However, Yang Qi felt his heart sink slightly.
’Plans can’t keep up with reality...’
’These experts are too meticulous. They have to experience and verify everything for themselves. All this time they’re wasting, on top of their method of constantly stopping and starting to record and research...’
Yang Qi had originally expected to complete the planned route in a single day.
Now, it seemed completely impossible.
At this rate, the expedition would take at least three days, maybe even longer!
’I hope the tigress is smart enough to keep things quiet when she hunts over the next few days. Don’t cause a big ruckus, and definitely don’t stray too far from your den.’
Yang Qi thought helplessly.
He had only told the tigress that people would be entering the mountain today, and to keep herself and her cubs in check.
Who knew the expedition would last this long?
The team advanced slowly through the primeval mountain forest.
Sure enough, they hadn’t gone far before they were stopping frequently at the request of either Professor Zhou or Senior Engineer Li.
"Professor Zhou, look at the rings on this tree..."
"The soil composition here is a little unusual. Here, let’s take a sample."
"The magnetic field readings in this direction are fluctuating wildly."
"Quick, look! What kind of bird is that? Let’s make a note of it."
"..."
Botanists, soil scientists, geologists, ornithologists...
The experts from every field found something to capture their interest. They were in their element—taking photos, collecting samples, recording data, and holding discussions.
The team moved at a snail’s pace.
By the time dusk began to fall, they had only covered about a fifth of the planned route.
Seeing that they couldn’t make it out of the mountains before dark, setting up camp for the night became the inevitable choice.
Fortunately, the experienced Uncle Cai quickly found a clearing near a stream—a spot that was relatively flat, open, and sheltered from the wind—and directed everyone to set up camp.
Tents were pitched and campfires were lit.
The orange-red glow of the fire dispelled the evening’s chill and darkness, bringing with it a sense of security.
The experts, forgoing rest, huddled in their tents or by the fire under the glow of their portable lamps, fervently discussing the day’s discoveries and questions as they recorded data.
Yang Qi, Uncle Cai, and Jiang Kai sat around a fire of their own, gnawing on compressed rations and sipping hot water.
The four dogs rested quietly at their masters’ feet.
The crackling of the fire and the distant chirping of insects only served to deepen the profound silence of the mountain forest at night.
Suddenly—
"WOOF WOOF~!"
Bai Wan, who had been lying beside Yang Qi, shot up without warning. Its hackles rose, and it unleashed a volley of frantic, warning barks toward a dark corner just outside the camp!
Leopard, Big Black, and Dahuang immediately got to their feet as well, staring in the same direction with low growls.
"We’ve got a situation!"
"What is it?!"
Tension shot through the camp in an instant.
A few of the more timid graduate students jumped to their feet, frightened, tightly gripping their trekking poles or high-intensity flashlights.
The experts also peered warily into the darkness.
In the darkness, two pairs of eerie, fire-reflecting eyes flashed for an instant in the tall grass about fifty feet from the camp. They vanished as quickly as they appeared, followed by the rustling sound of a hasty retreat.
"Everyone, stay calm."
Yang Qi’s voice cut through the tension, steady and clear. "It’s just a couple of passing wolves. The dogs already scared them off."
Using his perception, Yang Qi could clearly sense the rapidly retreating auras. They were indeed two medium-sized wolves, filled with caution and curiosity, but with no obvious aggressive intent.
Faced with the intimidating auras of the two Spirit Beasts, Bai Wan and Leopard, they had wisely chosen to withdraw.
Hearing Yang Qi’s confident assessment, everyone’s taut nerves finally eased.
One of the young graduate students, still a little shaken from the scare, walked over and said to Yang Qi half-jokingly.
"Advisor Yang, you say ’just’ with such composure. Those were wolves, you know!"
Yang Qi glanced at him and chuckled. "There really were only two just now. The last time we were in the mountains searching for a missing person, we ran into a pack of six. There are several packs of five or six wolves in these mountains."
Hearing that, the graduate student flinched. He said nothing more, silently returned to his spot, and pulled his jacket a little tighter.
The rest of the night passed without incident. Despite the scare from the wolves, there were no further disturbances.
The next day, the team continued their slow advance along the route planned by Yang Qi and Uncle Cai, heading toward the Ancient Goose Forest.
Along the way, as they passed through an area where Yang Qi had intentionally enhanced the disorienting effects of an Array, the experts with their precision instruments once again experienced the meaning of "inexplicable."
"This isn’t scientific!"
Senior Engineer Li’s eyes were wide as he stared at the expensive, high-precision magnetometer in his hands. The graph on the screen was a tangled mess.
"The magnetic field readings are in complete disarray!"
"The intensity and direction are jumping around wildly with no discernible pattern! This... How is this possible?"
His expression shifted rapidly.
"My gravimeter is getting interference, too."
"The ambient background radiation is fluctuating abnormally as well."
"The GPS signal is completely gone—even the BeiDou system is down!"
"..."
The experts huddled around their instruments, their voices a babble of shock and immense confusion.
They tried to analyze the phenomena using established theories, but no matter how much they discussed it, they couldn’t come up with a single rational, self-consistent explanation.
"Could there be some kind of powerful, unknown source of natural electromagnetic interference?"
"Or maybe a unique geological structure is creating a natural ’Faraday cage’ effect?"
"It’s also possible there’s an undiscovered rare mineral deposit underground, generating complex field effects."
Various hypotheses were proposed, only to be shelved for lack of further evidence.
Professor Zhou, on the other hand, seemed less fixated on the abnormal instrument readings.
He spent most of his time observing the surrounding environment and its wildlife.