Chapter 5

The driver just thought Feng Yi looked pretty good, a bit like the young stars who were popular in the entertainment industry nowadays. Actually, he couldn’t tell who was who; to him, they all looked similar. He only asked that extra question because he had heard that some stars were in Yangcheng filming a show recently.

Feng Yi said he wasn’t a star, and the driver believed him.

That’s right, how could a star not even be able to get a ride?

He had heard that stars always had cars to pick them up and drop them off wherever they went. Besides, no star would go to a place like Xiaofeng Mountain, right?

So, the thought of “Am I picking up a star?” circled in the driver’s mind and then flew away.

“What are you going to Xiaofeng Mountain for? For a scientific expedition? To film a video? Or for an adventure? A few internet celebrities have been there to film videos in the past two years, but their experiences weren’t good, so no one goes there anymore,” the driver said.

“Looking for someone,” Feng Yi replied, noticing the driver was quite talkative and hoping to gather more information from him.

“What’s on Xiaofeng Mountain? This is my first time going there,” Feng Yi asked.

“There are snakes. It’s called Snake Mountain for a reason; even birds don’t build nests there. Oh, and there are many agricultural and livestock companies around, with large fields and pastures at the foot of the mountain.”

“Do I have to walk if I want to go up the mountain?” Feng Yi asked again.

“Not necessarily. I heard that there are people living on the mountain slopes, and there are vehicles that go up and down. I’m not sure about the details, but if you’re lucky, you might catch a ride by paying them a bit of money. I heard this from someone.”

“What should I pay attention to when I go there?” Feng Yi opened his phone’s notes app, ready to record the driver’s words.

“What should you pay attention to?” The driver smacked his lips. “Bring plenty of food when you go up the mountain. Don’t touch anything in the wild unless you know it’s safe. You don’t know if it’s poisonous. Also, don’t provoke any animals, no matter how curious you are. There are surveillance drones that patrol the area at irregular times.”

Thinking of something, the driver added, “Last June, three high school freshmen from out of town sneaked up the mountain with a bunch of stuff to have a barbecue and catch snakes. They were caught by a drone that detected the fire.”

“Later, they were taken for education and had to take exams—forest management secrets, animal protection, and other things. They had to pass the exams to be released.”

“What kind of exams?” Feng Yi didn’t hear clearly.

“‘Forest management secrets’ and ‘ten sets of animal protection questions.’ These are our slang terms for forest laws, fire prevention regulations, and wild fire source management methods, etc. ‘Forest management’ is the short term. ‘Animal protection’ refers to animal and environmental protection, summarized by an expert into ten sets of questions. I heard that those three, who were all about 1.8 meters tall, cried while taking the exams!”

Feng Yi nodded, noting down the key points.

The driver continued, “In short, it’s a protected area. Don’t touch any animals on the mountain, whether they’re snakes, birds, or frogs. Treat them all as protected animals for safety. If you accidentally kill or injure one, you’ll have a lot of trouble. Just remember one thing—killing one is illegal, and killing ten is a criminal offense.”

“This... sounds a bit exaggerated. What if I encounter a rat? Can’t I kill it? There’s a rat infestation in many places,” Feng Yi asked.

“Are you kidding me? Rats on Snake Mountain? Snakes are the natural enemies of rats! The king snakes on Xiaofeng Mountain are particularly good at eating rats. The rats there have been wiped out long ago!”

“Do you know why people still live on the mountain slopes? They have to manage the feeding! They have to transport rats from other places periodically, or the snakes isolated in the protected area would starve to death.”

“Oh, right, king snakes eat rats.” Feng Yi nodded. “And they are non-venomous.”

The driver smacked his lips again. “King snakes, also known as yellow-bellied snakes, are called king snakes here. A long time ago, they were actually raised for food…”

“They’re not allowed to be eaten now,” Feng Yi said.

The driver: “In the old days, my grandparents used to say, ‘Seeing a snake and not killing it is a sin.’”

Feng Yi: “Now it’s ‘killing one is illegal, and killing ten is a criminal offense’?”

“Pretty much.” The driver sighed. “Why did the climate change so suddenly, and why did so many animals die?”

Feng Yi was silent. He didn’t know how to respond.

Over the past nearly twenty years of climate anomalies, many plants and animals have disappeared, and common ones have become endangered, while endangered ones have become functionally extinct.

Those who support the strictest protection laws may not necessarily have a deep affection for those plants and animals, nor do they necessarily have environmental awareness. They view large-scale extinction events as warnings. The survival of plants and animals is also an indicator of the human living environment, and it is data that the Sixth Database needs to collect.

So, “data” must be protected. This is a shared understanding.

The atmosphere in the car became somewhat heavy.

But as they got closer to their destination, the heaviness turned into restlessness.

There were fewer buildings on both sides of the road, more warning signs, and signs with phone numbers.

The driver said, “If you see a snake outside the isolation zone, call the number on the warning sign. It’s likely that the snake is from the protected area and has escaped.”

Feng Yi saw the isolation tape not far away, and the road got closer to the isolation zone as they moved forward.

This was already within the range of Xiaofeng Mountain. Feng Yi could see a snake on a large rock inside the isolation zone, slightly raising its front body to look at them, as if it were watching a loach that had strayed into a snake den.

The closer they got, the more snakes they could see crawling along the edge of the isolation zone.

“There are indeed a lot of snakes here.”

Feng Yi’s face turned pale.

The driver was fine, as he had been to this area before, so he wasn’t surprised. “They just like to gather at the edge of the isolation zone to watch passing vehicles and pedestrians.”

“Are they so bold?”

“These snakes are generally bold and aggressive. Now that no one dares to eat them, they’ve become even more arrogant. Alright, we’re here!”

The driver parked the car at the designated spot. The road ahead could only be walked, and outside vehicles were not allowed to go up the mountain.

Seeing Feng Yi tense up, the driver patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, they’re just yellow-bellied snakes.”

Feng Yi wasn’t reassured.

A place full of yellow-bellied snakes is more like a horror movie than a rural drama!

The driver looked around the parking lot and parked in the smoking area. He hadn’t dared to smoke while driving, and Xiaofeng Mountain had a designated smoking area where you didn’t have to get out of the car.

He lit a cigarette and watched Feng Yi gear up.

He was literally armed to the teeth.

The driver smiled and said, “We have an old saying here, ‘One king snake, no venomous snakes for ten miles.’”

There are two ways to interpret this:

Ten miles / no / venomous snakes — There are no venomous snakes here.

Ten miles / no venomous snakes — This place is full of snakes! They just aren’t venomous.

It’s the same either way!

The driver said, “Although it sounds exaggerated, king snakes eat other snakes. You should believe that the strength of a predator is undeniable.”

Feng Yi pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Thanks, sir, you’re really good at comforting people!”

The driver laughed and shook his head. “Why are you so afraid of snakes? What are you doing in this place? Isn’t this just asking for trouble?”

Feng Yi said softly, “Life is tough.”

This instantly touched the driver’s soft spot. He puffed on his cigarette and looked沧桑: “Life is tough for everyone.”

Feng Yi asked, “Aren’t you afraid of snakes?”

The driver: “I don’t get out of the car, so what do I have to be afraid of?”

Feng Yi: “...That makes sense.”

The driver: “As long as I’m in the car, no snake can sneak in! I don’t even go to the bathroom! I’ll find a place to go after I leave here.”

Feng Yi: “...So meticulous.”

The driver: “We also have a saying, ‘If there’s thunder on the Awakening of Insects, there will be many insects and snakes.’ After the Awakening of Insects this year, the elders said there might be more insects and snakes than last year. Now that it’s getting warmer, there are indeed more snakes, insects, and rodents on the mountain. Be careful.”

“Thanks, sir. Can you leave your phone number? I’ll contact you when I return, and I’ll pay extra.”

“Alright.”

The driver had a good impression of Feng Yi and didn’t want to miss out on a big job. He was also a bit worried about Feng Yi.

After some thought, the driver said, “Here’s the deal: in three days, if you don’t call me, I’ll call you. If I can’t reach you, I’ll call the police. Is that okay?”

“Okay!”

Feng Yi was also worried about his personal safety, and the driver’s plan suited him.

They exchanged phone numbers, and the driver finished his cigarette and checked the car again before leaving immediately.

Feng Yi, with his backpack, uncomfortably adjusted his helmet, took a deep breath, and gripped his snake repellent stick to start climbing the mountain.

At this point, what was there to be afraid of?

As he continued up the mountain, the isolation net was on both sides of the road. The yellow-bellied snakes on the other side of the net flicked their tongues and followed Feng Yi as he moved.

Two-meter-long yellow-bellied snakes were not uncommon here, and there were even larger ones, but Feng Yi didn’t look.

He felt his skin crawl all over.

Having lived in the city for over twenty years, his experience with nature was limited to various scenic spots or elegant agritourism. This was his first time approaching a wild nature reserve that looked untouched and where plants and animals grew wildly.

Every so often, he would see waves of unnamed flying insects. When Feng Yi walked past, several of them would land on his helmet visor.

Something would land on his shoulder and then fly away after a while. Feng Yi only caught a glimpse of a black silhouette.

It wasn’t even summer, but these flying insects were already active.

Continuing up the mountain, he saw a checkpoint where someone was on duty. After registering, he was allowed to go up the mountain, and they also told him the location of the Feng family’s ancestral home.

“There’s only one old house on the mountain, which seems to belong to the Feng family, but I’m not sure. Only one person lives there. If you’re looking for that house, just follow this road up, and you should see it. If you encounter someone on the way, you can ask them; they all know.”

Feng Yi thanked them and continued up the mountain.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to walk far before he heard a car approaching and managed to hitch a ride.

The two people in the car were from a feed factory at the foot of the mountain and were on a work assignment.

“Feng family’s ancestral home? Are you looking for Uncle Dumb?” one of them asked.

“Uncle Dumb? It should be him. My family’s elders only told me that someone was taking care of the house. I have some business at the old house,” Feng Yi said.

The other person looked him over. “From the way you’re dressed, I can tell it’s your first time here.”

“Do you live on the mountain? Is it good?” Feng Yi asked.

They laughed.

One of them explained, “Who would want to live on the mountain now, even with WiFi? You can’t even get food delivery at night, let alone the fact that you can have eight snakes watching you when you go to the bathroom. Would you want to?”

“There’s an isolation zone, right?” Feng Yi asked.

“The isolation net is right next to the house. When you go to the bathroom, you can see eight snakes staring at you through the window. We only live on the mountain for duty or temporary assignments. Otherwise, we stay in the company dorms at the foot of the mountain. Those who can live on the mountain are not ordinary people.”

“Like Uncle Dumb?”

“Yes, Uncle Dumb is not an ordinary person. He’s quite happy living there