The machines thundered day and night.
Evan stood at the edge of the site, watching as the excavators carved deep trenches into the frozen ground. Water pumps roared, sluice boxes rattled, and trommels spun relentlessly, feeding their findings into wash plants that shimmered with icy mist. Snow still blanketed the surrounding hills, but the heart of his claim was alive, pounding like a mechanical beast.
The crew worked in shifts gritty, tireless men and women with frostbitten cheeks and fire in their eyes. Most had expected long days and modest gains, maybe a few promising nuggets here and there. But after just a week, the signs were unmistakable.
Gold.
A lot of it.
By the seventh day, Carter stood beside Evan in the temporary weigh station, arms crossed over his bulky parka, staring down at the industrial scales.
"Alright, boys," he called out. "Bring it in."
One by one, metal crates were dragged in dirty, dented, but heavy. Inside, each was lined with polished flecks and gleaming nuggets. Gold dust clung to every corner.
Evan leaned in as the crew loaded the final crate. The digital display beeped, numbers flashing across the screen.
Carter squinted. "That can't be right…"
"It is," Evan said calmly, watching his system confirm the total.
6,000 troy ounces. Estimated value: over 6 million dollars.
Silence fell for a brief moment. Then the crew exploded with cheers.
"Holy hell!"
"We're rich!"
"Somebody bring out the whiskey!"
Even the grizzled Carter looked stunned. "Kid… you hit the motherlode. I've been mining this land for three decades, and I've never seen a yield like this. Not in one week."
Evan just smiled. "Told you we were going to make gold rain."
That night, the makeshift mess tent turned into a party. Bottles were passed around, old mining songs were sung in off-key harmony, and someone even cooked moose steaks over a roaring fire. The laughter echoed into the night, mingling with the hum of generators and the crunch of snow under dancing boots.
Evan didn't get drunk, though. He stood at the edge of the firelight, a mug of coffee in hand, and opened his system's interface.
[Prompt: Establish Company?]
He nodded.
> Confirmed. Name: Sentry Mining CompanyStatus: PrivateOwner: Evan CrossInitial Assets: $6,000,000+Equipment: Heavy industrial mining-gradeLicenses: 7-Year Mineral Rights, Yukon Territory
The screen flickered, and a digital seal burned itself into the ether: SENTRY MINING CO. with a stylized golden pickaxe forming the "T".
Carter joined him after a while, sipping from a steel flask. "Sentry Mining, huh?"
"Yeah. It's just the beginning."
Carter nodded. "You've got something here. People will come sniffing around. Banks, buyers, even bigger fish. What's your play?"
"We scale up. More gear. More land. We reinvest everything. And when we're done… we won't just be rich. We'll be untouchable."
Carter let out a low whistle. "You're not mining gold. You're mining an empire."
Evan sipped his coffee and stared out across the snowy ridgeline, where floodlights bathed the ground in pale yellow glow.
"No," he said. "I'm building one."