Rebirth of the Mining Tycoon

Chapter 74: The Circle's a Bit Flat

After signing the contract, they returned to the adjacent office.

"Director Luo, do you have the data compiled by the provincial geological survey?" Li Tang asked. "I'd like to take a look at the target areas they've identified."

"Yes, yes, I'll have someone bring them over right away."

Li Tang flipped through the documents from the Geological Survey Institute, shaking his head the entire time.

The technical department at Huazhou Aluminum was understaffed, with only a handful of people. Their technical capabilities left much to be desired. After all, the company's main focus had always been aluminum smelting, not exploration.

A few technicians stood awkwardly by, not knowing what to say. They had no idea what was wrong, and frankly, they hadn't been involved in compiling the materials—they came from the provincial geological institute.

Director Luo Qinchong wasn't a technical expert either. "Li Tang, is there something wrong with the data?"

"The data is fine. It's… standard."

Li Tang wasn't here to nitpick. He was here to find ore. "The areas identified as targets were selected using conventional exploration thinking—surface mineral signs, favorable stratigraphy, geophysical anomalies. All very responsible work. But in my opinion, the likelihood of finding ore in these targets isn't very high."

So-called exploration targets are typically areas with some geological basis—perhaps prior surface signs of ore, favorable stratigraphy, or abnormal geophysical readings.

But in the grand scope of Earth, mineralized areas are incredibly rare.

When establishing a reconnaissance project and applying for exploration rights, the smart move is to target the most promising areas.

Technically, the geological survey team had followed all proper procedures.

"Do you have a topographic map of Tiemu Town, in County A of Luoyi City?" Li Tang rummaged through the document pile but couldn't find what he wanted.

"Do we have that?" Luo asked the technicians.

They looked blank, clearly unfamiliar with the data—heads down, saying nothing.

"I'll call the Geological Survey Institute and have them send someone over," Luo said quickly, picking up the phone.

Before long, Chief Engineer Ding Shaoying from the provincial survey team, along with Senior Research Engineer Bi Junjie, arrived with a few technicians.

They assumed something urgent had come up, but when they walked into Director Luo's office, they found two very young men waiting for them.

"I need a topographic map of Tiemu Town in County A, Luoyi City," Li Tang said directly.

"That's all?"

Ding Shaoying was annoyed, thinking he'd been summoned for nothing. Still, he instructed one of his staff: "Xiao He, go to the Land Bureau and borrow the map."

While they waited, Ding and the others didn't speak to Li Tang or He Runqi.

Outside the office, Ding pulled Luo aside. "Director Luo, on the phone you said you replaced this year's expert team. You meant those two kids?"

"Yes. We just signed a consulting contract with them," Luo replied carefully, not revealing the reward structure.

"You're joking, right?"

Previously, it had always been Bi Junjie who advised Huazhou Aluminum. They'd worked together many times, and the partnership was smooth.

Plus, Bi was a retired veteran expert—a source of genuine experience and insight.

"I'm not joking. That's Li Tang we brought in."

"Is that the same Li Tang from the Qulong Copper Mine news coverage?" Ding asked.

"Yes. He's the one who discovered it."

"The kid in the office—with the acne?" Ding's face twisted in disbelief. "Impossible."

"It's true. It wasn't easy to get him here—lots of connections were pulled. Please cooperate with him," Luo said sincerely.

The Geological Survey Institute had worked closely with Huazhou Aluminum for years. Every year, they'd receive one or two projects, and they valued the relationship deeply.

Though Ding had plenty of reservations, he chose not to challenge Huazhou Aluminum's decision.

Meanwhile, in another office, Bi Junjie, a longtime friend of Lai Xiangrong, was also catching up with him.

Lai was known for being frugal with staff hiring but generous when it came to high-end consultants.

"Old friend," Lai said while pouring tea, "I'd planned to have you guide the survey team again. But there was a last-minute change. You'll be heading to our old mine project. The team working with Ding now is being led by Li Tang from Wukuang Group."

"He has connections?" Bi asked immediately.

"Hard to say. But he clearly has a strong relationship with Niu Fu. From what I've heard, Li Tang played a key role in Qulong Copper. With a success like that under his belt, the sky's the limit."

"So Wukuang is putting his name on a major achievement like Qulong? That's… a lot of pull," Bi muttered, eyebrows furrowed.

"We don't know the full story. Best not to speculate."

From their tone, it was clear they doubted Li Tang's qualifications.

In their view, someone was grooming this young man—building him a golden career path.

But ability?

They didn't believe someone so young could possibly have enough experience for serious geological work.

In geology, knowledge from books is limited. Fieldwork requires deep insight built over years—sometimes decades.

Geologists are like aged wine—the older, the better.

"How did he end up here at your plant?" Bi asked.

"Probably using Luo's connection to get one more feather in his cap. Though to be honest, this whole thing doesn't make much sense."

"Is this a 'reading session with the prince'?" Bi chuckled.

"Let them play their game," Lai replied, raising his mug emblazoned with the words 'Serve the People', and clinking it lightly with Bi's in mutual understanding.

Soon, the map from the Land Bureau arrived.

Li Tang studied every hill and ridge on the Tiemu Town topographic maps, and within minutes, he pinpointed the exact coordinates from memory.

Tiemu Town wasn't large. Just a few 1:10,000 scale maps covered the whole area.

Normally, geological projects are named after a small landmark within the survey zone.

Li Tang remembered the name of the bauxite deposit that had won the National Geological Achievement Award, so locating it again was easy.

He picked up a pencil and circled a spot marked "Yunshang" on the map.

"This is it," he said confidently.

Ding, Bi, and the other technicians leaned in, squinting at the circled area.

So did Luo, Lai, and the rest of Huazhou Aluminum's management.

They stared for a long time but couldn't glean anything useful from the circle.

Topographic maps, after all, only show contour lines, roads, rivers, and place names—no geological data whatsoever.

Why draw a circle there?

"This circle you drew," Bi Junjie said dryly, "is a bit… lopsided."

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