What?
Lin Fan and Chen Xue were both stunned, their faces filled with immense shock.
"Both gases are colorless and odorless, but they are heavier than air, so they settle in low-lying areas of the earth's surface. Once a person inhales them, it will instantly cause brain hypoxia and suffocation. This is the fundamental reason why 'Devil's Slope' is barren and devoid of animals."
Su Tang calmly revealed the mystery of the curse that had plagued the exploration team for six years.
As a geology student, Lin Fan immediately grasped the key to it!
"I understand!" His voice trembled with excitement. "The tragedy six years ago... that exploration team, they were probably caught off guard and chose a low-lying area to rest, only to be caught in a sudden eruption of underground gas, which is why... that's why they all died...!"
"That sole survivor," Chen Xue suddenly realized, "was probably able to escape because he was standing at a higher position or far away. But he must have inhaled a lot of gas, causing severe brain damage due to oxygen deprivation, which is why he became so insane...!"
The truth is...?
It's not some evil spirit, nor some curse, but the most basic geological disaster they should have learned about in textbooks!
Lin Fan and Chen Xue looked at Su Tang with eyes that, besides the lingering fear of surviving a disaster, were also filled with an almost fanatical admiration.
She solved this mystery so easily the moment she entered the mountains?
Su Tang shook her head, still feeling that something was amiss.
Logically speaking, the research institute's exploration team was no pushover; they couldn't possibly have been completely unaware of such a glaringly obvious danger on the surface. She learned from the files that the team from six years ago was even more experienced and seasoned.
Her intuition told her that things might not be so simple, and perhaps... there was more to the story.
"This is just a preliminary guess," Su Tang said in a deep voice. "Don't think too much about it yet. Based on my judgment, what we are looking for is on that high cliff ahead. It's high up there, the gas concentration is low, and it's relatively safe."
She pointed to the locations marked on the future map.
With a clear objective and an understanding of the dangers, the three men proceeded efficiently and cautiously. They carefully avoided all low-lying areas where gas might accumulate, deliberately choosing to go to higher ground.
Soon, Lin Fan discovered geological features on an exposed rock layer that were exactly the same as the thrust fault structure he had predicted in his paper.
"Comrade Su! Chen Xue! Look! It's a thrust fault! My deduction was correct! High-temperature hydrothermal activity really did form a rich mineral deposit here!" Lin Fan was so excited that he was incoherent, and his confidence in his theory soared at this moment.
Led by Su Tang, they successfully reached the cliff. At the foot of the cliff, a cave, half-hidden by vines and rocks, appeared before them.
The wind blowing out of the cave entrance carried a hint of coolness.
The three entered the cave, and the scene before them, illuminated by their flashlights, made them hold their breath.
Inside the cave, a vast expanse of snow-white, fine-grained material, interspersed with blood-red streaks of accompanying minerals, lay before them, completely unobstructed. The sheer quantity and quality far exceeded their wildest expectations!
"That's it! Comrade Su, it's kaolin! Look, there's also the associated red striped ore!"
Lin Fan could no longer control his emotions. He lunged forward and dug away the topsoil with his hands. That pure white was breathtaking. He rubbed it between his fingers; the delicate, smooth texture was exactly as Su Tang had described at the research institute!
He succeeded; his theory was proven! It proved he wasn't just a bookworm spouting theories.
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