Chapter 212: Get It Straight! This Is a 50-Ton Gold Mine

Zhang Lianqing nodded. "Yeah. I’ll bring you the commendation banner another day. There’s also a five-million-yuan reward from the police."

"Five million?" Gu Shengsheng could already earn a lot of money, but she never expected to make so much from a good deed, especially one she’d stumbled into by accident.

Zhang Lianqing nodded. "He’s a suspect who’s been on the run for years. This reward is well-deserved. Or do you not want it? If you don’t want it, I’ll take it..."

Before he could finish, Gu Shengsheng said warily, "I want it!"

Zhang Lianqing smiled. "Go home and get some rest. I’m taking the suspect away now. Call me if you need anything."

"Okay." After watching everyone leave, Gu Shengsheng got on a shared bike and rode away.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yao sat in the police car, handcuffed. He only started to relax as he watched Gu Shengsheng’s figure shrink into the distance.

"She’s finally gone, finally gone... I’m willing to go to jail now. Jail is better than being chased out there."

Zhang Lianqing: "...She’s so nice. How could she be scary?"

Zhang Yao’s face was full of disbelief. "You didn’t see her chasing me. She wouldn’t stop for a second, dead set on proving she was better than me."

"You might not believe this, but I was just going out to buy some instant noodles. I ran my mouth and said a few things to her, I didn’t even do anything, and she became relentless. And she’s stronger than me, too. My life’s pride is gone..."

"Really, if I can help it, I never want to see her again for the rest of my life..."

"As for my crimes, I’ll confess to everything. I’ll tell you everything clearly. Just let me serve my time in peace. I’m so tired..."

Then he fell asleep and started snoring.

The officer driving burst out laughing. "First time I’ve ever seen a fugitive who’s lost the will to live. I’m getting more and more curious about what kind of person this Miss Gu is."

Then he continued, "I heard online that her husband, Lu Shijing, isn’t dead. He’s actually the famous president of the LG Group."

Hearing this, Zhang Lianqing froze. He didn’t really hear much of what was said after that.

Finally, as if on some strange impulse, he asked, "Then I suppose I should congratulate Miss Gu next time I see her."

"Nah, I heard Miss Gu doesn’t care about the marriage. She wants her freedom, so they’ll probably get a divorce." The young man was bright-eyed. "A woman like Miss Gu—beautiful and capable—who wouldn’t like her!"

"Chief, it’s no use even if we do like her. It feels like she’s from a different world. But you might have a chance. You’re her friend."

Zhang Lianqing paused. "Don’t talk nonsense. Let’s focus on the case."

"Just drive." After saying that, he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

「 」

Meanwhile, Gu Shengsheng arrived at the woods. The excavator operator had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing Gu Shengsheng, he quickly stood up from where he was squatting on the ground. "Miss Gu, I was starting to think you weren’t coming back tonight."

He was simple and earnest, and he scratched his head with his hand.

"My phone got smashed, so I couldn’t tell you we needed to reschedule. I was thinking, if you’re too tired, you should just go home and sleep. I can handle things here."

He quickly waved his hands. "No, no, no, this is great. I can’t sleep at night anyway. The rate for night work is double the daytime rate, and I usually work nights."

"It’s fine, Miss Gu. I can do it."

"Is it that pit over there?"

Gu Shengsheng nodded. "Yes. Try digging down about two or three meters, then slow down."

"You got it!"

A short while later, they heard the sound of the excavator scraping against something. Gu Shengsheng quickly told him to stop.

She then used a hoe to clear away the loose surface soil.

The slightly collapsed air-raid shelter was now visible.

Gu Shengsheng transferred 20,000 yuan to him. "That’s good for now. Sir, wait for me out here. I’m going down to take a look."

He was overjoyed seeing the transfer on his phone. "Okay, okay! And if you need anything in the future, Miss Gu, just call me!"

"Okay."

Gu Shengsheng had already shored up the collapsed section. Carrying her bag, she moved deftly inside. The space was fairly large; at least she could crawl forward on her stomach.

It was just that... in a normal air-raid shelter, you would expect to find something after two or three meters. If not objects, then at least some human bones or other traces. After all, many people used to live in these shelters.

But this one she had entered was completely empty. A sweep of her flashlight revealed nothing but vacant space.

Her heart sank. ’Could this be an abandoned air-raid shelter?’

Although her heart was pounding, she figured since she was already here, she might as well investigate thoroughly instead of turning back.

Gu Shengsheng felt the oxygen thinning the deeper she went. Luckily, she had a small oxygen canister in her bag. She took two puffs and then pushed on to the very end in one go.

She found it was still completely empty.

She was now certain it was an abandoned shelter. Just as she was thinking about heading back, Gu Shengsheng accidentally kicked some loose dirt at the far end of the tunnel.

It was fine before she kicked it, but the moment she did, something felt off.

Gu Shengsheng had seen many geological formations. This dirt should have settled decades ago, so why was it still so loose? ’Unless someone tampered with it?’

She quickly bent down and chipped at it with her small shovel.

The outer soil crumbled away, immediately revealing a layer of rock. But this was no ordinary rock.

This was... a gold deposit.

When Gu Shengsheng saw the glittering gold, veined with traces of groundwater, she froze for a second. ’I’m not seeing things, am I?’

She pinched herself and rubbed her eyes. ’Holy crap, it really is a gold mine.’

From the looks of it, this was just the beginning. The vein likely extended from here, but there was no telling for how long.

She quickly memorized the geological pattern, took out a small steel ruler to take some measurements, and then came out and very professionally began drawing a topographical map on a piece of paper.

The excavator operator came over. "Miss Gu, is there anything else I need to do now?"

"Wait for me to finish my calculations, then you can start."

The operator was very cooperative. He figured Miss Gu knew what she was doing, so he just had to listen.

Once Gu Shengsheng finished, she first had the operator dig a wide circle, then continued testing further inward.

The operator grew a little worried. "Miss Gu, does this land belong to you? If not, we’re going to be in jail by tomorrow."

Gu Shengsheng smiled. "It’s my family’s. It’s fine."

Her grandmother had told her when she came over that she had bought up this entire plot of land. The trees had been planted the year Lu Shijing was buried. So there was no problem.

With that, the operator began to dig with confidence.

They worked until eight o’clock the next morning.

The operator climbed down from the excavator. Staring at the glittering, reflective surface, he was too stunned to speak. "Miss... Miss Gu, is this a gold mine?"

"Yes, a nugget gold deposit. It’s a high-quality ore, and it’s located near the surface, not deep down. You can’t really dig for things that are too deep; it affects the Earth’s core."