Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 286 - 212 Appropriate Amount_1

Chapter 286: Chapter 212 Appropriate Amount_1

Feng Yi didn’t stay in that corner all the time. After the group of sparrows flew away, he wandered around the small park, observing the flock from different positions.

Seeing a small group of sparrows resting elsewhere, Feng Yi conducted the same experiment and watched them fly away in panic again.

It wasn’t until the sun set in the west and the fading light was overshadowed by the street lamps that the birds also descended onto the branches, no longer active.

At the two spots where Feng Yi had released "chemical signals," the sparrows didn’t return for the rest of the day. Even if sparrows landed on the trees there, they left quickly, as if something extremely dangerous lurked.

Clearly, the sparrows’ olfactory receptors had detected that chemical substance.

To put it another way, Feng Yi had a brief, not-so-friendly exchange of information with the sparrows.

If it were a communication between predator and prey, it would probably go like this:

Us: "I’m going to eat you!"

Sparrows: "Run!!!"

Feng Yi nodded silently. The situation was probably just like that.

Yes, definitely.

Their flight behavior fully proved it.

Declaring territory must be a similar situation.

A deterrent from predators!

Very useful!

It was getting late, so Feng Yi found an inconspicuous restaurant to eat, and checked the work-related chat groups on his phone in the meantime.

The bigwigs’ afternoon meeting seemed discordant, their opinions divided, and they had to continue the discussion meeting at night, also without needing Feng Yi and his colleagues to attend.

Checking the chat history filled with the smell of gunpowder in the group, the situation hadn’t developed in the direction people hoped. The density of starfish in the sea had increased, and the number of fishing boats out during the day had also increased.

However, these were within expectations; earlier data had already suggested this.

Even without looking at the data, the scent carried by the sea breeze could also allow Feng Yi to confirm that, for the next week, the number of starfish would still be in a state of explosion. There were plenty to catch.

Beyond that, some people invited Feng Yi to join them for a meal—these were the ones not in the meeting. Without the bigwigs around, the atmosphere of the meal would be more relaxed, allowing for discussions on academics or casual chats about other topics, fostering interpersonal relationships.

But Feng Yi indeed had other plans today, so he turned them down, using fishing outside as an excuse.

He didn’t return to his dormitory, instead choosing several places to have dinner, fueling up for the work to be done.

After eating, he rode his bicycle to the location he had agreed on with Jia.

On the other hand, Jia had dinner with his fishing friends after a day of fishing, listening to them boast.

These people boasted even more than the fish they caught. After two glasses of alcohol, they became even more uncontrolled, babbling on and on.

Not that all fishermen are like this, but Jia purposefully chose to associate with a certain type of person for a reason.

Jia didn’t drink today, saying he had to drive later, listening to a few talk about catching a 200-pound fish and swimming in forbidden fishing zones.

He took note of which areas were closely monitored and which areas were more free, retaining that information.

Jia had already planned tonight’s course of action based on the information he had. While verbally agreeing with them, he checked and adjusted the details in his mind.

When it was time to meet with Feng Yi, Jia excused himself and headed to the destination.

When Feng Yi arrived, Jia was already waiting. The route had been arranged and they were ready to set off.

In the past few days in Mo City, following the research team out to sea, Feng Yi had got a rough understanding of what each area was like, though not as detailed as Jia’s knowledge.

After reconfirming the route, off they went. The boat also carried some fishing-related equipment as a disguise.

Having left the coast and reached the designated location, Feng Yi handed his phone to Jia. If anyone was looking for him, Jia would cover.

Stripping off his clothes and not bothering with a diving suit, Feng Yi went straight into the water.

The water was cool, not particularly pleasant, but it was alright.

Once underwater, Feng Yi transformed back into his original form, quickly adapting to the environment around him.

"So boss, I just wait here?" Jia asked.

"Mhm," Feng Yi replied, glancing at the sky, "The wind is a bit strong tonight, keep warm."

How to deal with different situations had already been discussed beforehand, so there was no need to say more.

"Okay, that’s it, I’ll go first."

After he finished speaking, Feng Yi dove in, his huge snake tail swaying.

With no outsiders around, Feng Yi no longer restrained himself, and in the blink of an eye, he darted a long distance away.

Jia looked at the still somewhat calm sea surface and sighed in his heart that "humans and non-humans are indeed different," then he pulled out his windbreaker.

The temperature was already low at night. The occasional breeze made people shiver. For ordinary people, swimming in the water without any protective gear under these conditions would be suicidal.

Feng Yi was different. In the water, he swam like a marine creature, with ease.

He would come up to the surface to take a breath, and half an hour of diving was easy. Diving three to five hundred meters was like playing and he felt no pressure at all.

This time, Feng Yi swam far, beyond the range of underwater communication and outside of the densely monitored areas.

The underwater detectors used in Mo city’s waters, Feng Yi knew which model they were. Avoiding night-patrolling vessels and some detection facilities, he didn’t need navigational equipment to clearly discern directions.

Upon reaching the designated area, Feng Yi stopped, not swimming any further into the deep sea. His goal was never the deep sea to begin with.

Even without breathing, Feng Yi could still sense his surroundings. A vast army of starfish continued to gather. As for the other fish in the sea, regardless of their size or temperament, they all quickly swam away when Feng Yi approached.

In his original form, even without deliberately releasing deterrent chemicals, he still exuded the aura of a top predator in the food chain.

Feng Yi didn’t pay attention to those fish, diving to the seafloor, pondering how to "mark his territory."

How to release those chemicals that "declare territory," Feng Yi had already experimented with them during the day. There were no operational difficulties with this, but there was another issue.

How much should he release?

The information obtained from his ancestral DNA was: release a proper amount of markers within a certain range.

How big is "a certain range"?

And how much is "a proper amount"?

Releasing too little might not have the desired effect.

If he released too much and ran out halfway through marking the territory, what then? Would he have to feed locally to replenish his energy?

This was tricky.

Feng Yi pondered, his large tail moving along the seabed.

Bang!

Huh?

It seemed like he had bumped into something.

The sensation was like walking and suddenly kicking a stone... or rather, a tangerine, not very hard.

Feng Yi turned his head to investigate.

There was a half-buried metal object, the exposed section of which he had just snapped off with a flick of his tail.

Glancing at the buried part, Feng Yi picked up the broken other section, unable to discern what it was.

The object was somewhat old, hadn’t been used for a long time, had no current running through it, and bore some signs of corrosion.

Feng Yi frowned.

Who the hell litters the sea with trash!

Metal trash, no less!

Ptui!

While working with the investigative team, Feng Yi often heard them talk about marine pollution, so seeing this in the sea, his first thought naturally was marine debris!

Feng Yi didn’t have the time to dig it up now and planned to come back later. As for the broken part, he grabbed it and threw it forcefully in one direction.

He remembered that area seemed to have volunteers cleaning up trash every week.

After throwing it away, Feng Yi continued to ponder just how much "a proper amount" actually was.