Alaska Gold Rush Diary

Chapter 179 Hibernation Valley, Frozen Golden Tent

Chapter 180 Hibernation Valley, Frozen Golden Tent

"That's right." Bell nodded. "We call this treasure the Golden Tent of the Frozen Land, and it's located in Alaska."

At the height of the Klondike Gold Rush, there was a successful but eccentric mine owner who distrusted banks and buried all his winnings in a cave somewhere in Alaska.

He later died in an accident, but left behind a rough map marked with personal coded language.

We obtained this map several years ago, but only a few months ago did we finally manage to decipher the information on it.

Zhou Xin listened quietly, as if he were listening to a legend.

"Now that you've cracked the map information, you must have already figured out the exact location of the treasure. So why don't you go and dig it up right away?" Zhou Xin asked.

In his view, since the location has been locked, all he had to do was dig with the digging tools. Why did he call it an adventure and ask for his help?

Sofia chimed in, "The reason is simple: the location where the treasure is buried is fraught with danger. If we go there rashly, we could very well be in mortal danger."

"Where exactly is that? Are there really such dangerous places in Alaska?"

He had ventured alone through the Alaskan wilderness and lived there for several months, so his impression of the Alaskan wilderness had always been that it was somewhat dangerous, but not very dangerous.

"Of course," Sofia said with certainty. "It's called Hibernation Valley because many brown and black bears hibernate there in winter."

Although these bears don't usually gather due to territorial instincts, they temporarily set aside their conflicts and hibernate together there because the area is ideal for their hibernation.

Zhou Xin understood what they meant. This place called Hibernation Valley was infested with many ferocious beasts and was extremely dangerous, so they dared not go there rashly.

Then Zhou Xin thought of another question: "Since bears don't usually gather in groups, why don't you go when the weather is warmer? That way you won't have to worry about encountering large numbers of brown and black bears, right?"

"The key is," Bell gave a wry smile, "that there are not only bears there, but also the most densely packed wolf packs in Alaska, especially when the weather is warm and food is plentiful, so there are even more wolves. It is said that the largest pack of wolves has more than thirty members."

Zhou Xin finally understood: there are wolves in summer and bears in winter.

For these experienced hunters, a few or a dozen wolves might not be a problem, but if they were surrounded by dozens of wolves, the danger would be much greater.

"So, you think the wolf pack is more dangerous, and you plan to sneak in and take the treasure out while the bears are hibernating in winter?"

“You’re very clever. This is our plan,” Bell said. “However, although bears hibernate in winter, it can still be very dangerous to disturb them. So, we thought that having one more person would give us more strength.”

Zhou Xin fully understood their meaning, and then he asked one last question: "Just how much gold is in this legendary frozen golden tent?"

Bell smiled and held up four fingers: "It's said to be no less than 4000 ounces."

Zhou Xin gasped. No wonder they were willing to take this risk. If they obtained this treasure, even if they split it equally, each of them would still reap a considerable fortune.

He actually had another question in his mind: if the place was so dangerous, how did the mine owner manage to bury the treasure there in the first place?

Of course, the person in front of you can't answer this question.

Seeing Sophia's expectant and eager gaze, Zhou Xin smiled and said, "If I don't have anything else to do by then, I'll consider it."

"Really? That's great!" Sofia exclaimed.

Zhou Xin smiled and nodded.

The hunters planned to set off in winter, when the gold rush season would be over, so the timing wouldn't conflict.

This is a 4000-ounce treasure. Even if he only gets a hundred or two hundred ounces, that would still be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

No one ever thinks they have too much money, especially Zhou Xin, who was terrified of being poor.

Based on Bell's description, he believed that the matter was somewhat risky, but not very risky.

Compared to vicious people, wild beasts are nothing.

Moreover, Zhou Xin had another consideration in mind: this treasure hunt should allow him to quickly get closer to Bell, which would be very helpful in finding him to rent land to open a mine.

"Then I look forward to your reply!"

Bell and Zhou Xin shook hands amicably and saw him off to his car.

"No problem, just let me know in advance. As long as nothing else comes up, I'll definitely join you."

Sofia stood beside the vehicle, a hint of reluctance on her face: "Mr. Zhou, you must come again when you have time! Next time, bring your bear so Wyatt and the others can see it!"

Looking at the girl's playful appearance, Zhou Xin couldn't help but smile.

Bell and Sofia had strongly invited him to stay for lunch at the base, but he was preoccupied with matters at the mine and politely declined.

It was already 2 p.m. when Zhou Xin returned to the mine. He went straight to the gold mining factory and saw Edward and Alo still carrying out repairs.

"How's it going? Will it be fixed today?"

A day's shutdown means the loss of tens of ounces of gold revenue. If you also factor in personnel and equipment downtime expenses, the daily loss could reach forty to fifty thousand US dollars.

Thinking about this, Zhou Xin became extremely anxious.

"It's a bit difficult. The equipment is aging more severely than I imagined. We must take this opportunity to repair it properly, otherwise it may break down again after only a few days of operation."

Edward is very reliable when it comes to serious matters, so since he said so, Zhou Xin will definitely support him unconditionally.

"It's alright. Everything that needed fixing has been fixed. We can also re-inspect the parts that weren't faulty. We must make sure the machine is fully back to normal."

Edward nodded: "Don't worry, I'll definitely fix it, but it might be a bit difficult today."

As he spoke, he looked up at Zhou Xin, only to see the latter smiling and saying, "It's alright, we have headlights, the lighting is guaranteed. At worst, we'll work through the night. The gold mining factory must be in normal production tomorrow."

Edward: "————"

Zhou Xin didn't leave everything to Edward and Alo; he stayed at the gold mining factory himself, working alongside Edward.

Although he and Alo didn't know anything about mechanical repair, they were good at helping out, and the three of them working together would be much more efficient.

The temperature was very low at night, but the three of them kept working and didn't feel cold.

At 2 a.m., they were still continuing their repair work.

Zhang Jianing cooked dumplings for them as a late-night snack and brought them to the gold mining factory.

After working through the night, the three of them were indeed hungry. Ignoring the oil stains all over their bodies, they sat on the mining machine and started eating heartily.

After eating hot pork and cabbage dumplings, most of my fatigue was dispelled.

Zhang Jianing tenderly wiped the oil off Zhou Xin's face and then fed him some saliva.

"Why don't we rest today and continue repairing tomorrow?" She really couldn't bear to see Zhou Xin working so hard.

"No," Zhou Xin swallowed a mouthful of dumplings, "It has to be finished tonight so we can start work tomorrow. This year's annual goal must be achieved!"

The weather is getting colder, and every day is crucial.

Zhang Jianing knew that once he made up his mind, he would definitely do it, so she stopped trying to persuade him and chose to support him silently.