Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 205 - 167: Not on the Same Level_2

Chapter 205: Chapter 167: Not on the Same Level_2

So, after Cheng Si caught the python, he believed he’d done quite well this time and might be able to change his image in the eyes of his fans. Little did he know, as soon as he checked his phone, Brother Se? What’s the news about Brother Se?

Paying no mind to the python he had just caught, Cheng Si searched social media and quickly saw a repost from an account he followed.

The original poster seemed to be a contestant as well, claiming they encountered a crocodile and called for help, the rescue team didn’t arrive in time, but they ran into Brother Se.

Then he looked at the comments below.

"Brother Se went for a slide tackle! [dog head]"

"What does that mean? Is it a meme?"

"That’s exactly how the guy described it. So, here comes the question, is this slide tackle legitimate?"

"Who cares if it’s legit, you all just need to know those people were fishing in the marsh, didn’t catch any fish, and then out comes a crocodile, blocking someone, Brother Se went over to the rescue, in short, he’s awesome, that’s all you need to know!"

"I knew Brother Se was great at catching snakes, but I had no idea he was also good with crocodiles!"

"Who’s Brother Se?" asked a newbie in the crowd who was unaware of the facts.

"You don’t know Brother Se? He’s a big shot in the snake community!"

"What snake community big shot, that’s a reptile circle big shot! A badass in the herpetological community!"

"Reptile circle god, shall we shorten it to ’Repti-god’?"

Cheng Si scrolled through the comments. He hadn’t managed to go from "Sizi" to "Brother Si," and Feng Yi had already graduated from "Brother Se" to "Reptile Circle Big Shot"?

Can’t compete, just can’t compete.

In his live stream, someone asked why he didn’t hang out with Brother Se, to which Cheng Si thought: I would if I could, but they don’t include me in their games.

Since he couldn’t keep up with Feng Yi, Cheng Si could only do his best with his live broadcast. I mean, just a moment ago in the live broadcast he mentioned the Gulf Coast pythons were currently inactive and not really conflicting with humans, now he’s been proven wrong. If it wasn’t a life-threatening situation, there wouldn’t have been a need to call the rescue team.

Feng Yi, on the other hand, wasn’t paying attention to online matters. As he continued to delve into the marshlands, he could see both wetlands and woodlands.

He also spotted other contestants there.

Steve greeted them, but everyone was busy, so after exchanging greetings, they all went back to their tasks.

The boat stopped for a short break to confirm the route and rest for a while.

"Are there really people who bring children to catch pythons in the swamp?" Feng Yi asked.

Among the group they had just encountered, there was a child, about ten years old or so.

Steve explained, "They’re from local families with deep knowledge. They’re familiar with this area. Bringing children to participate in these activities is just professional training, moreover, their parents are with them, and they won’t go deep into dangerous areas. In other words..."

Steve looked around, made sure Cheng Si wasn’t there, and then continued, "Given the same snake, that kid can catch it more skillfully than Cheng Si."

Cheng Si’s shady past couldn’t escape Steve’s judgement, and now it served as a benchmark to be compared with in everything.

Standing up and looking around, Steve commented, "The dry season has left this place desolate."

"Perhaps, once we’ve gotten rid of most of the pythons here, it will become busier. Right now, no one dares to introduce animals inside." Warren said.

Warren wasn’t really fond of reptiles, treating crocodiles as a responsibility but despising pythons.

He preferred raccoons.

When he was young, raccoons would often visit his home, but now they’re rarely seen.

"The Everglades is sick, and it’s been fighting back." Warren squinted, looking toward the distant marshlands in the sunlight.

Steve added, "There are two reasons the Everglades became like this, one is human beings, the other is invasive species."

Warren smiled, "So we are trying to find a way to heal it."

What’s the impact of the python invasion like?

The Everglades’ original stable food chain suddenly had a new ecological niche.

At first, none of the animals living in the Everglades knew what this new arrival was, whether it was dangerous.

Take Warren’s favorite raccoon, for example, whether it was survival skills learned after birth or instincts encoded in their genes inherited through DNA, none taught the raccoon how to deal with the situation.

As a result, when the python invaded the Everglades, the fearsome predator would be right in front of the raccoon, which might not even realize it, or by the time it recognized the danger, it would already be within the python’s hunting range and miss the chance to escape.

And the pythons, after having a full meal, they wouldn’t wander around aimlessly. They’d find a spot to idle or sleep, staying put for days, or come out to bask in the sun when they needed warmth.

Perfectly exploiting the information gap, they appeared in the water, on the ground, in the trees, sweeping through.

"Nature’s rule is ’I eat you, you eat me’. The large pythons eat raccoons, raccoons eat small pythons. Pythons eat crocodiles, crocodiles eat pythons." Steve said.

Small pythons would be eaten by other animals.

Including raccoons, they could chew on small pythons too.

But pythons grow too fast. Taking invasive species like Burmese pythons as an example,

they can confront raccoons in just six months and swallow them in one year.

When it comes to swamp beasts, people always mention crocodiles and pythons. But pythons may only live for twenty to thirty years, while at the research center, there is a crocodile that’s over seventy years old.

Eating a lot, growing quickly, that’s why Warren says he dares not easily introduce more animals. If the python issue isn’t resolved, bringing in more is just fattening them up.

Warren gets furious when it comes to raccoons, of course, his anger is directed at the pythons of the great swamp, "Those greedy invaders with no cerebral cortex!"

Feng Yi caught the key point in this sentence and then took out his smartphone to search:

[Cerebral Cortex]

In general, without a cerebral cortex, one cannot master complex high-level reflexes and relies basically on instinct.

Feng Yi touched his head, and when Warren looked over, he swept his fingers through his hair as if combing it back, in a completely natural manner.

At the same time, he gained some insight and even felt a bit of secret joy.

No wonder the butler always told him that he was different from those low-level wild beasts, that he shouldn’t always make comparisons.

Now he understood!

Those snakes don’t have a cerebral cortex!

They aren’t on the same level!

So, regarding them as optional snacks is not wrong at all!

Feng Yi put away his smartphone with satisfaction.

After the break, the boat continued on its way, and when they reached their destination, Warren didn’t join them, didn’t get off the boat, "I’ll stay here, take a nap. Good luck to you all!"

After Feng Yi and Steve got off the boat and walked for a while,

Steve said, "Shall we split up and search?"

Feng Yi agreed, "Okay."

"Contact if there’s any movement, don’t be impulsive."

"Hmm."

Steve gave him a look before walking away.

Containing his excitement, Feng Yi walked a bit farther from Steve, where there were no other people around, and then stopped. He took off his boots and socks and stepped barefoot onto the grass.

Heh heh heh!

A layer of scales appeared on the soles of his feet, making contact with the ground and providing a certain level of protection.

Feng Yi sniffed the molecules in the air and headed in one direction.

If someone saw him and asked why he took off his boots?

Then it definitely was because something got into them!

He’s just taking off his boots to clean them out, absolutely no other weird thoughts!

While Feng Yi was enjoying the wild grassland, Steve sent a video to Director He.

It was the one that the youngster with the smartphone had filmed just before Pan Weining’s people left. It showed Feng Yi’s appearance and his slide tackle to catch a crocodile, as well as the entire process of him rolling around while pinching the croc’s mouth.

It’s precisely because Steve recalled Feng Yi’s astonishing acts during the scientific expedition that he grew even more worried.

Using a slide tackle on a crocodile also proved that the kid hadn’t changed a bit!

Nobody knew what method Feng Yi would use to catch pythons later on. Although Feng Yi promised nicely, Steve knew these tricks; he used to be the same, making various assurances in front of Director He, but then he still followed his own way as soon as he turned around.

Steve believed that he could learn from others’ experiences, adopting what suited him and disregarding what didn’t.

Director He always felt that Steve was too reckless, uncontrollable when excited, difficult to manage.

But now compared to Feng Yi...

I was way too conservative back then!

At least I would never dare to wrap a giant python around myself and run with it saying "swoosh"!

Nor would I dare to slide tackle a nearly four-meter crocodile!

So, just to be safe, he decided to give Director He a heads up, to lecture Feng Yi when he got back. Lessons from Director He were certainly tough. Steve, who had just snitched, felt schadenfreude: Let the kid also experience the frustration I had back in the day!

At the same time, it was to prove to Director He that it really wasn’t his influence that led Feng Yi to be this way.

He’s not that capable for sure!