Forest Ranger, starting from Picking Up a Lynx Girl
Chapter 500 - 456: Missing Unified Entrance

Having gotten familiar with the team members, the Big White Monkey no longer resists their approach and even helps another female team member with her backpack.

Dao Meihua has extensive knowledge of plants, and along the way, she discovered several with medicinal properties, but hasn't seen any rare ones yet.

The Big White Monkey is not interested in other things but is very curious about the flowers and plants.

Dao Meihua also became interested, pulling the Big White Monkey over to explain which grasses can treat illnesses and which plant roots and stems can be used as food in critical moments.

What she said, the Big White Monkey didn't understand, but with Chen Ying there too, Dao Meihua would say it once, and Chen Ying would repeat it in his own way. The Big White Monkey seemed to understand some of it, seriously noting down the edible plants.

Dai Wang recorded a short video for a minute and didn't forget to complain to his companions, "Look at the Big White Monkey, how good its attitude is when listening to lessons, unlike some students, take them out for fieldwork and they act like it's a holiday, asking if there's any gain from this trip, and they say nothing except that the road was tough and the scenery wasn't nice!"

After walking for a while, Dai Wang called a halt, "There's something wrong with the magnetic field here, you see, the compass isn't working, nor is the phone positioning."

Fortunately, everyone had outdoor experience, and after some discussion, they decided to first find a campsite for the night, otherwise, the forest would be dangerous after dark.

After understanding what they wanted to do, the Big White Monkey led Chen Ying to a spot below a cliff.

There was a natural cave here, at least ten meters high, and the floor area was about twenty to thirty square meters, most importantly, there was a small spring to the left of the cave.

The rocks on the floor below had been worn into a stone depression by the constant flow of water over the years, about the size of a washbasin, less than ten centimeters deep.

The accumulated water flowed down the rock wall, carving a shallow channel in the ground, then flowed into the roadside grass.

Perhaps somewhere below, these waters would gather into a stream, joyously joining a river, and ultimately flowing into the sea.

Chen Ying and the others chose the right side, keeping away from the water source as much as possible, leaving a path for animals coming here to drink.

The two tents were set up, with three of the boys in one, and the two girls in another.

The night watch would also be rotated among the three boys, so the girls wouldn't have to endure it with them.

The Big White Monkey wasn't interested in the tent, unlike the White Bear. It didn't like enclosed spaces and insisted on sleeping in a tree at night.

Chen Ying and the others set up the tents, casually made some dinner, and then started exploring the surroundings, setting up two cameras across from the water source.

The Big White Monkey was very curious about what they were doing, ran over to watch, and even saw its image appearing on the camera. This fellow kept running in front of the lens, causing Chen Ying to have to drag it back, telling it that if it kept it up, the camera battery would run out early.

The Big White Monkey bared its teeth and grinned at Chen Ying, still wanting to take a photo with his phone.

This big guy seemed smart, it actually knew how to use a phone to photograph itself.

They didn't let it play too long, much like human parents controlling their children's phone play time, Chen Ying only gave it five minutes.

What it played with was a spare phone, beyond taking photos and some apps, anything involving money was inaccessible.

After playing for a while, the Big White Monkey took the initiative to return the phone to Chen Ying, then ran into the forest and disappeared from sight.

"Don't worry about it; it seems very familiar with the environment here, let's eat first, and after that, while there's still some time, let's have a look around, and tomorrow we'll move down a bit more."

It must be said that having the Big White Monkey accompanying them saved them a lot of detours.

Twice during the day they wanted to head the other way, but the Big White Monkey stopped them and led them downward, eventually finding a relatively safe place for the night.

After dinner, everyone began to work according to their respective arrangements.

Even though they didn't encounter any notable animals or plants today, they took another step in understanding the ecosystem outside the Grand Canyon.

The next morning, they packed up their things, prepared to follow the plan set the day before.

"Ying Bo, Mr. Chen, the two of us are going to look around the west side, within a fifty-meter radius. When we came down yesterday, I saw an animal path over there, we want to stake it out."

"Alright, the two of you act together, stay safe, and come back for help immediately if threatened, don't try and tough it out, did you bring a whistle?"

"We did, and the walkie-talkie batteries are sufficient."

After checking the rescue equipment they carried, Dai Wang and the female team member headed to the western forest one after the other.

Ying Bo prepared to walk a circle along the direction where the Big White Monkey left last night, also within a fifty-meter radius.

There was no way around it; the mountains were high and the forests dense here, a fifty-meter radius was already a very large area.

Chen Ying and Dao Meihua walked directly downward along the direction of the stream, their search planned for a radius of one hundred meters.

Their hundred-meter search starting from the cave was east-southeast-bound, they'd turn back at the point, not searching elsewhere.

"It's a pity that the mountains are high and the forests dense here, we simply can't use drones, otherwise the survey task would be much easier."

Chen Ying stood with his hiking stick, staying by Dao Meihua's side.

Dao Meihua was photographing an orchid, taking soil samples and leaf samples.

"This is a Yellow Flower Calanthe, a rare endangered plant. I didn't expect to find a small community here."

Dao Meihua excitedly picked up the camera, snapping shots, then used her phone to record a video, intending to send it to her senior brother once she's back in signal range.

Her senior brother specializes in orchid research and loves orchids like life itself.

"It's a shame the flowers have already bloomed this year; maybe next year there'll be a chance to see it, the blossoms are especially beautiful."

After collecting the data and samples, Dao Meihua straightened up, looking at Chen Ying.

"I'll show you pictures of the Yellow Flower Calanthe my senior brother grows later. His research team is doing work on reintroducing and conserving Yellow Flower Calanthe and has had flowers in bloom at the reintroduction site for three consecutive years, they're particularly beautiful."

Coming down this time, they finally found a rare plant; the trip wasn't in vain.

The two continued forward, walking about twenty meters before they saw a beast trail, and faint trampling sounds came from their ears.

Chen Ying made a gesture, took a few steps back with Dao Meihua, and stood beside a tree.

Both of them raised their phones, aiming at where the sound was coming from.

After about five or six minutes, a Chinese Muntjac leisurely climbed up from below.

This big fellow has antlers like a deer but not a deer, hooves like a cow but not a cow, a head like a sheep but not a sheep, and a tail like a donkey but not a donkey, so folks call it a "Siyang," and some sources say it's the legendary Heavenly Horse.

Whether it is the Heavenly Horse is unknown, but this creature has a bold temperament yet a timid nature.

It gets startled easily, and when startled, it loves to charge around recklessly. With its robust body and thick skin, it can injure others through collisions, and even those stronger than it would avoid its sharpness.

Of course, if it becomes the target of a predator, it surely faces a dead end.

The muntjac walked about two or three meters towards Chen Ying and them, sensed something was off, its big ears turning around, and its dark, alert eyes looking around cautiously. After wagging its tail a few times, it turned and ran, scrambling up the slope diagonally until it vanished.

"Did you capture it?" Chen Ying glanced sideways at Dao Meihua's phone.

"Got it, this big fellow is both ugly and cute."

They waited a bit longer without seeing other animals come by, so they continued forward.

It's mostly downhill, reaching the end to find a cliff.

Spring water from within the cave flowed along a shallow trench to here, then trickled down the cliff face.

Chen Ying leaned out holding onto a branch and looked down, roughly twenty-some meters high, about the height of a six or seven-story building. Below was a pool, and a small stream crossed the mountain wall like a strap, the pool nestled like a watch dial embedded in the strap.

The view ahead wasn't open; a mountain peak at least 1,500 meters high stood before them, with jagged peaks and peculiar rocks.

Dao Meihua noted down quite a few plants along the way. Though not especially famous, they were of a kind that needed protection.

"It's a pity Old Gao isn't here, otherwise we wouldn't let even a bird pass."

The research team that came didn't include any ornithologists. In the vast forest, the sound of birdsong rose one after another, but aside from the common birds, he couldn't identify the singers just from their calls.

"Alright, let's head back. If we have time, we can check out Ying Bo's place."

"Let's go..." Before Chen Ying could finish his sentence, the system which had been silent for 800 years suddenly appeared.

[Rare creatures found in the pool below seeking help, please complete the rescue within an hour.]

Chen Ying nearly sat down on the ground from shock, and if it weren't for Dao Meihua's presence, he would've cursed out loud.

After staying silent for a year or two, he thought he'd already unbound from it, only to find this damned guy was still there!

He felt a thousand alpacas coursing through his mind.

Complaining aside, the task had to be done.

The system couldn't resist speaking up, which meant the creatures below were precious and truly in grave danger.

But how could he explain this to Dao Meihua?

Instinctively, he looked down again, and perhaps with the system's help, or maybe that little creature was fated to live, Chen Ying gazed for a moment, adjusted his phone's focus, and focused on a spot below.

"Wow, something's happening down there."

"What's happening?" Dao Meihua, ready to head back, quickly leaned over upon hearing this.

"By the pool, roughly five or six meters upstream. Do you see it? It seems like something is soaking there."

"Maybe it's a water-dwelling creature?"

"Are you talking about fish? Could be, I think it's a Giant Chinese Salamander, which is what we call the Giant Salamander."

As he explained, he pulled out a paracord from his backpack, tied the strands together, fixed one end to a large nearby tree, then attached a safety buckle, and proceeded to go down for a look.

Dao Meihua didn't stop him, staying above ready to assist at any moment.

Luckily, there were more rocks than mud below the cliff, not that arduous marshy ground.

Chen Ying quickly approached the incident site of the Giant Salamander after going down.

Upon closer inspection, he found that the Giant Salamander had wedged itself between two large stones.

The stones were heavy, and its strength wasn't enough; struggling for a long time not only didn't free itself but caused several wounds, unable even to cry for help.

If not for the system alert, Chen Ying would never have discovered its presence, and given half a day more, this poor creature could only die silently.

Chen Ying had rescued a Giant Salamander in Jiamu Gully before, so he researched Giant Salamanders thoroughly after that.

The Giant Chinese Salamander, previously considered a singular species in the central and southern regions, was confirmed via genetic data in latest research to consist of several distinct species distributed in different river systems.

Although they appear similar, they have actually evolved into at least seven species, and models support a total of nine species.

Currently, only four species have been named by scientists, with only two having their conservation status assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, both of which are critically endangered.

The system's urgent alert could mean this Giant Salamander belongs to one of the unknown species beyond the known seven, perhaps even nine.

After all, Shennongjia is historically mysterious and rarely visited by outsiders, widely believed to possibly harbor unknown species.

Just because the Giant Salamander looks familiar doesn't mean it's an ordinary species!