My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 184 Figure it out
"Fuck your mother... Why don't you just rob someone?"

Upon hearing Zhou Jingming's request, before the leading young man could speak, the young man who had run to get the gun earlier started shouting again: "One kilogram? Do you know how long it takes to get one kilogram? It's like digging potatoes or harvesting wheat in the field!"

Wu Yang stared intently at him. The other man had already put his gun on the cart, so it posed no threat to him anymore. He slung his gun over his shoulder and walked straight toward the young man with a dark expression.

Seeing Wu Yang rushing towards him, the young man's heart skipped a beat. When he confirmed that Wu Yang was indeed coming for him, he panicked and didn't dare to stay in front, so he quickly shrank behind the crowd.

They're all on the same team, more than ten people in total. How could they be so easily taken down by just two people?

Not only was the young man dissatisfied, but the others were also unhappy. Seeing Wu Yang coming alone, they immediately raised their tools and stood in front of him, trying to protect the young man.

Because what he said was also what they were thinking.

Wu Yang, however, seemed not to see them at all, and without pausing for a moment, quickly approached the group.

"What are you going to do?"

"What do you want to do..."

Two men shouted, and one of them, a burly man, stepped in front of Wu Yang, slammed the shovel he was carrying into the ground, and stretched out his hand to try to block Wu Yang.

Wu Yang's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly kicked out, striking the man's left knee with lightning speed.

The man didn't even have a chance to react before he was kicked. He screamed and staggered back two steps before falling to the ground with a thud, clutching his knee and groaning in pain.

The others were also startled. Some rushed to help the man, while others stepped aside in alarm, thus exposing the young man.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Wu Yang suddenly rushed forward. Just as the young man turned to run away, Wu Yang grabbed him by the collar, dragged him back, and then threw him heavily onto the gravelly riverbank in front of everyone.

The young man felt like a chick being gently lifted up by Wu Yang, then suddenly the world spun around him, and he was slammed hard to the ground, the impact making it feel as if his internal organs were about to fall out.

His buttocks and back slammed into the rocks, causing excruciating pain. The blow to his back, in particular, nearly made him faint, and he didn't utter a sound.

Someone picked up their tools and was about to go up, but was so frightened by Wu Yang's sharp gaze that they quickly stopped.

From those two moves just now, they had already seen how ruthless Wu Yang was.

Zhou Jingming knew very well that Wu Yang had actually held back; otherwise, the man's knee would have been deformed from his kick, and the young man would have been half-dead from a back throw.

Wu Yang slowly squatted down next to the young man. Seeing that he had caught his breath, he reached out and grabbed the young man's neck, pressing him heavily to the ground, making it difficult for him to breathe. No matter how much the young man struggled, Wu Yang held on tightly.

Just as the young man's face contorted with bulging veins and he opened his mouth to try and inhale, the man grabbed a fist-sized rock from the side and shoved it into the young man's mouth, yelling, "Fuck your mother... You have such a foul mouth, don't you? You like to swear, huh? Well, I'll teach you to swear..."

The young man struggled violently, grabbing Wu Yang's arm that was choking him, trying to push Wu Yang away. However, he soon discovered that Wu Yang's hand was like an iron clamp, not only full of strength but also extremely hard. He couldn't move his hands an inch, and his punches had no effect.

Now another stone was shoved into his mouth, and he could only shake his head vigorously to avoid it. His mouth rubbed against the stone a few times, and his mouth was full of blood.

A group of people stood on the sidelines, wanting to go up but not daring to, their hearts filled with fear.

Seeing that the young man's face had turned ashen from suffocation, the leading young man knew that if they delayed any longer, someone might die. He dared not hesitate any longer and quickly begged for mercy: "Brother, stop! Let's talk this out..."

Seeing that Wu Yang remained unmoved, he then looked at Zhou Jingming, who was smoking a cigarette: "Man, I'm begging you..."

Zhou Jingming glanced at him, then looked at the young man struggling on the ground, kicking and rolling the pebbles around, and called out to Wu Yang, "Wu Yang..."

Wu Yang knew exactly what Zhou Jingming meant. He threw away the stone, released his grip on the young man's neck, and stood up. But then he kicked the young man hard again: "Remember this, watch your mouth. If you can't speak properly, you'd better shut your mouth tightly, or next time, I'll make sure you can never speak again. Also, behave yourself."

After he finished speaking, he turned back to Zhou Jingming's side, took the cigarette Zhou Jingming offered him, lit it, and smoked it nonchalantly.

The young man was panting heavily, and after finally catching his breath, he was helped up by his companions. He didn't even bother to look at Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang properly, let alone curse them.

Just now, he truly felt what the fear of death was like, and it was so unforgettable.

Zhou Jingming scanned the group of people, his gaze finally settling on the face of the young man at the head of the group: "I'll ask you again, does the wooden sign I put up count?"

"count!"

"Did I claim this mining site first?"

"You took it first."

Despite his reluctance, the leading young man had no choice but to comply.

Zhou Jingming nodded slightly: "Okay... Now tell me your choice!"

This time, the leading young man did not hesitate: "I will deliver that kilogram of gold to you within a month."

Zhou Jingming laughed: "A smart choice... This mine is quite good. The grade I mentioned is four points, and that's just the surface layer. Since you've brought a team to pan for gold, you must know that the deeper you go, the richer the gold in the mud and sand, and the higher the grade will be. Reaching six or seven points is not impossible."

I said this mine could yield more than 30 kilograms of gold, but that was just an estimate; the actual output would be even higher.

With so many men, it's impossible for one person to not be able to produce even a ton of ore in a day.

In other words, with thirteen of you here, you could easily extract more than an ounce of gold a day. And this mine, this gold rush season, you still won't be able to finish your work.

"I only want one kilogram of gold from you, which will only take about twenty days. Is that too much to ask?"

The leading young man quickly chimed in, "That's not excessive!"

"I'll wait for you to bring the gold. If anyone comes asking about the mines, please pass on the message and tell them to come find me! Don't worry, I'll only accept this one payment. I keep my word."

After Zhou Jingming finished speaking, he led Jin Wang away, and Wu Yang quickly followed.

Watching the two walk away, the young man in the lead looked around, chose a pebble to sit on, and lit a cigarette for himself.

"Boss, how could you agree to that? That's a kilogram of gold! It's not that easy to pan for it!"

“Yeah, we can just go somewhere else. Even if we find less gold, it’s still better than staying here.”

"Damn it, we've only been digging our dugouts for two days, haven't even found any gold yet, and we've already suffered a lot of frustration..."

……

The crowd voiced their grievances, with only the man who had been kicked in the knee and the young man who had almost been strangled to death by Wu Yang remaining silent.

"Stop arguing... This is how things are in Gold Rush Valley. I told you before, whoever is stronger calls the shots. Now you've all seen it, haven't you? This isn't a place for reason and rules. If someone is stronger than us, we have to back down."

And besides, do you really think mining sites are so easy to find? You think you can just switch locations whenever you want? Besides, it's all the same no matter where you go; we just have to accept our loss this time.”

After the group had finished talking, the young man in the lead had also finished smoking. He flicked away his cigarette butt and said, "On the other hand, it's not entirely without its advantages."

"Benefits? I don't see any." Someone asked.

The leading young man sighed: "You newcomers this year may not know, but those who followed me to pan for gold on the Haiertes River last year should already know who they are."

"That exploration technician who came from the geological team?"

"Yes, it's their group. There were a lot of rumors about them in the valley last year. I already knew it was them when I came here to scout the area last year. I even thought that being near them might reduce the trouble. I didn't expect to get ripped off by them as soon as I arrived this year. I shouldn't have been so lucky when I saw the wooden sign."

"Didn't they say they wouldn't cause trouble? They're putting up signs everywhere to occupy mining sites, aren't they causing trouble? Do they really think they're in the right just because they put up a sign?"
Just wait and see. Who knows how many more people will come to this valley in the future? There are always people more capable than them. Let's see how long they can keep up their arrogance.”

"Yes, yes, just wait and see. With what they've done, it's no wonder they've made this valley a place of great resentment. Even if there isn't a team stronger than them, let's see if anyone steps forward and we can unite. They may have the numbers, but we'll get our revenge. No matter how many of them there are, I don't believe they can outnumber everyone in the entire valley."

Each of them felt frustrated but powerless, and could only place their hopes on other teams.

Someone else asked, "Boss, what were the benefits you mentioned earlier...?"

"This technician is a master at prospecting for minerals. For example, before anyone else had even discovered this valley, he had already led his team to the best spot and started panning for gold here last year."

Since he said the gold grade at this mine is good, it shouldn't be false. Following his advice, if we persevere, it won't be long before we get that kilogram of gold. By then, it will be May at the latest, which is the best time for gold panning, and we'll have a huge profit. That's one point…

Secondly, if anyone tries to take over our mining site, we can simply say that we bought it from them. Those who want to seize the site will definitely think twice before doing so, wondering if it might anger them.

"What if they come looking for trouble with us again in the future, eyeing the gold we have?"

"It shouldn't be like that anymore. Rumor has it that he keeps his word... We can only choose to believe him now. Never mind, let's get the dugout ready, hurry up and pan for gold. After we hand over that kilogram, any gold we pan for after that, don't keep it in our hands. If a gold dealer comes, immediately exchange it for cash, send what needs to be sent home, and save what needs to be saved. That's the safest way."

After a brief discussion, things became clearer, and their gloomy mood improved slightly.

The leading young man then looked at the man who had been kicked: "How are you hurt?"

The man grimaced and said, "I was jolted, but I can still move. I'll probably need a few days to recover."

He nodded: "Then you should get some rest."

Then, he looked at the young man who had slumped to the side and started cursing: "You deserve it! I told you more than once when we came here to be more composed. Now you've learned your lesson, haven't you? You think everyone will put up with you..."

You're so busy grabbing guns, do you even know how many lives they took last year in the Gold Rush Valley? And if you don't change your foul language habit, you'll lose your life sooner or later.

Two guys dared to come at us, and you think you'd be scared just because you have a gun? How could I have a brother like you... you don't even know how to read the situation."

The young man kept his head down, not uttering a sound, and just listened silently.

"Boss, he's doing it for the team. Let alone him, which of us isn't annoyed?"

"Alright, alright, stop talking..."

The others tried to persuade him.

The young man then stopped scolding and urged everyone to hurry up and dig the dugout.

(End of this chapter)