64: Chapter 64 Biyao Gold Mine

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Mandeni was still nearby; he couldn't let his guard down.

"Mandeni, how long has this mine been abandoned?"

Mandeni walked over and looked at the sign: "Many years. I remember it being sealed when I was still young. They said it had collapsed inside and wasn't safe."

"Has anyone gone inside?"

"Who would dare to go in?" Mandeni shook his head. "The locals don't dare to enter. I heard in the past that a few explorers went in, but after they came out, they said there was nothing there."

Li Xin nodded, a cold sneer forming in his heart.

Nothing there? That was because they didn't find it. Or rather, they looked in the wrong place.

The Gold Search and Refining System 2.0 showed that the gold was sealed at a depth of 79 meters. How could ordinary explorers possibly discover it?

"Mandeni, are there any other mine shafts nearby?"

"Yes. If you go up along this road, there are a few more." Mandeni pointed to the mountain path ahead. "But the road is hard to travel, and the car can't drive up there."

"Can I walk up there?"

"Yes, but you have to climb the slope; it's quite tiring."

Li Xin looked at the sky. It was only past ten; there was still plenty of time.

"You wait here for me; I'll go over and take a look. I'll take a few photos and come right back down."

Mandeni hesitated slightly: "Sir, the road up there isn't easy to walk, and you are alone—"

"It's fine. I hike often." Li Xin patted his backpack. "I brought water and dry rations."

Mandeni didn't try to persuade him further and leaned against the car door to light a cigarette.

"Be careful. Call if anything happens."

Li Xin nodded and walked up the mountain path.

The path was indeed difficult to traverse. He walked up unhurriedly, opening the Scan function in his mind as he went.

[Gold discovered in a man-made sealed cave approximately 79 meters below. Estimated gold is about 18 tons, silverware about 3 tons, jewelry, diamonds, etc., about 1 ton. Total value is approximately 7.2 billion USD.]

[Valuation breakdown: Gold approximately 0.76 billion USD, silverware approximately 0.02 billion USD, jewelry and antiques estimated at approximately 6.42 billion USD.]

Li Xin paused for a moment. A massive surge of surprise filled his heart, but he had to forcefully suppress it. He didn't dare to show any abnormality. 7.2 billion USD was an astronomical figure.

With an excited mood, he continued walking upward, pretending to look for angles to take photos. After walking about fifty meters, he reached a steeper slope. From here, he could see the distant valley and the road below the mountain.

Mandeni's car was parked by the side of the road; he was leaning against the car door smoking, the smoke drifting away in the sunlight.

Li Xin crouched down and placed his hand on the rock beneath his feet.

"System, Extraction."

[Extraction in progress... Please wait.]

[Extraction complete. Collected a total of 18.2 tons of finished gold, 2.8 tons of silverware, and 0.9 tons of jewelry. Automatically classified and stored in the system space.]

[Cumulative gold refined: 158.4457 tons.]

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

He glanced down the mountain. Mandeni was still smoking and hadn't noticed anything unusual at all.

Li Xin took a deep breath and continued walking up.

He didn't actually want to go to the mountaintop; it was just for show. He walked about a hundred meters, took a few photos, and then turned to head down the mountain.

Back by the car, Mandeni had already extinguished his cigarette and was drinking water.

"Finished taking photos?"

"Finished." Li Xin got into the car, feeling quite happy. "The scenery up there is nice."

"Where to now?"

"Let's go back. Find a place to eat, and then we'll change direction this afternoon."

Mandeni started the car, turned around, and drove down the mountain.

They had lunch at a local restaurant in downtown Baguio. Li Xin ordered curry rice and coconut juice, while Mandeni ordered grilled fish and rice.

While eating, Li Xin opened the map on his phone to study the route for the afternoon.

The metal reaction the system had just scanned was only from that cave. There must be more than just this one location around Baguio.

Yamashitas Gold was said to be worth tens of billions of dollars; 22 tons of gold was just a fraction.

"Mandeni, let's go to the Benguet mining area this afternoon. I want to see the gold mines that are still in operation."

Mandeni looked up: "Sir, you are really interested in gold mines."

"I am full of curiosity about gold miners." Li Xin smiled. "I want to document it; I feel it's very impactful."

Mandeni didn't ask further, and after finishing the meal, they hit the road.

The car drove towards the Benguet mountain area. The road became narrower and narrower, and there were more and more mine pits on both sides. Some were still in operation, with workers sifting sand; others were already abandoned, the pit entrances overgrown with weeds.

Li Xin scanned as they went.

[Ding... Gold mine discovered. Approximately 2.3 kilometers ahead, under the river beach. Reserves of approximately 1.5 tons. Full Extraction possible.]

1.5 tons. This was a small surprise.

"Mandeni, stop at that river beach ahead."

Mandeni parked the car by the side of the road.

Li Xin got out of the car, walked onto the river beach, and crouched down, using the opportunity to pick up stones. He placed his hand on the river sand.

"System, Extraction."

[Extraction complete. Extracted 1.5 tons of gold.]

[Cumulative gold refined: 159.9457 tons.]

The whole process took less than a second.

He stood up, took a photo, and walked back to the car.

"Did you find any nice stones?" Mandeni asked.

"A few are quite nice." Li Xin took out a small stone and waved it in front of his eyes.

The car continued to drive forward.

[Ding... Gold mine discovered. Approximately 1.8 kilometers ahead, under the hillside. Reserves of approximately 3.2 tons. Full Extraction possible.]

"Mandeni, stop at that hillside."

A few minutes later, they stopped again.

Li Xin got out of the car, walked to the hillside, crouched down, and quietly placed his hand on the soil.

"System, Extraction."

[Extraction in progress... Extraction complete. Extracted 3.2 tons of gold.]

[Cumulative gold refined: 163.1457 tons.]

Back to the car.

Mandeni glanced at him: "Sir, you have been picking up stones all day."

"Hahaha... I just pick them up when I see pretty ones. I'll take them back as souvenirs for friends." Li Xin laughed.

Mandeni smiled and said nothing more.

Just like that, they stopped and went. By the end of the afternoon, Li Xin had found a few more small mines. It added up to less than 10 tons, but every little bit helps.

In the evening, Mandeni drove the car onto a ridge.

"Sir, this is the best viewpoint for the Benguet mining area. Look over there." He pointed to a valley in the distance.

Li Xin looked in the direction he pointed.

There was a huge mine pit in the valley, looking like terraced fields as it went down layer by layer. There was accumulated water at the bottom of the pit, shimmering with green light in the sunlight, like an eye of the earth; it was very spectacular.

Li Xin took photos while searching:

[Large gold mine discovered. Currently approximately 95 meters below. Vein width is approximately 3.5 meters, extending approximately 800 meters. Reserves: 47.6 tons.]

[Note: This gold mine is an owned mine (Benguet Mining Company); the host can extract 60%, which is 28.56 tons.]

Li Xin tapped his fingers lightly on the rock twice.

He glanced around. Mandeni was standing more than ten meters away, looking at the scenery. The workers in the mining area in the distance were all at the bottom of the pit, and no one noticed him on the ridge.

He lowered his head, his hand quietly pressing firmly against the rock.

"System, Extraction."

[Extraction in progress...]

[Ding... Extraction complete. Extracted 28.56 tons.]

[Cumulative gold refined: 201.7057 tons.]

He had long since exceeded the 100 tons needed for the next upgrade. But he wasn't in a hurry to upgrade. He would save it first and upgrade everything together once he found the main part of the Yamashitas Gold. He wanted to keep the gold and look at it more; it made him feel comfortable.

"This nouveau riche mentality, oh!"

A flash of wild joy crossed Li Xin's face. He stood up, brushed the dust off his hands, and turned to walk back to the car with a skip in his step.

"Mandeni, let's go back. That's enough for today."

Mandeni started the car and drove down the mountain.

Li Xin leaned back against the seat, his joy indescribable, and he couldn't help but hum a song by Phoenix Legend.

The car drove through the night, its headlights illuminating the dirt road ahead.

"Sir, will you still go into the mountains tomorrow?" Mandeni suddenly asked.

"Yes."

"Still going to Benguet?"

"No. Changing direction." Li Xin took out his phone, opened the map, and pointed to a mountainous area north of Baguio. "Over here. I heard there are tunnels from the Second World War there."

Mandeni took a look and nodded: "That's the location of the old Japanese Military defense line. There are many abandoned tunnels. But some have been sealed and cannot be entered."

"No need to go in. Just taking photos outside is fine."

"Alright. I'll come pick you up early tomorrow morning."

Arriving at the hotel, Li Xin paid the day's fare and gave Mandeni an extra tip of 1,000 pesos.

"Still eight o'clock tomorrow."

"Alright, sir."

Li Xin returned to his room, took a shower, and lay on the bed fantasizing.

North of Baguio, the old Japanese Military defense line. Could there be more treasures in those tunnels?

The cave at 79 meters today only had 18.2 tons of gold; it was too far off from the legends.

Yamashitas Gold is worth tens of billions of dollars. How much is 18 tons of gold worth? Less than 1 billion USD.

He didn't know where the main stash was hidden. "Damn the Japanese Military, they didn't leave more clues." Li Xin felt a surge of resentment in his heart.

Tomorrow, continue searching.

The night in Baguio outside the window was quiet, with the sound of insects in the distance.

He turned over and soon fell asleep.