Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

He grew angrier and angrier as he spoke, his face turning bright red, and his spittle almost sprayed onto Su Wanqing's face.

Zhou Yanshen frowned. He could let others talk about him, but they couldn't stand it when they talked about his wife.

He stepped forward, blocking Su Wanqing's path, his voice neither humble nor arrogant: "Reporting to the commander, today I led a patrol of the surrounding twenty-mile area and completed topographic mapping, water source marking, and danger zone investigation. We drew a detailed map, marking three water sources, two wild animal activity areas, and one suitable sheltered campsite. We also collected some wild vegetables and mushrooms, and hunted three rabbits and six sand pythons, all of which have been handed over to the cooking squad, enough to improve the camp's meals for three days. The patrol mission was a complete success!"

These words clearly told everyone that they went out to do serious business: drawing maps, surveying the terrain, and ensuring the camp's supplies. These wild game items were just a side dish.

Commander Zhao's expression finally softened as he looked at the pile of supplies. His main mission was to ensure security; mineral exploration was important, but it wasn't that easy. If it were that easy, there wouldn't have been only a handful of mineral veins discovered nationwide.

He stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, mineral exploration is never smooth sailing. So many soldiers sacrificed their lives building the highway back then, we only lost a few, it's not a big deal. Challenges are what bring achievements. Besides, Captain Zhou drew up a map of the surrounding area, clearly marking the water sources and terrain, and he even brought back so much wild game, perfect for nourishing the wounded. Machines break down, so we fix them; people get injured, so we'll improve our meals these next few days to speed up recovery. It's for everyone's benefit!"

Commander Zhao tried to smooth things over, but Su Wanqing wasn't buying it.

She's pregnant now, and the pregnancy hormones have amplified her temper several times over; she can't stand the slightest grievance. Besides, she's going out to do serious business, not just for sightseeing.

She put the things on the ground, rolled up her sleeves, and walked towards the wounded, speaking casually as she did so:

"We went out and got hit by a landslide, our machines broke down and we were injured—who's to blame? Isn't it because some people didn't carefully observe the environment and didn't anticipate the risks? If you ask me, some of the older generation just rely on their old experience and don't use their brains at all. No wonder they can't find many mines in their entire lives."

Li Guodong's two students were stunned, staring wide-eyed at Su Wanqing—were these words directed at their teacher?

Old Zhang's mouth dropped open, his jaw almost falling off. "Little Su, Little Su, do you know who this person is? I wouldn't dare offend him, how dare you speak to me like that?"

Li Guodong was trembling with anger. He chased after him, taking three steps at a time: "Who are you blaming? How can you blame me for this? We followed the procedures. It was just natural soil loosening. Who can predict natural disasters or man-made calamities? If we hadn't chosen this terrible route, would this have happened? You didn't even go with us to investigate, and now you're just making sarcastic remarks! If you're so capable, why don't you go yourself? Would you have been able to prevent it if you had gone?"

Su Wanqing had already reached the wounded. The military doctor was extremely busy, stopping bleeding and bandaging wounds, wishing she had eight hands. Without a word, she took a wounded soldier's arm, deftly cleaning, applying medicine, and bandaging it, her movements fluid and efficient, but her mouth didn't stop talking:

"Based on geological knowledge, anyone with a little experience can predict the structure and lithology of that mountain, which sections are prone to loosening, and which directions might see rockfalls. If I were there and saw that area, I would at least have someone check the upper rock layers, set up observation posts, and adjust the placement of instruments—aren't these basic skills that geologists should possess?"

Not at all. Although she doesn't understand the details, once she activates her Eye of Insight, these things can indeed be predicted in advance.

Li Guodong was speechless. What she said... did seem to make sense. But he couldn't swallow his anger.

"Since you're so knowledgeable, the capable should do more! If you had gone, the machines wouldn't have broken down, people wouldn't have gotten hurt, and you might even have found the ore two days earlier! In the end, it's because you didn't go!"

Su Wanqing sighed inwardly—Li Guodong was quite the expert at arguing, and he managed to shift the blame onto her.

However, she has never lost an argument.

"Do you think I'm like you, just squatting in one place waiting for the instruments to give me results?" Her hands kept moving, her tone calm. "Since you say that the capable should do more, of course I have to go and explore the surrounding area. I've ridden through this entire twenty-mile area, I've looked at every ravine and every rock stratum."

Li Guodong sneered: "What? You found a mine?"

"no."

"Isn't that just wasting time sightseeing?" Li Guodong raised his voice. "I see you picking so many wild vegetables, how can you have time for proper exploration? It's just an excuse!"

Commander Zhao and his men rushed into the tent, unable to even get a word in edgewise. The wounded soldiers lay obediently, barely daring to breathe, afraid of getting involved. The medic, while tending to his wounds, secretly marveled: "Dr. Su's silver tongue is truly impressive..."

After bandaging the last wounded soldier, Su Wanqing clapped her hands, stood up, and looked directly at Li Guodong:

"Although I didn't find any beryllium ore, I discovered signs of associated fluorite ore—a purple fluorite band in the rock fissures, extending intermittently for at least two kilometers, indicating substantial reserves. Fluorite is a strategic material scarce in metallurgy, chemical industry, and military industry, and the country spends a large amount of foreign exchange to import it every year. This substance is usually associated with beryllium ore; where there is fluorite, the probability of finding beryllium ore doubles."

"What?!" Old Zhang jumped up from the side, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. "Little girl, you've discovered a fluorite mine? How could this stuff possibly appear here? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Su Wanqing nodded. Her 30-meter passive perception eye had been active the entire way, riding for dozens of miles, conducting a thorough scan, and she had discovered more than just this one location. Originally, she had planned to find the beryllium ore to upgrade the space before discussing these things, but since she was forced into this situation, it wouldn't hurt to reveal it earlier.

Old Zhang rubbed his hands excitedly: "Fluorite is also in short supply! If there really is a mine, that would be wonderful! Come on, come on, take us to see it quickly, and confirm it again—you can't judge this thing just by looking at it; what if it's just scattered on the surface..."

Zhou Yanshen listened, completely stunned. His wife had discovered a mine? But he had been following her the whole time, and she hadn't even dismounted much...

Li Guodong's sneer deepened: "Some places see a few gold dusts washed up in the river, and people immediately claim they've discovered a gold mine. If it were that easy to find, what would be the point of having professional prospectors like us? You're not just seeing some fluorite fragments and claiming you've found a huge mine, are you? Maybe it's just scattered rocks transported by glaciers. You're only saying this now to cover up the fact that you're out sightseeing—making up a discovery, then when we rush over and find nothing, we'll conclude, 'Minerals aren't that easy to find; you must have been mistaken,' isn't that right?"