Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 1512 - 726 More Disappointing than Disappointment_2

Chapter 1512: Chapter 726 More Disappointing than Disappointment_2

After the moment of realization, he couldn’t help but feel a mixture of emotions: amusement, relief, and a bit of good fortune.

No one knew that in those few short steps, his mind had raced through hundreds of thoughts. The group was still persevering through the pathless woods, hoping to reach their destination sooner so that they could descend the mountain quickly.

Finally, as the destination drew nearer, Yan Fei suddenly cried out, "This is bad, Dr. Kuber, Dr. Hofstadter, I have a sudden sense of foreboding. Please allow me to go ahead and check the situation as quickly as possible."

Without waiting for the two doctors to respond, he broke into a quick run, swiftly surpassing Boss Niu and his team who were clearing the path, moving as nimbly through the woods as a leaping antelope, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

This sparked a wave of emotion among the rest — after half a day on the mountain trails, everyone was feeling somewhat exhausted. They all had their reasons to keep going, but to run and jump with the vigor that he displayed was a bit beyond their current abilities.

Dr. Kuber even said to Dr. Hofstadter with a laugh, "If he really accepts the invitation, you must take him on as your disciple early on. I believe he must know some of the remarkable Kung Fu of China, otherwise how could he be so agile? He is like Tarzan of the Apes, and would surely be your best assistant in field research."

Dr. Hofstadter grinned broadly, and his step lightened considerably. He waved his hand, "We should also pick up the pace; we can’t let the young ones get too far ahead."

Once the two doctors sped up, some of the accompanying staff started to lag. Those who had never trekked mountain paths could never understand the meaning of ’It looks close but is actually far away.’ Now, aside from the villagers, the others were clearly disheveled, with their appearance greatly altered.

Before long, the figure of Yan Fei was visible in the distance, standing silently on a large rock as still as a statue, his silhouette evoking an indescribable sense of... desolation?

Everyone was in fact already able to faintly hear the sound of running water ahead, and the thought of nearing their destination was somewhat exhilarating.

However, when everybody, with a final burst of energy, arrived at the spot where Yan Fei stood, the sight below left them dumbfounded.

The small valley’s river was raging, the somewhat murky water spreading recklessly through the valley, carrying along leaves, dead branches, and an assortment of debris.

The river was flooding!

Before Yan Fei dug the new river channel and built River Heart Island, during July and August, the people of Sancha River village regarded observing the water levels of the eastern and western rivers and their potential to flood the town as their most important activity.

Now, with Yan Fei having dug a new channel and with two sand dredging boats tirelessly working through the night, water levels in the summer no longer raised as much concern.

But lacking concern didn’t mean that the annual summer rainfall would suddenly reduce by much.

In truth, the current water flow in the valley couldn’t be called flooding; it was merely a normal seasonal rise in water levels. However, this was a valley, and the spot Yan Fei had chosen was a stony beach next to a stream — it was there, the girl had been catching fish in the water, and he had been by her side.

The problem was, although the weather was warm at that time, the water level hadn’t yet risen. Now with the increased water levels, the spot where Yan Fei had described to Dr. Kuber and Dr. Hofstadter the discovery of two insects was completely submerged.

So what Dr. Kuber and Dr. Hofstadter, along with the scholars and the large group that followed, saw was not the stream described by Yan Fei, but a large river.

Was this... just their bad luck?

Many people felt an immeasurable sense of regret, yet Yan Fei couldn’t help but be torn between laughter and tears—I just thought they’d be disappointed, I truly didn’t expect their disappointment to be of such a despairing kind.

Yan Fei tried hard to recall the few TV shows and movies he had seen, the way those actors expressed the loss, disappointment, despair, sadness, and indignation when they endured all kinds of hardships only to arrive at a place and discover that it did not hold the answer they were searching for.

His acting was successful, Dr. Hofstadter watched his dazed expression and sighed before stepping forward: "Yan, there’s no need to be sad. Just like when you discovered those two bugs, in the world of science, there are always various kinds of surprises, right? You see, at least this time we have learned not to overlook the impact of seasonal changes on the environment before conducting field studies, haven’t we?"

You’re absolutely right!

"I just, I just... I really didn’t expect it to be like this..." Yan Fei murmured, while inwardly giving a big thumbs up to the doctor who seemed rather strict at first glance but turned out to be warm-hearted after getting to know him.

"Don’t lose heart, minor setbacks are inevitable on the path of science." Dr. Hofstadter encouraged. "If all paths were smooth, how could we appreciate the joy of reaching the destination!"

As he spoke, Dr. Hofstadter suddenly brightened and said to Yan Fei: "Sometimes you should look further ahead, like, you should be aware that biology doesn’t just encompass insects. See the tree next to you? Do you recognize it?"

Yan Fei feigned shock: "Isn’t that just a Metasequoia?"

This type of plant was actually quite common in the dinosaur world, and initially, in order to find some suitable landscape trees for his little courtyard, Yan Fei had done some research on them, so recognizing the Metasequoia wasn’t surprising.

"Then how could you forget, the Metasequoia has such a long history of existence on this planet beneath our feet?" Dr. Hofstadter reminded with a smile.

"I... I just thought, this kind of plant isn’t anything rare around here, they can be found in many mountains." Yan Fei hesitated for a moment, then his face showed a complex expression of surprised delight. "Are you saying the Metasequoia can prove my discovery? But the survival conditions for plants and animals are different, can it still work?"

"Even without them, we already believed you," Kuber chuckled from the side. "The Metasequoia, which is quite common here to you, is actually not as common as you think. We tend to overlook the things we’re accustomed to seeing around us, right? Like in your Capital, where people always mention the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, but to us who come here for the first time, those common Courtyard Houses that are so ordinary to you each have history as deep as a castle in our place..."

"Like the centuries-old building at our school, right? When conditions were poor, it was used as a dormitory building!" Yan Fei instantly connected the dots, seizing the opportunity to share with the scholars about the ancient building where he used to play as a child.

"Exactly, that’s why we all think that China is a magical country. Anywhere we go, we can see ancient relics that have withstood hundreds or even thousands of years of history, whereas a castle a couple of hundred years old in our place would be treated as a historic monument, but it’s nothing special here..." Dr. Hofstadter laughed.

The three people’s conversation veered off further and further until Old Niu came up with a sheepish look: "Brother Yan, shouldn’t you discuss these matters with the two doctors after we get back? It’s getting late, we should be heading down the mountain!"

"Right, right!" Yan Fei acted as if he had just come to his senses. "Doctors, is there anything else you need to investigate here? It’s getting late, and we won’t encounter wildlife during the day when there’s a crowd of us. I’m worried about wild boars at night if it gets too late."

"Then, could you wait a moment while I collect some samples?" Dr. Hofstadter suddenly remembered his original purpose, and while speaking, he started directing his team to begin gathering samples.

Yan Fei eagerly stepped forward to help and occasionally showed off his miraculous ’Kung Fu’ from China, quickly building a warm relationship with the group of young scholars...