"Mr. Vakhach, the experts are currently surveying the gold mine. Would you mind leaving two of our men here? With your reputation, I doubt anyone would dare cause trouble," Chik said.
"Alright. Harald, arrange for two men to stay with Chief Chik. We're leaving." Vakhach drove away with his men.
Lu Liang and Guo Xuyang remained inside the tin house, unaware of what was happening outside. They were somewhat perplexed when Chik returned with two men.
"These are our security guards from here. They'll be stationed here from today onwards," Chik said with a smile. "Chief Vakhach just provided us with security forces, so our gold mine's safety will be guaranteed. However, he asked for thirty percent of the shares."
"My investment here remains ten million. I won't inquire about how you calculate the shares; I just want ten percent," Guo Xuyang said.
"Chief Vakhach invested five million, holding thirty percent of the shares. However, he'll be fully responsible for the mine's security."
"No problem."
"I'm investing ten million and will hold thirty percent of the shares. I'll also send people to assist with the initial extraction of the gold mine."
"No problem."
"Another issue is the sale of the gold. Vakhach doesn't want my people involved. I wonder if Mr. Lu Liang is interested?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Liang felt it was a windfall. What a stroke of luck! It was like planting flowers with intention and having none bloom, yet a willow would grow without effort. This trip was definitely worthwhile.
"I'm certainly interested. What are the terms?"
"I plan to melt the extracted gold into ingots and then sell them. Would you handle the sales? How does that sound?"
"No problem. Then I wish the gold mine success in its early extraction," Lu Liang said.
"The remaining thirty percent will be owned by my brother. He's investing thirty million and will be responsible for all specific matters. He isn't here today, but I'll introduce him to you when he returns," Chik said. "As soon as the reserves are surveyed, we'll start construction."
Lu Liang barely registered what Chik was saying. His mind was solely focused on the massive gold reserves three kilometers away. How could he excavate the gold without anyone noticing?
The sky was starting to darken, and the group prepared to leave. Guo Xuyang quietly said to Lu Liang, "Find an excuse to take me and Xiao Yun to look around in the northeast direction. I think there might be diamond deposits here; I didn't get a clear look earlier."
Lu Liang listened calmly. As he got into the car, he said to Chik, "Chief Chik, it was a pleasure meeting you today. I look forward to our next collaboration. Tomorrow, I'll arrange for Hughes to be sent back. My friends are visiting this beautiful country for the first time, and I'd like to show them around a bit more."
"Alright, see you later." Chik, not suspecting anything, led his group away.
Four people, two cars. Iliana drove one car, following Lu Liang's car. Xiao Yun hadn't spoken to Iliana since their argument that morning. Guo Xuyang needed to communicate with Lu Liang, so he also rode in Lu Liang's car.
The car drove about three kilometers northeast before Guo Xuyang asked Lu Liang to stop. He got out of the car, amplified his senses, and gazed downwards. The closer proximity was even more astonishing. His vision was filled with golden hues, as if he were in a golden palace. The ore deposit was over three hundred meters thick and less than five hundred meters from the surface. Countless gold nuggets, as large as basketballs, were everywhere. He couldn't resist any longer and silently uttered "Collect." He absorbed hundreds of basketball-sized gold nuggets into his mind. This caused the entire stratum to tremble slightly.
"Not good, an earthquake! Let's go!" Lu Liang started the car and shouted. The car's horn startled Guo Xuyang awake. He hadn't expected that collecting such a small amount of gold would cause the ground to shake. This was for the best, as it would make explaining things later easier. As soon as he got into the car, Lu Liang floored the accelerator, shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow. The stratum only trembled slightly before returning to its usual tranquility. Lu Liang drove for over an hour before slowing down.
"Why was there an earthquake just now? Is mining gold here really a good idea? I hope it's not an earthquake zone."
"No, these experts aren't incompetent. It's just about the quantity of gold reserves," Guo Xuyang said.
"What about the diamonds you mentioned were below?"
"I took a look at the terrain earlier. I feel the gold below might not be as plentiful, but there could be diamond as an unexpected surprise."
"In that case, when we return to sign the contract with Chik, we shouldn't just sign for gold. It should be for all valuable minerals extracted, including gold, diamonds, and other ores." It must be said that Lu Liang hadn't been wasting his time abroad these past few years.
"That's a good suggestion. Is the ship leaving soon? How many more days can we stay here?"
"I plan to depart in ten days. Judging by the current situation, ten days might not be enough," Lu Liang said.
"We've surveyed several diamond mines here, but without success. Boss Jiang wants you to take a look and offer some advice."
"No problem. Just take me there, and I'll try to finish within three days," Guo Xuyang said.
"They aren't in the same location, so three days might not be enough to see them all. Let's look at what's nearby first."
"Alright then. Let's go now."
"It's too late. Let's find a place to rest and go tomorrow." Lu Liang led Guo Xuyang and the others to a hotel. Guo Xuyang was exhausted. He hadn't rested since last night. After a restless night, he had rushed to Cape Town that morning, then driven all the way to the Karoo grasslands, using his clairvoyance and perception abilities to survey mineral deposits, and then using his storage ability to collect hundreds of gold nuggets. It could be said that no one was more tired than Guo Xuyang right now. The group ate a quick meal before retiring to their rooms to sleep. However, before Guo Xuyang could fall asleep, Xiao Yun called.
"Yangzi, I'm scared. Can you come and keep me company?"
"Is that appropriate? There are so many people outside; what are you afraid of?"
"No. I think I have insomnia. I didn't sleep well at all last night. In the middle of the night, I saw Iliana hadn't returned and I thought a lot, believing she was in league with Hughes and had deliberately come to kidnap me. I thought she went out again in the middle of the night to find people to kidnap me, so I didn't dare close my eyes for the rest of the night. Who would have thought she'd be in your room this morning."
Xiao Yun rambled on, and it seemed the previous kidnapping had indeed left a shadow on her. Guo Xuyang hadn't expected Xiao Yun to think that way, but her suspicion was not unfounded. Although he had slept with Iliana last night, he had no memory of this morning, which had never happened before. Could something really have been put in the wine?