Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 721 - 461 One Koi, Two Koi..._2

Chapter 721: Chapter 461 One Koi, Two Koi..._2

Setting aside that question, Wei Hongxun led Feng Yi towards the temporary station.

Looking at Feng Yi, then behind him, Wei Hongxun asked, "Did you really come by yourself?"

Feng Yi: "Otherwise?"

Wei Hongxun said, "I thought you would bring bodyguards."

The incident with the blue diamond was quite a stir, and at the same time, he was one of the shareholders of Ancestral Factory, an international pharmaceutical giant, very wealthy.

Generally speaking, wealthy celebrities with public influence take their personal safety very seriously. To prevent kidnapping and extortion, they travel with bodyguards.

This kind of operation was not mandatory.

And yet, Feng Yi not only truly participated but also did so without bodyguards.

Wei Hongxun was somewhat surprised.

While indeed bodyguards were not allowed to enter their operation teams, they could be instructed to wait nearby or at a designated location.

Feng Yi said he wouldn’t bring bodyguards, and he really didn’t.

As they conversed, they arrived at the temporary base.

Feng Yi’s gaze swept around. There were several youthful new faces, from their appearances and accents, it seemed these people were from different provinces and cities across the country.

These new faces were all very young, somewhat immature. Not in their looks, but in their ability to control their emotions and the situation. Moreover, their eyes shone with obvious excitement and curiosity when they saw Feng Yi.

Investigators like Wei Hongxun, who had worked their way up from being rookies, were now steady as old dogs.

In comparison, it was very obvious who was a newcomer and who was a veteran.

"Who are they?" Feng Yi asked.

"Trainees. They’re still in training courses, mostly temporarily pulled in to gain practical experience ahead of time," Wei Hongxun explained.

The Security Bureau’s training for new recruits happened everywhere. However, with the release of animals during the New Year period, some places had more, some had less, so naturally, the allocation of personnel was based on the actual situation.

"Not bad, you can already take trainees," Feng Yi remarked.

"We’re short of manpower. This time it’s mostly old hands leading new ones, and besides, this operation isn’t difficult. For the trainees, it’s just a simple homework assignment," Wei Hongxun said.

Feng Yi nodded, "That’s true, this year is particularly strict and requires a lot of manpower."

In previous years there were similar operations, but this year was especially strict. The Butterfly Plan played a part in this change.

The progress of the Butterfly Plan involved not just upgrading meteorological monitoring but also intensifying supervision of all work related to ecology.

The vast database covered all aspects,

and data uploads became more frequent. And when it comes to ecological issues, everything is interconnected. Errors are not tolerated at such critical times.

When the order came from above, all the links at the lower levels, of course, had to be tightly controlled.

Before the new year, authoritative media had already released messages about "severe punishment for illegal animal release."

This operation wasn’t solely the Security Bureau’s effort but involved cooperation across multiple departments.

Work meetings had been held well in advance, and patrolling areas had been assigned.

The Yang City sub-branch divided its patrol range into several teams, dispersing them.

Feng Yi was assigned to Wei Hongxun’s team.

Team leader Wei Hongxun checked the time: "Has everyone arrived?"

Calling everyone over: "Alright, now let’s distribute the tasks!"

Their team’s assigned area was some distance from the city center, neither a city park nor a popular scenic area nearby, but closer to the wild.

Part of the team was responsible for on-site observation, while another part patrolled back and forth within their assigned area.

Feng Yi, of course, chose to patrol back and forth; he had no wish to stand still in one place. He felt quite at ease in the mountain forests and by the river.

Besides, drones flew back and forth overhead, observing from the sky.

Wei Hongxun explained that their operation team’s temporary name was "Passing Mountain Wind."

Feng Yi raised an eyebrow: "Passing Mountain Wind?"

Wei Hongxun: "Don’t you think the name is quite fitting? It was quickly approved when I reported it."

"Alright then."

Passing Mountain Wind team?

Feng Yi knew that some in the Security Bureau privately called him "Passing Mountain Wind," saying he caught snakes as quickly as a breeze through the mountains, and similarly, he was unafraid of venomous snakes, carrying a bit of a king’s demeanor.

So, the nickname "King Cobra" was being used rather loosely here.

It’s all minor issues, just naming a temporary squad for a temporary task.

Wei Hongxun had distributed the assignments to each team member, pairing them up to patrol within their designated areas.

And Wei Hongxun himself was teamed up with Feng Yi.

Given Feng Yi’s special status, Wei Hongxun didn’t trust him with anyone else.

They headed towards the assignment area.

"Last year, my partner and I were assigned to a park on the outskirts of the city. We caught them red-handed."

"There are still so many people releasing animals illegally?" Feng Yi wondered.

"One-sided kindness is nothing but hypocrisy! Self-deceiving!" Wei Hongxun had no respect for such insincere goodwill, "I don’t know what they’re thinking. It’s unstoppable!"

Pray for blessings, release animals.

Make vows, release animals.

If you’re going to release them, at least follow the rules, respect the ecology, right?!

Otherwise, releasing animals is killing animals! It’s sinning!

Feng Yi thought of the live streams he had recently seen, "I saw some fish farms doing live broadcasts on releasing animals, saying you can go there to release them. The fish farms are supposed to stock fish anyway, the fish are all ready, and those who want to release them just go pick the fish they like and then release them in a designated place..."

When he saw such live streams, Feng Yi felt, well, his intelligence was insulted.

"I thought it was a joke, or just a trend, but there were so many orders in the live stream! I don’t know if they’re just boosting numbers, or if there really are that many people with different ways of thinking."

Wei Hongxun thought for a moment, "This issue... you can’t use the thought processes of normal people to understand those people. A while ago, the department held a meeting with other relevant departments to discuss punishment for those who release animals against regulations. They wanted to add a penalty: make them plant and cultivate forests."

Feng Yi agreed, "Planting trees is also a form of releasing life!"

Wei Hongxun said, "That’s true, but the related departments are worried those people would waste the seedlings, so the proposal didn’t pass. Those who release animals against regulations have unusual ways of thinking."

Stupid minds, lots of troubles; either too light or too heavy, it can easily bring more complications. We don’t expect them to do this work.

"The place we’re assigned to this time, it’s not often visited by people, so they shouldn’t catch many, right?" Feng Yi asked.

"I think the opposite, precisely because the city is strict and easy to be spotted, places with less people like this are more targeted by those ’fixated’ individuals."

The two of them chatted quietly, speaking softly as they walked towards their assignment, also keeping an eye on their surroundings.

The weather had cleared, Yang City was slightly warmer, but the ground temperature was still okay.

They wore no signs associating them with their profession; Feng Yi was dressed in very ordinary casual wear today, in unremarkable colors and wearing a hat.

Wei Hongxun felt safe going out on an assignment with an expert like Feng Yi. Even if they encountered a bag of venomous snakes, there was no need to worry. The expert beside him would catch snakes in the wild with the ease of picking wild vegetables along the way.

At the same time, on another mud path not far away, a young man hurried along, looking somewhat panicked, stopping from time to time to check his surroundings.

In his hand, he carried a simple fishing bucket, the kind commonly used for outdoor fishing.

He walked to the chosen spot, arrived at the riverbanks, carefully set down the bucket, and crouched to open the lid of the portable water bucket.

Inside were palm-sized koi, brought over today for release, to wish for the new year.

The man was solemn, holding a koi with both hands and placing it into the river while murmuring to himself.

One koi.

"May you leap the Dragon’s Gate!"

Two koi.

"Pass all exams!"

Three koi.

"Succeed in postgraduate entrance exams!"

...

He was deeply involved in his task.

Suddenly, a stern voice called out, "Who’s there?! What are you doing!"

The person releasing the fish got a scare, and in his panic, he slipped; he tumbled into the river along with the bucket and the fish.

The man floundered, shouting, "Help! I can’t swim!"

After a couple of splashes, he realized that although this part of the river wasn’t very shallow, it wasn’t deep enough to be threatening either.

Just a bit cold.

Looking at the officials, possibly from the joint enforcement bureau or a related department, who had already run over.

It felt even colder.