Spark

In the imperial capital, in a small red house.

Several white-haired old men sat together, discussing the latest report handed in by the Spark team.

Among them, the old man sitting in the most central position wore thick glasses. He first raised his head and looked around, and then said:

"Xinghuo's proposal this time is indeed a bit risky."

"It is conservatively estimated that the investment in the Gauteng Railway will be more than 30 billion yuan. If we look at the final result of vicious competition with the Bombera consortium, the funds we can recover are likely to be less than 20 billion yuan."

"And this is not the final bottom line. Considering the expansion expectations disclosed by the Gauteng High Speed ​​Rail, the Bombera consortium may even lower the price to below 15 billion."

"If that's the case, even if we get the right to mine a gold mine, it will take at least 10 years to recover the cost."

"For us, it's an...adventure."

"It's not too big, but it's absolutely impossible to do it with your own hands."

Hearing his words, the old man in a suit nodded and said:

"Yes, that is the case."

"Also, in this proposal, the Xinghuo team's proposal is to obtain the prospecting rights in the Evande area, and this area itself is not optimistic."

"Whether it can be mined or not is still a matter of debate. Even if it is, what is the reserve? What is the grade? These are all unknown."

"If we really follow Spark's plan, then we have to plan for a net loss."

"It's not so much a risk as it is a gamble."

"Win, everything is easy to say."

"If we lose, the loss of funds is secondary, but if we get off to a bad start, it will have a great negative impact on our subsequent African resource strategy."

"This time we have to think carefully. Although the money is not much, it can't be thrown into the water."

The old man with glasses nodded slightly, and then continued:

"This matter has been studied and judged by relevant experts before. They generally believe that the probability of finding gold deposits in the Evande area, especially the Baihe area, is not low, but the quality and scale are hard to say."

"But what I want to discuss today is not a technical issue. Compared with technology, I think we should see another key point."

"That is, this proposal was proposed by Chen Nian."

"Also, according to Chen Guo's feedback, Chen Nian was very determined when he proposed the plan."

"He seems to know that there are mines there, and he also knows that winning the prospecting rights there will definitely make money. Although I don't know why, I think we should trust him."

"After all, since he appeared in our sights, he has never let us down."

"This time, I think, he won't let us down."

After the voice fell, everyone in the room fell silent in unison.

They recalled the whole process of that boy from his appearance to his rise, and then everyone realized a well-known but often overlooked fact.

That is:

The achievements of this young man are definitely not limited to technical aspects.

On the contrary, it should be said that his amazing feats in technology suppressed his outstanding contributions in other aspects.

Whether it was the initial intervention in the procurement of AL-31FN, or the subsequent prediction of the food war, and even now, it can be said that he has detonated the financial crisis in the Western world almost by himself.

The forward-looking and strategic vision shown in these things is close to evildoers.

How on earth did he know these things?

Where did he get the technology, and where did he get the experience like a prophet?

This question has troubled the top decision makers for a long time.

It was even suggested that we should have an open and honest talk with him.

But in the end, the proposal was rejected.

Because, most people think, the time has not come yet.

So, the problem remained like this, lingering.

However, under this question, everyone has established the same cognition: in most cases, Chen Nian will not make mistakes.

Thinking of this, the old man in the suit spoke again:

"The old leader's point of view is correct. No matter how absurd it seems, as long as it is proposed by Chen Nian, we should pay attention to it."

"After all, he really never makes a mistake."

"Even if you look at his work from beginning to end, the mistakes he made are only minor deviations."

"I prefer to call these deviations 'tolerances' rather than errors."

"So, in this case, what we have to do should not be to deny, but to find a way to make a good plan."

"As I said just now, although it's a gamble, we still have to be at the table."

"As long as you keep the funds to turn over the capital, it will be fine."

Everyone nodded, and then, in the corner, someone raised his hand and said:

"If this is the case, then the next step, should we pull various departments and consider how to minimize the risk?"

"I have a few key points here, let me tell you now?"

The old man with glasses who spoke first nodded and said:

"Speak, I'll wait for you."

The man coughed, and after a brief silence to sort out his thoughts, he opened his mouth and said:

"My point of view is this, because there is an uncertain part of the income, then we must try our best to maximize the certainty income."

"There are three main lines."

"First, the Gauteng Railway must be made into a demonstration project, and our brand will be displayed in Africa."

"In this way, the publicity effect will be achieved, and our strategy in Africa will be easier to develop in the future."

"Second, we can't fight a price war with the Bombera consortium. If they cut prices, we can't just cut prices without thinking. We have to rely on our technical strength to convince South African officials."

"In this regard, we have done a good job in the live broadcast of the Beijing-Shibai section of the high-speed rail this time, but we still need to increase our efforts."

"Third, in terms of prospecting rights and mining rights, I suggest that we don't just take the Avand area, but take the East Rand area and take the Avand area as a subsidiary."

"The ore veins in the East Rand region are relatively mature, and the risk is relatively small. If something unexpected happens, this is our bargaining chip."

After finishing speaking, the man looked at the people in the room, quietly waiting for their opinions.

"East Rand plus Evander, is the price too high? Can South Africa accept it?"

"I don't know, there is a high probability that I will not accept it, but we should try it."

"We can change our strategy. We need two places for prospecting rights, and choose one of the two mining rights to weaken the risk. At the same time, South Africa is more acceptable."

"It's a method, but how to ensure that they are willing to give it after the prospecting is over?"

"That's what the comrades in the business department need to talk about."

After a series of discussions, the old man with glasses raised his hand, and then said:

"The specific details, we will not discuss today."

"However, on the general direction, I think everyone has reached a consensus."

"Since this is the case, let's proceed in this direction."

"This will be our first high-profile operation in Africa and we have to get it right!"

"The Yishan project has helped us lay the groundwork, which is a major boost compared to our original plan."

"With such help, if we can't do it well, then all of us here will have to reflect on it."

"clear."

Everyone answered one after another, and then pushed the door open one by one and left.

In the end, there were only two old men in glasses and suits left in the room.

They looked at each other with a knowing smile on their faces.

There are expectations and worries in this smile, but more, it is a kind of calmness.

A few days later, Loselle, South Africa.

Li Jing is an ordinary and extraordinary geological prospector.

Ordinarily, like all prospectors, what she does is nothing more than shuttling between fields and mountains, eating and sleeping in the open, looking for possible mineral veins.

Unusually, she was looking for gold.

And, in this regard, she can definitely be called experienced.

In the 1990s, she was still a newcomer who could not be newer. She had already participated in major domestic exploration missions, and together with her colleagues, she successfully discovered the Dachaidan gold mine in QH Province.

The reserves of that gold mine have reached an astonishing 50 tons. After its completion, the annual output has exceeded 3 tons, reaching the scale of a super-large gold mine.

After that, Li Jing's footsteps did not stop.

She has participated in many gold mine exploration projects organized by the state, and found no less than 20 large and small ore veins. She has played an important role in the domestic gold mine exploration work.

And this time, the reason why she came to South Africa was actually assigned by her superiors.

On the bright side, what she wants to do is to investigate the ecological environment of the Evande-Baihe area, and make a reference for the investment plan of the resort hotel.

But actually, she wants one thing:

Roughly check the river channels and sandstones in the Baihe area, and give possible reference opinions on whether ore veins exist.

This work is not easy, and without the support of large-scale equipment, the exploration methods she can use are extremely limited.

Washing gold in pots, microscopic observation, and hydrothermal alteration, these three methods, which were mature a hundred years ago, are the limit of what she can do.

As for more advanced programs such as chemical analysis, drilling, etc., there are no conditions at all.

It was precisely because of the poor conditions that she fell behind, even though she had been in Loselle for more than a week, her work had not progressed at all.

The tributaries near the Baihe area have been searched, and the nearby rocks have been seen almost, but let alone the golden sand, she has not found even a little gold dust.

This made her a little frustrated, and the guide who had been following her had lost confidence long ago.

When Li Jing took him up the mountain again, wanting to take another look at the mountain where the mineral veins might be buried, although the guide didn't strike directly, the complaints in his mouth couldn't stop.

"Jing, I know what you do."

"You didn't come here to investigate the location of the hotel at all, you came here to find gold."

"It's just so fantastic, how could anyone look for gold in a place like this?"

"If you're going to dig for gold, you should go to Rand, it's full of gold diggers like you."

"They dream of getting rich overnight just like you, but I want to tell you that most of them end up losing everything in the end"

"Wake up, panning for gold is not so easy, especially if you only have a hammer and a magnifying glass in your hand, how can you find gold?"

Hearing his words, Li Jing rolled her eyes speechlessly.

She didn't know whether to be grateful or helpless.

Fortunately, this guide is purely a layman, and he doesn't recognize the professional tools in his hands at all.

Helplessly, he has been in such a state of nagging for three days, and he is so troublesome that he even has some signs of losing confidence.

Is there really no mineral vein here?

No, from the perspective of terrain, the Evande area is within the scope of the Kapval Archean craton in South Africa, and it is also on the extension line of the main vein of the Rand area.

Theoretically speaking, even if there are not many gold reserves here, it shouldn't be the situation where you can't find anything at all, right?

In other words, the scope of the Kapval Archean craton is actually not as large as I initially judged, and the Evande-Baihe area is already at the periphery of its rigid crustal lithosphere?

If that's the case, it's pretty normal not to find gold.

There may not really be any here.

Thinking of this, Li Jing let out a long sigh.

The guide on the side was still nagging, and she could no longer suppress the anger in her heart, so she turned around and stared at him, and said viciously:

"Shut up! I'll pay you!"

The guide was taken aback by Li Jing, and the mocking expression on his face also restrained a bit, but he still said unconvinced:

"I'm here for your own good. What else can you do here but waste money?"

"You know, all the gold panning projects in the Baihe area are deceitful --- they are all experience projects set up by tourism companies, do you understand?"

"Those who found the Sands were actually secretly put in by the staff. Only VIP customers are treated like this."

"Jing, you are also a VIP customer, right? At least you used to be, otherwise, you would never be fooled"

Li Jing frowned and continued to climb the mountain. She did not doubt the authenticity of what the guide said. After all, such a routine had already been spread in the industry.

But the question is, if the travel company thinks there is no, then is there really no?

She was a little reconciled, but she didn't know how to refute.

So, she could only continue to climb the mountain in silence.

It wasn't until she arrived at the scheduled inspection site that she dug into the rock wall that went deep into the rock crevice, took out a small sample from it and observed it carefully, then she finally sat down as if resigned to her fate.

No gold, not at all.

The assistant on the side noticed her movement and said gloatingly:

"Look, I just said there can't be gold here."

"Let's go, it's almost afternoon, we haven't even eaten lunch, I'm so hungry that I can't walk anymore"

Li Jing took out the water bottle in her bag and took a sip, wrapping her fingers around the water bottle's lanyard again and again.

She really wanted to give up.

Not because the process is too difficult, but because

Hope is too slim.

Who the hell proposed to explore the Avond region?

Did he really come here to see it?

Or, does he really understand gold mines?

Li Jing shook her head and stood up, planning to take one last look, and then go down the mountain to go home.

But at this moment, an unusual color suddenly appeared in her eyes.

Off-white particles piled up in the shape of hills.

She subconsciously walked forward to the pile of hills, while the guide on the side followed closely.

"It's just a termite nest, Jing, you don't plan to find gold here, do you?"

Li Jing ignored him, but stretched out her hands to push away the pile of termite mud.

Then, she grabbed a handful of crushed mud, crushed it in her hand, and put her dust-filled hand under the handheld lens she carried with her.

She turned the lens carefully to adjust the focus, her expression remained unchanged.

The guide watched her movements nervously, and asked:

"Well, do you have any gold?"

Li Jing didn't answer.

After five full minutes, she finally put down the camera.

At this moment, her heart was already turbulent.

Gold dust was actually found in the excrement of these termites.

He never imagined that this kind of possibility, which can only be seen in books and exists theoretically, would actually come across to him.

Apparently, gold mines do exist in the Avonde area.

Moreover, the sandstone on which the gold mine is parasitic is tightly wrapped by rigid rock formations.

Even the impact of running water is not enough to take them out of the river.

However, termites parasitic in rock crevices can reach those corners that cannot be reached by manpower or running water.

And this is the only clue that this gold mine can be discovered.

Although I don't know to what extent the grade of the ore can reach.

But at least. it really has!

There was a hint of relief on Li Jing's face.

Then she turned to the guide and said:

"You're right, I shouldn't be dreaming."

"Let's go, we should go back."

"There really is no gold here."

"Not at all."