Chapter 70: Chapter 68: Mining Begins!
A hundred miles away from the camp’s valley.
Near a slightly concealed pile of rocks.
Dozens of impact crushers, hammer mills, compound crushers, and other crushing equipment, as well as drilling rigs, ball mills, vibrating screens, sand washers, and belt conveyors, were neatly arranged in front of a semi-elevated entrance.
This entrance was approximately seven to eight meters wide and angled downward at forty-five degrees into the ground, with a smooth and wide avenue cleared by human hands extending from the entrance to the edge of the rock pile.
This avenue was nearly ten meters wide, allowing large vehicles to pass through.
Beside these machines stood over a hundred Huaxia people, scattered and wearing safety helmets.
These individuals came from the exploration and extraction departments of a large state-owned mining enterprise in East China, all of whom had over twenty years of industry experience.
According to the original plan.
This group of personnel was supposed to depart from Modu Airport to provide technical assistance in a small African country, exploring and extracting a large mineral vein.
This group had signed a two-year overseas work agreement before going abroad, and their families were mentally prepared for long-term separation.
Currently, the Damo Realm is in the development stage, so this group was naturally detained outside customs.
After a series of operations, they were secretly dispatched to the Damo Realm, with another group replacing their departure.
Like Wu Fan and others.
This group of personnel could contact their families every now and then—specifically outside the light gate, using special equipment.
With the addition of these mining experts, the exploration speed of the Spirit Stone vein immediately increased significantly.
Moreover, Wei Siming had previously applied measures to prevent collapse and seepage within the vein, and the nature of Spirit Stones did not require testing and analysis.
So after several days of nonstop work.
The mining project finally moved past the stages of determining mineral processing methods, selecting and reinforcing the site, and installing and debugging equipment.
Arriving at the most critical point of the entire process:
Mining!
The overall person in charge of this mining task was Lei Wenjun, Deputy Director of the Modu Geological Research Institute, while the person responsible for the mining project was a Director Fei from Qingyuan National Mining Industry Department.
"Deputy Director Lei, all the related equipment has been debugged."
At this moment, Director Fei, wearing a safety helmet, spread out a cross-sectional diagram of the vein and introduced to Lei Wenjun:
"The main shaft of the Spirit Stone vein is approximately two hundred meters underground, with several bends in the middle.
Therefore, we are adopting the traditional deep-level underground process, using vibration ore discharge technology as the core support, and laying scraper tunnels within the vein.
However, due to the presence of abundant gently inclined medium-thick ore bodies in the vein, we can only achieve semi-mechanized mining.
The positions of the openings have been set according to your requirements, and we will start excavating from the left angle at 31.8 degrees.
Based on our survey, there should be many ’subparent stocks’ in this area."
According to Wei Fan’s previous description.
Once Spirit Stones are formed, they are surrounded by a very thick rock layer.
This complete entity, including the Spirit Stone, is known as a subparent stock.
Generally speaking.
A subparent stock with a diameter of about one foot can yield one to three standard units of Spirit Stones—exactly how many depends on luck, but the possibility ranges within this interval, neither more nor less.
It’s a situation where the odds of a small burst exist for the fortunate, while the less fortunate can only rely on the baseline.
The area delineated by Director Fei is suspected to be a place where a large number of subparent stocks are concentrated.
Lei Wenjun first verified the excavation angle with a pen and then said:
"The angle is between 31.6 and 31.9 degrees, no problem.
Strengthen the density of the single hydraulic prop a bit more; it would be undesirable if the roof pressure increases and causes a leakage effect."
Director Fei nodded: "I’ll check again."
Ten minutes later, Director Fei returned:
"Deputy Director Lei, all equipment and indices have been debugged and ready for command approval!"
Upon hearing this, Lei Wenjun’s tanned face suddenly appeared very solemn.
He tightly grasped the communicator, took a deep breath to stabilize his tone:
"Command center, command center.
This is the ’Mountain Craftsman’ project forward base.
All equipment on our side has been debugged, personnel count confirmed at one hundred and thirty-two and ready in position, requesting command center authorization for extraction!"
A moment later, Lin Li’s response came through the communicator:
"Authorization granted, core control console code XW45....
Commence mining, Deputy Director Lei!"
Ending the communication.
Lei Wenjun looked at Director Fei:
"Commence mining!"
As his voice fell.
Director Fei suddenly raised his right hand high, palm flat, four fingers together, thumb perpendicular to the four fingers—this is the common preparatory gesture within the mining industry.
Simultaneously, he used the intercom to address all team leaders:
"All departments, commence operations!"
Rumble——
The hydraulic drilling machine roared fiercely, beginning excavation with precision-calculated angles using a three-tail combined method.
At the same time, various departments were coordinating their reports:
"Density of advanced protection in two tunnels is normal, no need for successive pillar removal!"
"Checked the drill, no bending; the rock drilling machine is operating smoothly!"
"The work surface is in good condition, about to contact the soft rock layer; requesting to increase the dust removal frequency!"
After a while, the drilling team’s captain sent a message:
"Resonance displacement of the rock wall is minimal, moisture content in the sandy soil of the drilling area is extremely low.
Should we dispatch personnel to the mine to extract Zi-mu zhu? Please advise!"
Lei Wenjun clasped his hands tightly and solemnly issued the final command:
"Dispatch personnel to the mine, proceed with absolute caution!"
Six minutes later.
Three experienced mining elites, fully equipped, entered the mine alongside an officer from the Wei Mansion.
Watching as the four figures vanished into the mine entrance.
Lei Wenjun, Director Fei, and the leaders at the camp a hundred miles away were all awaiting the final result with serious expressions.
Twenty-two minutes later.
The four emerged from the mine.
Unlike when they entered.
When they exited the mine, each one clutched a stone sphere about thirty centimeters in diameter tightly to their chest.
At the moment he saw the stone sphere.
Lei Wenjun’s heart fiercely twitched.
He quickly approached the mine entrance and asked the mining personnel:
"Gentlemen, could this be..."
One of the oldest of the group wiped the dust from his face and handed the stone sphere to Lei Wenjun:
"That’s right, confirmed by this brother from the Wei Mansion, this is the Zi-mu Zhu!"
Lei Wenjun took the stone sphere and exhaled deeply.
He held the stone sphere against his chest with one hand, and used the other to assist the miner, asking:
"Master, what’s the Spirit Stone reserve in the area we selected?"
The miner took leverage from Lei Wenjun to jump out of the mine entrance, brushing dust off the upper part of his thigh with his hand.
Then replied:
"Vice Director Lei, the area we chose...uh, sorry, got used to saying coal mine, Spirit... Spirit Stone, there are indeed many.
A significant number of Zi-mu Zhu formations are visible to the naked eye; the line of sight and passage width are very fitting.
More crucially.
The operation platform’s selected angle is very precise, it just passed between two soft rock layers without damaging any soil wall of the Zi-mu Zhu."
"That’s fantastic, the tilt angle is indeed what we calculated!"
Lei Wenjun couldn’t help but show some pride, as he was the one who calculated the excavation angle.
He then randomly picked one of the four Zi-mu Zhu, carried it aside with Director Fei.
Slam.
He placed the Zi-mu Zhu on the table, took out a set of tools provided by the Wei Mansion from his pocket, and said to Director Fei:
"Director Fei, the command center instructed previously.
If Spirit Stone is mined, we should randomly select one Zi-mu Zhu to open and inspect.
Who do you think should make this cut?"
Director Fei didn’t answer directly, rather he pointed to his face: "What’s my name?"
Lei Wenjun looked puzzled: "Director Fei."
"I mean the full name."
"Fei Qiu."
"Then why ask? Would you believe I’ve never won a prize from a bottle cap since there’s a beer bottle-cap prize?"
Lei Wenjun: "..."
Director Fei then waved his hand, his eyebrows instantly drooping down:
"I play card games in League of Legends every day for 1 gold, never strengthened weapons above level 12 in DNF, never even seen the two-faced monk in Yin Yang Master.
Last year during the national technical cadre inspection by the Ministry of Industry, out of 120,000 people, only I was missed. Because of that, I didn’t get my year-end bonus; I bought a house in a neighborhood where a bankrupt person committed suicide, and the housing price fell by one-third that day. I bought a car the next day, and then the policy for new energy reduced prices by 10%. The most absurd part is that the novels I follow, all their authors very well update once a month...
Yes, Vice Director Lei, I heard Zi-mu Zhu might yield one to three Spirit Stones? Would you believe I’ll get zero?"
Lei Wenjun started sweating coldly from listening: ".....then I’ll do it."
He steadied himself, picked up the tools provided by the Wei Mansion, and cautiously cut open the Zi-mu Zhu.
The outer layer of Zi-mu Zhu is made of rock, but as it cuts through, it’s surprisingly sticky soft, without the hardness of stone.
Moments later, the rock split into two.
Three Spirit Stones lay quietly in the center, radiating a jade-green glow.
Lei Wenjun delicately picked up a Spirit Stone, holding it in his palm as if cradling a baby.
In a certain sense, babies and Spirit Stones have some similarities.
Babies symbolize the extension of life.
While Spirit Stones represent the future of a great nation....
Lei Wenjun took a deep breath, spun around, and shouted loudly through the intercom:
"All departments... initiate full-scale operation!"