Closer to Revealing My True Self-Chapter 381 - 278: The Gap Between Ancestors_1

On the south side of the Tan Mountain range, the Tan Mountain monitoring station.

Captain Wen and his team had long since returned here from the north side of the mountain range.

Because they needed to organize materials and some data, they hadn’t left yet and would need to stay here for some more time.

However, during the downtime from their tasks, Captain Wen also cared for the conservation and monitoring stations situated at various locations within the mountain range, asking them to keep an eye out for any sightings of a young expert.

But, apart from the first day when they caught sight of Feng Yi, there had been no further sightings.

All they knew was that Feng Yi had entered the deep mountains, into areas not even covered by surveillance. These areas were rarely visited by humans and were consequently even more dangerous.

Since then, Feng Yi hadn’t been in touch with anyone outside.

"That kid, who knows what he’s actually up to right now," Captain Wen wondered.

Captain Wen glanced out of the window, noticed something, and his brows furrowed slightly. He said to one of the team members,

"Pull up the real-time meteorological observation data for a look."

Before long, not only real-time data but also real-time surveillance footage that could be received from various places in the mountain range were available.

They weren’t from the deep mountains, but from a few connected conservation and monitoring stations within the network, sending ground and aerial shots.

"It’s getting foggy again in the south."

"Huh? That’s not right, the north too! There’s going to be widespread rainfall!"

Captain Wen looked at the real-time meteorological observation data on the screen, feeling a bit of a headache.

Under such climate conditions, people deep in the mountains were definitely facing many inconveniences.

He was worried about Feng Yi’s safety.

In the mountains, there are often localized microclimates. But now, with the large-area cloud and fog changes enveloping the south and north of the range, the situation wasn’t looking too good for those within the mountains.

Most of the time, the climates on the south and north sides of the mountain range are different.

The warm and humid air flow from the south side climbs along the mountain, meeting the cold air from the north, creating the spectacle of fog spreading over the south and clear skies in the north.

From above, the spectacular sea of clouds blocked on the south side is clearly visible.

The natural wonder created by the contrast in climate between the south and north sides of the mountain attracts many tourists from outside the area.

Therefore, now that many people see the south getting foggy, they think of finding a suitable spot for aerial photography.

However, today’s weather was different from what they had anticipated.

Whether it’s the south or the north side of the mountain range, both are shrouded in mist.

At this time, on the north side of the mountain range.

On the road crossing the mountains, people and touring groups were active at some of the service stations along certain sections of the road.

They were puzzled by the weather forecast they suddenly received on their phones.

"This... After crossing over the mountains, the warm and humid airflow kept pushing north strongly?"

"Never mind the reason, a change in weather is certain, we need to quickly find a place to take shelter from the rain."

"A bit of rain wouldn’t hurt, compared to usual, there’s been too little rainfall in the north this year."

"There were rumors of a severe drought at the beginning of the year, and if you weren’t careful, the fields would dry up."

"With today’s rain, you’ll save quite a bit of water."

The locals discussed among themselves, while the tourists also chimed in with a few smiles.

It didn’t matter whether they were tourists or locals, none of them took this sudden weather change to heart.

Mountain climates are inherently variable – how rare could it be?

It just made traveling a bit more troublesome.

"The weather is unpredictable in this area, and the mountains must be very dangerous," a student who had come for a trip commented.

An old local man sitting next to him said, "Dangerous! Very dangerous indeed! Besides the already planned tourist routes, don’t wander off elsewhere. Many people went in and never came out; animals in the mountains fall to their death, let alone humans. When I was young, things weren’t as strictly managed here. I went into the mountains with my uncles. Only paying attention to where I stepped, I almost got killed by falling rocks from above!

"Also, as you’re walking, a cloud of black comes over, and you’ll get drenched by a downpour! These things are still bearable, but those who encounter sudden drops in temperature, many couldn’t make it out. Ah, it’s impossible to be fully prepared!"

Many outsiders didn’t really have a concept of this and took it as a story, lacking the sense of involvement as they had never experienced it.

However, the next moment, they heard the old man say, "And there are venomous snakes! That one called ’cauliflower’ or something, very poisonous!"

A student asked, "Cauliflower snake? This area indeed has cauliflower snakes, but cauliflower snakes are not venomous."

The old man insisted, "No! It is a venomous snake! It looks all brightly patterned with a triangular head! You mostly encounter them in the south, less so in the north... but that’s not certain. After all, who can be absolutely sure about things in the mountains, maybe there’s a big snake hiding in a cave somewhere!"

Deep within the mountains, inside one of the high peaks.

The cave was devoid of any light, completely dark.

And utterly silent.

Even the airflow that came in through the hidden vents was almost soundless.

Yet, from time to time in the cave, there were subtle noises, as if something heavy was moving slightly on the ground.

Feng Yi was coiled there, fast asleep.

Or rather, at this moment, he was deep in a dream.

Because of what he saw in the dream, his tail moved slightly. Just like a person kicking in their sleep, there’s no sensation while asleep, but there is indeed a reaction.

If one were to monitor his heart rate, Feng Yi’s heart would be beating much faster than normal at this moment.

He was not in a state of rest, his emotions surged turbulently, completely unsettled.

Feng Yi was dreaming.

Just as he had thought before he fell asleep, it could also be considered as a form of "ancestral dreaming."

Or perhaps, it was an immersive experience.

In the dream, Feng Yi knew he was deep in the mountains.

The air seemed even warmer and moister than the present.

Around him were towering trees and dense undergrowth; far away lay endless mountain ridges and cloud peaks.

But everything was very blurry.

Only vague outlines and figures were visible.

The mountain wilderness seemed fraught with dangers.

A five-person team approached from a distance, moving... or rather, slithering?

Like Feng Yi’s true form, they had human-like upper bodies with long, serpentine tails for their lower halves.

Their posture exuded a sense of ease and carefreeness, completely disregarding the hidden dangers of the mountains.

Feng Yi couldn’t see their faces clearly, but from those similar silhouettes, it was certain that these must be his ancestors!

Having had the experience of living on a small island, Feng Yi did not think these were mere figments of his imagination.

His mind was quite clear now.

These must be a segment of memory unlocked within his DNA, yet the one being projected into the scene was Feng Yi himself, not the recorder.

A magical way to retain memories.

However, such memories could never be as detailed as a camera recording all the intricacies. With genetic material passed down for myriad years, all that remained were blurry images, yet they still allowed you to grasp the gist of what was happening.

Feng Yi looked at them.

They once existed in this world.

Not only within ancient paintings and patterns on artifacts.

They truly lived on this planet once!

Exciting, isn’t it?

Of course, Feng Yi was excited!

Whether it was his deceased great-grandmother or Feng Yi himself, the current environment could only sustain one individual.

Meaning that for their entire lives, they would be without the company of their kind.

Some things could only be kept within the heart.

Some secrets also had to be guarded by oneself.

Even if there were trusted people around, even if there were blood relatives, in the end, it was different.

Feng Yi stood at a distance, watching them frolic carelessly in the woods.

Even though he couldn’t see their faces or hear any sounds, Feng Yi could discern the power shown during their playfulness from the huge trees, the hard rocks, and the snapping and crumbling of the landscape.

There was no need to worry about accidentally flattening the other with uncontrolled strength.

There was no need to worry that the friends nearby couldn’t bear one’s weight.

They could frolic unrestrainedly.

Perhaps two youngsters were playing, and after a while, an older one came over, lifted one with a hand and threw it aside, its tail whipping up another to smash into the ground.

Wood shattered, grass flew, the ground shook, stones split.

After a while, the group came together again as if nothing had happened, discussing something.

Feng Yi watched them, his gaze piercing through thousands of years, perhaps tens of thousands or even longer.

With envy and longing.

As they gradually approached, Feng Yi could see more clearly.

Though he could only see their silhouettes, he could distinguish that among these several individuals, there were both men and women, all very strong.

Extremely strong!

Feng Yi craned his neck.

In his previous envy and longing, a touch of bitterness and complexity was mixed in.

"Ancestors, truly robust!" he said.

Feng Yi moved his tail, standing a bit more upright, just like tiptoeing when in human form, to make himself a bit taller.

But compared to them, it was only by a little bit.

Feng Yi "tiptoeing" couldn’t even reach their shoulders, falling far short!

He was like an ordinary person facing those top centers on a professional basketball court.

In stature, physique, every aspect, the difference was so clear it was visible to the highly myopic!

Standing in front of them, Feng Yi looked like he had underdeveloped growth!

And this comparison was with just the unremarkable individuals amongst his ancestors; if it was with the stronger ones, the contrast would render Feng Yi like a dwarf, or rather, a dwarf juvenile.

If the ancestors were great trees, then Feng Yi could only count as a fragile sapling.

Indeed, living in different eras means growing and developing to different extents.

The genetic level was already different.

To survive in the now "barren" environment, the genetic tendency for survival has led to mutations that significantly deviated from those of the ancestors.

This difference, this stark contrast, was like—

The seemingly strong forest viper facing the Titanoboa from sixty million years ago!

This visual shock...

It was quite a blow.

Compared to his ancestors, Feng Yi was indeed unimpressive.

But, who could blame the different survival environments?

There was nothing shameful in not growing taller than your ancestors.

The air we breathe, the energy resources we enjoy are all different.

It’s like comparing the current forest viper to the Titanoboa.

The climate, oxygen concentration, food, and all those things were different.

In that era, genes would not overly suppress growth.

But now, special genes that inhibit growth have become active. A forest viper also can’t grow to the size of a Titanoboa.

The same applies to Feng Yi.

The energy substances in the air are limited, allowing only limited growth support for Feng Yi. To survive longer, the genes suppressing growth have made his growth slower and more restricted.

If we consider the essential energy materials as life’s necessary "food," with the current amount of substance, Feng Yi would not be able to live to the age of his ancestors.

The ancestors lived in an era of abundant resources, where one could afford to discard a bowl of food after eating and even smash another for fun.

And Feng Yi?

Feng Yi was living through a famine, full today but uncertain of "food" tomorrow.

How could this compare?

Perhaps, the ancestors could switch forms nimbly even in childhood.

In comparison with them, Feng Yi—

Put nicely, he grew up to be more refined.

Straightforwardly put: underdeveloped and rather slow-witted.