Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 164 - 134 Python_1

Chapter 164: Chapter 134 Python_1

The dark lake surface flickered with reflections of light.

A small boat moved forward through the black night.

Aboard were Wei Hongxun, Ding, forestry bureau personnel, as well as a photographer sent by the resort to follow and take pictures, and the boat’s crew.

The resort had decided to take advantage of the incident, and since the person in charge did not dare to follow, they sent a photographer to document the event.

Once the incident was over, edited videos would be transformed into more benefits. Of course, any video release would need the consent of the forestry and joint protection bureaus, but no matter, as long as there were topics and profits, that was enough for them.

This photographer wasn’t a professional in wilderness shooting. His current job was merely to document; he couldn’t help with anything else, so he stayed quiet on the side, recording.

Although he didn’t make a sound, the photographer’s face was tight, vigilantly scanning the surroundings, fearing that a giant python might suddenly appear.

The boat wasn’t very big—it was the type commonly used in local lake parks, provided by the resort, in a pinch without any other choice.

And such a pleasure boat didn’t seem particularly sturdy either—it appeared quite unreliable.

It’s exactly the kind of scene in a movie where something would happen and a few people would fall in, followed by other crises...

The more he thought about it, the deeper his fear, and the photographer shuddered. Tonight’s incident occurred too abruptly, and the resort couldn’t find a suitable person to film on such short notice; he was considered brave, and besides, the resort offered a good deal to take on the risk.

There were five searchlights on the boat, and Wei Hongxun and the forestry personnel kept watching the surroundings, with drones flying nearby.

The calmest person aboard was Ding, using his phone in a chat group to give a live text broadcast to others.

For things like this, they weren’t really worried about Feng Yi’s safety. What left the deepest impression on Ding was when Feng Yi, in another form, had appeared before them and had bent a metal frame with his tail.

"Your boss’s swimming skills could get him into a professional competition, right?" Wei Hongxun said.

Wei Hongxun had planned for them to follow by boat while Feng Yi searched underwater.

However, as the boat arrived, once Feng Yi dived in, he was out of sight.

Although Feng Yi had told them beforehand that he would use freediving to search and they shouldn’t worry, the lack of news for so long still made Wei Hongxun overthink.

After considering, Ding replied, "He can’t join."

Wei Hongxun didn’t really intend for Feng Yi to join a competition and didn’t continue on that topic. Instead, he asked, "Can you really not contact your boss?"

"Really can’t," Ding said. "But you don’t need to worry, he’s quite formidable."

At that moment, a forestry bureau employee spotted something and pointed to the nearby shore, "Hey, wait! Move the boat a bit closer!"

The forestry bureau personnel directed the boat slightly closer to the shore, then picked up a small clump of something from the grass with a long gripping tool.

"Snake skin!"

Although the small clump was somewhat folded and curled, making it difficult to recognize, Wei Hongxun identified it.

"Hm."

Forestry bureau personnel dipped the small clump into the water, dampening it, and slowly unfolded it.

What was a small clump unfolded into a piece of snake skin the size of two palms.

This was only a part of the snake skin that had been shed. However, finding snake skin here meant there surely must be more. They were inconvenient to search from the boat, so Wei Hongxun contacted other people to come over and search carefully, to collect more snake skins.

After making the call, Wei Hongxun examined the piece of snake skin they had just picked up more closely.

"It’s from a big one!"

The forestry bureau personnel also looked somber.

"It shed its skin recently, and might have already eaten, not hungry. It didn’t attack Mo Xiaoguang and the others directly when it encountered them."

With the discovery of this piece of snake skin, Mo Xiaoguang’s account, as well as the clues Feng Yi found with the fishing net, were confirmed once more.

It was indeed a giant python!

Could Feng Yi handle such a large python by himself?

Meanwhile, Feng Yi, diving in the water, followed the scent in search of the snake, surfacing periodically to discern the direction then continuing his search. Although he still surfaced now and then, he was already much faster than Wei Hongxun and the others.

Feng Yi also kept his tail under water.

There was no need to expose it. It wasn’t of much use, and he had to constantly worry about being discovered. Though the dark night provided some cover, with so many people drawn to the incident and multiple departments mobilized, who knew where people or cameras might be concealed?

Once Feng Yi sensed the python’s location, he slowed down.

The shallow water by the shore was dense with unfamiliar plants, half the height of a man.

A long, thick body hid below the surface.

By the edge of the shore, half its head leaned against a stone, eyes, and nostrils exposed. It had arrow-shaped black markings on its head, invisible in the night.

It remained completely motionless.

The lake water, night, and thick vegetation, along with its natural camouflage, meant that even during the day, people walking along the shore might not notice it.

With the sparse nighttime lighting, it was even harder to spot.

Perhaps when Mo Xiaoguang and his team had spread the nets, the python had also been lying quietly by the shore, just unnoticed by them.

But Feng Yi didn’t rely on sight to find the snake.

After locking onto the target, he swam towards it.

Upon sensing Feng Yi’s approach, the python didn’t move but flicked its forked tongue to sense changes in the scents around it.

What to do after discovering the giant python?

What techniques are required to catch a large python?

Techniques?

Feng Yi didn’t know how others would react, but for him—

It was of course the moment to rely on instinct and plow right through!

Of course, Feng Yi didn’t strike immediately.

As he approached, Feng Yi almost floated on the surface of the water, swimming sideways towards it, pausing beside it, and staring at the python.

Ah, he didn’t bring his phone.

It was a pity he couldn’t take a photo.

By the look of it, the python was about the same length as the one he caught in the Nan Chong Mountain Range while on an expedition with the team, perhaps even a bit longer. However, the most obvious difference was, this snake was thicker, looking more "bulky."

Privately owned snakes are indeed "fatter" compared to those in the wild.

Nevertheless, even though the great python in front of him appeared "bulky," it was certainly agile when hunting or attacking.

Those muscles on its body were too threatening; the words Hong Xun uttered before had not been the slightest bit of an exaggeration.

When it sensed Feng Yi’s approach and his lingering presence, the python hissed, turning its head, and its cold, ruthless eyes fixed on Feng Yi.

Feng Yi returned the look with his equally emotionless vertical pupils.

"Hi~"

Feng Yi did not show any aggression.

It seemed not to display aggression either.

After a few seconds of eye contact between man and snake, the python turned its head and hissed, deciding to leave.

Feng Yi couldn’t let it get away; with a quick scoop, he headed towards the shore.

——

On Wei Hongxun’s side.

After driving the boat for a while without locating Feng Yi, Wei Hongxun had the boat stop. In the ensuing silence, he listened carefully for any sounds around them.

The other people on the boat also realized that Hong Xun was trying to determine by sound if there were other human voices or easily overlooked calls for help, so they all breathed more quietly, halting their actions as well.

There was the sound of water lapping against the hull of the boat.

From farther away, there came the cries of some animal, but definitely not a snake.

Just when everyone thought they wouldn’t hear anything, suddenly there was a splashing sound from somewhere ahead.

"Quick, quick, quick! Over there!"

Wei Hongxun swiftly coordinated with the people around, circling towards the source of the noise.

He was in a rush!

He worried that if the rescue was too late, the person tangled in the water would be in great danger!

If Feng Yi really was in trouble, they had at most a few dozen seconds to react!

The searchlight lit up the area, and Wei Hongxun picked up a pair of binoculars.

They sped towards the location, and those who received Hong Xun’s message also arrived swiftly. They all knew time was pressing and hurried over to help.

However, when they actually arrived...

Feng Yi was walking from the lake towards the shore.

He held the snake’s head in one hand, a length of it draped around his neck, while his other hand scooped up another section, struggling to climb up the bank.

The people who got the message from Hong Xun and rushed over were shocked to see the thick python Feng Yi was carrying.

Most people have a fear of giant pythons, and the impact was such that even those who were prepared after receiving the message were still taken aback when they saw the massive snake for themselves.

If Feng Yi had encountered a life-threatening situation, they could have used tools and equipment to deal with the python in a rough and straightforward manner.

But now Feng Yi was unharmed and was walking towards the shore with the snake. They were unsure of what to do. They were not professionals, and while they might handle a small python, for such a large one, they preferred to wait for specialists to arrive as to not make matters worse.

Thankfully, Hong Xun and a few others arrived quickly.

Discovering Feng Yi was unharmed, they breathed a sigh of relief. Hong Xun had heard people mention before that Feng Yi had impressive snake-catching skills, but this was his first time witnessing such a scene.

Feng Yi’s difficulty in walking wasn’t due to carrying such a large python, but rather because the path from the lake to the shore was hard to traverse.

Walking on the muddy lake bottom towards the slope, which was a bit slippery, he almost stumbled and fell.

Lucky he wasn’t wearing shoes!

Unseen by anyone, when Feng Yi’s feet touched the bank, scales appeared on the soles of his feet, gripping firmly on the ground.

If he had been wearing shoes, he might not have had such grip and could have slipped and fallen into the lake earlier.

Finally reaching the shore, the scales on his feet disappeared.

Then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, Feng Yi, panting and looking extremely tired, tossed the segment of the snake’s body he was holding onto the grass.

Now, he only held the snake’s head in his hand and a segment hung around his neck.

That’s better, not so conspicuous now!

Feng Yi smiled at Wei Hongxun and the others who had come over, "Mission accomplished!"

Wei Hongxun and the forestry bureau staff hurried ashore from the boat, helping to take down the section of the snake’s body hanging around Feng Yi’s neck.

"You can’t just hang it around your neck like that; if it constricts you’re done for!"

With that simple action, Wei Hongxun deeply felt the weight of the snake! He had no idea how Feng Yi managed to carry the snake ashore!