Su Wei's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.
The core column diagram in the manual shows that the K-42-X Borehole penetrated a mineralized zone containing quartz veins at a depth of 47 meters, and trace amounts of native gold were detected in the core.
However, due to the limited analytical techniques available in 1962, the gold content data in the report was marked as below economic mining value, and the borehole was subsequently abandoned.
Below economic mining value.
With the technology available sixty years ago, a gold content of only two to three grams per ton was hardly worth the effort required to destroy the permafrost in Alaska.
Transportation costs, ore beneficiation costs, and construction costs under extreme weather conditions are all added together, resulting in a negative profit.
However, the K-42-X Borehole is located at the edge of the ore vein.
The Su Wei infrastructure pit happened to cut through the core section of the ore vein.
The laboratory report shows a concentration of 8.74 grams per ton.
The difference in quality between the periphery and the core is more than three times.
No wonder this vein was buried for half a century.
Sixty years ago, a geological team drilled a hole on the edge, glanced at the data, shook their head, packed up their equipment, and left.
Unbeknownst to them, they were only fifteen meters away from a super-high-grade gold mine.
Su Wei continued turning the page.
Pages 143 to 151 contain a regional structural analysis of the area surrounding the K-42-X Borehole.
On the hand-drawn fault zone orientation map, F-3 Fault extends along the southwest ridge of Pillar Mountain, with a total length marked as approximately two kilometers.
Fault zones are the channels through which mineral veins flow.
Hydrothermal fluids surge along the fracture surface, carrying metallic elements that precipitate and accumulate in areas of rapid temperature and pressure changes, forming quartz vein-type gold deposits.
The longer the fault zone, the greater the extent of the ore vein.
Two kilometers.
Su Wei gently pressed the red dotted line with the fingertips of his white gloved hand.
Starting from the drilling location, the F-3 Fault extends southwestward, traversing the entire area at the foot of the Pillar Mountain.
The lines disappeared at the edges of the drawing, and because the manual's coverage was limited, they were not traced further.
However, the existing data is enough to piece together an outline.
A mineral vein is neither a point nor a short line segment.
It stretches along the fault line in a serpentine pattern, covering at least most of the depth of the hundred acres of land he owns.
The exact size can only be confirmed by conducting an on-site investigation in the mountains.
A series of loud noises interrupted my train of thought.
Cotton Candy jumped off the sofa at some point and ran across the wooden floor to the long table.
Its front paws rested on the edge of the table, and with a push from its hind legs, the entire white ball of fur flipped onto the tabletop.
Its little pink nose twitched frequently as it approached the pages of the manual.
The passive feedback of [ Animal Affinity ] comes from pure curiosity, without any destructive urges, simply an instinctive exploration of unfamiliar scents.
Su Wei extended her right hand, which was wearing a white glove, and rubbed the soft fur on the Cotton Candy's neck with her fingertips.
"This stuff is more valuable than gold, little guy, don't tear it."
Cotton Candy turned her head, her blue pupils meeting his gaze, and licked the tip of her nose with her pink tongue.
Then it turned around, curled up in a corner of the empty table, its fluffy tail covering its nose, half-closed its eyes, and fell silent.
Su Wei withdrew his hand.
He took his phone out of his pocket and opened the encrypted memo app.
Over the next forty minutes, he entered all the key data from the manual one by one.
Coordinates, depth, core description, dip angle of mineralized zone, fault strike, and scale markings on hand-drawn maps.
After recording each set of data, he would go back and check the original book to verify it.
After typing the last set of data, Su Wei exited the memo app and clicked the encryption confirmation button twice.
The file was moved to a hidden folder.
He closed the manual very gently, so as not to put unnecessary stress on the old spine.
He got up and walked towards the storage room on the first floor.
A fireproof safe, about half a person's height, was placed in the corner of the storage room.
He bought this from a hardware store in town last month for 800 yuan. It's a Yale lock cylinder with a two-hour fire resistance rating.
Su Wei turned the combination lock and pulled open the heavy cabinet door.
Military toolboxes were already placed in the cabinet.
He placed the manual flat on the shelf above the toolbox, closed the door, and tightened the combination lock.
The sound of the latch engaging echoed briefly in the cramped storage room.
Su Wei came out and stood by the door frame for two seconds.
From a legal perspective, Howard's self-investigation report will be completed in seven to ten business days.
In terms of testing, the laboratory's official report has been released, showing 8.74 grams per ton, an extremely high grade.
Geologically, the manual provides the regional tectonic background of the entire ore vein.
The F-3 Fault, extending for two kilometers, spreading out in a serpentine pattern.
All three information lines converged.
But data on paper is always just speculation.
The cross-sectional diagrams in the manual were drawn sixty years ago, and the descriptions of the borehole cores also relied on the limited analytical methods available at the time.
The orientation of the fault zone is inferred only from the connection of a few boreholes.
To determine the true scale of the ore vein, one must step onto that frozen soil and scan it meter by meter using [ Substrate Analysis ].
He needs to truly understand the sheer size of the mine beneath his feet!
Exploration in the mountains.
But not today.
The Raptor was still being dismantled into parts in Apex's workshop, and the Suoluode's beat-up car could barely even make it onto the county road, let alone the unpaved sections of the Pillar Mountain.
However, he also has a snowmobile.
On the mountain, it can go to more places.
Besides, it's too late today.
He also has to check the weather.
Su Wei walked back to the living room.
Cotton Candy was still lying in the corner of the long table, fast asleep, her white fluffy belly rising and falling gently with her breathing.
He picked up his phone from the table, cleaned up the plastic wrap and bubble wrap residue, and threw it into the kitchen trash can.
My phone vibrated.
It wasn't a phone call or an email; it was a private message notification from TikTok.
Su Wei clicked on it.
From: Catherine Morales, Polaris Brand Business Operations
The message was very short.
"Mr. Su Wei, your video of the Polaris rain jacket surpassed 2.2 million views within 48 hours. Our entire marketing team is very excited. If it's convenient, we'd like to arrange a call as soon as possible to discuss new directions for cooperation."
Two million two hundred thousand.
The first tier of the tiered agreement has a threshold of two million, with subsequent cooperation prices increasing by 20%.
Su Wei's thumb hovered above the screen, without responding immediately.
The base price is $100,000, with a 20% markup, so the starting price for the next order is $120,000.
But Catherine was referring to a new direction for collaboration, not a contract renewal.
A new direction means new conditions, and new conditions mean new room for negotiation.
Su Wei exited the private messaging interface and locked the screen.
Put the phone back on the table.
At the other end of the long table, the Cotton Candy flipped over, its fluffy tail dangling from the edge of the table, swaying back and forth.
A section of birchwood in the fireplace collapsed, sparks flew, bounced twice on the stone bottom, and went out.
Su Wei opened the refrigerator door and bent down to glance at the freezer compartment.
Half a venison leg, a bag of blueberries, and three packets of minced reindeer meat.