Closer to Revealing My True Self-Chapter 371: Master of the Bamboo Forest No. 271_1

Suddenly shouting out such a phrase, it wasn’t that Captain Wen was overly astonished.

Along the way, no matter when you looked, Feng Yi was always eating something.

If he wasn’t holding it in his hand, then it was already in his mouth.

At first, I was worried that Feng Yi wouldn’t be able to keep up with the team’s pace, or for some other reason, he would hold everyone back.

Now Captain Wen is no longer concerned about that.

Alright, alright, I know you have good stamina!

But please, don’t eat just anything!!!

Wild fruits both seen and unseen on the mountain—this guy throws them all into his mouth!

Some fruits Captain Wen asked him about, he could name; some he couldn’t, but he knew they were edible.

And just now, Captain Wen was particularly worried that Feng Yi would grab something and send it straight into his mouth.

Expecting Feng Yi to just quietly follow the path is impossible.

Sure, he isn’t holding anyone back, but Captain Wen always has some other concern about him.

Is it concern that he would eat insects raw?

Is it concern that his indiscriminate eating would cause problems and delay the journey?

It doesn’t seem to be the case.

It seems maybe... it’s concern that he would unlock some new skill?

Captain Wen felt a slight headache coming on.

Seeing that Feng Yi had already let that insect go, Captain Wen wanted to say something, but ultimately didn’t.

Forget it, a young genius specialist, tolerate his unusual behavior patterns a bit.

After their initial "outrageous" impression of Feng Yi, the three members of the patrol team labeled him as "big eater" and "indiscriminate eater."

Feng Yi wasn’t just sitting idly by; soon, he caught a king rat snake.

Less than two meters, about one meter twenty or thirty.

It was a kind of snake Feng Yi often saw, one of the familiar cauliflower snakes to the people, non-venomous. He had caught it on Xiao Feng Mountain several times before.

Since the snake was caught along the route of the mission, Captain Wen also made a record of it.

As they moved along the mission route, they would make some simple records of the vegetation and animals they encountered along the way.

The team members took photos of the king rat snake and completed their records before Feng Yi released it back into the forest.

Captain Wen had been observing Feng Yi, and from the way Feng Yi handled the snake, it was apparent that his snake-handling skills were indeed impressive.

Just now, in order to facilitate photography, Feng Yi didn’t control the snake by its head, but let it naturally coil around his arm.

The snake seemed to exhibit no aggression.

Of course, that’s just how it looked.

Not long after, Feng Yi caught another snake—a cauliflower Protobothrops.

Also carrying the word "cauliflower" in its name, but hearing the word "Protobothrops" you know that this one is venomous.

Feng Yi had previously captured Qing, also known as "Mangshan Protobothrops."

Just from the name, you can tell that this kind of snake has a very distinct triangular head, which matches the public perception of the appearance of venomous snakes.

This time Feng Yi did hold onto the snake’s head, to prevent it from attacking Captain Wen and the others while they made their records.

Feng Yi thought about the things he had heard said by the staff at the monitoring station, and consequently asked, "I heard that some villagers who have lived near the mountains for generations can use medicine to attract snakes?"

Captain Wen nodded, "I’ve heard of it, but don’t know if it’s true."

After taking the photo, Captain Wen looked up at Feng Yi, "You want to attract snakes?"

Feng Yi said, "No, I’m just curious about what kind of scent that medicine has."

Captain Wen wanted to say "don’t be overly curious," but considering Feng Yi was a snake-catching expert, his curiosity about such matters was understandable. However, Captain Wen didn’t want to continue this topic and instead said to Feng Yi:

"There’s another kind of snake in the mountains, non-venomous, looks very similar to the cauliflower Protobothrops. Let’s see if we have the luck to come across it."

Feng Yi knew what snake he was talking about.

There were pictures of that snake in the exhibition area of the monitoring station.

The Qin Emperor’s rat snake.

Just by the body, it looked like long-lost brothers to the cauliflower Protobothrops.

But looking at the head and pupils, it was different.

I don’t know if there was ever a cauliflower Protobothrops that strayed from its path or a rat snake that cheated.

Or perhaps some other unknown coincidence and various reasons have led to a new species like the Qin Emperor’s rat snake.

According to information from the exhibition area, the Qin Emperor’s rat snake secretes scent signals that are similar to those of the cauliflower Protobothrops.

Feng Yi decided to pay close attention and identify them; along the road, he’d catch anything with a suspicious scent!

They continued forward.

They came upon a bamboo grove.

Captain Wen’s objective for this trip was to check the flowering bamboo at the target location, and along the way, they also recorded any bamboo they encountered.

Compared to the chance encounters with the king rat snake and the cauliflower Protobothrops, their records on the bamboo were more detailed.

Captain Wen briefly glanced at the bamboo grove, "Density is a bit high, but still within an appropriate range, suitable for giant pandas to inhabit."

Giant pandas have their optimal foraging strategies and prefer to feed in bamboo forests with medium density.

If the density of the bamboo forest is too low, the time and energy spent feeding increases.

And in bamboo forests with too high density, the nutritional quality is relatively poor, and for giant pandas with their size and figure, it’s even harder to move through.

Captain Wen judged from the coverage of the bamboo thicket, speculating that there might have been giant pandas active in the area.

Feng Yi raised his hand pointing to a spot, "Over there, there’s a ’green ball’, quite fresh."

Here, "green ball" refers to giant panda droppings.

Giant pandas can digest over seventy percent of crude protein, but their ability to digest crude fiber is extremely limited. As a result, the bamboo they consume is excreted without being digested much.

Therefore, with a high bamboo intake and limited digestion, the "green dumplings" they excrete carry a hint of the fragrance of bamboo. Some people even use it to make paper.

However, if their food contains more crude protein and is digested more, then the smell of their excrement is not so pleasant.

But, for research or patrol personnel, whether it smells good or not, finding it is very exciting! ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

Feng Yi’s comment that it was "relatively fresh" invigorated the three of them.

In the wild, "green dumplings" are easily destroyed. Finding intact ones isn’t easy; you have to catch them "fresh".

Captain Wen and his team found a complete, fresh "green dumpling" where Feng Yi had indicated, and they were very happy. Captain Wen and a team member took photos, samples, and made records, while another member stood guard.

Feng Yi had nothing else to do, so he remained alert to the surroundings.

"Captain Wen, the giant panda is nearby and is still at a safe distance," Feng Yi said.

Without looking up, Captain Wen responded, "Stay alert, let’s continue recording."

Generally, giant pandas will not chase after people unless they are deliberately approached or provoked. Most of the time, they will avoid humans first.

Moreover, giant pandas maintain a low speed of movement when foraging in the core bamboo zone, rather than charging over directly and rapidly.

However, since they had now intruded into the giant panda’s territory, they were uncertain how the panda would react. They still needed to be prepared for any response.

Feng Yi paid attention to the movement of the giant panda.

It was an adult giant panda, healthy and strong.

Feng Yi could even vaguely outline the animal’s general image through its scent.

In this area, such a giant panda could definitely be called the lord of the bamboo forest.

The public image of this animal is too easily misunderstood.

No matter how many times you say it’s a bear, some people just don’t take it seriously.

So, often a different description is used— "the tiger of the bamboo forest".

Treating it like a tiger, people then feel a sense of fear.

What, you think you can just barge into its presence, assuming it’ll act cute or let you pet it without issue?

In this place, it’s the ultimate boss. You want to tease the boss?

But in Feng Yi’s eyes, this animal is more like an "indifferent fish" with no other desires but eating.

This "indifferent fish", however, has a sturdy body and is rather expressionless.

They lack facial expressions and mainly use sounds to express subtle emotional changes.

Imagine that—

A robust body letting out a delicate call!

Ah, ignoring its attack power, it really is quite cute.

Also, are bamboo really that delicious?

As Feng Yi pondered this, he reached over to pluck a bamboo leaf, preparing to put it in his mouth.

Captain Wen, who had been keeping a watchful eye around, glanced around periodically— and this time he caught Feng Yi eating bamboo leaves!!!

Feeling the sharp gaze of Captain Wen on him, Feng Yi paused the action of putting the leaf into his mouth, and then set it down, holding it up for observation as if there was crucial information on the leaf.

Captain Wen: "..."

Taking a deep breath, Captain Wen went back to making his records.

Feng Yi toyed with the leaf in his hand, then his gaze sharpened, "It’s coming!"

Moments later, the team member on guard duty also heard a suspicious sound.

"Captain? What should we do?"

Captain Wen looked at Feng Yi: "How far off is it?"

Feng Yi pointed in a direction, "It’s about to show up. But I think we should first observe its reaction. You haven’t finished recording this bamboo forest, right?"

Captain Wen had intended to clear out, but given their limited time for the mission, they definitely wouldn’t return once they left. There was a lot of data to be collected from this bamboo forest, which wasn’t completed yet; it would be a pity to leave, but safety comes first.

However, hearing what Feng Yi had to say, Captain Wen was reminded of Old Yuan’s words to him: Feng Yi had a keen perception of animals.

It was worth a try to maintain a distance and be ready to evacuate at any moment. Captain Wen had already scoped out the surroundings and had an emergency escape route in mind.

"Let’s see," said Captain Wen.

Soon after, at the spot Feng Yi had indicated, a fuzzy black-and-white figure appeared at the top of a slope.

Feng Yi: "The creator of the ’green dumplings’."

Captain Wen didn’t reply; he and the other two team members watched the adult giant panda tensely.

The giant panda on the slope stared at them for a while before lifting its foot and walking toward them.

Feeling a slightly agitated aura emanating from the creature, Feng Yi’s pupils contracted into ovals and then relaxed again.

Invisible and odorless signals emerged from Feng Yi, reaching the slope not far off.

In an instant, an exchange of information between different species was completed.

Feng Yi: [Friendly, peaceful]

Giant Panda: ...

The giant panda stumbled.

The hulking body rolled down the slope.

Next came the sound of branches cracking under its weight.

Feng Yi: "..."

Did I transmit the wrong signal again?

There, the substantial body finally came to a halt, and the lord of the bamboo forest sitting on the ground slowly turned its head, its expressionless face and dark eye circles gazing over.

"Aung Ying~"