Closer to Revealing My True Self-Chapter 742 - 476: Brewing Major News_1

Although Steve had known that they would receive a call from that side, he still let out a long sigh when Director He’s call came through.

Ah, happy times were so brief. The days he spent alone with the giant beast Serpan were not many.

Steve, feeling downcast, answered the phone with a listless voice:

"It’s Director He... uh... work? Yes, there’s a bit of a situation to report."

Steve spoke reluctantly, completely indifferent to the barely suppressed emotion bubbling beneath Director He’s calm façade.

After working together for so many years, Steve knew what Director He would say and for what purpose, but he empathized only up to a point. freewebnσvel.cøm

It wasn’t the first time he had been reprimanded.

Cherishing the animal bone he had just uncovered, Steve sighed again.

He had visited this rainforest many times before, along with other exploration teams. It could be said that every year, no fewer than a hundred researchers came here.

But it was Feng Yi, the one who was here for his first exploration, who found the remains of the giant beast Serpan.

What kind of luck was that!

Steve was envious!

Steve exclaimed, "It really is like the saying goes, ’you fail to make flowers bloom when you’re intent on gardening, yet a willow grows into a shelterbelt when planted without a thought’!"

Director He: "...it seems to be a big deal."

Director He was not willing to waste more time listening to Steve ramble on. Some old experts with tenure would be impervious and stubborn when it came to things that interested them—

as unshakeable as old dogs in the face of uncharted territories;

they would dance back and forth between leadership’s bottom line and high pressure;

the moment they faced something they really cared about, they would instantly enter a non-rational mode of "I won’t listen, I don’t understand, I’m not involved."

They were hard to persuade, hard to manage, impossible to stir.

Director He seriously suspected that it was Steve who led Feng Yi to stray in his nonconformist behavior!

"Where’s Feng Yi?" Director He asked.

"He’s gone to work, not by my side," Steve replied.

After they finished taking photos and recording data here, Feng Yi had set the "control group" free.

"What on earth are you two doing over there? Confess everything and you will be given a lenient treatment!" Director He asked sternly.

"I’m honest, of course honest," Steve replied, his voice faint.

"Two minutes, talk!" Director He glanced at his watch.

Steve carefully placed the animal bone down, then spoke unhurriedly, "It’s just that... this matter... uh... it’s kind of complicated."

"One minute thirty seconds," Director He said, ignoring Steve’s rambling.

Seeing that Director He was clearly getting emotional, Steve remained unchanged, continuing to dragnet: "Ah, the thing is, no matter how much I tell you, you’d still be confused. To tell you the truth, the shock I’ve received this time is also quite significant, and I still haven’t recovered..."

"Sixty seconds."

"So..." Blah blah blah.

"Fifteen seconds!"

Director He was losing his patience, on the verge of exploding.

Steve: "Ah, Director He, I’ve sent the documents over. The truth is in the pictures, clear and distinct."

Director He hung up.

Steve calmly placed the satellite phone aside and continued his work.

Five minutes later, the phone rang again.

Director He asked sharply, "Is all this information authentic?!"

There was an uncontrollable quiver in his stern and agitated voice.

Steve: "Hmm-hm."

Director He took a deep breath: "You two, stay put and keep out of trouble over there!"

Just now, Steve had sent the work records of the past few days—the data, pictures, and videos—to Director He.

In just five minutes, with Director He’s capability, he was already able to verify the authenticity of the information. The data were not something that could be easily fabricated, and the pictures and videos sent over had been identified by technicians, so it was highly unlikely they were faked.

But, there had been instances in the past where people fabricated evidence to embezzle funds, successfully deceiving institutions and media, not just once or twice.

In just five minutes, it wasn’t possible to fully verify everything, but Director He knew in his heart that this time, it was very likely true!

It was too shocking, beyond regular understanding.

If he didn’t have this information, even fewer experts would believe it if it were just spoken about!

Director He looked at the materials on the screen again.

The well-preserved skeleton indicated that it had not been long since the creature’s time, but according to all genuine exploration records over hundreds of years, there had been no serpents of such large size.

No wonder Steve had dropped everything and rushed over there. Any other expert would have done the same!

Feng Yi and Steve, although a bit resistant to conventional management, were undoubtedly professional in their field.

Generally speaking, they were not someone who could be deceived with forgeries, nor would they engage in fabricating them.

But they had made a big discovery without making any sound about it.

Director He tapped his forehead with his fingers, finding his heart rate still high and his mood hard to calm down.

However, to manage so many people in this position, one must have a strong psychological constitution. Excitement is still excitement, but it was quickly followed by consideration of the changes this event would bring from various perspectives.

Now, the news couldn’t be released to the public yet; it had to be personally confirmed on site, and all parties had to start mobilizing.

In the tropical rainforest across the sea.

After releasing the control group, Feng Yi returned to the tent and was informed about the call from Director He.

It was expected and not surprising; everything continued according to the original plan.

The next day, Director He arrived with a larger and more professional team, without disturbing the local brother units.

Although they were from the same organization, the joint protection bureaus of different regions still had internal competitive relationships. Director He wanted to secure priority rights for his side first.

The new experts couldn’t wait to rush into the tent and, upon seeing the skeletons there, their eyes became glued to them.

"This, this, this... it’s all real!"

"Judging from the bones, it’s indeed a Serpent!"

"This is unbelievable!"

The small tent was quickly packed with experts, who, holding their instruments to confirm authenticity and collecting data, argued with each other over various conjectures.

Steve continued his clinging, holding onto the best position, unwilling to leave.

Feng Yi stepped out of the tent, giving space to the extremely enthusiastic group.

Director He quickly arranged his plans and, after making several phone calls, came over to see Feng Yi and asked in detail about some matters.

After calling Steve yesterday, Director He also contacted Feng Yi to understand the sequence of events. However, due to the rushed nature of this trip, there were some details he needed to inquire about in person.

Director He already knew that Feng Yi had discovered the remains of the giant beast Serpan by relying on his sense of smell.

"An astonishing talent!"

Director He patted Feng Yi on the shoulder, "You’ve worked hard this time, and we’ll need your help with the work to come."

"It’s part of the duty," Feng Yi said with a smile.

"We’ve also carefully considered the proposal you made yesterday and will discuss with the local brother units. The restoration of the remains will also be carried out swiftly."

In dealing with the matter of the giant beast Serpan, as the discoverer and the one with the most merit, Feng Yi had enough say.

According to the regulations of the Joint Protection Bureau, specimens, fossils, and other valuable items discovered locally should be preserved at local institutions whenever possible. If the local facility cannot meet the preservation conditions, a nearby or more suitable location can be selected.

The edge of this rainforest is home to a tropical biology research center built by the Joint Protection Bureau, and the remains of the giant beast Serpan will definitely be preserved there after their discovery.

This was also what Feng Yi agreed with.

If the tribespeople raised Serpan in the rainforest and built its burial ground here, then the remains should not be too far away either.

The Joint Protection Bureau’s tropical research center was a good choice: it was close, secure, and the conservation was handled with care.

Director He had no objection to this. If Feng Yi wanted to contend for a different location, they could lend a hand and see if the remains could be moved. But since Feng Yi agreed with the current plan, they would follow the regulations and, in doing so, could strive for more resources through this event.

At the team and institutional level, based on priority, our side definitely has the advantage, and Director He is going to secure an even greater advantage now. As long as Feng Yi doesn’t switch sides, this advantage can be maintained.

"I’ll allocate a few more people to you, and you continue with the task of searching for the remains of the giant beast Serpan. Steve and his professional team will handle the restoration work, and I’ll deal with the other miscellaneous matters," Director He paused before continuing, "We can’t go public with this in the media yet; we need to delay it for a few more days."

This was a reminder to Feng Yi not to reveal any information on social media or friends’ circles until work deployment was completed.

Feng Yi nodded, "Understood."

He never had the urge to show off in the first place. As long as he had the say in some critical issues, his purpose would be achieved.

Everyone then took on their respective roles, and after Director He arranged the preliminary work, he contacted the local allied units.

Within a few days, the rainforest area became even busier.

The Chieftain and the villagers were more happy than annoyed. Although they found it too noisy, with more workers coming to their area, they earned more as well.

The only issue was that the food previously purchased by Feng Yi had cleared out a batch of their inventory, and now all of the villagers’ stocks had been depleted. They had to rush every day to prepare food to supply the workers here.

Although supplies arrived from outside the rainforest to the research teams’ work area every two days, the workers naturally preferred fresh food when given the choice, which the villagers could provide.

The remains of the giant beast Serpan were transported in batches to the tropical research center, which had better conditions for restoration and was more conducive to preservation.

Days passed, and with increased manpower, the work continued, and the sparse skeletal remains gradually became more complete.

In the meantime, more materials had to be filmed for comparisons, but there was no need to capture them from the rainforest.

The tropical research center had captive forest vipers, the largest of which was half a meter longer than the one Feng Yi had caught, and was even bulkier and more visually impactful!

The discovery of the giant beast Serpan stirred up various global conservation agencies and higher-ups.

The original site of Serpan’s grave in the rainforest and the areas where the remains might be buried were quickly protected.

Whether or not more remains could be found here, it was unlikely that outsiders would be allowed near for the coming years. A more professional team would soon be established to conduct detailed research of the area and further analyze the remains.

The conservation agency in charge of the site sent senior personnel to hold talks with the Chieftain.

The vertebrate bone in the Chieftain’s possession was handed over voluntarily. At the same time, the Chieftain also revealed that people from a neighboring tribe had found bones of the giant beast Serpan!

Consequently, the Chieftain of the neighboring tribe was also invited for a talk, which lasted a bit longer. In any case, whether voluntarily or through other transactions, the bone from the neighboring tribe was also handed over.

This matter caused a great stir in certain circles, and the reptile world’s big shots had already started arriving at the research center from all over the world. But due to strict regulations, the news did not spread outward.

Externally, there was still total silence. The official release of the news was to wait until all the preparatory work was complete.

The official media was working overtime to handle the heavy workload, maintaining a rigorous stance on reporting news.

The shocking news that would astound the reptile world was still brewing.

As a key figure in this event, Feng Yi, after completing a phase of the search mission, was invited for multiple interviews. He declined where he could, and for those he could not refuse, he cooperated within the planned scope of work.

The rest of his time was spent rushing to write work reports. As a key figure in the event, he had multiple reports to write, which had to be done in batches because it was impossible to finish them all at once.

Busy, fulfilling, and mentally taxing.