Chapter 87: No One Saw It Coming
Oh no, I'm doomed!
He Runqi nervously accepted the rock sample.
Up until now, no matter what happened, no matter who they met or what project they were involved in, Li Tang had always been the one standing at the front, solving all the problems.
All he had to do was follow behind like a shadow.
Now that Li Tang was gone, he was left exposed—like standing alone in a hail of bullets.
What if he said something wrong? Would they mock him mercilessly?
Facing the geological technicians—who often liked to poke fun at them—He Runqi was extremely anxious. He tried his best to stay calm and brought the small piece of rock close to his eyes for careful observation.
Pfft!
He suddenly spit on the rock.
The people around him frowned in unison, clearly disturbed by the sight.
He Runqi didn't notice their reactions. He rubbed the saliva-moistened surface of the rock and produced a murky film.
"This isn't sandstone—it's shale," he said confidently. "Sandstone feels gritty. This is smooth to the touch."
"That's it?" Ding Shaoying asked, a little taken aback.
"Yes, it's shale."
"Alright then." Ding Shaoying nodded and didn't say much more.
As he turned to leave, He Runqi quickly called out, "Chief Engineer Ding, your rock!"
He tried to hand the rock back.
"No," Ding Shaoying withdrew his hand, "That's your rock now. Keep it—as a souvenir."
It was only a small piece of core. Even if it got lost, it wouldn't affect the prospecting outcome.
In truth, he was just too embarrassed to take it back.
After some thought, Ding Shaoying contacted Luo Qinzhong and asked him to inform Bi Junjie to come to Tiemu Town as soon as possible—something unusual was happening here.
But before Bi Junjie could arrive, the drill rig foreman came running in a hurry with urgent news.
They had continued drilling for about four more meters, and the bit had finally broken through the shale layer into dolomite.
When they went to inspect the new core samples at the drill site, they used a tape measure to check the thickness of the suspected oolitic bauxite layer—it was about 4 meters thick.
Ding Shaoying personally directed the technicians to conduct a full-core lithological log. Then he made a prompt decision: select samples from the suspected bauxite section, and have the project team's driver rush them to the provincial capital of Huazhou, where there was a certified lab for chemical analysis.
He paid extra for expedited processing.
Two days later, the chemical analysis results came back.
Holding the test report in his trembling hands, Ding Shaoying's eyes gleamed like they were emitting light.
Seeing his strange expression, the technicians around him exchanged puzzled glances.
"Chief Engineer Ding, did we strike ore?" someone asked.
"The average mass fraction of alumina is 64%, and the aluminum-to-silicon ratio is 5.3. That's an excellent result—better than most sites in Huazhou Province! The only downside is that the Al/Si ratio doesn't exceed 7."
Ding Shaoying looked up, his bloodshot eyes scanning the team.
"Is it really bauxite?"
"First drill hole and we hit ore? I've been involved in so many projects with the Geological Survey Institute, and this is the first time it went so smoothly."
"Our sample came from around the 200-meter depth. At that depth, no one would expect to find bauxite. How is this even possible?"
"Could the chemical analysis be wrong?"
"This is seriously bizarre…"
"Maybe only Li Tang knows what's going on. He's been the only one insisting that we search for bauxite below 200 meters."
"Too bad he's gone to Tibet. Otherwise, we could ask him to explain how such an unbelievable thing could happen."
"If we've found bauxite at 200 meters, what if we follow the dip of the ore body? Could there be even more at 500 or 600 meters?"
"Have we lost our minds, or is this an actual scientific breakthrough?"
"Maybe He Runqi knows something about this bauxite too. I'll go get him!"
The technicians whispered among themselves.
They had worked on numerous bauxite prospecting projects. Every expert and senior in the field had drilled into their heads the idea that bauxite could only be found within 150 meters of the surface.
That depth had always been regarded as a scientific boundary.
Now, this new bauxite find shattered that belief.
It forced them to reflect and speculate.
In that moment, they all began to question themselves.
"How is this even possible?!"
Ding Shaoying couldn't make sense of it. He did a mental calculation based on the test report and added, "Given this chemical analysis, not only does the ore exceed industrial grade, but the layer is also 3.5 meters thick!"
Just then, He Runqi rushed out of the house.
He saw the group of people gathered around Ding Shaoying, and everyone looking at him with unusual intensity.
From their expressions—part excitement, part confusion—he couldn't figure out what was going on.
Were they about to confront him over unpaid living expenses or something?
He nervously shuffled over and greeted them, "Good afternoon, Chief Engineer Ding, everyone."
Ding Shaoying looked at him. He had planned to ask something technical about the Yunyue Bauxite Project, but instead changed his mind.
"When is Li Tang coming back from Tibet?"
"I don't know—he didn't say."
"Mm." Ding Shaoying didn't press further. He turned his attention back to the chemical analysis report. After a moment's thought, he issued an order: "Organize all the data we have, especially the CSAMT and gravity survey results!"
Then he went to call Luo Qinzhong.
But no one answered the office phone.
As evening approached and he grew more anxious, he finally called for the driver, brought along two technicians and He Runqi, and took all the project data with him straight to Huazhou Aluminum Plant.
Luo Qinzhong's office door was open, but he didn't show up until 7 p.m.—carrying a laptop and looking utterly exhausted.
Just as he reached for his empty cup to pour some water, he looked up and saw Ding Shaoying and the others sitting on the sofa.
Surprised, he asked, "What are you all doing here?"
"Director Luo, I tried calling this afternoon, but couldn't get through. So we came straight from the project site," Ding Shaoying explained.
"Sorry about that—I've been in meetings all afternoon. Leadership is placing more and more emphasis on ideological discipline. We're required to attend political study sessions every couple of days now."
After pouring a glass of water and setting down his laptop, he asked, "So, what's the urgent matter?"
"We struck ore!" Ding Shaoying excitedly placed a stack of documents on the desk. "Our first exploratory drill hole reached its target depth. We sampled the core and sent it for analysis. The results… are beyond what anyone expected."
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