《Closer to My True Form Every Day》


 CH 1

    The spring sun shone through the windows of the large tearoom. Feng Yi looked at the pile of papers in front of him, his face tense as drops of sweat trickled down his forehead. An hour ago, he was a hardworking young man who was in trouble because of his associate¡¯s betrayal, and he owed a huge debt. But now¡­


    Feng Yi glanced at the old man across the table. From his clothes to his hair, everything was meticulous like a gentleman of old. He had a smile on his face, and even the curve of the corners of his mouth seemed to be well measured; any higher would look too deliberate, any lower would look unfriendly. It was as if what was placed on the table was just a restaurant menu instead of a property transfer agreement worth over fourteen million USD.


    When Feng Yi was in desperate trouble, this old man appeared in front of him and told him that he had a great-aunt he had never met who had recently died and left him a huge inheritance. As an adult who had just experienced the blows of society, Feng Yi didn¡¯t believe that money could grow on trees and thought it was too coincidental! So when he first encountered the matter, the first thought in Feng Yi¡¯s mind was¡ª


    Fucking liar!


    But now, facing the property transfer agreement on the table, Feng Yi was about two-thirds of the way to believing it. Of course, there were also three lawyers sitting not far away. These three were famous lawyers in this city. One could find a lot of information about them on the Internet, and Feng Yi had some brief dealings with one of them previously.


    Why did he not fully believe it?


    What was placed in front of him was a property transfer agreement instead of a will. According to the old butler, the aunt, whom Feng Yi had never met, gave the part of the property that was divided and left to him directly to the old butler. The old butler would then transfer these properties to Feng Yi in batches. There was no time limit or specific amount.


    Such a method of operation seemed very confusing to Feng Yi. He couldn¡¯t understand why the great aunt would give away her inheritance like this. Was the old butler that trustworthy? Moreso than her own children? If it had been one of her children or grandchildren, he could understand it, after all, they were somewhat related by blood. But an old butler?


    And the first batch that the old butler wanted to transfer to Feng Yi was fourteen million. The premise was that Feng Yi had to do one thing ¨C go to the Feng Family Ancestral Home and write his own name in the genealogy record.


    Setting aside the ¡°Feng Family Ancestral Home¡±, which Feng Yi had never heard of¡­


    ¡°Genealogy record¡±?


    Such a thing still existed in this modern age? Besides, just by finding the ancestral home and writing his name, he would get fourteen million, wasn¡¯t that too easy?


    He didn¡¯t believe it. But fourteen million¡­ Considering that he was in debt right now, he could really use it.


    After a while, Feng Yi struggled to take his eyes off the paper and wiped the sweat from his hands on his pants. ¡°¡­I need to use the restroom.


    The old man sitting across from him smiled understandingly and gave a slight nod. ¡°Please go ahead.¡±


    Feng Yi walked stiffly out of the tearoom. Once outside, he lost all his composure and became short of breath. He quickly walked into the bathroom, closed the door, rushed to the sink, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water on his face.


    The cold water did not wake him. Great, so it wasn¡¯t a dream. Feng Yi looked at himself in the mirror.


    Sleepless nights and the pressure of debt had prevented him from resting for a long time. His bloodshot eyes turned a terrifying scarlet red under the emotional stimulation. After splashing water on his face again and hastily drying his hands, Feng Yi took out his phone from his pocket. The more than ten missed calls displayed on the screen were all payment reminders. Ignoring them, Feng Yi opened the address book and looked at the two phone numbers listed there. He hadn¡¯t dialed these two phone numbers since he left the Feng family five years ago. After some hesitation, he dialed one of them. It rang for a long time and no one answered. He tried the other one, and it cut off after two beeps.


    Unsurprising.


    Feng Yi exhaled lightly. It was better to rely on himself!


    He put the phone back in his pocket. Splashing his face with cold water once more, he cleaned himself up, and returned to the tearoom.


    His overheated brain had cooled a bit. A closer listen would reveal the slight tremble in his voice, but he didn¡¯t stutter as he had before. When facing the old butler, his smile also became more natural. Actually, he was still in a confused state of mind, but he had to show composure on the surface.


    ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem.¡± The old butler looked at Feng Yi¡¯s current state, and his smile deepened. ¡°Have you thought about it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. After thinking calmly for a while, I still have a lot of doubts. The timing of your appearance is quite coincidental, I almost suspect that you did it on purpose.¡± Feng Yi said tentatively.


    ¡°No, I originally planned to observe you for one to two years. I started following you last month, and this is the second month. After I found out that you were in a lot of trouble, I contacted you in advance.¡± The old butler calmly explained.


    Feng Yi didn¡¯t know if the words were true or not, so he decided to ask about the aunt he had never met.


    The old butler gave him a simple explanation.


    Feng Yi learned that his aunt went abroad a long time ago and had children. Her main focus was developing abroad, but she also had properties inland. When the property was divided, she left Feng Yi a part of it. After her death, she was also buried abroad. Feng Yi wanted to go abroad to pay his respects.


    And that was it. The old butler didn¡¯t want to say anything more.


    ¡°The Feng family is a large clan. There are so many of my generation here, why did she choose me?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    The old butler looked at him with a smile on his face, as if he was looking at a kitten that had just been picked up from the side of the road. ¡°Madam Feng said, your appearance is the most pleasing.¡±


    Feng Yi touched his V-shaped face. ¡°She has good eyesight!¡±


    It was the first time he heard an old man tell him he was cute! He had heard a lot of things like he looked ¡°fickle in love and unlucky¡±, but to be praised for having a ¡°pleasing appearance¡± was quite surprising.


    Feng Yi also thought that he was quite handsome. In the entertainment world, there were many celebrities with V-shaped faces that were much sharper than his. However, the elders seemed to prefer the traditional ¡°lucky face¡± or a face that looked more stable and upright.


    Anyway¡­


    No matter what his face looked like, good looks were all that mattered!


    Feng Yi wasn¡¯t completely narcissistic.


    When he was a freshman, he went to a barbershop. The manager personally asked him for a partnership. He also often received invitations to events from various clubs at school. In his sophomore year, he expanded the scope of his partnerships to earn money for school and buy a house for himself. Barbershops, photography studios, clothing accessory stores, and even the largest hotpot restaurant on the commercial street outside the school, all asked him to take pictures for advertising billboards. In the second semester of his junior year, he teamed up with someone to open a small work studio. He no longer had to work alone. He saved enough money to buy his first apartment. Among his peers, he was considered a winner in life. In his senior year, he was lucky enough to squeeze into a web drama crew, playing the minor role of a ¡°snake spirit¡±. Unexpectedly, he got even luckier later! Earlier this year, the online drama went viral. He also used this character to create a sense of presence on the Internet and could be considered to have one foot on the edge of the entertainment circle.


    Everything was going well and his career was on the rise. He planned to take advantage of the situation to enter the entertainment circle to make some money. In an unexpected turn of events, he was betrayed at a critical moment ¡ª his associate caused a series of accidents and then ran away with the money.


    Feng Yi was left alone to deal with angry partners, massive liquidated damages, and various kinds of compensation. Therefore, given he was currently in heavy debt, he really needed the money urgently.


    If it weren¡¯t for the difficult situation, even if fourteen million was put in front of him, he would think twice. His experience had taught him not to be too na?ve. If he didn¡¯t have the ability to bear it, even if money fell from the sky, he would be crushed to death.


    Because he had a pleasing appearance, she left him a large sum of money?


    Who were they trying to fool!


    Fourteen million¡­ How big was the pit waiting for him behind it!


    But even though he knew that there was a pit, he still had to step into it.


    Regardless of his inner complaints, Feng Yi just smiled and continued to ask, ¡°Where is the ancestral home of the Feng family? Is it the century-old villa in Yangcheng?¡±


    The old butler chuckled, as if dismissing the hundred-year-old villa that Feng Yi was talking about.


    ¡°It¡¯s in the outskirts of Yangcheng, in the Mount Xiaofeng.¡±


    As expected, Feng Yi had never heard of it. He was born and raised in Yangcheng, and he had never left it until he left the Feng family after the college entrance examination. He then came to Rongcheng to attend university, and he never returned to Yangcheng. He had a vague impression of Mount Xiaofeng. But this was the first time hearing that the ancestral home of the Feng family was there.


    In front of the old butler, Feng Yi took out his phone and searched for information about Mount Xiaofeng in Yangcheng. He soon fell silent. He knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to be such a challenge.


    Mount Xiaofeng was also called Snake Mountain by the locals because there were many snakes there. When he saw the pictures on the Internet, he got goosebumps all over his body. Feng Yi hated snakes, but in order to overcome this difficulty, what did it matter? Besides, most of the snakes in Mount Xiaofeng were non-venomous king ratsnakes, and there was an isolation zone for them.


    ¡°Is the ancestral home guarded?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    The old man seemed quite satisfied with Feng Yi¡¯s reaction and smiled slightly. ¡°Of course, someone has to take care of it. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already informed the guards.¡±


    Feng Yi nodded. If that was the case, the difficulty wasn¡¯t too great.


    ¡°I need to clarify something. I left the Feng family after the college entrance exam.¡± After a pause, Feng Yi added. ¡°I didn¡¯t agree with their ideals.¡±


    As someone who had left the Feng family only to go to the ancestral home of the Feng family to add his name to the genealogy record, it was like a slap in the face. Thinking back to the historical dramas he had watched on television, the difficulty would be extremely hard. Feng Yi had to plan carefully.


    The old butler understood Feng Yi¡¯s unspoken concerns and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the genealogy record has nothing to do with the Feng family over there. Back then, Madam Feng placed the genealogy record in the Feng family¡¯s ancestral home, and no one else knew about it.¡±


    Feng Yi raised his eyebrows. That didn¡¯t sound right. The genealogy record placed in the Feng family¡¯s ancestral home had nothing to do with ¡°the Feng family over there¡±? Was this drawing a line? He wondered whether there was any ¡°separation¡± conflict between grandpa and great-aunt¡¯s generation.


    The old butler sitting across from him handed over a zodiac flower coin.


    Feng Yi was no stranger to this kind of jewel-like coin, and he even had one around his neck, having worn it from childhood to adulthood.


    On one side of the coin were the twelve earthly branches and the corresponding zodiac signs, and on the other side were the eight divinatory trigrams. In the Feng family, only people born in the Year of the Snake had such a zodiac flower coin.


    When Feng Yi took out the flower coin he was wearing, he saw the one that the old butler was originally holding fly out of his hands and stick to his own flower coin. The two coins overlapped, and the patterns on them rotated.


    A golden light flashed across the surfaces, dazzling Feng Yi so much that he couldn¡¯t see the patterns on the flower coins clearly. After a faint click, it stopped.


    Looking at it again, there was no trace of the overlapping of the two flower coins at all. Compared to before, the thickness of the coins had slightly increased, and the original side with the twelve earthly branches and the zodiac was left with only a snake pattern!


    Feng Yi couldn¡¯t control his expression this time. His eyes widened, and he took off the flower coin to take a good look at it, turning it back and forth and even picking at it with his fingers.


    It really was two in one!


    ¡°This is¡­ new technology?¡± Feng Yi held up the flower coin, asking the old butler opposite him.


    ¡°It¡¯s old technology.¡± The old butler said. ¡°Take it with you when you go to the ancestral home. It is the key to open the genealogy record.¡±


    ¡°Key?¡±


    Feng Yi realized that maybe this ¡°genealogy record¡± was different from what he thought.


    He had never paid attention to the technology sector, and he didn¡¯t know what amazing technologies existed today. When he heard what the old butler said, he briefly lamented that technology was changing every day. Whether it was new or old technology, as long as it had a shocking effect, it was great.


    At least he was shocked.


    At the same time, he felt a sharp sense of caution. If such an amazing technology was being used, then things wouldn¡¯t be as easy as they seemed on paper. But he would still sign the contract. For his current situation, this was the best solution.


    The old butler left soon after the contract was signed. Before leaving, he left a phone number and asked Feng Yi to contact him if he needed anything.


    After the old butler and the lawyers left, Feng Yi sat alone in the tearoom for a while. He had to calm down before he left, otherwise, if he was too distracted while driving, he could easily get into an accident.


    But as soon as he left the shop and felt the cool breeze, Feng Yi suddenly stopped and remembered something. He slapped his forehead.


    ¡°I forgot the most important thing!¡±


    He quickly took out his phone to send a message to the number he had just saved.


    [Are you there?]


    [Can you lend me a little money first?]

 CH 2

    After the message was sent, Feng Yi¡¯s face turned red. What he wanted to borrow was truly not a ¡°little¡± amount of money. It was quite rare for an ordinary person to be able to borrow a few thousand, let alone the amount he wanted to borrow would be a sky-high price for most. Thinking about it, Feng Yi let out a long sigh, rubbed his face vigorously, and added a few more words.


    [It would be best if you could transfer the money to me in advance. You can write an IOU1an informal document acknowledging debt and get my fingerprint if necessary. I will go to Yangcheng within three days to complete the genealogy record matter. If what you said is true, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard. Even if it is, I will still complete it. Could I get a part of the fourteen million first? I need it urgently¡­]


    He thought that the other party would leaving him hanging, but he didn¡¯t expect to receive a reply so soon¡ª¡ª


    [Advance payment isn¡¯t possible, but I can personally lend you some money first, so there¡¯s no need for an IOU. Hold on.]


    Feng Yi thought about how to phrase it carefully and typed: [The amount I want to borrow is not small¡­]


    Before he could finish editing his reply, he received a message from the bank informing him that he had received five million in his account. It was just enough to pay off his debt.


    His bank card number was given on the signed contract, so it wasn¡¯t a surprise that the other party knew it. In addition, the other party had been investigating and watching him for more than a month. Knowing the sum he owed and sending him the exact amount wasn¡¯t too shocking either. However¡­


    Transferring such a large amount so quickly? Weren¡¯t there additional steps that needed to be taken? Or were there other shortcuts?


    Feng Yi took a deep breath, searched for the nearest ATM on his phone, and then ran to check the balance on his card. Indeed, five million had arrived in his account! It wasn¡¯t a fake message!


    And, what the old butler said was, ¡°I can personally lend you some money first¡±?


    Feng Yi clutched his phone tightly and fell into deep thought. This was a butler? A butler who could lend five million as if it were five hundred dollars? Most people would ask a few more questions if they borrowed even five hundred dollars, right? Yet the old butler lent it to him so easily?


    At this moment, in Feng Yi¡¯s eyes, the profession of butler seemed to shine with a golden light. Of course, this also meant that the inheritance left by that great-aunt he had never met might be more than he could imagine.


    With mixed feelings, Feng Yi sent a text message to the old butler: [Aren¡¯t you afraid that I would run away with the money?]


    Butler: [ smiles ]


    Feng Yi: [ well-behaved ]


    He sent an emoji to act cute, but Feng Yi¡¯s wariness grew. The old butler wasn¡¯t afraid of him running away. He couldn¡¯t run away.


    Perhaps the newly fused zodiac flower coin had a tracking function. Even if it didn¡¯t, someone who could use that kind of technology was definitely no simpleton. Realizing this, Feng Yi let out a deep sigh. He walked to the parking lot and drove home. It was useless to think too much right now. He should solve the immediate problem in front of him first.


    After making an appointment with the partner companies to pay the compensation tomorrow, Feng Yi wanted to go home first and take a nap to replenish his energy. He hadn¡¯t slept well in a week, and today¡¯s events were too shocking. He could feel the onset of a headache and felt a little dizzy. However, the weight that had been pressing on him for so long was temporarily lifted, and he felt a little more relaxed; even breathing was smoother. When he got home, he immediately caught up on sleep.


    Even though it was daytime, he slept soundly until he was awakened by the doorbell. The visitor wasn¡¯t a debt collector, but Wu Ji, a university classmate who resided in the same building.


    ¡°Are you okay? You didn¡¯t answer any of my calls or messages. I almost called the cops!¡±


    Wu Ji observed Feng Yi carefully. Feng Yi looked like he hadn¡¯t woken up yet, but his mental state was much better than it was a few days ago. Even with such an appearance, he would still win over many people. As expected from the one who was pulled by Mr. Tony, the owner of the barbershop in front of the school, to shoot a commercial in his freshman year.


    Knowing that Feng Yi was fine, Wu Ji felt relieved. Since he lived nearby and was too familiar with the place, he didn¡¯t bother to be polite. After entering, Wu Ji poured himself a glass of water and sat down.


    ¡°Have you found the person who ran away with the money from your work studio?¡±


    Feng Yi didn¡¯t give too many details, so all Wu Ji knew was that Feng Yi¡¯s work studio associate cheated him and ran away with the money. Feng Yi had to pay a lot of money. He didn¡¯t say how much, but looking at him these past few days, it was definitely not a small amount.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Feng Yi said. ¡°But I already have a solution.¡±


    ¡°W-W-W-What solution?¡± Wu Ji stammered.


    Now that Feng Yi had one foot on the edge of the entertainment circle, he was afraid that Feng Yi would go down the wrong path. Some roads were hard to turn back from.


    Feng Yi thought for a while and said, ¡°I found a rich relative.¡±


    Wu Ji was doubtful. ¡°That¡¯s good. How much more do you owe? I can help you find a way.¡±


    Last month, he had invested a lot of money in remodeling his own shop, and he was quite busy. His financial situation was a bit tight right now, but he didn¡¯t want to see Feng Yi go down the wrong path.


    Wu Ji¡¯s family made their fortune from demolishing their house and relocating. Back then, they bought two houses in the same building with the demolition money; one on the fifth floor for his parents and the other on the twenty-ninth floor directly below Feng Yi¡¯s for himself. Later, he borrowed money to buy a shop at the entrance to the community and ran it himself. After graduation, he became a small business owner. Although money was tight, one or two thousand was still affordable.


    ¡°Thanks, but I can solve the money problem myself.¡±


    Feng Yi knew Wu Ji¡¯s situation, so he didn¡¯t explain in detail. If he only owed a few thousand, he could borrow money from Wu Ji and the others, but owing more than three million was not something Wu Ji and the others could help with. Besides, this time the matter was more complicated, and he didn¡¯t want to involve too many irrelevant people.


    Seeing that Feng Yi wasn¡¯t putting on a front and that his mental state seemed to have improved, Wu Ji didn¡¯t continue the topic.


    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s a good thing if you can solve it¡­ Oh, by the way, I will be temporarily living on the fifth floor for the next few days. If you need me for anything, just go there.¡± Wu Ji said. ¡°You know about the rat plague going around the community lately? The property owners¡¯ group chat has been in an uproar for days now.¡±


    Feng Yi nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a little bit, not much. I haven¡¯t read the group chat lately because of my work studio¡¯s affairs.


    ¡°Then let me tell you, there have been rat plague outbreaks in many urban areas recently. Last week, the two neighboring communities hired rat exterminators. In the end, the rats were not killed, and ended up fleeing to other communities. Our community was the closest and suffered the most. I heard that a child was bitten by one, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true or not. There are a lot of rumors and it¡¯s all so chaotic¡­¡± Wu Ji paused briefly and gave a sigh. ¡°Anyway, my parents live on the fifth floor and they¡¯re really annoyed by the rodents. They can¡¯t sleep well, and those who live on the lower floors are even more disturbed.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t your apartment have three rooms? You can stay with your parents on the twenty-ninth floor,¡± Feng Yi suggested.


    Wu Ji waved a hand in disagreement. ¡°It¡¯s inconvenient because my work and rest hours are different from theirs. I¡¯ll swap with them first and get through this rat plague. By the way, are there any rats in your house?¡±


    Feng Yi thought about it carefully and shook his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any, maybe I just didn¡¯t notice.¡±


    ¡°There are fewer rats on the upper floors, but you should still be careful. I heard that there have been rats on the thirtieth floor in other buildings. Since they have already entered the building, they can get anywhere even if they don¡¯t use the stairs. A homeowner in the next building even photographed a rat climbing the wall!¡±


    Wu Ji tutted and continued, ¡°Rats really are magical creatures, I say. No matter how tall a building is, they can still be seen. As long as there¡¯s food, you can see them climbing windows, walls, and balconies!


    ¡°Property management has already contacted the rodent control company, and there will be a major cleanup in the next two days. When you go outside, close your doors and windows. It should be okay to close your security window screens. If there are holes in other places, they should be plugged. Check all pipes. If there¡¯s really a rat there, it will be troublesome.¡±


    After Wu Ji left, Feng Yi went to check the kitchen and found no signs of rodent activity. During this time, he had been running around and not working at home, so the place was a bit messy, with various documents piled up. The take-out trash had already been disposed of, and there was no exposed food to attract rats.


    Stretching, Feng Yi looked at the night sky outside the window. He had directly slept from daytime into evening. Walking to the bathroom, he filled the bathtub with water. It was rare that he felt like taking a bath and relaxing.


    There was an electronic screen on the wall next to the bathtub. Feng Yi liked to listen to the news recommended by his subscription while taking a bath. Usually, he was too busy to pay attention to anything else, so he would listen to the daily news during this time. Sometimes it was important news, but there was also social, entertainment, and miscellaneous news.


    Feng Yi closed his eyes, relaxed his whole body, and listened to the news broadcast from the electronic screen.


    ¡°XX, a world-renowned luxury leather goods brand, failed to persist in their stubbornness. Under pressure from many parties, they have abandoned animal leather and adopted eco-friendly leather¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­City X has just busted a gang that was selling animal skins from protected wild animals. The current investigation has revealed that fifty thousand pieces of animal skins have entered the market, including alligator and python skins¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Extinct plants are reappearing! Our scientific expedition team discovered during this expedition¡­¡±


    This was nothing new to Feng Yi, as there had been similar reports every once in a while.


    More than forty years ago, there was increased volcanic activity around the world; those on land and under the sea were extremely active. In addition, large and small mountain fires and forest fires occurred frequently. This was accompanied by climate anomalies that have lasted for almost two decades. After such a long period of abnormal weather, even a slow-witted person would notice that something was wrong. For example¡­


    When it rained, it was a torrential downpour that went on and on.


    The average person would go through three kinds of emotional changes in such a situation¡ª¡ª


    It¡¯s no big deal¡ú It¡¯s a little annoying ¡ú Panic time


    Continuous torrential rains were only a phenomenon of the climatic anomalies. Sometimes there were continuous droughts or abnormal temperatures.


    When taking a shower, changing the water temperature by just one degree Celsius could make people feel hot or cold. If they could clearly feel uncomfortable when their body temperature increased by one degree, then those species that were more sensitive to temperature changes would be worse off. Prolonged temperature anomalies would undoubtedly be catastrophic for some species, and they could only await extinction if they couldn¡¯t survive.


    Climate anomalies also have a major impact on agriculture. In the past two decades, seed banks have been opened on a global scale for the first time in history. The ¡°doomsday seed banks¡± established by various countries popped up one after another.


    Under the stimulation of survival, there was rapid innovation of relevant technologies, and human life quickly stabilized. But different species around the world were still going extinct at rates that alarmed and stressed biologists. Tens of thousands of species were going extinct every year, and the rates were only increasing. Evolution and extinction were the laws upholding the ecological balance, but this rate of extinction was simply a harbinger of disaster and brought chills.


    Scientists from the world¡¯s top universities weighed in, and there were many proponents of the ¡°sixth mass extinction turning point theory¡±¡ª¡ª


    [There have been at least five mass extinctions in geological history. So far, we have been in the early stages of the sixth mass extinction, but now we probably have reached a turning point. Whether we avoid the sixth extinction or enter the middle stage will be proven by the data.]


    This was how the ¡°sixth database¡± was created.


    Due to the rapid rate of species extinction and the sharp decline in biodiversity, the ¡°sixth database¡± also needed to collect data. Relevant laws and regulations were all revised, and a new regulatory organization was established. The newly revised set of laws and regulations was also known as ¡°the strictest conservation law in history¡±.


    Fortunately, after nearly two decades of abnormal climate, it finally returned to normal, but the sixth database was inconclusive. The data still needed to be collected continuously, and the strictest conservation law would remain in effect until a conclusion was reached. Perhaps it would take decades, centuries.


    Was the climate anomaly really over? Or was it just storing energy for the next round?


    No one knew.


    However, with the ¡°sixth database,¡± even if the next climate anomaly occurred, there would be an early warning and preparations could be made. Though for most ordinary people, it didn¡¯t matter! Humans wouldn¡¯t be wiped out that quickly if it wasn¡¯t an immediate disaster like a meteorite, even if it was confirmed that they were in the sixth mass extinction period. It was probable that no progress would be made in the sixth database in this lifetime, let alone during the extinction era, which might be thousands of years or perhaps longer.


    Instead of using the time to think so much, why not think about what to wear tomorrow, whether there are new games, where to go to eat, drink, have fun, and shop, shop, shop¡­ Or maybe think about how to deal with: ¡°Should I buy or rent a house with this salary¡±, ¡°How much money do I have to save for the whole family to travel¡±, ¡± The child¡¯s teacher at school called again¡±, and so on.


    Matters like the extinction period were things for the big shots to worry about, not for ordinary folk. Although it was a bit unfortunate that some delicacies couldn¡¯t be eaten and some hobbies had to be given up, life still went on.


    Feng Yi was born in the year when the climate returned to normal. The seniors always said that he was born at a good time. Feng Yi didn¡¯t know whether it was a good time or not. Like him, there were many young people who hadn¡¯t experienced the abnormal climate period or the various fears surrounding it. However, they had felt the chaos in the food chain caused by the destruction of the ecological balance.


    Such as the rat plague.


    Another example was the flood of cockroaches and mosquitoes.


    The predators of nature were sluggish during the abnormal climatic period, but these creatures with tenacious vitality grew rampant day by day.


    Feng Yi refreshed the social feed and saw that a certain celebrity had made a radical remark¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Those who deserve to die, live on, while the corpses of those who don¡¯t pile up.¡±


    The accompanying image showed a hand holding a slipper about to hit a cockroach.


    The first hot comment beneath it said:


    [If you find one cockroach in your house, there are already more hidden.]

 CH 3

    The next day, Feng Yi left early in the morning and ran around to handle the compensation of the partner companies. At three in the afternoon, Feng Yi was finally able to have a quick meal and rest before rushing to the last company ¡ª Qianli Group Rongcheng Branch.


    There were many top domestic clothing brands under Qianli Group, and Feng Yi had only cooperated with one of them. With his current status, he wasn¡¯t able to have contact with the real power executives of Qianli Group. But when he was about to leave after dealing with the repayment, Feng Yi was told that someone wanted to see him.


    Lu Yue, the head of the business development team of Qianli Group Rongcheng, graduated from the same university as Feng Yi. When Feng Yi was a sophomore, Lu Yue was invited by the school to give a speech. That was how Feng Yi knew such a person.


    The Qianli Group was a family business. Lu Yue was not yet thirty, but he already had a lot of influence. To be in his current position at this age was not just based on family blood. However, Feng Yi was surprised that a busy person like Lu Yue would find the time to meet a junior he didn¡¯t know. This surprised Feng Yi. The matter of his work studio was a big deal in his eyes, but it was far from something that someone of Lu Yue¡¯s level needed to deal with personally.


    Feng Yi¡¯s thoughts were correct. If it had been someone else or another time, Lu Yue wouldn¡¯t have bothered to ask. It was just that today, when Lu Yue was discussing a project with someone, Feng Yi¡¯s work studio was mentioned. Lu Yue also knew that Feng Yi¡¯s associate had run away with the money after cheating him. Then he happened to hear that Feng Yi had come to repay the compensation today. Since he had some free time and was in a good mood, Lu Yue decided to show some rare goodwill and asked someone to call Feng Yi upstairs. He wanted to have a chat with this young junior brother and teach him some life lessons. As someone who had everything, he also felt a little sorry for this business loser.


    Lu Yue heaved a sigh after thinking about what happened to this young junior brother, Feng Yi. But that was the corporate world, and no amount of sympathy was going to help. After suffering a setback this time, he wondered if Feng Yi would be able to bounce back. A total of more than three million in compensation was a significant pitfall for someone who had only recently started his business. He¡¯d never heard of this junior brother having any kind of background, but now that he had repaid it all, it didn¡¯t matter what methods he used as long as it worked.


    Everyone had their secrets.


    Lu Yue considered how to console this junior brother without undermining his self-esteem, but when he saw Feng Yi enter the office, he was taken aback.


    First, the appearance of this junior brother surprised him. Second, and what Lu Yue was concerned about the most, Feng Yi¡¯s current mental state seemed excellent. There was no trace of resentment or depression in his eyes. He did not appear to be someone who had recently suffered a major setback in his career.


    ¡°President Lu¡­¡± Feng Yi said.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Call me Brother Lu. I¡¯m only a few years older than you. Besides, we graduated from the same school, don¡¯t be so formal!¡±


    Lu Yue¡¯s smile became much more enthusiastic, instantly switching from meeting an unfamiliar alumni mode to bringing up a potential business partner mode. Just as he thought, Feng Yi was able to overcome this hurdle. No matter what methods he used, the result was all that mattered. Therefore, it was necessary to deepen this alumni friendship.


    In the friendly atmosphere that Lu Yue deliberately created, he talked about school celebrations, employment rates, entrepreneurial experience, and business philosophy. Most of the time it was Lu Yue who spoke, with Feng Yi chiming in at intervals. Facing Feng Yi, Lu Yue had a clear sense of superiority. Even though his words were full of care and guidance, his tone was that of a winner in life speaking to a young junior brother who had suffered a setback in his career.


    After he finished speaking, Lu Yue checked the time on his watch.


    Feng Yi knew that he should leave. ¡°I will remember what Brother Lu said, thank you and sorry for taking up so much of your time¡­¡± As he spoke, Feng Yi¡¯s eyes froze and he stopped just as he was about to say goodbye.


    Sensing Feng Yi¡¯s strangeness, Lu Yue followed his gaze and landed on his wrist. He couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°Looks good, doesn¡¯t it? It¡¯s the latest product from D&B; my girlfriend gave it to me. It came in a gift box set, and there¡¯s also a wallet of the same series. It¡¯s a limited edition and isn¡¯t easy to buy.¡± Lu Yue¡¯s face was full of pride as he extended his wrist to Feng Yi, showing off the watch.


    Feng Yi of course knew of the brand, D&B, the world¡¯s top luxury brand. It rose during the abnormal climate period, and even overwhelmed many old and powerful brands. After occupying the highest ground in the market, they haven¡¯t retreated since. Considering it was a top luxury brand and a limited edition, the watch Lu Yue wore wouldn¡¯t be cheap. But that wasn¡¯t Feng Yi¡¯s concern.


    Observing Lu Yue¡¯s reaction, he hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Brother Lu, can I take a look at your watch?¡±


    This was the first time Lu Yue had encountered such a situation. After being surprised, he took off the watch and handed it to Feng Yi without embarrassing him.


    Feng Yi took a paper towel from the tea table beside him and used it to hold the other party¡¯s watch.


    Lu Yue: ¡°¡­¡±


    He, Lu Yue, wasn¡¯t so stingy that he wouldn¡¯t let others touch his watch, nor was he a germaphobe. But the young junior brother seemed to be quite particular about it, which was fine. As soon as he thought that, he saw Feng Yi slightly bend the strap of the watch to take a closer look at it, and even sniffed at it.


    Lu Yue: ¡°¡­¡±


    Awkward. He didn¡¯t have to go that far, really!


    Even though it was a luxury limited edition and hard to get, he didn¡¯t have to do that!


    Lu Yue sat there with a stiff face, completely unable to understand Feng Yi¡¯s actions. He hesitated to speak, and then picked up a teacup to drink water to relieve his embarrassment.


    With a small cough, he spoke. ¡°Do you¡­ want to look at the wallet that¡¯s from the same series? They came in the same gift box.¡±


    After hearing the words, Feng Yi nodded. ¡°If it¡¯s not too much trouble.¡±


    Lu Yue felt complicated. Just now, he had thought that this junior brother was very particular, but what was going on now? He only said it casually, but Feng Yi actually dared to accept it! Sighing inwardly, Lu Yue took out the wallet from his pocket and handed it to him.


    A personal item like a wallet couldn¡¯t be shown to others casually, even if there was nothing suspicious in the wallet.


    The texture of the snakeskin was delicate, yet gave off a wild vibe. The embellished floral logo was luxurious and had the leisure and freedom that young people liked. The whole thing reeked of money. None of that, however, was what Feng Yi was concerned about.


    After carefully inspecting the outer skin of the wallet, he handed it back to Lu Yue and said with a serious expression, ¡°Brother Lu, the leather of the watch strap and the wallet is real leather. Real snakeskin.¡±


    The expression on Lu Yue¡¯s face froze as if he had heard something unbelievable, and then he laughed out loud. ¡°This is synthetic leather! Medusa 7th generation bionic snakeskin, you can find it by searching on your mobile phone.¡±


    ¡°Medusa¡± was the name given to the snakeskin used by a company specializing in synthetic leather and was very popular among major brands.


    After the promulgation of the strictest conservation law, synthetic leather companies arose and took advantage of the environmental protection trend to take off. Under the competition of the market, technological innovation progressed rapidly. By the time the seventh generation was released, it was difficult for experienced masters to distinguish it from genuine leather. Some low-end machines couldn¡¯t even detect it accurately.


    ¡°You may not pay much attention to this area, so you can be forgiven for making a mistake. Don¡¯t be embarrassed. It¡¯s the thought that counts,¡± Lu Yue laughed, though it sounded forced. ¡°Our Qianli Group makes clothes and accessories, so we pay close attention to these new materials. When the ¡®Medusa Seventh Generation¡¯ was first released, there were overwhelming reports that the current synthetic leather was super awesome!¡±


    ¡°In addition, the synthetic leather company that supplies D&B is the world¡¯s leading company. I don¡¯t need to say more about D&B¡¯s reputation. It¡¯s impossible for them to use real snakeskin.¡±


    The abnormal climate had caused many species to become extinct or endangered in the past two decades. After the introduction of the strictest conservation law, the market supervision was extremely strict, and the use of snake, crocodile, ostrich, and other animal skins to make goods and sell them was prohibited. And when the major luxury brands expressed their opinions, the raw materials used were also changed to synthetic animal skins, regardless of whether it was for a new market or political correctness. All in all, it was difficult to see genuine leather in the luxury market.


    Consumers¡¯ attention would shift to new materials when the emergence of new materials was too rapid, occupying the market too soon, and after merchants banded together to hype it up. Therefore, considering such a background, if the luxury goods bought used genuine snakeskin, it must be a fake!


    By saying that it was real snakeskin, Feng Yi was telling Lu Yue that the watch and wallet in his hand were all fakes!!


    Of course, Lu Yue didn¡¯t believe him!


    Feng Yi looked serious. ¡°I have been able to tell the difference between real and fake snakeskin since I was a child. I may be mistaken when it comes to synthetic cowhide, sheepskin, rabbitskin, etc., but I will not be mistaken for snakeskin. I also bought Medusa seventh generation last month, so I know the existence of this new synthetic snakeskin material.¡±


    ¡°Brother Lu, your watch and wallet are made of real snakeskin.¡±


    Lu Yue looked at Feng Yi like he was looking at a stubborn and ignorant child. He shook his head and sighed heavily. ¡°Okay, I get it. Young people should read more news and the latest scientific research, don¡¯t think you know everything with just a little knowledge!¡±


    Having said that, the expression on Lu Yue¡¯s face was completely superficial, and then with a distant and polite smile, he sent Feng Yi out of the office. As he watched Feng Yi enter the elevator, he greeted the company employees who came to him before returning to the office and closing the door.


    The smile on his face immediately disappeared.


    Lu Yue locked the door and walked back to the desk. He stared at the wallet and watch on the table with his eyes deep in thought, his face clouded and uncertain. Then he took out a paper cutter from the drawer and cut a piece of leather from the inside and outside of the wallet and the watch strap. He carefully placed them in a small opaque paper bag, folded it, and placed it in the inside pocket of his coat.


    The limited edition luxury gift set that Feng Yixian had just shown off was mercilessly rolled up and stuffed into an empty black thermos cup. After he finished, Lu Yue put the cup in the drawer under his elbow. Then he took out his phone and made a call, cleared the table, unlocked the office door, and resumed his work as if nothing had happened.


    It wasn¡¯t until the end of the workday that Lu Yue left as usual, holding a thermos cup and greeting the employees with a smile on his face. Some time ago, Lu Yue went on a business trip and got sick. He still had a cough. Since there were still a few meetings to be held lately, he had been using this thermos to make soothing tea and took it everywhere he went, so everyone was used to it.


    Half an hour after leaving the company, Lu Yue handed the small paper bag in the inside pocket of his coat to the person he had called. ¡°Test it and let me know the result as soon as possible!¡±


    On the other side.


    Feng Yi, who left the Qianli Group Rongcheng branch, did not know what happened after he left. In any case, he had said his piece. It wasn¡¯t up to him whether the other party listened or not. At least, he felt more at ease after he said it. Putting it aside, Feng Yi¡¯s mood lifted. All debts were paid! It was time to go to Snake Mountain!

 CH 4

    After taking care of the debts and the studio affairs, Feng Yi had another good night¡¯s sleep.


    But the other person wasn¡¯t so lucky. Because of Feng Yi¡¯s words, Lu Yue waited all night with extremely complicated feelings after handing over the items for testing, just to wait for the test results.


    It wasn¡¯t until dawn that Lu Yue received the call.


    The person on the other end of the phone seemed to be hiding somewhere to secretly make the call. As if he was about to say something terrible, his voice was very low.


    ¡°Brother Lu, are you in some serious trouble!?¡±


    Lu Yue¡¯s heart sank, and he knew that something was wrong after hearing this sentence.


    ¡°Give me the result first!¡±


    The person on the other end of the phone took a deep breath, then continued in a low voice. ¡°It¡¯s real snakeskin, and it¡¯s probably from the wild. I don¡¯t know the exact species. The leather has been treated and can¡¯t be compared, but it¡¯s probably a rare species.


    ¡°I used the latest instruments and test kits that the company has just introduced, which took a little longer. Fortunately, these instruments are still in the debugging stage, and I am the only person on duty here at night. I didn¡¯t dare to keep the results. Brother Lu, how did you get it?¡±


    Lu Yue shut his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were full of hostility. He practically squeezed his next words out of his teeth. ¡°It was given by someone else!¡±


    The person on the other side of the phone breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Brother, you should stay away from those people. I heard there is an investigation into a batch of wild animal skins that recently hit the market. Not long ago, your old man was in the official news, saying in an article that we should answer the country¡¯s call to use more environmentally friendly and safer materials. If this is found out, there will be a lot of trouble. Given the nature of your company, do you know how many people are waiting to bring you down! It¡¯s not easy to make a big brand, nor to climb to your current position. You can¡¯t let something like this ruin it!¡±


    ¡°I know all of this! Get rid of any records on your side, and I¡¯ll send you the money later.¡±


    After hanging up and transferring the money, Lu Yue went through his contacts and sent a message to Feng Yi. ¡°Thanks! I owe you one!¡±


    When Feng Yi woke up in the morning, he saw the message and smiled. Although Lu Yue didn¡¯t show it on his face, he still listened to what he said. As someone who was able to reach his current position in a big company, he was definitely not a simpleton. After giving a polite reply, Feng Yi put the matter aside. He had a big task to do next!


    It was still dark outside, and the sun hadn¡¯t come out. Feng Yi opened the balcony door of the living room, enjoyed the cool morning breeze for a while, and then went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.


    He cooked a plate of frozen dumplings and steamed three eggs, since that was all there was in the refrigerator. He had been too busy and hadn¡¯t stocked much. Feng Yi stuffed a dumpling into his mouth and was lost in thought while cracking the eggshell. When he looked up, he saw a small figure appear from the balcony. Had it not been for this figure, Feng Yi would have forgotten that the neighborhood had recently been plagued by rats!


    A taupe rat, longer than a palm, swaggered in from the balcony.


    Feng Yi cracked the egg.


    The sound made the rodent¡¯s footsteps pause. The little guy looked up at Feng Yi, and then continued walking into the house.


    Feng Yi: ?


    Unafraid of humans? Even face-to-face they were so bold? No wonder the property owners of the community were so upset!


    Remembering Wu Ji¡¯s words, Feng Yi quickly stood up and closed all the doors, including those in the bathroom and kitchen. The gap at the bottom of the doors wasn¡¯t big enough for the rat to crawl under. After closing the bedroom door, Feng Yi went back to the dining table and sat down to continue cracking the eggs.


    Just now, when Feng Yi got up, the rat moved under the sofa in the living room. Now that Feng Yi sat down, the creature popped out from under the sofa after a while. It took a look at Feng Yi and began to dig through the wastebasket in the living room. Feng Yi stomped his feet, and the rodent that was rummaging in the wastebasket retreated under the sofa. However, it came out within five seconds and continued rummaging through the trash as if no one was there. This time, stomping was useless.


    Feng Yi was stunned. As expected of the community¡¯s tyrants!


    He had no handy tools at home, and he had more important things to do than spend time catching a rat. After thinking about it, he peeled off a piece of egg white with chopsticks, wrapped it in a paper towel, and placed it on a low flower stand on the balcony outside. He retreated into the room and continued to eat his breakfast while watching the movement on that side.


    Sure enough, after a while, the rat got tired of digging through the garbage. It followed the smell to the balcony and struggled to climb up the flower shelf to find the food. Feng Yi took the opportunity to quickly close the glass door of the balcony to keep the rodent out, then took a photo through the glass door and sent it to Wu Ji¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Please watch out downstairs.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fuck! Early morning and I woke up scared to death!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it came from upstairs or downstairs. It climbed the outer wall, and then entered from the air-conditioning unit next to the balcony. I didn¡¯t close the window on that side and had only remembered the balcony door yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I told my parents to quickly check the doors and windows! Especially the balcony! By the way, last night¡¯s group chat said that the community-organized rodent cleanup will be held in the next two days, so make a note of that,¡± Wu Ji said.


    ¡°I¡¯m going on a long trip today, and I won¡¯t be home. I¡¯ve checked the doors and windows; they won¡¯t get in.


    After talking to Wu Ji, Feng Yi opened the group chat of the community property owners and checked the chat logs to see the progress of the rodent eradication. When he looked out on the balcony after breakfast, the rat had already eaten the egg and left. After checking the doors and windows again to make sure no food or other items were exposed, Feng Yi packed his bags and rushed to the airport.


    He took a nap on the plane, and when he woke up, he had already arrived at the border of Yangcheng. He had left this place after the college entrance examination. Now, five or six years later, he had returned. Standing at the airport in Yangcheng, Feng Yi didn¡¯t know how he felt. But there was no time for sentimentality. After searching the nearest outdoor goods stores, Feng Yi took a taxi to buy some equipment.


    Mount Xiaofeng was a snake mountain. Even if there was an isolation zone, it was uncertain whether he would encounter a snake that was able to get out. It was more reassuring to be better equipped.


    After buying the equipment, Feng Yi put on clothes and shoes with better protection, but he didn¡¯t wear a helmet. He hadn¡¯t reached the place yet, so it would seem strange to wear one. He just wore a disposable mask that he bought from a drugstore. Nowadays, many people wore masks to prevent dust, respiratory allergies, and infectious diseases, so Feng Yi didn¡¯t stand out at all. Besides, he was indeed famous for a brief time, and this was the place where he had lived for eighteen years. Being recognized by others would be a little awkward.


    Using a car rental app, Feng Yi booked a ride and chose Mount Xiaofeng as his destination. The fare was calculated according to the distance and came to about thirty dollars. But after waiting for ten minutes, no one took the booking. The only driver who accepted actually called to say that he made a mistake and asked if Feng Yi could cancel the booking. He was willing to send a red envelope in compensation.


    Feng Yi sat on the public bench and stared at the phone interface. No one was actually willing to take the booking!


    Remembering the post on the Internet that said many people were unwilling to go to Mount Xiaofeng, Feng Yi tapped on the option to raise the fare. However, a box appeared to inform him that this function was being updated and could only be used after midnight.


    Time was what Feng Yi lacked right now! He had told the old butler that he would finish the task as soon as possible!


    He decided to look into public transportation. Some of the equipment he had just bought couldn¡¯t be taken on the subway, and none of the public transportation went directly to Mount Xiaofeng. The nearest bus station was at least two kilometers away from his destination.


    There was a protected area on the mountain, but it wasn¡¯t within the possible range for shared bicycles according to netizens. If someone tried to ride over there, a window would pop up in warning, and even lock the bike automatically.


    Feng Yi looked around and happened to see a taxi parked not far away with the passengers getting out. He rushed over and stopped the car before it left.


    ¡°Mister, can you take me to Mount Xiaofeng? I¡¯ll add extra to the fare.¡±


    The driver was about to refuse when he heard the location, but hearing the last sentence, he paused and glanced up at Feng Yi. ¡°Seventy, deal?¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    As long as he could take a car there instead of having to rent one himself, he would take whatever the price was. After all, he was in a hurry.


    ¡°Scan this QR code. Tap the raise fare button on the screen and put in seventy, then check the passenger voluntarily added box,¡± the driver said.


    After Feng Yi put his big backpack into the trunk, he got into the car and heard this. ¡°Okay. But that¡¯s it? Won¡¯t your company have something to say when they find out?¡±


    ¡°After completing this trip, I¡¯ll just file a report in advance, and the company should understand. No one wants to go to Mount Xiaofeng.


    ¡°In the winter, it¡¯s fine. But as the weather gradually warms up, people are reluctant to go. After all, it is Snake Mountain. Although there is an isolation zone, it may not be completely isolated. Just recently, my colleague took a trip and drove two people there for some company inspection. There are a lot of agriculture and animal husbandry companies near Mount Xiaofeng, but I don¡¯t remember which one they went to. Anyway, after he drove them there, they offered him a meal. On the way back, the car was impounded.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    ¡°He had picked up another booking when he entered the city, and then the passenger found a snake in his car. The passenger was screaming and reporting to the police about seeing a dragon at the same time!¡±


    ¡°What bad luck!¡± the driver lamented.


    ¡°Following that, the company was overly concerned about the matter, the police requested a meet, and he also attracted the attention of relevant departments. On the same day, there were rumors that he was a rideshare driver in public but secretly selling wild animals!


    ¡°Fortunately, there was surveillance and witnesses on Mount Xiaofeng. Otherwise, there was no way for him to get out clean.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t have to pay a fine and was let off after getting a few words. The company also specifically mentioned in a meeting that the cars going there shouldn¡¯t stop for too long in the future, and that they should double-check the vehicle before leaving to avoid being on the news.¡±


    The driver sighed, thinking that humans were no better than snakes.


    ¡°My grandparents were all snake eaters in their generation. When it came to my parents¡¯ generation, the policy was tightened a bit. In my generation, it¡¯s don¡¯t even think about it. We can¡¯t even hide in time, let alone try to eat them. On top of that, we¡¯ve got the strictest conservation law hanging over our heads. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m afraid of snakes, it¡¯s just that it¡¯s hard to explain things clearly when it comes to snakes. And some reporters are always looking for blood.¡±


    ¡°Take my colleague¡¯s incident for example, he was targeted by a paid freelance journalist who made a video about his incident. It had all kinds of twists and turns, a rollercoaster plot, a mysterious and eccentric soundtrack, and flashy special effects. It was shared so many times that it quickly became a top trending search!


    ¡°Although in the end it did help my colleague a little bit in dispelling the rumors, not everyone would be willing to become famous in that way.¡±


    Feng Yi finally understood what had happened. He didn¡¯t pay attention to this kind of recent news on the Internet because of his work studio affairs. As it turned out, there really was a reason why so many drivers refused to take his booking and go to Mount Xiaofeng.


    While waiting at the red light, the driver glanced at Feng Yi sitting in the back row through the rearview mirror. ¡°Are you a celebrity?¡± the driver asked.


    Feng Yi was surprised. He had only played a supporting role in a web drama. Although he was lucky enough to become famous when it aired not long ago, he didn¡¯t have the mental capacity to ride the wave due to his work studio affairs. His popularity had long died down, there was no way the driver recognized him, right?


    Thinking about it, Feng Yi coughed lightly and said in a firm tone, ¡°No.¡±


    How could a barely popular Internet star that¡¯s no longer famous be considered a celebrity? He was not worthy of such a title!!!

 CH 5

    The driver just thought that Feng Yi looked pretty good, a bit like those young people who were popular in the entertainment circle now. Actually, he couldn¡¯t tell who was who because they all looked the same to him. Recently, he heard that a celebrity was coming to Yangcheng to film a show, thus why he asked the question.


    Feng Yi said he wasn¡¯t a celebrity, and he believed him.


    That¡¯s right, why couldn¡¯t celebrities even get a taxi?


    From what he had heard, there were cars that picked up and dropped off celebrities wherever they went. Besides, no celebrity would go to a place like Mount Xiaofeng, would they? Therefore, the thought of ¡°Am I driving a celebrity?¡± only lingered in the driver¡¯s mind for a few moments before flying away.


    ¡°Why are you going to Mount Xiaofeng? For scientific research? To shoot videos? Or to have an adventure? In the past two years, some Internet celebrities have been there to shoot videos, but the experience wasn¡¯t very good. No one goes there now,¡± said the driver.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone.¡± Seeing that the driver talked a lot, Feng Yi wanted to get more information from him.


    ¡°What¡¯s on Mount Xiaofeng? It¡¯s my first time going there.¡± Feng Yi asked.


    ¡°There are snakes, that¡¯s why it¡¯s called Snake Mountain, and even birds don¡¯t nest there. Oh, there are also many companies related to agriculture and animal husbandry over there, and there are large farmlands and pastures under the mountain.¡±


    ¡°Then if I want to go up the mountain, I can only walk?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. I have heard that there seem to be people living on the mountainside, and there will be cars going up and down the mountain. I don¡¯t know the details. If you¡¯re lucky, you might be able to flag down a car going up the mountain. Just pay some money and let them take you for a ride. Well, that¡¯s what I heard anyway.¡±


    ¡°If I go there, what should I pay attention to?¡± Feng Yi opened a notes app on his phone, preparing to write down the driver¡¯s words.


    ¡°What should you pay attention to?¡± The driver prattled on. ¡°When you go up the mountain, bring more food. Don¡¯t touch anything in the wild because you don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s poisonous or not. There are also animals, so don¡¯t go harassing them even if you¡¯re curious. There are guard drones that come and go. They come out to patrol every day at uncertain times.¡±


    Thinking of something, the driver said again, ¡°Last June, three boys came here to explore. They were high school freshmen. They secretly carried a bunch of things up the mountain to have a DIY barbecue, and they wanted to catch snakes. The drones detected the source of the fire and flew over to catch them in the act.¡±


    ¡°Later those three were arrested and forced to take classes. They even had to take exams on the dense volume of forest management, ten sets of animal protection, etc., and they were not allowed to come out until they passed the exam.¡±


    ¡°What about animal protection?¡± Feng Yi hadn¡¯t heard it clearly.


    ¡°¡®Dense Volume of Forest Management¡¯, ¡®Ten Sets of Animal Protection¡¯, these are just funny names we came up with. Basically, forest management is forest law, fire prevention regulations, wildfire source management methods, and so on. Animal protection is what the name says. For those related to ecological and environmental protection, an expert created ten sets of test questions. Later, I heard that the three children, with an average height of six feet, were crying when they took the tests!¡±


    After coming to an understanding, Feng Yi wrote down the key words.


    The driver continued, ¡°Anyway, the place is a protected area. Don¡¯t touch the animals on the mountain. Don¡¯t worry about the snakes, birds, and frogs. Just treat them as protected animals and stay away for safety¡¯s sake. It¡¯ll be troublesome if you accidentally kill or injure one. Basically, remember¡ª if one breaks the law, ten will be a punishable sentence.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a bit excessive. What if I come across a rat? Can¡¯t I beat it? There have been a lot of rat plagues lately,¡± Feng Yi asked.


    ¡°Are you kidding me? There are rats in Snake Mountain? Snakes are the natural enemies of rats! The tyrants of Mount Xiaofeng are the king ratsnakes which have a voracious appetite for rodents. All the rats on the mountain have long since been eaten!¡±


    ¡°Do you know why people still live on the mountain? The people who live there have to take care of the feeding! They have to transport rats from other places every once in a while, otherwise the snakes isolated in the reserve will starve to death.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, king ratsnakes eat mice.¡± Feng Yi nodded. ¡°And they¡¯re not poisonous.¡±


    The driver babbled on, ¡°King ratsnakes are what many people call the cauliflower snake. We also call it the king snake here. A long time ago, it was actually raised for food¡­¡±


    ¡°Now it¡¯s not allowed,¡± Feng Yi said.


    Driver: ¡°In the generation of my grandparents, the elders had a saying that a ¡®good snake is a dead snake¡¯.¡±


    Feng Yi: ¡°Now it¡¯s ¡®if one breaks the law, ten will be a punishable sentence¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much.¡± The driver sighed, ¡°It was fine before, why did the climate change so much? And so many animals died?¡±


    Feng Yi fell silent. He didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    During the anomalous climatic period of the past two decades, too many animals and plants disappeared; the common ones became endangered, and the endangered ones became extinct. Those who supported the strictest conservation law didn¡¯t necessarily have pity for those animals and plants, nor did they have an awareness of ecological protection. They regarded the mass extinction event as an early warning. The living conditions of animals and plants were also indicators of the living conditions of humans and were data that the sixth database needed to collect. Therefore, ¡°data¡± must be well protected. This was a shared understanding.


    The atmosphere in the car was a little heavy. But as they got closer to their destination, the heaviness turned to restlessness. There were fewer and fewer buildings on both sides of the road, more and more warning signs, and a sign with a phone number printed on it.


    ¡°If you see a snake outside the isolation area, please contact the phone number on the warning sign. It¡¯s very likely that the snake was inside the protection area but escaped,¡± the driver said.


    Feng Yi could see the isolation zone set up not far away, and the further forward they went, the closer the road was to the isolation zone. This was already within the range of Mount Xiaofeng. Feng Yi could see a snake raised up on a large rock in the isolation zone, looking at them like they were loaches that had wandered into a group of snakes. The further in they went, the closer they were to the isolation zone, and the more of those slithering figures could be seen at the edge of the isolation zone.


    ¡°There are a lot of snakes here¡­¡± Feng Yi¡¯s face turned pale.


    The driver was fine, as it wasn¡¯t the first time he had come here, so he wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°They just like to get close to the edge of the isolation zone to watch the passing vehicles and pedestrians.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re that bold?¡±


    ¡°This kind of snake is generally bold and fierce. Now that no one dares to eat them, they¡¯re becoming more and more arrogant. Well, we¡¯re here!¡±


    The driver parked the car at the designated spot. Feng Yi would have to walk the rest of the way, as foreign vehicles were not allowed to drive up the mountain.


    Seeing Feng Yi¡¯s whole body tense up, the driver patted Feng Yi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, they¡¯re just cauliflower snakes.¡±


    Feng Yi was not comforted. Cauliflowers everywhere might be a local agricultural drama, but cauliflower snakes everywhere made for a horror movie!


    The driver looked around the parking lot and parked the car in the smoking area. He didn¡¯t dare to smoke while driving on the road. Mount Xiaofeng had set up a smoking area where people didn¡¯t have to get out of their cars. After lighting a cigarette, the driver watched Feng Yi put on his equipment.


    He was armed to the teeth.


    Smiling, the driver said, ¡°We have an old saying here, ¡®One mile of king ratsnakes, ten miles of non-venomous snakes¡¯.¡±


    Some words, when heard, could have two different meanings.


    Ten miles/no/venomous snakes ¨C There were no poisonous snakes here.


    Ten miles/non-venomous snakes ¨C There were snakes everywhere! But they weren¡¯t poisonous.


    They were pretty much the same!


    ¡°Although it sounds exaggerated, king ratsnakes also eat snakes. You¡¯ve got to believe that a glutton¡¯s strength is not to be questioned.¡±


    The corners of Feng Yi¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Thank you, Mister, you really know how to comfort people!¡±


    The driver smiled and shook his head. ¡°If you¡¯re so afraid of snakes, what are you doing here? Isn¡¯t this self-abuse?¡±


    ¡°Life isn¡¯t easy,¡± Feng Yi said softly.


    These words immediately touched the driver¡¯s sore spot. With a cigarette in his mouth, his eyes were forlorn as he thought of unpleasant memories. ¡°No one has it easy.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of snakes?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    Driver: ¡°What is there to be afraid of if I don¡¯t get out of the car?¡±


    Feng Yi: ¡°¡­¡± What fucking sense.


    Driver: ¡°As long as I¡¯m in the car, no snake can sneak into my car! I won¡¯t even go to the toilet! I¡¯ll find a place to solve it when I get out of here.¡±


    Feng Yi: ¡°¡­That¡¯s very rigorous of you.¡±


    Driver: ¡°There¡¯s a saying here, ¡®Thunder follows the Waking of Insects13rd of the 24 solar terms (½ÚÆø) in the traditional Chinese calendars, and vast swarms of insects and snakes form¡¯. After the Waking of Insects this year, the elders say that there may be more insects and snakes this year than last. Now that the weather is getting warmer, there are indeed more snakes, insects, and rats on the mountain, so be careful.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mister. Please leave a phone number. I will contact you when I want to return. Likewise, I will add extra to the fare,¡± Feng Yi said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± The driver had a good impression of Feng Yi. He was reluctant to give up such a customer, and he was also a little worried about Feng Yi.


    After thinking for a while, the driver said, ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll give you at most three days. If you don¡¯t call, I¡¯ll call you, and if I can¡¯t get through, I¡¯ll call the police, okay?¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Feng Yi was also worried about his personal safety, and the driver¡¯s idea suited him just fine. After exchanging phone numbers, the driver checked the car again after smoking, and left immediately.


    With the bag on his back, Feng Yi turned his helmet uncomfortably, took a deep breath, and went up the mountain holding the snake stick. He had already come this far, what was there to be afraid of?


    As he walked further up the mountain, the exclusion nets that had been pulled up were on both sides of the road, and the cauliflower snakes gathered on the other side of the nets had their tongues out, following Feng Yi¡¯s movements.


    Two-meter-long cauliflower snakes were not uncommon here, and there were even bigger ones, although Feng Yi did not look at them. All he could feel right now was that the goosebumps all over his body were about to explode. Having lived in the city for more than twenty years, getting close to nature usually meant going to a major scenic spot, or an elegant farmhouse. This was the first time being so close to such a wild ecological reserve, where animals and plants grew in the wild.


    In the distance, waves of nameless flying insects could be seen. When Feng Yi walked over, several flying insects landed directly on his helmet visor. Something landed on his shoulder and flew away after a while. Feng Yi could only catch a glimpse of a black figure. It wasn¡¯t summer yet, but these flying insects were already active.


    As Feng Yi continued, he saw a guarded checkpoint. It was only after he registered his details that the guard let him go through and up the mountain. He even told Feng Yi the location of the Feng family¡¯s ancestral home.


    ¡°There is only one old house on this mountain. It seems to belong to the Feng family, but I don¡¯t know the details. Only one person lives there. If you are talking about that old house, go up this road and you should be able to see it. You can ask anyone you meet along the way, as they all know about it.¡±


    After Feng Yi thanked him, he continued walking up the mountain. Fortunately, he heard an approaching car not far away, and he got a free ride. The two people in the car were from a feed factory at the foot of the mountain and had to go up the mountain for business.


    ¡°The ancestral home of the Feng family? Are you looking for Uncle Mute?¡± one person asked.


    ¡°Uncle Mute? Most likely. The elders of the family just told me that the house there is being taken care of. I have something to do there,¡± Feng Yi said.


    The other party looked at Feng Yi¡¯s equipment. ¡°I can tell that this is your first time coming here.¡±


    ¡°You live on the mountain? What is it like?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    The two laughed. Then one of them explained, ¡°Who is willing to live on the mountain now, even if there is Wi-Fi? If you want to eat takeout at night, no one will deliver it to you, not to mention that you¡¯ll be watched by snakes just taking a dump. Would you be willing?


    ¡°But the isolation zone?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    ¡°The exclusion nets are right beside. When you¡¯re in the toilet and look out from the window, there are about seven or eight snakes staring at you from the exclusion net not far away. Except for shifts or temporary assignments, we all live in the company dormitory at the base of the mountain. Those who can live safely on the mountain are not ordinary people.¡±


    ¡°Like Uncle Mute?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Uncle Mute is really not an ordinary person. He even enjoys living there.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s Uncle Mute¡¯s last name? How do I call him?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    ¡°His name? It¡¯s just Uncle Mute. I don¡¯t know what his last name is. Anyway, everyone calls him Uncle Mute. He can¡¯t speak.¡±


    The mountain looked desolate, but the road was well repaired. When the car drove on it, there were no bumps and no stones to be seen.


    ¡°There is a vehicle that clears the road every day.¡± One person explained, ¡°Uncle Mute often asks people to help him bring things. There are not many vehicles going up and down the mountain, but they are not uncommon. We will send you up the mountain first and come back later.¡±


    The car drove up the mountain for a while. After passing the mountainside, the isolation zone gradually moved away from the driveway. Traces of artificial activity could be seen in the woods on the side of the road. The trees planted were clearly planned, some were fruit trees that had already bore fruit, and some Feng Yi had never seen before.


    Just as he was thinking, Feng Yi suddenly heard the person next to him shout, ¡°Hey, I see Uncle Mute over there! Uncle Mute!¡±


    The car stopped at the side of the road. Feng Yi looked in the direction they were pointing.


    A man who looked about seventy years old and dressed like an old mountain farmer came out of the forest. Probably because he spent a lot of time outdoors, his face was dark with deep wrinkles. He wore cotton clothes and rubber shoes, and was carrying a large bamboo basket on his back. The legs of his pants had half-dried mud prints on them, and a straw hat sat slightly crooked on his head. A few strands of slightly long gray hair protruded from the brim of the hat, swaying with his steps.


    The bamboo basket carried was full of freshly picked fruits and vegetables, all special products of the mountain, and most of which were varieties that Feng Yi didn¡¯t recognize.


    The young man in the driver¡¯s seat opened the car window and waved to the old man, ¡°Uncle Mute, I¡¯ve brought a guest for you!¡±


    Uncle Mute looked into the car. Feng Yi met his gaze and didn¡¯t see any darkness or depression in his eyes. Uncle Mute wiped his sweat with his hand and smiled brightly at Feng Yi. Then, Feng Yi saw the old man take out a recently released smartphone from his mud-covered pocket¡ª¡ª


    It was from the same series as Feng Yi¡¯s phone, but the old man¡¯s phone had an extra ¡°plus¡± in its name. A high-end model that was half a thousand dollars more expensive than the one in Feng Yi¡¯s hand, and extremely difficult to come by.

 CH 6

    The old man typed proficiently on his phone, and it was obvious from his speed that he was very good at playing games. Then the text was converted into a male voice with a slightly operatic accent.


    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll give you some of the fruits I just picked.¡±


    Uncle Mute grabbed two handfuls of wild fruits for the other two people, and after Feng Yi got out of the car, he stuffed several cherry-sized wild fruits into Feng Yi¡¯s hands.


    Feng Yi had never eaten this fruit before. When he saw the two people in the car eating happily, he took off his gloves, wiped the sweat from his hands and the small mud stains on the fruit¡¯s skin, and tried it. It was sweet, moist, and flavorful.


    The two people in the car very quickly drove away.


    Uncle Mute took off his straw hat and fanned himself, before throwing it into the bamboo basket. He looked at Feng Yi again, and quickly typed on the phone, converting the words to voice, ¡°Come with me.¡±


    Feng Yi quickly followed.


    ¡°Uh¡­ what¡¯s your name?¡± Feng Yi asked. It didn¡¯t seem very respectful to call him Uncle Mute directly.


    ¡°Just call me Uncle Mute!¡± the phone said.


    Seeing that the other party really didn¡¯t care, Feng Yi stopped worrying about the matter and observed the surrounding scenery and the smooth road.


    ¡°I see that the road on the mountain is well repaired, did you buy a scooter?¡±


    Uncle Mute typed into the phone: ¡°There¡¯s food, drink and Internet, why would I need a scooter for?¡±


    Feng Yi: ¡°¡­Makes sense.¡±


    After thinking about it, Feng Yi decided to get straight to the point. ¡°Uncle Mute, you know the purpose of my coming, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes~ I do~ I¡¯ve been waiting for a long time!¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Feng Yi quickly followed up.


    Uncle Mute didn¡¯t want to speak anymore on the matter and turned on his phone to play music.


    ¡°Who is singing, warming the loneliness¡­¡± As he walked, he even started dancing to the rhythm.


    Feng Yi: ¡°¡­¡±


    He had now confirmed it; the other party was a healthy and lively old man.


    Not long after, Feng Yi saw the ¡°ancestral home of the Feng family¡± that the old butler had mentioned. This was the first time Feng Yi had seen the legendary ancestral home, and it was somewhat similar to the old buildings in historical dramas. The area wasn¡¯t very large, and every brick and tile was very old-fashioned, but not dilapidated. It was obvious that someone had taken special care of it. This Uncle Mute was really dedicated to his duty.


    Uncle Mute entered the house, put down the bamboo basket, and gestured for Feng Yi to follow. As he walked in, he quickly typed on the phone and entered a long paragraph of text-to-speech. The commentary with a slightly operatic tone sounded in the quiet ancestral home.


    ¡°Did you see the sign with the word Feng written on it? That building over there is the place where the Feng family worshiped their ancestors, and there are some memorial tablets of the Feng family ancestors inside.¡±


    Feng Yi pushed open the door and walked into the room. He looked around, but there was nothing special about it. The interior was clean, and the room was quite large. He also saw some tablets with the names of the Feng family ancestors written on them. Overall, it had a ceremonial feel to it. However, Feng Yi had never heard any of these names mentioned by the elders, or anyone else. Even those three generations ago, very few people still remembered them.


    He took another look around the room.


    How should he put it¡­ There was nothing too unexpected, and from the layout inside, it could be seen that no outsiders had come here for a long time. In this era, no one really cared about these so-called ancestral homes, the places where ancestors were worshipped, but¡­


    A mission worth fourteen million! And this was it?!!


    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t have respect for the dead, but over the past few decades, people have gradually simplified the mourning process like in Feng Yi¡¯s generation. If he hadn¡¯t been given this task, he wouldn¡¯t have any idea about ancestral halls. That was to say, he saw them in TV dramas, but he never thought they would have anything to do with him. As for tomb sweeping, they rarely cared about people three generations or above. It was hard to imagine that a fourteen million dollar was in this place?


    But now that he was here, Feng Yi didn¡¯t immediately look for the genealogy record. Looking around, there were no kneeling mats like those in the TV dramas, no incense, papers, and the like, so Feng Yi just stood in front of the tablets and bowed. After that, Feng Yi wanted to ask Uncle Mute if he had any clues on how to find the genealogy record. When he turned his head, he saw Uncle Mute waving at him, and the converted text-to-speech sounded from his phone.


    ¡°That will do~ It¡¯s the thought that counts, come here!¡±


    Feng Yi: ?


    No, wait, what does ¡°It¡¯s the thought that counts¡± mean? Seeing that Uncle Mute had already left, Feng Yi quickly followed.


    Uncle Mute took Feng Yi to another room, where there was a blue brick wall that was no different from the surrounding ones. Uncle Mute opened a secret compartment on the wall, revealing the fingerprint lock inside.


    Feng Yi: !!!


    Uncle Mute pressed his thumb on the fingerprint recognition interface, then took a step back, signaling for Feng Yi to do the same.


    Bewildered, Feng Yi stepped forward and followed Uncle Mute¡¯s previous movements. He raised his right thumb and pressed it on the interface. With a beep, a door opened from the seemingly complete wall.


    Uncle Mute didn¡¯t go in this time and gestured for Feng Yi to go in alone. Feng Yi mentally prepared himself. He felt that he had learned some incredible information.


    Looking inside, there didn¡¯t seem to be anything out of the ordinary, but all the mystery made him even more nervous. But now that he had come this far, Feng Yi had no intention of retreating. He took a deep breath, lifted his feet, and walked into the room. The moment he entered, the door that had been removed from the wall closed again.


    Feng Yi became even more nervous.


    As the door on the wall closed, many lights lit up the seemingly small room. He couldn¡¯t tell what the material was. It was bright enough, but not blinding. It was also because of these lights that Feng Yi could see the room clearly. This place was not as small as he thought.


    There were no ancestral tablets here, nor were there any ritual items left behind. There were some paintings on the surrounding walls, some of which looked like snakes, and some of which had strange shapes. No matter what kind of pictures they were, they were all very old. After a quick scan, Feng Yi walked along the inner wall again, but he still could not find the genealogy record.


    Genealogy record¡­ Where could it be?


    While muttering, his eyes fell on a circular area in the middle of the room. When he looked closer, it wasn¡¯t an ordinary circle, but a snake biting its own tail to form a circle. And when Feng Yi stepped into that circle, the flower coin he was wearing around his neck automatically floated up.


    The side of the coin with the snake pattern glowed blue, and at the same time, it emitted a high-frequency sound. Feng Yi could only vaguely hear it because the frequency of the sound, except for the short part at the beginning, gradually exceeded the range that his ears could hear.


    At the same time, a column nearly one-meter-high rose from the ground not far from him.  The upper slab of the seemingly seamless stone pillar cracked open, revealing a square shape resembling a book.


    Why resembling? Because the cover of this book looked really weird!


    Snakeskin!


    Feng Yi might not be able to distinguish other skins, but he would never mistake snakeskin! He had never seen this kind of pattern before, but it gave him a different feeling compared to Lu Yue¡¯s wallet. It didn¡¯t look like the kind of skin that was peeled off directly, but looked more like shed skin¡­


    Snake slough!


    Feng Yi even imagined, if there were such scales on a snake, how big would it be!


    No, this should not be his focus right now!


    He looked at the glowing blue zodiac flower coin that was still in a suspended state, then at the pillar that seemed to grow seamlessly out of ground, and finally focused on the book on the pillar. He didn¡¯t know what material it was made of, but it was simple, yet it gave off an indescribable tingling sensation.


    The pages of the book turned automatically, without wind and at a rapid pace.


    Feng Yi couldn¡¯t see exactly what was written inside, but he could see that each page had a few short words, some long and some short, with different fonts and different strokes. Was this the signature the old butler was talking about? This was the genealogy record?


    ¡°This genealogy record¡­ is very different from the genealogy record as I understand it¡­¡±


    No matter how dull he was, and no matter how much he didn¡¯t pay attention to the latest technology, Feng Yi knew that what was displayed in front of him was beyond the reach of ordinary people!


    At that moment, Feng Yi had the realization, ¡°I¡¯ve gotten myself into something deep!


    He froze in place, and the hairs on his entire body stood on end. The unknown was the most terrifying thing. At the same time, he also realized that there was a path in front of him that he didn¡¯t understand or had even thought about. Feng Yi had a feeling, no, more like an instinct.


    Instinctively, he knew what he had to do. Like a chicken hatching an egg, a bird building a nest, a spider weaving a web, or a bee making honey, they knew without learning! It was something engraved in their genetic makeup!


    If this ¡°genealogy record¡± was akin to a door, the moment he signed his name was when he would truly go through the door into the unknown.


    The pages of the ¡°genealogy record¡± stopped turning, and blank pages spread out. Feng Yi stretched out a hand and wrote his name on the open page with his index finger. When the last stroke fell, it was as if a cloud of mist had suddenly dissipated. Through the mist, Feng Yi saw a vague shadow, like an entangled snake. His consciousness gradually slipped out of his control, as if flitting between ancient times and the future, on the edge of dream and reality.


    One wall away.


    Uncle Mute stood quietly by the door. A new message alert came from his phone. It could be a friend from online poker, or an acquaintance from the villages down the mountain. But for the moment, he didn¡¯t pay any attention to the phone, completely ignoring the notification. After waiting for a while, Uncle Mute grinned silently. He stretched his waist, looked at the sky, and then took out his phone to send a message to several groups:


    ¡°The weather in the mountains will change tonight, with strong wind and rain. Go down the mountain early and don¡¯t go to the top. Those who live on the mountainside should keep all outside valuables indoors. Put chickens and ducks in their cages earlier. At night, make sure doors and windows are closed and cars are in garages. Don¡¯t come out unless you have something to do. Those at the foot of the mountain don¡¯t have to worry, just collect your clothes earlier, the water vapor will be heavy.¡±


    These groups were residents and employees who lived in or near the mountains. When they saw Uncle Mute¡¯s message, they all popped up.


    ¡°Really? The weather forecast says it will be sunny lately.¡±


    ¡°The weather changes quickly in the mountains. Uncle Mute has lived on the mountain for a long time, just listen to him.¡±


    ¡°The newly purchased waterproof car mat smells, so I put it under the awning in the yard and plan to let it dry for a few days. Do I need to keep it in the house? I¡¯m staying on the mountain tonight.¡±


    ¡°Keep it. Didn¡¯t you see Uncle Mute say that the wind will be strong tonight? What if it blows away? Even if it doesn¡¯t blow away, it¡¯s not good to have muddy water and all kinds of leaves from the mountains blowing onto it.¡±


    People in each group took the time to discuss it, and some looked at the sky outside.


    ¡°There¡¯s not even a cloud, is it really going to rain?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t believe Uncle Mute¡¯s words. People who had lived in Mount Xiaofeng for a long time or worked there for a few years knew that Uncle Mute was very accurate in predicting the weather. Every time there was a change, he would tell them in advance, and he was much more accurate than the weather on the phone.


    This time, Uncle Mute¡¯s words were too exaggerated, and many people doubted him. But as time went by, everyone noticed that the weather was changing.


    ¡°The sky got dark a little early today, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°I woke up to find that the sunny day had turned cloudy.¡±


    ¡°The weather has indeed changed, and the moisture in the air is a bit heavy. The outdoor humidity gauge has already notified me several times.¡±


    ¡°The weather on the mountain changes without warning, listen to Uncle Mute and get moving!¡±


    When it was dark, the people staying on the mountain were eating dinner and looking out the windows of the house. The visibility was less than five meters. Even turning on the lights in the yard, nothing could be seen.


    ¡°What deep fog!¡±


    ¡°Fog doesn¡¯t necessarily mean rain, does it?¡±


    ¡°That depends on whether the conditions are right for rain to form. There is a type of fog called frontal fog.¡±


    ¡°Really? There¡¯s that kind of fog in this season? Isn¡¯t that abnormal?¡±


    ¡°Who cares if it¡¯s normal or not, I¡¯m going to take a video first!¡±


    As the man said, he picked up his phone and opened the door, and began to record the situation outside.


    ¡°The snakes on the other side of the exclusion net are gone!¡±


    The king ratsnakes, which were usually extremely arrogant at night, had gone into hiding somewhere, and the only sound was the rustling of leaves as the wind blew past.


    The wind grew stronger. Drops of rain on his face were painful. The fog did not dissipate, and the water vapor did not all turn into raindrops. Excessively high air humidity caused obvious discomfort in breathing. The man couldn¡¯t bear it and retreated into the house unwillingly.


    Soon, the rain became heavier, carried by the strong wind, and hit the windows with a crackling sound. The phone signal went from full to one bar.


    In a place out of their sight.


    The thickening clouds in the sky pressed down from above! The sound of rolling thunder was like the trampling of giant beasts. The strong wind whipped up the fog, which flew wildly and fiercely in the mountains.

 CH 7

    When Feng Yi awoke, the previously opened ¡°genealogy record¡± was already closed. The upper slab of the stone platform was restored to its original state, and the ¡°genealogy record¡± was sealed inside. The stone pillar slowly sank until it fused with the ground.


    Feng Yi crouched down and took a closer look, even worried that he might not be able to see clearly, he took out his phone and used the high-definition camera to zoom in to clearly see every detail of the ground clearly. However, whether it was the naked eye or the phone¡¯s high-definition camera, what he saw and captured was a whole piece of ground without any fine lines, let alone cracks. It was as if everything he experienced before was his hallucination. After searching the room carefully several times, he still couldn¡¯t find any suspicious traces.


    Feng Yi looked at the time on the phone; it was 7 a.m. He actually stayed here all night, possibly standing the whole time! But there was no stiffness or discomfort in his body!


    Unable to find any more clues, Feng Yi could only give up and walk towards the door on the wall. The door opened automatically. As he approached the door, the lights in the room turned off one by one. When he stepped out of the door, the door automatically closed behind him, and the secret room was already dark.


    Walking out of the house, he heard movement from the small courtyard outside.


    ¡°Good morning, Uncle Mute. There¡¯s fog?¡± Feng Yi said.


    ¡°It will be gone soon.¡± Uncle Mute¡¯s text-to-speech sounded from his phone.


    The fog blocked the sunlight, but the morning glow had already appeared.  Through the gradually thinning layer of fog, the orange-red and golden rays of the sun could be seen.


    All kinds of flowers, plants, and trees in the small courtyard of the old house had drops of water, large and small, on their leaves. The soil that was dry and hard yesterday had either turned into muddy water or changed its shape due to the humidity.


    ¡°It rained last night?¡± Feng Yi was surprised. He had checked the weather forecast, and it clearly said that these two days would be sunny!


    However, some people also mentioned to him that the weather on the mountain was unpredictable and could change at any time. The local weather forecast often changed several times a day. Therefore, Feng Yi just casually asked.


    Uncle Mute took out his phone and quickly typed text-to-speech: ¡°Breakfast is bread and noodles. You can eat it in the kitchen. It¡¯s all for you. Don¡¯t starve yourself, eat it all! I¡¯m going to the tea garden to pick some tea leaves.¡±


    ¡°There is even a tea garden here? Do you need help? I¡¯m not hungry yet,¡± Feng Yi offered.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re starving!¡± Uncle Mute replied.


    Feng Yi wanted to say something more, but Uncle Mute waved his hand and walked out with the bamboo basket on his back. Seeing this, Feng Yi had no choice but to give up. He had wanted to get some information while helping out.


    The kitchen was easy to find, but the things on the kitchen table were beyond his recognition.


    There was a large porcelain bowl. Perhaps calling it a large porcelain basin was more accurate. Feng Yi wondered where it was bought from, as it was almost as big as an adult washbasin. It was filled with hand-made noodles. There was also a large food steamer. It had ten steamed buns with thin skin and lots of stuffing, each about the size of his palm in diameter, all filled with meat.


    Feng Yi¡¯s eyes straightened. Did Uncle Mute misunderstand something? Why did he think he could eat so much?


    When he used to work part-time at school shooting commercials, he had certain dietary requirements because he had to watch his figure, and his food intake hadn¡¯t changed much since then. Based on his appetite, a normal bowl of noodle soup plus a steamed stuffed bun¡­ two at most would be enough.


    Don¡¯t waste food!


    Thus, Feng Yi, who was very self-aware, dug out a normal-sized soup bowl from the cupboard, filled it with noodles from the large porcelain basin, put a steamed stuffed bun in it, and began to eat.


    As he ate, he realized he had finished eating. Yet he was still a little hungry. He filled another bowl, took a bun, and continued eating. The feeling of hunger became more apparent.


    Fifteen minutes later.


    Feng Yi looked at the large porcelain bowl with not even a spoonful of soup left in it and the empty steamer and fell silent.


    On the other side.


    Uncle Mute came to the tea garden with a bamboo basket on his back. Overnight many new buds had appeared on the tea tree. The large leaves were full of water droplets. The drops slid down the edge of the leaves, gathered at the tip of the leaves, and bobbed up and down. The morning light pierced the mist, creating streaks of colored light on the clear crystals.


    As the fog gradually lifted, Uncle Mute looked at the tea garden with his old eyes and grinned. He took out a special basket from the bamboo basket, carried it on his front, and walked among the tea trees. He picked the tea leaves with both hands at the same time, selecting only the new buds from the tea branches. Every time Uncle Mute waved his hand, many newly sprouted green buds jumped into the basket. His arms were dancing so fast that only vague fan-like shapes could be seen, and dense, light clicking sounds could be heard. It was faster than the brush of a cleaning robot.


    His clothes were quickly soaked with dew, and the basket was filled with leaf buds at a rate visible to the naked eye. After they were poured into the big bamboo basket, the next round continued.


    When Uncle Mute returned from picking tea leaves, Feng Yi was sitting on the stone steps in front of the door in a daze, as if pondering some profound philosophy of life.


    Seeing Uncle Mute, Feng Yi came back to his senses and looked at the time on the phone. ¡°You finished plucking the tea leaves so soon?¡±


    The fog had dissipated, and the sun was beginning to warm the earth, but there was still a trace of humidity in the air.


    Uncle Mute put down the bamboo basket and used his phone to reply. ¡°Wait for two hours before going down the mountain. I will roast the tea leaves and give you two cans.¡±


    Feng Yi: ¡°¡­Okay, thank you, Uncle Mute.¡±


    Inwardly, he thought, I have no intention of going down the mountain so soon! I still want to find out more information!


    But Uncle Mute very quickly started the tea-making process and was extremely devoted to it, even putting down his phone that had never left his side. He also didn¡¯t let Feng Yi intervene.


    Feng Yi could only wait.


    Two hours later, Uncle Mute was done. He put some tea leaves into two special jars and handed them to Feng Yi: ¡°Leave it for two days before drinking it.¡±


    Feng Yi felt a little bad for not giving money after eating and taking things, and was about to say something, but Uncle Mute casually waved his hand to stop him. Then he typed a few words into the phone: ¡°I¡¯m not short of money! Go home, someone will tell you the rest.¡±


    Feng Yi wanted to ask Uncle Mute about the ancestral home, the genealogy record, the old butler, and his great-aunt, but when he heard what the other party said, he knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get any useful information. It was obvious that he was being chased away.


    After packing the tea cans and tidying up briefly, Feng Yi looked at Uncle Mute. Uncle Mute made a gesture for him to hurry up and be on his way!


    Feng Yi sighed inwardly and walked out with his bag on his back. Not far behind him, he heard a voice message that must have been sent by Uncle Mute¡¯s friend¡ª¡ª


    [Get online! We need three people and just need one more!!!]


    Feng Yi sighed inwardly and walked out with his bag on his back. Not far behind him, he heard a voice message that must have been sent by Uncle Mute¡¯s friend¡­


    [Get online! We need three people and am missing one!!!]


    Feng Yi turned his head to see Uncle Mute walking toward the house while typing quickly. The old man was really busy.


    Sighing, Feng Yi walked down the mountain. This time he didn¡¯t wear a helmet, and his gloves were still in his bag. He somehow knew that he would be fine even without the equipment.


    The flying insects gradually increased. However, on the way down the mountain, they took the initiative to avoid Feng Yi when he passed by, as if smelling something nasty. When approaching the mountainside, Feng Yi saw the two people who had driven him up the mountain yesterday. They were unloading large crates from the car and walking to the isolated zone to place the crates on a machine that would transfer them to the other side of the exclusion net and dump the contents out.


    The boxes were full of mice. Looking at their fat bodies and shiny fur, the mice had a good life.


    Feng Yi went over to greet the two people, but this time he didn¡¯t ask them to drive him down the mountain. He had just completed a great task. Although the suspicion in his heart had increased instead of decreasing, he was much more at ease than when he came yesterday, and his body wasn¡¯t tired at all.


    ¡°You¡¯re on your way back?¡± the two asked.


    ¡°Yes. What are you doing?¡± Feng Yi walked over.


    ¡°Feeding them mice. We have to do this every few days. Resource utilization, you know? The mice were brought in from the city. They¡¯re so fat, I wonder how much they¡¯ve secretly eaten.¡±


    Another box was dumped, and the two people looked at the cauliflower snakes on the other side of the exclusion net.


    ¡°Why do I feel like there are fewer snakes today?¡±


    ¡°They really don¡¯t look as active as they did the last few times. They look like they¡¯re cowering,¡± the other person said.


    ¡°But judging by the way they swallowed the mice, they¡¯re still pretty fierce, and they don¡¯t look sick.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably because of the rain last night. It¡¯s still a bit cold on the mountain. They¡¯ll be more active when the temperature rises.¡±


    Hearing what they said, Feng Yi also went over to take a closer look.


    ¡°You¡¯re no longer afraid of snakes?¡± one person asked.


    Feng Yi paused, then nodded, ¡°I don¡¯t feel so scared anymore.¡±


    Indeed, he wasn¡¯t as afraid as he was yesterday. Just as he somehow knew that those mosquitoes would actively avoid him, he also seemed to know:


    [Those gluttons can¡¯t hurt me!]


    To verify, Feng Yi took a step closer to the exclusion net.


    On the other side of the exclusion net, a king ratsnake with a body length of more than two meters and a torso thicker than an adult¡¯s forearm was swallowing a mouse. After Feng Yi approached, it suddenly stopped and turned slowly, twisting with some difficulty to move further away before continuing to eat. It wasn¡¯t just this one, but the other snakes nearby also left quickly, whether they were eating or preparing to eat.


    Seeing this, the two people in charge of the feeding were extremely surprised. ¡°Why are they suddenly afraid of human? Aren¡¯t they usually pretty arrogant?¡±


    Normally, even the presence of people watching them wouldn¡¯t stop these king rat snakes from devouring mice. This was the first time seeing them suddenly become so ¡°shy¡±. But the two people weren¡¯t too concerned and guessed that Feng Yi had sprayed some snake repellant or something.


    Feng Yi left and continued down the mountain. He sent another message to the driver from yesterday. If the driver was driving and it was inconvenient for him to answer the phone, he could read the message when he was free. If he didn¡¯t respond before Feng Yi reached the bottom of the mountain, he would find another ride. Fortunately, the driver was quick to respond and called him directly.


    The driver had a good impression of him. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re safe¡­ Okay, I¡¯m not too far away and will head there right now. I¡¯ll probably be¡­ fifty minutes at the most.¡±


    Feng Yi was in no hurry. After making an appointment with the driver, he was in the mood to enjoy the mountain scenery on the way down. He even saw a frog hiding.


    He had heard that there were frogs and toads in the reserve, but not many. The king ratsnakes had been fed too many mice, reducing their predation on frogs and toads. This left a small number of survivors on the mountain.


    When Feng Yi arrived at the parking lot from yesterday, the driver happened to arrive.


    The driver looked at him. ¡°You seem to be in good spirits.¡±


    ¡°Somewhat, yeah.¡± Feng Yi put the bag in the trunk and got into the car.


    When the car left Mount Xiaofeng, it happened that the people patrolling the reserve were chasing a ¡°jailbreak¡± snake. The snake had its mouth opened wide to swallow a frog.


    The driver tutted. ¡°Seeing a snake swallow its food is pretty scary up close, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Turning his head, he found Feng Yi staring out of the window with saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth.


    Driver: ?


    Feng Yi quickly wiped the corners of his mouth and saw that the driver was staring at him inquisitively. ¡°My classmate just sent me a message, inviting me to a big meal upon my return,¡± he explained.


    The driver took the words at face value and nodded vigorously to express his understanding. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m the same. If anyone invites me to a big meal, I would be worse than you!¡±


    After speaking, the driver gave an additional warning. ¡°But remember, if one breaks the law, ten will be a punishable sentence! If you want to eat, eat the bred bullfrogs, and don¡¯t touch the frogs. Bullfrogs are very common now and they¡¯re big and meaty. Oh, I love eating shiso bullfrog!¡±


    Feng Yi responded with a smile, and then slapped himself lightly when the driver turned away. What was wrong with him! How could he get hungry just by looking at the snake!

 CH 8

    There was no big meal. Feng Yi only made up a quick excuse to get out of this embarrassing situation. But he knew in his heart that something had changed. In the morning, he had eaten a large basin-like bowl of noodle soup and ten plus-sized buns. It wasn¡¯t even noon when he left Mount Xiaofeng, but the feeling of hunger was getting stronger and stronger.


    Fortunately, he had prepared a lot of food in preparation for climbing the mountain yesterday. However, his mind had been preoccupied and his nerves were tense the whole way. As a result, he didn¡¯t have much of an appetite, and most of the food was left over.


    ¡°Mister, can I eat in the car?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    ¡°Sure, as long as you don¡¯t eat instant noodles, durian, etc. Be careful not to choke.¡±


    The driver drove out of the Mount Xiaofeng reserve, but he still had the image of the king ratsnake eating the frog just now in his mind, and he couldn¡¯t help but speak.


    ¡°There¡¯s a saying in our hometown, ¡®One cauliflower snake on a beam can kill two hundred rodents a year¡¯! I don¡¯t know which of the two types of cauliflower snake they are talking about, but compared to the long, slender-bodied, black-browed ratsnake, the short, thick, fat king ratsnake seems to be the bigger eater. I think the food intake of those king ratsnakes in the reserve has only increased every year! Look how fat and arrogant each one of them is!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think so?¡± the driver asked Feng Yi.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Feng Yi nodded. ¡°They¡¯re a bunch of gluttons!¡±


    Feng Yi ate all the food in his bag in the car and had another good meal at the airport. When he came here, he bought all kinds of equipment from the outdoor goods store, but he couldn¡¯t take too much on the plane, so Feng Yi packed the equipment up and sent it back by express. Not knowing when he would complete the task, he had not booked a return ticket. He could only buy one on the spot.


    When he returned to Rongcheng, it happened to be the evening rush hour. Sitting in the taxi, Feng Yi regretted that he hadn¡¯t just squeezed into the subway. Outside the car window, the rush-hour traffic on the elevated highway formed a long snake¡­


    Bah! Snake again!


    Feng Yi felt like escaping from reality right now. He didn¡¯t want to think about anything related to snakes, so he just looked away from the long strip on the elevated highway, rubbed his brow, and turned on his phone to read the recommended news.


    By the time he got home, it was already dark. Feeling exhausted, Feng Yi ordered take-out for four people, washed up, and went to bed after eating in a hurry. The takeout trash was simply cleaned up and put aside, and he planned to sort it out tomorrow.


    It was the middle of the night, and most of the residents were asleep.


    A rat crawled from the balcony next to Feng Yi¡¯s house, and when it reached the balcony, it suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. There was the smell of tempting food in the air. However, there was also an aura that made it instinctively afraid. After hesitating for a while, it finally turned around and crawled down the outside wall.


    Feng Yi had a strange dream, but he couldn¡¯t remember anything when he woke up. After disposing of yesterday¡¯s garbage, he carefully checked the house and found no trace of rats or cockroaches. He was relieved.


    After breakfast, Feng Yi called the old butler. This time, the old butler directly video called Feng Yi.


    Feng Yi answered the call. ¡°I returned from Mount Xiaofeng last night. I have already visited the ancestral home and signed the genealogy record.¡±


    Butler: ¡°Yes, I know. The money will be transferred to your account later.¡±


    On the other side of the video, the old butler¡¯s expression also seemed different from when they first met. Although the old butler spoke politely on their first meeting, he felt more distant. Now, however, the way he looked at Feng Yi through the camera was more gentle, as if he was looking at a kitten that had just opened its eyes.


    Feng Yi felt strange being stared at by such eyes, but he was happy to hear that fourteen million would soon be credited to his account. Of course, he wasn¡¯t overly excited. He now had a lot of doubts in his mind that needed to be resolved.


    ¡°I¡­ I feel like I¡¯ve changed a little,¡± Feng Yi said.


    ¡°Scared?¡± The butler smiled kindly.


    ¡°Not really. It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m not used to it.¡± Feng Yi didn¡¯t know how to describe the feeling. Instinct told him that this change was beneficial to survival, an advantage, and an evolution. But this change made him uneasy.


    ¡°If living life was like everyone else, wouldn¡¯t that be too boring?¡± the butler said.


    Feng Yi wiped his face and asked, ¡°Then am I still human now?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Why would you not be? You can think of this as a human who took another evolutionary route.¡±


    ¡°You too?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m different from you.¡±


    There was a subtle nuance in his words. But seeing that the butler didn¡¯t want to say more, Feng Yi didn¡¯t continue the topic. He would figure it out eventually.


    ¡°Then, what do you think about snakes?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    ¡°What do people think of monkeys? No, they don¡¯t even count as monkeys. They are just pets or food,¡± the butler said flatly.


    ¡°¡­Eating snakes is not allowed now.¡± Feng Yi reminded.


    ¡°Of course, law-abiding citizen.¡± The butler leafed through a document in his hand. ¡°The inheritance that Madam Feng left you, besides the fourteen million, includes real estate, stock funds, etc., which I will take care of for you first. These are of lesser importance. Your main energy now should be on your own transformation. In the next few days your body will undergo some small changes. When these changes are completed, all the things left by Madam Feng will be handed over to your hands.¡±


    Feng Yi¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he heard the words, ¡°¡¯small¡¯ changes?¡±


    Although real estate and stocks were also relatively eye-catching, Feng Yi was more interested in the ¡°small changes¡± that the old butler mentioned. He could earn money and real estate himself, as much as his capabilities allowed, but he wasn¡¯t all that interested in becoming a billionaire. No matter how much money he had, he wouldn¡¯t be able to secure it if he didn¡¯t have the ability. If he had the ability, he would be able to get it on his own without others giving it to him. But ¡°small changes¡± were related to his own body and could not be controlled!


    The old butler smiled slightly and comforted him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just some minor changes. If you pay attention to them, others won¡¯t notice them. Once you start changing, you can call me.¡±


    After thinking about it, the old butler added, ¡°Remember to wear a mask when you go out.¡±


    After speaking, the call was disconnected. Feng Yi pondered what the old butler had said. To sum up the meaning of the butler¡¯s last few sentences:


    First, the changes weren¡¯t big. If he covered up a little, others wouldn¡¯t notice, and it wouldn¡¯t affect his daily life.


    Second, the ¡°small changes¡± could likely be resolved by wearing a mask. Could it be¡­ teeth?


    ¡°At least I¡¯m still human!¡± Knowing that he wouldn¡¯t turn into anything strange, Feng Yi was indeed greatly relieved.


    The fourteen million promised by the old butler arrived before dusk that night. With this huge amount of money, Feng Yi didn¡¯t have to think hard about how to make money, and he could buy a few luxury cars that he coveted before. But Feng Yi didn¡¯t intend to do that.


    He paid back five million to the old butler and kept the rest for now. The work studio had been closed down, and he was now unemployed, so he had to think about what to do in the future and make plans. Who knew what else was left in that inheritance, and whether it could guarantee his future life? Instead of fantasizing about the things he hadn¡¯t received, Feng Yi believed in what he could earn. But it wasn¡¯t urgent. The old butler had already said that he would undergo some small changes in the days to follow. He first had to find out what kind of ¡°small¡± changes there were.


    Feng Yi turned on his phone and looked at the group chat of the community¡¯s property owners. Since the afternoon of the previous day, the community had organized a rat extermination, but the rats that had already entered the residents¡¯ homes were not easy to deal with. The property management office bought a lot of rodent glue traps for those property owners who needed them. However, when Feng Yi opened the group chat, he saw some property owners complaining:


    ¡°I got the glue traps from the property management office last week, they¡¯re amazing! I stuck them all over my house, but I haven¡¯t caught any rats!¡±


    ¡°Another rat came into the house yesterday. I have no idea how it got in ¨C it¡¯s so big! What has it been eating to get so large! Think the hormones went overboard on that thing!¡±


    ¡°Trigger warning! [Video] It¡¯s fucking capable of pushing open the window screen! If it can¡¯t break through with its teeth, it¡¯ll push the window open! Are they about to become a higher form of existence!!¡±


    ¡°Actually, this kind of big rat has infiltrated human society for a long time and can understand some words. That¡¯s why the elders always say that if you want to lure the rats, speak softly or not at all. If they hear you, they won¡¯t take the bait.¡±


    ¡°So what are we going to do? They are disturbing people! In all kinds of ways! They are disturbing the whole city, and they have high combat power, no other creature can surpass them!!!¡±


    The group chat was almost in a state of mania at this time. While reading, Feng Yi received a message from Wu Ji.


    Wu Ji: [How did you sleep last night? Everyone said the rats were the worst last night.]


    Feng Yi: [I slept very well until morning.]


    Wu Ji: [Goodbye]

 CH 9

    Wu Ji didn¡¯t reply on the phone again. Instead, he came straight to the door.


    ¡°You really didn¡¯t hear anything last night? My parents live downstairs from you, and the rats were gnawing on the window screen all night!¡±


    Wu Ji looked listless and had two large dark circles under his eyes. During the phone conversation, he had thought that Feng Yi was bullshitting, but now, Feng Yi¡¯s condition didn¡¯t look like he had been disturbed at night.


    Feng Yi replied: ¡°I didn¡¯t see any rats when I came back last night. Maybe I slept too soundly and didn¡¯t hear anything. If you hadn¡¯t told me, I would have forgotten about it. The take-out trash hadn¡¯t been put in the processor yet, I just cleaned it up this morning. Didn¡¯t the management hire a rodent control company? It didn¡¯t work?¡±


    ¡°It did!¡± Wu Ji said angrily. ¡°Apparently, a few underground lairs were blasted, and then the rodents ran up. In broad daylight, some people saw rats running from downstairs to upstairs along the outer wall. Not only in our community, the rat situation is getting worse in the surrounding neighborhoods. It¡¯s so annoying!¡±


    Wu Ji accepted a bottle of pure water from Feng Yi, opened it and took a few sips before continuing: ¡°I don¡¯t think the rats stealing food is such a big deal anymore. In the past two days, everyone has been a little nervous and irritable due to the worsening situation. The slightest thing in the group chat would cause an argument.¡±


    ¡°However, the community supervisor said that the next step is to completely eradicate the rats. Professionals will be hired to deal with them, but some services will have to be paid for separately. I have already put both my parents¡¯ and my apartment on the waiting list for door-to-door extermination. If you need it, you can contact the property manager directly and just sign up.


    ¡°Door-to-door extermination?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    ¡°Basically, they come to see if your house has any exposed areas that the rats can take advantage of. The apartment next to mine had someone come to their door last week. Exhaust pipes, air vents, and all kinds of holes are where rats can get in.¡±


    ¡°Because of the material of the outer wall, it¡¯s difficult to seal some holes. The price to seal a hole is about ten to fifteen dollars. Finding the holes is an additional fee, about seventy. One family in the group chat asked someone to seal seven holes, and the total was about one hundred and seventy: seventy for finding the holes plus one hundred for sealing the holes.¡±


    ¡°But I think if the situation can be dealt with once and for all, the money is still worth spending. I heard that those private rodent control companies have raised their prices again, but the people the community supervisor hired should be cheaper. Group discounts and all that.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not sure, you can also ask a professional to come and check. You don¡¯t usually pay attention to the group chat so you might not know. One apartment had asked a professional to come and clean the air conditioner. Since summer is coming, they wanted to clean the air conditioner in advance. The professional came, opened the air vent, and found a pile of rat droppings¡­ holy crap!¡±


    Wu Ji looked at the air vent of the central air conditioner in Feng Yi¡¯s house. ¡°If you are free, you can also make an appointment to clean the air conditioner.¡±


    After speaking, Wu Ji¡¯s face fell and he pointed at his dark circles. Then he raised his finger and pointed above him. ¡°Have you ever heard disco dancing on your ceiling at three in the morning?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Feng Yi said.


    ¡°I wonder what rats eat these days to get so big; they have no idea of their own weight at all. I don¡¯t know how they got into the ceiling, but they were playing tag left and right. I had to sleep with earplugs! When I woke up in the morning, the antique Zen-carved ceiling that my dad likes so much was cracked!¡±


    ¡°Your family doesn¡¯t have pets, and you don¡¯t have children, so you can use rat poison,¡± Feng Yi said.


    Wu Ji waved his hand dismissively. ¡°You underestimate them too much. Now there are some species that are resistant to the commonly used rat poison. Strong rat poisons are strictly controlled, and most of them are banned for sale. I¡¯m counting on the rat extermination robot now.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to Qian Feiyang to borrow his cat?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    Qian Feiyang was their college classmate and had rented a house in the same community. He didn¡¯t live here at first. Since he loved photography, he took some photo editing jobs before graduating. After graduation, he set up a small photography studio and rented a large apartment in their community. Three months ago, the community caught some stray cats. Like many people in the nearby community, Qian Feiyang went to adopt one.


    Wu Ji: ¡°He wouldn¡¯t let me! He said his cat doesn¡¯t catch mice anymore!¡±


    Speaking of this, Wu Ji became angry. ¡°How can a cat born as a stray not catch mice! Someone in the group chat gave him an idea: ¡®If you starve it for two meals, it will catch rats by itself¡¯. Qian Feiyang responded with ¡®I had the same idea¡¯. Within two days, Qian Feiyang said, ¡®I can¡¯t, once it starts crying, I forget whatever I was thinking about¡¯. I can¡¯t understand it at all!¡±


    Wu Ji sighed, ¡°So, I¡¯m still looking forward to the rat-killing robot.¡±


    Feng Yi took out a tea can and handed it over. ¡°Someone gave me two cans, you and Qian Feiyang can share one.¡±


    ¡°What kind of tea is it?¡± Wu Ji became interested.


    His shop at the entrance of the community was called ¡°Auspicious Tea Garden¡±. Young people liked to drink afternoon tea or find a clean place to study. The elderly went there to drink tea, play chess, and chat. There were also separate tearooms and private rooms.


    As soon as Feng Yi took the tea can out, Wu Ji couldn¡¯t care less about the rat situation.


    ¡°Some kind of tea from an unknown farm?¡± Feng Yi didn¡¯t know tea, and Uncle Mute didn¡¯t say what kind of tea it was.


    Feng Yi had tried a small amount of it when he had breakfast in the morning, and it was strangely sweet and refreshing. Other than that, he didn¡¯t feel anything. He wasn¡¯t a tea lover.


    Wu Ji took it with both hands and looked at it. He was much more serious than when he took the bottle of pure water. The tea can was divided into several layers, only the top layer was filled with tea leaves, and the lower layers were filled with unknown contents; some were powder, some were granules, Wu Ji guessed that it was probably for ¡°reducing the ¡°internal heat¡± from the newly made tea leaves.


    ¡°Could it be a secret native tea-making method?¡± Wu Ji asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The whole process took about two hours,¡± Feng Yi said.


    ¡°It was ready in two hours?¡± Wu Ji thought: It seems a little crude.


    However, Wu Ji liked all kinds of novel tea-making methods. After smelling it just now, he felt that the tea leaves inside were not inferior.


    ¡°The person who made the tea said to brew it after two days,¡± Feng Yi said.


    ¡°Yes, I understand. I will share Qian Feiyang¡¯s share with him when I see him.¡± Wu Ji carefully put it away.


    ¡°By the way, Qian Feiyang and I are going fishing this weekend. Do you want to join us? Uncle Liu from the fishing group in our community mentioned it to me when he was having tea at my shop yesterday. You know there is an ecological reserve not far from Rongcheng. Well, there is a farmhouse outside the reserve. Uncle Liu said it is really nice to spend the weekend there.¡±


    ¡°I plan to take my parents there for two days as there¡¯s been too much chaos lately. Qian Feiyang said he wanted to take pictures, so he also decided to come alone. What about you? My parents will be picking vegetables, which I¡¯m not interested in, so the three of us can go fishing!¡±


    Feng Yi remembered the experience of being dragged fishing in the past. ¡°Fishing? The kind of fishing where you can¡¯t catch a single fish even if you cast the rod a hundred times?¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s definitely not going to happen this time! Uncle Liu said the fishing over there is awesome!¡± Wu Ji pulled up a video for Feng Yi to watch.


    In the video, the fishing group in the community did indeed get a large haul, and the atmosphere was lively.


    Considering his current situation, Feng Yi said, ¡°If I don¡¯t have anything to do on the weekend, I¡¯ll join you. Do we have to bring our own fishing rod?¡±


    ¡°If you have one, bring it, if not, you can rent it later. We¡¯re just going to relax, unlike Uncle Liu and the others who go often, so we can just rent it directly. There are a full set of fishing tools for rent and bait for sale.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After Wu Ji left, Feng Yi checked the various vents in the house, but saw no signs of rats. Looking at the group chat, the waiting list for door-to-door rodent extermination was full until next week. Feng Yi searched the Internet and found that all the rodent control companies were very busy. He also needed to make an appointment, and he wasn¡¯t sure when it would be his turn. He temporarily gave up looking for a rodent exterminator to come to his house. After a while, Feng Yi searched on his phone: ¡°the natural enemy of mice¡±


    Search showed:


    [Cats, Snakes, Eagles, Ferrets, People, etc.]


    Feng Yi searched again: ¡°the natural enemy of snakes¡±


    Search showed:


    [Eagles, Honey Badgers, Mongooses, Humans, etc.]


    Feng Yi touched his chin. ¡°Humans are indeed at the top of the food chain!¡±


    Suddenly, there was a sense of relief in his heart. He was not a snake, but a human, the existence at the top of the food chain! What was he afraid of!!


    Putting that aside, Feng Yi planned to drive to the supermarket to stock up on goods. Since the old butler said that he would undergo small changes in the coming days, it was better for him to limit his outdoor activities over the next two days. If the change was too big, he would not go on Wu Ji¡¯s weekend farmhouse trip.


    He put on a mask and took the elevator directly to the underground parking lot. He hadn¡¯t been home for the past two days, so his car hadn¡¯t been used. As he unlocked the car door and prepared to get in, Feng Yi suddenly stopped.


    Closing the car door, he opened the trunk and pulled out a reinforced long-handled clamp-like tool from inside. He had bought this picker two years ago and it had only been used less than five times, always sitting in the trunk. After thinking about it, he took a pair of gloves out of the glove box and put them on. He walked over to the right front wheel of the car, took two steps back, and stomped his feet. At the same time, he quickly stretched out his hand holding the picker!


    ¡°Squeak!¡±

 CH 10

    Except for the tail, the big rat, which was a half times longer than an adult palm, was firmly caught in the jaws of the picker. The reinforced version of the picker was slip and drop resistant, and strong. After being clamped, the big rat struggled hard but couldn¡¯t break free and could only squeak loudly. Feng Yi was in no hurry to leave. Instead, he took the rat to the property management office.


    The property management office was responsible for handling the rats caught by the property owners, regardless of whether they were dead or alive. They had to be handled in a uniform manner to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses and to prevent greater damage.


    In a car parked not far from Feng Yi¡¯s, the driver¡¯s eyes were wide open, and his jaw almost dropped to the ground. ¡°Holy fuck!¡± he said silently.


    He took out his phone and sent a voice message: ¡°Honey, there¡¯s an awesome person in our community! I just saw him walking back and forth with a picker by the side of his car, and then suddenly he stomped and reached out! Whoosh! He caught a rat!!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ like¡­ yes, it¡¯s just like when a snake hunts a mouse in the animal world, so fast, whoosh! He caught it! I got goosebumps!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a neat shot, much better than the professionals of those rat-catching companies mentioned in the group!!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this called? A great master¡¯s skill! Totally casual, carefree, then an instant kill!¡±


    As he spoke excitedly, his hands mimicked the way Feng Yi had just performed the move.


    ¡°Too bad I didn¡¯t take a picture just now, otherwise I could show you how that fat rat struggled uselessly in the picker¡¯s clamp! I feel avenged!!¡±


    A voice message quickly came back from the phone. ¡°Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and ask him for help! The rat-catching company doesn¡¯t even know how long the queue will be. It¡¯s rare to have such a person in our community, so hurry up and ask him to come and help!¡±


    With this reminder, the man finally recovered from his excitement, hurriedly got out of the car, and chased after Feng Yi.


    At this time, there was no one in the management office. A young female administrator was on duty. She saw Feng Yi coming from the underground garage, holding a rat in the picker in his hand. Her face turned pale, and she rushed over, took out the rodent bag she was carrying, and unfolded it.


    ¡°Throw it in here!¡±


    After Feng Yi threw the mouse in, the female administrator skillfully tied the bag. Without looking at the struggling rat, she nervously asked, ¡°Did you catch it in the underground garage?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was under my car,¡± Feng Yi replied.


    The young administrator became even more nervous. ¡°Are you in a hurry? We¡¯ll send someone over now to check if there is any damage to the wiring in your car!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the big rat that frightened her. If she was afraid of rats, she wouldn¡¯t have taken this job. She was afraid that there was damage to the owner¡¯s car!


    The monthly management fee for the underground garage was quite high. If something happened, the owners would definitely think that they were just taking the money and doing nothing, and then they¡¯d immediately complain, report, and call the mayor¡¯s hotline. It would just be wave after wave of trouble.


    The management office received word yesterday that there was a car owner in another community whose wiring under the car was chewed by a rat, and the car broke down while driving halfway. Fortunately, the person was fine, but it was still dangerous, so the community notified them that the property management should be prepared to hire rodent control for the underground garage.


    They had cleaned it thoroughly yesterday, set up traps at the entrance and exit accordingly, checked the vents of all the pipes, and the surveillance in the underground garage was always online. Unexpectedly, after only one night, another rat was hiding under a car! Since it had appeared, it was likely that it wasn¡¯t the only one. They would have to get someone to check the underground garage again. The rats had increased in number over the past two days, and they had to be careful to avoid any unnecessary accidents.


    That¡¯s why she was nervous! If something happened to the owners¡¯ cars, the management would be held responsible!


    ¡°I¡¯m in no hurry,¡± Feng Yi said.


    ¡°Okay, please wait a moment!¡± The administrator then made a phone call.


    The property management office quickly invited someone over to check Feng Yi¡¯s car.


    ¡°There are bite marks, but it¡¯s nothing serious. There are also some food remains where the rodents hid food.¡± One person said.


    When the management cleaned the garage yesterday, they only cleaned the floor under the cars. Without the consent of the car owner, it was impossible for them to carefully check the underside of each car, otherwise it might be mistaken for tampering if someone saw it.


    As the employee checked the bottom of the car, Feng Yi was waiting next to him. He asked the management staff to help clean and disinfect the picker before putting it back in the trunk.


    While he was waiting, a chubby figure suddenly appeared beside him.


    ¡°Hey, hi there! I am a property owner in Building Five of our community, and my surname is Hu. I just saw you catch the rat! It was amazing! Are you a professional?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Feng Yi replied.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see, then¡­ um, can you help me? There is a rat in my house, but I can¡¯t catch it!


    ¡°The property management people went to catch it once, but it got back in again. Now the management can¡¯t spare the staff, and the rodent control company is fully booked! The elderly and children in my family have already gone to stay outside for a few days. My wife and I are so annoyed by the rat in the house every day, but we can¡¯t even catch it. We¡¯re almost close to a nervous breakdown. Can you please help me?¡±


    Feng Yi felt that it was quite sudden. ¡°I¡¯m not professional enough, so I might not be able to help you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! You¡¯re still much better than me! I really can¡¯t find anyone to help me right now. When you¡¯re free, would you come to my house and take a look?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never done this kind of work before. The last time a mouse came into my house, I tricked it with eggs,¡± Feng Yi said.


    ¡°Last time, you definitely didn¡¯t have any tools! With your reflexes just now, you won¡¯t lose out to a professional!¡±


    The man then clasped his hands and bowed. ¡°I beg you!¡±


    Seeing this, Feng Yi knew that he was no match for the man in terms of shamelessness. If he refused, the other party would probably burst into tears in public.


    Thinking that he had nothing serious going on today anyway, he could go over there and take a look, and clarify something on the way. Therefore, Feng Yi did not refuse.


    ¡°I can help you take a look, but I might not be able to solve it,¡± Feng Yi said.


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much, buddy! Then when will you be free? I¡¯m Hu Yi in Building Five, apartment 2102. Shall we exchange numbers first?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in Building One, apartment 3002, and am also in the group chat,¡± Feng Yi said.


    ¡°That¡¯s great! We both have a two in our apartment numbers, it¡¯s fate!¡±


    Feng Yi: ¡°¡­I have to go out for a while. I¡¯ll have time after dinner, is that convenient for you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! I won¡¯t go anywhere after dinner; I¡¯ll just stay at home and wait!¡± He clasped his hands together again to express his gratitude.


    While they were talking, the inspection of Feng Yi¡¯s car was finished.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing of concern. Our management office will clean up the underground garage again later, and we have notified the group chat. Car owners can check the underside of the car, or come to us,¡± the employee said.


    With no further problems, Feng Yi drove away. He went to the supermarket to buy some daily necessities, stocking up on rice, flour, corn, and oil. He also bought dumplings, beef, eggs, fruits, and vegetables, and two bags of flaky pancakes. After leaving the supermarket, he went to the pharmacy next door and bought a box of masks as a backup. He had bought a lot of things, but Feng Yi knew that he really needed so much. His physique had changed.


    Just like in the underground garage just now. He had used a picker to trap rodents before, but it definitely wasn¡¯t that easy and fast. It seemed like he had some extra senses. If it was in the past, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed that there was a rat under the car, and he wouldn¡¯t have moved so quickly and accurately. And on this shopping trip, Feng Yi could also sense the figures moving in those small corners that weren¡¯t easy to notice. The supermarkets and pharmacies were still relatively okay. Obviously, the people there were very diligent in cleaning and exterminating the rodents. But other places were different.


    He could use tonight¡¯s trip to the apartment in Building Five to test his perception. How far was his perception range?


    Feng Yi hadn¡¯t paid attention when he was at home. If the rat under his car hadn¡¯t been so close to him back then, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed this perception ability.


    When he got home, he took the picker that was always in the trunk, went upstairs, and put it in a long and narrow box. Otherwise, it would easily attract the attention of passersby.


    It was dark after dinner. Almost every household had entered the time for after-dinner activities.


    Feng Yi arrived at Building Five, apartment 2102. The owner, Mr. Hu, and his wife had been waiting for a long time.


    ¡°Do you have shoe covers?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    ¡°No, no, just come in!¡± Hu Yi thought to himself, what if you can¡¯t catch the rat because you can¡¯t keep up with it wearing shoe covers?


    If the floor was dirty, he could mop it. But if the rat wasn¡¯t caught, he would have to suffer for the next few days! Even mopping the floor eighty times would be useless!


    Feng Yi wiped the dust from the soles of his shoes on the mat by the door and entered the house.


    ¡°Wherever you think there is a problem, just go straight to it, you can even go into the bedrooms!¡± Hu Yi said.


    After returning during the day, the couple cleaned up the house so that Feng Yi could move around easily. Since someone in the group chat said that rats could understand a few short sentences after living in human society for a long time, the couple did not dare to speak too loud at this time.


    Hu Yi watched as Feng Yi walked from the kitchen to the living room, and then from the living room to the bedrooms. There, Feng Yi stopped, opened the box, and took out the picker. Seeing this, the young couple became nervous.


    Hu Yi glanced at his wife: Here it comes! The magic trick of stomping and catching the rat!


    He also took out his cell phone to record.


    Feng Yi didn¡¯t pay attention to the couple¡¯s silent communication but walked towards one of the rooms.


    Hu Yi¡¯s wife said in a low voice, ¡°The old man lives in this room. There have been rat noises in the house for a while now. Not long ago, the rat was gnawing on the window screen outside. Our son was scared and cried, and he couldn¡¯t sleep at night because of the noise. The old man took him to his old homestead for a while. They¡¯ll return after the matter here is resolved. The door of this room has always been closed since.


    According to Hu Yi and his wife¡¯s initial guess, the rat was probably in the kitchen. There were many pipes there, and there might be a hole somewhere. From time to time at night, they could hear movement inside, but they couldn¡¯t catch it every time. Now that Feng Yi had stopped at the door of the old man¡¯s room, they were a bit surprised.


    Feng Yi nodded to show his understanding and then entered the room.


    ¡°Open the closet door,¡± Feng Yi said.


    The couple¡¯s faces froze.


    Hu Yi began to stammer. ¡°Is there one inside?¡±


    Both Hu Yi and his wife were a little afraid of rodents. In addition, the arrogance of those rats, as shown in the group chat, really diminished their already small amount of courage. Poked by his wife, Hu Yi took a deep breath and opened the closet door.


    Everything was neatly arranged.


    ¡°The bottom drawer,¡± Feng Yi said.


    Hu Yi bit the bullet and pulled the drawer open harshly.


    A figure leaped out from inside. At the same time, the mistress of the house screamed. But the scream didn¡¯t last long as she realized that the rat that jumped out of the drawer was caught by Feng Yi¡¯s picker before it could land.


    Hu Yi regained his senses and quickly took out the rat bag he had prepared. Feng Yi threw the captured rat into the bag. This rat wasn¡¯t as fat as the one in the garage, perhaps it had starved and lost weight after being locked in the room.


    The now relieved Hu Yi became braver and even felt calmer after being irritated for a few days. There was a feeling of satisfaction, as if he had gotten his revenge! When he looked at Feng Yi, it was as if he was looking at the savior of the world. Fucking awesome! Great master! With such a great master, what use was there for the rodent control companies!!

 CH 11

    ¡°This rat is not the one that was in the kitchen yesterday, but it must have been in the house before.¡±


    There was a hole in the drawer. The sundries placed there were damaged to varying degrees, and half of the notebook the old man used to remember the password to his cell phone was gnawed off. Who knew how many holes were hidden in the whole wardrobe. There were also bite marks on the bedside table and the tea table in the room. During this time, the old man hadn¡¯t been home, and the door to the room was closed all the time. When Hu Yi came in occasionally, he just cleaned up and didn¡¯t look closely. He didn¡¯t know that a rat was hiding in there!


    ¡°If it was a little thinner, it could just be able to squeeze through the crack of the door,¡± Hu Yi¡¯s wife said.


    Hu Yi looked at Feng Yi with gratitude. ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much! I don¡¯t know what to say! Our savior!¡±


    ¡°¡­Not at all.¡± Feng Yi walked out of the room. ¡°This one might be caught, but if the holes in your house aren¡¯t sealed, the rats will still come. There is no rat in the kitchen now, so there must be a hole over there. Just find someone to block it.¡±


    Hu Yi nodded. They also knew that as long as the holes weren¡¯t sealed, the rats would harass them every day. But regardless, catching one was a morale booster! Even their mentality had changed!


    Hu Yi and his wife wanted to give money, according to the price of the rodent control company, but Feng Yi didn¡¯t want it.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a favor for the neighbors, and I¡¯m not in the rodent control business,¡± Feng Yi said.


    Hu Yi understood what he meant. He also gave up on the idea of recommending the rodent-catching business to Feng Yi, and would not promote it to the property owners of the community. Anyway, the community had now taken action, and the rat plague problem would definitely be resolved gradually. Since Feng Yi didn¡¯t intend to develop in this direction, they couldn¡¯t cause him trouble, or else they would be doing a disservice to his kindness.


    ¡°I understand what you mean. Your ambition doesn¡¯t lie here.¡±


    Hu Yi looked at the tool in Feng Yi¡¯s hand again.


    ¡°By the way, may I ask where you bought this picker?¡±


    Feng Yi scrolled through the order records, sent him the link, and left.


    ¡°Tomorrow, give him two boxes of fruit,¡± Hu Yi¡¯s wife said.


    ¡°Yes, I definitely can¡¯t ask people to help for nothing.¡± Looking at the tight rat bag, Hu Yi said, ¡°I just ordered the same picker. When it arrives, I¡¯ll see if I can deal with any rats in the kitchen. Even if I can¡¯t catch them, I must at least trap them at home and then invite the expert to come and catch them!¡±


    After leaving Building Five, Feng Yi didn¡¯t go back immediately, but turned to the neighboring Building Six to check on Qian Feiyang.


    After visiting Hu Yi¡¯s house, Feng Yi had a general understanding of his perception range. He could sense hidden rats within three meters. He didn¡¯t know if it was an illusion on his part, but he felt that his perception range was a little bigger now than when he was in the underground garage during the day. When he was in the underground garage during the day, his perception range was maybe only about two meters.


    Changes in perception were invisible on the surface. He just didn¡¯t know what other things would change. While he was thinking about it, Feng Yi had arrived at Building Six, where Qian Feiyang had rented an apartment. The young man who opened the door was thin, with two thick dark circles around his eyes.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Feng Yi pointed at Qian Feiyang¡¯s dark circles. Logically speaking, Qian Feiyang had a cat at home, so he wouldn¡¯t be disturbed by rats at night.


    Qian Feiyang scratched his messy hair and yawned. ¡°I took a job and had to rush it. I just finished it half an hour ago. What are you holding?¡±


    ¡°A rat catcher. I just went to help someone catch a rat,¡± Feng Yi replied.


    ¡°Nice one, bro.¡± Qian Feiyang gave a thumbs up.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t your studio hire someone new? Why are you the only one busy?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    ¡°One is sick, one hasn¡¯t graduated yet and has exams to take, and the other has something to do and has to go back to his hometown. I wanted to take a break for a while, but when I found a job that I could do myself, I took it. It¡¯s just that these two days have been extra busy, I¡¯ll start resting tomorrow. Silkie asked me to go fishing this weekend, are you going?¡±


    Silkie1Same pronunciation as Wu Ji and is a breed of chicken with fluffy plumage was Wu Ji¡¯s nickname.


    ¡°If I am free that day, I will go with you.¡± Feng Yi looked around the room, ¡°There are no rats here.¡±


    ¡°Only one came in at the beginning and was cut off by Anise. Even though the rat wasn¡¯t caught in the end, it seemed to have a memory of this place. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of the cat smell here, or if they were passing a message among themselves, but I hardly saw any rats after that. There is occasional movement by the window a few times, but it didn¡¯t last too long, and the movement stopped after Anise went over.¡±


    ¡°Anise¡± was a cat adopted by Qian Feiyang. At that time, Qian Feiyang wanted to go to the nearby supermarket to buy some spices such as star anise to make sauced pig¡¯s trotters. He happened to come across a community that was dealing with stray cats, so he adopted one and named it ¡°Anise¡±.


    Feng Yi came to the bay window of the living room. A yellow leopard cat was lying on its side, sleeping. When Feng Yi entered the house, the cat only moved its ears. It recognized that the person was an acquaintance, so it didn¡¯t bother to move.


    Anise was about seven months old when Qian Feiyang brought it back. It was thin and bald in places. After three months of treatment and feeding, it had become much stronger and its hair had grown back, thick and soft. At first, Anise was very cautious when it saw people, but now it didn¡¯t even bother to move when it was rubbed. Unless it was a stranger who came into the house.


    Feng Yi reached out and rubbed the cat.


    ¡°The feel of Anise¡¯s fur is getting better and better.¡±


    It must be used to being rubbed. When Feng Yi reached out to rub it, it changed its position from lying on its side to lying on its back. Lying on its back for a while, Anise moved its nose. It then suddenly jumped up and rushed down the bay window. Hiding underneath Qian Feiyang¡¯s desk, it arched its back, its ears flattened, and all of its fur standing on end. It growled at Feng Yi as if it was suddenly frightened by something.


    Qian Feiyang was responding to someone¡¯s message. When he heard the movement, he turned to look, and a surprised expression emerged on his face. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Has it been too long, and it doesn¡¯t recognize you? Or has it smelled something on you that it doesn¡¯t like?¡±


    Feng Yi didn¡¯t answer, instead calling ¡°Anise¡± twice.


    The lowly growling startled yellow leopard cat¡¯s ears moved. Its defensive posture relaxed slightly, and it stopped growling and looked at Feng Yi with doubtful eyes.


    Feng Yi crouched down and extended his hand to the cat. ¡°Come here, I haven¡¯t seen you for a few days, why don¡¯t you recognize me? I bought the canned cat food you are eating now!¡±


    Anise hesitated, but still slowly moved towards Feng Yi.


    Probably Feng Yi¡¯s voice reminded it of something. As it walked over, it wanted to rub Feng Yi¡¯s hand with its head. While the cat rubbed against him, it moved its nose again, then immediately turned away in disgust. It ran back and jumped onto Qian Feiyang¡¯s desk, sitting next to its owner.


    ¡°It really dislikes you? Do you have the smell of rat on you?¡± Qian Feiyang asked.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Feng Yi stood up and didn¡¯t approach Anise again. He had some guesses as to why, but he couldn¡¯t say it.


    ¡°So are you going to change careers in the future to catch rodents? If you have the skills, you can try it out. I heard that there are more and more rodent control companies and small teams. Without enough benefits, it is impossible to have such a change. It can be seen that the market is big, it¡¯s a huge opportunity!¡± Qian Feiyang said.


    ¡°No, this is not within the scope of my career plan.¡± Feng Yi was very firm in his thinking.


    It was impossible for him to start a rodent control company! Absolutely impossible!


    ¡°Okay~ It seems that you are not short of money now.¡± Qian Feiyang laughed.


    If his finances were tight after paying off his debts, he would definitely take this opportunity, even if he didn¡¯t like it. The money that could be made from catching rodents was quite a lot for an average person.


    Feng Yi smiled and didn¡¯t explain much.


    Now that the bump in the road had passed, the conversation became more casual.


    ¡°I heard from Silkie that the matter with your work studio has been settled, do you still plan to enter the entertainment circle in the future? Although my team is small, I can help you,¡± Qian Feiyang said.


    Feng Yi shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s resolved. The studio has been disbanded, and I don¡¯t plan to enter the entertainment circle.¡±


    With his current situation, it was impossible for him to be in the spotlight every day.


    After asking Qian Feiyang to help him take some ID photos, Feng Yi left. He also planned to ask Wu Ji if he needed any help. At this time of night, some elderly people were gathered in the community talking and laughing, and some adults were returning from a walk with their children.


    Feng Yi walked slowly towards his own building, his head slightly lowered, thinking about his future career. Not far away, he could hear the shrill cries of children and the angry yells of adults.


    Feng Yi turned around and looked over. A large rat with a bunch of freshly caught sausages in its mouth was flying through the intercepting crowd. It could dodge, sprint, and jump with ease. As it approached Feng Yi, it suddenly turned and marked out a big ¡°C¡± shape. It bypassed Feng Yi and rushed into the greenery behind him and disappeared.


    Feng Yi: ¡°¡­¡±


    He had already lifted the picker, but it actually bypassed him from a long distance away!


    ¡°Suffice it to say, what future is there in catching rats!!¡±

 CH 12

    Feng Yi went to Wu Ji¡¯s house before going home.


    There were no rats in Wu Ji¡¯s house at this time, but it was uncertain if that would remain the case in the middle of the night. After all, the holes in the house were not sealed, and he was still on the waiting list for door-to-door rat extermination.


    After knowing that Feng Yi had the ability to catch rats, Wu Ji forced Feng Yi to spend the night in his house.


    ¡°They must be wiped out to prevent future trouble!¡±


    Wu Ji was quite energetic when it came to rodent control. ¡°The guest room has been cleaned up. It¡¯s so convenient to live in the same building. If you¡¯re not used to the pillows here, you can bring your own pillows down. Bro, my sleep depends on you!¡±


    Feng Yi also felt that it was just a matter of helping out, so he agreed and stayed overnight in the guest room that Wu Ji had cleaned out on the fifth floor.


    The fifth-floor apartment belonged to Wu Ji¡¯s parents. Wu Ji¡¯s own apartment was on the twenty-ninth floor, but the rats on the lower floors were more serious, so the older folk temporarily moved to the twenty-ninth floor. Ever since Wu Ji moved to the fifth floor, he hadn¡¯t been able to sleep well. He hated the rats, but Wu Ji couldn¡¯t do anything about them. He couldn¡¯t trap them or catch them. If Feng Yi could catch a rat tonight, it would be his revenge.


    However, from the first floor to the tenth floor that night, the rats seemed to have suddenly disappeared. Even those apartments that already had rats in them had a very peaceful night. Although the middle and upper floors weren¡¯t as quiet, it was still much better than before. He didn¡¯t get his revenge, but Wu Ji had a rare good night¡¯s sleep that night.


    ¡°Could it be that the rodent control work in the community is showing results?¡±


    This was also discussed in the group chat. The situation of the entire community seemed to be much better than the previous days. Although the other buildings weren¡¯t as peaceful as the one Feng Yi was in, the changes were obvious compared to before.


    The rodent exterminators in the community were killing a lot of rats every day, so nobody thought of other reasons. They all speculated whether the rats had fled the area after seeing the increase in rat extermination efforts here.


    ¡°This dark life is finally coming to an end!¡± Wu Ji was excited.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you make a move this time. I¡¯ll look for you the next time I see a rat. It¡¯s a shame to just let your skills go to waste. You really don¡¯t want to start a rodent extermination business? If you have that idea, I will definitely invest in it!¡± Wu Ji looked at Feng Yi.


    ¡°No.¡± After thinking about it, Feng Yi asked, ¡°What do you think about snakes?¡±


    Wu Ji¡¯s expression immediately changed.


    ¡°No, thank you. I still have the strength to fight a mouse, but if it¡¯s a snake, my soul might fly out of my body!¡±


    ¡°You were born in the Year of the Snake, yet you¡¯re still so afraid?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    ¡°Who said that people born in the Year of the Snake can¡¯t be afraid of snakes? I am most afraid of snakes! When I was a child, I stepped on a snake whose color was similar to the surrounding grass. I didn¡¯t pay attention and knew something was wrong when I stepped down. If I had jumped away any slower, it would have bitten me. I¡¯ve been traumatized ever since!


    It had been so many years, but looking back, Wu Ji still felt a little scared and trembled. ¡°Thinking about it, I still prefer to face rodents.¡±


    Feng Yi didn¡¯t continue the topic.


    When he got home, he looked carefully in the mirror to see if there was any change in his face. After one night, Feng Yi felt that his perception range had greatly expanded. If he was the center and the space he could perceive was a sphere, then the radius was about five stories high. If he wanted to, he could even sense how many people were upstairs and downstairs and what they were doing. It wasn¡¯t completely clear; he could only get a rough sense of it. However, Feng Yi didn¡¯t consciously perceive the surrounding people, as that would violate other people¡¯s privacy. He¡¯d try it the next time he went to the park.


    Over the next two days, the rat disturbance in the community improved significantly. The cursing of the residents at night also decreased, and the barking of the dogs seemed to disappear. After eating, residents in the community smiled more when they went for walks, and the chat atmosphere in the property owners¡¯ group chat became peaceful.


    But compared with the gradually improving mood of others, Feng Yi was depressed. Something was wrong with him these two days! Nothing felt right!


    He fried a flaky pancake for breakfast. When he ate it, he stuffed the whole thing into his mouth and then quickly spat it out before he choked. When he ate the egg, he didn¡¯t even peel the shell and just put it directly into his mouth. Although he came to his senses soon after, he still broke out in a cold sweat. Once or twice, it could be excused as sloppy, accidental. But repeated occurrences couldn¡¯t be dismissed as mere distraction!


    Furthermore!


    At lunch today, he also felt that the sauce was particularly pungent and even sneezed a few times. Initially, Feng Yi suspected that the sauce had expired, but the date on the packaging was new. He thought he had bought a defective product, but when he switched to other sauces, he still felt they were extremely pungent! After that, everything tasted strange to him. He had a headache and felt very warm, but his body temperature was normal. No matter what kind of thermometer he used, the temperature was normal.


    Feng Yi couldn¡¯t calm down anymore.


    He couldn¡¯t just go to the hospital either. The old butler¡¯s words were still ringing in his ears. If non-human symptoms were indeed detected, he would probably be sent directly to the research institute.


    So, did his current situation mean that he was sick? Or had some strange changes taken place, as the old butler said? Feng Yi himself didn¡¯t know.


    Should he ask the doctor or ask the butler?


    He wondered if it was due to the many anxieties he had, creating too much mental pressure, and had nothing to do with what the old butler said? Even the perception that had been used well yesterday was now blurred. After thinking about it, Feng Yi came up with a solution.


    He searched the Internet and clicked on a platform with relatively high praise, a twenty-four-hour real-time online fast consultation.


    Feng Yi briefly described his symptoms.


    Soon an online doctor replied:


    [Hello! According to your description, you show slow reaction to the outside world and hypersensitivity, and there may be some cognitive impairment¡­].


    The doctor typed out a long paragraph which Feng Yi completely skipped over. He waited for the doctor to finish before asking with trembling hands: ¡°So, how can I improve my condition?¡±


    The online doctor replied:


    [It is recommended that you come to the psychiatric department of our hospital for a detailed examination.]


    Seeing this response, Feng Yi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Pulling up a new tab, he searched ¡°cognitive impairment¡± mentioned by the online doctor and saw¡ª¡ª


    [Cognitive impairment in schizophrenia patients¡­ Unresponsiveness or hypersensitivity to external information may be a sign of psychotic symptoms and cognitive decline¡­]


    Feng Yi felt a chill in his heart. After thinking about it, he couldn¡¯t scare himself like this, so he called the old butler.


    There was a hint of anticipation in the old butler¡¯s voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this is normal. This is just a preliminary reaction. Your genes are changing, and your body is adjusting to the change. Don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself. You can use this time to go out and relax. After this adjustment period is over, you may not feel like going out anymore.¡±


    After hearing this answer, Feng Yi didn¡¯t know whether to be happy or sad. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t mentally ill. What was worrying was the old butler¡¯s last sentence, ¡± After this adjustment period is over, you may not feel like going out anymore.¡± What were the so-called ¡°small changes¡±?


    With this extremely complicated mood, Feng Yi still participated in Wu Ji¡¯s weekend farmhouse fishing trip.


    He departed on Saturday morning.


    This time, they were going to the Ecotourism Scenic Area of Mount Yue, which was about two hours away from Rongcheng by car. Wu Ji drove his parents, while on Feng Yi¡¯s side, he provided the car and Qian Feiyang drove. He was ¡°cognitively impaired¡±, so it was better not to drive for safety¡¯s sake.


    Probably due to the increased number of people going out on the weekends, there were a few traffic jams on the way out of town. Stopping at another red light, Qian Feiyang turned on the phone next to him and looked at the surveillance screen on it.


    ¡°You left Anise at home?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s only for two days, and we will return tomorrow. There¡¯s no need to send it to the pet shop. There is an automatic feeder and excrement shoveler at home, and the monitoring is turned on. I can check its status at home at any time on my phone,¡± said Qian Feiyang.


    Feng Yi took a look at the screen. Anise was sleeping on the sofa in the living room on its back.


    Qian Feiyang continued to drive. ¡°Silkie said that we can catch a lot of fish at the farmhouse this time, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true. Hopefully, it won¡¯t be like last time when we fished for a whole day only to leave empty-handed. Well, I¡¯m going to try for two hours anyway. If I don¡¯t catch anything, I¡¯ll just go and take pictures instead.¡±


    ¡°How do you feel about snakes?¡± Feng Yi asked him.


    Qian Feiyang showed no disgust on his face. ¡°You know, humans, as higher beings, have tendencies. Some people like warm-blooded animals, others like cold-blooded animals¡­¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°I choose to pet my cat.¡±


    Feng Yi stopped pursuing the topic.


    After more than two hours, they reached their destination.


    There were many farmhouses near Mount Yue Scenic Area, but the business here was much better than the five-star hotels in the center of the scenic area. Wu Ji had booked the room a week in advance. After they arrived and put their things down, Wu Ji¡¯s parents needed to take a rest, but the three of them were full of energy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s time to go fishing!¡±


    Wu Ji dug out from his phone the strategy guide that he had received from Uncle Liu, a member of the fishing group in the community. They rented or bought the necessary tools and materials, and then Wu Ji took Feng Yi and Qian Feiyang to find a place according to the strategy guide.


    Uncle Liu had roughly drawn some good fishing spots for him. They arrived a little late today, and the nearest spot had already been taken. But that was okay. Uncle Liu had given quite a few places, and the fishing area was large. Even on weekends, when there were a lot of people, it wasn¡¯t that crowded.


    This side was actually part of the ecotourism scenic area, while the other was a nature reserve where tourists weren¡¯t permitted. This farm was chosen because it had the best scenery and was closest to the fishing area.


    For those who wanted to be close to nature after living in the city for a long time, this was a good place to go for the weekend. The lucky ones could meet some cute little animals like squirrels and foxes. Some internet celebrities or vloggers also occasionally came here to try their luck.


    The weather was pretty good today, cloudy and windy, and the temperature was moderate. There were children running around the farm, but there were fewer children at the fishing spots. Young adults in their twenties like Feng Yi¡¯s group were actually not common.


    Feng Yi wasn¡¯t too conspicuous with the mask and fisherman¡¯s hat he had just bought when he rented the fishing equipment. The people fishing had their own ways of protecting themselves from the sun, and many were well covered.


    After finally finding a spot, Wu Ji got ready. ¡°Let¡¯s compete to see who can catch a fish first!¡±


    Qian Feiyang lacked interest and gave a lazy response.


    Wu Ji was in high spirits. ¡°Guess how many fish I can catch today?¡±

 CH 13

    ¡°Forget about how many you wish to catch. As long as you can catch it, it doesn¡¯t matter what you catch,¡± Qian Feiyang struck at Wu Ji¡¯s ego.


    After the two of them exchanged a few words, the three of them calmed down to fish.


    Even when they went on vacation, young people in their twenties like them would always look at the scenery and take pictures. If they saw something interesting, they would share it on Moments and social platforms. Few were actually willing to go fishing. As a result, some people classified fishing as ¡°a game for middle-aged and elderly people¡±.


    From when he was young, Wu Ji¡¯s father had taken him fishing, so he had some interest in it. But every time he went fishing, he just couldn¡¯t catch anything. It was a continuous cycle of: I fish, I get nothing, empty-handed, I try again.


    Feng Yi had no such interest or hobby, nor did he have the time. He used to work part-time and also had to manage his work studio. Once in a while, he would go fishing with them to relax. Basically, to take a break after a period of hard work. His purpose wasn¡¯t to fish, only to rest. This time was no different, so Feng Yi¡¯s mentality was quite peaceful.


    Wu Ji was different; he came with the purpose of avenging past shame. However, half an hour passed without any movement from the water.


    The people who originally fished near them also packed up and changed fishing spots due to lack of harvest. Anyway, the fishing area was very large, so changing spots could change luck.


    Qian Feiyang was already getting impatient. He took out his phone and searched for a place with few people and good scenery nearby. He would go there later to take pictures.


    Feng Yi was in a daze. He was still thinking about what the old butler had said. What exactly were the small changes? Would they be noticeable?


    As for Wu Ji, he waited and waited. He even went through the fishing cheats his father had written for him: timing, fishing spots, bait, and groundbait were all correct. He also tried all kinds of different positions and fishing methods, but the fish just wouldn¡¯t take the bait!


    There was a commotion in the distance.


    Wu Ji looked over.


    It was an old man fishing group, laughing very loudly. Even from afar, the smugness could be heard.


    ¡°Calm down! Steady!¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the net! Pull it up! Don¡¯t let it get away!¡±


    ¡°You bear your age well; you don¡¯t lose out to that year!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Compared to the excitement over there, Feng Yi¡¯s side was much more deserted. It was like being in a fake fishing zone.


    Wu Ji looked at his good mates.


    One of them was sitting motionless for a long time with one eyelid half closed, like an old monk meditating.


    Another was fiddling with his phone, looking at something and giggling like a fool.


    Unable to hold back, Wu Ji leaned over and said to both of them, ¡°Look at that group of old men over there, they¡¯re already starting continuous casting. There has been no movement on this side for a long time. It must be because the feng shui is not good today, and the fish here have all been caught. How about we try another spot?¡±


    ¡°You can go over there and try your luck, I¡¯ll stay here,¡± Feng Yi said.


    His thoughts were indeed quite far away just now. His perception had been disturbed recently, so it was ineffective. This place was quiet and suitable for thinking about problems.


    Qian Feiyang yawned. ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯m still not used to this kind of dull activity. I¡¯ll scroll through my phone a little longer, it¡¯s more fun.¡±


    Wu Ji was at a loss. He ran off to see how the others were catching fish after fish, and then came back to try again!


    After a while, the only two people left fishing near them got up and went to the livelier area. As they left, the two men muttered, ¡°I used to think that the fish I caught were too small, but now I can¡¯t even catch small fish!¡±


    ¡°No matter what method we use, the fish aren¡¯t biting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of skill, it¡¯s just that there are no fish! I suspect those old men over there have used some means to attract all the fish!¡±


    When those two people walked away, the three of them were left guarding the spot.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you change spots?¡± Feng Yi suggested to Wu Ji.


    Wu Ji refused to accept it. ¡°No! I have to catch one here! I just sent a voice message to Uncle Liu, and he said that he caught a big one here! He even laughed at me and told me not to waste my time!¡±


    After waiting for a while, Wu Ji ran out of patience. He felt frustrated, his whole body itching to move. He had to do something. He used his phone to swipe through the nearby news. A wild rabbit was photographed by someone sightseeing.


    Wu Ji pursed his lips. ¡°A grown man saying ¡®rabbit¡¯ in a cute way, don¡¯t you feel ashamed!¡±


    After finding a beautiful flower, Wu Ji took photos from three different angles and sent them to his girlfriend who was on a business trip in another province. [ [ Shy ] Sending you a little wittle flower~]


    When he finished, he felt that one flower was not enough and undignified, so Wu Ji stood up and looked around. Not far from Feng Yi¡¯s right side, there was a cluster of flowers blooming just perfectly, so he walked over.


    ¡°As expected of a farmhouse in an ecotourism scenic area, the grass is so lush. Apparently, it¡¯s trimmed regularly, but with this height, it looks like it hasn¡¯t been maintained for a long time?¡±


    As he talked, Wu Ji pushed away the weeds and considered how to shoot more artistically. This allowed him to discover something.


    The brown and green stripes didn¡¯t stand out in the dense grass, but every cell in Wu Ji¡¯s body seemed to have its radar turned on, sending out signals of fear!


    In the quiet and deserted area, a cracked chicken crow exploded:


    ¡°There¡¯s a snake!!!¡±


    Wu Ji was so startled that his soul almost left his body. His brain told him to run quickly, but his legs didn¡¯t listen to him at all, and he stood there like a fool. Until a strong force pulled him away.


    When he came back to and took a breath, he saw Feng Yi standing there, holding the snake with one hand. Wu Ji¡¯s face paled. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, but there was no sound, only the chattering of his teeth.


    And Qian Feiyang, who was looking at the scenic spot in the distance and thinking about where to find materials to take a series of nature photos later, was so surprised by Wu Ji¡¯s rooster crow that he threw the fishing rod into the water. However, when he saw the situation clearly, he didn¡¯t care about the fishing rod and frantically ran over.


    Upon arriving, Qian Feiyang didn¡¯t dare to approach. He gestured to Feng Yi and stammered, ¡°Do you want to use two hands?¡±


    He looked at the snake¡¯s triangular head and was very worried about Feng Yi¡¯s hand. If he was bitten, his hand would be ruined, right?


    Although he didn¡¯t know anything about snakes, he knew it was a poisonous snake just by looking at the shape of its head!! A snake this big must be more than two meters long. If he were in Feng Yi¡¯s position, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to hold it with both hands!


    Feng Yi seemed to be stable for now, holding the snake with one hand, but it was a terrifying sight. He was afraid that the snake would break free at any moment and bite Feng Yi.


    ¡°Be careful not to get strangled by it!¡± Qian Feiyang looked at the snake¡¯s tail and thought about how to help. He also noticed that the tip of the snake¡¯s tail was white.


    Beside him, Wu Ji managed to pull back his frightened soul. His teeth chattered and he didn¡¯t dare to look at the snake¡¯s big head, which was like a soldering iron. ¡°Steady now! Stay right there! I¡¯ll look for a forked branch or something¡­¡±


    ¡°Right, we have to report this! I¡¯ll call the police right away!¡± Wu Ji was shaking so much that he almost dropped the phone.


    Feng Yi¡¯s face was frozen. He didn¡¯t know how he caught the snake just now. It was like a conditioned reflex, and also like an instinct. Of course, he was also worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold it with one hand, but after that moment he didn¡¯t know how to grab it with the other hand¡ª¡ª


    Therefore, when he didn¡¯t know what to do, he could only maintain the status quo. He maintained the same posture and strength in the hand he used to hold the snake, remaining motionless. His other hand motioned to Wu Ji and Qian Feiyang, telling them to stay away as the snake looked dangerous.


    Other people in the fishing area had heard the movement and were heading this way. Feng Yi took a deep breath, looked at Wu Ji who was shaking and incoherently calling the police, turned his head and said to Qian Feiyang, ¡°Quickly bring my bag!


    Qian Feiyang didn¡¯t care about anything else and dashed over to pick up Feng Yi¡¯s large backpack that was lying on the ground. He ran so fast that he almost fell.


    ¡°Did you bring any tools? Snake hooks, gloves, anything?¡± Qian Feiyang asked as he unzipped the backpack and was about to rummage through it for tools.


    Feng Yi: ¡°Quick! Hand me my sunglasses!¡±


    Qian Feiyang: ?


    Hand you your what?

 CH 14

    Qian Feiyang suspected that he had heard wrong.


    You want me to hand you sunglasses at this critical time?!! Did you make a mistake in your excitement?


    When Feng Yi saw that people that had been fishing in other places were heading this way, and that security guards wearing conspicuous overalls were running over, he urged, ¡°Hurry! Give me the sunglasses in the bag! They¡¯re in the black glasses case!¡±


    After confirming that he had heard correctly, Qian Feiyang didn¡¯t have time to think too much and handed over the sunglasses in the glasses case.


    Feng Yi took the sunglasses with his free hand and put them on, covering his eyes. He was currently wearing casual clothes with long sleeves and pants, sunglasses, a mask, and a fisherman¡¯s hat. No matter what high-resolution photos were taken, they wouldn¡¯t be able to see his face.


    As soon as Feng Yi put on the sunglasses, someone ran over, faster than the security personnel. Seeing the situation on Feng Yi¡¯s side, the guy said, ¡°Goddamn¡±, then he took out his phone and took a quick picture. He even boldly stood next to Feng Yi and skillfully found a good angle to make sure that the snake in Feng Yi¡¯s hand and himself could appear in the same shot.


    Qian Feiyang: ¡°¡­¡±


    He had an idea why Feng Yi was wearing sunglasses at this time. He thought the guy was here to help, but he didn¡¯t expect the other party to rush over to take a photo!


    The security personnel who rushed over pulled the person taking the picture away, ¡°That¡¯s a poisonous snake! It¡¯s very dangerous! Get back! Do you want to die!!¡±


    They could stop one, but not a group.


    There were already many people fishing on weekends. Although the fishing area was large, the news spread quite quickly.


    A group of people who had rushed over first:


    ¡°Wow! What a big snake!¡±


    ¡°How rare! To be able to see such a big poisonous snake while fishing!¡±


    ¡°Hold on tight, young man! I¡¯ve already called the police!¡± An old man raised his voice and shouted at Feng Yi. At the same time, he raised his phone and crazily took pictures of Feng Yi.


    A younger fisherman was quicker and more nimble. While he was shooting videos, he shouted, ¡°Oh my God, it¡¯s so scary!¡±


    Probably because he was too far away to capture the details, he was dissatisfied. Although his face was pale with fear and his legs were shaking, he quickly cut into the inner circle, took another step closer to Feng Yi, and took a quick photo while the security guards blocked other people. Then he retreated far away and started browsing Moments and social platforms. Some people found it strange, some came to watch the excitement, and some took photos purely to sell to independent and paid media accounts.


    Wu Ji couldn¡¯t care about being scared at this time, and helped Qian Feiyang block off people, muttering, ¡°Are these people willing to risk their lives just to take pictures?


    Wu Ji, who was afraid of snakes, couldn¡¯t understand the people¡¯s excitement.


    After two decades of climate anomalies, a large number of species had become extinct. Many once common animals had become rare, and the number of snakes had been greatly reduced. Wu Ji had gone fishing so many times, but this was the first time he had encountered a snake. As a child, he had accidentally stepped on a snake when his school had organized a trip to the nature reserve for a science seminar. Other times, the only way to see a snake was to go to the exhibition hall or the corresponding snake sanctuary. Therefore, it was indeed difficult for people who went out fishing now to encounter snakes. This time, as soon as they heard that there was a snake, everyone who was curious rushed over.


    As the crowd gathered, someone suddenly shouted, ¡°It¡¯s got a white tail! Fuck me, it¡¯s a little green dragon, an ironhead viper1Also called the Mangshan Pit Viper or little green dragon by local Chinese folk! Weren¡¯t they supposed to be extinct in the wild long ago?¡±


    ¡°Little green dragon? Is there such a snake?¡±


    Someone immediately searched on the phone, and then excitedly shouted at Feng Yi, ¡°Don¡¯t strangle it to death! This snake was a special-level protected animal before the strictest conservation law came out!!!¡±


    Wow¡ª¡ª


    The crowd exploded again. The people who had planned to leave after taking pictures and watching the excitement for a while became excited again and immediately contacted their family and friends nearby.


    ¡°Hurry! Take a close look at the special-level protected animal! You can¡¯t even see it normally!¡±


    At another corner of the fishing area.


    Because it was too far away, they couldn¡¯t hear the commotion over there at all. But as they received messages on their phones one after the other, they couldn¡¯t wait any longer.


    ¡°Hurry up, let¡¯s go over and take a look, I heard that a little green dragon has appeared over there!¡±


    ¡°Dragon? Is there really a dragon?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just a very scary-looking venomous snake! But it is said to be a National Treasure-level protected animal now, and it was supposed to be extinct in the wild.¡±


    Those who heard the news focused all their attention on ¡°Little Green Dragon¡± and ¡°National Treasure-level Protected Animal¡±. As for the keyword ¡°venomous snake¡±¡­


    It didn¡¯t matter if it was a poisonous snake or not! Anyway, it had already been caught, so it was not a threat. No matter how poisonous the snake was, it couldn¡¯t stop people from being overly curious and watching the excitement.


    One person even threw his fishing rod into the lake and didn¡¯t care about fishing. He got up and ran to the place where the incident happened. As he ran, he took out his cell phone, pulled up the camera to adjust the angle, and raised his hands to adjust his hairstyle. He ran all the way to the discovery site at a speed he couldn¡¯t even show in the physical fitness test. With a twist, he pushed through the two onlookers in front of him and squeezed into the inner circle.


    There was no high ground in this area, and the slightly higher positions were already occupied by people.


    ¡­


    Wu Ji¡¯s parents were picking vegetables in the farm¡¯s vegetable garden.


    Papa Wu was absent-minded; his mind having already flown to the fishing area. He was supposed to go fishing after a break, but Mama Wu stopped him and pulled him over to pick vegetables and fruits.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t pick too much. We¡¯ll pick some more before returning home tomorrow as it¡¯s still fresh,¡± Papa Wu said.


    ¡°No, didn¡¯t you see how many people there are on the weekend! If we¡¯re too slow, the good ones will be taken away!¡±


    As they spoke, the siren of a fire truck sounded. Visitors to the vegetable garden looked over.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Did someone start a fire illegally? Not long ago it was reported that a tourist secretly smoked in the non-smoking area and caused a fire.¡±


    ¡°Oh, people nowadays!¡±


    Since it wasn¡¯t an uncommon sight, everyone didn¡¯t pay it any mind and planned to continue picking vegetables. Before they could start, they heard the police siren.


    ¡°Two more police cars passed by, did something really happen?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see an ambulance, so it shouldn¡¯t be serious.¡±


    Before the person could finish speaking, an ambulance rushed past. Now the tourists were really not in the mood to pick vegetables.


    ¡°Something must have happened!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that place over there? They¡¯re all driving there.¡±


    ¡°Over there¡­ It¡¯s the fishing area, right? I remember that the fishing areas of the farmhouse are all over there,¡± someone said.


    Papa and Mama Wu¡¯s hearts skipped a beat, and they looked at each other. Papa Wu took out his phone to call Wu Ji, and it took a while for the other side to answer.


    ¡°Where are you!¡± Father Wu listened to the loud voices on the phone, something about a dragon and a snake, he couldn¡¯t hear clearly.


    ¡°The situation here is a bit complicated, wait a moment.¡±


    Wu Ji hung up the phone and quickly sent a request for a video call.


    When Wu Ji answered the phone just now, Papa and Mama Wu¡¯s anxious hearts calmed down, but when they saw the situation on the other side clearly through the video call, their hearts almost jumped out of their throats.


    Wu Ji hurriedly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the firefighters are already here. We¡¯ll come back later, just wait in the room.¡±


    After the call ended, the two were still worried.


    A tourist who was picking vegetables nearby came over and asked them if they knew what had happened.


    ¡°They found a snake in the fishing area, a big poisonous one!¡± Father Wu said absent-mindedly.


    The tourist exclaimed after hearing this and was questioned by someone else when he went back.


    ¡°A big poisonous snake was found in the fishing area! I wonder if anyone has been bitten.¡±


    The friend who got the news told others. Then, the news spread.


    ¡°They found a big poisonous snake over there in the fishing area. I heard it bit someone!¡±


    ¡°Woah! There¡¯s actually a poisonous snake in the fishing area! Who was so unlucky to be bitten? It must be very serious!¡±


    ¡°Oh my God! I heard that someone was bitten by a poisonous snake in the fishing area! Did you see the ambulance just now? It was called for that person!¡±


    ¡°Oh my, how sad that someone was bitten by a poisonous snake in the fishing area. A student of my friend¡¯s relative was at the scene and said that the person was carried into the ambulance!¡±


    The exaggerated rumors showed no signs of slowing down even after the live video and photos were posted. Instead, numerous versions were adapted and continued to spread.


    At the same time, Feng Yi, who was rumored to have been ¡°carried into the ambulance¡±, still maintained the posture of holding the snake with a blank face, acting as an errand boy. He had already greeted those who ¡°risked their lives to take pictures¡± countless times in his heart.


    Feng Yi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the firefighters arrive and rush to separate the crowd of onlookers.


    The scenic area was large. There was also a fire station nearby, and seven firefighters were the first to arrive at the scene.


    Originally, Feng Yi thought that since the firefighters had arrived, he was no longer needed. However, when the firefighters came to check it out, they realized that they needed a professional. They weren¡¯t good at catching snakes, and those in the team who were good at it weren¡¯t here today.


    If Feng Yi couldn¡¯t keep hold of it or no one could restrain the snake, they would definitely intervene directly. Human life came first. But now, Feng Yi was holding the snake so firmly. At first glance, his technique seemed much more professional than theirs. Even if they wore gloves, they might not be as steady as Feng Yi¡¯s bare hands.


    The current protection level of the white-tailed ironhead viper was too high. Perhaps, this was the only one left in the wild, so it was of great importance. If anything happened to it, public opinion would crush them to death. That was why the firefighters who came here didn¡¯t know how to handle the situation. If it was a cauliflower snake, water snake, or other poisonous snake with a larger population, they wouldn¡¯t be afraid, but this one¡­


    It was tricky!


    ¡°Can you hold on?¡± a firefighter asked.


    Feng Yi bit the bullet. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, just keep holding it like this. The professional handler will be here soon to take over. Don¡¯t be afraid, don¡¯t be too stressed! We have already prepared the antivenom, don¡¯t be afraid!¡±


    While speaking, the police cars and the ambulance also arrived.


    The police maintained order at the scene to prevent others from frightening the snake and adding to Feng Yi¡¯s burden.


    As for the snake that Feng Yi was holding, it seemed to be stunned, only the tail hanging on the ground moved slightly from time to time.


    ¡°Is this snake about to be strangled to death?¡± said a fisherman who didn¡¯t mind making the situation worse.


    ¡°I heard that second-level protected animals can warrant a punishment. This kind of special-level¡­ Hey, what if that guy really strangles it to death? He didn¡¯t do it on purpose though.¡±


    The firemen looked at each other and went over to tell Feng Yi that it was better for them to take over while the snake was still alive. If Feng Yi really strangled the snake to death, he would probably be overwhelmed by public opinion.


    Feng Yi gestured to the firemen. ¡°It¡¯s okay, the snake is still alive. I¡¯ll wait for the professional to come and then pass it on.¡±


    A shopping street in Mount Yue¡¯s Tourist Scenic Area.


    The shopping crowd also received true and false news, but most people had a stronger desire to shop, and they didn¡¯t care about the fishing area of the farmhouse. In their opinion, so many things happened every day. If they saw it, they¡¯d reflect on it for a while, but that was it. They wouldn¡¯t delve too deeply into it.


    Two young girls came out of a store with large and small bags and wanted to find a place to eat. They turned on their phones to search for nearby places with good reviews and found that they had a new message. They looked at it casually.


    ¡°I heard that something happened to a farmhouse over there!¡± One of them pointed in the direction.


    ¡°Who knows if the photo is real. The rumors are too exaggerated. Just wait until the rumors are disproved.¡± The other girl said indifferently, ¡°Let¡¯s keep looking for food¡­¡±


    While they were talking, they heard something and looked up at the sky. Two helicopters flew over, heading towards the farmhouse they had just mentioned.

 CH 15

    The two helicopters that flew to the fishing area of the farmhouse did not look like sightseeing planes in the scenic area, so they naturally attracted the attention of many people, and another round of true and false rumors began.


    In addition to the heads of the relevant departments, the two helicopters that were urgently dispatched also carried what the firemen called the ¡°professional handler¡±.


    This time, Feng Yi could finally let go.


    After the snake was handed over, it was carefully placed in a special large box. Feng Yi didn¡¯t see the inside of the box, but judging from the attitude of those people, he knew that they must have put a lot of thought into it.


    Despite handing over the snake, Feng Yi and his two friends couldn¡¯t just leave. They would be taken in for questioning to assist in the investigation.


    Wu Ji left a message for his parents. Everyone near the fishing area had heard his chicken-like scream, ¡°There¡¯s a snake¡±, and he would surely be asked a lot of questions.


    ¡°Sorry, I need to use the restroom,¡± Feng Yi said to the person in charge.


    ¡°Me too! I was so scared that my bladder¡¯s about to burst,¡± Wu Ji added.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming with!¡± Qian Feiyang followed along.


    When Feng Yi and the others left, the person in charge gave the person next to him a look. Before the preliminary investigation was completed, the three of them would have their movements restricted to a certain extent. They had to be watched to prevent them from secretly escaping.


    The expert who had flown over said that the white-tailed little green dragon was born in the wild, and it was a miracle that it could grow to such a large size. However, it had a serious internal parasitic disease and urgently needed treatment. There had never been any record of the white-tailed little green dragon in Mount Yue. As for why it had appeared here and gone to the fishing area, a follow-up investigation was needed to find out.


    This matter had been reported, and the people from the Protection Bureau would surely be on their way soon. The Protection Bureau or PB was the domestic branch of the Joint Defense Organization or JDO. The JDO was a newly established regulatory organization after the constitution of the ¡°Sixth Database¡±.


    And once someone from the JDO came forward, the case would no longer involve the relevant local departments. They would only need to cooperate with the JDO¡¯s investigation and actions.


    On the other side, Feng Yi and his two friends came to the restrooms. With just the three of them, Wu Ji was also much more relaxed.


    ¡°Holy crap! I was scared to death! I feel like I got my life back! Bro, thank you so much!¡± Wu Ji patted Feng Yi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re amazing for holding the snake with one hand for so long!¡±


    The corners of Feng Yi¡¯s mouth twitched, but he didn¡¯t respond.


    Qian Feiyang looked at his hands. ¡°My hands are still shaking.¡± After speaking, he beat his chest and stamped his feet, ¡°Damn! I didn¡¯t take a picture!¡±


    As a photographer, it was such a shame to have missed that wonderful scene!


    ¡°Alright, enough already. Hurry up, we still have to go for questioning,¡± Feng Yi urged.


    After the two of them entered separate cubicles, Feng Yi walked over to the mirror. He took off his sunglasses and mask, and carefully checked if there were any changes on his face that were different from ordinary people.


    Eyes, normal.


    Nose, normal.


    He opened his mouth to see the teeth and tongue inside. Very good, all normal.


    Feng Yi heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, he could have peace of mind and didn¡¯t have to be afraid of exposure.


    Qian Feiyang, who came out of the cubicle, looked at Feng Yi in the mirror, and said with a smile, ¡°Aren¡¯t you a little too concerned about your appearance?¡±


    Feng Yi¡¯s showman antics of not wanting equipment to grab the snake but sunglasses at the key moment still astounded Qian Feiyang. This also refreshed the impression he had of this old schoolmate.


    When Wu Ji also came out, Qian Feiyang said in a low voice, ¡°There will definitely be a one-on-one conversation waiting for us later, those people are not easy to fool.¡±


    Qian Feiyang looked at Feng Yi.


    Wu Ji thought of something and also looked at Feng Yi.


    Feng Yi: ¡°¡­What are you looking at me for?¡±


    Qian Feiyang imitated the movement of grabbing a snake, ¡°You don¡¯t look like a novice.¡±


    Feng Yi finally came to the realization. ¡°Shit! I didn¡¯t do anything illegal! This is really the first time I¡¯ve caught a snake! If they ask you, just tell them what you know!¡±


    Wu Ji lowered his voice, ¡°Is there anything we shouldn¡¯t say? You don¡¯t need us to cover for you!?¡±


    Feng Yi: ¡°No! No need!¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t let Wu Ji and Qian Feiyang know the secret that others couldn¡¯t know. And everything they knew about him wasn¡¯t anything that needed to be kept secret.


    The person in charge just now didn¡¯t seem to be easily fooled. With the ability of these two, there¡¯s no way they would be able to deceive those people¡¯s eyes. So, honesty was the best policy, even if they said some embarrassing things, it didn¡¯t matter. At this time, it was better to wash away the suspicion surrounding them first, to prove that they were all innocent this time, and that they didn¡¯t provoke the snake first.


    Upon hearing Feng Yi¡¯s answer, Wu Ji and Qian Feiyang both laughed in a relaxed manner. That was good, they weren¡¯t afraid of being questioned then.


    Soon, the three of them were brought into a room. Since it wasn¡¯t an interrogation, the atmosphere wouldn¡¯t be too serious. The decor of the room was very comfortable. There were various snacks on the coffee table and some cute animal dolls on the shelves that were sold in the scenic area.


    The person in charge had a gentle expression and a slight smile. ¡°Have a seat, don¡¯t feel pressured. There is food and drink on the table, so feel free to take whatever you want. I just want to understand the whole thing.¡±


    After the three of them sat down, the person in charge asked, ¡°Before you found the snake, you didn¡¯t hear anything?¡±


    Wu Ji: ¡°No! I didn¡¯t pay any attention at all. I never thought I would come across a snake. I was busy sending messages to my girlfriend.¡±


    There was nothing shady in their messages, so Wu Ji dug out the chat records from that time period, including the picture of [Sending you a little wittle flower], and showed it to the person opposite.


    The person in charge looked at the chat image and then at Wu Ji.


    Wu Ji did not feel any guilt at all. As long as he wasn¡¯t facing a snake, he was fearless!


    The person in charge turned to Feng Yi.


    Feng Yi replied: ¡°I was thinking about something at the time and didn¡¯t pay attention to my surroundings. I didn¡¯t react until I heard Wu Ji yell.¡±


    Person in charge: ¡°Have you ever caught a snake before?¡±


    Feng Yi: ¡°No, this was the first time.¡±


    ¡°You caught it so steadily the first time?¡±


    Feng Yi thought for a while, ¡± It must be my talent.¡±


    The person in charge quietly looked at Feng Yi.


    Feng Yi calmly looked back with a message in his eyes: I¡¯m telling the truth!


    While the three were being taken in for questioning, the Internet was abuzz. The media acted upon hearing the news, and the topic of ¡°National Treasure-level Animal Surprisingly Discovered in Mount Yue¡¯s Scenic Area¡± quickly spread online. True and false information were mixed together, and the most exaggerated mentioned a homicide had occurred in Mount Yue¡¯s Scenic Area.


    The official page of Mount Yue Scenic Area quickly refuted the rumors and confirmed that no tourists were bitten. The ambulance was only there to prevent accidents. The poisonous snake had been restrained before the police arrived, and the little green dragon that everyone was concerned about was now being taken care of by professionals. Finally, they asked the public not to worry.


    Netizens attracted by the news also had other concerns.


    ¡°[Image] So it was the fisherman wearing sunglasses in the picture who was the tough guy, holding the snake with one hand. When the firefighters rushed to the scene, they were of no use.¡±


    ¡°Just looking at the shape of its head, that snake is scary! Its bite must hurt like hell?¡±


    ¡°Actually, the venom of the ironhead viper is not top-notch, but there is a large amount of it, so I don¡¯t know what will happen if you get bitten.¡±


    ¡°Understood, the larger the amount, the easier it is to die.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, my focus is wrong. Why do I feel that the snake in the photo looks a little pitiful?¡±


    ¡°I clicked when I saw ¡®National Treasure¡¯ but was scared out of my wits that I almost flew up into the sky! Why are creatures like snakes not extinct yet!!!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying¡­ Snakes have survived since the age of dinosaurs, and so many species have been killed along the way.¡±


    After this incident, the Department of Culture and Tourism issued a document to remind fishing enthusiasts and tourists to take protective measures, especially those fishing near the Mount Yue Nature Reserve should pay more attention to their feet.


    Netizens in the surrounding cities of Mount Yue Scenic Area:


    ¡°I was about to go fishing, but I was so frightened that I went back home.¡±


    ¡°If I come across a snake, I can run faster than a sprinter!¡±


    ¡°The last time I visited a certain research base, I saw little green dragons through a thick layer of glass, but this one in the video was much bigger than the ones bred by the research institute! And it¡¯s a wild one! Biologists must be going crazy right now!¡±


    ¡°Actually, some of them have already gone crazy, leaving their research behind and rushing to Mount Yue.¡±


    ¡°Mount Yue is not far from Rongcheng! A creature that was thought to be extinct in the wild has reappeared. Does this mean that the ecological environment near Mount Yue has improved? Maybe the housing prices here in Rongcheng will go up!¡±


    At dusk.


    Mount Yue Scenic Area, in a large five-star hotel suite. A dozen rich young people were gathered here.


    It was uncertain who started it, but while they were having fun, they also talked about the little green dragon.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that I didn¡¯t get to see the legendary little green dragon with my own eyes!¡±


    ¡°I heard that before the climate anomaly, this snake was sold for millions on the black market.¡±


    ¡°Little green dragon is a good name. My first reaction when I heard it was to catch it and make wine!¡± One of the young people laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if they still sell it on the black market. Oh, I¡¯m itching to get my hands on it!¡±


    Someone answered the phone, went to the window with a surprised face and pulled open the curtains. In the distant sky, five helicopters flew by in the afterglow of the setting sun.


    ¡°Those are the special model planes used by the PB. They¡¯ve sent quite a few people. It seems that this matter has a greater influence than we thought!¡±


    The fanatical ¡°data¡± defenders of the PB were famous for sticking to the motto: ¡°Better to make a mistaken arrest than letting them go¡±. People who openly made dangerous statements would be in a lot of trouble if they were targeted by the PB. As for what counted as dangerous statements¡­


    For example, the person just now mentioned catching the national special-level protected animal and turning it into wine. If they couldn¡¯t catch it, they would buy it on the black market or something. That was a dangerous statement.


    More than ten pairs of eyes looked at the person who spoke.


    The man trembled violently and loudly denied it:


    ¡°No! I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t just say that! I drank too much!!!¡±

 CH 16

    The families of these young people were either very rich or influential, and they usually acted arrogantly. But the PB didn¡¯t care about your family¡¯s background, they wouldn¡¯t talk favors or money with you, they were a group of staunch ¡°data¡± defenders.


    Survival was a topic of common concern around the world. The establishment of the ¡°sixth database¡± was to help survive for a longer time. And PB, who served the ¡°Sixth Database¡±, occupied the moral high ground, had political support, and power in its hands, so it couldn¡¯t care less about your background. Facing such a group of people, even a coward would not dare to confront them head-on.


    Whoever was caught by them and shouted, ¡°My dad is XX¡±, would only get a cold response: ¡°That¡¯s good, let¡¯s call your dad over and talk about it.¡±


    Therefore, chickening out decisively was also a wise choice.


    Of course, the PB didn¡¯t have that much time and energy to pay attention to those who were just big talkers. However, if someone happened to be heard talking big, they would still receive a little warning.


    The five helicopters that attracted everyone¡¯s attention landed on the tarmac near Mount Yue¡¯s management office. A total of eight people from the PB came this time, and most of the planes were equipped with data gathering equipment. The leader was tall and thin, in his forties or fifties, with a stern and unsmiling face. He quickly entered the room and received the investigation summary handed over by the person in charge of the Mount Yue management office.


    The person in charge said, ¡°Captain Yuan, we have compared the DNA sequencing results with multiple target sequences in the database of the Little Green Dragon Breeding Facility. This snake is related to some individuals there.¡±


    As he spoke, he opened another document and handed it over, ¡± We also found out that a smuggling gang was taken down near Mount Yue five years ago, and that this smuggling gang once stole a snake egg from the Little Green Dragon Breeding Facility.¡±


    ¡°One?¡±


    ¡°Yes, only one snake egg was lost from the breeding facility. According to the records at that time, the snake egg rolled off the car during the pursuit, and no one knew where it went. Now it seems that this little green dragon very likely hatched from that snake egg.¡±


    Yuan Qie frowned slightly as he looked at the investigation report in his hand. Due to the short time, only a part of the information was recorded.


    ¡°So, this snake probably hatched naturally in the wild and lived in the Mount Yue Reserve for five years?¡±


    ¡°The information collected so far seems to indicate that. Nowadays, the artificial hatching rate of little green dragons is relatively high, and the survival rate of larvae has also been greatly improved. The population number is much higher than before. However, those are all artificially bred, and reintroduction into the wild has never been successful. Not only for little green dragons, the reintroduction plans of other major animal breeding bases are also progressing slowly, and some of them even show a tendency to deteriorate.¡±


    ¡°The ecological chain is distorted. Even if the climate has returned to normal, it will be quite difficult for many animals to adapt. However, the little green dragon found today that has survived in the wild for five years may have multiple favorable mutations in its genes. This kind of evolution may make it better able to adapt to the wild environment. The specific conclusions will have to wait for follow-up research, as time is too short, and many tests have not yet produced results.¡±


    Yuan Qie asked again, ¡°What about this person, Feng Yi?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already questioned him, and he said that it was the first time he caught a snake. The accuracy of catching it all depended on talent. Heh, do you believe that?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Yuan Qie flipped through the report on Feng Yi in his hand. ¡°Some people do have that kind of talent.¡±


    The person in charge was taken aback, surprised to hear such words from Yuan Qie.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Feng Yi? I want to ask him a few things,¡± Yuan Qie said.


    ¡°¡­He¡¯s eating dinner.¡±


    Feng Yi and his two friends cooperated with the work of the various departments in Mount Yue, and they had already said all they could say. They thought they would be able to leave soon, but they were told that the people from the PB would come over and ask them a few more questions. Only then would they be allowed to leave.


    Well, there was nothing to be afraid of anyway. They would just repeat what they had already said.


    After dinner, Feng Yi met the interrogator. The badge on the other party¡¯s chest revealed his identity.


    ¡°I¡¯m Yuan Qie from the Protection Bureau. I¡¯m now in charge of investigating the Mount Yue Little Green Dragon incident.¡± Yuan Qie sat down across from Feng Yi.


    ¡°Hello.¡± This was the first time Feng Yi had talked to someone from the PB up close.


    Feng Yi originally thought that the other party would ask him how he was able to catch the snake so accurately, but unexpectedly, Yuan Qie did not mention this, but instead told him about the origin of the snake.


    ¡°It¡¯s really not easy to hatch and survive in the wild. It¡¯s just that five years have passed, and the internal parasitic disease is quite serious. If it were a month later, it might be impossible to save it.¡± Yuan Qie¡¯s tone was flat, and no emotional fluctuations could be heard.


    After hearing this, Feng Yi felt that the snake¡¯s luck was miraculous, it was certainly a tough one!


    Yuan Qie continued and asked, ¡°From the nature reserve to the area of human activities, why do you think it went there? Was it hunting prey and accidentally wandered in?¡±


    ¡°To save itself, I guess,¡± Feng Yi said. This had also been his first thought upon hearing of this matter.


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Yuan Qie nodded.


    Feng Yi saw that he accepted the explanation and hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯m talking nonsense, don¡¯t take it seriously!¡±


    Yuan Qie looked at him. ¡°What you said must have been the first thought that went through your mind.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still very valuable for reference. I will record it truthfully.¡± Yuan Qie wrote down Feng Yi¡¯s words with a blank expression, then got up and left.


    Feng Yi was stunned. That was it? Nothing else? What happened to the PB that showed no respect to anyone and only cared about evidence and data?!!


    Seeing that the other party was about to walk out the door, Feng Yi raised his voice and said, ¡°I was really talking nonsense, don¡¯t be so hasty!¡±


    With his back to Feng Yi, the corners of Yuan Qie¡¯s mouth rose slightly and quickly fell back.


    After Yuan Qie left, Feng Yi and the others were told that they could leave, and a car was sent to take them back to the farmhouse. Because Feng Yi had covered himself up tightly when he was photographed during the day, and because Wu Ji and Qian Feiyang did not have much of a presence behind them, they did not attract the attention of other tourists when they returned to the farmhouse.


    It had been an exciting day. When they returned to the farmhouse that night, Wu Ji was taken away by his parents for questioning, and Qian Feiyang went back to the guest room to rest.


    Feng Yi called the old butler and told him what had happened today, and also mentioned the matter of Yuan Qie from the PB.


    Upon hearing Yuan Qie¡¯s name, the butler said, ¡°Oh, Little Yuan from the Protection Bureau. I haven¡¯t seen him for a long time. It¡¯s been almost ten years.¡±


    ¡°Little¡­ Little Yuan? Do you two know each other?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± said the old butler. ¡°More than ten years ago, Madam Feng helped the Protection Bureau investigate a case of poaching and eating wild protected animals. At that time, Little Yuan should have joined them. He wasn¡¯t calm enough and was put in his place by Madam Feng on more than one occasion.¡±


    At that time, Yuan Qie had come across a big case right after joining the PB and was very fired up. Yuan Qie had always been skeptical of Old Lady Feng, who relied on ¡°guesses¡± for everything, but was exceptionally skilled at catching snakes. After being humiliated many times later, Yuan Qie had to admit that this Old Lady Feng was very accurate in her guesses every time! Her guesses were more accurate than the conclusions they came to after several days of analysis!


    Later, Yuan Qie accepted the reality that some people have the talent. Not only was catching snakes as easy as eating for them, but their intuition was also unimaginably accurate!


    Feng Yi took a deep breath. ¡°So, he wants to regain the respect he lost due to the humiliation he suffered back then from me?¡±


    The butler chuckled and said comfortingly, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry, he was just joking with you. They are very busy people, almost like robots all day trying to save everything and being the guardians of the Earth. They don¡¯t have time to bother with you.¡±


    ¡°Your body is in the process of changing and will emit a scent. The little green dragon might have picked up that scent and approached you this time. Compared to other people, it would be more friendly to you. It can be considered a decision to try to save itself.


    ¡°¡­It really came on its own? To save itself?¡± Feng Yi asked.


    The butler said, ¡°That is most likely the case, but all of this is not important. The most important thing is that in the next two days, you might undergo changes.¡±


    Feng Yi was surprised. ¡°That¡¯s fast! The adaptation period is over before the weekend? I¡¯m going to start¡­ changing?¡±


    The butler¡¯s tone was serious, and his voice was slightly low, ¡°Evolution; every step forward gives you additional skills to survive than others. The process of evolution will be accompanied by pain. During this process, no one can help you, and I can¡¯t intervene. It¡¯s all up to you. Mentally prepare yourself.¡±

 CH 17

    after realizing that he was about to ¡°change¡±, feng yi was no longer in the mood to pay attention to other things.


    on the internet, the mount yue little green dragon incident continued to unfold.


    the official website of the joint defense organization posted the progress of the investigation into the incident and said that they would continue to follow up on it. the public information included a picture of feng yi holding the snake and a video of the little green snake after treatment. in the video, the head of the coiled little green snake wasn¡¯t visible at first glance, only the tip of its white tail was dangling. the treatment seemed to go well.


    the mount yue little green dragon incident had attracted the attention of people all over the world. more and more researchers joined the little green dragon research project to study the evolutionary code of this snake and find ways to restore the distorted ecological chain. non-scientists also used mount yue as a place to visit and check in, or to stay with family and friends for a while. if an ironhead viper that was thought to be extinct in the wild could safely grow to such a size, it must mean that the environment in mount yue was really good!


    over the upcoming days, foreign faces could be seen everywhere in the scenic area of mount yue, and the farmhouses and hotels of all sizes were filled to capacity.


    on news, social and short-video platforms, photos and videos of fisher boy feng yi holding a snake spread like fire, with likes and comments reaching record highs.


    since feng yi did not want to disclose his identity, his name was replaced by the letter ¡°f¡± in the investigation report submitted by the pb. in the investigation progress posted on the official website of the jdo, he was also called ¡°mr. f¡±.


    the internet was much bolder and more uninhibited and found the name mr. f to be awkward. as a result, the name of ¡°mount yue snake holding brother¡± spread online. later, someone said that the word ¡°holding¡± was ambiguous and could be omitted. this was passed on, and the name became ¡°mount yue snake brother¡±. then, as more people talked about it, it was shortened even further to just¡ª ¡°snake brother¡±.


    ¡°it was lucky that it was snake brother. if someone else had seen that little green dragon, they might have panicked and smashed it with a fishing rod. who knows if the snake would have survived.¡±


    feng yi¡¯s response to all this was: ¡°hear no evil, see no evil, know no evil!


    qian feiyang felt that it was a pity. if feng yi hadn¡¯t worn sunglasses and a mask, he would have become famous abroad!


    seeing that feng yi had no intention of becoming an internet celebrity or a superstar, qian feiyang and wu ji didn¡¯t mention it anymore. but in private, they would lament what a good opportunity it was to become famous!


    feng yi didn¡¯t care about any of that; he lived in fear for two days. over the past two days, he bought popular science books and magazines online, reviewed various information about snakes, and gained a lot of strange and useless knowledge.


    when feng yi awoke on the third day, he felt like his head was going to burst, and his vision was a little blurry.


    ¡°it¡¯s finally starting?¡±


    after wiping his face and lightly tapping his forehead, feng yi went to the bathroom. he washed his face with cold water and looked at himself in the mirror. his expression was sluggish, his face was pale, but otherwise he was no different.


    blinking vigorously to clear his vision, he picked up the toothbrush, squeezed out some toothpaste, and brushed his teeth¡­


    feng yi immediately let out a cry of pain. it felt like all his teeth were suddenly suffering from cavity inflammation. the intense pain seemed to explode in his head in an instant, freezing all his thought processes momentarily. feng yi gripped the toothbrush tightly and held his breath for a while before coming to his senses. his sleep-addled brain was completely awake from the pain!


    tossing aside his toothbrush and water cup, feng yi leaned forward in front of the mirror, and opened his mouth to look at his teeth. the canines, which were originally slightly pointed but not protruding, had doubled in length overnight and were even sharper!


    when he closed his mouth, the two overlong teeth turned slightly inward. feng yi gave it a try and found that he could control these two teeth to fold back inwards, and he could also make them flip out, at the cost of inflammation pain multiplied by twenty!


    enduring the pain, feng yi gave it two more tries before stopping.


    the first pain to be faced on the road of evolution¡ª toothache¡Ì


    wiping the sweat from his brow, feng yi took out his phone and called the old butler.


    as usual, it was as if the old butler was always by his cell phone, always able to answer the call immediately.


    ¡°i¡¯m teething!¡± as feng yi spoke, his two sharp teeth moved slightly out of control, and he couldn¡¯t help but hiss in pain.


    ¡°it fucking hurts!¡± another hiss of pain followed.


    the old butler on the other side of the phone laughed softly, seemingly in a good mood. ¡°that¡¯s normal. that¡¯s how it¡¯ll be at the beginning, you¡¯ll get used to the pain.¡±


    feng yi: ¡°¡­¡±


    was that something a respectable person would say?!


    get used to the pain? a mouth full of inflammatory pain, plus two enhanced pain points, was not something an ordinary human could bear!


    ¡°how long will it take for my toothache to heal? will taking painkillers help?¡± feng yi asked.


    ¡°painkillers won¡¯t work. how long the pain lasts depends on you. what kind of teeth do you have?¡±


    ¡°the two large, overlong teeth are where the canines used to be; they have mutated!¡± feng yi said.


    butler: ¡°oh! you have fangs.¡±


    feng yi was shocked and stuttered out, ¡°then are they poisonous?¡±


    ¡°that depends on whether your venom glands have developed. if you have venom glands, they will naturally be poisonous,¡± the old butler said calmly.


    ¡°if i bite myself, or accidentally leak venom from my teeth, will i be poisoned by my own venom?¡±


    the old butler thought for a while before replying, ¡°theoretically, in the process of high-level evolution, antibodies against your own venom will develop.¡±


    feng yi: ¡°¡­¡®theoretically¡¯?¡±


    the old butler: ¡°i haven¡¯t seen it myself, so if you want to know, you can bite yourself and see. i can watch over you, and if there¡¯s an emergency, i¡¯ll send you to the hospital right away.¡±


    ¡°then i might as well try it right at the entrance of the hospital! i will bite myself and if i find that i am poisoned, i will rush to the hospital for help!¡± feng yi quipped.


    ¡°good idea.¡± the old butler sighed.


    feng yi: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°are those two fangs of yours grooved or tubular?¡± the butler asked.


    feng yi: ???


    after searching his phone for a while, he finally understood. grooved fangs had actual grooves running down the surface of the teeth. they were divided into rear grooved fangs and front grooved fangs. most of the snakes with the latter were highly venomous, such as the famous cobra family.


    as for tubular fangs, they were larger and longer than grooved fangs. they were also hollow, like a syringe, but could be concealed.


    feng yi looked carefully into the mirror, moved his two long fangs, endured the inflammation pain multiplied by twenty, and tried to fold them back.


    ¡°they¡¯re tubular.¡± he hissed in pain after speaking.


    the old butler¡¯s voice dropped slightly, ¡°i see~¡±


    feng yi: ¡°¡­¡±


    don¡¯t fucking say that with such nuance!


    ¡°although tubular fangs aren¡¯t small or cute enough, they are more convenient for you and can be hidden. if you fold them into your mouth, you won¡¯t need to wear a mask,¡± the old butler said in a regretful tone.


    ¡°a mask is still necessary, i think. then do my fangs have any symbolic meaning?¡± feng yi asked.


    ¡°no,¡± the old butler said. ¡°how they grow is determined by the genes, how you use them is determined by you.¡±


    feng yi breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°that¡¯s good. a kind soul like me¡­¡±


    the old butler seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.


    feng yi opened a notepad. ¡°in my current situation, before the toothache disappears, what should i pay attention to when eating and drinking?¡±


    the old butler thought for a moment, ¡°for the first days, eat liquid food, chew less, pay attention to oral hygiene, and keep your teeth clean. as for toothpaste¡­ you can use children¡¯s products.¡±

 CH 18

    after talking to the butler, feng yi looked at the large page of keywords written in the memo and felt his head ache even more.


    according to the butler, his two fangs would continue to grow. only when they were fully grown would the toothache disappear. but until then, the pain would continue. painkillers were ineffective, so he would have to think of other ways or bear with it.


    feng yi suddenly thought, if teething was such a pain, would his cheeks swell up like mumps when the venom glands developed? would he have to endure the pain of mumps? feng yi almost blacked out at the thought.


    no wonder the butler said that the pain that came with the evolutionary process could only be borne by himself! he couldn¡¯t transfer the pain to others even if he wanted to!


    feng yi rubbed his forehead. putting the venom glands aside for now, he first needed to solve the problem of eating.


    the butler had suggested going from liquid food > semi liquid food > soft food > normal food. in this regard, feng yi would not make things difficult for himself. less chewing could also reduce the strain on the teeth and reduce the pain.


    therefore, the soy milk maker, juicer, meat grinder, and so on should all be taken out. the kitchen appliances he bought but rarely used would be working under a heavy load because there were too many ingredients to process.


    fish and shrimp? minced!


    steak? chopped and minced!


    vegetables and fruits would be squeezed for juice, and rice would be mashed into rice paste.


    feng yi laughed in mockery of himself. others would chew slowly while he had to suck up everything.


    as his body was in the process of evolving, he needed more energy, and the amount of food per meal increased. only an adequate amount of food could provide enough nutrition and energy.


    he also had to pay attention to the temperature of the food he ate. it was the first time that feng yi felt the hot and cold stimulation of food so clearly.


    every time he opened his mouth, whether it was to eat or to speak, those two big fangs would move accordingly, and every movement would cause inflammatory pain multiplied by n times. therefore, whenever it was time to eat, the time passed very slowly.


    he had to eat and talk, but those were not the most painful things. the most painful thing was brushing his teeth! especially those two big fangs! compared to them, the pain of the other teeth was considered mild.


    after brushing his teeth with great difficulty, feng yi decided to change the toothpaste immediately!


    originally, he planned to order toothpaste directly online, but either there were not many types, or the product introduction was not detailed. he needed to buy some kitchen utensils anyway, so feng yi decided to go back to the big supermarket.


    he still couldn¡¯t control the two fangs proficiently, and until he could, he still had to wear a mask when he went out. otherwise, it was pretty terrifying.


    although they would retract when the mouth was closed, it would be difficult to explain if they popped out while talking to someone and he wasn¡¯t paying attention. wearing a mask was the safest option.


    during working hours on weekdays, there were not many people in the supermarket. at this time, the supermarket was full of people who came to buy vegetables. the fresh food section was very busy, but the oral care section was rather deserted. feng yi was the only one standing in front of the two rows of shelves.


    feng yi looked at the whole shelf of toothpaste, toothbrush and mouthwash and sighed slightly. then he began to carefully read the information on the packages of various types of oral cleaning products.


    probably because feng yi had been standing there for too long, looking like he couldn¡¯t make up his mind, a sales clerk came over and asked, ¡°hi, can i help you with something?


    feng yi, who was in the middle of perusing product information, said, ¡°thank you, i want to buy toothpaste first. i¡¯ve been having a toothache lately.¡±


    ¡°what kind of toothache do you have?¡± the sales clerk asked. ¡°is it cavities? wisdom teeth? or is it from an accidental injury?¡±


    feng yi was at a loss of how to respond. ¡°all of them?¡± he said after carefully feeling out the pain in his mouth.


    sales clerk: ¡°¡­¡±


    the eyes looking at feng yi seemed to be full of emotion, but also tinged with pity.


    ¡°then i¡¯ll give you a brief introduction of the products, and you can decide which one is suitable for you?¡±


    feng yi nodded his thanks. then, as he heard the sales clerk talk about the types of toothpaste suitable for various diseases such as gingivitis, periodontitis, and oral lesions, feng yi felt the teeth in his mouth ache again.


    after the introduction, the sales clerk turned around. feng yi stood there, frowning.


    ¡°don¡¯t worry, the ones i introduced to you are all big brands, with guaranteed quality and a good reputation, and they are selling very well.¡±


    ¡°i see! yes, these sound good.¡±


    feng yi came to his senses and picked one of each of the models the sales clerk had just introduced and put them into the shopping cart.


    seeing this, the sales clerk hastily said, ¡°you don¡¯t need to buy so many, there are some that are interchangeable.


    ¡°i will try which one is best to use. they won¡¯t go to waste. i will definitely use them all,¡± feng yi said.


    he brushed his teeth two to three times a day, and he had to keep brushing even after his teeth stopped hurting. he had to pay attention to his oral care, otherwise, who could he call if he had any problems?


    the dentist? the veterinarian? neither!!


    seeing feng yi like this, the sales clerk stopped trying to convince him and instead asked, ¡°do you need a toothbrush? shall i introduce some to you? different types of toothbrushes have different functions.¡±


    ¡°uh, yes.¡±


    if he wanted to clean his mutated teeth, what kind of toothbrush should he use so as not to hurt his teeth? he could only try them out to find out! so, yes, he had to buy toothbrushes!


    the sales clerk smiled upon hearing what feng yi said. ¡°alright! then let me introduce the products to you!¡±


    the sales clerk skillfully introduced the different designs and materials of toothbrushes, and the differences in flexibility, cleaning power, cleaning efficiency, and cleaning ability. in addition, there were other products for cleaning and caring for teeth.


    different shaped brush heads? square? diamond shaped? small and big brush heads?


    yes!


    different bristle types? flat, rippled, crisscrossed, specialized¡­


    yes!


    handles of different designs? straight? curved? elastic?


    yes! buy them all!


    electric toothbrush?


    oh, he already had that.


    dental flosser?


    was that necessary? whatever, he¡¯d buy it and try it out.


    there were too many types of toothbrushes that feng yi hadn¡¯t tried in the past twenty years of his life, so he bought them all this time. since he couldn¡¯t use drugs to relieve pain, he could only try to choose suitable tools to do so!


    feng yi decided to make a chart after he returned home. he would write down his experience with each dental cleaning product, and then buy only the relevant products in the future.


    seeing that he bought more than ten toothbrushes at once, and was firm in his decision, the sales clerk enthusiastically introduced teeth whitening products.


    to this, feng yi reacted indifferently.


    teeth whitening? why should i whiten those two big fangs? brushing them was a big deal already, but whitening them? in their dreams!


    skipping the whitening products, feng yi asked about the types of mouthwash, ¡°i need one that is mild and non-irritating. oh, by the way, is there any recommended mouthwash for children? toothpaste too.¡±


    the products he had just bought were for adults, but the old butler also said that children¡¯s products were better for the initial phase. he decided to buy some children¡¯s toothpaste and then switch to adult toothpaste when the teeth were almost fully settled.


    after recommending several mild adult mouthwashes, the sales clerk went to the other end of the shelf. ¡°the children¡¯s products are over here.


    the sales clerk then asked, ¡°how old?¡±


    feng yi: ¡°twenty-four¡­¡±

 CH 19

    when feng yi saw the sales clerk looking at him dumbfounded, realization dawned on him. the other party had misunderstood that he had a child and asked for the child¡¯s age, not his own. he gave an awkward little cough and said, ¡°twenty-four months.


    the clerk nodded in understanding. ¡°you have to be careful with oral care for such a small baby, i recommend these¡­¡±


    after selecting several recommended special toothpastes for children, feng yi pushed the shopping cart and quickly left. with another whole pile of groceries, feng yi heaved a long sigh of relief upon his return home from the supermarket. the toothache affected his thinking, and it would be embarrassing if he said something stupid again.


    the two fangs in his mouth were a constant reminder that he was different from the people around him. he was always anxious and worried about being discovered when he walked in the crowd. before the fangs could be fully controlled, feng yi did not plan to go out. he made liquid food at home, tested different toothbrushes, toothpastes and mouthwashes. he also bought a set of straws online with different calibers to suck different foods.


    the growth of the two big fangs was obvious as feng yi got up every morning to measure them.


    the ¡°mumps¡± came faster than feng yi expected. on the third day of the toothache, after feng yi had gotten used to the pain caused by the two overlong teeth, another wave of severe pain struck. the venom glands were beginning to develop and grow.


    the feeling of an inflammation of the whole mouth combined with an enhanced version of the mumps¡­


    it was such a wonderful feeling!


    pain on the path of evolution¡ª swollen cheeks¡Ì


    suddenly having an abnormal gland that humans didn¡¯t have, feng yi accepted it quite well. if this had happened in the past, he would have lived in fear every day. but after returning from mount xiaofeng, there was like an instinct to accept all the strange changes in his body. just like many species in nature, there would be huge changes at every stage of growth, from larvae to adulthood, but the memory and instinct of the genes allowed them to accept the change and adapt quickly.


    of course, there were also things that made feng yi happy during this period.


    he brewed the can of tea that uncle mute had given him. as he drank it, he could feel a little relief from his toothache and cheek pain. even though the pain could not be completely eliminated, it was still enough to make feng yi very happy!


    for the next few days, feng yi drank this local tea from mount xiaofeng every day. he also tried other teas, some expensive and some cheap ones, but none of them provided any relief. the tea grown in mount xiaofeng actually had such a miraculous effect!


    having given away a can, feng yi only had the one can left. he contacted uncle mute wanting to buy some more tea from him.


    uncle mute¡¯s reply was: ¡°finish the can you have first.¡±


    the tea in the can was enough for feng yi to drink for a month. he decided that if he still had toothache and cheek pain after twenty days, he would ask to buy more tea from uncle mute.


    aside from the pain, feng yi also faintly felt something else in his two cheeks during the development and growth of the venom glands. when he squeezed his cheeks with both palms, venom would flow out from the two large fangs. the venom glands were beginning to secrete venom. initially, it was only half a drop to one drop. later, it became two to three drops. after that, it was much more, and it wasn¡¯t so difficult to squeeze out the venom. the venom could be directly controlled without having to press his cheeks with both hands.


    compared to the toothache and the pain in his cheeks, feng yi was more worried that if he carelessly rested his cheek on one hand, would venom spill out from his two long teeth? would he get poisoned by his own poison? this question needed to be answered urgently, otherwise he would not feel at ease when eating.


    when he pressed his cheeks together with both hands to squeeze out the venom, some of it would inevitably end up in his mouth. it didn¡¯t smell or feel toxic, but that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t poisonous. some poisons would have no effect if they entered the digestive tract in small amounts. feng yi felt that he should still try the poison to find out for himself.


    so feng yi came up with a plan to test the poison. of course, the plan would have to wait for the teeth and venom glands to fully develop.


    maybe it was just like what the butler said, he would get used to the pain. even with the tea that uncle mute gave him, this kind of combination pain wasn¡¯t so nice to endure, and feng yi was already numb to it.


    after two weeks, the pain in his gums and cheeks began to subside. feng yi¡¯s control over the two long teeth had also gradually deepened. every day, he practiced pulling in the teeth, flipping the teeth out, pulling in the teeth¡­


    the two fangs were fully developed, and when folded back, they rested against his upper jaw. there was no exaggerated fang sheath like other poisonous snakes, but there was a protective sheath on feng yi¡¯s upper jaw. when the fangs were retracted, the protective sheath would wrap around them, adding to their concealment. at the same time, there would be a camouflage structure near the root of the teeth. if viewed from the front, these two places would look like two ordinary canines, no different from other people.


    feng yi flicked his two long teeth.


    ¡°very good, you are already mature fangs, and have learned to disguise yourself.¡±


    when the pain in his teeth and cheeks disappeared, feng yi had gained absolute control and could proceed to the next step. if he wanted to test whether his venom could poison himself, he had to have a certain amount of venom first.


    since there were no test tubes at home, he set his sights on the small porcelain bowl that was originally intended for eating. it was just perfect for him to put his fangs into. but then feng yi thought, what if the venom was different for each fang?


    remembering something, feng yi went to the storage room and found a gift box. it was a gift from a brand he had worked with before. he had never opened it or used it since he received it. the box contained a pair of champagne flutes. looking at the brand, they weren¡¯t cheap. apparently, they were the standard in some high-end restaurants, and the price for one was in the hundreds.


    both glasses were taken out, washed, and dried. then feng yi took a flute in each hand and brought them to his mouth. the two long fangs each faced a glass, resting against the inner wall. feng yi controlled the muscles around the poison sacs and squeezed.


    the venom was clear and colorless, like saliva.


    different types of snakes had different colors of venom, such as the bright yellow of cobras, the orange of vipers, and the green of bamboo pit vipers. compared to those, feng yi¡¯s¡­ seemed weak.


    ¡°whether it¡¯s really weak or not, i¡¯ll have to try it,¡± feng yi said aloud, looking at the newly extracted venom in the two wine glasses.


    to test the virulence, he had to first ensure his own safety.


    he was still quite wary and on guard against the butler, so he didn¡¯t intend to let the other party come over and watch over him. feng yi planned to test the poison near the hospital by himself.


    of course, he could also save trouble and just bite himself, but if he did that, there would be a lot of suspicious points. the tooth marks were obviously not from ordinary poisonous snakes. how big of a poisonous snake would it have to be to bite out two such large holes? there would also be saliva residue around the wound. what should he do if his dna was detected? should he say that he licked himself?


    after extracting the venom, feng yi decided to go near the hospital to test the poison.


    comparing the venom in the two flutes, there seemed to be no difference. feng yi took out two small glass bottles, transferred the poison into them, and closed the caps. he changed into cheap casual clothes, and put on a baseball cap, mask, sunglasses¡­ maybe not the sunglasses. it was more conspicuous to wear all that.


    feng yi looked in the mirror before going out. how did it feel to have two extra venom glands?


    ¡°my face seems a little chubbier.¡±


    feng yi took off the mask and stood in front of the mirror, looking at his face from both sides.


    ¡°the chin is not as sharp as it used to be.¡±


    it looked like his cheeks were a bit more rounded. it wasn¡¯t obvious, but there was a change. quite a natural change at that.


    cosmetic evolution?


    well, it definitely wasn¡¯t from eating too much and gaining weight.

 CH 20

    the hospital feng yi chose for the poison test was not the one in the center of rongcheng, but a hospital near mount yue. most of the patients received by this hospital were tourists from the mount yue scenic area.


    after the mount yue little green dragon incident, the number of tourists received by the scenic area had increased sharply, and so had the number of patients received by the hospital. incidents of tourists harassing small animals, getting bitten, scratched, mistakenly eating poisonous fruit, etc., were almost daily occurrences, and some people just couldn¡¯t see the warning signs, no matter how big they were. of course, there were also tourists who were purely injured by accident.


    every year there were also cases of poisonous snake bites. there were very few poisonous snakes left in the wild, but they did exist. this hospital was still quite experienced in this regard.


    the ambulance that first responded back when feng yi caught the little green dragon was from this hospital, and they were the ones who provided the antivenom. although it wasn¡¯t used, it could be seen from this that they had experience in this area. even if they didn¡¯t have practical experience, they would at least have theoretical knowledge, so they wouldn¡¯t be left helpless when they encountered a situation.


    feng yi drove alone this time to test the poison. he chose a hotel near the hospital. the hotel conditions weren¡¯t great, but it was convenient.


    after the mount yue little green dragon incident, hotels of all sizes were full. although some time had passed and online popularity had dropped greatly, the number of tourists had not decreased significantly. feng yi chose a weekday and was able to book a vacant room. if it had been a holiday, it wouldn¡¯t have been possible.


    upon checking into the room, feng yi took the tools out of the box.


    even though he had a tendency to look for trouble, it didn¡¯t mean he really had a death wish, so he still needed to take precautions. he took out disinfectant, gauze, bandages, and other tools that might be used. after disinfecting them, he set them aside.


    he took a small knife from the toolbox and cut the back of his hand.


    feng yi did not dare to compete with those who specialized in testing the venom of poisonous snakes. those brave people would directly grab the heads of the snakes and let them bite their arms.


    the wound he had made was not large and was bleeding only slightly. he took out a bottle of venom from his backpack and looked at the ¡°left¡± label on it. this was the venom released by the left fang.


    after dripping two drops of venom onto the uncoagulated wound, feng yi watched the time and observed the changes in his body.


    there was a slight burning sensation almost immediately when the venom came into contact with the wound. after a while, the burning pain did not deepen, and the swelling of the wound was not serious. there were no blood blisters, ulcers, or other symptoms. there was a slight numbness, but it disappeared quickly. until the small wound on the back of the hand coagulated and scabbed over, there were no other symptoms. the initial slight swelling also disappeared.


    of course, feng yi did not dare to be careless, as some neurotoxins were very deceptive. feng yi waited for three more hours. there were no symptoms like muscle paralysis and shortness of breath; there was no reaction at all.


    how weak, feng yi thought.


    the development process of the fangs and venom glands had been extremely painful, and the two fangs looked so cool when they popped out, but the toxicity was so feeble?


    it was also possible that the wound was too small, and the dose of venom was not enough.


    after, feng yi cut another wound of the same length next to the first one and dripped two drops of the venom squeezed out by his right fang. the symptoms were the same as before.


    however, feng yi did not rush to continue. he waited until the next day to confirm that his body was not affected by the poison, producing any adverse symptoms, before conducting the second toxicity test.


    the second time around, feng yi was more daring. instead of the back of his hand, he made a longer and deeper wound on his forearm. like before, he tested both the venom from his left and right fangs.


    the symptoms were a little more obvious than yesterday, but they still disappeared quickly. feng yi guessed that either the venom was not strong enough, or it was as the old butler said, that his body had developed a resistance to his own poison.


    ¡°it seems that i can¡¯t be poisoned by my own venom.¡±


    regardless of the reason, this made feng yi much more relaxed. the threat of poison no longer hung over him, and he no longer had to worry about being knocked out all the time.


    feng yi didn¡¯t have as many reservations on the third day, and bit his own arm directly, injecting more venom. the inflammatory reaction of the wound was slightly stronger this time, with obvious swelling, but no ulceration. in addition, feng yi felt a slight dizziness, blurred vision, and difficulty breathing. he immediately got up and went to the hospital.


    however, these symptoms quickly disappeared. by the time he ran to the entrance of the hospital, the dizziness and shortness of breath were gone.


    feng yi sat at the hospital gate and waited for two hours. the longer he waited, the clearer his mind became. when he looked at the wound again, the inflammation had subsided and formed a scab. the inconspicuous muscle numbness had also completely disappeared.


    after biting himself, feng yi waited for three more days. after showing no symptoms, he checked out of the hotel and left.


    ¡°it¡¯s confirmed! my poison doesn¡¯t poison me!¡±


    now, not only was feng yi no longer worried about being poisoned by himself, he also planned to poison himself once a day. perhaps his own ability to resist poison would be stronger in the future.


    after confirming that there was no threat, feng yi became cocky and tapped the two long teeth with his fingers, ¡°then what is the point of you two developing?¡±


    if he didn¡¯t take the initiative to bite himself, he wouldn¡¯t have to be afraid of the little bit of venom that would accidentally leak out from time to time. snake venom was also an enzyme. the main component of enzymes was protein. when those proteins went through the digestive tract, they would be broken down by stomach acid. in terms of diet, he could put aside all his worries and eat openly!


    as for the venom, he didn¡¯t dare to sell it. the pb were still in rongcheng and the ongoing investigation was so strict. if he sold the venom now, they might come knocking on his door in the middle of the night. besides, he wasn¡¯t an ordinary person now, nor was he considered a snake. who knew what kind of poison it was? if it turned out not to be snake venom, he might be labeled a terrorist.


    he was a law-abiding citizen; he didn¡¯t do such things!


    it was even more unnecessary to use this to make money. he still had ten million in his account. even without the ten million, he could still make money in other ways that would not put him on the verge of breaking the law. if he really wanted money, he might as well go to the old butler and urge him to quickly transfer the inheritance his great-aunt left him.


    after taking care of a major concern, feng yi didn¡¯t want to go home right away. for the past six days, he had either squatted in front of the hospital or stayed at the hotel, and his nerves were always on high alert. now, he just wanted to find a place where he could let go.


    his body had no other evolutionary reactions, and feng yi did not know what kind of changes he would face next, but it was useless to think about it too much.


    feng yi turned on his cell phone and searched for fun places nearby.


    ¡°where should i go?¡±


    sightseeing? not interested.


    amusement park? it was no fun to play alone.


    skydiving? bungee jumping? he¡¯d think about it.


    as he scrolled through, feng yi¡¯s eyes fell on a place.


    ¡°the zoo?¡±


    in all the years since he had come to rongcheng, he had actually not been to the zoo. after the climatic anomaly period, the strictest conservation law was enacted, and most zoos across the country were closed. but those that remained were secure in terms of manpower, financial resources, management, and professionalism.


    nowadays, many zoos were not in dire financial straits and were quite inept at online marketing. they were making much more money from their own marketing than they were getting from the government. having money meant they could naturally give the animals in the zoo a better living environment. they could also cooperate with some research institutes, primary and secondary schools from time to time to conduct some popular science education activities.


    ¡°that¡¯s the one.¡±


    feng yi decided on the destination and drove to the zoo.


    he was going to test his affinity!

 CH 21

    there weren¡¯t many people in the zoo, but it definitely wasn¡¯t deserted. as one of the more successful zoos in terms of marketing, the configuration of the rongcheng zoo must be relatively good in all aspects, and parking was also convenient.


    even before entering the zoo, feng yi could feel the atmosphere.


    there were several staff members dressed in cute animal costumes at the gate, handing out brochures to tourists and taking pictures with them. various small shops were also stocked with animal items, from snacks and drinks to daily necessities, each with its own distinct characteristics.


    after swiping his ticket and entering the gate, feng yi saw information about a recent event on the bulletin board.


    due to the rat plague in rongcheng some time ago, it could be said that everyone was extremely disgusted by rats. even though the whole city had been cleaned up, most of the rats had disappeared, and the rat plague was over, it was still a frightful topic. some people even suffered psychological trauma, not only adults, but also children who had been frightened by the creatures would cry when the word ¡°rat¡± was mentioned.


    to that end, the zoo organized a special rodent exhibit and selected species with cute looks and cute characteristics, such as guinea pigs, hamsters, squirrels, chinchillas, and so on. they wanted to prove that not all rodents were scary.


    feng yi looked at the promotion of this event and was quite interested, so he followed the signs and went to the event venue. when he arrived, he found that there were so many people! and most of them were parents who had brought their children here. the rat plague had traumatized many children.


    seeing the crowd, feng yi no longer felt like attending the event. looking around, there was also a science lecture hall that was currently presenting¡­


    feng yi: ¡°¡­¡±


    goodbye.


    leaving the event venue, feng yi visited a few furry exhibits. there were quite a few people around, so he just looked at them from a distance. following the map, feng yi went to the amphibian and reptile hall. he had heard that there were relatively few people there.


    feng yi originally planned to take a look at the poisonous snakes first, but just as he walked over, he saw an international tour group heading to the poisonous snake area. a blond middle-aged man was talking to the person next to him, holding a phone in his hand and taking pictures of a snake.


    feng yi cocked his head to sneak a peek. the camera was capturing the nation¡¯s top indigenous many-banded krait, or umbrella snake. allegedly, before the anomalous climate period, the population of this species was quite large.


    the anomalous climate period had a great impact on egg-laying animals. during those two decades, the hatching rate of egg-laying animals in the wild hit a new low every year. eggs couldn¡¯t hatch larvae, and adults died due to various diseases or life span limitations. in this situation, it was impossible for a population to thrive. some species that were listed as functionally extinct basically went extinct because of this. egg-laying snakes were a little better off, but their numbers had also plummeted due to several factors.


    for people who hated snakes, they wished that all the snakes in the world would become extinct. but the impact of the collapse of the ecological chain was too great, and it wasn¡¯t just a matter of one or two species.


    feng yi looked at the people in the tour group ahead and gave up on the idea of going to the poisonous snake area. he continued further in. the place where the international tour group passed by just now was the boa constrictor area. one of the zoo¡¯s star animals, the albino burmese python nicknamed niu niu, was here.


    the poisonous snake area was mostly native snakes, that weren¡¯t common or well-known in some countries. so the guy in that international tour group was more interested in those native poisonous snakes. there were also many albino burmese pythons abroad that were six to seven meters long, and of course there were larger ones. the population numbers for this species were much higher abroad.


    the albino burmese python was a little special. this species was once kept as a pet and was directly mass-bred and sold. there was once debate as to whether or not an albino burmese python should be considered a wild animal.


    later, private unlicensed breeding was banned, and then the strictest conservation law was introduced, which brought more restrictions. as a result, albino burmese pythons could now only be seen in zoos or a few non-private facilities.


    the albino burmese python raised here at rongcheng zoo was named niu niu, meaning ¡°little girl¡±. it was nearly seven meters long.


    last year, there was an activity where a school group came to visit the zoo. after observing the animals, the students would choose one or more animals to draw a picture of. ten of the drawings would be selected by the zoo to be displayed in the interactive exhibit area for visitors. one of the students drew an anthropomorphic1with human characteristics niu niu and called it¡ª king kong barbie niu niu.


    the zoo found it interesting and decided to keep it. they then negotiated with the student and the student¡¯s parents to buy the copyright to the drawing and produced a line of anthropomorphic albino burmese python related products. after all, some people were terribly afraid of snakes, but anthropomorphism was still acceptable.


    the treatment of this python could be considered the highest level in the zoo. it lived in an ecological forest-style mansion, which simulated a suitable natural environment in all directions, and there was also a pool for soaking in. staff were responsible for cleaning its forest-style mansion on the daily.


    albino burmese pythons used to be kept as pets, mostly domesticated and bred, with low immunity and weak disease resistance. compared to other wild snakes, they were more ¡°delicate¡± and had no numbers in the wild. if they were released, they would probably die.


    when feng yi arrived, the boa constrictor seemed to be resting. the ferns on the ground covered half of its body, but from feng yi¡¯s angle, he could still see more than half of its head. so feng yi stared at the exposed half of its head.


    those two nostrils were huge¡­


    oh, right, those weren¡¯t nostrils, they were heat-sensitive pit organs.


    heat-sensitive pit organs¡­


    feng yi touched his face and thought, would he get two more dimples on his face?


    probably because feng yi¡¯s gaze was too sharp, or the python sensed his presence, it came out from the corner.


    feng yi stared directly at its eyes. he had heard that snakes had poor eyesight, and that their sight wasn¡¯t as useful as the infrared-sensing pit organs. snakes mainly hunted warm-blooded animals, and this infrared sensing function was simply a divine weapon for them. of course, another divine weapon was their tongue, which could capture scent molecules.


    feng yi was not interested in a forked tongue, instead he was thinking about when he would grow ¡°dimples¡±? he also remembered the butler¡¯s opinion about snakes as either food or pets.


    food was out of the question. he should think of them as pets.


    feng yi looked at the python for a while.


    no matter how he looked at it, snakes just weren¡¯t as cute as furry animals. however, compared to those more terrifying snakes, the mutated albino appearance was relatively better.


    feng yi popped out his two fangs and greeted niu niu through the glass, ¡°hi~¡±


    the albino burmese python inside turned its head away and left, soon disappearing from view.


    in the backyard of the albino burmese python forest-style mansion.


    the keeper was cleaning up and checking the equipment inside for faults. the temperature control and humidification needed to be checked daily. as he was working, he saw the albino burmese python slide in from the front, hissing all the way. to put it simply, it was as if niu niu was suddenly bullied and came into the backyard swearing.


    this boa constrictor was usually docile and had been raised in the zoo for a long time. it even often interacted with tourists through the glass and wasn¡¯t one to lose its temper easily. star animals were not only appreciated because of their appearance, but they also gained popularity in their own right. the python¡¯s own merits played a role in the acquisition of this exclusive forest-style mansion.


    the keeper put down the tools in his hand, stood up and decided to see if there was a tourist threatening it.

 CH 22

    by the time the keeper went to check, feng yi had already left. only a few tourists glanced over from a distance, wondering why they didn¡¯t see the albino burmese python. they had read on the internet that the albino burmese python, niu niu, was very active, but now they couldn¡¯t see see hide nor hair of it. they wanted to take some photos to post on moments but were disappointed.


    the keeper looked at the tourists passing by and felt that none of them seemed capable of making niu niu angry. he returned to the back and, after thinking it over, called his colleague in the monitoring department.


    ¡°help me check the surveillance of niu niu¡¯s area about two minutes ago and tell me who was outside and what they did.¡±


    the zoo took the sudden emotional change in the albino burmese python very seriously, and quickly reviewed the security footage to find the reason so they could avoid it next time.


    soon the monitoring department gave a response.


    ¡°there was indeed a young man there two minutes ago. he was the only one. he was wearing a mask so we couldn¡¯t see his face, but he didn¡¯t do anything. he just stared at niu niu for a long time and even raised his hand to say hello, but then niu niu ran away angrily¡­ that¡¯s all, i¡¯ll send it to you to have a look.¡±


    the keeper watched the sent video, and it was indeed as his colleague said. there was no threatening yelling or other misleading behavior.


    ¡°that¡¯s strange. niu niu was very angry just now, and she still hasn¡¯t calmed down. could it be the hand raising gesture to say hello? it shouldn¡¯t be.¡±


    the keeper went to the front to check the indoor facilities, and there was no problem with the forest-style mansion.


    ¡°that¡¯s so weird.¡±


    while this side was still looking for the reason for the albino burmese python¡¯s sudden tantrum, feng yi had left the snake area to see other reptiles. in comparison, furry animals were much cuter.


    before leaving the zoo, feng yi saw that there were albino burmese python car decorations in those small shops with animal elements. one was particularly interesting. it was made into a tower-like snake-shaped spring, and it swayed from side to side and bounced up and down when flicked. the same model had several different styles. there was the simulated one with fake scales, and the plush style that wasn¡¯t realistic but looked cute. feng yi chose the plush style and put it in his car. as he drove home, he saw the snake bouncing up and down.


    after solving the problem of his fang venom and visiting the zoo, feng yi was in a good mood. he went to a restaurant to have a big meal before going home. halfway through, he received a call from wu ji asking about tea.


    ¡°i took the can you gave me last time to my shop. previously, you said i had to wait two days before drinking it, but i forgot about it for a while. yesterday, uncle liu came to my shop to show me his new catch. he found the can interesting, and since he hadn¡¯t tried the tea before, he asked me to brew some and drink it with him.¡±


    wu ji¡¯s tone was excited. ¡°the taste really came out! the aroma was excellent, and most importantly, i felt refreshed after drinking it! all the fatigue washed away! i¡¯m not talking about the kind stimulated by drugs, it¡¯s like getting a good night¡¯s sleep after a hot spring bath and a full body massage, then waking up relaxed and refreshed!¡±


    ¡°in uncle liu¡¯s words, drinking the tea felt the same as going to the sauna. he liked to go to the sauna when he was young. now that he was older, various restrictions had prevented him from going to the sauna often. every time he came back from fishing, he had to rest for a few days. after drinking this tea yesterday and taking some of the tea leaves with him, he went fishing again today! he even called me to buy the tea!¡±


    ¡°of course, i didn¡¯t give it away! i brewed it for my parents today. after drinking it, they said their backs and legs didn¡¯t hurt anymore!¡± wu ji paused and gave a slight cough in embarrassment. ¡°that¡¯s an exaggeration, of course, but the relief is true. feng yi, is this some kind of¡­ secret tea-making method passed down from generation to generation? this tea is quite expensive, right? can the tea maker sell a little more? i¡¯ll buy it!¡±


    feng yi was surprised. the tea leaves had such an effect? he didn¡¯t feel much after he drank it, but the pain relief was evident.


    ¡°i¡¯ll ask for you, but it is unlikely that he will sell. i tried to buy from him a while ago, but he didn¡¯t sell me any,¡± feng yi said.


    ¡°okay, first ask how much tea is left, then ask if he¡¯ll sell or not. the price is negotiable!¡±


    wu ji really liked that tea. such a good tea was definitely in limited supply. if he could buy it, he would only leave it for his own family or the shop.


    after talking to wu ji, feng yi sent a voice message to uncle mute.


    uncle mute quickly replied: ¡°not much left! not for sale! not lacking money! [smug] [smoking cigarette]¡±


    looking at the two stickers sent at the end and thinking about the high-end phone that uncle mute had when he had first met him in mount xiaofeng, feng yi took a screenshot of uncle mute¡¯s reply and sent it to wu ji: ¡°give up. ¡±


    wu ji was disappointed, but asked again: ¡°can you satisfy my curiosity, how much is the tea?¡±


    feng yi relayed it on to uncle mute.


    uncle mute replied: ¡°limited worldwide! priceless! if you¡¯ve drank it, you¡¯ve already won!¡±


    wu ji gave up. but feng yi still had some questions for uncle mute.


    ¡°uncle mute, i¡¯m almost finished with the tea, and a can of tea only lasts for a month. do you have any more?¡±


    the last time feng yi wanted to buy it, uncle mute replied that he should finish what he had first. the tea was almost finished now, so maybe uncle mute would sell it to him now?


    uncle mute replied: ¡°after drinking that stuff for a month, it will no longer be of use to you. you¡¯ll be wasting it.¡±


    feng yi was taken aback. there was something hidden in those words!


    when he drank the tea back then, his severe pain had indeed gradually improved. he thought it was the effect of the tea uncle mute had given him, but now, there might be other reasons?


    feng yi asked again: ¡°then what is the effect of this tea?¡±


    uncle mute replied: ¡°clears the mind and eyesight, refreshes the spirit, quenches thirst and helps produce saliva, reduces swelling and relieves pain, promotes metabolism, and so on, sheesh, there aren¡¯t that many common effects! what else can i say?¡±


    feng yi: ¡°¡­¡±


    uncle mute: ¡°tea is not a divine medicine, treat it rationally! that¡¯s all, i¡¯m busy.¡±


    feng yi couldn¡¯t pursue the matter even if he wanted to. he read over uncle mute¡¯s replies and analyzed the words carefully. someone who could guard the ancestral home and keep so many secrets was definitely not an ordinary person. uncle mute surely knew about the changes he was going through right now.


    after drinking it for a month, it would no longer have any effect. did it mean that the tea could no longer relieve pain? or was it that in one month, he would complete all the evolutionary mutations, so he wouldn¡¯t have to endure such severe pain?


    uncle mute¡¯s words were vague, which made feng yi¡¯s mind feel unsettled.


    no matter what he meant, one month was definitely a critical period, so there would definitely be some changes before the end of the month. after his teeth and cheeks, which part of his body would suffer the pain next?


    thinking about this, feng yi didn¡¯t feel like wandering around outside, so he immediately went home. he also stopped at the supermarket to buy another batch of goods. in the coming days, he would probably have to stay at home to endure the pain of evolution.


    that night, feng yi had a nightmare.


    perhaps because he had a lot on his mind during the day, or because he had gone to the zoo to observe the albino burmese python, feng yi dreamed that there were a series of heat-sensitive holes in his mouth, and that his tongue was forked¡­

 CH 23

    when feng yi woke up the next day, he felt like he had been punched in the face and hit over the head with a brick; he was completely in a daze. the nightmare he had the night before lingered in his mind. before he could think about it, his attention was completely diverted, and he couldn¡¯t care less about remembering the nightmare. nightmares or whatever could be pushed aside. no matter how many dreams he had, they were all illusory, but the pain in his face was real! his nose was in pain! in fact, his whole face was hurting, especially his nose!


    feng yi even suspected that he had fallen out of bed in the middle of the night and hit his face on the floor, breaking the bridge of his nose and suffering a concussion. there was dizziness, headache, and intense sore swelling of the nose. he had severe nasal congestion and could only breathe through his mouth. thinking he had a cold, feng yi went to look for medicine in the medicine chest. after taking two steps, he realized that the symptoms were wrong¡­ another organ was starting to evolve?


    it seriously didn¡¯t give him any time to react! it just attacked like that!


    feng yi rushed over to the mirror. when he saw the swollen, unrecognizable face in the mirror, he opened his mouth wide and took a deep breath. this time, the effect was a bit big¡­


    during the development of his fangs and venom glands, he could at least go out wearing a mask, but now that he was swollen like a pig, no mask could cover him! not even a full mask!


    most importantly, it really hurt! every part of his face hurt! his head was in such pain that his normal thinking was affected! it was as if there were countless drills in his mind.


    fortunately, he had stocked up yesterday when he felt the situation wasn¡¯t right, so he didn¡¯t have to go out. he could stay home and tough it out!


    the fun he had going out yesterday had turned into pure misery at home today!


    ¡°what is it this time?¡±


    when he lifted his hand to touch his swollen and deformed nose, it immediately felt like thousands of needles were piercing his nose. feng yi couldn¡¯t even cry out in pain. his face was contorted, his veins were bulging, and it took him a while to recover.


    he forced his eyes open to look at the pig¡¯s face in the mirror. looking closely, he could see countless thick and thin blood vessels under the skin, extending from the nose to all parts of the face. it was quite frightening.


    so it was the nose this time? what would happen to it?


    with trembling hands, feng yi took out the tea leaves that uncle mute had given him and brewed a pot of tea.  although uncle mute always spoke vaguely and was always busy in various ways, he had still helped him a lot in this matter.


    originally, he wanted to chew the tea leaves dry, but any movement of his mouth involved a lot of nerves in his face. especially when he chewed hard, the pain was very obvious.


    while waiting for the temperature of the tea to cool down, he chanted silently in his heart:


    ¡°when heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a great man, it always first frustrates his spirit and will, exhausts his muscles and bones¡­¡±1saying by mencius/mengzi, a chinese confucian philosopher often described as the ¡°second sage¡±. the rest of the saying is: ¡°¡­exposes him to starvation and poverty, harasses him by troubles and setbacks so as to stimulate his spirit, toughen his nature and enhance his abilities.¡±


    after exhausting his muscles and bones, that should be it¡­ right?


    when the tea was cooler, feng yi inserted a straw and drank in big gulps. the one-month period mentioned by uncle mute had not yet passed, so this tea still had some effect. the pain wasn¡¯t as bad as before.


    eventually, feng yi calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief.


    the nose was still working, as if there were countless nets and roots extending from it, connecting the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and brain together.


    there are a lot of things involved this time, feng yi thought, feeling a bit worried. if my head is in so much pain and the brain is involved, would it affect my iq?


    feng yi searched his memory for the information he had researched earlier. if it was the nose, then it was probably that thing. thinking about it, feng yi remembered the nightmare he had last night. it was still as clear as day to him. he had thought that he would grow heat-sensitive dimples, and he had even dreamed of a forked tongue, but none of that matched reality at all¡­ no, there was a slight connection.


    feng yi called the old butler.


    ¡°my nose may have started to evolve, but the range of influence is a bit large.¡±


    hearing these words, the old butler said calmly and comfortingly, ¡°your face is swollen? don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll recover after this round, and you¡¯ll still be a handsome man. your nose is developing, it should be considered¡­ similar to a vomeronasal organ.¡±


    sure enough, feng yi thought in his heart.


    the vomeronasal organ, also known as jacobson¡¯s organ, was a very special organ. the long, forked tongue of snakes wasn¡¯t a sensitive taste organ, and the usual hissing and tongue sticking out was actually collecting odor particles in the air and sending them into the vomeronasal organ. the vomeronasal organ was connected to the olfactory nerve and the brain and could process stimuli.


    it was said that a snake¡¯s sense of smell was dozens of times stronger than a dog¡¯s. such a powerful sense of smell depended on this kind of organ. but in humans, it was generally believed that the vomeronasal organ was degraded. it existed in fetuses or infants, but it would gradually deteriorate and disappear with age, and couldn¡¯t be used.


    the study of the vomeronasal organ in human beings had always been a matter of controversy. no matter how much it was argued, this organ did not exist in adult humans, or the sense of its existence was very weak. no one knew what would happen if humans had the evolved version of the vomeronasal organ.


    at present, feng yi¡¯s previously devolved vomeronasal organ had re-evolved, and might even have evolved in a new way, making it different from reptiles and ordinary humans. as the old butler said, he was taking a different evolutionary path than ordinary humans.


    ¡°will i still have a long forked tongue?¡± feng yi was a little worried.


    the composition of the snake¡¯s olfactory organs included the nasal cavity, the tongue, and the vomeronasal organ. the latter two were directly connected to each other.


    since the vomeronasal organ was developing, did it mean that he would also grow a long forked tongue?


    thinking about it further, to conveniently stick out the tongue frequently, there was an incision on the snake¡¯s mouth scale, and the lip shape of some snakes was more like a pout.


    if that was on a human body¡­


    that image would be too beautiful¡­


    feng yi felt a chill.


    the butler let out a light chuckle. ¡°probably not. your path of evolution is different from that of those wild beasts, and your level of evolution is higher.¡±


    feng yi felt reassured.


    ¡°how long will this process take?¡± feng yi asked again.


    with such a swollen face, he couldn¡¯t go out or meet other people, otherwise, they would think he had been beaten up and call the police. but he couldn¡¯t stay at home like this all the time, not seeing anyone and enduring the pain at the same time. if he really did that, he would probably lose his mind.


    the old butler¡¯s voice was full of merriment, ¡°it won¡¯t take long, only about two weeks.¡±


    feng yi¡¯s eyes widened.


    two weeks! he had to put up with this pig face for another two weeks! of course, as long as people didn¡¯t see it, it was fine, but he still had to endure the pain. he could only bear this suffering alone, no matter how reluctant he was. for two weeks, he¡¯d tough it out!


    ¡°how should this newly developed organ be cared for during its development and growth?¡± feng yi asked.


    ¡°you¡¯re better off not getting punched in the nose.¡±


    ¡°if my organ develops well, will my sense of smell be especially sensitive?¡± feng yi was curious.


    if he had a snake¡¯s super sense of smell, wouldn¡¯t everything be ¡°visible¡± to him?


    the old butler smiled meaningfully. ¡°of course, you will ¡®see¡¯ another world.¡±


    feng yi¡¯s back turned cold: ¡°t-there are ghosts?¡±


    butler: ¡°¡­no.¡±


    this boy didn¡¯t seem very smart. perhaps he had damaged some brain cells during the evolution process.

 CH 24

    after knowing that his tongue would not split, feng yi felt much more relaxed. as for the ¡°different world¡±, it wasn¡¯t like he was going to see any ghosts, so there was nothing to be afraid of!


    his face was still swollen, and his nose still hurt like hell, but once he got over it, he¡¯d be fine? he would soon become numb to the pain, and once he got used to it, it wouldn¡¯t get in his way! it was only two weeks anyway! once he had mentally convinced himself, he was at peace. feng yi even took the time to make himself some lunch¡ª the liquid food that he hadn¡¯t eaten in a long time.


    straw in, and just keep sucking~


    after feng yi had had enough food and drink, he thought about the next step. he had two weeks. not too long and not too short, but he couldn¡¯t just sit around and do nothing. he should first think about how to deal with the evolution of his nose.


    feng yi started looking for information again, and the more he looked, the more anxious he became. the more he knew about all kinds of hypotheses and conclusions, the more worried he became. finally, he put aside his phone and computer and stopped reading.


    the only way to get rid of worries was to work out.


    exercise was also a good way to relieve stress. however, his nostrils were blocked, and it was a little uncomfortable to breathe.


    in addition to checking information and practicing, feng yi also made other preparations. it was unwise to go into battle unprepared!


    based on the previous experience, feng yi began to place orders for the purchase of equipment after he had checked the information this time.


    as his super olfactory organ developed, he would definitely smell all kinds of odors, so what then? what should he do when a previously good smell became pungent? for example, indole, which has special olfactory characteristics, has a floral smell at very low concentrations and various indescribable smells as the concentration increases. could he tolerate that? maybe he would pass out from the smell.


    having the experience of buying toothbrushes and toothpaste when he was teething, feng yi ordered masks online with different filtering materials and functions, and masks with filtration efficiencies of more than ninety percent, ninety-five percent, and ninety-nine percent for backup. after the purchase, he still didn¡¯t feel comfortable, so he ordered an additional dust protection mask. in addition to the scent molecules in the air, the floating dust fibers also had different smells. feng yi couldn¡¯t guarantee that he wouldn¡¯t be ¡°poisoned¡± by them.


    it was his first time growing an evolved version of the vomeronasal organ. he had no experience, and feng yi didn¡¯t know if he was exaggerating or overreacting, but he had to be prepared.


    in addition to these, feng yi also bought ingredients that were convenient for making liquid food on the delivery platform. originally, he thought that once the toothache and cheek pain were over, he would be able to eat whatever he wanted, so he hadn¡¯t bought the relevant things when he had stocked up yesterday. now, the ingredients were in short supply. after placing the order, feng yi put on a hooded coat with a collar that could be pulled up.


    ¡°as long as i pick up the food fast enough, the delivery person won¡¯t be able to see me clearly!¡±


    as for express delivery, when he placed the order, he asked the company to put it in the community¡¯s express locker. that way, when he went to pick it up early in the morning, he would hardly run into anyone.


    while he was at home, wu ji and qian feiyang called him, but they were all fooled by his various excuses. anyway, he didn¡¯t want to see anyone until his face was no longer swollen.


    one week later.


    the swelling on his face had gone down and the outline of his face was just barely visible. the pain was not as bad as it had been in the beginning. finally, he didn¡¯t have to be spot a pig¡¯s head when he went out wearing a mask. his nostrils that had been clogged for a long time were also clear. when feng yi was able to breathe again, he took a deep breath and immediately stuffed his nostrils with tissues.


    what did hypersensitivity feel like?


    it was as if countless inexplicable irritating smells were attacking him head on, and a large amount of complicated information was filling his brain in an instant. feng yi¡¯s head was dazed by the onslaught, and he even wondered if he was living in a real world.


    after regaining his senses, all feng yi could do was plug his nostrils¡ª¡ª


    my nose is out of control right now, so i¡¯m sorry, i have to plug it first!


    just like when his two teeth were out of control when he was teething, he could only stop their work first!


    at this time, the gas mask that feng yi had bought would play a role. although the mask itself had a smell, at least it blocked most of the smelly gases and particles, giving his brain a chance to rest. he had to take some time to adjust to this change and see if he could control the new olfactory organ to function selectively. it would be best if he could sleep normally, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t be able to live a normal life.


    this was too much!!


    feng yi stood in front of the mirror and looked at the person in the mirror, who was wearing a breathing mask and had a dignified expression on his face, as if he was facing a life problem.


    forget it, he should just stay inside. people might think he was crazy if he went out like this.


    nothing unusual was happening outside, and it had been raining continuously for the past two days. the air quality had always been good, and the amount of rainfall was enough to wash away the pollution particles in the air.


    it was fine to wear a normal face mask, but if he went out with such an exaggerated gas mask, the rate of people turning their heads was pretty much guaranteed. maybe someone would even make a short video and post it online for discussion. if he met a curious passerby, they might be worried about whether he had a respiratory disease and could only breathe sterile air or something.


    so, for the next week, feng yi stayed at home and went through this difficult period of adjustment.


    the evolution of the nose wasn¡¯t complete, so it wasn¡¯t easy to control, but feng yi could try to distinguish smells and identify objects by capturing the odor molecules.


    fabrics, dining chairs, sofas, appliances, etc. all had their own smell. he could identify these smells and record them in his brain. the more information the brain had, the less it would be overwhelmed by different smells all at once. he had to be selective and focused.


    before the brain had enough processing power, the biological cost of multitasking was too high, and it was too easy to get tired. he had to adapt slowly, taking control one step at a time.


    from the anti-dust mask to the mask with more than ninety-nine percent filtration, and then to ninety-five percent and ninety percent. different masks had different filtering focuses, and the filtered particles and gases were different. after adapting to the gas information, feng yi quickly adapted to the particle information.


    of course, during this time, the strain on the brain was extremely high. apart from practicing the identification of the odor information and controlling the new olfactory organ, feng yi only ate and slept. he was really tired out.


    and at this time, the tea leaves that uncle mute had given him were no longer effective. the one-month validity period had passed, and the tea leaves couldn¡¯t help anymore. no matter how good the tea was, it couldn¡¯t help feng yi control his nose to recognize smells.


    the swelling on his face had subsided, and his face was still the same, but feng yi still felt a little strange. just because it looked the same, did it really mean that it was the same?


    the nose seemed to be the same as before, but it had a small olfactory organ inside.


    there was no extra dimple on his face, but the extra features couldn¡¯t be seen from the outside.


    looking at the gloomy sky outside, feng yi planned to go for a walk. even though he had practiced identifying smells every day during this period, and his control over his nose had gradually deepened, enabling him to walk around the room with his eyes closed, he was still only confined to the house. he wanted to see what the ¡°different world¡± that the old butler had told him about was like.

 CH 25

    feng yi decided to go out today because he had read the weather forecast.


    before going out, he wondered if he should challenge himself to smell how many people the elevator had carried in the last hour? and if there were any hidden secrets?


    after going out, he met a middle-aged man in the elevator. the man had probably just cooked some fried food and had just come out of the kitchen. the smell of oil and spices penetrated feng yi¡¯s mask, invading his senses and making him want to sneeze. this was already the result under feng yi¡¯s control, otherwise he could smell even more.


    holding his breath, feng yi gave up the idea of exploring ¡°secrets in the elevator¡±. he kept his expression under control and responded politely when the other party greeted him. it wasn¡¯t good for those who lived in the same building to act too distant.


    the elevator was narrow, the air circulation was limited, and there were many people who used the elevator every day. the smell was complex, and there were some smells that feng yi didn¡¯t want to explore too much, so he gave up.


    there were so many places to explore, why choose an elevator?


    after getting off the elevator, feng yi went to a nearby park. at this time, there weren¡¯t many people in the park. moreover, the weather wasn¡¯t too good today, so it seemed rather empty. but for the current feng yi, it was just right!


    he took off his mask and breathed in the air.


    it had just rained, and the pollutants in the air had either been blown away or washed away by the rain, and the gas pollutants weren¡¯t as obvious. for feng yi, who had a sensitive sense of smell, this environment was quite friendly.


    the public bench had recently been painted, and there was still an obvious smell, so feng yi avoided it and chose a stone bench to sit on. people probably sat on this stone bench a lot. there was no dirt on it, and it was very clean after being washed by the rain.


    the nose captured odor molecules in the air, as well as particles trapped in water vapor. the brain identified the source of these smells. after a week of practice in seclusion, his brain¡¯s ability to distinguish these odor molecules had greatly improved. if the smell was more complicated, there might be a delay, but he could still handle it.


    feng yi distinguished these smells: flowers and trees, soil, and a faint smell of medicine that was probably sprayed by the people who took care of the park.


    there were too many kinds of plants, and feng yi could only name less than ten percent of them. however, he remembered most of the smells of these plants, so maybe he would be able to slowly recognize them in the future.


    if his eyes were closed, what kind of world would he be able to ¡°see¡±?


    tourists, flowers and trees, birds, and benches all had their own scents. the smell wrapped around these people or things, forming air masses similar in shape to the body. people were in the shape of humans, and trees were in the shape of trees. these clumps changed shape depending on the direction and strength of the wind.


    air flowed into the nasal cavity, bringing with it not only these odor molecules and particles, but also other information. the sense of smell couldn¡¯t pinpoint the exact location, but it could perceive it.


    for example, the water vapor that rose and fell with the wind.


    another example¡­


    looking up at the sky, the clouds seemed to convey other information ¨C when it was raining and when it was sunny, he could perceive that information.


    some tourists walked past him, clapping their hands and laughing at what they were saying. if he closed his eyes, he could ¡°see¡± other interesting information molecules in the scent cluster around the two tourists. however, the information molecules that feng yi could currently detect were too few to accurately distinguish things.


    he speculated though, that these interesting information molecules might be emitted by people themselves when they were emotional. different emotions released different information molecules.


    feng yi had been ¡°watching¡± the world in the park. when night fell, he got up and left. a gust of wind blew past. feng yi raised his hand, caught a fallen leaf passing behind his head, and threw it into the trash can next to him. without even looking, he could sense a passing leaf and grabbed it.


    after leaving the park, feng yi did not go home right away, but walked through the streets of the city. there weren¡¯t many people out on the streets on a rainy day, but the shops and malls were still busy.


    the smells here were more complicated, and it was a bit difficult to distinguish things, but feng yi still tried to identify and record them. he also observed the information released by the passersby with various psychological emotions, but his perception of it was still very vague. perhaps as his development progressed and his senses improved, his perception would be further enhanced. at that time, he would be able to more accurately perceive the information molecules released by emotions and see the ¡°truth¡± of this world.


    for example, under the disguise, he could feel anxiety, restlessness, joy, indifference¡­ those real psychological reactions. expressions could be disguised, but emotional information molecules couldn¡¯t be concealed.


    in the city under the night, neon lights flickered, and various light sources interweaved, forming a gorgeous night view of the city. feng yi walked down the street, and through the remaining scent molecules, he ¡°saw¡± the person who walked the dog ten minutes ago, the passenger who waited for the bus at the bus stop five minutes ago¡­ the person who waited for the bus even had extra spicy crispy pancakes.


    by identifying these residual scent molecules, feng yi could ¡°see¡± images that the eyes couldn¡¯t see. even though these images were made up of groups of scents, and he couldn¡¯t distinguish their appearance or age, he could still know what they did.


    feng yi walked in the direction of home without wearing a mask, identifying various scent molecules and the stories behind them along the way. it was interesting to slowly adjust to the information shock caused by these complex scent molecules.


    today¡¯s super olfactory exploration¡Ì


    at the entrance of the deli, a little boy of about five years old, wearing a dinosaur raincoat, looked at the large french windows outside the store as a mirror. a gust of wind blew the hood of his raincoat back, but he didn¡¯t care.


    when feng yi passed by him, he raised his hand and swept over his head, catching a large drop of rainwater that fell from above the child.


    the little boy noticed the movement and immediately looked up at feng yi, quickly covering the top of his head with one hand, as if guessing what feng yi had taken from his head.


    feng yi stopped three meters away from him, turned around and said with a smile, ¡°the candy in your pocket has melted.¡±


    the little boy hurriedly covered his raincoat pocket with his other hand.


    at this time, the mother of the little boy in the store who had been paying attention to this side came out quickly. she looked at feng yi who was leaving, and then worriedly said to the little boy, ¡°why are you covering your head? take your hand away and let me see!¡±


    the little boy removed his hand. except for a few clumps of dull hair blown up by the wind, there was nothing out of the ordinary.


    the mother looked carefully to make sure there were no wounds or anything else before feeling relieved. however, when she thought about the scene she had just seen, doubts arose in her heart.


    ¡°what did that uncle¡­ older brother do?¡± she hadn¡¯t seen his face clearly, but he had to be younger.


    the child¡¯s wide-open eyes were full of doubt, and he made a quick gesture of waving and sweeping. ¡°he just did that, swoosh~.¡±


    ¡°and then?¡±


    ¡°then¡­ then he told me that the candy in my pocket melted¡­ wow! it really melted and stuck to my clothes! how did he know! does he have psychic eyes!¡±


    ¡°how many times have i told you that this candy melts easily! don¡¯t hide it in your pocket¡­ we¡¯ll talk about that later. and then what? what else did he say?¡±


    ¡°and then he left!¡±


    ¡°have you ever met him before?¡±


    ¡°yes!¡± the little boy jumped excitedly, as if he remembered something.


    ¡°where?¡±


    ¡°on your phone!¡±


    ¡°nonsense! i don¡¯t have him on my phone!!¡±


    ¡°you do! last time you said that this snake spirit¡¯s really good-looking!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 CH 26

    feng yi had no idea that some fans had saved a photo of the snake spirit character in the only drama he had acted in. he didn¡¯t have much popularity on the internet anymore, so he thought it was long forgotten.


    oh, that wasn¡¯t entirely true. he was still somewhat popular on the internet, and globally at that.


    except¡­


    the one with the popularity was ¡°snake brother¡± of the mount yue little green dragon incident, it had nothing to do with him, feng yi! he didn¡¯t plan to enter the entertainment circle, and he didn¡¯t rely on popularity to make a living, nor did he take the initiative to do any activities on the internet at all.


    after unlocking the ability of olfactory hypersensitivity, feng yi began a daily task of olfactory exploration in order to master it and learn how to use it. the olfactory organ must be controlled so that it doesn¡¯t catch and analyze all kinds of scent molecules and interfere with the brain¡¯s thinking.


    however, this ability gave feng yi the feeling of opening the door to a new world, and this was only the beginning of evolution. the world would show him more unknown aspects in the future.


    it was quite interesting.


    of course, in addition to being familiar with the use of the sense of smell, feng yi had also not forgotten about his previous plan.


    when the swelling on his face completely subsided and his nose showed no abnormal symptoms, feng yi started the plan to strengthen his own anti-venom ability. sometimes he would bite his thumb, sometimes his arm. every day, he would poison himself.


    ¡°i wonder if this will speed up the evolution.¡±


    uncle mute¡¯s tea no longer had any effect, and even the refreshing feeling was greatly diminished, so he just drank it for the taste. feng yi didn¡¯t ask for any more tea from uncle mute. as the man had said, it was a waste for him to drink the tea.


    whether evolution had accelerated, feng yi did not know, but there was no need to spray mosquito repellent when going out. the mosquitoes wouldn¡¯t suck his blood even if they starved to death. before, when he came back from mount xiaofeng, the mosquitoes were not very active at that time, and they avoided him, but after the weather warmed up, the mosquitoes seemed to have become bolder, and they were very ferocious. now it was different, not a single mosquito within three steps!


    on this day, after feng yi went out to explore the ¡°different world¡±, he stopped by wu ji¡¯s shop on his way back to the community. as he hadn¡¯t shown up for a while, wu ji was quite surprised to see him.


    after looking feng yi over, wu ji asked, ¡°have you gained weight? there seems to be a little more flesh on your face.¡±


    feng yi touched the poisonous glands on the side of his face. ¡°¡­ah, yes, i have been eating a lot lately.¡±


    after the swelling on his face subsided, the location of the venom glands had become much tighter. it wasn¡¯t obvious at first glance, except to acquaintances.


    wu ji was quite happy about it. ¡°you used to say that you wanted to break into the entertainment circle and act. in order not to look fat on camera, you only ate a small amount of food every day and had to exercise. for us ordinary people, you are too thin. now it¡¯s good, live life happily and as you like, and eat whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°i do eat a little more now.¡± feng yi nodded.


    ¡°you look much healthier now! your whole mental state seems different! this week, i¡¯m meeting with qian feiyang, let¡¯s find a time to eat hotpot! there is a new self-service hotpot place with good reviews, let¡¯s try it,¡± wu ji said. ¡°oh, by the way, i have hired a pastry chef in my shop. i tasted the tea cakes made today, and they¡¯re fine. let me get you a box.¡±


    thus, when feng yi went home, he had a box of freshly baked tea cakes in his hands. although he had already had dinner outside, this box of tea cakes was too fragrant, so he could eat them for supper. the more he thought about it, the hungrier he became, so feng yi quickened his pace and walked home. as he approached his own building, two people suddenly rushed out and stopped him.


    ¡°just now, i thought your side profile looked familiar! sure enough, i wasn¡¯t wrong!¡± one of the men said.


    feng yi looked at the two people in front of him, one of whom he knew as hu yi from building 5, apartment 2102. the man had asked him to help catch a rat before. the person next to hu yi looked like him and was probably his brother.


    ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡± feng yi asked.


    ¡°well, i really need your help¡­¡±


    ¡°i¡¯m not from the rodent control company, i don¡¯t catch rats,¡± feng yi interrupted the other party. ¡°i told you that last time.¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s just¡­ we¡¯re out of options¡­¡± hu yi gave a slight cough and rubbed his hands in embarrassment. ¡°i can only be impertinent and come to you, why don¡¯t we find a place to sit and talk?¡±


    ¡°no need, if you have something to say, say it now. i¡¯ll still say the same thing, don¡¯t ask me about rat extermination.¡± feng yi resolutely refused.


    hu yi looked at his brother, who gave him a distressed look.


    hu yi sighed softly. ¡°we really can¡¯t find any other way; this rat is too hard to catch¡­¡±


    ¡°you should go to the rodent control company, they are professionals. now you don¡¯t have to wait in line, you can contact them online anytime.¡± feng yi bypassed the other party, intending to leave.


    hu yi and his brother rushed to catch up.


    ¡°i¡¯ve already tried, but it didn¡¯t work. i¡¯ve hired two rodent control companies, and they can¡¯t solve the problem! the boss is angry and anxious now, and hu yi said that only you can solve this matter!¡± hu yi¡¯s brother said in a low voice.


    feng yi laughed when he heard this. ¡°me? who gave you that confidence? there are so many rodent extermination companies now, if two can¡¯t do it, just keep looking. there are a lot of experts! during the rat plague, there were real-time live broadcasts by those companies, and the edited videos were very popular. if even those people can¡¯t solve it, what can i do? do you think i can be better than them?¡±


    when feng yi took a step, the two of them followed.


    ¡°we¡¯re¡­ desperate! the rodent control companies with top capabilities have a waitlist of at least three days, but we can¡¯t wait! really, the goods in the warehouse will be inspected tomorrow afternoon, but the rat in the warehouse¡­ will affect the company¡¯s reputation!¡±


    ¡°yes, yes, time is running out. if we had the time, we would just block the warehouse and let it starve to death inside,¡± hu yi added.


    hu yi¡¯s brother was worried that feng yi would misunderstand, and explained, ¡°actually, our company¡¯s warehouse is usually managed very strictly. it was just when we were loading goods this morning that the rat snuck in. today, we had people guarding the warehouse all day, so it didn¡¯t have a chance to touch the goods. we¡¯ve also tried to get rid of it, but we haven¡¯t solved the problem yet.¡±


    ¡°even if you can¡¯t catch it, we won¡¯t blame you! just one, the price is negotiable! please!¡± as hu yi spoke, he clasped his hands together and bowed. seeing this, his brother quickly followed suit.


    feng yi was beginning to get a bit annoyed.


    a matter that couldn¡¯t even be handled by hiring two rodent extermination companies must be very complicated, not as simple as what the men were saying. feng yi was only one person, and his abilities were limited.


    feng yi understood the situation damn well. if a team couldn¡¯t handle it, how could i? because of my good looks? if you were really in a hurry, just raise the price and go to those top rodent control companies. would they all refuse? businessmen should talk to businessmen, why do you want me? just because i¡¯m easier to talk to?


    moreover¨C


    i¡¯ve worked so hard to evolve, i didn¡¯t suffer so much to catch mice!!!


    feng yi looked at the two brothers before him and decided to let them see what an exorbitant price was! let them have a taste of daylight robbery!


    ¡°a thousand five hundred for one! it¡¯s non-negotiable!¡±


    ¡°deal!¡± the two said in unison.


    feng yi: ???

 CH 99

    However, the tragedy struck around sunset, at the Trevi Fountain.


    There were crowds everywhere, but it was especially packed around the fountain. People from all over the world crowded around the massive fountain. Heewoon, busy keeping an eye out for pickpockets, gripped his bag tightly with his right hand as he admired the fountain. Kangwoo stood close behind him, which gave him some reassurance.


    The crowd occasionally jostled him from side to side. Once, he turned his head and Kangwoo wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Kangwoo?¡±


    Heewoon raised his head, clutching his bag tightly. Yet, Kangwoo was nowhere to be seen. Heewoon felt anxious, but he didn¡¯t leave that spot and waited. He vaguely remembered hearing Kangwoo say, ¡°Wait here.¡± So he wasn¡¯t too alarmed.


    After some time had passed, he felt warmth behind him.


    ¡°You stayed here.¡±


    Heewoon turned his head in relief at Kangwoo¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Where have you been?¡±


    Slightly irritated, Heewoon asked, and Kangwoo laughed with his eyes curved.


    ¡°Did you miss me?¡±


    ¡°Because you suddenly disappeared¡­¡±


    ¡°I had something to do. No one bothered you, right?¡±


    Kangwoo asked while touching his cheek, and Heewoon nodded. He then grabbed Heewoon¡¯s hand. Heewoon also wanted to leave this crowded place quickly, so he hastened his steps, getting out of this place. When he felt relieved that he had protected his bag in that dangerous place, Heewoon felt strange. Even though he confirmed that his passport and money were still there, the uneasy feeling didn¡¯t disappear.


    He realized where that feeling came from when they arrived at the hotel. Heewoon¡¯s eyes widened as he absentmindedly looked at his hand.


    It was gone.


    The ring was gone.


    He even felt like a fool, checking his right hand with a bewildered expression. Was there a pickpocket? When did it disappear? Since he never took off the ring, pickpocketing was the most likely explanation. He hadn¡¯t even noticed someone taking the ring amidst the crowd at the fountain.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    As Heewoon stopped abruptly, Kangwoo turned his head and asked. Meeting Kangwoo¡¯s gaze, Heewoon felt his heart pounding heavily.


    It was difficult to predict how Kangwoo would react to him losing the ring. While Kangwoo usually didn¡¯t hesitate to spend money on Heewoon, the ring seemed more precious than that. Moreover, with how Kangwoo was strangely fixated with Heewoon wearing the ring on his finger, it was even harder for Heewoon to tell him.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ nothing.¡±


    Even if they went back, there was no way they could find the ring. What should he do? As they went upstairs to the room, Heewoon¡¯s expression changed constantly. Although Heewoon had hidden his left hand behind his thigh so it wouldn¡¯t be visible, it was only a matter of time before Kangwoo found out.


    If they returned to Korea, he could probably order a ring with similar design. When Heewoon entered the hotel room, he looked up places where they could make the ring while Kangwoo was showering. The design was no problem since he had taken pictures of it. The problem was how to hide the fact that he didn¡¯t currently have the ring.


    ¡°Go take a shower.¡±


    Heewoon was startled by the sudden voice. Seeing Heewoon¡¯s reaction, Kangwoo raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Did you do something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Should I order room service? Do you have anything you want to eat, Sunbae?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Anything is fine.¡±


    Heewoon hesitated as he passed by Kangwoo. Watching him enter the bathroom in a hurry, Kangwoo tilted his head.


    Should he just tell Kangwoo that he¡¯s going to sleep first? He could hide his hand under the pillow while he slept. He didn¡®t have any sleeping habits, so he might be able to hide this problem from Kangwoo.


    No. Let¡¯s just tell Kangwoo. He could show a little annoyance, but he probably wouldn¡¯t get too angry. After all, he didn¡¯t lose it, it was pickpocketed.


    While showering, Heewoon resolved to confess to Kangwoo. However, when he saw Kangwoo sitting on the terrace, his courage disappeared.


    ¡°Why did you take so long? The food is here already.¡±


    It was because of Kangwoo¡¯s affectionate gesture and smile. It had been a truly enjoyable trip, but feeling like he had ruined everything, Heewoon felt a little melancholy.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just sleep.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense and come here quickly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    At Kangwoo¡¯s words, Heewoon obediently headed towards the terrace. Just as he was about to step out, Kangwoo¡¯s hand suddenly stopped him.


    ¡°Come out wearing clothes.¡±


    For a second, Heewoon felt his heart sink, but it was just Kangwoo telling him to dress properly. Letting out a sigh of relief, Heewoon changed into comfortable clothes and went out to the terrace.


    There were four chairs around the circular table. As Heewoon sat across from Kangwoo, Kangwoo raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to sit closer.


    Pretending not to notice, Heewoon took a bite of his sandwich. He accidentally held it with both hands, then realizingly withdrew his left hand and hid it against his thigh. However, it seemed that Kangwoo had noticed in that brief moment.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your ring?¡±


    Heewoon¡¯s face turned pale. Clenching his left fist tightly hidden under the table, he turned his head away.


    ¡°Sunbae.¡±


    At that moment, he heard Kangwoo¡¯s indifferent voice. When Heewoon looked up, Kangwoo rested his chin on his hand and spoke.


    ¡°Think carefully before you answer.¡±


    It was a gentle warning.


    Heewoon swallowed nervously. It was impossible to hide it now. He just needed to somehow resolve Kangwoo¡¯s mood. Since Seo Kangwoo wouldn¡¯t get too angry about something like this.


    ¡°I think I was pickpocketed¡­¡±


    Despite his determination to tell Kangwoo, his voice trembled slightly. Heewoon couldn¡¯t hide his anxiousness as he cautiously looked at Kangwoo. Surprisingly, Seo Kangwoo¡¯s expression remained unchanged.


    ¡°When?¡±


    Resting his chin on his hand, Kangwoo blinked slowly as he asked. Heewoon gained a little courage, but he didn¡¯t let his guard down. Seo Kangwoo would still beat people while having that kind of expression.


    ¡°I noticed it was missing on the way back to the hotel. It must have happened at the fountain.¡±


    Terrifyingly, Seo Kangwoo just stared at him without saying a word. Heewoon fidgeted nervously, his body felt like twisting. What should he do? How much was it worth? Would it be better if he told him he would buy the same thing himself? That kind of statement might have the opposite effect though¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Kangwoo.¡±


    Heewoon said with a helpless expression.


    ¡°Why are you sorry?¡±


    ¡°Uh? Because I lost the birthday present you gave me¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s not it.¡±


    As Kangwoo ambiguously smiled, Heewoon became even more despondent. Watching Heewoon¡¯s perplexed face, Kangwoo straightened up and extended his fist.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Heewoon stared blankly at the large fist extended towards him. Kangwoo probably didn¡¯t mean to have a fist bump.


    ¡°Your hand.¡±


    As Heewoon reached out his hand, Kangwoo opened his fist above it. Heewoon¡¯s eyes snapped open wide. On the palm of his hand where Kangwoo¡¯s fist had brushed over, lay the ring he had been longing to see.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t lose it.¡±


    Heewoon looked at the ring in confusion as he heard Kangwoo¡¯s reassuring words. Alternating between Kangwoo¡¯s faint smile and the ring, Heewoon furrowed his brows and asked.


    ¡°Did you take it?¡±


    Kangwoo chuckled unbelievingly at Heewoon¡¯s rather sharp tone. Heewoon quickly muttered, feeling sheepish.


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t¡­ Then, how did you find it?¡±


    ¡°I caught the pickpocket.¡±


    Heewoon¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Seeing Heewoon¡¯s face that showed no sign of noticing the commotion, Kangwoo sighed.


    When a stranger¡¯s hand grabbed Heewoon¡¯s finger, pretending to bump into him in the crowd, Seo Kangwoo forcefully twisted it. While the ring was immediately retrieved, Kangwoo chased after the pickpocket who had disappeared into the crowd, breaking all his fingers before returning to Heewoon.


    Kangwoo wondered when Woo Heewoon would find out, but from the moment they arrived at the hotel, Heewoon made it quite obvious. How could Kangwoo not notice when Heewoon was practically stomping his feet, moving awkwardly, almost as if he were about to cry? It was absurd how he would complain about everything usually, but become scared at times like this.


    He watched Woo Heewoon, wondering how far Heewoon would go. Since Heewoon had shown a disappointed expression he hadn¡¯t seen for days.


    ¡°How did you feel when you held hands with someone else?¡±


    ¡°We weren¡¯t holding hands.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still holding hands.¡±


    When Kangwoo teased him for no reason, Heewoon once again didn¡¯t know what to do. He clutched the ring tightly in his palm. And Kangwoo asked in a slightly softened tone.


    ¡°What were you planning to do?¡±


    ¡°I was going to tell you¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡°¡­I did consider ordering the same design, but I really was going to tell you.¡±


    Seo Kangwoo chuckled dryly.


    ¡°Why do you always choose stupid things to do, Sunbae?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡±


    Heewoon agreed. Kangwoo sighed, looking at Heewoon¡¯s downturned lips. You¡¯re such a loser, really. Kangwoo¡¯s lips twitched slightly as he muttered.


    Become a member in my ko-fi to get early releases!


    Make me feel happy and supported by leaving a comment!