Chapter 486 - 242: Scam Call?

Chapter 486: Chapter 242: Scam Call?

Ever since the mining company got on the right track, Ivan had moved directly to the mine to manage the site. Accompanying him were the private mercenaries led by Tiandi Xuanhuang—the former members of the ranch’s patrol team—as well as the twenty men Su Chen had arranged to send from back home.

As for the five-man team that had participated in the treasure hunt, Su Chen had already arranged for them to return home with the first shipment of raw gold ore.

"Boss, the arrangements you made were carried out successfully. Everything was split into ten batches and has been received by President Pei. I rushed over as soon as I got his call!"

"Also... the first batch of one thousand tons of raw gold ore sent back home has been fully refined. It yielded nearly three tons of rubidium ore, only about ten kilograms of gold, and various other minerals!" Li Li’s face was alight with excitement.

The reason they could transport the raw ore back so quickly was the famous China-Europe Railway Express, which runs directly to Irkutsk. The inspection process was also quite simple; as long as you had the proper credentials, you could use the express channel.

To get space on this train, Su Chen had even brazenly called Elder Xiao to ask for a few ore transport cars. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to make ten shipments of raw gold ore back home in just over ten days.

To extract the gold and rubidium, Su Chen had Pei Rang acquire an experienced mining company back home and had them work around the clock to refine the various minerals from the raw ore.

"Well done. Tell Pei Rang to pay close attention to security at the mining company. The refined rubidium, in particular, must be stored securely!" Su Chen instructed earnestly.

After all, rubidium ore was worth a fortune. If it wasn’t guarded carefully, someone might be blinded by greed and take a dangerous risk. That was the last thing Su Chen wanted to see.

Hearing this, Li Li’s lips curved into a slight smile. "Boss, you can rest assured. Any rubidium refined is immediately transported to the industrial park on Zheng Island for secure storage."

Su Chen’s interest was piqued. He hadn’t expected Pei Rang to move the rubidium to the industrial park on Zheng Island. ’Looks like the official project there is nearing completion,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let the convoy carrying the rubidium enter.’

’Things here are pretty much wrapped up for now. There’s not much else to worry about. It’s about time I headed back home.’

At the thought, Su Chen felt a great sense of relief. The treasure, the gold mine, and the rubidium ore had been weighing heavily on his mind lately.

The mining operation here was now running smoothly. As for the treasure, Su Chen had bought some detectors and diving suits and taken Chen Fei and the others back to the cave one more time.

Unfortunately, they came back empty-handed again, finding no trace of any more treasure. That finally extinguished any thoughts of continuing the search.

They did, however, manage to map out the underwater passage at the back of the cave.

Just as they had suspected, the passage led to Lake Baikal. The exit was incredibly well-concealed; you would never be able to spot it from the outside unless you were coming out from within.

It was the perfect hideout or shelter.

He figured the gold treasure Chen Fei’s team had found was likely stashed there a century ago by the Tsar’s guards, who had hidden in the cave in a panic while fleeing their pursuers.

As for why no one had ever come back to retrieve it, that was anyone’s guess.

Not that Su Chen cared. After all, it was all in his pockets now. ’Why dwell on it and cause myself more trouble?’ he thought.

"By the way, have the arrangements for Ivan’s and the other staff’s children been made?" Su Chen had started organizing this after returning from his treasure hunt. In the end, only Ivan and five others were willing to have their children sent to study back home.

As for the rest, they were either unmarried or their children weren’t of school age yet.

Su Chen didn’t think much of it. His offer had been made in good faith, and now that the mine was running smoothly, it made no real difference whether the others accepted or not.

"Everything’s been arranged. It’s just... they’re not going to the Imperial Capital or Shanghai, but to the Northeast!" Li Li had a strange expression as she spoke.

"The Northeast?" Su Chen paused, taken aback. He looked at Li Li, confused, wondering why they would choose the Northeast.

"Boss, this wasn’t our decision. They chose it themselves. They said that the Northeast has the largest population of Russian exchange students, so they all wanted to go there."

Su Chen was at a loss for words after hearing the explanation. It was true that the Northeast had the largest number of Russian exchange students, with plenty in its elementary schools, high schools, and universities. It was as if the Northeast had become a dedicated hub for Russian students!

"Alright then. Since it’s their choice, let’s go with that. Arrange for each family to get a house. Try to buy large ones; don’t be afraid to spend the money."

Property prices in the Northeast were in a completely different league compared to the Imperial Capital and Shanghai. Even if he bought two homes for every single family, the total cost probably wouldn’t match the price of one apartment in either of the other two cities.

"Got it, Boss. I’ll call President Pei shortly to explain the situation."

"Okay." Su Chen nodded slightly. Seeing it was almost noon, he called out to Chen Fei, who was by the door.

"Chen Fei, have the kitchen make a couple of extra dishes! You should stay for lunch before you head back." The last part of his sentence was, of course, directed at Li Li.

"Hehe... Boss, would you mind if I requested a dish?" Li Li asked, a little sheepishly.

"Of course. Anything the kitchen has, they can make," Su Chen said with a smile, after a brief moment of surprise.