Closer to Revealing My True Self-Chapter 731 - 469 Intense Gaze_1

Feng Yi indeed stretched out a probing leg.

It wasn’t his first time shedding his skin, and there would be many days ahead. Should he give up the shedding process, which is closely related to growth and development, just because of the satellite network monitoring deployed in the sky?

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

Currently, the Butterfly Project’s Meteorological Weapons were still in an urgent testing phase, and the technology probably wasn’t mature yet. This was the time to explore and test the waters.

Only with understanding could he formulate countermeasures and know how to respond later.

A very good opportunity.

These were Feng Yi’s private matters. Besides handling private affairs, he also needed to keep up with his professional capabilities; he had to take advantage of this lull to brush up on his performance.

In a while, his main focus would have to be on the Butterfly Project.

Furthermore, with technology increasingly advanced and satellites ever multiplying, monitoring the ground more rigorously, shouldn’t he seize the time to slip away for a bit?

Therefore, taking various factors into account, Feng Yi decided to take this free time to embark on a solo journey to the tropical rainforest on the other side of the ocean.

The kind for a single traveler.

Unlike the last time he conducted a diamond excavation in the tropical rainforest, this time Feng Yi was heading to another rainforest on another continent across the ocean. It was more expansive, the forest denser, and the biodiversity richer.

This ancient kingdom of flora and fauna, hot and humid all year round, remained unfriendly to humans.

Without professional training and adequate preparation, the chances of entering deep into the rainforest and coming out safely were extremely low.

Usually, those who went into the rainforest for scientific research did so in teams.

There had been group invitations to Feng Yi, but he refused them. Teammates would affect his research efficiency.

This kingdom of flora and fauna was unfriendly to humans, but Feng Yi didn’t fall within the normal "human" category.

So, a solo free trip it would be. There wouldn’t be many chances left to frolic freely in the rainforest.

Moreover, Feng Yi planned to fly directly to an island after completing his inspection of the tropical rainforest and go home only after shedding his skin.

With the arrangement of various meetings in the first half of the year being somewhat overwhelming, to prevent the United Insurance Bureau from looking for him, Feng Yi submitted a simple work trip report in advance.

He didn’t specify exact times, just outlined a range of time he would be absent.

The festive atmosphere of the New Year was gradually dispersed by busy work and studies, with people eagerly or inevitably transitioning into a new phase of life.

And the "socially anxious" Xin, too, was packing up, ready to return to the island.

He was truly eager!

Feng Yi had Bing prepare some semi-finished dishes for him.

"Roast chicken, sausage, spare ribs, beef tongue crisp..."

Bing was checking the supplies.

Beef tongue, that is.

The pronunciation of the word "tongue" was disliked by some people, whether they were in business or ordinary citizens, who would habitually avoid certain similar-sounding syllables.

Therefore, "beef tongue" would also be referred to as beef ling or beef head, among other names.

For instance, snakes would be called "little dragons" in some places, not necessarily because of their appearance or mythology but perhaps purely to avoid the pronunciation of "she."

Beef tongue crisp is a pastry resembling the shape of a beef tongue.

Xin didn’t like beef tongue, but he thought beef tongue crisp was okay, so Feng Yi had Bing prepare more semi-finished products for Xin to take with him.

With the preparations complete, Xin and other colleagues set out for their island vacation on a plane.

Upon reaching the island, Xin relaxed completely, away from the stiffening environment. Every cell was filled with the joyous air.

His always taut nerves seemed to find the perfect relief.

Comfort!

Contentment!

The sea breeze even seemed sweet!

... Oh, someone was juicing fruits.

Yi also came this time for a vacation on the island.

At that moment, Yi, sipping on a juice cup and wearing sunglasses, walked barefoot on the beach, then stopped to appreciate the island’s signature scenery—the iguanas.

"It’s not too bad," Yi said.

He had heard that the island’s iguanas had become a bit portly, but now, looking at them, they seemed average.

Xin, who came with interest in the iguanas, heard this and looked over at the rocky beach, nodding in agreement.

He had gone to Yang City for the New Year and seen the famed "Pig Carp" talked about by his colleagues. Now, looking at these iguanas, he couldn’t help but think they were nothing special.

When compared, indeed, they were nothing special.

"This is within the normal range of variation, I guess," Xin said, for once taking the initiative to comment.

Yi chuckled, "It was bound to happen sooner or later."

Days later, in Jing City.

The Director of the United Insurance Bureau Expert Committee made a surprise inspection at the Comprehensive Office of the Expert Committee.

Today was not a statutory holiday, and Director He was checking attendance, but here, checking attendance didn’t mean having to punch in every day. The experts had relatively flexible time—as long as they produced results, they could arrange their time however they pleased.

Director He was simply here to check the duty roster for the upcoming period.

Lately, due to certain events, many people’s minds were unsettled, and their work was far from diligent. They skimped on reports, curried favor in private—these were not good signs, and it was time for a warning.

Director He looked at the duty schedule for the coming period.

The chart before him showed the status of various experts, making it convenient to quickly contact the appropriate expert when a mission arose.

Indeed, to become a certified expert with the United Support Bureau, one must excel in their specialty.

Who took leave, what recent work they did, and what achievements they made were all roughly summarized here.

In the coming period, many experts had meetings and salon presentations scheduled.

"One by one, they’re all so gung-ho about meetings..."

Director He said discontentedly.

"Hmm? Feng Yi’s busy too?"

He looked again.

"He’s off to explore the tropical rainforest again?!"

The person beside him also came over and glanced at the explanation submitted by Feng Yi.

"He really went?" the person wondered.

Why would someone explore the tropical rainforest at this time? And alone?

A moment later, Director He’s expression softened slightly, "He indeed went. I asked around, and someone saw him entering the rainforest with their own eyes. Some tried to follow, but he quickly disappeared without a trace."

The person beside him nodded, "That’s hard to fake. To verify truth from falsehood is simple. When he returns, we just need to look at the results of his investigation."

"I wonder if he will encounter the terrifying gaze of a top predator in the tropical rainforest," Director He said.

"What are you referring to?" asked the person beside him.

"The green mamba. On his last trip to the southern rainforest, he filmed a giant reticulated python up close. The area he’s targeting this time probably won’t exclude the representative reptiles there."

As he spoke, Director He looked again at the others on the duty schedule, his gaze becoming stern once more.

He needed to do some ideological work. He could empathize with their feelings and wouldn’t stop them from pulling strings, but they couldn’t neglect their primary duties!

Without performing their main responsibilities well, how could they even dream of anything else?!

On the other side of the ocean, in another forest dense and rich with different species.

Feng Yi avoided the rivers frequented by fishermen to carry out his work for this phase.

With his previous experience, he was more skilled this time in capturing materials and footage—how to use his own advantages to collect more targeted information.

Of course, he also cherished the rare moments of freedom in between work.

He walked barefoot through the jungle.

In broad daylight, it wasn’t advisable to swim in the river, so he could only rely on the dense forest to block any high-tech eyes that might peer down from above.

After all, the sky above was now under the watchful eye of a complete and tight satellite network—carelessness was not an option.

Feng Yi played with a venomous snake as he walked, removing any visible parasites from its body.

As he walked, the breeze from the rainforest brought him more crucial information.

Hmm?

Wait a minute!

He thought he smelled...

The scent of a python!

To be precise, the scent of a green mamba!

Feng Yi hung the venomous snake he was handling on a nearby branch, as it could climb down by itself.

He carefully distinguished the scent in the air and, deciding on a direction, he quickened his pace.

Although it was also one of the objectives of his trip.

On his way, he had encountered more than one snake with an ordinary size. If nothing was special about them, a cursory photograph would suffice.

He wanted to find a few of the largest individuals in the wild—since he had made the trip, of course, he should take more photos of those individuals that were more imposing in front of the camera.

Ordinary exploration teams entering deep into the jungle might or might not find these gigantic individuals—it could be a matter of luck whether they found them quickly or not at all for days.

Feng Yi could surely make use of his own advantages to obtain more valuable data, which would then be referenced by more people, earning him more comprehensive evaluation points.

Let’s not mention the overly obese individuals from captive breeding.

In the wild, the large pythons appeared somewhat sturdier, not as slender as the wild reticulated pythons.

Going for a shot of a fat tropical rainforest snake?

Half an hour later.

The somewhat murky riverbed.

The giant tropical reptile predator stirred up the mud and silt in the river as it swam.

After a while, it stopped.

This creature, which invoked fear in most people, had a terrifying snake face that looked filled with cold murderous intent to some and seemed silly to others.

At this moment, this nearly six-meter-long python was either daydreaming or resting.

Right, daydreaming is a form of rest.

Feng Yi thought to himself: Pythons look rather unintelligent!

Now, under the bright sunny sky and in the not-so-clear river water.

The top predator was engaged in a "deep" stare-down.