A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Chapter 787 I may have dreamt of being intimately close to you?

Before dawn, the old forest looked as if it had been soaked in ink. The moonlight outside was still bright and clear, but only a few scattered points of light shone through the layers of branches, falling on the ground covered with the remaining snow, like a handful of silver coins.

The wind whistled through the gaps in the tree trunks, and occasionally a dead branch snapped with a crack, sounding particularly jarring in the deathly silent forest.

There might be a glimmer of light on the horizon outside, but deep in this dense forest, especially after all the lights of the armored vehicle were turned off, the darkness was like thick ink, swallowing everything up, so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Only the occasional metallic clang of guns clashing against equipment as the soldiers adjusted their positions, along with the suppressed breathing of the crowd, reminded everyone that someone was present.

Chief Cheng saw that the main objective of finding the missing geological team had been achieved, but the situation was more complicated than expected. Moreover, it was still dark, the forest was deep and the roads were dangerous, and it would be too risky to move the group of technicians at night.

He decisively ordered: "Attention all groups! Establish a circular defensive position on the spot, utilizing the armored vehicles and favorable terrain! Maintain silence and take turns on guard duty! Wait until dawn before withdrawing!"

The soldiers immediately sprang into action. Some used entrenching tools to dig simple shelters in the snow, while others leaned against tree trunks, aiming their guns into the depths of the forest with wary eyes.

After figuring out Jiang Xia's identity, Zhou Wenbin immediately abandoned his skinny legs, grabbed the blueprints, and returned to the old geologist's side.

Because Chief Guard Cheng had strictly forbidden any light from being emitted, these guys, upon seeing their teacher, actually dug out a few old blankets from the dilapidated shack, covered the old geologist with them, and started a lively discussion with their small flashlights.

Jiang Xia sighed as he watched the geologists gather around the old geologist again, huddled under an old stall discussing blueprints.

Thinking that these silly guys had been up all night, cold and hungry, I had to get them something hot to eat.

Why are you so kind to them?

Perhaps it's because these clueless geologists said this was imitating an old man's "beggar protecting his file" behavior.

Yes, it really does look like it.

What they were protecting wasn't gold or silver, but rather paper documents that ordinary people would find tedious to look at.

In some people's eyes, it's their lifeline, something more precious than gold...

Jiang Xia pulled a large tin bucket from the rear of the armored vehicle, then took out more than ten packets of flatbread wrapped in moisture-proof oil paper, tore them all open, and threw them into the bucket. He picked up a thermos and poured it in with a splash, stirring it a few times with a clean wooden stick.

Steam rose instantly, carrying the aroma of the flatbread, filling the entire carriage.

"All done! I'll just have this for now!"

He had just put the lid on the bucket when he saw Old Wang leaning against the window of the armored vehicle, his head facing a dark object with a faint green glow on his glasses, staring into the depths of the forest.

"Hey, Lao Wang, what are you doing? If you drain the battery completely, the car won't start, don't blame me for not warning you!" Jiang Xia leaned over and poked the night vision goggles.

"Wait!"

"Wait? Wait for what? Wait for dawn?" Jiang Xia didn't react for a moment.

"Wait for someone," Old Wang said succinctly. "That 'Captain Guan'... or someone he sent. He caused such a commotion just now... The sound can travel a long way in this old forest... If there are any of their people nearby, they would definitely come to check."

"Captain Guan?" Jiang Xia was stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered what the geological team members had said about "bandits dressed as comrades," and realized what was going on.

Just then, a clear voice came from outside the open car door, where Chief of Security Cheng was asking Zhou Wenbin for details.

"You mean you weren't forced to look for minerals? Everything was voluntary?"

"Look at what you're saying, it's all for serving the motherland, and you're completely willing to do it!"

"Isn't this a gathering place?"

"That's right! It took us two days to get here! The settlement is in a mountain valley more than 20 miles to the east. Some scattered mineral veins have been discovered there, and Team Leader Guan has organized people to mine there!"

"Hey, didn't you guys bring the teacher here for an inspection? What, didn't you run into Team Leader Guan?" Zhou Wenbin ate the instant noodles his "junior brother" had given him, answering the head of the guard's question as he ate.

"By the way! Team Leader Guan's mine is in the east, how did you get in from the west? The villagers said it's very dangerous over there, we've never even been inside!"

…………

After a conversation, Jiang Xia and the others finally understood why Zhou Wenbin was so excited to meet them.

The main reason was that they firmly believed that "Captain Guan" was one of their own, sent by higher authorities to support the exploration work after receiving their initial report. The first few scattered mining sites were also initially excavated under the command of this Captain Guan.

“Wait a minute,” Chief Guard Cheng keenly grasped the key point, “did you never doubt his identity? Why did you trust him so much?”

"Because we met with the leaders! Our radio malfunctioned, and the bureau sent Chief Commander Zhang with a team to find us!" Zhou Wenbin scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

"We're too stupid, thank you for your help, organization..."

"But he was very happy when he heard our report! He said he wanted to recommend us for credit, and that the motherland urgently needed these hard currencies, asking if we were willing to continue the search! Of course we were!"

Okay, it's not that these people are stupid, it's that someone has changed their mind!

"I may have dreamt that we were intimately close."

"When I woke up, I found that we were like strangers..."