Chapter 59

Blind snakes were discovered at the edge of the protected area, which was indeed good news for the scientific expedition.

After organizing the data, Professor Zhou and his team informed the rest of the expedition members, asking them to be cautious when leading educational tours in this area to avoid harming the blind snakes.

Cheng Si sent the videos and photos he had taken to his colleagues, who would process them and release them on the platform later.

However, since he wasn't the one who discovered the blind snakes and didn't catch them himself, he felt a bit unsatisfied while recording the video.

He had turned over so many stones and hadn't found a single snake!

This made him understand why Team 6 had included Feng Yi.

But this was just the beginning. Cheng Si believed he would catch one himself later. He thought he could handle more than half of the snakes he had seen before.

With Feng Yi's encouragement, the team continued to move forward, and Cheng Si wasn't as nervous as before. Although he still paid attention to his surroundings, his mindset had changed.

If Steve noticed any signs of snake activity, he would explain them to the team. Feng Yi and the other young people listened attentively, as Steve's experience was very valuable.

As they moved deeper into the area, signs of human activity became almost non-existent, and the significance of finding blind snakes diminished.

So, Cheng Si set himself a new goal. After the expedition team entered last year, the first snake they found was a banded krait. He hoped to find one too.

First, the banded krait is considered the top snake in the country, and mentioning it would be more impressive than talking about water snakes or pit vipers.

Second, he had experience catching banded kraits. Although they are venomous, he wasn't particularly afraid of them.

Before the team set out, they had planned a general route. In the evening, they would pass by a place with a ditch, where Professor Zhou said they might find snakes active at night.

The other members of the team were discussing where the next snake might be found and what species it might be.

Feng Yi wasn't interested in their discussion. He carried a bag and a pair of tongs, picking up trash.

Now, almost every expedition team entering the forest collects trash along the way, placing it in garbage bags. When the bags are full, they are left in a designated spot with a signal transmitter, and people or smart devices responsible for collecting the trash will come to retrieve them.

At the edge of the protected area, students participating in activities organized by the research base and various schools have the task of picking up trash when they enter the forest.

Especially plastic waste.

Different plastics have different preservation times in different environments. For example, some plastic products can remain on the ocean surface for thousands of years, while the same products buried in the ground can last for millions of years or even longer.

Feng Yi discovered another piece of trash by smell.

Pushing aside the grass, he found a plastic strip exposed in the soil layer. He took a photo and then pulled up the plastic strip. "Is this one worth taking a photo of, Teacher Lei?"

Teacher Lei came over and said, "Yes, take a photo. The plastic bottle below is almost completely buried in the soil. I'll adjust the camera, and then we'll dig it out... Li Han, you do the digging."

Teacher Lei asked Professor Zhou's student Li Han to do the digging because Feng Yi wasn't a professional and might cause damage during the process, which could interfere with data collection.

Soon, Li Han dug out the plastic bottle buried in the soil. It had no markings, but the brand was engraved on the cap.

"It was probably buried here twenty to thirty years ago, or even longer. This brand went bankrupt during the climate anomaly period," Li Han said.

"Twenty to thirty years, and no signs of decomposition," Teacher Lei continued to take photos.

"Plastic bottles. Humans created them but didn't dispose of them properly," Professor Zhou sighed, shaking his head.

Plastics, as a product of industrial civilization, have brought glory to the petrochemical industry.

The billions of tons of plastic emitted in the past, present, and future will be dispersed around the world, becoming part of the "Anthropocene" and preserved in the geological records of this era.

Plastic products turn into plastic fragments, from microplastics to polymers, and eventually back to oil and natural gas.

From oil, back to oil.

As the saying goes, "Nature's power will ultimately take over everything."

Professor Zhou watched as Li Han placed the excavated items into a sample bag. "It takes twenty to thirty years to digest, but ultimately, everything will be digested by this planet. It might not matter to the planet itself, which has existed for billions of years and has experienced so much.

"The impact might only be on the life forms that exist on this planet, including humans.

"Plastic fragments are everywhere, including inside us. As top predators in the food chain, humans accumulate large amounts of undigestible microplastics in their bodies. Some are excreted, but some are not. Ultimately, humans bear the consequences..."

"Hey, I heard a new type of degradable microorganism has been successfully cultivated?" Professor Zhu asked.

"It has been cultivated, but the efficiency is still low," Researcher Xie said.

After that, Professor Zhou and others began discussing the strange microorganisms, the discovery of several types, the cultivation of several types, and the pros and cons of artificial interference...

Then they discussed how catalysts are used in laboratories to decompose plastics into simple hydrocarbons under specific conditions...

Feng Yi didn't understand much of what followed.

Forget it, he thought, I'll just stick to picking up trash and catching snakes.

Feng Yi collected more forest trash by himself than the other eight people combined.

Professor Zhou laughed, "We should give you a raise!"

Feng Yi smiled in response, thinking to himself, I don't want money; just give me more points!

Around 8 PM, the team stopped at a place to rest for the night.

Professor Zhou and the others were definitely not as physically fit as Feng Yi and the other young, healthy guys in their twenties.

Feng Yi set up the tent, and Cheng Si greeted Professor Zhou, saying he wanted to look around.

"Don't go alone. Feng Yi, go with him and keep an eye on each other," Professor Zhou said.

"Sure!" Feng Yi put down what he was doing and went with Cheng Si to look around.

Once they were out of sight of the tent, Cheng Si shone his flashlight around. "Where do you think there might be snakes? The ditch ahead is too long, and there are frogs everywhere, but not necessarily snakes."

Feng Yi pretended to shine the flashlight around and pointed in a direction. "That way."

"How do you judge that?" Cheng Si asked.

"Guessing."

"Like hell I believe you!"

Cheng Si laughed and scolded him, heading in the direction Feng Yi pointed.

Having seen Feng Yi catch the blind snake, Cheng Si trusted him more in this regard. It was more reliable than him searching blindly.

"If there's a snake, what kind do you think it is?" Cheng Si asked.

"A banded krait," Feng Yi said.

"Ha! I hope so too! Good luck! Don't you dare fight me for it later!" Cheng Si quickened his pace, leaving Feng Yi behind.

Feng Yi wasn't in a hurry. There weren't any other dangerous creatures around, and Cheng Si should be able to handle a banded krait.

Soon, they heard Cheng Si's excited voice.

"Wow! There really is a banded krait! It's mine... Damn! Feng Yi, come help me!"

Feng Yi ran over quickly.

Cheng Si was holding the snake's tail, and the banded krait was trying to escape into the grass. Cheng Si was lying on the ground, sliding toward the ditch.

Feng Yi rushed over and grabbed Cheng Si.

Cheng Si: "Don't worry about me, help me catch the snake, I can get up myself!"

Hearing this, Feng Yi didn't immediately let go of Cheng Si's hand. He threw the flashlight aside and reached for the banded krait in Cheng Si's hand.

As Feng Yi bent down, his phone fell out of his pocket and landed on the sloping grass, sliding toward the ditch.

In a hurry, Feng Yi let go of the snake's tail and used his mouth to hold it, freeing his hands to grab the phone.

Steve, who had heard the commotion and rushed over, was speechless.

"Stop talking!!!"