46: Chapter 46 Guo Kui hasn't returned yet?

As for how the two best friends in the provincial capital villa teased and played with each other, that was unknown to outsiders.

However, Zheng Jing, who had just tossed the silver-wrapped gold into the iron can, hadn't even finished basking in his joy when the Radar System page in his mind lit up once again!

Zheng Jing couldn't help but look up and laugh out loud: "A geomantic treasure land, a true geomantic treasure land!"

With the precise positioning provided by the system, Zheng Jing didn't need to waste a single moment; he picked up the small hoe in his hand and immediately began a new round of excavation.

He raised his hand to clear away the surface soil, carefully removing the gravel and weeds from the dirt. It didn't take much effort to dig out a small silver nugget weighing over two grams.

"Not bad, not bad. Although it's not very big, it's still silver." Zheng Jing weighed the silver nugget in his hand and calculated to himself,

"Even this tiny piece could sell for thirty or forty yuan; that's enough to cover Mom's grocery expenses for a day."

Happily tossing the silver nugget into the iron can, Zheng Jing continued to sense the Radar System in his mind.

Perhaps his luck was off the charts today, for Zheng Jing didn't even have time to catch his breath before the radar in his mind flashed white light again and again. Though not dazzling, every instance yielded a harvest.

"Have I stumbled upon a silver nest?"

Zheng Jing was grinning from ear to ear, repeating the actions of digging, clearing soil, and collecting treasure over and over again. This continuous flow made him feel no fatigue at all.

He stayed busy until dusk, having dug pits of various sizes within a hundred-meter radius. In total, Zheng Jing had harvested thirteen silver nuggets!

The silver wasn't large, but on average, each piece weighed about three grams.

Although there were no dramatic, earth-shattering surprises, it was superior in its abundance and consistency.

Even if it couldn't be counted as the peak harvest day since Zheng Jing entered the trade, it wasn't far off.

Seeing the sun gradually setting, the light in the deep mountains grew dimmer and dimmer, and visibility became extremely poor.

Zheng Jing decided not to be greedy and continue searching. He brushed the dirt and grass clippings off his body, shouldered his tools, and slowly made his way back toward the camp.

"Time to clock out. My luck today was truly top-notch—everything went smoothly."

Zheng Jing muttered to himself as he walked, but little did he know that he had made that observation far too soon.

By the time he trekked back to camp through the twilight, it was already pitch black.

The brothers who had gone into the mountains for Gold Panning had all returned from work, but Guo Kui was nowhere to be seen.

According to the rotation schedule, it should have been Guo Kui's turn to be responsible for lighting the fire and cooking tonight, but the makeshift stove was empty, and not a single spark was to be seen.

The others were sitting to the side, wiping down their tools and chatting casually.

Boss Zhao shook the dirt off his hands and joked, "Where do you guys think that kid Guo Kui ran off to? Could it be he dug up some rare treasure and got so absorbed that he lost track of time?"

Zhao the Second nodded in agreement, "That's actually quite possible. Last time when his luck was off the charts, wasn't he the last one to return every day?"

Guo Jianjun feigned annoyance, "That kid, I'm afraid he's forgotten that it's his turn to cook today."

"Forget it, forget it. Maybe he really did strike it rich, which is a good thing." Boss Zhao waved his hand. "We can't just sit here starving, so let's get started on dinner ourselves."

"Alright, let's handle it for him for now, and we'll make that kid treat us to drinks later."

At first, everyone didn't think much of it, assuming Guo Kui had simply gotten carried away with his digging and lost track of time.

The group chatted and laughed, dividing up the tasks of washing the rice, lighting the fire, and setting up the mess tins to steam the rice, figuring that by the time Guo Kui returned, they would have a hot meal ready to eat.

But as time ticked by, the rice in the mess tins was fully cooked, yet Guo Kui still hadn't shown up.

The cheerful chatter in the camp slowly died down. The relaxed expressions on everyone's faces faded, and a sense of unease began to well up in their hearts.

One had to understand that traveling in the deep mountains at night was completely different from traveling during the day!

At night, visibility was limited, making it hard to discern direction. Coupled with the fact that wild beasts often prowled the forest, the hidden dangers of being stranded alone in the mountains were easy to imagine.

Guo Jianjun's expression turned grave instantly. Seeing this, Zheng Jing quickly pulled out his phone and tried to dial Guo Kui's number, but the signal bars on the screen were empty; there was no way to get a call through.

"This is strange. Even if Kuizi was a bit late in the past, he'd never been this late to return." Zhao the Second frowned, his tone filled with worry.

Boss Zhao stood up, gathered some dirt, and smothered the flickering fire. He said in a deep voice, "Forget about eating for now. Since Kuizi hasn't returned, I'm afraid he might be in some kind of danger. Let's head into the mountains immediately to find him."

Guo Jianjun shot him a grateful look and suggested, "The mountain forest is treacherous at night; it's easy to get lost or run into danger if we act alone. There are four of us, so let's pair up to search. That way, we can look out for one another and ensure our own safety."