76: Chapter Seventy-Six: A Flash of Inspiration

The group acted with perfect tacit understanding; whether it was The Zhao Brothers, who had made small gains, or Guo Jianjun, who had only dug up rusty iron scraps, everyone followed Zheng Jing's example from earlier.

They tossed a piece or two of scrap metal into their respective dug-out pits, then carefully refilled the soil and packed it down firmly.

These seemingly superfluous actions were all intended as a special "surprise" for Boss Zhou and his crew in the future.

After tidying up their digging spots, the three scattered once more, each holding their metal detector and slowly searching along their chosen paths.

Everyone was holding their breath, hoping to find a good, substantial haul and break the record set by the large piece of silver Zheng Jing had just unearthed!

This kind of healthy competition could greatly boost everyone's motivation and wasn't a bad thing.

Meanwhile, Zheng Jing, who was viewed by everyone as the target to beat, appeared to be just as diligently scanning and searching with his metal detector, but deep down, he couldn't stop thinking about the gold he had secretly hidden earlier!

Since everyone was nearby and their gazes kept sweeping over each other, he had absolutely no chance to take it out and look at it, which only made Zheng Jing more anxious.

He would subconsciously touch his pocket every now and then, suppressing the urge to pull out the gold and examine it immediately.

After enduring this for about twenty minutes, having scanned a large area of land under his feet and found nothing after searching everywhere, Zheng Jing could no longer suppress his desire!

He simply decided to find an excuse and look for a suitable spot to take out the gold and examine it.

"You guys keep busy, I'm going back to the iveco to grab some paper and fertilize the earth."

Eating, drinking, and answering the call of nature were human necessities, so the others didn't have the slightest suspicion.

They didn't even look up, just gave a casual acknowledgment before continuing their search for the gold nuggets and silver nuggets that would improve their lives.

Zheng Jing walked quickly back to the iveco, looked left and right to confirm that the three of them hadn't followed, and quickly pulled open the car door to get inside.

With only himself in the car, Zheng Jing hurriedly took the small gold nugget he had hidden from his pocket and examined it carefully.

He squeezed it in his hand; the unique, heavy feel of the gold made him feel uncontrollably happy.

Zheng Jing estimated that even after removing impurities and refining it, it would still weigh around four grams.

Based on today's gold price, it was worth at least four thousand two hundred yuan!

"I'm rich, I'm rich!"

Zheng Jing smiled so widely his gums were exposed, his fingertips repeatedly rubbing against the gold, dopamine surging like crazy.

The morning wasn't even half over, and between the small gold nugget in his hand and the large piece of silver he had just dug up in front of everyone, his total income had already reached as much as 4,500 yuan!

If he could maintain this level for the rest of the day, he reckoned his income would easily break the ten-thousand-yuan mark!

This kind of daily income was a number that Zheng Jing, who used to make at most a few hundred yuan a day, wouldn't even dare to dream of!

After the ecstasy faded, he quickly calmed down.

Although the others didn't know about the gold he had hidden, even just counting his open gains, it was already quite shocking.

The piece of silver he had just dug up in front of everyone was big enough that, at 18 yuan per gram, it was worth at least four hundred yuan!

This kind of income already far exceeded what they would earn on average after working hard all day!

If he continued to dig up valuable items one after another, his luck would be too absurd, and sooner or later, they would become suspicious.

But if the System Radar gave him a prompt for a high-value item, he definitely had to take it; he couldn't just give it up.

So Zheng Jing decided he would have to use the "switcheroo" trick!

When he dug up gold or a large, valuable piece of silver, he would take some worthless iron scraps, wire, or tiny bits of silver to divert everyone's attention.

That way, in the eyes of others, even though his metal detector would often sound the alarm, everything he dug up would just be worthless little items or junk!

In this way, he could perfectly conceal his extraordinary luck in constantly digging up valuable items and dispel everyone's suspicions.

After tucking the small gold nugget into the secret metal box in the lining of his clothes and fastening the hidden pocket, Zheng Jing grabbed some tissues and found a spot to relieve himself—after all, a performance had to be convincing!

After he finished using the toilet—no, after he finished his performance—he returned to the route where he had been Gold Panning.

Holding the metal detector, he walked around searching with a slight hunch, just like the others.

His gaze carefully swept over every inch of soil beneath his feet, looking diligent and earnest, with nothing about him seeming out of the ordinary.

He walked and searched like this for over half an hour when the System Radar in his mind suddenly lit up with a faint, soft glow.

The light was weak and pale in color; according to the patterns he had figured out from the system many times, this level of brightness most likely indicated just ordinary junk like scrap iron or rusty nails.

Zheng Jing's eyes showed no ripples, and he chose to ignore it directly.

Because this kind of junk wasn't worth stopping to dig up; it would be a waste of effort.

After searching for another ten minutes or so, Zheng Jing intentionally or unintentionally gradually increased his distance from the other three, with each of them scattered dozens of meters apart, heads down, searching.

Neither the system nor the metal detector showed any reaction.

Just as Zheng Jing was about to think there wouldn't be anything good in this small area, the system interface in his mind suddenly brightened!

The light mass that appeared this time was intense and rich in color.

Although it wasn't as heavy as when he found the gold in the morning, it stood out significantly compared to the soft light from just a moment ago.

Zheng Jing was overjoyed and immediately judged that it was most likely silver buried underground, and its size would definitely not be inferior to the piece he had dug up in public earlier!

But the next second, the depth indicated by the system caused his rising joy to instantly freeze.

Seventy-five centimeters!

There was definitely something good buried down there, but it was buried at a depth of seventy-five centimeters!

This depth far exceeded the fifty-centimeter maximum detection range of the metal detector in his hand.

That was precisely why the metal detector in his hand had remained quiet, without a single beep.

Zheng Jing's brow instantly knitted, and he fell into a dilemma.

Dig?

The metal detector had no reaction, so digging a deep pit in the open ground for no reason would be too conspicuous.

Once the item came out, Guo Jianjun and The Zhao Brothers could glance over at any time and immediately see that something was wrong.

Even if they didn't say it out loud, they would inevitably wonder: "Your metal detector didn't even beep, so how could you be so sure there was something down there?"

This was impossible to explain and would easily expose the secret he was hiding.

Don't dig?

But there was a real, substantial piece of silver down there; missing out on potential earnings for nothing was something no one would be willing to do.

For a moment, Zheng Jing was caught in a dilemma.

He scanned the surrounding environment, his brain spinning rapidly, desperately trying to think of a reasonable excuse.

Just as he was at his wit's end, the corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of a small hill not far from his feet—a mature, dense, and thick-rooted hairy fig plant was growing quietly on the slope.

Zheng Jing had a flash of inspiration: "Perfect excuse, I've got it!"