The train driver in the courtyard

Winter in the Gobi Desert is bitterly cold.

The next day, when they were planning to officially begin aerial prospecting, a strong wind suddenly blew up outside.

Zhang Tianfang, the squad leader of the Y-5 transport aircraft, held the radio and contacted the Air Force for a long time. His brows furrowed: "They said there will be level 8 gales in the next three days. For safety reasons, the flight mission has to be postponed."

Li Aiguo nodded, and led the wild car expert and Professor He into the tent to carefully examine the universal gamma radiation meter again, checking the knobs, wiring, and battery contacts one by one.

At noon, Liu Tianquan and the geological team members gathered in the tent, chatting while eating dry biscuits.

Those who work in geology spend most of their time in the mountains and rarely have a chance to learn about the outside world. Now that they have the opportunity, the tent is bustling with activity.

The exploration team members chatted about the strange things they encountered during their exploration, such as someone accidentally digging up a Warring States period tomb where the female corpse was preserved as if she were still alive, with her skin still elastic.

Li Aiguo and the others chatted about interesting things that happened on the train.

The self-proclaimed car expert, a chatterbox, launched into an even wider tirade: "They're building a subway in Beijing right now, and it'll be open next year! Commuting by train will be much faster than riding a bicycle!"

"Tsk tsk, a train running underground, that's really impressive."

"Ouch, my nose!" The wild car expert was talking animatedly when he suddenly clutched his nose and grimaced, bright red blood dripping from between his fingers. He panicked instantly.

Liu Tianquan found a clean, worn-out sock and handed it over: "Put it in, it'll be fine. It's too dry here, who in the team hasn't had a nosebleed? Only Lao Rong is an exception."

In the past two years, every winter, when nighttime reconnaissance was impossible, the team members would stay in their tents and wipe their nosebleeds with torn socks to get through the winter.

Li Aiguo had a vague impression of Lao Rong. He was a member of the second squad, the same squad as Liu Tianquan. He was thin and didn't talk much. Unless specifically mentioned, no one would remember that there was such a person in the squad.

"Where's Lao Rong?" Li Aiguo asked casually.

"He's in his own tent, isn't he? That guy's like a shy girl, he doesn't like to hang out with people." Liu Tianquan helped the wild car expert stuff socks into his nostrils, then sat down and started arguing, "Hey guys, do you remember that female corpse? I dreamt that she came back to life that night, and she was smiling at me..."

The tent erupted in chaos. Some said they dreamed of a female corpse lying on a bed embroidering, while others said they dreamed of a female corpse dancing an ancient dance. The stories got increasingly bizarre.

Tang Guangwu squatted at the tent entrance, puffing on his cigarette, listening to these outrageous remarks, and just chuckled.

These guys spend most of their time outdoors, so they rarely get a break and none of them would make a big deal out of it.

The weather forecast was accurate; the strong winds lasted for three days, and one Wednesday morning, the tamarisk trees outside stopped swaying.

Early in the morning, Tang Guangwu gathered all the exploration team members and experts and professors.

"The upcoming aerial reconnaissance is top secret. Please swear that you will never reveal it to your spouse, parents, comrades, or children during your lifetime."

The exploration team members were used to those making oaths.

Many exploration projects were state secrets, and joining an exploration team required swearing an oath of secrecy. In those days, swearing oaths was highly valued; it was called revolutionary sentiment, unlike in later generations where swearing oaths could be eaten as food.

Taking an oath isn't just about raising your hand and saying a few words; it's about stepping in front of everyone and letting the group hear your vow.

As the person in charge of the aerial exploration program, Li Aiguo took the lead in taking the oath.

Next came the Y-5 flight crew, and all the exploration team members also took an oath.

"The meeting is dismissed!"

"Aerial exploration program commences!"

Next, following Li Aiguo's plan, the base became busy.

The lookout team members climbed a nearby earthen slope with binoculars to keep watch and be ready to receive signals at any time.

The dozen or so camels were also well fed and ready to set off at any time.

Li Aiguo, along with Chen Chuan, boarded the Y5 transport aircraft carrying dozens of kilograms of lime.

The lime packets were made of coarse cloth and filled with quicklime. They were specifically used to mark locations where anomalies were found.

"Comrade Patriot, prepare for takeoff!" Pilot Huang Cheng shouted from the front, followed by the roar of the engine and violent turbulence inside the cabin.

After running for about a hundred meters on the makeshift runway, Zhang Tianfang suddenly pulled up the control stick, and the aircraft "whooshed" off the ground and flew into the sky.

Li Aiguo squatted at the cabin door, looking down. Tang Guangwu and his team waved below, their figures getting smaller and smaller until they became tiny black dots and disappeared into the distant Gobi Desert.

Aerial prospecting differs from regular flights. In order to maximize the reception of radiation from uranium ore, the Y-5 must fly at the lowest possible altitude.

The standard altitude is only 300-500 meters. Although the Gobi Desert looks vast, there are also many small hills.

This is called Yardang landform locally. It is a landform shaped by lacustrine and fluvial soil-like sediments, and can reach a height of more than 300 meters. It just happened to encroach on the flight path of the Y-5.

When the Y-5 was flying over the Gobi Desert, it required rapid ascents and instantaneous dives, making Li Aiguo and his companion feel like they were on a roller coaster.

Pilots Zhang Tianfang and Huang Cheng were also in a bad mood. Suffering was secondary; the key issue was that they hadn't gained anything from the morning's flight, and the radiation meter's pointer hadn't moved an inch.

The plane returned to base, and the team members were somewhat disappointed upon hearing the news.

"Could it be that we were really wrong? There really isn't any uranium ore here?" Professor Liu was starting to waver.

After the exploration began, Professor He, who had initially opposed it, changed his mind: "Old Liu, now that we've got the planes and so much manpower and resources, we should have confidence."

In the evening, Captain Tang Guangwu convened another mobilization meeting to encourage everyone.

The two exploration team leaders, along with Liu Tianquan and other key exploration team members, all expressed their opinions.

Li Aiguo was smoking a cigarette and was about to stand up and say a few words when he saw a short man stand up, raise his hand and say, "I believe there must be uranium mines under this Gobi Desert, we just haven't found them yet."

"That's Lao Rong." Liu Tianquan remembered that Li Aiguo had inquired about Lao Rong's situation, so he took the opportunity to introduce him.

Lao Rong is only a little over 1.5 meters tall, the shortest in the team. He is thin and wears a faded exploration suit, looking no different from the other team members.

But Li Aiguo stared at him for a while and felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was strange.

"What's wrong with this guy?" Old Cat noticed Li Aiguo staring at Lao Rong.

Li Aiguo shook his head: "It's hard to say."

He always felt that Lao Rong was a bit strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

Old Cat gave Old Rong a deep look, but didn't say anything more.

The flight continued the next day, following Route 2.

Flying northwest from the edge of the Tarim Basin, most of the route is through the Gobi Desert, and a small portion passes through the marginal mountains. The plane has to fly along contour lines through towering mountains, which is much more difficult than yesterday.

"We're almost at the end of the route. Should we turn around and sweep the Gobi Desert one more time?" Huang Cheng shouted from the cockpit.

The wind howled, and Li Aiguo's mind was in a mess. He remembered that there were indeed uranium mines under the Gobi Desert, so why hadn't they been discovered yet?

Could it be that the uranium mines are all covered by the sandstone layers of the Gobi Desert, preventing the radiation from dissipating?
Thinking of this, he suddenly perked up, walked to the back of the cockpit, and shouted inside, "Old Zhang, fly along the mountainside, lower!"

"It's too dangerous." Huang Cheng glanced down. There were hills of varying heights all around. One wrong move and the plane could crash.

"You want to be a fighter pilot, right? What's a little danger to you?!"

Zhang Tianfang laughed heartily, then suddenly pushed the control stick, and the Y-5 roared down at an angle.

Upon seeing Zhang Tianfang's actions, Huang Cheng immediately sat back down, focusing intently on monitoring the power unit and fuel system.

If something goes wrong, the aircraft will probably only have three to five seconds to react.

The Y-5 flew like a nimble sparrow among the peaks. Li Aiguo almost touched the branches several times and couldn't help but shout "Good!" for Zhang Tianfang's driving skills.

The sound has not yet disappeared.

The buzzer of the radiation device went off.

Li Aiguo quickly looked down at the instrument panel and saw that the aviation gamma measuring instrument was displaying a light red bright spot, with the pointer on the instrument fluctuating between 50 and 100.

"This is it! We've found it!" Chen Chuan also noticed the unusual movement of the pointer and immediately shouted at the top of his lungs.

But the plane flew too fast and swept past in an instant, and the pointer quickly returned to zero.

Li Aiguo strode to the back of the cockpit, clenched his fist and slammed it against the bulkhead twice: "Turn around! Go back to where we were! Quickly!"

Although Li Aiguo did not explain the reason, Zhang Tianfang realized that something had been discovered. The plane was moving fast, and it would be difficult to turn around in the air and return to the original route. Zhang Tianfang was also a bold man, so he directly pulled the plane up.

"Hold on tight, the plane is about to somersault."

Good heavens, they're really treating a transport plane like a fighter jet! Li Aiguo didn't have time to get back to his seat and quickly grabbed the handrail.

The aircraft was already in the air. It first climbed vertically to its apex, then used its ailerons to adjust its attitude, converting kinetic energy into potential energy to complete a reverse flight, performing an Immelmann turn.

The plane returned to its original flight path after circling around.

"Great!" Li Aiguo landed on his feet and gave a thumbs up to the cockpit.

"That's right. Back in the northern battlefield, Old Zhang used this trick to take down one of the Japanese fighter planes."

Before he could even cheer, Li Aiguo was already back in his seat. Just then, the buzzer sounded again, and he quickly pulled the handle.

The locking mechanism opened, and more than a dozen lime bags that were originally hanging outside the cabin fell down. Two of the lime bags had parachutes attached to them, with red five-pointed stars hand-drawn by Li Aiguo on them.

Subsequently, the Y-5 shuttled back and forth in the area four more times, and abnormal radiation was detected each time. Li Aiguo opened the blueprints and marked the latitude and longitude on the map.

Upon closer inspection, however, there were no place names, villages, or mountain roads in this airspace; it was simply an area near the Qiongmuztagh Mountains on the edge of the Gobi Desert.

At this point, the plane's fuel gauge needle was almost at the bottom.

After learning that Li Aiguo had finished recording, Zhang Tianfang turned the plane around and flew back to the base.

Tang Guangwu and Professor He were already waiting at the temporary airport.

Seeing that the lime bags carried by the Y-5 were gone from afar, he became excited and rushed over as soon as the plane landed: "Comrade Patriot! Did you find an anomaly?"

Li Aiguo jumped off the plane: "The aerial survey aircraft detected an anomaly at 2160 points. We need to find the lime package as quickly as possible."

"Assemble! Assemble immediately!" Tang Guangwu grabbed the blueprints and sprinted toward the base.

After noon, all personnel at Base 915 were mobilized to form a mineral exploration team.

"Aiguo, how are you feeling?" Tang Guangwu was worried that Li Aiguo's body couldn't handle it.

"It's alright, only Xiao Chen and I are most familiar with the situation there." After working so hard for so many days, they finally made a discovery, so Li Aiguo naturally wouldn't allow it.

Old Qin stayed behind to oversee the base, while Old Cat, along with several members of the weather station, carrying rifles, set off with Li Aiguo.

At Base 915, Professor He and Professor Liu also arrived, followed closely by Liu Tianquan with a dozen experienced team members carrying equipment.

The team had a simple walkie-talkie, a radiation detector, as well as tents, dry food, and firearms and ammunition for self-defense.

Considering that the target area was all mountainous and the truck could barely travel a short distance, Li Aiguo and Liu Tianquan rode camels, their camel bells jingling, and headed towards the mountains on the edge of the Gobi Desert.

Point 2160 is located in the middle section of Qiongmuzitag Mountain, about 50 to 60 kilometers from the base.

The mountains here are like stones carelessly thrown by God, rising and falling in a jumble, with no roads at all, just piles of huge, millstone-sized rocks everywhere. Occasionally, you can see a few clumps of withered red willows, twisted and bent by the wind. The next few days made Li Aiguo realize what real field exploration was like. After arriving at the target area, the prospecting team split into two groups to conduct a grid-based search.

From south to north, and from north to south, carrying compasses and radiation instruments, they used machetes to cut through mountains, climb steep slopes, and cross cliffs, enduring wind and rain, eating a few pieces of steamed buns when hungry, and drinking a few mouthfuls of fresh water from oil drums when thirsty.

Despite the arduous grid-based search, the coveted lime bag remained elusive.

Liu Tianquan and his team members, however, did not feel tired. Instead, they started singing the exploration team's song at the top of their lungs:

It was the wind in the valley that stirred our red flag.

It was the torrential rain that washed over our tent.

We have a fiery passion.

They overcame all fatigue and cold.

We shouldered our packs and climbed the mountain peaks.

】

Passionate and generous songs drifted through the mountain stream.

Li Aiguo also picked up a machete and sang loudly: "We've climbed layer upon layer of mountains, filled with boundless hope, and found rich mineral deposits for our motherland!"

His gaze suddenly fixed on a dead tree on the hillside. A white parachute hung from a branch, with a bag of lime hanging below it. The red five-pointed star was particularly eye-catching in the sunlight!
"The lime bag is here! The lime bag is here! Found it! Found it!... Help! Help!..."

The shouts echoed through the valley, startling the prospectors working on the mountain, who rushed up to the scene.

Despite his exhaustion, Professor He unleashed a burst of strength comparable to that of a young man, rushing to the top of the hillside and retrieving the parachute.

Seeing a dozen or so lime mounds in the valley below, he ran over and found a crevice in the middle of the mounds.

So-called ground fissures are cracks on the earth's surface caused by natural factors or human activities.

Cracks vary in size; the East African Rift Valley is considered a large crack, but the one in front of us is only big enough to fit a finger.

"It looks like it was caused by an earthquake. It's because of this crack that the radiation from the uranium ore below was able to diffuse out." Professor He shouted excitedly, "Quick, quick, get the radiation meter out."

The radiation meter is on the truck behind.

Li Aiguo took out a signal flare and fired a red one into the sky. After a while, Lao Mao arrived on a camel carrying a radiation device.

The radiation meter is equipped with a battery, allowing it to be used in the field.

Li Aiguo turned on the switch, and the radiation meter immediately emitted a "clattering" sound. The pointer jumped rapidly and finally stabilized at seventy.

This radiation level means there must be uranium ore below.

However, the content of uranium ore cannot be determined at the moment, and surface trenches still need to be drilled.

"Old Cat, immediately send someone back to the base to report the situation to the higher-ups. Also, bring the geological exploration drilling rig over here," Li Aiguo ordered.

Old Cat turned and ran toward the truck, sending someone back to base.

Li Aiguo returned to the limestone patch. At this time, Professor He and Professor Liu were squatting on the ground, staring at the crack in the ground, both lost in thought.

They have just conducted a simple inspection of the fissure. The geology below the fissure is the same as that of the Gobi Desert, filled with reddish-brown layers. There is no granite, but rather sandstone.

Professor He frowned deeply: "This is strange. According to the Russian theory of uranium pre-enrichment systems and precipitation, during the evolution of continental crustal remelting granites, deposits usually form in granite bodies that have intruded in multiple phases, especially during the late alkaline to ultraacidic magmatic activity phase, which provides conditions for uranium enrichment."

However, the gray sand bodies are underdeveloped, and the formation has low reducing power, so it should not contain uranium.

“That’s not necessarily true.” Li Aiguo stood up and patted the dirt off his pants. “I read in a book the other day that sandstone can also accumulate elements.”

The water flow carries uranium, and the sandstone's pores act like a sieve, repeatedly permeating the uranium and trapping it inside. Over time, this accumulates into ore.

He pointed to the rock strata around the fissure and gestured, saying, "Look how clear the stratification of this sandstone is; it must have been deposited in an old riverbed."

Back then, water flowed here, carrying uranium. When it encountered organic matter or sulfides in the sandstone, it sank.

"Maybe it's not granite underneath, but a thick sandstone reservoir, and the uranium ore is hidden in there?"

Like other elements, uranium was highly mixed and relatively evenly distributed in the early Earth.

This stage is mainly dominated by planetary accretion, and materials from different sources have not yet undergone obvious differentiation.

Later, with development, the Earth underwent large-scale layering, and the primitive crust, mantle, and core were initially formed.

When various elements accumulate together, they form minerals.

Ore containing a high amount of iron is called iron ore, and ore containing a high amount of uranium is called uranium ore.

Li Aiguo's words actually applied the sandstone-type uranium mineralization theory that was later developed.

Professor Liu, listening intently, couldn't help but interject, "Comrade Patriot is right! The theory of infiltration and sedimentation mineralization has been proposed abroad, but similar uranium deposits have never been discovered."

"Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth!" Li Aiguo's voice suddenly rose. "As the higher-ups have said, we cannot blindly believe in books or authorities."

Professor He was stunned, and almost dropped the pebble in his hand.

He studied geology his whole life, always talking about "continental crust remelting" and "magmatic evolution," never thinking of stepping outside the confines of granite.

But Li Aiguo's words struck him like a hammer: Yes, theories are dead, but stones are alive, and radiation levels don't lie.

The team members were stunned. No one had expected that a train driver would have such a deep understanding of geology.

"Comrade Aiguo, how big do you think this sandstone mine is?" At this moment, someone who surprised Li Aiguo raised his hand. It was the taciturn Lao Rong.

Instead of focusing on how to collect samples quickly, the exploration team members were inquiring about the scale of the uranium mine. Li Aiguo narrowed his eyes.

Old Rong realized that his words were somewhat probing, so he quickly added, "If it were only such a small area, it wouldn't be worth all this effort. Maybe it's a special area?"

Li Aiguo also couldn't figure out Lao Rong's intentions, so he casually replied, "It's hard to say for now. Once the drilling rig is brought over and drills down a few hundred meters, we can study the geological conditions and then we'll understand."

“That’s true…” Old Rong smiled awkwardly, then squatted back down beside the crack in the ground, stroking his chin, seemingly lost in thought.

Professor He and Professor Liu are still debating the sandstone mineralization theory. There's no news from the base, and it looks like the drilling rig won't arrive until tomorrow.

Li Aiguo had Tang Guangwu send a telegram to the base, deciding to camp near the crevice in the ground that night.

The team members spend most of their time in the wild, and they are very familiar with setting up tents and making campfires.

Li Aiguo was arranging the night shift when Huang Ting suddenly ran over, her face pale: "Aiguo, Tianquan is gone!"

"What?" Li Aiguo didn't pay attention at first, assuming that Liu Tianquan had gone to relieve himself nearby.

Upon further inquiry, it was learned that since the discovery of the fissure in the ground, no one had seen Liu Tianquan.

His heart sank.

This place is on the edge of a basin, inhabited by wolves, and filled with bottomless caves—any one of which could be deadly.

"Find people! Find people immediately!" Li Aiguo shouted to stop setting up camp and had Lao Mao fetch rifles from the truck and distribute them to the team members.

The team was divided into several groups, each with a guard squad of armed men, who spread out to search.

"Liu Tianquan".

"Tianquan!"

As evening fell, urgent shouts echoed through the desolate mountain stream. The team members were all very anxious, especially Huang Ting, whose eyes were already brimming with tears.

Geological exploration work is very dangerous, and many accidents occur in exploration teams every year.

"Sister-in-law, don't worry, we will definitely find Brother Tianquan." Li Aiguo's heart was heavy as he thought of Aunt Liu and Xiao Kuangsheng.

He strode forward and shouted, "Everyone, give it your all!"

Thinking of the danger their teammates were in, the exploration team members disregarded their fatigue and quickened their pace, scattering into several groups.

Time passed slowly amidst the tense search.

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire rang out in the distance, the pre-arranged signal.

"It's in the northeast direction, there might be a discovery." Li Aiguo grabbed his rifle and ran towards the area with Lao Mao.

After running for about two miles, I saw a figure ahead.

It was the tall guy from the exploration team, who was crouching behind a dead tree in the ravine. When he saw them coming, he quickly shouted, "I heard some noise in this cave, it might be Tianquan!"

Li Aiguo recognized the team member; his name was Big Guy. Before liberation, because he ate a lot and was very strong, his family couldn't afford to support him, so he was sent to the exploration team to carry heavy loads.

Who knew this kid was so ambitious? He actually learned a lot and, after liberation, passed the exam to become a member of the exploration team.

"Big guy, are you sure you didn't hear me wrong?" Li Aiguo ran over and squatted down.

This is a small, crack-like cave, with a wooden stick covering the entrance, which is covered with fallen leaves.

These kinds of caves are the most dangerous. They are impossible to spot at first, and people only realize it when they accidentally step into one, by which time it's too late.

Even if the team finds them, by the time they do, the person will probably be long gone.

Li Aiguo parted the leaves, picked up a flashlight and shone it inside. It was dark down there, and the beginning section seemed to be a vertical hole.

"No mistake! I slept in the same bed with Tianquan, I can recognize his voice!" The big guy rubbed his hands anxiously.

“Tianquan may have fallen down.” Li Aiguo knew that the interior of this type of cave was very complex. If the length of the vertical cave exceeded twenty meters, then Liu Tianquan was likely injured in the fall.

At that moment, a muffled voice came from inside the cave: "Captain... Brother Patriot..."

"It's Liu Tianquan!" Li Aiguo clasped his hands together and replied a few times, inquiring about the situation.

Liu Tianquan's voice was muffled from more than ten meters away; all that could be heard was that he had fallen and was injured.

"Bring a rope!" Li Aiguo shouted to Lao Mao. Before Lao Mao could even set off, Captain Tang Guangwu, having heard the gunshots, arrived with a dozen men, all carrying rescue ropes.

"Tianquan, the rope's been thrown! Get out of the way!" Li Aiguo threw the rope into the cave and, sensing that Liu Tianquan had already tied it around his waist, called out to several team members.

They were all young men, very strong, and in no time Liu Tianquan was pulled out of the cave.

"You little rascal, did you sneak off to relieve yourself and fall into a hole? Didn't you know that's how Old Ma died last time? By the time we found him, he was already a pile of mud."

The rope tightened inch by inch, and Liu Tianquan's trouser legs, rubbing against the rough rock wall, slowly began to emerge.

Tang Guangwu originally wanted to scold him for being careless, but when he saw Liu Tianquan's appearance, he choked on his words.

Liu Tianquan's face was deathly pale, his eyes unfocused, clearly terrified. He managed to squeeze out a broken, incoherent sound:
"There are Japanese soldiers down below!"

(End of this chapter)