Rebirth of the Mining Tycoon

Chapter 72: How Much Is a Miracle Worth

Luo Qinchong soon returned, visibly discouraged. He sat down on the sofa, head slightly lowered, thinking carefully about how to explain the situation.

"Director Luo," Li Tang said while glancing around the office at the many stacks of files and documents, "What exactly was the project you wanted us to take part in?"

"It wasn't finalized. I'd planned to sign the contract first, then sit down with you and talk through the details. But…" Luo let out another long sigh.

Li Tang didn't appear disappointed at all. He pointed to a bauxite distribution map of the province hanging on the opposite wall. "The bauxite sites marked on that map—are they all under Huazhou Aluminum's mining rights?"

Luo turned to look at the map, now dusty from age. "Only a few of those belong to us. There are quite a few bauxite producers in Huazhou. We're just one of the bigger ones."

"Huazhou Province is definitely rich in bauxite," Li Tang said as he stood up and walked over to the map, studying the distribution of key mining points. "Do you have any new exploration plans?"

"Yes! This year, I'm overseeing five projects: two will explore the borders of already active mines, two will continue work on discovered but unexploited deposits, and the fifth is meant to locate a new target zone and apply for an exploration license."

"The new project—you haven't filed for exploration rights yet?"

"No, we've just commissioned the provincial geological survey to compile the preliminary data. They've identified a few possible targets, but nothing is confirmed."

"In that case," Li Tang said, turning around with a smile, "how about letting me choose the location for the new project?"

"But Manager Lai didn't approve your contract. I don't have the authority to offer you high compensation," Luo admitted, clearly torn.

"I understand," Li Tang replied without hesitation.

He already knew, from previous chats with Luo, that Huazhou Aluminum usually invited senior experts from the provincial geological association. Although the standard consultant fee was said to be 100,000 yuan per person, these experts would always bring full teams to oversee the projects.

By contrast, this time Luo had only brought Li Tang and He Runqi—two young men with no entourage. To outsiders, they looked more like interns than experts. No wonder Lai Xiangrong hadn't taken them seriously.

Li Tang thought for a moment and then made a suggestion: "Director Luo, how about this? I'll take no payment up front. If we find something, you compensate us based on the results. What do you think?"

"Exploration is a long process, full of uncertainty. Many projects turn up nothing. If you work hard for half a year and walk away empty-handed, I'd feel bad," Luo said, clearly worried about wasting their time.

"That's why we'll make sure we find something!" Li Tang smiled.

In fact, his proposal was far more reasonable than demanding a large consultant fee up front.

Luo looked into his eyes and saw that he was completely serious. He thought for a moment and sat down again. "Are you confident you can find a new bauxite deposit?"

"We won't know unless we try."

Li Tang also sat down. "Director Luo, when you've paid experts 100,000 yuan in the past, how much bauxite did they typically help you find?"

"Can't say for sure. Sometimes we found deposits, but more often we didn't. Experts aren't miracle workers. They just provide technical support."

"What about last year? Did you hire any experts? How much bauxite was added to your reserves?"

"We hired two teams last year. No new deposits were found, but we did define an additional 1 million tons of reserves at an already active site."

"What's your exploration target this year?"

"Management wants 3 million tons of new bauxite resources."

"That's about the size of a small deposit," Li Tang remarked, sounding a little dismissive.

To that, Luo gave a bitter smile. "It's not easy to find even that. Since I became deputy director, I've been responsible for exploration, and I've never once hit the target."

"You're just a little unlucky. If your luck had been better, maybe you'd have found a medium-sized deposit by now and moved up in the world."

"Luck isn't something you can force."

"Well, good thing you've met me," Li Tang said with a playful tone.

"…"

Luo was momentarily speechless.

"If I help you find 3 million tons, that's worth 100,000 yuan, right?" Li Tang asked, getting straight to the point. "Let's be clear—talking about money doesn't hurt friendships."

"If you really help me hit this year's target, I'll give you 100,000 yuan out of my own pocket!" Luo said, now getting fired up.

"Seems like your compensation package is pretty generous."

Li Tang smiled. "What if I find 5 million tons?"

"That would qualify as a medium-sized deposit!"

"What if I find 20 million tons?"

"That would be a large-scale deposit!" Luo shook his head. "Unless you're absurdly lucky…"

"Then maybe you'll finally get promoted."

"I can't even imagine it."

Luo shook his head again, pulling himself back to reality.

He'd long passed the age of chasing dreams, and to him, Li Tang's talk sounded a bit like fantasy.

But Li Tang pressed on, still smiling: "Let me ask you one more thing—if I really find a large deposit, how much are you willing to pay as a bonus?"

If it weren't for Li Tang's reputation with the Qulong project, Luo probably wouldn't even be entertaining this conversation.

"In Huazhou Province, there's no way to find a new large-scale bauxite deposit!" Luo repeated, shaking his head again and again.

"Why not?"

"Every viable location has been explored dozens of times—by us, by the other companies, by provincial and national survey teams. There's nothing left to find!"

Luo had spent his entire career in Huazhou's bauxite sector. He knew this land's geology like the back of his hand.

"If I was able to find China's first ten-million-ton copper deposit, then I can find a new large-scale bauxite deposit here too."

Li Tang's voice was firm and unwavering.

Luo stared at him in disbelief.

"You don't believe me?"

"I'd need a miracle," Luo muttered.

"Then let me ask you—how much is a miracle worth?"

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