Gold Rush Starts in the Bering Sea

Chapter 44: The Gold Thieves in the Mountains

Five vehicles shuttled along the dirt road that had been worn into the low hills.

A mountain range appeared ahead. Although it was not high, the lush trees contrasted sharply with the desolation we had just witnessed.

Below the mountains, wisps of smoke drifted out of chimneys.

There are not many residents here. They live in wooden houses made from readily available materials. You can also see many detectors under the eaves. Clearly, gold panning has become an integral part of their lives and their main source of income.

Further on, the road changed from gravel to dirt.

The mountain road was winding and muddy.

Forget about changing vehicles; a motorhome is out of the question—it won't fit.

Jason frowned at the gold mining spot in the mountains. It was still 05. Environmental protection existed, but it was nowhere near as crazy as it would be in later years.

However, the difficulty of mining is also evident; it is difficult to transport equipment in, and relying solely on manual excavation is impractical.

Although he had already rejected the idea of ​​a gold rush, since he was already here, he still followed Swail's directions and drove into the mountains.

The road was bumpy, and sometimes the tires would slip. So, following the remaining tire tracks, we stopped at the end of the road.

The rest of the journey can only be completed on foot.

Lillian and Ellie, along with Albert and old Hart, stayed behind.

After walking along the trees for half an hour, Ronaldo said breathlessly, "Swell, I don't deny there's gold here, but you have to consider the practicalities. Large equipment can't get in here."

Indeed, the trees here are so dense that even walking for a short while is exhausting, let alone transporting equipment.

Even though Swell was getting on in years, an embarrassed look appeared on his face: "Don't worry, there's definitely gold here, it's just that panning for gold is extremely difficult."

"As far as I know, that area is still an unclaimed mining area. Someone used a detector to find a gold nugget of over two hundred ounces there." He paused, then added awkwardly, "It's not far, we'll be there in a bit."

Exhausted, everyone was too tired to say anything more. They followed Swail's footsteps through the dense forest and headed towards their destination.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~"

The sound of flowing water rose, rhythmic, unlike the sound of a waterfall.

After passing through the dense forest, what came into view was a scene of utter devastation.

Trees were being felled, and several shirtless gold prospectors were using high-pressure water cannons to blast the land.

The soil turned into mud and flowed on the ground. Below, an earthen wall was built, with a single opening through which the mud flowed out.

There, a very simple wooden gilding trough was at work, and a person was constantly checking it.

Some people were scanning the mud with detectors. The gold mining team was small and used rudimentary equipment, but everyone had a clear division of labor.

But no matter what, they can't escape the fact that they are thieves.

When Jason spotted them, they also spotted Jason and his group, and the atmosphere between the two sides instantly became tense.

"Calm down, calm down. We're not government officials, we're gold prospectors too," Swail said, standing between the two sides with his hands out in plain sight, trying his best to keep them calm.

Especially for thieves, although this is a public mining area and hasn't been bought yet, the ownership belongs to the Australian government. If they are discovered, then...

Jason narrowed his eyes, gripping the "Truth" on his waist, and had already disengaged the safety.

Staying vigilant, we slowly retreated until we reached a tree.

He must ensure that he can launch a counterattack in self-defense at the first moment!

"Relax, relax, we mean no harm. Don't worry, we won't tell anyone else."

Under Swail's best efforts to control them, both sides loosened their grip on the gun handles, but remained vigilant.

On the one hand, they only wanted to strike for gold and did not want to cause any deaths; on the other hand, Jason's group had a large number of people, so they did not have any advantage.

Cass and the others also tacitly pointed their cameras in other directions, but their personal cameras were still recording.

The high profits brought by gold have tempted many people to take a gamble, and such rare shots are not common for photographers.

The group remained vigilant and slowly retreated into the jungle. Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.

"Swell, you'd better do your research next time, otherwise I'm not willing to risk my life like you," Ronaldo said, wiping the sweat from his forehead, his face full of lingering fear.

He's a tough guy, but he can't outlast a bullet.

"Jason, I don't believe they dare to fire!" Brent became angrier and angrier, and pulled out the "Truth" from his waist.

Andy waved his hand and rolled his eyes: "Brent, that's enough. Save your energy, we have to go back later."

Unfortunately, the current situation is clearly not suitable for further investigation of this location, unless we can acquire the land here. Otherwise, safety should be the priority.

After traversing the forest again, the return journey was much faster than the way there. More than an hour later, everyone returned to where the car had been parked, covered in sweat.

Drinking water and panting heavily, especially the elderly Swil, sat on a rock and poured a bottle of mineral water over his head to cool himself down.

Lillian noticed the situation and comforted her, "It's alright. Even if there's no gold here, we can just look somewhere else."

Jason shook his head and smiled wryly. There was gold here, but this experience also gave Jason a glimpse into the real life of a gold miner.

"Gentlemen, is there anything else good about it?" Jason asked, looking at Ronaldo and Swail, emphasizing the word "good".

Swail pondered for a moment, took out the blueprints from the car, and finally determined the location.

"This is the location I chose long ago. There's no shortage of water, and it's convenient for gold panning, but..." Swail said, a helpless look on his face, "It's just that this place belongs to a gold mining company."

If he could, he wouldn't want to reveal this place. Over the years, he had considered buying this land, but he didn't have enough money, and no one else would sell it to him.

Jason: "..."

He really didn't know what to say, and he didn't even know if joining Lasswell was the right thing to do.

"Forget about this place," Jason laughed in exasperation. There was no need to even go there. It was just the territory of a gold mining company. With his small frame, what was the point of fighting for it?

It's not that Jason belittles himself; it's that he has self-awareness.

"Are there any other places?" Jason turned his gaze to Ronaldo.

Ronaldo marked a spot on the map and said, "Jason, go check this out. The mine owners here are switching to other industries. Although some of it has already been mined, the prices are definitely not bad."

"Tell me about the situation before deciding whether to go or not." Jason didn't make a decision immediately; he didn't want to go through the whole ordeal only to have the outcome fall short of expectations.

"This area belongs to the Moses family; they are also a family that has been in the gold rush for generations."

"They bought this mine in the 1970s and mined it intermittently. However, later on, young Moses in the family wanted to start a real business and had no interest in the family's gold mining business."

"After the death of Moses the elder, Moses the younger wanted to sell the mine and then invest the money in real businesses to expand the scale of the enterprise."

"It's been three years, but it still hasn't sold."

Ronaldo slowly recounted what he knew.

"They've been mining for decades, Ronaldo, are you sure there's still gold here?" He didn't deny the possibility that a gold-mining family would abandon their mines and go into some kind of real business, but he was just not quite convinced.

Moreover, a place that has been mined for decades doesn't really interest Jason.

"I know this old Moses you mentioned. His mine is indeed quite good. However, as far as I know, young Moses has contracted out the mine. Who knows how much gold is left after all these years?" Swell frowned, expressing his concerns.

Jason shook his head: "Are there any other places?"

Jason immediately ruled out a mine that had been mined for decades but still couldn't be sold.

So many gold prospectors, including some with advanced equipment, have already tried to find gold. If there really was gold, it would have been bought long ago, instead of waiting until now.

Jason doesn't consider himself the chosen one. Although his golden detection ability is very strong, modern equipment is not weak either!

Ronaldo and Swail exchanged a glance and gave each other a helpless, bitter smile.

Ronaldo, in particular, thought it would be an easy task, but he didn't expect it to be so difficult.