Chapter 465: The future of Jinshan City... is left to you!

"Let me introduce myself. I am Su Yang, Gang Leader of the Six Harmonies Association."

Looking at this young man before them, the group looked at each other, all somewhat dazed.

The middle-aged man in the lead furrowed his brows and scanned the surroundings. "Is Gang Leader Su playing us for fools? I didn't see a single mountain on the way here, let alone the conditions for ore to form."

"I brought my brothers thousands of miles from the North City District, and this is how you treat us?"

Su Yang noticed that this man had only two fingers on his left hand, and his palms were covered in calluses; one look and it was clear he was an experienced miner.

"Are you their foreman?"

"I am Du Feng. I started washing ore at fifteen, and it has been thirty years since then." Du Feng gave a light huff.

"Foreman Du, please stay calm. Please, follow me." Su Yang gestured with his hand.

"Don't give me that talk yet. How much is the promised salary? Make that clear," Du Feng said.

Su Yang watched his unyielding demeanor and didn't get angry at all; instead, he cast an appreciative look toward Lei Cheng.

This was exactly the kind of unruly, prickly character he wanted.

A miner's capability was directly proportional to their temper.

If they were overly patient, "yes-men," he would actually be disappointed in them.

"The average salary for miners in the North City District is six thousand a month. I will give you twelve thousand. If you can meet the monthly targets, you'll get a percentage bonus for every bit over the quota," Su Yang said with a smile.

"Is that true?" Du Feng's furrowed brows relaxed slightly, his heart stirred.

Su Yang opened the metal box he had brought right in front of everyone.

The gleaming banknotes immediately dazzled their eyes.

Taking advantage of the moment they were mesmerized, Su Yang said, "I need experienced miners, and since you've left your homes to come here, I must show some gesture."

"To show my sincerity, I will pay you half a month's salary in advance."

"However..."

At this point, Su Yang's tone shifted, his gaze suddenly turning sharp. "I'll say the ugly things first: if I discover anyone slacking off or violating the contract, don't blame me for being impolite."

"Contract?" Du Feng sensed something amiss and asked, "Gang Leader Su, please speak."

"I have only one requirement for you: while doing your jobs, you are not allowed to leave the mine for half a year!"

What?!

The group was immediately shocked.

Du Feng had never heard of such an outrageous demand and immediately said with dissatisfaction, "Does Gang Leader Su want to keep us like livestock?"

The mine was dark and sunless; staying there for a long time would inevitably be incredibly oppressive.

Even for the most experienced people, without entertainment or relaxation, they would easily develop psychological issues.

"Foreman Du, that's where you're wrong. I'm paying such a high price, covering your food and lodging, and providing all the alcohol you can drink. This small request isn't too much, is it?" Su Yang said with a half-smile.

"Even rest has to be in the mine?" Du Feng asked.

"Of course. No matter what happens, you are not allowed to leave."

"Eating, drinking, and relieving ourselves all in the mine—after a long time, aren't you afraid of an epidemic, Gang Leader Su?"

"Please rest assured. I will arrange for people to handle the cleaning properly. Furthermore, if any of you suffer the slightest injury or discomfort, I will invite specialized doctors to treat you, all free of charge."

Du Feng fell silent.

A man beside him nudged his shoulder and whispered, "I feel like there's a trap in this."

"Let's see how things go first," Du Feng said in a low voice.

The suspicion wasn't groundless; after all, the conditions Su Yang offered were too good—comprehensive and with a high salary.

The money was right in front of them; that much couldn't be doubted.

It was just that there were too many restrictions—a full half-year without seeing the sun.

Du Feng had been in this line of work for many years; he had seen many people driven mad by the oppressive environment of mines.

Having worked for warlords for so many years, no one knew better than him how dangerous this job was.

In the past, he would have refused such conditions without hesitation.

After all, he carried not only his own life on his shoulders but also the livelihoods of the hundreds of brothers beside him.

Every one of them had their own family; they were all the pillars of their households.

If anything went wrong, he couldn't bear the weight on his conscience.

However...

The North City District was so hard now, and they had no other means of making a living. During this time of skyrocketing prices, if they didn't work, their families wouldn't have food on the table.

"Can you guarantee that the monthly salary will arrive on time?" Du Feng confirmed.

"On the fifteenth of every month, paid on time," Su Yang nodded with a smile.

"Take me into the mine to see."

"No problem. Please, follow me."

Su Yang led the way, bringing Du Feng to the mine entrance.

Looking at the bottomless cave, Du Feng felt suspicious. "The vein you mentioned is underground?"

"To be precise, twenty meters underground."

Du Feng climbed down the rope ladder, half-believing, half-doubting. When he stepped onto the bottom, he was immediately shocked by the scene before him.

Under the illumination of the miner's lamps, the golden, glittering gold looked like spirits embedded in the walls—breathtakingly beautiful.

"This is..." Du Feng was so shocked he couldn't even speak.

"What's in front is just an appetizer; the real main course is inside," Su Yang smiled mysteriously.

As the two gradually went deeper, the shock in Du Feng's heart grew deeper and deeper.

The gold content was getting higher and higher; some didn't even need to be dug, just picked up.

Moreover, the purity was visibly high. He immediately recalled the news from a few days ago about the gold dispute in the South City District.

"There's a gold mountain in the West City District, and one in the South City District too?"

When the two reached the end, they were stunned to find gold the size of a human head everywhere.

Du Feng had been in this business for so many years, serving warlords his whole life, just to find a gold mountain.

He had never seen so much gold; for a moment, he was stunned on the spot, unable to recover for a long time.

"How about it? This job... are you taking it or not?" Su Yang asked with a smile.

Du Feng was completely immersed in being enveloped by the golden light. This feeling was like the treasure he had sought his whole life—it had seemed so far off, yet looking back, it was right before his eyes.

"I understand now why you wanted to sign a contract."

"Human hearts are hard to fathom; I hope you understand," Su Yang said.

Du Feng let out a long sigh and reached out to touch the gold. The texture fascinated him, but it also gave him a deep sense of crisis.

"I don't ask for much; I just want you to keep your promise."

"Rest assured, I will treat every one of you well."

Du Feng stood dazed for a long time until a shout from behind woke him up.

He looked at Su Yang with complex eyes and slowly extended his hand. "This job... I'll take it!"

Su Yang reached out and shook his hand. "Happy cooperation!"

"I will convince my people. Gang Leader Su just needs to arrange for people to transport the dug ore out," Du Feng said.

"When can we start?"

"When does Gang Leader Su hope to start?"

"Of course, the sooner the better."

"Then now!"

"Oh?" A flash of surprise appeared in Su Yang's eyes; he hadn't expected him to be so straightforward.

"Taking money to do a job is only right and proper. Since we've received the benefits, we must start work immediately," Du Feng said.

Su Yang laughed out loud. "That's excellent. I look forward to your performance."

"The future of Jinshan City..."

"... is left in your hands." ===== CHAPTER 466 =====