Wang Gu quickly raised his binoculars, aimed them at the agile figure in the sky, and after a moment of careful observation, exclaimed with delight.

"It really is a Brown-crowned Falconet! Look at its crest and flight pattern, there’s no mistaking it!"

The Brown-crowned Falconet, a Class II nationally protected animal, is extremely particular about its ecological habitat.

Its appearance was undoubtedly a powerful testament to the complete and healthy ecosystem of Cangshan.

"If it were just a single adult clouded leopard, releasing it into the forests of Cangshan would actually be fine. We’d just need to conduct regular monitoring," Zhang Zhi said, gazing in the direction the Brown-crowned Falconet had disappeared.

"You’re not wrong."

Qiao Fei chimed in, "Unfortunately, there’s also a cub that was raised by humans. Its ability to survive in the wild is a major issue."

"Alright, it’s getting late. Let’s make camp here."

Deng Lei ordered in a deep voice, his eyes scanning the surroundings to confirm it was safe.

"Understood," the group replied.

Under the guidance of the experienced Uncle Cai, the group chose a relatively open and flat area with its back to a rock wall and began to set up camp.

They divided the tasks and quickly got busy.

Some began setting up tents, others went to gather dry firewood, and a few headed to a nearby stream with water bags and filters.

Suddenly...

"Wild boars!"

A suppressed cry of alarm came from Wang Gu, who had gone to fetch water.

"What?!"

Everyone at the campsite was startled.

Deng Lei reacted fastest, immediately shouting, "Everyone, on alert! Qiao Fei, stay here and protect the group. Li Rui, Xiaochao, with me!"

He gave the orders quickly as he deftly drew his sidearm, chambered a round, and took the lead, charging toward the stream.

Li Rui and Wang Xiaochao followed close behind.

WOOF WOOF! WOOF WOOF WOOF~

Big Black and Dahuang barked, quickly following.

Yang Qi glanced left and right, took a few agile steps, and using the lightness of the Spirit Crane Body Technique, easily leaped onto a large, protruding boulder nearby to observe the situation at the stream from a distance.

He saw them by the clear stream: two brawny wild boars with bristling manes, leading five half-grown piglets. They were staring with small, crimson eyes and baring their ghastly white tusks, their throats emitting threatening HUFF HUFF sounds as they faced off against Wang Gu, Deng Lei, and the others.

The largest, a boar, was tall at the shoulder and built like a small tank. It looked to weigh at least three hundred pounds and radiated a ferocious, heart-pounding aura.

[Armored Giant Demon discovered! Host may attempt to subdue it and return it to the Sect for Contribution Points.]

The prompt flashed.

Yang Qi rolled his eyes, ignoring it completely.

With the Bear’s Strength and Spirit Crane Body Technique he currently possessed, he might have a chance to subdue both adult boars at the same time, but the process would undoubtedly be perilous.

But the Zoo wanted a live, unharmed clouded leopard, not this thick-skinned, tough-hided wild boar.

Not to mention the Zoo wasn’t lacking a wild boar exhibit.

The primary mission of this trip was to search for the mother and cub clouded leopard. There was no need to create extra complications and add unnecessary risk.

"How’s it looking, Brother Qi?"

Chen Ze couldn’t help but look up and ask, his hand tightly gripping an entrenching tool. His voice held a trace of misplaced hope. "What’s going on? Think we’ll be having roast boar for dinner?"

"Sorry to disappoint you."

Yang Qi watched from the boulder for a moment longer. He saw that faced with the courageous advance of Deng Lei, Big Black, and Dahuang, the boars were beginning to retreat slowly, though they still bared their tusks.

He hopped down from the boulder and dusted off his hands.

"The boars are retreating."

"Oh..." Chen Ze sighed slightly, seeming genuinely disappointed.

Yang Qi shook his head inwardly. ’Chen Ze’s personality is a bit flighty.’

In contrast, Fang Dawei, also a security guard, was much more stoic and practical. Throughout the journey, aside from necessary responses, he rarely spoke up and just quietly did his job.

...

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Wang Gu, Deng Lei, and the others returned safely.

Wang Gu, still shaken but also a little excited, described the standoff with the sounder of wild boars.

Deng Lei added a few words, reminding everyone to be extra vigilant during the night watch.

The younger members of the group continued with their tasks, discussing in low voices. The topic mainly centered on the boar Wang Gu had described as "nearly four hundred pounds and built like a car."

Amid the chatter and laughter, night fell.

The campfire sparked, CRACKLING to life. Its dancing flames drove back the forest’s chill and pushed away the darkness.

The group gathered around the warm bonfire, eating their heated food and chatting in low voices.

After the watch schedule was arranged, the rest of them crawled into their tents to rest.

Yang Qi and Chen Ze were assigned to the same tent.

At the stroke of midnight, the system prompt appeared right on schedule.

[Today’s work is complete. Host fed two Spirit Beasts. Contribution Points +10]

’Heh, so feeding the two hounds some sausage and jerky counts?’

Yang Qi rejoiced silently in his sleeping bag.

’Not bad, not bad at all. I’ll find a chance to feed them again at dawn!’

...

The night passed without incident. The mountain forest was quiet, save for the occasional chirping of unknown insects and the light footsteps of the person on watch.

The next morning, the group was awakened by the crisp birdsong in the forest.

After a simple wash-up and a meal of dry rations with fresh water, the team set out again, following the route planned by Uncle Cai and proceeding in an orderly fashion deeper into the mountains.

Around noon, the team arrived at an area called the Immortal Cave.

This was a karst region, a landscape of jagged, strange rocks dotted with caves of various sizes. Many were semi-open, with mottled light filtering through crevices, making the area seem deep, dark, and damp.

While passing through a narrow, dimly lit, semi-open cave, Uncle Cai, who was walking at the front, called out a warning, his voice echoing lightly off the cave walls.

"Everyone, watch your step and watch what’s above you. These damp, dark places have a lot of snakes and insects, so stay alert."

Hearing this, the group’s footsteps became lighter and slower, their eyes scanning the surrounding slippery rocks and dangling vines.

However, the unexpected still happened.

Not two minutes later—

PLOP!

A colorful snake, about as thick as a baby’s arm, suddenly slipped from the vines hanging from the cave ceiling and fell without deviation, draping itself right across Chen Ze’s neck!

The cold, slick sensation made every hair on Chen Ze’s body stand on end in an instant, and his blood seemed to freeze.

"Don’t move!"

Yang Qi, walking behind Chen Ze, saw it clearly and immediately barked in a low voice.

The others, startled by the sound, stopped in their tracks and turned or looked up.

When they got a clear look at the snake on Chen Ze’s neck, their hearts leaped into their throats.

GRRR... Dahuang and Big Black let out threatening low growls from their throats and were about to bark wildly when Uncle Cai promptly stopped them.

He Shengnan quickly identified the snake’s triangular head and the bright, ring-like patterns on its body. Her face grew grave as she whispered, "It’s a Red Chain Snake! Don’t move at all, don’t provoke it!"

A Red Chain Snake?

A venomous snake!

In an instant, the cave fell so silent you could hear a pin drop, and everyone held their breath.

Chen Ze was even more rigid, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead and the tip of his nose, his calves trembling uncontrollably.

The Red Chain Snake draped around his neck flicked its tongue, its triangular head swaying slightly as its cold, vertical pupils scanned its surroundings.

"I’ll handle this,"

Uncle Cai said in a low voice, slowly shuffling his feet to get closer to Chen Ze.

Just as the atmosphere grew so tense it was suffocating...

SWOOSH!