar's family met with misfortune. That year, a shipment of gold was being transported east from Petrograd, and rumors have always circulated that a portion of it was hidden underground in this mining area..."

The middle-aged man interrupted: "A legend? Is there any proof?"

The Old Lady pushed up her glasses.

"Proof? If there were any, it would have been dug up long ago. However, older miners all say that during the Soviet Union era, someone saw a sealed secret door deep in the mine tunnels. Later, for some reason, that tunnel was sealed off and never opened again."

Li Xin rubbed his fingers against the seam of his trousers.

The Old Lady continued with other topics, but he stopped listening. He took a lap around the museum, took some photos, then exited through the back door and followed the signs toward the open-pit mine.

The open-pit mine was ten minutes' walk north of the museum. There was no one on the road, the trees on both sides grew denser, and birdsong echoed back and forth. After walking for a while and turning a corner, the view suddenly opened up.

It was a huge pit, as if someone had slashed the earth with a knife. The pit walls were layered—gray-brown, earthy yellow, and rust-colored—like a thousand-layer cake. There was stagnant water at the bottom, glowing green, reflecting the clouds in the sky. The edge of the pit was surrounded by iron railings, and every few dozen meters, there was a sign that read "No Trespassing."

Li Xin stood by the railing, looking at the bottom of the pit. The wind blew over, carrying the damp, earthy smell.

He looked around. No tourists, no security. He could see a few cars in the distance at the parking lot, but they were far away.

He crouched down, pretending to tie his shoelaces, and pressed his hand to the ground.

"AI System, Scan."

[Scanning. Radius of fifty kilometers, covering the mining area and surrounding regions. It will take a few minutes.]

He crouched there, waiting. The wind blowing up from the bottom of the pit felt chilly.

A few minutes later, the AI System reported the results.

[Berezovsky mining area. The underground vein runs northeast-southwest. The main ore body is at a depth of 220 to 450 meters, extending about 3.6 kilometers with an average grade of 8.2 grams per ton. Total reserves are approximately 1000 tons.]

"How much can I perform Extraction on?"

[The mining area is currently in operation and belongs to an owner. The host can perform Extraction on 60%, approximately 600 tons. The Extraction point has been locked, about 7.5 kilometers from the current position. It is within the ten-kilometer range and can be extracted.]

Li Xin stood up and brushed the dust off his hands.

Just as he turned to walk back, a shout suddenly came from the distance. It wasn't a normal speaking voice, but a roar at the top of one's lungs, filled with anger.

He stopped and looked in the direction the sound came from.

On the east side of the mining area, at the edge of the woods, there was a dense crowd of people. It wasn't close, so he couldn't see their faces, but he could tell they were divided into two groups, confronting each other.

The noise grew louder. Someone was cursing, very foully. People were shoving each other, and there was the sound of metal clashing—that was knives.

Li Xin's heart skipped a beat.

He walked quickly toward the parking lot. After only a few steps, a dull thud came from behind him—the heavy, fleshy sound of a club hitting a body.

Immediately after, shouts, curses, and screams merged into one.

Li Xin didn't look back; he quickened his pace and almost ran to the parking lot. He pulled open the car door, sat inside, and started the engine.

As the car drove out of the parking lot, he glanced in the rearview mirror. Shadows were moving at the edge of the woods; some were running, some were chasing, and a few were lying on the ground.

He stepped on the gas, and the car bumped forward along the gravel road.

Less than a kilometer out, two people stood on the roadside ahead, wearing camouflage uniforms and carrying guns. Mine security.

He slowed down and rolled down the window.

One of them walked over and looked inside the car.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the city."

"What was going on over there just now?"

Li Xin shook his head. "I don't know. I was in the museum, and when I came out, I saw people fighting. I didn't dare look too much and just left."

The security guard stared at him for two seconds.

"Identification."

Li Xin handed over his passport. The guard flipped through two pages and returned it to him.

"Go on. Don't loiter nearby."

"Okay."

He closed the window and drove past slowly. Looking in the rearview mirror, the two guards were still standing on the roadside, looking toward the woods.

After driving two kilometers and getting onto a dirt road, he finally eased off the gas.

His palms were covered in sweat.

By the time he returned to Yekaterinburg, it was already afternoon. He didn't go back to the hotel but found a homestay in the north of the city to stay in. It was a standalone wooden house with a small courtyard. The landlady was an Old Lady who didn't speak English; she used hand gestures to tell him where the hot water was and what time breakfast was served.

Li Xin nodded and paid.

He closed the door and lay on the bed.

"AI System, what was the situation today?"

[Who knows? It was likely local factions fighting; isn't that quite normal?]

"Fair enough. Do you think anyone was killed?"

[Based on the analysis of the scene, at least five people were seriously injured, but no one died. Both sides had homemade weapons, but no guns were used.]

"Those security guards were a bit slow to arrive."

[It's the same everywhere. However, mine security has strengthened patrols; after today's incident, two mobile sentries have been added to the surrounding area.]

Li Xin lit a cigarette.

"600 tons. It requires twelve hours of continuous Extraction. I cannot be interrupted in the middle."

[The best Extraction point is on the north side of the mining area, about three kilometers from the road. That location is currently outside the sphere of influence of both parties, but there are wild boars, the terrain is complex, and patrols might pass by at night.]

"Hmm, let's see if we can find a more hidden spot."

[Understood.]

---

In the evening, he went out for a meal. At a small restaurant in the north of the city, he ordered a plate of fried dumplings, a bowl of solyanka soup, and drank a cup of hot honey water. There weren't many people in the restaurant. In the corner sat two middle-aged men in work clothes, drinking vodka; their voices weren't loud, but he could hear them.

"...They started fighting over there again."

"Normal. It's for the mine, isn't it? How could they not fight?"

"I heard several people got hurt."

"Serves them right. Let them fight; one less person for every one that dies."

Li Xin kept his head down and ate, not looking up.

After dinner, he returned to the wooden house; it was pitch black outside. The dim, yellowish light in the courtyard illuminated the wooden fence to the side. He sat on the steps in front of the door and lit a cigarette.

At this moment, a message came from Chen Hu: "Boss, I found out something. There's an old miner in the Berezovsky mining area, over seventy this year, who worked at the mine his whole life. He might know some other things."

"What kind of things?"

"About the Tsarist gold. His father worked at the mine back then and saw some things he shouldn't have."

"Where is he?"

"In a village north of the mining area. I've sent you the specific address."

Li Xin stubbed out his cigarette and stood up.

"AI System, let's go scout the location tomorrow, and stop by to find that old miner."

[Okay, get some rest early.]

He went inside, turned off the lights, and lay down.

The insects outside the window chirped all night long.