Chapter 117: Gratitude
That keen instinct for mineral resources was deeply etched into his soul, as if the very scent of ore coursed through his blood.
Whether mineralization had been found, whether it could be mined, how economically viable it was...
He only needed one look to make a basic judgment.
This Qinglong Copper Mine would become the most important asset for Zise Mining in the future!
Because of Qinglong Copper Mine, Zise Mining could remain standing tall in the mining industry for at least another fifty years!
In that instant, he saw the future of Zise Mining.
Before them lay a path gleaming with the brilliance of copper and gold.
At that moment, his heart surged with emotion—so many words, so many feelings collided inside him, but he couldn't speak. His breath grew rapid, and he felt short of air.
He set the report down, stood up, and opened his arms, embracing Li Zaiqiang.
He had always been a straightforward man who struggled to express his emotions, rarely even embracing family.
Yet in this moment, he couldn't help but want to give Li Zaiqiang a hug.
Li Zaiqiang could feel the intensity of Chen Jinhe's emotions. He froze for a few seconds, then gently patted Chen Jinhe's back.
"Chief Engineer Li, thank you for your hard work during this period, and thank you to all the technicians from Geological Team 101!" Chen Jinhe expressed his heartfelt gratitude.
"Let me take a look," Yao Zhenyu quickly grabbed the report and skimmed through it.
Once the senior leaders had gone through the data—whether they fully understood it or not—they were overwhelmed by the uncontrollable excitement flooding the office.
This set of data was like a matchstick, igniting everyone's passion and sending adrenaline rushing through their veins.
Ecstatic yet silent.
After a long pause, Chen Jinhe finally let out a deep breath, barely managing to calm the storm within. In a low, solemn voice, he said, "Everyone, our Zise Mining will surely achieve immortality!"
In that moment, they all seemed to glimpse the dazzling future of Zise Mining.
Everyone in the room was senior management of Zise Mining and had personally felt the pressure of the depleting resources at the Zise Copper-Gold Mine.
To maintain output, they had continuously invested in research and development, hoping to find a way to make use of low-grade ores.
To ensure the company's survival, they had overcome numerous obstacles to complete a shareholding reform—all in preparation for a stock market listing and expanding beyond Jian'an Province.
To truly "go out," they had staked the company's years of accumulated capital and approved the tens-of-millions exploration budget for the Qinglong Copper Mine project.
Every step they took was quiet and understated.
But every step had far-reaching consequences.
One misstep, and they could fall into an abyss.
At least in taking this first step beyond Jian'an Province, they had gotten it right—and opened up a new path forward.
The joy in the air was almost sweet.
Every Zise Mining employee was savoring it.
It wasn't until a while later that Yao Zhenyu broke the jubilant atmosphere. "I just took a quick look at your description of the ore-bearing bodies—Zones 1 and 2. The main ore layers are right at the surface, and the grades are quite high."
Li Zaiqiang, not technically part of the company, felt a little awkward being in the middle of it all.
Luckily, someone had broken the tension.
"Based on electrical measurements and drill core analysis, that's correct. This is mainly due to the formation of the intrusive rocks," Li Zaiqiang explained in layman's terms, seeing some leaders confused.
"Below the earth's crust, magma circulates. It pushes through faults and fissures to the surface, slowly cooling and forming a large area of igneous rock.
As the magma reaches the surface, it brings metallic elements from the mantle up with it, forming mineral deposits."
Chen Jinhe had grasped the entire situation, but he still asked, "Chief Engineer Li, based on your judgment, how should we proceed with the project?"
"We've only verified the surface portion of Zones 1 and 2 so far. Judging from the mineralization, the main ore layers are still shallow. But following the structural pathway into deeper magma channels—in other words, deeper into the intrusive body—there's a high chance of finding more copper."
Li Zaiqiang was very optimistic about Qinglong Copper Mine. The exploration had gone exceptionally smoothly—large ore layers were visible to the naked eye.
"Of course, for the next phase, our current surface verification work is only halfway done. We still need more drill holes to verify mineralization on the other half of the surface ore body."
"Good!" Chen Jinhe grew more excited. "If we can fully map the surface mineralization in Zones 1 and 2, we might break through ten million tons in reserves just there!"
"It's definitely possible," Li Zaiqiang said confidently. He firmly believed the western area of Qinglong Copper Mine alone held over ten million tons of copper.
"If the ore bodies in the west are at the surface, what about the east?" Chen Jinhe asked.
"We've done surface mapping in the eastern zone. According to the targets identified by Li Tang, there are visible ore outcrops, and the copper content is quite high."
Their early work had focused on the western zone. Strictly speaking, work hadn't really begun in the east.
But after seeing how good the mineralization was in the west, Li Zaiqiang couldn't resist checking out the east. As per Li Tang's guidance, he indeed found ore outcrops there.
"Li Tang?"
Chen Jinhe smiled knowingly upon hearing the name.
Zise Mining's ability to proceed with Qinglong Copper Mine was all thanks to Li Tang.
If Qinglong Copper Mine really ended up with 20 million tons of reserves, Li Tang would undeniably deserve credit for laying the foundation of Zise Mining's century-long future.
Zise Mining had always aimed to grow, reform, and adapt to the market.
But at its core, it remained deeply traditional.
Gratitude had always been an important part of its company culture.
Chen Jinhe knew very well—Zise Mining likely owed Li Tang a monumental favor.
Today's world revolves around contracts; many no longer care about sentiment, only whether profits arrive on time.
But Chen Jinhe was a man of warmth and gratitude.
"I just saw your next-phase work plan and preliminary budget proposal," he said, pulling his thoughts back, looking at Li Zaiqiang with a simple, sincere smile. "Let's proceed according to detailed survey standards."
"Actually, our previous work was already conducted to detailed survey standards," Li Zaiqiang admitted.
In truth, he had made the call without formal approval, cutting to the chase because mineralization was just too promising.
"I didn't want to waste time, energy, or money on unnecessary procedures.
As for the next steps, I think the goal should be to fully delineate the reserves in those four ore bodies.
As for looking for hidden ore or other intrusive rocks, I don't think that's as urgent anymore."
He was actually paraphrasing Li Tang's previous suggestions—though he hadn't realized it himself.
"Good, I understand," Chen Jinhe nodded.
Developing the project and discussing technical details was Li Zaiqiang's responsibility.
But securing logistical and especially financial support was Zise Mining's job.
After this in-depth discussion about the project, Li Zaiqiang and Tao Mingzhi were invited to a lounge next door.
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