Closer to Revealing My True Self-Chapter 723 - 463 Don’t Be Nervous_1

After parting with Wei Hongxun, Feng Yi walked away from the riverbank.

The woods were denser there, with a variety of plants distributed along the slope. As the weather warmed, they, just like the hibernating animals, were brewing a new surge of life.

Feng Yi had limited contact with invasive species. Apart from those he had actually seen, there were many he couldn’t identify at first glance, mainly because he lacked the stored memory of their scents, making it hard to match them even when seen.

But that didn’t matter.

For plants and animals that he couldn’t identify or suspected to be invasive, Feng Yi would take notes on his phone and consult the wildlife protection bureau staff who were experts in identifying species.

The breeze through the woods brought with it the stirrings of life from nearby and further away.

There were passersby, as well as wildlife protection bureau investigators and interns on patrol.

Beyond these...

Feng Yi paused in his steps.

He carefully discerned the scent information in the air, confirmed it repeatedly, then turned and followed the scent.

If there was any doubt, it was worth checking out to see if there was something new happening in the forest.

Continuing uphill along the slope, there were no paved paths, nor were there traces of frequently traveled narrow trails—very natural and untouched.

It was clear that normally, no one ventured this way.

Birds were landing on the tree branches above, chirping loudly; perhaps disturbed by the human presence, they quickly flew off again.

Besides the limited activity of the animals in the woods, there was the sound of Feng Yi’s footsteps.

He didn’t try to be quiet; branches and leaves slapped against his shoes and pants. The sounds were soft but if you listened closely, they were quite clear.

Feng Yi didn’t attempt to conceal them.

As he neared the source of the scent, Feng Yi saw a person under a large tree next to the cliff face, where there was also a tent, the kind commonly used by campers and inconspicuous in color.

The person had become aware of Feng Yi’s approach, their wariness much more intense than what he showed.

"Who’s there?!" The person looked over.

Feng Yi took out his work credentials: "Wildlife Protection Bureau patrol. What are you doing here?"

The person standing in front of the tent was a man in his thirties, not particularly strong, wearing a dark green and slightly oversized windbreaker. He had a very ordinary appearance, not very affable at first sight but not particularly dangerous either.

At this moment, his facial expression turned from cautious to nervous and embarrassed once Feng Yi identified himself as a member of the Wildlife Protection Bureau.

The usual reaction to the words "Wildlife Protection Bureau" was rarely calm, especially among people camping in the wilderness, as it was easy to violate regulations, although most of the time there was no issue as long as they were not caught.

But now that the Wildlife Protection Bureau staffer had shown up, it was normal to feel nervous.

Feng Yi continued to approach, the sunlight now quite strong. The light filtered through the canopy above, casting a dappled pattern of light and shadow.

Even without branches blocking the view, the sunlight cast asymmetrical shadows across Feng Yi’s face under his cap’s brim.

From a distance, the young person in front of the tent couldn’t make out the newcomer’s face. But as the distance closed, his gaze lingered longer on the credential Feng Yi showed him.

The credential was issued specially for the "strict crackdown on illegal releasing of animals," displaying the Wildlife Protection Bureau’s emblem and an identity number, but not a specific name or a photo.

But if one was observant, the authenticity of the credential could be recognized at a glance, even without verifying the identity number.

Before Feng Yi could ask, the man began to explain:

"We shouldn’t have violated any of those regulations of the Wildlife Protection Bureau, right? We are just camping, out here for fun, not hunting, and we haven’t harmed any of the protected wildlife!"

"Camping?" Feng Yi looked towards the tent, "Who else is with you?"

A woman who appeared to be around the same age as the man—probably his wife—emerged from the tent.

She glanced at Feng Yi with displeasure and frowned as she unzipped the tent flap.

As she left the tent, her movements were gentle; she walked over and spoke in a hushed, irritated tone: "Keep your voices down! The child is still sleeping!"

Feng Yi didn’t mind her attitude: "Camping in the mountains over the New Year?"

The woman who had just exited the tent swept her gaze over Feng Yi’s face and showed a hint of confusion.

She felt he looked familiar, but where had she seen him before?

The man by her side, seeing his wife remain silent, explained: "Our child’s birthday is on the first day of the lunar new year. We took him out to play yesterday, went to a nearby village where fireworks are allowed, and then stayed overnight here. There’s no helping it, the kid loves it, and it’s only once a year."

"You brought your child for camping? Did you walk up here?" Feng Yi asked.

There was another tent nearby, as well as cookware and other gear. Could they have hiked up the mountain carrying a child and equipment?

"No, the child’s uncle dropped us off. We took that road over there. When we’ve had our fill, we’ll call someone to pick us up," the other person said.

""

Feng Yi didn’t know if it was okay, but he nodded towards the tent, "Is it alright to open the tent so I can take a look?"

"This..." The two hesitated.

"Poaching? Illegally releasing animals?" Feng Yi stared at them.

"No, no! We don’t do that sort of thing!" The two waved their hands as they spoke.

"That’s fine, don’t be nervous, it’s just a routine check. I need it for my work report. I won’t go over there, just lift the tent curtain so I can take a peek without disturbing the child’s rest," Feng Yi said.

"Alright then."

The woman walked over to pull back the tent.

The man whispered to Feng Yi, "The kid was up playing late yesterday, didn’t fall asleep until almost dawn today."

Feng Yi didn’t respond to him.

As the tent flap lifted, Feng Yi glanced inside.

There lay a child, head in and feet out, covered with a blanket, indiscernible features, supposedly around six or seven years old.

The tent was not big, and there wasn’t much clutter inside, everything was in clear view.

Feng Yi calmly withdrew his gaze and gestured for the two to move aside, "Don’t worry, just routine questions."

He said as he walked a distance away from the tent.

When the two came over, Feng Yi took off his hat.

He ran his fingers through his hair, which was misshapen by the hat, revealing a clearer face under the sunlight.

The two who came over, initially preoccupied with their own matters, now stared at Feng Yi’s face, suddenly stunned.

The woman at the side exclaimed with an "ah."

No wonder he looked familiar just now!

"Recognize me?" asked Feng Yi.

"Yes... you’re that black..." the man stuttered.

He received a kick from the woman beside him, and the words that were about to slip out were hastily altered.

"Cough, you’re that snake... snake-catching celebrity!"

They were very nervous at this moment, a genuine nervousness.

The identity of Feng Yi circulating on the internet, apart from the tag of an Ancestral Factory shareholder that made him seem particularly wealthy, also included a gang background! Involved in the underworld!

Now they didn’t know how many people the other party had brought, nor what they intended to do, here in the remote wilderness...

The two felt a chill in their hearts as they looked at the smile on Feng Yi’s face, and despite the glaring sunshine, it failed to bring much warmth.

Feng Yi fiddled with his hat in his hands, "Don’t be nervous, just a few questions."

"Ah, ask... ask away!" The two’s voices were tense, their attention divided to scan the surroundings, making sure no one would leap out with some kind of controlled tool the next moment.

Feng Yi smiled and then asked, "First question, do you know the identity of the child in the tent?"

As soon as their attention had been on their surroundings, it snapped back instantly, their shock mixed with anger:

"What do you mean? The child in the tent is our own!"

"Even if you’re from the Mutual Guarantee Bureau, even if you have money and power, you can’t make baseless accusations!"

"I want to complain!"

The two rebuked him one after the other, even taking out their phones to make a call.

Feng Yi remained calm, "So it seems you do not know."

"Don’t think I’m just scaring you, if you slander me again I’ll call the police! Can the Mutual Guarantee Bureau really cover the sky with one hand?!" the other angrily said.

"Oh, report it," said Feng Yi, looking at them, "and while you’re at it, explain to the police why my full brother is in your tent."

Although he didn’t have a good relationship with the Feng Family of Yang City and his own parents were also keeping him from having too much contact with this younger brother, he hadn’t clearly seen the face of the child inside just now. Nonetheless, Feng Yi had stored his scent.

The child was alright for now.

Feng Yi was very curious:

How did the little rascal end up here?

During the festive season, did the Feng Family of Yang City even know they’d lost a child?