Chapter 15: Breaking News
The two helicopters that flew to the fishing area of the farmhouse did not look like sightseeing planes in the scenic area, so they naturally attracted the attention of many people, and another round of true and false rumors began.
In addition to the heads of the relevant departments, the two helicopters that were urgently dispatched also carried what the firemen called the “professional handler”.
This time, Feng Yi could finally let go.
After the snake was handed over, it was carefully placed in a special large box. Feng Yi didn’t see the inside of the box, but judging from the attitude of those people, he knew that they must have put a lot of thought into it.
Despite handing over the snake, Feng Yi and his two friends couldn’t just leave. They would be taken in for questioning to assist in the investigation.
Wu Ji left a message for his parents. Everyone near the fishing area had heard his chicken-like scream, “There’s a snake”, and he would surely be asked a lot of questions.
“Sorry, I need to use the restroom,” Feng Yi said to the person in charge.
“Me too! I was so scared that my bladder’s about to burst,” Wu Ji added.
“I’m coming with!” Qian Feiyang followed along.
When Feng Yi and the others left, the person in charge gave the person next to him a look. Before the preliminary investigation was completed, the three of them would have their movements restricted to a certain extent. They had to be watched to prevent them from secretly escaping.
The expert who had flown over said that the white-tailed little green dragon was born in the wild, and it was a miracle that it could grow to such a large size. However, it had a serious internal parasitic disease and urgently needed treatment. There had never been any record of the white-tailed little green dragon in Mount Yue. As for why it had appeared here and gone to the fishing area, a follow-up investigation was needed to find out.
This matter had been reported, and the people from the Protection Bureau would surely be on their way soon. The Protection Bureau or PB was the domestic branch of the Joint Defense Organization or JDO. The JDO was a newly established regulatory organization after the constitution of the “Sixth Database”.
And once someone from the JDO came forward, the case would no longer involve the relevant local departments. They would only need to cooperate with the JDO’s investigation and actions.
On the other side, Feng Yi and his two friends came to the restrooms. With just the three of them, Wu Ji was also much more relaxed.
“Holy crap! I was scared to death! I feel like I got my life back! Bro, thank you so much!” Wu Ji patted Feng Yi’s shoulder. “You’re amazing for holding the snake with one hand for so long!”
The corners of Feng Yi’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t respond.
Qian Feiyang looked at his hands. “My hands are still shaking.” After speaking, he beat his chest and stamped his feet, “Damn! I didn’t take a picture!”
As a photographer, it was such a shame to have missed that wonderful scene!
“Alright, enough already. Hurry up, we still have to go for questioning,” Feng Yi urged.
After the two of them entered separate cubicles, Feng Yi walked over to the mirror. He took off his sunglasses and mask, and carefully checked if there were any changes on his face that were different from ordinary people.
Eyes, normal.
Nose, normal.
He opened his mouth to see the teeth and tongue inside. Very good, all normal.
Feng Yi heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, he could have peace of mind and didn’t have to be afraid of exposure.
Qian Feiyang, who came out of the cubicle, looked at Feng Yi in the mirror, and said with a smile, “Aren’t you a little too concerned about your appearance?”
Feng Yi’s showman antics of not wanting equipment to grab the snake but sunglasses at the key moment still astounded Qian Feiyang. This also refreshed the impression he had of this old schoolmate.
When Wu Ji also came out, Qian Feiyang said in a low voice, “There will definitely be a one-on-one conversation waiting for us later, those people are not easy to fool.”
Qian Feiyang looked at Feng Yi.
Wu Ji thought of something and also looked at Feng Yi.
Feng Yi: “…What are you looking at me for?”
Qian Feiyang imitated the movement of grabbing a snake, “You don’t look like a novice.”
Feng Yi finally came to the realization. “Shit! I didn’t do anything illegal! This is really the first time I’ve caught a snake! If they ask you, just tell them what you know!”
Wu Ji lowered his voice, “Is there anything we shouldn’t say? You don’t need us to cover for you!?”
Feng Yi: “No! No need!”
He wouldn’t let Wu Ji and Qian Feiyang know the secret that others couldn’t know. And everything they knew about him wasn’t anything that needed to be kept secret.
The person in charge just now didn’t seem to be easily fooled. With the ability of these two, there’s no way they would be able to deceive those people’s eyes. So, honesty was the best policy, even if they said some embarrassing things, it didn’t matter. At this time, it was better to wash away the suspicion surrounding them first, to prove that they were all innocent this time, and that they didn’t provoke the snake first.
Upon hearing Feng Yi’s answer, Wu Ji and Qian Feiyang both laughed in a relaxed manner. That was good, they weren’t afraid of being questioned then.
Soon, the three of them were brought into a room. Since it wasn’t an interrogation, the atmosphere wouldn’t be too serious. The decor of the room was very comfortable. There were various snacks on the coffee table and some cute animal dolls on the shelves that were sold in the scenic area.
The person in charge had a gentle expression and a slight smile. “Have a seat, don’t feel pressured. There is food and drink on the table, so feel free to take whatever you want. I just want to understand the whole thing.”
After the three of them sat down, the person in charge asked, “Before you found the snake, you didn’t hear anything?”
Wu Ji: “No! I didn’t pay any attention at all. I never thought I would come across a snake. I was busy sending messages to my girlfriend.”
There was nothing shady in their messages, so Wu Ji dug out the chat records from that time period, including the picture of [Sending you a little wittle flower], and showed it to the person opposite.
The person in charge looked at the chat image and then at Wu Ji.
Wu Ji did not feel any guilt at all. As long as he wasn’t facing a snake, he was fearless!
The person in charge turned to Feng Yi.
Feng Yi replied: “I was thinking about something at the time and didn’t pay attention to my surroundings. I didn’t react until I heard Wu Ji yell.”
Person in charge: “Have you ever caught a snake before?”
Feng Yi: “No, this was the first time.”
“You caught it so steadily the first time?”
Feng Yi thought for a while, ” It must be my talent.”
The person in charge quietly looked at Feng Yi.
Feng Yi calmly looked back with a message in his eyes: I’m telling the truth!
While the three were being taken in for questioning, the Internet was abuzz. The media acted upon hearing the news, and the topic of “National Treasure-level Animal Surprisingly Discovered in Mount Yue’s Scenic Area” quickly spread online. True and false information were mixed together, and the most exaggerated mentioned a homicide had occurred in Mount Yue’s Scenic Area.
The official page of Mount Yue Scenic Area quickly refuted the rumors and confirmed that no tourists were bitten. The ambulance was only there to prevent accidents. The poisonous snake had been restrained before the police arrived, and the little green dragon that everyone was concerned about was now being taken care of by professionals. Finally, they asked the public not to worry.
Netizens attracted by the news also had other concerns.
“[Image] So it was the fisherman wearing sunglasses in the picture who was the tough guy, holding the snake with one hand. When the firefighters rushed to the scene, they were of no use.”
“Just looking at the shape of its head, that snake is scary! Its bite must hurt like hell?”
“Actually, the venom of the ironhead viper is not top-notch, but there is a large amount of it, so I don’t know what will happen if you get bitten.”
“Understood, the larger the amount, the easier it is to die.”
“Hahaha, my focus is wrong. Why do I feel that the snake in the photo looks a little pitiful?”
“I clicked when I saw ‘National Treasure’ but was scared out of my wits that I almost flew up into the sky! Why are creatures like snakes not extinct yet!!!”
“What are you saying… Snakes have survived since the age of dinosaurs, and so many species have been killed along the way.”
After this incident, the Department of Culture and Tourism issued a document to remind fishing enthusiasts and tourists to take protective measures, especially those fishing near the Mount Yue Nature Reserve should pay more attention to their feet.
Netizens in the surrounding cities of Mount Yue Scenic Area:
“I was about to go fishing, but I was so frightened that I went back home.”
“If I come across a snake, I can run faster than a sprinter!”
“The last time I visited a certain research base, I saw little green dragons through a thick layer of glass, but this one in the video was much bigger than the ones bred by the research institute! And it’s a wild one! Biologists must be going crazy right now!”
“Actually, some of them have already gone crazy, leaving their research behind and rushing to Mount Yue.”
“Mount Yue is not far from Rongcheng! A creature that was thought to be extinct in the wild has reappeared. Does this mean that the ecological environment near Mount Yue has improved? Maybe the housing prices here in Rongcheng will go up!”
At dusk.
Mount Yue Scenic Area, in a large five-star hotel suite. A dozen rich young people were gathered here.
It was uncertain who started it, but while they were having fun, they also talked about the little green dragon.
“It’s a pity that I didn’t get to see the legendary little green dragon with my own eyes!”
“I heard that before the climate anomaly, this snake was sold for millions on the black market.”
“Little green dragon is a good name. My first reaction when I heard it was to catch it and make wine!” One of the young people laughed. “I don’t know if they still sell it on the black market. Oh, I’m itching to get my hands on it!”
Someone answered the phone, went to the window with a surprised face and pulled open the curtains. In the distant sky, five helicopters flew by in the afterglow of the setting sun.
“Those are the special model planes used by the PB. They’ve sent quite a few people. It seems that this matter has a greater influence than we thought!”
The fanatical “data” defenders of the PB were famous for sticking to the motto: “Better to make a mistaken arrest than letting them go”. People who openly made dangerous statements would be in a lot of trouble if they were targeted by the PB. As for what counted as dangerous statements…
For example, the person just now mentioned catching the national special-level protected animal and turning it into wine. If they couldn’t catch it, they would buy it on the black market or something. That was a dangerous statement.
More than ten pairs of eyes looked at the person who spoke.
The man trembled violently and loudly denied it:
“No! I didn’t! I didn’t just say that! I drank too much!!!”