74: Chapter Seventy-Four: The Prince Replaced by a Civet Cat, Surprises Abound

Zhao the Second nudged Zheng Jing with his elbow. "You guy always love to keep people in suspense. Fine, if you won't explain in detail, I won't ask. Just give me some of those strong magnet pieces; I'll go bury some bait today too and try to reel in Boss Zhou and his gang."

Zheng Jing shook his head and chuckled. "We don't need the strong magnet pieces today."

Hearing him say this, the movements of the few people nearby paused in unison.

Zhao the Second was somewhat confused. "Didn't you say to bury strong magnet pieces to lure Boss Zhou and his group into the trap? Why the sudden change?"

"I thought about it carefully on the way here, and this method has a few flaws."

Zheng Jing said in a steady tone, "Think about it. Boss Zhou and his gang have been drilling into mountains for Gold Panning for years. This bunch of old... old Gold Panners, every one of them has eyes sharp as daggers. If they dig up the same model of magnets all over the mountain, it won't take long before they spot the trick. Not only will the trap be exposed, but we'll also end up alerting the enemy."

Hearing the words 'old lecher', Guo Jianjun seemed to remember something and couldn't help but laugh out loud, but he immediately stifled the laughter and said, "That's right. If everything buried is exactly the same, it's too fake. Even a fool could see something is amiss, let alone these old hands who have been making a living drilling into mountains for years."

Boss Zhao looked troubled. "If we can't use the magnets, then what do we use? We can't bury the silver and small gold nuggets we've dug up for them, right?"

"That's definitely not happening." Zheng Jing's mouth twitched slightly, secretly lamenting that Boss Zhao really fit the saying: strong limbs, simple mind! Who would use the gold and silver they worked so hard to dig up as bait just to set a trap for someone else?

Zheng Jing turned and walked to the iveco, carrying out a plastic bucket covered in dents and scratches. He lifted the lid to reveal a bucket full of all kinds of discarded rusty iron, broken metal scraps, and old parts. These were things the group had collected over time while treasure hunting in the mountains.

There is no real technique to Gold Panning in an abandoned gold mine; except for him, everyone else relies entirely on their metal detector. And a metal detector doesn't distinguish between gold, silver, copper, or iron—as long as it's a metal object, the device will beep loudly.

Normal Gold Panners often work hard for half a day, only to dig up not gold or silver, but these unwanted scrap metal pieces. These miscellaneous iron items aren't worth much; selling them as scrap individually isn't worth the effort, but it's a pity to throw them away. The group discussed it and figured that since the vehicle is big enough and doesn't mind the space for one bucket, they've just been saving them. They don't separate who found what; they just wait until the bucket is full to sell it all at once and exchange it for a few bottles of liquor for everyone to drink together.

Zheng Jing tapped the side of the bucket. "These things that everyone originally thought were useless are just perfect for a great purpose now."

The people present weren't actually stupid, and Zhao the Second reacted instantly. "I get it! These scraps of iron are all different in shape, age, and style—messy and without any pattern. If we bury them sporadically in the mountains, when Boss Zhou and his group dig them up, they'll only think they are waste left behind by miners from years ago. They'll never guess it's a trap we deliberately set!"

"That's the logic." Zheng Jing nodded. "I didn't consider it carefully enough before. I only thought about how convenient it was to find magnets, but I overlooked that being too uniform makes the flaws obvious. On the contrary, these chaotic scraps of iron are the most realistic and natural; you can't see any man-made traces at all."

Boss Zhao looked at the junk in the bucket and praised sincerely, "Jingzi, your brain really works better than mine; you think so thoroughly."

Zheng Jing hurriedly replied modestly, "Old Zhao, you're making fun of me..."

Guo Jianjun fished a crumpled half-pack of Peony brand cigarettes from his pocket, passed them around, and lit one. "Then what about the dozen or so pieces Old Zhao and I buried yesterday? Should we dig them back up?"

Zheng Jing shook his head. "That's not necessary. Never mind whether Boss Zhou and his group will cross the boundary to dig; even if they do come, an abandoned mine is so huge that it's not guaranteed they'll run into them."

"Don't worry." Guo Jianjun's tone was certain. "I know Boss Zhou and his group too well; their greed goes to the bone! As long as we deliberately leak the news, it's impossible for them not to cross the boundary. They will definitely fall into this trap you've set."

Zheng Jing sneered, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. "That suits me perfectly. I was actually afraid they wouldn't come. Since Brother Jun, you are certain they will come, then once these people are overcome by greed, even if they dig up a few magnets buried earlier, they will only be convinced that there is bigger treasure nearby and continue to drill into the trap."

Boss Zhao clenched his right fist and slammed it hard into his left palm, saying excitedly, "If they really act according to Jingzi's calculations, we can consider it revenge for Kuizi!"

The group chatted about a few more details before taking their respective tools and metal detector from the vehicle, preparing to start the new day's work!

Although they were Gold Panning together, everyone still kept some distance, spreading out several dozen meters to work on their own. This way, they wouldn't have overlaps when scanning and detecting, and if anyone was in danger, the others could immediately come to the rescue.

In the southeast direction, Zheng Jing had just stood still when the metal detector in his hand began to beep rapidly. The others were shocked by Zheng Jing, secretly clicking their tongues in astonishment. Didn't they say he was past his newbie protection period? He even had a dry run yesterday; how did he hit the jackpot as soon as he started today?

However, the group didn't overthink it. It's not like the metal detector beeping means there is definitely gold or silver underground; it's often just a piece of broken copper or iron! The group didn't keep watching Zheng Jing, but lowered their heads and bent over with their metal detector to search. Everyone was secretly thinking to themselves, "Give me some gold!"

Unlike the wishes of the others, Zheng Jing knew clearly that he had really hit gold. Long before the metal detector sounded the alarm, the Radar System in his mind had already revealed a dense and rich cluster of light! According to past experience, that was the special brightness only gold possessed! Moreover, this gold was buried very shallowly, just 38 centimeters beneath his feet!

A great start early in the morning—how could one not be happy? After the joy, concerns followed for Zheng Jing. Everyone was nearby, and their gazes would sweep over here from time to time. If he found gold by accident once, it could be attributed to good luck; it would arouse envy from others but not jealousy. But he possessed the Radar System, so it was destined not to be a one-time occurrence. If the number of times he dug up gold and silver increased, it would inevitably arouse suspicion. Everyone wasn't stupid, and his secret might even be exposed.

How about waiting until others aren't around to dig it up secretly? No, no, this abandoned mining area is so big; even with the system, he might not be able to find it again later! And what if he doesn't dig it up, and someone else detects it and digs it away? Brothers are brothers, but this is real, hard cash! Thinking of this, Zheng Jing fell into a dilemma.

"Damn it, if heaven gives it and you don't take it, you'll be blamed for the consequences. There's no reason to let an opportunity delivered to your hands go to waste." After weighing it for a moment, Zheng Jing instantly made up his mind. At the same time, a flash of inspiration hit him, and he came up with a brilliant plan for a bait and switch!

Zheng Jing looked calm as he picked up the small hoe and started digging. Very soon, Zheng Jing saw a captivating golden yellow! Pretending to take out his water bottle to drink, Zheng Jing calmly observed the group. Finding that everyone was searching diligently, he quickly fished out the thick iron nail he had originally prepared for Boss Zhou and his group from his pocket and quietly swapped it while pretending to gather the soil.

Without time to gauge how heavy it was, Zheng Jing instantly hid the gold away quietly, leaving the iron nail in the dirt pit as it was. He conveniently grabbed a handful of dirt and pressed it hard over the nail.

"Damn this old bastard..." The people in the distance heard his cursing and turned to look. Boss Zhao couldn't help but ask, "Why are you cursing so harshly? What's wrong, are you unhappy that it's silver and not gold?"

"What are you thinking about..." Zheng Jing picked up the rusty iron nail covered in yellow mud and shouted loudly, "It would be great if it were silver; it's just a damn eight-hundred-pound broken nail."

Listening to Zheng Jing's teasing, everyone smiled slightly and said nothing more. I knew it... how could there be such good luck to dig up silver right from the start? To make the act complete, Zheng Jing threw the iron nail back into the pit and filled it with soil. "Leave it here; leave it for Boss Zhou and his group to dig up slowly."

After filling the pit, Zheng Jing calmly moved back a few steps. As soon as his feet were steady, the Radar System in his mind suddenly lit up with a halo again. The color of this light cluster wasn't as high quality as the gold nugget from just now, but the shape it presented was exceptionally large!