60: Chapter 60 Maola is terrifying

In the small village, before dawn, Old Wu came to knock on the door.

"Little Li, let's go. It's a long way to Sagaing Region, let's set off early."

Li Xin crawled up from the straw mat, his back aching sharply. He splashed some water on his face, shouldered his bag, and went downstairs.

Two soldiers were already waiting next to the pickup truck. The tall, thin one was smoking, and the short, stout one was gnawing on a piece of cake. Seeing Li Xin come down, the tall, thin one said something in Burmese, and Old Wu replied with a smile.

"He says you look energetic today," Old Wu translated.

"Thank you," Li Xin smiled.

Old Wu started the car and drove out of the village.

"Today we'll go to Homalin first; there's a ferry crossing there with nice scenery," Old Wu said.

"Over by the Chindwin River?"

"Yes. The Chindwin River basin, an area controlled by ethnic armed groups," Old Wu lowered his voice. "When we get there, don't talk recklessly or take pictures randomly. The two soldiers behind will follow us; they are from the Kachin Independence Army, and they don't have much authority in Sagaing Region."

"What do you mean?"

"Sagaing Region is the territory of another faction. Their presence is mainly to protect us from being treated as spies. But if something really happens, they can't handle it. So be careful yourself and don't cause trouble."

Li Xin nodded.

The car drove for three hours, and the road began to follow the Chindwin River.

The river was narrower than the Irrawaddy River, but the current was swifter. The mountains on both sides were steeper, and the forest was denser. There were many sand dredging boats on the river, and simple sheds on the bank where people were sifting sand. Beside the sheds stood a few armed men, wearing plain clothes, with no armbands on their arms.

Li Xin closed his eyes and opened the Gold Search and Refining System 2.0.

[Gold mine detected. Location is in the Chindwin River basin placer gold enrichment zone, approximately 2.8 kilometers ahead. Reserves unknown; need to get closer to Scan.]

He opened his eyes and glanced out the window.

"Old Wu, can we stop at that ferry crossing ahead?"

"Homalin ferry crossing?" Old Wu frowned. "There are many people there, and armed personnel. Didn't you say you wouldn't cause trouble?"

"I'll just take a few photos of the river surface, not the people. I'll take them from far away, no one will notice."

Old Wu hesitated and looked at the rearview mirror. The two soldiers didn't speak; the tall, thin one lit a cigarette.

"Alright. Be quick, leave right after you're done."

Old Wu parked the car in an inconspicuous spot by the roadside, as far away from the armed personnel as possible.

Li Xin got out of the car, raised his camera, and walked slowly along the riverbank. He walked naturally, neither fast nor slow, like an ordinary tourist looking for an angle.

In the back of the truck, the two soldiers didn't follow. Old Wu didn't get out either, just rolled down the window and stared at him.

After walking a few hundred meters, Li Xin stopped and confirmed that no one around was paying attention to him. The people at the ferry crossing were busy with their own affairs; no one was looking this way.

He squatted down and gently pressed one hand onto the mud and sand by the river.

"System, Scan."

[Scanning... Scan complete. The gold mine is located 20–32 meters below. The vein is 12.3 meters wide and 1660 meters long.]

[Estimated gold content: 67.2 tons.]

[Note: This is an owned mine. Only 60% can be extracted, i.e., 40.32 tons.]

Li Xin took a deep breath.

Just then, a low roaring sound came from overhead.

He looked up abruptly and saw several military aircraft coming through the clouds.

Old Wu poked his head out of the car, his face deathly pale, waving his hands desperately.

"Hurry! Air raid!"

Li Xin hugged his head and squatted on the spot, appearing frightened, but one hand was quietly pressed against the mud and sand.

"System, Extraction."

[Extracting... Extraction complete. Extracted 2800 tons of gold ore, with approximately 40.32 tons of gold content.]

[Refine?]

"Refine."

[Refining... Refining complete. Obtained gold: 40.32 tons.]

[Accumulated gold refined: 269.0257 tons.]

Li Xin stood up quickly and turned to run back to the car.

"Go!"

Old Wu stepped on the gas, and the pickup truck rushed out.

The car drove several hundred meters, and explosions kept coming. The ground was shaking, and the car windows were vibrating with a buzzing sound.

"What were you doing just now?!" Old Wu's hands were shaking, his voice very urgent.

"I was just taking a few photos over there."

"Taking photos?! Didn't you hear the explosions?!" Old Wu shouted this.

"I heard them. That's why I had to take them; scenes like this are rare." Li Xin looked apologetic, but was still quibbling.

Old Wu glanced at him as if looking at a madman, feeling very helpless. "You, you're really a lunatic, you don't care about your life."

Li Xin smiled and didn't speak.

40.32 tons of gold were already in hand; the adventure just now was worth it.

There was no talk for a while; the car continued to drive north.

"Where to next?" Old Wu asked. His voice was still a bit shaky, clearly not having recovered from the shock of the air raid.

"Mawlaik. I heard the mountain scenery there is nice."

"Mawlaik?" Old Wu frowned. "That's a warlord-controlled area, even more chaotic than here. And there are landmines on the road, as I said earlier. Do you really want to go?"

"Can we go around?"

"Yes. But we have to take side roads, which will take two more hours. And the road is even harder to travel."

"Then take the side roads. I'll pay extra."

Old Wu sighed and turned into a narrower road.

Both sides of the road were full of trees, so dense that the sky couldn't be seen. The canopy blocked the sun, and the light dimmed suddenly. The road surface was potholed, and the wheels crunched over gravel, clattering loudly. Li Xin's body swayed with the car, and his head hit the window several times.

In the back of the truck, the two soldiers also became nervous. The tall, thin one gripped his gun, and the short, stout one stopped napping, his eyes scanning everywhere.

After driving for two hours, a valley appeared ahead.

Steep cliffs stood on both sides, the forest ominous. A clear stream flowed at the bottom of the valley, the water crystal clear. At the distant pass, two checkpoints stood in armed confrontation, banners fluttering, with a hidden murderous aura. Everything was dead silent, the air suffocatingly oppressive.

Old Wu slowed down, his voice very low.

"We've arrived; ahead is the Mawlaik mountain area. This whole area is warlord territory. Do not get out of the car, do not take photos, and do not look around out the window."

Li Xin nodded. He silently searched in his mind.

[Ding! Gold mine detected! Under the right slope 1.2 kilometers ahead, reserves unknown; get closer for precise Scan.]

Li Xin looked at the small hillside in the distance and spoke slowly.

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

"It's too dangerous there!" Old Wu's voice was somewhat urgent and helpless. "There are two checkpoints there, didn't you see them?"

"I'll just take one photo, I won't get out of the car. Just roll down the window and take one."

"That won't do! It's too dangerous there!" Old Wu shook his head repeatedly.

"One minute. Just one minute. I'll add five hundred US dollars." Li Xin asked again, unwilling to give up.

Old Wu stared at him, pondered for a moment, gritted his teeth, and parked the car in the innermost position by the roadside, trying to avoid the range of the two checkpoints as much as possible.

"Be quick! Leave immediately after taking it."

Li Xin nodded, rolled down the window, raised his camera, and took a photo of the hillside.

Then, he reached his hand out the window and gently pressed it onto the rock by the roadside.

"System, Scan."

[Scanning... Scan complete. The gold mine is 36–68 meters below the right slope, the vein is 11.8 meters wide and 2850 meters long!]

[Estimated gold content: 21.6 tons.]

[Note: This is a warlord-controlled area and an owned gold mine. Only 60% can be extracted, i.e., 12.96 tons.]

"System, Extraction."

[Extracting... Extraction complete. Extracted 800 tons of gold ore, with approximately 12.96 tons of gold content. Extract?]

"Refine."

[Refining... Refining complete. Obtained gold: 12.96 tons.]

[Accumulated gold refined: 282.0257 tons.]

Just then, several gunshots rang out from a distance. The two sides immediately started exchanging fire, bullets striking the rocks and sparks flying everywhere.

At this moment, Old Wu slammed on the gas, and the pickup truck rushed out.

The car sped along, and the two checkpoints grew further away. The sound of bullets hitting the rocks was like firecrackers popping. Old Wu's driving skills were pushed to the limit at this moment; drifting through corners was handled expertly.

After driving like this for ten minutes, and hearing no more gunshots, Old Wu slowed down. At this point, his face was as white as paper, and his hands were still shaking.

"You just now—were you taking pictures of that checkpoint?"

"No. I was taking pictures of the mountain. Look—" Li Xin brought up the photo album; it only contained one photo of the hillside.

Old Wu took a casual glance and shook his head.

"You, you'll get into trouble sooner or later."

Li Xin smiled and didn't speak.

Another 12.96 tons secured; added to the previous amounts, this trip to Myanmar could be called a harvest full of gains,

Myitkyina-Bhamo owned mine: 19.62 tons.

Bhamo abandoned ownerless mine: 10.2 tons.

Lukon Basin ownerless mine: 41.3 tons.

Chindwin River owned mine: 40.32 tons.

Mawlaik lode gold owned mine: 12.96 tons.

Total: 124.4 tons.

Added to the previous 157.6257 tons, a total of 282.0257 tons.

Worth over 76 billion RMB.

Li Xin leaned back in his seat, looking at the mountains outside the window, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. This time he had secretly taken away dozens of tons of gold again. It was just a bit thrilling in the process.

"Old Wu, tomorrow we return to Yangon."

"Not taking pictures anymore?"

"I've taken enough."

"Alright. Then we'll find a place to stay tonight and drive back early tomorrow morning."

The pickup truck traveled through the night. The headlights illuminated the dirt road ahead, winding into the depths of the darkness.

He closed his eyes and calculated in his heart.

282 tons of gold. The system space was packed full.

Time to upgrade.