48: Chapter 48 Conflict

Guo Kui panted heavily as he recounted everything that had happened that afternoon, leaving nothing out.

After listening to him, Zheng Jing understood the ins and outs of the whole situation.

It turned out that in this abandoned gold mine, there wasn't just their group of Gold Panning enthusiasts; there was another Gold Panning team centered around a man called "Boss Zhou."

That team had even more Gold Panning members than Guo Jianjun's side.

Wherever there are people, there is conflict. Previously, Guo Jianjun and Boss Zhou's groups had frequently clashed and had disputes while Gold Panning in this abandoned mine. They fought over territory every day, making it impossible for anyone to dig for materials or earn money in peace.

Eventually, the two of them realized that continuing like this wasn't a sustainable solution, as it benefited no one. So, on a dark and windy night, Guo Jianjun and Boss Zhou reached a tacit agreement in private. The two teams drew a rough dividing line across the abandoned mine, each occupying half the territory, mining on their own sides, and agreeing not to cross the boundary or disturb each other. After all, making money in peace was more important than anything else. For a long time after that, both sides lived in peace and never had any further conflicts.

But this afternoon, when Guo Kui was walking near the boundary with his metal detector, it suddenly started beeping frantically, signaling an exceptionally strong reading.

This spot was right on the dividing line agreed upon by the two groups. Logically, he shouldn't have touched anything there, let alone taken another step forward.

However, seeing the detector keep beeping and knowing there was clearly something good underneath, the greed in Guo Kui's heart instantly became uncontrollable.

He subconsciously looked around; the entire forest was empty, and not a single shadow of Boss Zhou's subordinates could be seen. Guo Kui thought to himself that since no one was around, no one would know he had crossed the boundary. As long as he dug fast and left immediately after getting the item, he wouldn't be discovered.

With this thought, he lost all hesitation. He immediately squatted on the ground and started digging hard, shovel by shovel, having completely thrown the previously established boundary rules to the back of his mind.

He kept his head down, squatting and digging intensely for over half an hour. He was drenched in sweat, but the result didn't disappoint him! He actually unearthed a small gold nugget weighing three or four grams from underneath!

Clutching the gleaming gold in his hand, Guo Kui was ecstatic! "Run!"

But before he could even run, Lai Yuanwei, one of Boss Zhou's subordinates, sprang out from behind a nearby tree.

In reality, Lai Yuanwei had seen Guo Kui crossing the boundary to mine long ago, but he deliberately stayed hidden in the shadows without making a sound. He waited quietly for Guo Kui to dig the item out completely before appearing to cause trouble, making it easier to brazenly snatch the gold!

Lai Yuanwei stared intently at the gold in Guo Kui's hand, his face full of greed and craftiness. He immediately seized upon the fact that Guo Kui had crossed the boundary, shouting loudly to make a huge scene.

Guo Kui knew he was in the wrong, but the gold in his hand was worth several thousand yuan, and he didn't want to hand it over for anything. So, he bit the bullet and argued with Lai Yuanwei, refusing to give up the gold.

The two went back and forth, arguing until their faces were red, neither willing to yield. The tension skyrocketed; although they hadn't started fighting, the atmosphere was extremely tense and confrontational.

This area happened to be on the path Boss Zhou's group had to take to get back to their camp. Lai Yuanwei's shouting immediately attracted Boss Zhou, who was just passing by with his other subordinates, and they surrounded him directly.

In just a few moments, Guo Kui was surrounded by the group, with absolutely no way out. They were all aggressive, and several of the men were clenching their fists, looking fierce.

After Lai Yuanwei exaggerated the story, everyone heard that Guo Kui had dug up a huge piece of gold and couldn't wait to just snatch it by force.

Boss Zhou was still somewhat restrained; he reached out to stop his restless subordinates, preventing them from actually snatching the loot or beating anyone up. After all, this was a society ruled by law; if they directly resorted to robbery, it wasn't impossible for it to turn into a case of gang robbery if things went wrong.

But Boss Zhou wasn't a pushover either; he threatened Guo Kui on the spot. "We won't beat you, but the gold you dug by crossing the boundary must stay. If you don't hand it over today, don't even think about leaving."

Guo Kui was all alone, surrounded by the group, and outnumbered. Even though he was extremely unwilling and full of frustration, he was simply no match for the group of people against him.

A wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him, so Guo Kui made a decision on the spot! After all, if he really tried to go head-to-head, not only would he fail to keep the gold, but he would also get beaten up for nothing and gain absolutely nothing.

In this helpless situation, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and, in pain, obediently hand over the gold he had worked so hard to dig up.

By the time he managed to get away, it was already getting dark. At first, he was able to use the faint light from his phone to grope his way back, but night falls extremely quickly in the deep mountains. His phone battery soon ran out, the screen went black, and it shut down. The surroundings instantly became pitch black, and there wasn't a glimmer of light anywhere.

The deep mountains were completely shrouded in night, and the path back to the camp was already blurred and unclear. He couldn't see the road under his feet and could only grope his way forward blindly. Along the way, his clothes were torn and his skin was scratched by sharp branches and thorns. His face, neck, and hands were covered in tiny cuts that stung and itched.

In his panic, he missed his footing and fell directly into a dirt pit left by someone who had been digging for gold. He severely sprained his ankle, which instantly swelled up high. Let alone walking, even moving a little made him break out in a cold sweat from the pain; he was completely unable to take another step.

"Hoo... hoo..." The deep mountains at night were pitch black, and the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves made one's scalp tingle. Even though Guo Kui was a veteran Gold Panning enthusiast who had spent years in the mountains, at this moment, he was terrified, his scalp tingling and his heart in a panic.