The Civil Servant's Job is to Raise The Furries!-Chapter 92: Research Crops Stolen

Qi Xiao and Qin Yan carried the unconscious injured person into the management room.

Qin Yan placed a bottled oxygen tank near the injured person’s nostrils to help him breathe.

Qi Xiao assisted in contacting the medical team.

It was only then that Xu Ying clearly saw the wounded person on the stretcher.

The injured seemed to be in his fifties or sixties, with a receding hairline, gray streaks in his temples, and a calm, scholarly demeanor that gave the impression of an authoritative figure in academia.

The young man who helped carry the stretcher down the mountain with Qin Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead with a tissue and said to Qi Xiao and the others, "Thank you, really, thank you so much. These past few days I’ve been troubling you every day; I’m so embarrassed."

Qin Yan shook his head and handed the young man a bottle of mineral water, "It’s no trouble at all, it’s our duty."

"No trouble at all. Professor Ye’s research benefits all of humanity; our cooperation is necessary."

A driver in the convoy couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Hey buddy, did something happen up in the mountain?"

Since they’re heading up the mountain soon, it would be good to know if there’s anything to be aware of.

The young man named Jiang Haiyang, a student of Professor Ye, saw Xu Ying’s group in mountaineering gear but didn’t answer the driver’s question first. Instead, he hurriedly asked, "Are you heading into the mountains for a mission? How long will you be up there?"

"Yes, we’ll be in the mountains for about three to four days." Qi Xiao introduced Xu Ying and Qin Yan to Jiang Haiyang, "We are sent by the Desert Wildlife Rescue Headquarters to return poached small animals back to the West Mountain core area."

"This is our leader, Little Xu Station Chief."

Xu Ying greeted Qin Yan and Jiang Haiyang, "Hello, I’m Xu Ying."

"Hello, I’m Jiang Haiyang."

Jiang Haiyang’s somber eyes brightened slightly, "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Help us find some wild West Mountain Snow Lotus. Get as much as you can, and we’ll offer a thousand yuan reward for each that’s about to bloom or has already bloomed."

Upon hearing the reward amount, some drivers in the convoy blinked and asked, "Isn’t the wild West Mountain Snow Lotus considered a prison term blossom? It’s a state-protected plant, level two."

"Yes, that’s right."

With a wry smile, Jiang Haiyang responded, "Our project has been officially approved, and we can harvest the West Mountain Snow Lotus for research, just need to pay as per the market rate."

He then explained the reason for the injured person collapsing on the mountain, "The unconscious person is my mentor, Professor Ye Lin, an oncology expert at the West State Affiliated Hospital. He is leading a research team on a project related to inhibiting tumor metastasis."

Upon hearing the injured party’s identity, everyone showed respect, though a touch of puzzlement arose too — why was an oncology expert suddenly on the West Mountain and even fainted from anger? 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"The West Mountain Snow Lotus is the most crucial medication in our research project, its components inhibit tumor cell growth."

"We found that artificially cultivated West Mountain Snow Lotus is far less effective than those naturally growing on the West Mountain, so we marked a batch of wild snow lotus there for research backup. The snow lotus must be freshly picked."

Jiang Haiyang’s voice trembled more and more, "Now we are at a critical stage of project development, yet unexpectedly, the batch of wild snow lotus meant for research has been virtually wiped out by poachers."

The preciousness of the West Mountain Snow Lotus partly lies in its long production cycle, taking three to five years from seed germination to flowering.

"We’re just one step away from a world-first breakthrough in tumor cell transfer inhibition, and now to think that the key experimental material was stolen!"

"With the project running tight, Professor Ye hired a professional group of herbal gatherers to search for West Mountain Snow Lotus, finding only a few after a week’s effort."

"The gatherers said that the poachers this time were ruthless, taking everything. Now the remaining mature snow lotus might be hidden in places humans can’t reach, like cliff faces."

"Even with a high reward, the gatherers are unwilling to look again."

"Professor Ye cannot accept his twenty-year project being interrupted like this and fainted from anger."

By now, Professor Ye had regained his senses and opened his eyes slightly.

Jiang Haiyang quickly went over to support him, "Teacher, how are you feeling, is there anywhere else uncomfortable?"

Professor Ye shook his head, "Let me get up, I’ll go search the eastern side again."

"You can’t do that, professor, in your current state, you shouldn’t go up there. Let me go instead!"

"The project is at this point, I, I am unwilling to give up like this!"

Professor Ye closed his eyes, as tears of anger and frustration streamed down his face. Seeing a sixty-year-old man cry so sorrowfully tugged at the hearts of Xu Ying and the others.

With the West Mountain Snow Lotus being a rare plant that grows in high-altitude frigid environments and scattered in distribution, this increased the difficulty for the research team in managing and protecting it. It’s impossible to assign someone to guard each plant, requiring a hundred people to protect the core area of West Mountain long-term, which could harm the ecosystem.

Professor Ye’s team employed high-tech solutions, installing alert signals next to each snow lotus, so staff stationed at the West Mountain could receive alerts if poaching occurred.

No errors had occurred in five years of research; however, during the recent West Mountain blizzard, the alerts failed, and by the time it was discovered, the batch of snow lotus had been stolen.

"We suspect the poachers had been coveting this batch of snow lotus for a long time, waiting until now because they feared the alerts."

"We’ve set up protective signs warning not to pick because it’s exclusively for cutting-edge tumor project research next to every snow lotus."

Professor Ye’s voice was filled with anger, "Do these poachers not consider that one day they or their family might get sick!"

"Are we to cultivate a new batch of West Mountain Snow Lotus again, do we have to wait another five years?"

"By then, I, an old man, might not be alive."

Jiang Haiyang, hearing this, fell silent. Professor Ye, now sixty-four, in five years would be nearing seventy, and who knows if he could still lead the research team.

Xu Ying handed Professor Ye a tissue to wipe his tears, "Professor Ye, please don’t say that, I’m sure you’ll live a long life."

"Thank you, young lady. When I fainted, I heard you were heading into the mountain, is there any way..."

Professor Ye hesitated, knowing they were there for a mission, with work to do.

Xu Ying readily nodded, agreeing, "No problem, I will certainly do my best to help."

"Thank you, thank you so much!"

Professor Ye rubbed his temples, his eyes still clouded. All he could do was grasp every opportunity and try his hardest, although despair had already set in his heart.

Jiang Haiyang noticed movement at the door and took a closer look, rubbing his eyes, thinking he was seeing things, "Am I so tired lately that my eyes are playing tricks on me? Why are there seven snow cleaning weasels seemingly copy-pasted at the door?"