Closer to Revealing My True Self-Chapter 272 - 202 - Propaganda_1

After shedding his skin and celebrating his birthday, Feng Yi had to start working.

With more targets in mind, he was full of motivation.

Once a person has a goal, their spirit is different.

The day after Early March, Feng Yi called Jia and the others for a serious meeting. This was not idle chatter like during the birthday; this meeting was to discuss the upcoming arrangements and task distribution.

Feng Yi was assigned the mission involving the sea serpent, and when the time came, he and Jia would go together, with Jia driving.

Yi and Ding were tasked with going to Rong City, near Yue Mountain, where they needed someone to oversee the house renovation in that neighborhood.

Bing and the butler would stay at the home in Yang City. It was necessary to leave someone behind.

Wu wouldn’t be leaving either. His workplace was right there, and as a special personal doctor, his duties weren’t just to give Feng Yi physical check-ups and treat minor illnesses, but also to conduct research related to Feng Yi.

Through this research, he could understand Feng Yi’s physical condition better and find solutions to potential illnesses.

Even if Wu left Yang City, it would only be to discuss biotoxin matters with the Ancestor Company and he wouldn’t be gone for long. The cooperation with Ancestor Company also needed his follow-up, and any progress would be discussed in detail with Feng Yi.

When Feng Yi was executing the missions for the Joint Protection Bureau, having a driver wasn’t conspicuous, but bringing a personal doctor would be hard to justify.

Once the serious matters were arranged, Feng Yi also contacted Ji and Geng from the Ancestor Company to understand the research progress and sales situation of "Ancestor Y." After all, it was related to his financial reserves.

"Everything’s going smoothly. The sales of various derivatives of the Y series are also quite good. You will have a large income coming in soon..."

Knowing that Feng Yi was not very familiar with specialized matters, Geng, responsible for the company’s operation, briefly summarized the situation.

Feng Yi looked over the summary sent by Geng and listened attentively to his report. Geng was doing well with the company’s matters, and there was no need for Feng Yi, a layman, to interfere too much.

Shifting his gaze to another video window, Feng Yi asked, "What about Ji’s side? Apart from research, is there anything else?"

Ji, in the laboratory’s office, had already briefed Feng Yi on the research aspect. He was about to leave Yang City for a coastal city to commence the sea serpent mission. Any company matters that required his attention needed to be prearranged because once the Joint Protection Bureau’s mission started, it would be challenging to leave halfway to attend to other issues.

Feng Yi also wanted to get promoted within the Joint Protection Bureau, and he needed more merit for that, so he couldn’t afford to abandon the mission halfway.

"Nothing much else. If your mission takes too long, I only hope you can provide enough toxin before you leave, especially after Early March—the more in quantity that week, the better," Ji said.

After Early March, Feng Yi underwent another enhancement, and naturally, the potency of his venom increased accordingly. The activity of certain enzymes in the venom was extremely high, which was precisely what the company needed for synthesizing targeted proteins.

Feng Yi nodded, "I’ll store as much venom as I can before I leave."

Connected to his own treasury and plans, Feng Yi was very proactive in collecting venom every day; this was something he wouldn’t forget.

Moreover, after shedding his skin, the quantity of his venom had increased, and adding a little more on top of the previous amount wasn’t too burdensome.

With serious business taken care of, Feng Yi went online to check for fresh news, looking for any hot topics or recent developments.

Then he discovered...

The fish-fall event associated with Early March wasn’t over yet.

Looking further into relevant discussions, Feng Yi was dumbfounded—he had no idea it could lead to so many repercussions—

In Yang City and neighboring markets, the sales of sea fish had surged dramatically, and the price of freshwater fish had also slightly risen, with people even fighting over fish!

Several popular video platform hosts and content creators were exposed for fabricating content, some mixing truth with falsehood, while others engaged in pure fiction. They would buy fish from the market for scene setting, then take them to a place of their choice to lay out the display, pretending they just arrived there—their acting skills were so convincing they could give award-winning actors a run for their money!

The most outrageous case involved a content creator seeking traffic, who somehow obtained sea creatures to set up the scene. In the video, a questionable specimen of Tridacna gigas appeared.

Tridacna gigas, also known as Giant Clam, is a protected marine species at the national level.

Although that video uploader deleted the footage quickly, the call for screenshots and reporting was quicker.

After that, there was no more news from that content creator, no matter what the netizens asked, there were no responses.

Rumor had it that the team behind the account attracted the attention of the two fierce tigers, the Joint Protection Bureau and the Provincial Environmental Resources Enforcement Team. It was unclear if the content creator could make it back "alive."

Feng Yi, looking at the video screenshots and comparing them to the comments made by professionals, concluded there was a good possibility that the creature in the video was indeed a Tridacna gigas.

Fans of the content creator even talked about tornadoes carrying them in, but Feng Yi wouldn’t take the blame for that! The sea area where the water tornado occurred certainly did not have Giant Clams!

Feng Yi continued browsing the public reactions under other topics.

The Yang City fish-fall event, amid the excitement of netizens in between fabrications and debunking, gradually cooled their enthusiasm—

[So, how much of it is true?]

[After reading so many debunking and exposé posts, I suddenly don’t know what to believe.]

[I suspect the fish from the sky was all man-made!]

[Man-made is unlikely, the fish-fall did happen, confirmed by locals in Yang City, brought by a water tornado. But in reality, there weren’t that many fish. It’s just that some people, for the sake of video effects, added human elements, and there were too many gimmicks.]

The topic continued to be a hot trend for another two days until the Internet masses were gradually distracted by other fresh news.

As the fish-fall event in Yang City gradually faded, Feng Yi also breathed a sigh of relief. With preparations at hand complete, it was time to leave Yang City.

However, before Feng Yi left Yang City, Wei Hongxun came to see him.

In the days following Early March, Hong Xun, an investigator for the Joint Protection Bureau, was very busy continuously following up on the "fish from the sky" event. With sudden incidences and a shortage of personnel, Hong Xun and his fellow junior investigators were all reassigned tasks.

Now, with Hong Xun visiting at this time, Feng Yi felt a sudden surge of nervousness, but he kept a steady composure on the surface.

"I have a mission in Cui Lake area for investigation and took the opportunity to come see you," Hong Xun said.

Wei Hongxun was not the type to chat idly for no reason, so Feng Yi knew there must be something up, or perhaps he bore some news.

"You know about what happened on Early March, don’t you?" Wei Hongxun asked.

"Mhm."

"It’s about the seaside waterspout and the fish-falling incident in Yang City."

"I know, it’s all over the hot searches online, and a fish even fell into my yard," Feng Yi said coolly, his face betraying none of the guilt within.

Wei Hongxun did not associate the incident with Feng Yi; he believed Feng Yi’s words since fish had indeed fallen in that area, and according to the investigation data, Feng Yi’s neighborhood was within the range of falling fish, with other residents also experiencing fish drops.

Wei Hongxun then explained the science to Feng Yi, fearing that Feng Yi would be influenced by the wild speculations online, "Hey, it’s really just a meteorological phenomenon, we’ve discussed it several times in meetings, there have been climate fluctuations in the past two years. Strong convective weather caused a waterspout near the coast, and the tornado lifted fish from the sea into the air; those that fell in Yang City were swept up from over there."

Feng Yi looked serious and seemed to agree completely, "Right! That’s exactly it!"

As for any mysterious forces, I have no idea! It was all triggered by strong convective weather!

Hearing Feng Yi say this, Wei Hongxun felt satisfied in his heart, That’s the spirit of our United Protection Bureau’s expert! Objective and rational when facing issues, not beguiled by the nonsense on the internet!

"But not everyone can understand and accept a scientific explanation, there’s all sorts of crazy talk out there," sighed Wei Hongxun.

Having become familiar with Feng Yi, Wei Hongxun’s manner of speaking was less formal as he moved on to the purpose of his visit today, "It’s this incident that has once again drawn attention from above to the importance of publicity. It’s not just about environmental protection campaigns; there has been continuous publicity regarding ecological awareness prior to the abnormal climate period. What upper management is really concerned about is public engagement."

The United Protection Bureau was well-known, but it wasn’t very approachable or grounded.

The public perception of the United Protection Bureau was that it was tough, assertive, and not easy to talk to.

However, the United Protection Bureau was never about being approachable to begin with, and there was no intention of forcibly changing its character or style. The organization’s distinctiveness necessitated that people maintain a sense of reverence.

But it was different for the Bureau’s investigators and experts. They were distinct; investigators could not afford to be too friendly, but experts could certainly be down-to-earth!

Yet, to be recognized and sufficiently capable as an expert in the United Protection Bureau meant either being too busy to engage in such publicity and interaction, or if they had the time, they either didn’t find the right approach or failed to engage effectively. Those who had the capability weren’t part of the Bureau’s team, and the Bureau didn’t trust them.

Therefore, even if the Bureau’s publicity department had plans in this area, their implementation had not been very successful.

Now, they had seen an opportunity in Feng Yi!

Feng Yi was indeed special, with a strong following, popularity, real talent, and a handsome face.

He was not a research-focused expert, not tied to the lab every day nor devoted to paper writing, with ample free time.

Moreover, as part of the United Protection Bureau’s expert committee team and having numerous successful collaborations with the Bureau, he was trustworthy.

What a great choice for a public figure!

So the people from the publicity department asked Wei Hongxun to speak with Feng Yi in person. Since Wei Hongxun knew Feng Yi, they could have an informal chat to see if Feng Yi was willing, and any requirements could be raised for negotiation later with the person in charge from the publicity department.

When Wei Hongxun confirmed that this was why he had come, Feng Yi’s anxious heart relaxed.

Seeing that Feng Yi did not show any sign of opposition, Wei Hongxun continued talking.

"Regarding compensation, the Bureau will calculate it separately, and the person in charge will discuss the details with you later. You know the Bureau’s style; they won’t shortchange experts."

The United Protection Bureau was known for its generosity, something Feng Yi was fully aware of and did not doubt.

"Are there points?" Feng Yi asked.

"Calculated monthly, with bonus points as a reward."

"So, what exactly do I need to publicize? What kind of content should I post?"

"Your expertise, like anything related to snakes, would be fine. Your python-catching in Florida garnered a lot of attention previously."

"Are there any restrictions on content?"

"No restrictions there. For example, when you’re on a mission, you can post current and relevant updates that don’t involve any secrets. The Bureau hopes that the content you publish will provide positive guidance for the younger generation."

Dry science education had limited impact, and the younger generation, who had not lived through the period of climate abnormalities, found many things hard to empathize with.

Feng Yi, who was young and had also not experienced the climate abnormality period, might bring a different kind of promotional impact.

After some thought, Feng Yi spoke, "I’ll think about it. I don’t use my social interaction platform account much, so first I’ll update my personal authentication and post a status to try it out."

Wei Hongxun thought that was a good plan too; Feng Yi could post an update to gauge the online reaction.

With dedicated staff on the Bureau’s side, the application was processed swiftly.

[Feng Yi Member of the United Protection Bureau Expert Committee]

After updating his certification, the first post should be work-related, given the official task.

So, Feng Yi browsed through the photos on his phone, mostly pictures of snakes.

"Won’t posting snake pictures scare off followers?" Feng Yi wondered.

"Those close-up, high-definition ones should probably be held off for now—there are quite a few people who are afraid of snakes." Recalling what the head of the publicity department had said, Wei Hongxun advised, "You could post a selfie." frёeωebɳovel.com

"But a selfie doesn’t provide any positive guidance!"

Feng Yi continued flipping through snake pictures.

Tch, don’t think I don’t know, after all this talk, it’s still my face they’re after!