Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 370 - 270 Can You Eat It?_1

Chapter 370: Chapter 270 Can You Eat It?_1

Feng Yi actually noticed that there were people around, but he was busy distinguishing scents, and since the others soon moved away, he didn’t divert his attention to greet them.

After finishing a leaf of greens, he identified the scent of the little bugs and then stood up to walk inside the house.

He balled up another leaf in his hand and stuffed it in his mouth. Wasting food is shameful.

Inside, Captain Wen and the other team members had finished discussing their business.

When Feng Yi came over, Captain Wen introduced him to several other team members who had just returned to the unit.

"Hello, Feng... expert," Deputy Captain Jin reached out for a handshake with Feng Yi.

Deputy Captain Jin looked more approachable than Captain Wen.

But that was only on the surface. One must never judge by appearances alone when it comes to the people of the Alliance Protection Bureau.

"Just call me Feng Yi," Feng Yi said.

In this setting, he was the youngest and didn’t like being directly addressed as ’Teacher’ or ’Expert’.

But his status as an expert was unmistakable here, so nobody would call him ’Little Feng’ outright.

Nor would anyone from the Alliance Protection Bureau call him by his internet nickname "Brother Se."

So they went with his name.

Having left the "mystical" atmosphere of the compound, Feng Yi now appeared much more normal, and in conversation, he didn’t make the patrol team members feel uncomfortable.

"What were you doing just now? Did you find something?" Deputy Captain Jin asked, curious.

"No. Just feeling out what’s special about this place," Feng Yi said.

"What did you sense?"

"The vibrancy of life."

Deputy Captain Jin: "...Oh. Life is indeed vibrant in this mountain range."

Remembering how Feng Yi had been nibbling on the leaves earlier, Deputy Captain Jin added, "The large leaves of this variety of kale probably don’t taste very good raw."

Feng Yi nodded, "It’s not that great. But it contains some flavors not found elsewhere."

The station master of the monitoring station came over, heard this, and chimed in, "They are locally cultivated and count as one of the specialties here, even the same batch of seeds, planted in different locations, would taste different."

This difference, people would usually attribute to local climatic and soil factors.

Different soils and environments would undoubtedly result in variations in the plants that grow there, including trace elements and so on.

Feng Yi’s analysis went beyond this, but there was no need to elaborate.

He smiled and continued to chat casually with the team members, getting to know each other. They would be teammates for the next two weeks.

Checking the time, Captain Wen coughed lightly, "We have a team meeting in half an hour, everyone, please get ready."

Since there was a meeting coming up, of course, Feng Yi had to take notes, so he went back to his room to get his notebook.

After Feng Yi left, the patrol team members started discussing him again.

"He’s actually not that bad," a team member commented. The first impression was that Feng Yi’s actions were outrageous, but after talking to him, they felt differently.

"He must be trying to discern information from the smells of the plants and insects here," Captain Wen recalled, aware that Feng Yi’s sense of smell was far above that of ordinary people.

"Experts all have their peculiar ways of doing things."

"Indeed, geniuses are misunderstood; their view of the world is different from ours. A talent like Feng Yi, who was exceptionally promoted by the Alliance Protection Bureau, must be one of them."

Back in his room, Feng Yi was unaware that the team members classified him as having the behavior pattern of a "genius oddball."

He got in touch with Jia, asking him to settle in the nearby town on his own; he didn’t need the supplies Jia had brought with him right now.

After snacking on two pieces of Bing’s specially made compressed rations and brewing a cup of nutritional water for a small meal, Feng Yi then took his pen and notebook to the place where the team meeting would be held.

No recording was allowed, so he had to take handwritten notes.

With his previous mission experience, Feng Yi now had ample notetaking practice.

The seventh patrol team this time had about a dozen people, split into two groups to enter the mountain. One group was responsible for the external sites of the mountain range, and the other for core area sites in the hinterland, four people in each group.

Some team members stayed behind at the monitoring station to handle other tasks.

For those going out on the mountain patrol, the plan was a trip of 6+2+6 days.

The first six days were mainly spent at sites on the southern side of the mountain range, the following two days resting at a conservation station situated in-between the south-north routes, and the last six days at sites on the northern side of the range.

The specific itinerary and plans had not been clear to Feng Yi before, as he only knew that this mission would last nearly two weeks.

It wasn’t that Captain Wen hadn’t told him before but that the team members who arrived here in advance, based on the latest information and data, had further analyzed and devised detailed routes and plans.

Feng Yi would be following Captain Wen’s group, responsible for the core area in the hinterland of the mountain range.

The meeting laid out the specific itinerary and task assignments, including the dangers involved and various contingency plans.

When finished, Captain Wen looked toward Feng Yi, the only "new member" there.

"Feng Yi, do you have any questions?"

"Uh... yes."

Feng Yi straightened up, looked at Captain Wen with a grave expression and said, "I’m wondering, after we enter the mountains, can we eat the wild fruits there? Not the highly protected ones, but the edible kind?"

The conference room fell silent.

The team members looked at Feng Yi, then back to Captain Wen.

With composure, Captain Wen replied, "Yes, you can. However, generally speaking, after we enter the mountains, aside from drinking water, we try to consume only the food we bring with us so as not to waste time on matters outside the mission." For instance, you wouldn’t want to spend time searching for a doctor because you ate something that upset your stomach.

Feng Yi: "Okay, no other questions."

Captain Wen: "You only need to bring the items you need for yourself, you’re not responsible for any other patrol equipment."

Feng Yi: "Okay."

After the meeting, Feng Yi went back to the dormitory, picked up a large backpack, and started packing what he would need for the six-day trip into the mountains.

For a six-day mountain journey, the food and equipment he carried categorized as heavy-duty.

He didn’t need to bring much gear, mainly food.

The next day, the team members gathered to set off.

The small team of four, besides Captain Wen and Feng Yi, included Zhuo Xiao and Lu Pengbo, two patrol officers.

They needed to take a helicopter to a designated conservation station near the heart of the mountain range.

At the assembly point, everyone saw Feng Yi’s backpack, which was a size larger than what they were carrying.

Team members: "..."

They had presumed it was just larger in capacity, maybe filled with bulky yet light items. An expert, after all, would have tools not carried by others.

However, the moment Feng Yi set down his big backpack, the resounding "thud" upon impact clearly spoke of its solidity.

Team members: "..."

They looked toward Captain Wen.

With the captain present, they wouldn’t directly comment on the expert’s choices right before a mission, especially considering that this expert was brought by Captain Wen himself.

Yet Captain Wen only looked calmly at Feng Yi and asked, "Can you keep up?"

Feng Yi: "I can."

Captain Wen: "Alright, let’s set off."

The dialogue was quite mundane, with both sides appearing very calm.

But inside—

Feng Yi: "Luckily, I didn’t bring that 5-liter water bucket the butler prepared! It’s too conspicuous!"

Captain Wen: "If he can’t keep up, kick him out directly!"

Since the captain hadn’t said anything else, the team members didn’t speak further.

A taller team member smiled kindly at Feng Yi and asked, "Need any help?"

"No, thanks."

Feng Yi put on his backpack and boarded the helicopter with the others.

This helicopter, besides carrying them, was also responsible for delivering supplies to several isolated conservation stations. After all, hunting was not allowed in the mountains, and due to many restrictions, most supplies had to be transported in.

The conservation station designated as their starting point wasn’t large, and aside from the area for the helicopter to land, there wasn’t much living space.

After landing at the conservation station, Captain Wen took the team for a brief rest before setting off.

To protect the wildlife habitats, there were no roads here, only footpaths.

Following the planned route, they would first walk along the patrol line for a while and then head towards the target location.

In certain places that required climbing, teammates helped each other.

When they reached a steep slope, Captain Wen went first with the help of his teammates, followed by the others, with Captain Wen pulling them up from above.

Zhuo Xiao looked at Feng Yi, "You go first."

Feng Yi: "You guys go ahead."

Zhuo Xiao looked at Captain Wen.

Captain Wen nodded.

Without much talking, Zhuo Xiao climbed the steep slope with the help of his teammates.

Feng Yi then helped another person climb up.

Just as Captain Wen pulled his teammate up, he turned to Feng Yi, ready to pull him up next. He thought he would pull up Feng Yi’s backpack first, then the person.

Before he could reach out, Feng Yi was already beside him, backpack and all, with a whoosh.

The three on site: ???

How did he get up so quickly?

After a moment of shock, Captain Wen silently chuckled. It was unclear whether he was laughing at someone else or at himself.

"Alright, let’s continue."

This time was not like filming outdoors or conducting educational exploratory activities with constant interaction and communication.

The regional conservation task team would remain silent unless necessary.

They stayed alert at all times, carefully distinguishing sounds from their surroundings.

On their way to the first target site through the mountains, they had heard the sound of branches breaking.

It was an adult giant panda, sitting in a bamboo grove enjoying its meal. Its robust figure was clearly not to be trifled with.

Captain Wen led the team to carefully circumvent it.

Giant pandas might look clumsy and cute in zoos or some television shows.

But remember, this is a bear!

Wild giant pandas require even more caution.

Of course, during their journey through the mountains, they also encountered a sensitive and timid one.

That one, slightly smaller in size, quickly climbed a tree after hearing their movements, vigilantly watching them from the branches.

Captain Wen took photos to record it, but did not disturb the animal.

Feng Yi looked at the giant panda in the tree and thought: It climbs pretty nimbly.

Before entering the mountains, Feng Yi had heard from the monitoring station about the giant pandas living in the mountain ranges.

Ordinary people wouldn’t want to risk being chased by a wild giant panda in these forests.

If you climb a tree, it can climb too.

If you jump into a river, it can swim.

If you try to run in the mountains, you’re not necessarily faster than it is.

In the mountains, when facing them, you can’t find an advantage in weight, speed, or skill.

So, teasing an adult giant panda in the wild is simply asking for trouble.

However, Feng Yi felt amazement thinking: This creature is truly a chosen one!

With its strong abilities, even if it struggles to survive, it can still make a good living by acting cute around humans.

During the months they move to lower altitudes, there are times when one or two will descend the mountain to wander into villagers’ homes, take a stroll, and then head back up the mountain.

If they encounter difficulties, villagers will lend a hand, or if they can’t help, they’ll contact a rescue station.

What about snakes, huh?

They’ll kill you, oh yes.

Thanks to years of protection and rescue efforts, the number of giant pandas in the mountains has also increased significantly.

However, most are still deep within the mountain ranges, in places rarely visited by humans.

The wild giant pandas in the mountains are the survivors of natural selection. Invading their territory could likely provoke an attack.

As creatures that eat and defecate a lot, following a "eat fast, poop fast" rhythm, they leave many traces in the woods.

Although somewhat reluctantly, Feng Yi still pointed out certain traces to Captain Wen and his team. They needed to make some related records on their route.

Sometimes, Feng Yi would also take notes in a small notebook.

Paying more attention now would make it easier to write the report after the mission was over.

After making the necessary records, Captain Wen turned around and saw Feng Yi nibbling on some fruit he had plucked from an unknown plant, walking towards a nearby shrub.

A spotted herbivorous insect was resting on a branch.

Feng Yi caught the insect with his other hand and brought it closer to sniff carefully.

Captain Wen stepped forward quickly, reflexively: "You can’t eat this!"

Feng Yi looked puzzled: "I know."

Many insects in the wild carry parasites; they can’t be eaten raw.

He wasn’t desperate enough to eat anything that came his way!