Chapter 457 - 232: An Unexpected Harvest from the First Exploration

Chapter 457: Chapter 232: An Unexpected Harvest from the First Exploration

If you crave money, you’ll only work harder.

Besides, Ivan’s men had already given the Mel brothers a beatdown. There was definitely bad blood between them, so they would never naturally side with each other.

Su Chen wasn’t going to stay in Irkutsk forever, so he needed someone to keep an eye on the undiscovered gold mine. Ivan and the Mel brothers were the natural choices. Pitting the two teams against each other would create a system of mutual surveillance.

"I found a gold nugget!"

"I’ve got one over here, too, but it’s tiny!"

The men spent over an hour toiling in the river. They barely panned a few grams of gold, so they all shifted their focus to finding nuggets. In the end, they actually found three of them. Two were found by members of the patrol team, while the third was discovered by Hiri in the mud along the riverbank.

It was quite a coincidence. Just as Hiri was about to give up and climb ashore, he lost his footing. He hastily grabbed a small branch on the bank, but it came right out of the ground, and he tumbled into the river.

Just as Hiri was about to curse, he saw a flash of gold from the spot on the bank where the branch had been. He quickly grabbed his tools and started digging, unearthing a massive gold nugget that weighed seven or eight pounds.

The two nuggets the patrol team found weren’t very large, nor did they have any interesting shapes. They were just simple lumps.

Once everyone was back on shore, Su Chen didn’t waste any time. He immediately handed out the prize money, including the bonuses he had promised earlier.

Everyone was grinning from ear to ear on the way back to camp. When they returned and told the patrolmen who had stayed behind, those guards were all kicking themselves, furious that they had missed out on a chance to strike it rich.

Su Chen then announced on the spot that from now on, there would be rewards for any significant discoveries or meritorious deeds. That finally cheered up the men who had stayed behind.

With this series of moves, Su Chen’s image in the hearts of the patrolmen instantly grew, and their gazes now held a trace of respect.

"By the way, Brother Cheen, any leads on the gold mine?" Su Chen had just remembered that Xiao Chen went to the river earlier to verify the Mel brothers’ claims.

Xiao Chen pulled a bottle from his pocket and handed it to Su Chen. The fist-sized container was already filled with gold flakes. "We panned this from a random spot. It took less than thirty minutes to fill the bottle."

"If there was a fifty or sixty percent chance of a gold mine before, finding these nuggets raises it to at least eighty percent. It’s just like the Mel brothers said—it’s a rich deposit!"

Su Chen weighed the bottle in his hand. ’At least half a pound,’ he thought. After a moment of contemplation, his hand stilled, and he gripped the bottle tightly. "Brother Cheen," he said, "find a professional prospecting team from back home and get them over here. Finalize this gold mine situation as soon as possible. Also, call in a team from the training camp to search for that treasure the Mel brothers mentioned."

"Whether it’s real or not, we might as well take a shot. What if we actually find it?" Su Chen’s tone was casual, but he truly hoped they could find the Tsar’s treasure. That would be an astronomical fortune.

"You’re ordering me around again, you punk. This isn’t over until you’ve treated me to a hundred meals after you get back home!" Xiao Chen’s tone was teasing, but a cautious look flashed in his eyes. He had an inkling of what Su Chen was thinking.

"Heh heh, the able work harder, right? I’ll definitely set it up when I get back!" Su Chen replied with a smile.

’The gold mine is one thing,’ Su Chen mused. ’Mining it can’t be done in a short period; it requires immense manpower and resources. But a treasure is different. If it really is the Tsar’s lost 1,600 tons of gold, we can’t rely on outsiders. Who knows what kind of ideas they might get?’

’Only by bringing in a team from back home, dedicated to this task, will it work. People with ties to home have something to lose, so they naturally won’t do anything reckless.’

’In truth, Su Chen had considered bringing his own men over, but all his trusted personnel were tied up at the Zheng Island campus and couldn’t leave on short notice. As for anyone else, Su Chen couldn’t think of any suitable candidates at the moment. He had no choice but to leave the arrangements to Xiao Chen.’

’Wealth corrupts the heart. Su Chen never intended to test a person’s morals with money. After all, in the face of immense profit, even blood brothers could turn on each other, let alone friends.’

’He had complete faith in Xiao Chen, though. He’d earned that trust over a long time. Both Xiao Chen and Master Xiao were among the very few people Su Chen considered trustworthy—a conclusion he’d reached after everything they had been through.’

"Alright. I’ll arrange it. They’ll be people we can absolutely trust!" Xiao Chen naturally understood Su Chen’s concerns and agreed immediately.

Just as the two were about to discuss the details, the phone in Su Chen’s pocket began to ring. He pulled it out, glanced at the caller ID, and a smug look flashed across his face.

He waved the phone at Xiao Chen. "Cast a line, and a fish will bite. See? The big one’s on the hook." With that, Su Chen answered the call.