32: Chapter 32 Searching in the Deep Mountains

Before dawn the next day, Li Xin woke up.

The morning in the mountains was very cold, and a layer of fine water droplets had condensed on the inner wall of the tent. He crawled out of his sleeping bag, put on his clothes, and unzipped the tent.

It was still dark outside, with only a faint grayish-white light on the eastern horizon.

He quickly packed up the tent and stowed it into his space. He then took out a bottle of water to wash up and gnawed on two compressed biscuits for breakfast.

Everything was ready, and the sky was just beginning to turn a pale, fish-belly white.

He put on his bamboo basket and continued walking southwest.

After walking for about an hour, the sun came out. Sunlight climbed over the mountain ridge, illuminating the entire hillside in a golden glow.

He stopped and took out his phone to check it.

No signal.

The map wouldn't open, but he didn't need it anymore. The reward hints from the system included the general direction; he just needed to keep walking southwest.

He continued moving forward.

Crossing one mountain after another, traversing one river after another.

The mountain path became increasingly difficult. In some places, there was no path at all, forcing him to scramble over piles of loose rocks or traverse along steep hillsides.

He wore through a pair of liberation shoes and took a new pair out of his space to change into.

Blisters had formed on the soles of his feet, so he treated them using the medical knowledge provided by the system, applied bandages, and continued walking.

By nine o'clock in the morning, he was standing on a mountain peak, looking out towards the southwest.

The distant mountain ranges were still layered upon one another, stretching endlessly.

He checked the time; he had been walking for over three hours.

The location of that gold mine should still be a dozen or so kilometers away.

He sat down, drank some water, ate something, rested for ten minutes, and then continued on.

The road down the mountain was harder than the way up; the slopes were steep and full of loose gravel. He walked down cautiously, sometimes just squatting down and sliding while supporting himself with his hands on the ground.

At the bottom of the mountain was a dried-up riverbed. The riverbed was full of rocks, large and small, which were uncomfortable to walk on.

He followed the riverbed southwest for about half an hour until it curved, revealing an open area ahead.

The open area was overgrown with wild grass, with a few crooked trees in the middle. A few birds chirped in the trees, their sounds crisp and clear.

He crossed the open area and began to climb another mountain.

This mountain was higher than the previous ones, with very steep slopes; some places were almost vertical. He climbed using both hands and feet, grabbing onto rocks and tree roots.

When he reached halfway up the mountainside, he suddenly stopped.

On the slope ahead, there was an area where the color of the ground was distinctly different. The surrounding soil was reddish-brown, but the soil in that area was grayish-white and completely barren.

This geological feature looked somewhat like a mineralized alteration zone. It seemed similar to the descriptions in the book "Geological Exploration"; gold mines were often accompanied by such alteration phenomena.

He walked over, squatted down, grabbed a handful of the grayish-white soil, and squeezed it. The soil was loose and soft, containing tiny quartz particles.

"System, Scan the vicinity."

[System: Scanning... No gold reaction detected.]

"No gold?" It seemed it was just a regular alteration zone without mineralization.

He stood up, brushed the dust off his hands, and continued climbing.

When he reached the top of the mountain, he stopped to rest for a few minutes.

He looked back at the path he had traveled; the mountains were undulating and layered, and he could no longer see the hillside where he had camped yesterday.

He was truly deep in the mountains now.

He took out his phone to check; there was absolutely no signal. The time showed 11:00 AM. Fortunately, he had prepared enough power banks before coming; if his phone ran out of battery, he would be in a real bind.

He continued forward.

The road down was even harder; the slope was too steep, so he had to squat down and inch his way down, supporting himself with his hands.

At the bottom was a small stream. The water was very clear, and he could see the stones at the bottom. He squatted down to wash his face, the icy water refreshing him instantly.

After crossing the stream, a flat valley appeared before him. The valley was filled with colorful wildflowers.

He hadn't found any reactions along the way, so he had to keep moving forward; after crossing the valley ahead, there would be another mountain.

This mountain wasn't high, but the vegetation was very dense. The hillside was covered with weeds and thickets of bushes, with no path at all.

He had to use his engineer shovel to clear away the weeds and struggle forward.

After walking for about half an hour, he heard the sound of running water ahead.

Upon closer inspection, it was a stream slightly wider than the previous one. The water flowed down from the cracks in the mountain rocks, forming a small pool before continuing downstream.

The water in the pool was clear, with quite a few small fish swimming around, looking very content. There was an open space by the pool with relatively flat ground covered in a layer of fine gravel.

Arriving at the edge of the pool, he suddenly had the urge to set up camp there.

However, it was a pity that it was only noon, and he still had to continue his journey.

He shook his head helplessly and continued forward.

Just like that, he crossed mountain after mountain, constantly weaving through dense forests.

He arrived at a ridge and stood at the highest point, looking out towards the southwest.

A huge valley appeared at the end of the ridge. The valley was very deep with steep slopes on both sides, and at the bottom flowed a river, its water shimmering in the sunlight.

Opposite the valley was an even higher ridge. Behind that ridge lay the national border.

And the location of the gold mine indicated by the system was right near that ridge.

Looking at that direction from afar, a long-lost smile appeared on Li Xin's face.

It was just ahead.

He took a deep breath and began to descend the mountain.

This side was still overgrown with weeds, and some places were almost vertical. He didn't dare to move too fast and could only inch his way down, step by step.

After walking for about half an hour, he finally reached the bottom of the valley.

The bottom of the valley was a river. The water wasn't deep, but it was flowing very fast. The river was about seven or eight meters wide, and the water was clear enough to see the stones and sand at the bottom.

He found a shallow spot, took off his shoes, rolled up his pant legs, and waded across the river.

The water was very cold, sending a shiver through him. The stones at the bottom of the river were slippery, so he walked cautiously, afraid of falling.

After crossing the river, he put on his shoes and began to climb the mountain.

This mountain was higher than all the previous ones, with very steep slopes; in some places, he almost had to use both hands and feet to climb up.

When he reached halfway up the mountainside, he suddenly heard a sound in the distance.

It wasn't the sound of animals, but the sound of people.

He stopped, held his breath, and listened carefully.

The sound came from the other side of the ridge, intermittent and unclear as to what was being said.

He frowned and continued climbing up.

When he reached the top, he lay behind a large rock and poked his head out to look ahead.

On the other side of the ridge was a small path. On the path, a few figures were moving.

It was the Patrol Team.

Four men, wearing camouflage uniforms and carrying guns, were walking north along the path.

Li Xin lay behind the large rock, motionless.

He watched the four men walk further and further away, finally disappearing into the mountain col.

After waiting for about ten minutes and confirming they wouldn't return, he stood up from behind the rock.

The Patrol Team was appearing more and more frequently in this area.

This meant he was already very close to the national border.

He quickened his pace and walked along the ridge towards the southwest.

After walking for another hour, he suddenly stopped.

The system had a reaction.

It wasn't that weak kind of reaction, but a strong, dense, overwhelming one.

[System: Large amount of gold reaction detected! Location: Southwest, straight-line distance approximately 950 meters. Estimated gold content: Unknown, requires further precise Scan.]

Li Xin felt his heart stop for a moment.

Nine hundred and fifty meters.

It was just ahead.

He quickened his pace, almost running towards that direction.

The mountain road was steep, and the bushes were dense. He didn't care about anything anymore, using his hands to push aside the branches blocking his way, trampling over loose gravel as he rushed forward.

After running for about ten minutes, the system sounded again.

[System: Large amount of gold reaction detected! Location: Straight ahead, straight-line distance approximately 400 meters. Estimated gold content: Unknown, requires further precise Scan.]

Four hundred meters.

Getting closer and closer.

He ran forward for another stretch and reached a ridge.

Standing on the ridge looking ahead, below was a valley; the valley was surrounded by steep slopes covered in dense vegetation.

The system indicated that the gold mine was right under that valley.

He took a deep breath and walked down from the ridge.

The sky was already getting dark. He checked his phone; it was 5:30 PM.

He had to find and collect the gold mine before dark, otherwise he would have to wait another night. There was no flat ground suitable for camping in the valley, and this place was too close to the Patrol Team's route; it wasn't safe.

He quickened his pace and charged into the valley.