"What kind of snake? Where did it bite you? Did you get a good look at it?"
Several experts and graduate students immediately crowded around, all talking at once, their voices filled with tension.
The young male graduate student who had fallen to the ground was pale as a sheet. Trembling, he lifted his left hand, revealing two small, bleeding fang marks on the side of his hand.
His voice trembled. "I... I don’t know... I didn’t see it clearly. I just felt something cold and sharp on my hand, and then I saw a shadow dart away..."
"If we don’t know what kind of snake it was, this could be trouble," an expert said worriedly.
"It’s a Black Rat Snake."
Yang Qi walked over, crouched down to examine the two fang marks, and glanced in the direction the snake had disappeared. "I saw it just now," he said, "but it struck so fast I didn’t have time to warn him."
"A Black Rat Snake?"
Professor Zhou pushed up his glasses. "Advisor Yang, are you sure?"
"I’m sure. The size, color, and the way it moved—they all match the characteristics of a Black Rat Snake," Yang Qi replied.
"Phew—a Black Rat Snake. Then we’re fine."
"That gave me a scare. I thought it was venomous."
Only then did everyone’s frayed nerves begin to settle.
Someone brought over a first-aid kit, another fetched clean water, and an older expert guided the younger ones in cleaning the wound and applying iodine.
After a flurry of activity, the male graduate student’s emotions stabilized. He was still shaken, but at least his life wasn’t in danger.
Just then, Senior Engineer Li gazed at the quiet, deep, and leaf-strewn Ancient Goose Forest ahead and let out a long sigh.
"Black Rat Snakes like to live in damp, rocky environments with plenty of cover. They often share the same territory as venomous snakes."
He murmured, his tone full of regret and frustration, "Finding a Black Rat Snake here means there are bound to be venomous snakes in the forest. This young man was lucky today to run into a non-venomous one. Next time... we might not be so fortunate."
The other experts fell silent as well.
They looked at the Ancient Goose Forest, so close yet separated as if by an impassable chasm, their expressions complex.
Senior Engineer Li didn’t mention going in again. He was responsible for the entire team’s safety.
"Forget it..." He shook his head, his voice low. "Let’s head back."
Just then, Yang Qi spoke up.
"I’ll go in and collect the samples."
Everyone froze, their heads whipping toward him.
"I’ll take Bai Wan and Leopard with me. We’ll be fast. They won’t get lost, and they can detect and scare away venomous snakes ahead of time."
Yang Qi’s tone was even. "Soil, fallen leaves, water samples, rock specimens—whatever you need. Just give me the sample bags, and I’ll bring them all out for you."
It would be best to finish the survey in one go, saving them another trip into the mountains.
"This..."
Jiang Kai’s brow furrowed as he raised the first objection. "Xiao Yang, that’s too risky. You know as well as anyone what it’s like inside Ancient Goose Forest..."
"That’s right, Advisor Yang."
Uncle Cai added anxiously, "That place is treacherous. It messes with your sense of direction. If you get lost in there, we won’t even be able to look for you!"
"Director, Uncle Cai, don’t worry."
Yang Qi chuckled lightly. "I’ve been in there before; I know the terrain. And with Bai Wan and Leopard, I won’t get lost."
He paused, then added, "We’ve come all this way. We can’t have everyone leave empty-handed."
His words struck a chord with the experts.
Professor Zhou, Senior Engineer Li, and the others exchanged glances, their faces showing a mixture of temptation and embarrassment.
They were, of course, desperate for firsthand samples from deep within Ancient Goose Forest, but they couldn’t bring themselves to ask someone to risk their life for it.
"Advisor Yang, it’s just too dangerous..." Professor Zhou said hesitantly.
"It’s fine. I know what I’m doing," Yang Qi interrupted. "Give me the sample bags and jars. This won’t take long."
With things having come to this, Jiang Kai couldn’t object further, so he just gave a warning.
"Be extremely careful. If anything feels wrong, get out immediately. The samples aren’t important; you are."
"Understood."
Yang Qi took the dozen or so sample bags, sealed jars, labels, and markers that the experts scrambled to hand him, packing them one by one into his hiking backpack before calling to Bai Wan and Leopard.
"Let’s go."
The man and his two dogs stepped into the forest with a calm, unhurried pace.
...
The forest was quiet.
Yang Qi didn’t go too deep, sticking to an area he was familiar with and that was a safe distance from the core valley, selectively collecting his samples.
He crouched down, used a small trowel to scoop up a handful of dirt mixed with humus and topsoil, placed it in a sample bag, and affixed a label that read, "G-01 Topsoil."
A few steps later, he picked up several intact, uniquely colored fallen leaves and put them in another bag.
Further on, he filled a bottle with clear water from a small stream, sealed it, and labeled it.
Bai Wan and Leopard flanked him, one on his left and one on his right, occasionally letting out a low, wary growl in a certain direction.
That was their way of sensing nearby snakes or other small animals and scaring them off in time.
In less than twenty minutes, he had collected all the samples the experts needed.
Yang Qi zipped up the backpack full of samples, took one last look toward the valley, then turned and led Bai Wan and Leopard back out of the forest the way he had come.
When his figure reappeared in their line of sight, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Advisor Yang, thank you for your hard work, truly."
Senior Engineer Li practically lunged forward to take the backpack, treating it like a priceless treasure. "Thank you so much!"
"It was nothing, happy to do it," Yang Qi said with a wave of his hand.
The experts immediately formed a circle, carefully taking out the sample bags to observe, record, and photograph them as if they had just acquired a great treasure.
Professor Zhou walked over to Yang Qi and said earnestly, "Advisor Yang, we owe you for this one. In the future, if there’s anything you need, and if we old-timers can help in any way, all you have to do is ask."
Yang Qi smiled, neither refusing the gesture nor taking credit for his deed. "You’re too kind, Professor Zhou. It was all for the sake of our work."