"You’re wrong! I’m not calling for help because I’m confident I can capture all of you myself!" Li Yan sneered.

The three of them exchanged glances, then looked at the bargaining Old Kang.

"I believe you!" Old Kang raised his hands!

This action surprised Li Yan and also surprised the three men; after all, there were still four of them, and even if Li Yan was skilled, he could still be challenged.

"I just want to tell you, we mean no harm!" Old Kang said seriously, "I believe you heard what we said earlier, and you can see what kind of people we are. Do you think we look like a bunch of vicious people? Would we be like this if we weren’t desperate?"

"Then you should really answer me honestly, who exactly are you?"

Li Yan’s somewhat distrustful but relaxed tone gave Old Kang a bit of reassurance.

"Old Kang..." The other three looked at him, feeling it wasn’t sufficient to yield or trust the stranger in front of them.

Old Kang had figured it out; since Li Yan didn’t panic or call for help when faced with an unexpected situation earlier, he considered him a very calm person. He fell down but didn’t pass out, managed to pretend to faint and eavesdrop on their conversation, and could easily knock out two people and quickly get up, indicating that this person was not only rational but also capable. What was even more remarkable was that he was willing to listen to their pleas!

He waved his hand to stop the three of them, trying to seize this opportunity. Someone had suggested using a phone or camera to call out or record a video message to send out, and he’d been tempted. Now, if this person could listen to them and understand what had happened and was willing to help, it should be more effective.

"I can honestly tell you, please calmly listen to my explanation. I’ll keep it brief..."

Li Yan had already determined that they were just ordinary people, and it didn’t seem like they specifically targeted them. It was likely they just wanted to get some clothes for warmth, so he decided to listen.

...

According to Old Kang, they were workers on the island!

They had been working on the island for several years, but they were not involved in various construction projects; they were miners!

Many years ago, when the development plan for this deserted island came out, developers from various sectors were enthusiastic, with a strong interest in carrying out this short-term, costly project that also posed mid-term challenges in recouping costs but promised long-term growth. Due to inconvenient transportation, all supplies had to be shipped from the mainland, drastically increasing the costs compared to land development. Nonetheless, developers brought in corresponding workers, utilizing local resources where possible.

While other materials might be scarce, stones, wood, and sand needed for construction were relatively abundant. The increase in mining workers also led to significant environmental damage. Since no one lived there before, stones and wood were adequately supplied, but wild animals were hunted to a drastic reduction over the years.

But this wasn’t the main point; the crux was when one day the workers extracting stone discovered ore. This situation was reported layer by layer, and the developers took it very seriously, immediately inviting geological and mineral experts for onsite evaluation. They discovered that this island, which was not known for rare earth deposits, was rich in rare earth minerals!

Rare earth elements, comprising the 15 elements in the lanthanide series along with closely related scandium and yttrium, are commonly referred to as rare earth. Discovered gradually since the late 18th century, these insoluble solid oxides were dubbed earths due to their oxide state separation and scarcity, leading to the continued use of the term rare earth.

Rare earths serve as key materials in numerous major weapon systems due to their excellent photoelectric and magnetic physical properties, forming new materials when combined with other substances, significantly enhancing the quality and performance of other products. They are also vital lubricants of high-tech industries such as electronics, lasers, nuclear industries, and superconductors. To some extent, the advanced weaponry of Si Country includes their superiority in rare earth technology.

Beyond military applications, rare earths are indispensable in high-tech fields and have numerous irreplaceable roles in metallurgy, petrochemicals, glass ceramics, new materials, and even agriculture.

Currently, the primary user of rare earth worldwide is Beihai Country, while the supplying nation is Yun Country!

...

"Rare earth? There’s rare earth here? You’ve been working for several years already?"

Li Yan suddenly felt a conspiracy theory forming, contemplating whether the prolonged development and lack of widespread promotion for Carefree Island, even now as it is officially launched without much advertising, stemmed from this. Perhaps they had a larger, more direct source of profit, not eager for the long-term tourism benefits while emptying its rare earth resources!

"Yes, we’ve been working for several years. They have two approaches for us: one is offering good pay, much higher than what we earn in small mines elsewhere; the other is strict control, with no telephone, no mobile phone, no outside contact, and being stuck on a remote island, unable to leave," Old Kang said with a bitter smile.

"Since the pay is good, and you’ve been working for several years, why have things turned out like this? You can’t take the rare earth with you, so it can’t be stolen."