Forest Ranger, starting from Picking Up a Lynx Girl-Chapter 224 - : Wishing the Annoying Things Would Pass Quickly

Chapter 224 -224: Wishing the Annoying Things Would Pass Quickly

The three people on stakeout had all taken photos they were satisfied with, and it was about time for breakfast.

Chen Ying followed them on the way back, but only half the way there, when his cell phone rang.

“Brother Ying, where are you right now?”

“Me? I’m on my way back to camp with three teammates. What’s up?”

“Don’t come back for now, find a place to hide. If all else fails, head towards the outpost.”

Dao Meihua quickly finished speaking and hung up directly. Chen Ying said hello several times, but only the busy tone remained on his cell phone.

“What’s going on? Did something happen?”

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

The other three were confused and didn’t know what to do at that moment.

The clever one took out their cell phone to call the other teammates, but it was engaged.

Feeling that things were not too good, Chen Ying looked at the three people and decided to listen to Dao Meihua, running directly towards the outpost.

He thought it might have something to do with those two weird teammates, but he didn’t dare to speculate wildly before the dust had settled.

“Let’s go, we’ll head to the outpost first. No matter what, it’s definitely the safest place.”

The other three nodded and resolutely followed.

After walking in silence for about fifteen minutes, one of them couldn’t help speaking up.

“I think, could it have something to do with that cross-border poaching case before? They said they had leads, but there’s been no word after several months of tracking.”

The border of Dian Province is very long, and although the neighboring countries are also cracking down on poaching, they simply can’t compare with the efforts within our country.

“I think they should really crack down hard. When I was in university, there were quite a few green peacocks here, but now, it’s been three years. I’ve been in the volunteer team for three years, and I haven’t captured it once.”

Conservationists have no possibility of coexistence with poachers.

From the valley to the outpost, there was all jungle with no path.

As they struggled to find the right direction in the forest, their pace could not possibly pick up.

“Wait, it seems like there’s some noise.”

Chen Ying was startled and pulled a teammate next to him, signaling everyone to hide first.

A few minutes later, a black bear strolled by beneath the trees.

The people hiding in the trees covered their mouths and noses, fearing that even a single heavy breath might attract a violent attack from the black bear.

Chen Ying wasn’t too worried about the big guy below, but he always felt there was danger ahead, not from animals.

After the black bear left, the four of them discussed and decided to wait in the trees a bit longer. After all, with Chen Ying there, they probably wouldn’t be attacked by any fierce beasts.

The more anxious they were, the slower the time seemed to pass.

Just before eleven, one of the person’s cell phones rang at last.

“Hello, how are you guys doing now?”

Both sides spoke simultaneously, and afterward, the caller said they had already arrived at the outpost. Seeing that the four of them had not arrived for a long time, they were afraid something had happened and called to check on them.

“We just encountered a black bear in the forest and hid for a while. Now we’re hesitating whether to keep hiding or to head to the outpost.”

The person on the other side told them it would be best to come to the outpost, saying that the team leader had called to tell them that two teammates changing infrared cameras had run into poachers head-on.

“Was anyone injured?”

“One got hurt, but the other was lucky and got away. Those poachers seemed to be chasing some animal and didn’t stay to say much.”

Chen Ying and the others exchanged looks, and they all thought of Grandpa Hu and the clouded leopard that caught the parrot.

“What do we do? Which way should we go now?”

“First, we leave the forest,” Chen Ying said without hesitation. “Poachers, especially these cross-border ones, are extremely ruthless people. None of us are good in a fight, and it would be easy to cause trouble for others if we ran around in the forest.”

“Okay, let’s go then.”

“Wait, we’re not going this way, we’re heading to the village.”

Chen Ying was almost certain that those two were definitely related to the poachers, but he didn’t know exactly how. However, considering the degree of animosity those two had shown him, it was highly likely they would ambush him on the way.

Chen Ying couldn’t openly tell them this, so he had to find another excuse.

“I just checked, and if we follow the river to the southwest, we will reach the village that we helped with the baby elephant rescue before. If we go there and ask for help, we might even be able to provide some assistance.”

Indeed, following the river downstream, they encountered no danger, the biggest risk being that the slopes were steep and slippery, and all four ended up covered in mud.

When they arrived at the village, as soon as Chen Ying and his companions explained the situation, the village chief immediately asked them to rest at the village committee building while he personally called the outpost to report their safety.

Only then did Chen Ying find a moment to call Dao Meihua.

The other party answered quickly. Upon learning that Chen Ying and his companions had safely reached the village, Dao Meihua breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m very sorry, I’ll explain when we get back. This investigative trip can probably only go this far. I’ve arranged for a car to pick you up from the village.”

In fact, even if Dao Meihua hadn’t said anything, Chen Ying had pieced together an overview.

All in all, two cases were combined into one.

Those two weird acting guys in the team, they’re probably a link in a huge chain of interests.

Chen Ying guessed that even Director Song and his son-in-law might be pawns in the hands of poachers.

That would explain why Director Song’s son-in-law harbored such animosity towards him.

In less than a year on Jiamu Gully Mountain, he’d directly thwarted the actions of poachers twice; if they didn’t hate him, who would they hate?

By this reasoning, Dao Meihua’s sincere invitation for him to join this expedition might not have been without the intention of using him as bait.

It’s unclear what role Old Gao’s Senior Bai played in the midst of all this.

Chen Ying held his phone, lost in thought, failing to notice the tangled expressions on the faces of the other three people looking towards him.

“Brother Ying, you should leave Dian Province sooner rather than later, and only come back when this whole thing is completely over. By then, I’ll accompany you to the jungle to look for the Big Cats,” suggested a young teammate who was quite close to Chen Ying, unable to refrain from leaning in. “We just found out that there are people in the team colluding with poachers, intending to use your luck to trap rare animals.”

What did that mean, treating him as bait to lure wild beasts?

Hah, he truly was a sought-after “steamed bun.”

On the one hand, they used him to lure wild animals, and on the other hand, they used him to lure poachers.

The three of them were still unaware of what Dao Meihua and her group had done, and were angry that there was such a person among their comrades. They also felt a bit apologetic towards Chen Ying, who had come across such a frustrating affair on his first time out with them.

Chen Ying let out a long sigh, adjusting his emotions.

“It’s okay, it has nothing to do with you guys. You don’t have to apologize for the wrongdoers.”

Though he said that, everyone still felt embarrassed.

Fortunately, the vehicle that was coming to pick them up arrived before long.

The van also carried team members who had been transferred from the outpost.

All of their luggage and gear had been left at the campsite, necessitating a separate dispatch to retrieve them.

The ride was silent, and upon reaching the county town, they were settled at the county guesthouse. They were told not to ask too many questions and to rest up well, waiting for their captain to return.

Chen Ying was given a room to himself, separate from the others on another floor.

Even though everyone had questions, since they were told not to ask, they dutifully returned to their respective rooms to rest, leaving any possible private discussions for later.

Upon entering his room, Chen Ying took a shower first, sending his clothes to the laundry room, expecting them to be returned later.

Anticipating their needs, each room was supplied with a complete set of disposable hygiene products and bathrobes.

Chen Ying was in no hurry to inquire further and, after a good sleep, finally turned on his phone, only to find the notifications no longer even showed the number of messages.

After browsing for a while, he replied to a message from his teacher and Director Bai, and then directly dialed Yin Li.

“What’s the matter, how did your side already find out about it?”

“This issue has blown up quite a bit, involving several departments and related units. We’ve already been notified to undergo three days of continuous Wildlife Protection Law study. Anyway, it’s going to shake things up a bit,” Yin Li grunted, then swiftly changed the subject, “Once you leave Dian Province, why don’t you come and visit me? It’s been a long time since we met, brother. I’ll treat you to good food and drink.”

“Come on, just spit it out. Who else wants to mess with me now?”

“That’s not it. You should have a little more faith in our leaders. It’s just that I heard that damn fugitive has escaped, and I am worried he might become desperate. If you stay with me for two or three months, that should be plenty of time for him to be caught.”

Whoa, that guy was surprisingly well-informed.

News was just breaking on his end, while on the other side, it was already a manhunt.

After chatting aimlessly with Yin Li for a while, someone knocked on the door.

Upon opening the door, Chen Ying saw his team leader and Dao Meihua, along with two individuals he didn’t recognize, both looking like officials by their attire.

Rushing to hang up the phone with Yin Li, Chen Ying invited them into the room.

“Sorry for the lack of proper attire,” he apologized.

Dao Meihua stayed silent as the team leader straightforwardly shared the purpose of their visit.

Indeed, it was a dark industry chain.

Director Song was not ignorant of it; he just didn’t participate directly. Involved were his son-in-law and his daughter, who had also helped a bit.

“The relevant departments will naturally investigate it thoroughly, and this matter probably won’t conclude anytime soon. Considering the son-in-law of your superiors is on the run and for your own safety, we suggest you stay here temporarily for protection.”

Chen Ying looked up at them, remaining silent.

It was protection, but also surveillance.

For him, it didn’t matter much; he had nothing to fear if he had done nothing wrong. But being exploited like this annoyed him, and these people had yet to offer him any resolution.

“Using you was my suggestion,” Dao Meihua said, taking a deep breath and looking up at Chen Ying.

“I’m sorry.”

Chen Ying twitched his mouth, remaining silent.

The room fell into an awkward silence. The team leader glanced between them, wanting to say something but didn’t know how to express it.

“Alright, I get it. There’s no harm done. Given your position, it’s understandable,” Chen Ying finally said, not mentioning forgiveness.

“If I temporarily can’t leave, what are your plans for me?” he asked, looking towards the two quiet individuals, confident these were the decision-makers.

Sure enough, one of them smiled.

“We understand you may hold some resentment, Chen Ying comrade, and about this matter…”

“Leader, let’s skip the formalities,” Chen Ying interrupted somewhat rudely, “Just tell me directly, what do you want me to do next? I’ll fully cooperate. I have only one request: make it quick. I have a bunch of animals back in the mountains waiting for me to return.”

“Next, we plan to have Dr. Chen participate in a training exchange at the Provincial Animal Research Institute for a period of about one to three months,” replied the other quiet individual, directly revealing the arrangement.

“Dr. Chen’s research on feline animals is quite profound. One of the two Clouded Leopards rescued has been confirmed to be pregnant, and the Animal Research Institute is already arranging for their release into the wild. Dr. Chen’s task is to observe the pregnant Clouded Leopard’s lifestyle and birthing, along with the institute’s veterinarian, and to provide assistance when necessary.”

Fine, they had arranged for him to care for cats—something he was familiar with.

“Besides that, there’s another matter we’d like to consult Dr. Chen about.”