17: Chapter 17 Re-exploring the Gold Mine North of the City

Early the next morning, Li Xin did not move out with Chen Hu and the others. He gave them a day off to let them explore Dubai on their own.

"Boss, are you sure you'll be okay on your own?" Chen Hu said, feeling a bit uneasy.

"What could possibly happen?" Li Xin smiled. "I'm not a child anymore."

Chen Hu thought for a moment and added, "Boss, if anything comes up, just call us. We'll be there in an instant."

Li Xin nodded. "Alright."

He walked out of the hotel alone, choosing to go on foot rather than taking a car.

He activated the system's Scan function, keeping an eye on the 3D map in his mind as he walked.

The streets of Dubai's old town were winding, and the buildings on both sides were mostly earthy yellow, looking quite aged. There weren't many pedestrians on the street, just the occasional foreigner who looked like a tourist.

After walking for about twenty minutes, the system notification sounded.

[System: Gold reaction detected. Location: approximately 15 meters to the front right, about 1.5 meters underground. Estimated gold content: 0.5 kg.]

Li Xin walked to that spot, which was in front of a spice shop. The ground was paved with tiles, and several sacks filled with spices were placed on top.

He couldn't go over there now while people were around; it was too conspicuous.

He noted the location and continued walking forward.

Another ten minutes later, the second notification sounded.

[System: Gold reaction detected. Location: approximately 22 meters to the front left, about 3 meters underground. Estimated gold content: 1.2 kg.]

This time, it was an abandoned old house. The gate was locked, the windows were closed, and it looked like it hadn't been lived in for a long time.

Li Xin looked around; there was no one on the street. He walked to the side of the house where a small alleyway blocked the view from the street.

He crouched down and pressed his hand against the ground.

"System, collect the gold underground."

[Collecting... Collection complete. Obtained gold: 1.2 kg.]

[Cumulative refined gold: 49.15 kg]

Still 0.85 kg short.

He continued walking forward, circled around to the front of the old house, walked a few more steps, and returned to the front of the spice shop.

"System, collect the gold under the spice shop."

[Collecting... Collection complete. Obtained gold: 0.5 kg.]

[Cumulative refined gold: 49.65 kg]

Still 0.35 kg short.

Li Xin frowned. It was just a little bit short.

He quickened his pace and circled the area, finding a few more scattered spots of gold, though none were large, ranging from a few dozen grams to one or two hundred grams.

After circling for about an hour, he finally gathered enough.

[Cumulative refined gold: 50.2 kg]

[System upgrade conditions met!]

[Do you want to consume 50kg of gold to upgrade the system?]

"Upgrade."

[System upgrading... Upgrade complete!]

---

[Gold Search and Refining System]

[Host: Li Xin]

[Current Level: 4]

[Detection Range: 65 meters → 90 meters]

(Note: Every 10kg of gold adds 5 meters; 50kg of gold adds 25 meters)

[Gold required for next upgrade: 100kg]

[Current cumulative refined gold: 0.2 kg]

[Armed Squad: 5 people]

---

90 meters. Li Xin stood on the side of the street and took a deep breath.

A 90-meter detection range, while still not large, was at least enough to cover the area of a small mining site.

Next, he needed 100 kilograms of gold to upgrade again. He needed to find a stable, free source of gold. He thought of that abandoned gold mine—the one north of Shenzhen.

When he went last time, he only dug a little from the surface; there was more gold deeper down. The system indicated that although the mine was abandoned, there was still plenty of low-grade ore in the deeper sections.

If he could refine all that ore, he should be able to get hundreds of kilograms or even tons of gold.

But the problem was that the mine was in Shenzhen, and he couldn't mine it as openly as he did in Dubai. He had to think of a way that wouldn't attract attention.

As Li Xin thought about this, he walked toward the hotel. When he passed by an outdoor gear shop, he suddenly stopped.

He thought of an idea.

He could disguise himself as a geology student and go to the mining area for a "field internship." Then, when no one was paying attention, he could use the system to collect all the gold ore underground.

This way, it wouldn't raise suspicion, and it wouldn't leave any traces.

Perfect.

He walked into the outdoor gear shop and bought a set of tools for geological exploration—a compass, magnifying glass, geological hammer, sample bags, and the like. He also bought a sun hat and a windbreaker.

It cost less than five hundred dollars in total.

When he returned to the hotel, Chen Hu and the others were already waiting.

"Boss, how was the harvest today?" Wang Jun asked with a grin.

"Not bad," Li Xin said. "By the way, I'm returning to the country tomorrow. Are you staying here or coming back with me?"

Chen Hu thought for a moment. "Let's go back with you. In case anything happens on your end, we can help."

Li Xin nodded. The Armed Squad provided by the system was indeed useful. Not only were they capable, but they were also absolutely loyal and never asked too many questions.

"Alright, then we'll leave together tomorrow."

Early the next morning, they went to the airport together. When going through security, Li Xin wasn't nervous at all. The gold and equipment in the system space couldn't be detected by the security scanner at all.

After boarding the plane, Li Xin leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

This trip to Dubai had been quite fruitful.

Through unremitting efforts, he had refined 54.3 kilograms of gold, used 20 kilograms to upgrade, and converted the remaining 34.3 kilograms into cash, exchanging it for 1.9 million US dollars. Later, he picked up another 3.2 kilograms of scattered gold, gathering enough to reach 50 kilograms for the upgrade.

The system upgraded from Level 2 to Level 4, and the detection range expanded from 55 meters to 90 meters.

There were now over two million US dollars in his Dubai account and over 1.6 million RMB in his domestic account. His total assets were roughly 15 million RMB.

He had met Mr. Hassan, a gold buyer, so he wouldn't have to worry about cashing out in the future. He also had five absolutely loyal Armed Squad members, which would make things much more convenient from now on.

Next, he would follow the plan he had thought of: go to the abandoned gold mine north of Shenzhen and get all the gold inside.

When the plane landed at the Shenzhen airport, it was already the afternoon of the next day. Li Xin opened his phone and sent a message to Luo Maifa: "I'm back."

Luo Maifa replied instantly: "Want to get together tonight?"

"Sure."

He sent messages to Yang Hong and Qiang Zi, arranging to meet at the Old Place BBQ Restaurant that evening.

Then he turned to Chen Hu and said, "You guys find a place to stay first; expenses will come out of my account. If I have anything come up, I'll contact you."

"Understood." Chen Hu nodded and left with the four others.

Li Xin hailed a taxi and gave the address of his school.

Upon arriving at school, he first went back to his dormitory to take a shower and change his clothes. Then he took out his phone and looked up information about the abandoned gold mine north of Shenzhen.

There wasn't much information online about this mine. It was only known that it was opened in the 70s or 80s and was later abandoned because the ore grade was too low. The ownership of the mining area belonged to the local government, but because it had been abandoned for many years, no one cared about it.

Li Xin thought about it and felt it wouldn't be a big problem. Anyway, he wasn't really going there to mine; he was just going for a "field internship."

At 6:00 PM, he arrived at the Old Place BBQ Restaurant.

Luo Maifa, Yang Hong, and Qiang Zi had already arrived and were chatting around a table.

"Li Xin!" Luo Maifa saw him, stood up, and waved, "Over here, over here!"

Li Xin walked over and sat down. Luo Maifa handed him a bottle of beer: "Come on, let's have a toast first."

The four of them clinked glasses. Luo Maifa took a big gulp and burped: "Li Xin, how much did you make this time in Dubai?"

"Not much." Li Xin smiled.

"What do you mean 'not much'? Ten thousand? Twenty thousand?"

"Something like that."

Luo Maifa curled his lips: "You really are tight-lipped."

Yang Hong adjusted his glasses and suddenly spoke up: "Li Xin, I've given serious thought to the startup idea you mentioned last time."

"What do you think?"

"I think it's feasible." Yang Hong pulled a USB drive from his pocket. "This is a preliminary plan I made; take a look."

Li Xin took it but didn't look at it immediately: "I'll look at it slowly when I get back."

"Also," Yang Hong said, "I found two classmates who are quite good at technology. If they are willing to join, our technical team will basically be formed."

"You set the salary. As for the shares, we'll talk about that after the plan is finalized."

Yang Hong nodded.

Qiang Zi was listening from the side and suddenly said: "Li Xin, Tie Zhu's breakfast shop, the renovation is almost done. It's estimated that it can open next month."

"So fast?"

"That kid is in such a rush, urging the workers every day." Qiang Zi smiled. "He asked me to thank you, saying you gave him a chance to turn his life around."

"Don't thank me; it's because he was willing to work hard himself," Li Xin said.

Luo Maifa chimed in: "My dad's situation is about the same; the new car has already been ordered and will arrive next month. He said when the company gets on the right track, he'll treat you to a meal."

The four of them ate and chatted, and the atmosphere was very lively.

Halfway through the meal, Li Xin suddenly said: "By the way, I'm going to the mountainous area in the north tomorrow."

"What for?" Luo Maifa asked.

"Field internship, geological exploration."

"You're not even a geology major." Luo Maifa looked suspicious.

"Elective course, an assignment from the teacher." Li Xin made up an excuse on the spot.

Qiang Zi frowned: "Northern mountain area? You don't mean that abandoned gold mine, do you?"

"Yes, exactly there."

"The roads there are hard to travel, and I heard some places have collapsed; it's quite dangerous." Qiang Zi said, "How about I go with you?"

"No need, I'll be fine on my own."

Qiang Zi looked at him and didn't try to persuade him further: "Then be careful, and if anything comes up, give me a call."

"Alright."