Animal Detective

Chapter 558: Chapter 460: Primeval Forest

The meeting concluded. They reported their plan and then ate their fill.

After the meal, the group set off immediately.

Shen Xin’s team headed straight for Hudian Town to enter the mountains.

Before, when they were running all over Dehong, a mountain was just a mountain.

He had also heard Pan Wenhai and the others say that this area was all primeval forest.

Back then, Shen Xin didn’t have a clear idea of what a primeval forest truly was.

He had been to plenty of forest parks, though.

But it was only after truly entering this endless mountain range on the border that he understood what a ’primeval forest’ really was.

After arriving in Hudian, the group followed a winding mountain road northwest.

It was just past eight in the morning, and the mountains were still shrouded in mist. All sorts of unfamiliar, massive trees grew outwards, their branches like claws, threatening to swallow the road completely.

Driving through it felt like entering an unknown world. It was so still that the only sound was the engine’s roar.

Just when Shen Xin thought *this* was the primeval forest, a small village appeared ahead, nestled among the mountains.

But their journey wasn’t over when they reached the village.

In Huang Delin’s words, they still had a long way to go.

From this point on, there were no proper roads—only narrow, weed-choked trails that snaked through the mountains.

They drove on until the vehicles could go no further.

Everyone disembarked.

Pointing at the dense, mist-shrouded mountain forest ahead, Huang Delin explained, "This is actually still the outskirts. The guys from the Hudian Police Station are responsible for border patrol. They hike to the boundary markers to patrol every other day."

Shen Xin surveyed the forest on either side.

The trees towered over them, some so thick it would take several people to encircle their trunks. They must have been growing for centuries.

As far as the eye could see, gnarled branches twisted in every direction, with thick vines hanging down from them.

Moss and countless unknown species of ferns covered every inch of rock and trunk.

It was as if each tree wore a coat of green moss.

Guo Zhao Yue, the Hudian Police Station chief they’d met before, was also with them. He pointed into the distance. "That’s our forward campsite over there."

"It’s called a campsite, but there’s nothing there," he added. "It’s just a regular stopping point on our patrol route."

It was an open area on a ridgeline where the ground was flatter and the vegetation wasn’t as dense. Since it’s a high point, you can see Bawashan and Zhutou Mountain from there.

Besides, if the traffickers really do come through Bawashan and then double back into the mountains to set an ambush, they’ll have to use this path.

They walked it all the time, so they were more familiar with it.

With that, the group set out, carrying the birdcages, equipment, and supplies.

They were accompanied by dozens of fully armed SWAT and armed police officers.

Before they started up the mountain, Huang Delin went over and double-checked the gear worn by Shen Xin, Ding Yuwei, and the others.

They had changed into long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and jackets before they left.

"There are leeches in the mountains. They can latch onto you before you even notice, so you have to keep your cuffs buttoned up tight," Huang Delin explained.

Mosquitoes, leeches... a primeval forest has all sorts of nasty things.

And Shen Xin was about to find that out firsthand.

But it wasn’t a leech he encountered—it was a snake.

The mountain path was treacherous; in fact, there was no real path at all.

Besides, as Guo Zhao Yue had said, the vegetation grew so fast this time of year that a freshly cleared path would be overgrown again in a couple of days.

They had to constantly clear the way anew.

Still, it was clear he knew the area well; his sense of direction was impeccable.

Shen Xin, on the other hand, had lost all sense of direction the moment he stepped into the forest.

The canopy was so high and thick that no sunlight could penetrate, making the forest seem dark and gloomy even in broad daylight.

It was cold, too. The air was incredibly pure—a deep breath felt like it nourished the lungs—but there was a distinct chill. After all, they were at an altitude of over two thousand meters.

Shen Xin walked in the middle of the procession, with Ding Yuwei just ahead of him. Whenever they came to a difficult spot, he was there to offer her a hand.

Just as Shen Xin passed a small tree, one of the young armed police officers walking behind him...

And he really was young.

Shen Xin had asked earlier; the guy was only twenty-five, born in the same year as Shen Xin but a few months younger.

The young officer, wearing tactical gloves, shot his hand out like lightning. It flashed past the left side of Shen Xin’s head and snatched something from the air.

Shen Xin instinctively whipped his head around, his eyes going wide.

The officer was holding a snake.

It was as thick as a finger and bright green.

His grip was perfect, pinning the snake just below the head, forcing its mouth open.

But instead of throwing it away immediately, he held his arm out, keeping it there.

Shen Xin was so close he could clearly see the snake’s fangs. A bone-deep chill shot straight to the top of his head.

The young officer brought the snake closer for a look, then used his other hand to pull off the tail, which had coiled around his arm. He unraveled it and flung the creature far into the woods.

"Don’t worry," he said with a grin, revealing a set of yellowish teeth. "It’s a bamboo viper. It won’t kill you."

Shen Xin gave a stiff nod.

’He was terrified of snakes.’

’The last time a snake got into the canine training facility, it had scared everyone witless. They’d almost called the fire department.’

’Besides, ’bamboo viper’ and ’won’t kill you’—how did those two phrases even belong in the same sentence?’

The procession halted briefly because of the little incident.

Huang Delin took the opportunity to remind Shen Xin and the other "outsiders" to be careful. He told them to stay as far away from small trees and shrubs as possible when walking.

"That way, even if you get bitten on the foot, it’s far from your head, so it’ll be less serious."

’That wasn’t very comforting.’

The group started moving again.

"Thanks."

Shen Xin turned his head to thank the young officer, then asked his name.

"Li Niu."

He grinned, and seeing Shen Xin’s slightly strange expression, he said, "My dad gave me the name. He hoped I’d be tough as an ox, and it turns out I am. Look at me—I’ve only been a soldier for a few years, but I’ve already made it into the special ops unit."

His face beamed with pride.

His unit was a special operations team—the elites.

Shen Xin quickly gave him a thumbs-up and made some small talk.

He asked if Li Niu had been on missions before. Li Niu said he had, right here in these mountains, and had even killed a drug trafficker himself.

His expression was calm as he said it, filled only with the confidence that comes from seeing justice served.

After more than an hour of hiking, the group reached their destination.

It was just as Guo Zhao Yue had described: a relatively open area where the trees were more sparse.

Huang Delin pointed to the rolling peaks in the distance. "That whole area is Bawashan," he said.

Looking out, it was just mountains; nothing else was visible.

’No wonder cracking down on traffickers was so hard. Just one trip through a place like this felt like it would flay the skin from your bones, if it didn’t kill you outright.’

Li Niu and his team started setting up camp, climbing trees to install communication antennas.

They would all be stationed here for the next few days.

The main reason they had ventured so deep into the mountains was for communications range.

There was absolutely no cell signal in these mountains.

They had discussed this problem during the meeting last night. The solution was to bring their own communications equipment and powerful RF antennas.

Then they would attach a miniature signal terminal to each bird’s leg.

The device was small and light enough that it wouldn’t affect their flight.

This would give them a communications range of over ten kilometers, enough to cover the border region.

The key to the mission was Shen Xin.

Even Huang Delin couldn’t help; everyone just stared at Shen Xin expectantly.

Without even taking a moment to catch his breath, Shen Xin got to work with Ding Yuwei.

Shen Xin had brought Plane and Teddy with him.

He put helmets on them and attached the communication modules.

Plane shook its leg, looking a bit uncomfortable.

Shen Xin scooped him up and warned, "Plane, don’t you dare mess this up for me. If you don’t follow my commands, I’ll have Teddy take care of you."

He’d brought Plane along specifically because he was afraid the bird would be disobedient.

Plane turned to look at the elegant and unconcerned Teddy, then spoke in a human voice, "Scared."

The people around them clicked their tongues in amazement.

It wasn’t just that Plane could talk, but that he had clearly understood the threat.

Shen Xin paid them no mind and continued, "Repeat your mission."

Plane enunciated clearly, "Find people."

He could also confirm through their mental link that the bird understood its task.

He glanced at Ding Yuwei, who gave him an OK sign.

Without hesitation, Shen Xin popped a treat into Plane’s beak, then waved his hand, signaling that he was free to go.

With a beat of his wings, he shot into the sky.

Shen Xin immediately moved to the laptop. The antenna was set up and connected to the command center.

The map data had already been loaded into the software.

A red dot representing Plane immediately appeared on the map.

"Plane, head north."

Shen Xin ordered swiftly.

In the distance, Plane obediently flapped its wings and flew north toward Bawashan.

Their location was now the command hub. Once it was established, Four Seasons, who was in the Wuya Mountain area to the south, also came online and connected to the software.

Shen Xin remotely activated Four Seasons’ helmet cam.

A video feed popped up.

It showed Four Seasons, who was also in the mountains, currently in a cage. Outside the cage stood SWAT officers, armed police, and colleagues from Lianjiang.

As requested, they weren’t standing too close. Just two people stood guard by the cage, watching Four Seasons with curiosity.

Shen Xin immediately notified the other team that they could release Four Seasons.

He could tell the team on the other end was curious, but they didn’t ask any questions. They simply followed the order and opened the cage.

"Four Seasons, go."

Shen Xin’s command traveled clearly across dozens of kilometers.

Obediently, Four Seasons took flight at once.

The video feed’s perspective soared, the vast mountain forest stretching out below.

Shen Xin wasted no time, issuing the command for the bird to begin searching the target area.

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