Chapter 75

The helicopter of the rescue team did not fly to the starting point of their scientific expedition but to another part of the mountain range, one of the branches of the Nanchong Research Base.

Some of the teams that had completed their scientific tasks would rest and recuperate here.

The helicopter landed at the branch of the Nanchong Research Base. After getting off, Feng Yi saw a team of forest rangers and their dogs.

Seeing Feng Yi looking at them, Teacher Lei introduced, "They are the forest rangers around here, who patrol the mountains from time to time."

"Do they bring dogs when they patrol the mountains?" Feng Yi was curious.

"Yes," Teacher Lei said, "They always dig up something during each patrol, even corpses, both human and animal."

This was also why Teacher Lei had sighed, "The mountains and forests hide many secrets, and only a small part of them are discovered by people."

And the part that was discovered was mostly found by the forest rangers and their dogs.

"The bag of gold bars we found in the forest, if buried in the ground, would have a high chance of being discovered by the forest rangers. These dogs are trained and are very good at searching, sometimes even helping to chase down fugitives."

Teacher Lei was familiar with the forest rangers and greeted them.

As Feng Yi and the others passed by the team of forest rangers, a few dogs bared their teeth at Feng Yi, looking on guard.

The forest rangers just laughed and scolded them.

"You just came out of the mountains, so your body has some scent that makes them nervous."

Teacher Lei also liked dogs and had planned to pet them, but seeing the situation, he gave up and said with a smile, "It must be that. I'll take a shower later and then play with them."

Feng Yi hung his head and silently followed Professor Zhou to the temporary dormitory.

He could already smell the food!

He couldn't muster any interest in anything else!

All he wanted to do was eat!

However, no matter how hungry or craving he was, Feng Yi could only eat a little food.

He had to continue holding back.

After resting at the base branch for a night, Feng Yi was to leave for home the next day. He had already booked his flight.

Before leaving, Professor Zhou called him over.

"There will be another small scientific expedition at the end of September or early October, on a different route from this one. Do you want to participate?"

Feng Yi's performance on this expedition was very satisfactory to the team, although he was sometimes rash, his skills were strong, and he didn't drag the team down.

This time, there were factors of initial inadaptation, but he had already performed well, even without sleep issues in the deep forest.

As long as he slept well, his physical recovery was fast, which was very good!

Therefore, Professor Zhou was looking forward to working with him again.

However, Feng Yi politely but firmly declined.

Even if it added points...

He would see the specific situation later.

The feeling of hunger was really bad, and Feng Yi was worried that long-term hunger would have a negative impact on his body.

He was only in the early stages of evolution, and hunger would affect his development.

Professor Zhou was not surprised when he heard Feng Yi's refusal, but he still suggested that Feng Yi consider it and contact him if he was willing to participate.

"Oh, and one more thing. Do you want the medical team here to give you a detailed check-up? They can look at any injuries or discomfort. It's free."

Feng Yi also declined.

A detailed check-up was impossible!

"No, I need to catch my flight. I'll go to the hospital when I get back." Going to the hospital was impossible; he had to get through this.

Feng Yi added contact information with everyone in the team, especially Steve.

Steve even invited him to go catch a boa constrictor when he had time.

After leaving the base branch by car, he ate again at the airport, slept on the plane, ate the airplane meal, and continued sleeping until he landed.

Then, he ate all the way home.

After getting home, he washed up and went to sleep.

He slept for two days straight.

After waking up, he replied to messages on his phone, drove around the city to eat and stock up on supplies.

Then he slept for another day.

Only then did he feel better!

He replied to messages, checked the news on his phone, and saw that people were still talking about the Nanchong spirit snake.

Regarding the gold bar incident, Steve had talked a lot that day, but Feng Yi hadn't really listened much, as his mind was preoccupied with how he would endure.

Now, flipping through the news on his phone, he had a comprehensive understanding of the matter.

But after reading, he found that he could only trust official media reports, as most self-media accounts were exaggerated, with only a few being relatively objective.

Self-media was really strong, as they even dug up the village's past beliefs and various ancestral stories.

Feng Yi was stunned.

If he hadn't experienced it himself, he wouldn't have believed it could be so bizarre!

He almost believed that Nanchong really had a spirit snake!

Closing the news page, a notification popped up.

The points had arrived!

1000 points for the Nanchong Team 6 volunteer mission, plus 3 points for catching the first snake, and an additional 100 points as a reward!

100 points!

Nanchong Team 6 was indeed generous!

Professor Zhou was a good person!

The scientific expedition points were really a lot!

If the next expedition was shorter, he could participate again.

A moment later, another notification popped up.

The Joint Security Bureau had given a 2-point reward.

Feng Yi asked Professor Zhou, who told him that everyone in Nanchong Team 6, except for Cheng Si who had left midway, had received a reward from the Joint Security Bureau for providing clues about the snake skin belt.

The points were quickly transferred.

1000 volunteer mission points + 3 points for the first catch + 100 additional reward + 2 Joint Security Bureau reward

Plus the 45 points he already had, he now had 1150 points.

He didn't know how many points the others in the team had earned from the expedition, but he was very satisfied with his over a thousand points!

These points could be seen as a contribution to improving the human living environment, a form of social value.

The more contributions, the more points, and the more privileges one could enjoy.

Many privileges couldn't be easily bought with money.

Feng Yi was happy about his new points when his phone rang.

Lu Yue was calling. He was in the area on business and said he would drop by to see Feng Yi.

Of course, Feng Yi understood that "dropping by" was unlikely, and there must be something else.

Lu Yue had left a message for Feng Yi two days ago and knew he was resting, so he didn't rush over. Today, he had the time to discuss some matters with Feng Yi.

During the hottest time of the year, Feng Yi spent nearly two months in the wild.

So, Lu Yue expected to see someone tanned like charcoal, with a collapsed appearance, listless, and lacking vitality.

But what he saw was...

Was he absorbing spiritual energy?!!

Compared to two months ago, apart from his face and hands being slightly darker, Feng Yi looked more spirited!

Lu Yue, who originally didn't believe the online rumors, suddenly had some doubts.

Was there really a spirit snake in the Nanchong Mountains?

Even if there wasn't a spirit snake, there must be something special, or how could Feng Yi look so much better?

"Do you know about the spirit snake legend in the Nanchong Mountains?" Lu Yue asked.

"Yes," Feng Yi replied, "It's all nonsense, just rumors."

"Maybe not?" Lu Yue looked at Feng Yi again, "You look great. Is the air in the Nanchong Reserve really that good?"

"It is really good!"

If there was anything worth remembering about this expedition, it was definitely the air in the Nanchong Nature Reserve.

Before the expedition, Feng Yi thought the air in Yueshan was good, and the climate was nice. But after going to the Nanchong Mountains, he truly felt the difference.

Sleeping in the Nanchong forest was amazing!

Of course, Feng Yi knew this was due to his physical condition, and others might not adapt to the climate, often finding it too humid and stuffy.

Hearing this, Lu Yue had an idea and planned to analyze the potential business opportunities in the Nanchong Reserve with his team after returning.

"How was the expedition?" Lu Yue asked.

"Very tiring!" Feng Yi said with a heavy tone.

It was the first time in his life he had gone so long without eating!

Lu Yue didn't believe it.

Looking at Feng Yi's state, he didn't look like someone who had suffered!

However, Lu Yue had something else on his mind.

"The latest news, the belt you found wrapped around the package was made from the skin of a farmed snake. The Joint Security Bureau, along with local authorities, has taken down a luxury goods counterfeiting chain."

"Luxury goods counterfeiting chain?" Feng Yi hadn't noticed.

He was so focused on the "Nanchong spirit snake" news and the points that he hadn't paid attention to other news.

"Yes, this year, many brands have popular snake-themed elements. A genuine snake skin belt from a top international brand costs at least 10,000 yuan, giving counterfeiters an opportunity. Some people know they are buying fakes, but others think they are buying defective genuine products.

"Looks the same, feels almost the same. You know, the Medusa seventh-generation imitation leather is so realistic, the most advanced eco-leather technology. It's hard for ordinary people to tell the difference from real snake skin."

The wild animal skin that had affected their company's production line was bought by someone to sabotage them, not related to this incident.

However, seeing more and more counterfeits in the market, Lu Yue was worried.

The cost of developing eco-leather was high, and only one company globally had the technology, making the Medusa seventh-generation imitation leather expensive. The testing kits and related equipment were also costly. If not for someone like Feng Yi who could tell the difference at a glance, their company would have suffered a huge loss!

Because of the success of the new brand collaboration, Lu Yue trusted Feng Yi's identification ability even more.

After the rest of the Lu family learned about it, to be safe, they asked Lu Yue to invite Feng Yi to do an identification.

There was a new product show during the annual celebration, displaying this year's and next year's new products, some of which involved leather. A re-identification would be more secure, and they would feel more at ease.

Lu Yue explained his purpose.

"The items to be identified are not many, no more than a hundred pieces. You can identify them in one round."

Feng Yi thought for a moment and asked, "When is the identification? I'll go and come back."

Some celebrations were not about eating but about socializing, either staring blankly or engaging in various social interactions and fake smiles.

Feng Yi had started a business before and knew the tricks. Before the expedition, he might have been interested in seeing the Qianli Group's annual celebration, but after the hunger, he didn't want to waste time.

Now, there was no need to suffer. He would go, identify the items, and leave!

Lu Yue was surprised and tried to persuade him, "Don't you want to stay longer at the venue? We've invited some popular male and female groups from the entertainment industry to warm up the atmosphere, with many celebrities singing. Even if you don't like socializing, you can watch the performances."

Having worked with Feng Yi, Lu Yue knew he had some money and might not need to force socializing.

Feng Yi asked again, "Is there food at the venue? Can I eat whenever I want?"

If there was no food, he wouldn't go.

Lu Yue was taken aback but quickly understood.

Feng Yi had spent nearly two months on the expedition, and regardless of whether he was absorbing spiritual energy, his diet was definitely restricted. He needed to replenish.

So, Lu Yue smiled, "Yes! There are multiple buffet areas at the venue, with various cuisines from different countries and regions. Eat whatever you want, as much as you want! Go ahead and indulge!"

Feng Yi was pleased.

No wonder it was a big group!

Generous!

Lu Yue said, "Come before noon, and we'll take some time in the afternoon to identify the items. The rest of the time is yours. Payment will be settled on the spot."

Feng Yi said, "Okay! I'll definitely come!"

Attending the celebration (×)

Eating a big meal (? )