21: Chapter Twenty-One: This thing costs ten thousand?!

Seeing him shake his head incessantly, Zheng Jing asked in confusion, "If I'm not squeezing into a tent with you, am I supposed to sleep with the other brothers?"

"No, no, that's even less convenient. I'd better just buy a tent. It won't cost much anyway."

Guo Kui immediately rolled his eyes at him and said irritably, "Can you stop talking to yourself for a second? Can you let me finish my sentence? Huh? Can you?"

"Then for crying out loud, just speak up! You're just standing there shaking your head; anyone who didn't know better would think you were having a seizure," Zheng Jing said, speechless.

For once, Guo Kui didn't bicker back. Instead, he explained directly, "The places where we go Gold Panning are deep, desolate mountain forests. There are not only wild beasts but also venomous snakes and insects. Tents can't stop them, nor can they protect us. We've been trekking in the mountains for so long, we never stay in tents."

Zheng Jing asked curiously, "If you don't sleep in tents, where do you sleep? Are there houses in the mountains?"

Now it was Guo Kui's turn to be speechless. "Are you bullshitting me? Where would you find houses to stay in out in the middle of nowhere? We all sleep in the vehicle!"

"In the vehicle?" Zheng Jing looked astonished. "Didn't you say there's only Brother Jun's vehicle? The five of us, all crammed into the vehicle?"

Guo Kui nodded heavily. "That's right!"

"But don't worry, my brother's vehicle isn't a normal one. It's a nine-seater large iveco, and the space is very roomy! When we want to sleep, we just fold down the back seats, lay out some bedding, and we can lie down. For five people, it's not a problem at all."

"Holy crap..." Zheng Jing couldn't help but mutter.

In his impression, a normal vehicle could at most accommodate one or two people for a temporary night. He had never imagined five people squeezing into an iveco for over half a month.

Guo Kui wore an expression that said 'this is just how tough we are.' "Sleeping in the vehicle is definitely not comfortable, but we came out for Gold Panning to make money; it can't compare to being at home."

Hearing this, Zheng Jing nodded in agreement. "You're right about that. If you want comfort, don't do this job; just stay home and lie around."

"Exactly. That's one of the reasons why not many people do this line of work. After all, not everyone can handle this kind of hardship."

Guo Kui wasn't exaggerating. Even if everyone could keep secrets, they still had close family and friends, right? Were they not even going to tell them? Wasn't it just that many people weren't willing to endure this hardship without the certainty of making money? It had been this way since ancient times: only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one become a person of status!

The night passed without incident.

The next day at noon.

The Minelab 800 metal detector that Zheng Jing had ordered from an online retailer arrived.

Opening the courier package and looking at the retractable, solidly built device in his hands, Zheng Jing felt a pang of heartache. After all, this seemingly ordinary thing actually cost nearly ten thousand yuan! Anyone would feel a sting in their wallet.

Actually, at first, he had no intention of buying such a high-end device. He originally only wanted to spend a few dozen or a hundred yuan to pick up a cheap item, just to hold it and pretend to get by. After all, he relied mainly on the system and didn't really need this instrument to find treasure. Buying this thing was purely to cover his tracks and avoid appearing unusual.

But upon second thought, he immediately dismissed that idea. The craftsmanship, feel, and appearance of cheap goods were too far from professional devices. Guo Jianjun and his group were all experts; they would be able to spot the trick at a glance. If his teammates were all using professional equipment and he was holding a piece of junk, yet he still always managed to find things? That would sooner or later invite suspicion. In time, his secret would eventually be exposed.

Thinking of this, Zheng Jing gritted his teeth and made the hard decision to buy this professional metal detector costing nearly ten thousand yuan. He was destined to get rich in the future; there was no need to be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Once the device arrived, Zheng Jing immediately called Guo Kui and asked him to come over to teach him how to calibrate and operate it. Guo Kui was very straightforward and taught him everything, sharing his experience without reservation.

"Yours is the same as ours. It's already a top-tier professional model on the market, capable of detecting metal up to fifty centimeters underground. Within this range, the device can generally sense it, so there won't be a high miss rate. However, the device can't distinguish whether what's underground is gold, silver, or just scrap metal, nor can it tell if it's valuable. You'll only know once you dig it up."

Zheng Jing listened to every word Guo Kui said. He looked calm on the surface, but he was calculating in his mind! It seemed that no matter how expensive or good this metal detector was, it couldn't compare to his system. The radar in his mind didn't require him to listen to the noisy sounds of the instrument or rely on luck. With just a thought, he could roughly distinguish the value of all objects underground based on their different energy clusters. And the location was spot on! His cheat was simply the perfect match for Gold Panning.

After Zheng Jing learned how to use it, Guo Kui wasn't in a hurry to leave. The two of them organized and categorized the supplies for the mountain trip that they had purchased from the supermarket the night before but hadn't had time to sort out. Dry rations, drinking water, iodine, Band-Aids, Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid, mosquito repellent, flashlights, small iron shovels, small iron cans for storing goods, spare batteries, wear-resistant gloves, thick jackets, moisture-proof mats, and toiletries—everything was neatly packed without missing a single item. With everything ready, the two of them just waited for Guo Jianjun's notification to head into the mountains at any time.

... While waiting, Zheng Jing didn't stay idle at all.