Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 289 - 214 Not in a hurry_2

Chapter 289: Chapter 214 Not in a hurry_2

For the investigation team and experts in related fields, this was destined to be a sleepless night, and the following few days wouldn’t bring much rest either.

The sun crept out reluctantly from the clouds in the morning.

When Feng Yi awoke, it felt as though there was still a snake tail swishing through the seawater in his mind.

Yawning, he got up and reached for his cellphone to check it.

As he opened the chat app, his eyelids twitched, and the haze in his consciousness instantly cleared.

The several work-related group chats he was in were almost bursting with messages, but Feng Yi didn’t immediately look through the group messages. Instead, he first checked the private messages sent to him.

It wasn’t anything private, mostly notifications about what had happened and the action plan for the day.

In summary, the information was:

In the wee hours, the autonomous underwater vehicle deployed in the waters off Mo City had detected an abnormal condition in the sea, leading to a last-minute change in the team’s task plan. Feng Yi hadn’t been assigned any tasks and was free to move about.

Feng Yi continued to scroll through the group chat messages, his eyebrows arching slightly.

So the changes in the sea had been discovered?

But the group didn’t contain much useful information; it was mostly filled with speculation. Those with the latest information wouldn’t discuss it in the chat group. Several core bigwigs of the team had made a brief appearance before disappearing again, perhaps too busy to check the chat.

Feng Yi quickly got out of bed, intending to go have a look. He wondered if the starfish army in the sea had dispersed yet.

"Boss, do we have any plans for today?" Jia asked.

"Not at the moment," Feng Yi replied, before adding after a moment’s thought, "Don’t go fishing today. Keep an eye out for any changes in the vicinity."

"In the sea?"

"On land. For example, whether the locals have noticed anything unusual, and also the reactions of small animals."

It wasn’t certain whether the markers in the sea would affect the people of Mo City or not. Logically speaking, the marked route was some distance from Mo City, and those marker substances should have dispersed with the movement of the seawater by now.

Leaving the dorm, Feng Yi didn’t head straight for the docks.

First, time to eat; he was hungry.

In the cafeteria, he saw several students, all of whom were following the starfish outbreak event under the guidance of their tutors. Feng Yi had borrowed lecture notes from them before.

Focusing on his meal, he did not join in their discussion, but after eating, he headed for the dock with them.

On the way to the dock, Feng Yi listened to them discuss the "amazing undersea event."

Feng Yi’s acting kicked in, exuding shock, uncertainty, curiosity, and he occasionally responded:

"They fled... evacuated?"

"Really? They all evacuated?"

"Oh... I see... I had no idea!"

Faced with Feng Yi’s extremely deceptive face, and his celebrity expert aura, the students shared the information they knew and their analysis with a particular sense of accomplishment.

Student: "A large group of starfish underwent mass autotomy, with many losing two arms. It’s hard to imagine what could prompt such a reaction."

Feng Yi: "What’s your take on it?"

Student: "There are a few possible reasons. Firstly, there’s no sudden appearance of predators in the sea, so we can rule out that factor."

Feng Yi: "... Right!"

Student: "The most likely explanation is stress from the external environment. Mass autotomy has happened before, but this time the situation is too strange. Currently, there is no sign of water pollution, no detectable sudden temperature changes, and no other abnormal indicators have been reported. It’s all... quite abrupt. The unknown is what causes unease and doubt."

The docks were still bustling.

Those gathering starfish were busy tipping the contents of their nets out, and the starfish buyers were lined up in a long queue, waiting.

Oyster and clam farmers huddled together; they seemed to have gotten some new information, as the worried expressions on their faces had lessened and their voices had grown louder.

Seeing this, the students whispered among themselves:

"As expected, the starfish catch today far exceeds that of yesterday."

"Coastal starfish are gathering towards the shore. It’s strange because today’s temperature is similar to yesterday’s, yet their feeding activity is subdued."

"Starfish are converging in nearshore areas, but further out they’re retreating. This bloom doesn’t seem like it will take off. I heard from my tutor, there’s a strange ’vacuum zone’ in the sea. Few fish are there, and only the severed arms of starfish remain. It’s like a barrier strip. On this side of the strip, starfish are gathering towards the shore, but on the other side, they’re dispersing."

"It’s like the circle drawn by Sun Wukong. Outside the circle, no demons or goblins can enter; it’s somewhat like a barrier... I suspect there’s some special force..."

"What are you talking nonsense about? My professor and others are currently sampling in that area, data is still being collected, we don’t know the specifics. Don’t speculate wildly, don’t spread word carelessly! And, make sure the media doesn’t catch wind of it, you say one thing, they can turn it into a hundred, who knows what stories they’ll spin. Oh look, a boat’s coming in!"

Feng Yi looked over to see a research vessel docking, and he also spotted Professor Ding and a few others.

When Professor Ding saw Feng Yi, he walked over. He had probably had a rough night, with dark shadows under his eyes and looking weary, yet he wasn’t lethargic and seemed to be in good spirits.

Professor Ding stopped Feng Yi, "Our sea snake task was about to get underway, wasn’t it? But there’s been an incident here, and I discussed with Old Li this morning that we should stay here a few more days. It’s going to be busy here, and you wouldn’t have much to contribute. If you don’t have any other arrangements, you can leave Mo City for now."

Feng Yi responded.

But in his mind, he thought: No hurry to leave; I’d like to stay here a bit longer and see what they can find out.