Chapter 14

Qian Feiyang suspected he was hallucinating.

At such a critical moment, why hand over sunglasses?!!

Did he get excited and say it wrong?

Seeing other anglers approaching and security personnel in conspicuous uniforms running over, Feng Yi urged again, "Quick! Hand me the sunglasses in the bag! The ones in the black case!"

Qian Feiyang, confirming he hadn't heard wrong, didn't have time to think much and handed over the sunglasses from the case.

Feng Yi, with his free hand, took the sunglasses, put them on, and covered his eyes.

Dressed in long-sleeved, long-pants casual wear, with sunglasses, a mask, and a fisherman's hat, even a high-definition photo wouldn't reveal his face!

Just as Feng Yi put on the sunglasses, someone ran over even faster than the security personnel. Seeing the situation, they exclaimed, "Holy crap!" and started taking photos, boldly standing next to Feng Yi to find a good angle, ensuring both the snake in Feng Yi's hand and themselves were in the same frame.

Qian Feiyang: "..." He could roughly understand why Feng Yi wore sunglasses at such a moment.

He thought they were coming to help, but instead, they rushed over for a photo!

The security personnel pulled the person taking photos away, "Venomous snake! Dangerous! Back up! Back up! Do you want to die?!"

However, they could hold back one person but not a crowd.

There were already many people fishing on the weekend, and the fishing area, though large, spread the news quickly.

A group of people rushed over:

"Wow! Such a big snake!"

"Rare! To actually see such a big venomous snake while fishing!"

"Kid, hold on tight! I've already called the police!" an old man shouted to Feng Yi, while taking photos with his phone.

The younger anglers moved more quickly and nimbly, taking videos and shouting, "Holy crap, so scary!"

Perhaps because they were too far away to capture the details, they were unsatisfied. Despite their faces turning pale and their legs trembling, they took advantage of the security personnel blocking others to quickly move into the inner circle, take a quick photo, and then step back to post on social media.

Some were curious, some were just there for the spectacle, and others were there to take photos to sell to self-media marketing accounts.

Wu Ji, who was afraid of snakes, couldn't understand these people's excitement.

After the twenty-year period of abnormal climate, many species went extinct, and many once-common animals became rare. The number of snakes also drastically decreased. Wu Ji had been fishing many times, but this was the first time he encountered a snake. The time he stepped on a snake as a child was during a school-organized trip to a nature reserve for a science lecture. Otherwise, to see a snake, one would have to go to an exhibition or a snake protection area.

So, it was indeed rare for people fishing outdoors to encounter a snake. When they heard there was a snake, the curious rushed over.

As the crowd gathered, someone suddenly shouted, "White-tailed! Holy crap, it's a Little Green Dragon! Wasn't it declared extinct in the wild?"

"Little Green Dragon? Is there such a snake?"

Someone immediately searched on their phone and then shouted excitedly to Feng Yi, "Don't strangle it! This snake was a top-level protected species even before the strictest protection laws were enacted!"

Wow—

The crowd erupted again.

Those who had taken photos and watched the spectacle for a while and were about to leave became excited again and immediately contacted their family and friends nearby.

"Quick! See a top-level protected animal up close! You can't see it normally!"

At another corner of the fishing area.

Because they were too far away, they couldn't hear the commotion. But as they received messages on their phones, they couldn't stay put.

"Quick, quick, go check it out. They say a Little Green Dragon appeared!"

"Dragon? Is there really a dragon?"

"No, it's just a very scary venomous snake! But it's said to be a national treasure-level protected species, already declared extinct in the wild."

The people who heard the news focused on "Little Green Dragon" and "national treasure-level protected species."

As for the keyword "venomous snake"...

Whether it was venomous or not, it didn't matter! It was already caught, so it wasn't a threat.

No matter how venomous the snake was, it couldn't stop their excessive curiosity and desire for spectacle.

Some people, even with their fishing rods still in the lake, didn't bother to retrieve them, got up, and ran to the scene, taking out their phones, adjusting the camera angles, fixing their hair, and running at a speed they couldn't achieve in a physical test, pushing past two onlookers to squeeze into the inner circle.

There was no high ground in this area, and the slightly higher positions were already occupied.

...

Wu Ji's parents were picking vegetables in the farm's vegetable garden.

Wu Ji's father was distracted, his mind already at the fishing area. He was supposed to go fishing after resting but was pulled over by Wu Ji's mother to pick vegetables and fruits.

"Ah, pick a little less. We can pick more fresh ones tomorrow when we go back," Wu Ji's father said.

"No way, didn't you see how many people are here on the weekend! If we're slow, the good ones will be picked by others!"

As they spoke, the sound of a fire truck's siren was heard.

The tourists in the vegetable garden looked over.

"What happened?"

"Is someone violating the rules and lighting a fire? There was a news report recently about a tourist smoking in a non-smoking area causing a fire."

"Ah, people these days!"

Because it wasn't uncommon, everyone didn't pay much attention and planned to continue picking vegetables. But before they started, they heard police sirens.

"Two more police cars are going over. Is something really happening?"

"There's no ambulance, so it can't be serious."

Before they finished speaking, an ambulance wailed past.

Now the tourists lost interest in picking vegetables.

"Something must have happened!"

"What's over there? The fire truck, police cars, and ambulance are all heading that way."

"That's... the fishing area, right? I remember the fishing area of the farm is over there," someone said.

Wu Ji's parents' hearts skipped a beat, and they exchanged a glance.

Wu Ji's father took out his phone and called Wu Ji, but it took a while for Wu Ji to answer.

"Where are you!" Wu Ji's father heard the noisy sounds on the other end, something about a dragon and a snake, but couldn't make out much.

"The situation here is a bit complicated, wait a moment."

Wu Ji hung up and quickly sent a video call request.

When Wu Ji's parents heard him answer the phone, their hearts eased, but when they saw the situation through the video call, their hearts almost jumped out of their throats.

Wu Ji quickly said, "Don't worry, the fire rescue personnel are here. We'll be back later, just wait in the room."

After ending the call, the two were still very worried.

A tourist picking vegetables nearby came over and asked if they knew what happened.

Wu Ji's father absentmindedly said, "A snake was found at the fishing area, a big venomous snake!"

The tourist exclaimed and went back, only to be questioned by others.

"A big venomous snake was found at the fishing area! I don't know if anyone was bitten."

The tourist's friends spread the news.

"A big venomous snake was found at the fishing area, and it seems someone was bitten!"

"Wow! There are venomous snakes at the fishing area! Who was so unlucky to be bitten? It must be serious!"

"Heaven! I heard someone was bitten by a venomous snake at the fishing area! Didn't you see the ambulance? It was going to rescue them!"

"Oh, poor thing, someone was bitten by a venomous snake at the fishing area. My friend's relative's student was there and said they were already on the ambulance!"

The exaggerated rumors, fueled by the videos and photos, spread without any sign of weakening, and even more versions were created and spread.

Meanwhile, Feng Yi, who was supposedly "on the ambulance," was standing there with a blank face, still holding the snake, acting as a tool. He had already cursed the people who "risked their lives to take photos" a thousand times.

Seeing the fire rescue personnel separate the crowd, Feng Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The scenic area was large, and there was a fire rescue station nearby. Seven firefighters arrived first.

Feng Yi thought that with the firefighters here, the situation would be resolved.

However, the firefighters looked and said it was beyond their expertise; they needed more specialized help.

They weren't skilled at catching snakes, and the one who was good at it wasn't on duty today.

If Feng Yi couldn't hold the snake or no one could control it, they would have intervened immediately, as human life comes first. But Feng Yi was holding the snake so steadily, and his technique was clearly more professional than theirs. Even with gloves, they might not have been as steady as Feng Yi's bare hands.

The White-tailed Little Green Dragon was now a top-level protected species, possibly the only one left in the wild, and its significance was immense. Any mishap would crush them under public opinion. So, the firefighters didn't know how to handle it. They weren't afraid of dealing with common venomous snakes, but this one...

It was a tough situation!

"Can you hold on?" a firefighter asked.

Feng Yi, gritting his teeth, said, "Yes."

"Alright, just keep holding it. The specialists will be here soon. Don't worry, don't feel too much pressure! We have antivenom ready, don't worry!"

As they spoke, police cars and an ambulance arrived.

The police maintained order at the scene to avoid startling the snake and increasing Feng Yi's burden.

The snake, seemingly stunned, only moved its tail slightly when it hung down.

"Is the snake about to be strangled to death?" a curious angler asked.

"I heard that a second-level protected animal can lead to criminal charges. This is a top-level one... What if this young man really strangles it? It wasn't intentional."

The firefighters exchanged glances and went over to suggest they take over while the snake was still alive. If Feng Yi really strangled the snake, he might be crushed by public opinion.

Feng Yi gestured to the firefighters, "It's fine, the snake is still alive. Wait for the specialists to take over."

On the shopping street of Yueshan Tourism Scenic Area.

Shoppers received various true and false messages, but most were more interested in shopping and didn't pay much attention to the incident at the farm's fishing area. To them, so many things happen every day; they would just sigh and move on.

Two young girls, carrying large and small bags, walked out of a store, planning to find a place to eat and searched for highly-rated nearby restaurants on their phones.

They casually glanced at a new message on their phones.

"I heard something happened at a farm over there!" one pointed in a direction.

"I don't know if the photos are real. The rumors are too exaggerated, wait for the debunking," the other said indifferently, "Let's continue shopping and eating..."

As they spoke, they heard something and looked up.

Two helicopters flew overhead, heading in the direction of the farm they had mentioned.