59: Chapter 59 A Surprise in Kachin State

Before the sky was fully bright, Old Wu nudged Li Xin's shoulder.

"Little Li, let's go."

Li Xin opened his eyes. The straw mat made his back ache painfully, so he climbed up and splashed water from the vat at the door onto his face. It was chilly, making him shudder.

Two soldiers from the Kachin Independence Army were already waiting downstairs. One was tall and thin, the other short and fat; both wore civilian clothes with armbands. Their guns were slung across their chests, fingers resting on the trigger guards.

Old Wu walked over and said a few words in Burmese to them. The tall, thin one nodded and pointed to the back of the pickup truck.

"Get in the car." Old Wu called back.

Li Xin shouldered his bag and sat in the passenger seat. The two soldiers climbed into the truck bed, sitting next to the oil drums.

The pickup started and drove out of the village.

The horizon was just beginning to turn a fish-belly white. The mist in the mountains hadn't dispersed yet, and both sides of the road were lined with bamboo forests. The bamboo scraped against the car body, making a rustling sound.

The car drove at a steady pace. Li Xin glanced at the rearview mirror—the tall, thin soldier was puffing on a cigarette, while the short, fat soldier was already slumped over in his seat, snoring loudly.

"Don't provoke those two." Old Wu tilted his head and lowered his voice. "They are only responsible for leading the way. They will follow us into the mountains, but they won't interfere on the road."

"I know."

The car drove for about two hours before finally reaching the river road, traveling along the Irrawaddy River.

The river was wide, and the morning light fell on the water, shimmering with golden specks. Hills stretched along both banks, and a few sand-dredging boats floated on the river. Occasionally, gold miners could be seen on the shore, bending over to sift sand.

Li Xin leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He looked like he was dozing off, but in reality, he was silently activating the system Scan in his mind.

Within a radius of 3990 meters, nearly eight li, if there was any gold mine information, he would know immediately.

[Ding...]

[Gold mine detected. Location is approximately 4.2 kilometers ahead. Gold content unknown, further Scan required.]

A gold mine found four kilometers away. Li Xin opened his eyes, a flash of surprise in his gaze.

"Old Wu, after that bend ahead, is there a wide river beach?" Li Xin said thoughtfully.

Old Wu thought for a moment and nodded. "There is. The scenery there is quite nice, but the Government Army often patrols there."

"Can we stop for a moment? I want to take a few photos." Li Xin looked toward the driver's seat, his tone relaxed.

"Take photos there?" Old Wu instinctively glanced quickly at the backseat through the rearview mirror—seeing the two soldiers didn't react, he said, "Alright then, but take them quickly. Don't linger to avoid trouble."

The car drove for a few minutes and turned the corner.

Li Xin glanced out the window, his heart rate slightly accelerating. The gold mine location indicated by the system was in this area.

"Old Wu, please stop here."

Old Wu parked the car on an open space by the roadside.

Li Xin pushed open the door and got out. He picked up his camera and, while taking pictures of the river scenery, slowly approached the river beach.

In the truck bed, the tall, thin soldier glanced at Li Xin, then lowered his head to continue smoking. The short, fat one was still dozing.

After walking a few dozen meters, Li Xin stopped and thought to himself.

"System, precise Scan."

[Scanning... Scan complete.]

[The gold mine is located about 30 meters below, with the vein extending 3660 meters along the riverbed.]

[Estimated gold content: 32.7 tons.]

[Note: This area is an outer control zone of the Myanmar military and is an owned mine. The host can only perform Extraction of 60%.]

Li Xin took a deep breath, his face remaining calm.

Just then, two soldiers carrying guns and wearing camouflage uniforms walked over with serious expressions; they were a Government Army Patrol Team.

Li Xin's expression stiffened slightly, and he felt a bit panicked inside. However, he didn't show it, just continued taking photos like a real tourist.

The soldiers approached and shouted something in Burmese.

Old Wu quickly poked his head out of the car, smiling and saying something. But the soldiers clearly weren't buying it; they pointed at Li Xin's camera and then at the river, their tone very fierce.

They wanted to check the camera.

Taking advantage of the gap while Old Wu negotiated with them, Li Xin casually squatted down and quietly pressed one hand onto the sand by the side of the road. He thought in his mind: "System, Extraction."

[Extraction in progress... Extraction complete. A total of 25 tons of placer gold was extracted, estimated gold content: 19.62 tons. Perform refining?]

"Refine."

[Refining in progress... Refining complete. Obtained gold: 19.62 tons.]

[Cumulative gold refined: 177.2457 tons.]

The whole process took less than two seconds.

Finally, Li Xin handed the camera to the Patrol Team soldiers. They kept checking the photos in the album. However, all they saw were photos of temples, street scenes, rivers, sunsets, etc., and they didn't find anything sensitive.

The soldier frowned, then threw the camera back to Li Xin. Then he scolded him impatiently.

"Leave here quickly! No photos allowed here!"

Old Wu hurriedly replied: "Yes, yes, yes, leaving immediately."

Li Xin and the others quickly got into the car. They drove away from the riverside.

After driving a few hundred meters, Old Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief, sweat on his forehead.

"That was too close." Old Wu said with lingering fear, his voice extremely low. "If that soldier had really detained you just now, I wouldn't have been able to save you at all."

"But nothing happened, right?" Li Xin said dismissively. "Just took a few photos, they checked them, it's no problem."

Li Xin touched his pocket, the corners of his mouth slightly curling up. No one would know that in just those few seconds, he had secretly performed Extraction of 19 tons of gold.

The car continued driving north.

In the truck bed, the tall, thin soldier finished his cigarette and also started dozing off. The short, fat one's snoring was like thunder. When the Government Army Patrol Team came just now, they hadn't come out to help either.

Li Xin closed his eyes again and continued to Scan.

[Ding...]

[Gold mine detected. Location is about 3.5 kilometers ahead, in the wasteland area on the right side of the road. Gold content unknown, further Scan required.]

Another gold mine found. Li Xin's tone was urgent.

"Old Wu, can we stop at that wasteland ahead?"

"What's there to take pictures of in that dump?" Old Wu had a wry smile.

"That ruin has an atmosphere when photographed. I like taking pictures of this kind of thing."

Old Wu sighed helplessly, then parked the car by the roadside.

Li Xin got out of the car and walked quickly up the wasteland. After walking a few dozen meters, he stopped and thought to himself.

"System, precise Scan."

[Scanning... Scan complete. The gold mine is located about 30-45 meters directly below, with a vein 50 meters wide and 1060 meters long. Estimated gold reserves: 10.2 tons.]

[Note: This is an unowned mine, 100% Extraction possible.]

Li Xin was just about to squat down, but just then, two burly men suddenly rushed out from the woods.

They had cigarettes in their mouths and gloomy eyes; one look and you could tell they were bad news. They had machetes tucked at their waists, likely mining bandits roaming this abandoned mining area, specializing in targeting lone individuals and secretly panning for gold on the side. They sized Li Xin up from head to toe.

Li Xin's breath tightened, and he became highly alert.

At the same time, he bent down naturally, pretending to tie his shoelaces, while his hand quietly pressed onto the soil beneath the rock, thinking:

"System, Extraction."

[Extraction in progress... Extraction complete. A total of 15 tons of placer gold was extracted, estimated gold content: 10.2 tons. Perform refining?]

"Refine."

[Refining in progress... Refining complete. Obtained gold: 10.2 tons.]

[Cumulative gold refined: 187.4457 tons.]

It was only a matter of a few seconds.

Li Xin stood up, smiled friendly at the two burly men, and raised his camera to indicate he was just taking photos.

Seeing his tourist appearance and noticing Old Wu in the distance, the two thought for a moment and turned back into the woods. One of them even looked back at him, and seeing he was indeed taking pictures of the distant mine pit, they paid him no more mind.

Li Xin walked back to the car calmly.

"Finished?"

"Finished."

"What's there to photograph in this dump?"

"Just an ordinary mine pit, there's really nothing special about it."

Old Wu didn't ask any more questions, started the car, returned to the road, and continued driving forward.

Li Xin leaned back in his seat and took a deep breath. 10.2 tons, fully in hand. Adding the previous amount, it was already nearly 30 tons.

But this was just the beginning.

The car drove forward for nearly another two hours. The road became narrower, and the mountains on both sides became increasingly steep and precipitous. The river became exceptionally wide, and the river water slowed down accordingly, flowing quietly forward.

"Ahead is the Lu'gong Basin." Old Wu pointed forward. "The river is wide there, and there are many sand-dredging boats. However, this area is not really managed by anyone; it belongs to a lawless no-man's-land. If you want to take photos, this place is actually quite good, very characteristic."

Li Xin nodded with a smile, silently searching in his mind.

[Ding...]

[Large gold mine detected. Location is about 3.8 kilometers ahead in the river valley beach area. Reserves unknown, need to get closer for precise Scan.]

Li Xin's heart rate suddenly accelerated.

"Old Wu, stop by that bend ahead."

"Okay." Old Wu smiled.

"The sunset right now is absolutely stunning. Look at this light, it will definitely make for a blockbuster photo." Li Xin looked happy.

Old Wu looked up at the sky; the setting sun had dyed the entire river a golden red, which was indeed beautiful. He didn't say anything and parked the car to the side.

Li Xin got out of the car and walked towards the riverside. As he walked, he kept taking pictures, the shutter clicking away.

The workers on the sand-dredging boats glanced at him and didn't pay attention. They had seen many tourists like this; they would take a few photos and leave.

After walking a few hundred meters, Li Xin stopped and confirmed that no one was paying attention to him.

He squatted down, pretending to photograph the sunset over the river, while one hand quietly pressed onto the soft river sand.

"System, precise Scan."

[Scanning... Scan complete. The gold mine is right here in the wild alluvial placer gold belt of the Lu'gong Basin, with a vein 36 meters wide and extending 1650 meters. Theoretical gold reserves: 41.3 tons.]

[Note: No clear separatist forces, it is an unowned mine, 100% Extraction possible.]

"System, Extraction."

[Extraction in progress... Extraction complete. A total of 51 tons of placer gold was extracted, estimated gold content: 41.3 tons. Perform refining?]

"Refine."

[Refining in progress... Refining complete. Obtained gold: 41.3 tons.]

[Cumulative gold refined: 228.7457 tons.]

Li Xin stood up and frantically pressed the shutter at the sunset. Click, click, click.

No one would ever think that a tourist had secretly emptied the entire gold mine here.

He walked back to the car.

"Had enough?" Old Wu asked casually.

"Had enough."

"Then let's go, it's getting dark, need to find a place to stay."

Old Wu started the car and drove toward a nearby village.

Li Xin and Old Wu chatted intermittently.

He calculated silently in his mind: Myitkyina-Bhamo owned mine 19.62 tons, Bhamo abandoned unowned mine 10.2 tons, Lu'gong Basin unowned mine 41.3 tons.

Adding up to 71.12 tons.

Plus the previous 157.6257 tons, a cumulative total of 228.7457 tons.

Worth over 61.7 billion RMB.

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

In the truck bed, the two tool-like soldiers were still dozing, knowing nothing.

The pickup traveled through the night. Old Wu suddenly spoke.

"Little Li, are you still going to Sagaing Region tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"It's even more chaotic over there than here. The Chindwin River basin, ethnic armed group control zone, I heard there are Government Army airstrikes."

"I know. Extra money." Li Xin smiled knowingly.

Old Wu was silent for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Alright. We leave early tomorrow morning."

Li Xin looked at the night outside the window, silently calculating. Chindwin River, Mawlaik mountainous area. Tomorrow, there are more gold mines waiting for him to explore.

The headlights illuminated the dirt road ahead, winding into the depths of the darkness.

He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.