Forest Ranger, starting from Picking Up a Lynx Girl-Chapter 155 This Damned Conan Physique (Extra)
Chen Ying and Old Gao sneakily took photos and videos, sending them to their small group chat.
Little Sen and Little Deng kept yelling about how they also wanted to experience the beauty of the Snow Mountain hot springs, while Yin Li nearly snapped his pen.
"This place would be a pretty nice tourist spot if it weren't so hard to get to."
They had just searched but couldn't find the spring's source.
Not being geologists, they were just blundering around like blind mice.
It was fantastic enough that they could just soak in it. Why bother asking where the bamboo shoots were dug up from?
Chen Ying yawned, feeling somewhat sleepy.
By his head, a little monkey wrapped in his thermal underwear reached out its little paws pretending to groom him.
The little monkey wasn't really adept at grooming and ended up pulling out several strands of hair painfully.
Monkey Grandmother wanted to take the Little Monkey away, which displeased the little fellow, who daringly bared his teeth at her.
In the end, it was one of the larger females of the troop who, ignoring Little Monkey's struggle, forcefully took him away.
And Chen Ying, quite naturally, was left without his thermal underwear.
Saying goodbye to the monkey troop, the two followed the mountain valley upwards.
Monkey Grandmother had mentioned that above, there was a Black and White Bear that only seemed to know how to eat, along with a nest of Red Pandas and two strange-looking creatures.
Higher up, the monkeys wouldn't venture.
If it weren't for this hot spring, they would probably be moving down the mountain at this time.
Thanks to the geothermal heat, the trees in the valley grew quite well, especially the oak trees, which were the largest source of food for the monkeys.
After crossing this slope was an Arrow Bamboo Forest; that's where the Red Pandas mentioned by Monkey Grandmother were active.
Chen Ying and Old Gao only saw the droppings of the Red Pandas but couldn't spot these adorable creatures themselves.
Crossing the Arrow Bamboo Forest, they first spotted four antelopes.
In warm weather, antelopes generally lived in the sunlit rocky areas, but during winter, they too would come down to the forest to stay.
From a distance, Chen Ying took a few photos and dragged Old Gao around the antelopes' habitat to climb higher.
"Wait, Old Chen, do you see that over there? Is that a dead sheep?"
Chen instructed Old Gao to wait where he was as he carefully approached, using his mountaineering stick to knock on the stones and make noise to scare away any lurking scavengers.
Only upon getting closer did he realize it was also an antelope, eaten almost to three-quarters with only its head and neck towards them having some flesh left, while its belly and legs were mere bones.
Moreover, next to the antelope carcass, he found jackal footprints.
"It's leftover from a jackal's hunt; let's get out of here."
Still haunted by memories of the previous struggle with the jackal pack, Chen Ying didn't want to provoke these vengeful creatures.
Unfortunately, fate was not in their favor; less than a hundred meters out, they encountered a lookout jackal.
"What luck today…" they murmured under their breath, their eyes darting to the sides, thinking of retreating.
Having moved only a few steps, Chen heard a sound akin to a whistle.
He instinctively listened closely, his expression changing slightly.
Their luck was indeed terrible; it was a female jackal giving birth.
At this moment, any little movement could draw heightened alertness from the jackal, and if it sensed a threat, it would attack relentlessly until the enemy was frightened off or killed.
Chen was now hesitant to make any sudden movements; just then, the female jackal's cries sharpened again, interspersed with a couple of painful screams.
Mother animal complications during childbirth were not uncommon, but complications at this critical moment had Chen sweating profusely.
To save or not to save, that was a difficult question.
Even more dire was that the cries of the female jackal caused the lookout male jackal to become increasingly restless, its gaze shifting as it looked in their direction.
Just then, a sound came from behind, and a black and white figure leisurely stepped out from the Bamboo forest.
Encountering a giant panda here was not unusual, but at this moment, its appearance was the last straw that broke the jackal's back.
It switched to attack mode and began calling for its companions.
"Old Gao, climb the tree."
There was no other choice. They certainly couldn't outrun the jackal, so climbing a tree to hide was the only option.
As for whether the giant panda would climb the tree to chase them,
it was highly unlikely, as the giant panda's diet did not include two-legged beasts.
Chen Ying followed and climbed the tree, found a spot to sit, and calmly pulled out a half-finished blowpipe from his bag.
It was a self-defense weapon he carried, a tranquilizer blowgun.
The jackal did not succeed in biting the two men, and it barked towards the big tree.
The giant panda beside the bamboo forest did not retreat but made an attacking gesture towards the jackal.
After about ten minutes of standoff, the sounds of the female jackal had gradually become faint.
The male jackal howled reluctantly a few times before turning and running away.
The giant panda stood there for a while, looked up at Chen Ying and Old Gao, and leisurely left from the other side.
"My God, that was too thrilling."
It was only then that Old Gao relaxed and sat on a tree branch, feeling completely cold all over, his head and back covered in cold sweat.
Chen Ying did not respond, but pricked up his ears to listen. It had been three or four minutes, and he had not heard the female jackal's cries again.
Something might be wrong.
"No way, Old Chen, that was a jackal, not some cute fluffy thing."
Old Gao really disliked jackals, possibly because of a previous bad experience.
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Not harming them was the greatest kindness he could offer. Saving the life of a jackal was out of the question.
"How about vultures, scary right? Would you save one if you encountered it?"
Old Gao opened his mouth, and after a long while, stubbornly said, "Your analogy is wrong. Vultures are just ugly, they don't attack people."
"We who work in animal protection are like doctors to humans, our main mission is to save lives and provide aid. As for whether or not to save, and what judgment to pass after saving, that is for others and organizations to handle."
This group of jackals had not harmed anyone and they were protected animals; not to save them, he couldn't reconcile that with his conscience.
"Old Gao, find a place to settle down, I'll check on the jackal's situation."
"No, Old Chen, Old Chen..."
Dr. Gao couldn't stop Chen Ying and could only sigh, retreating beneath the bamboo forest.
At least it was safer down there.
Holding a climbing stick in one hand and the tranquilizer blowgun in the other, Chen Ying slowly moved in the direction from which the sounds had come.
After a distance, he saw several anxious jackals pacing in front of a bush.
He crouched down, took out a telescope, and carefully observed. Indeed, he spotted a female jackal lying on its side in the bushes, seemingly unable to move.
One of the male jackals was desperately nudging the female with its nose and mouth, trying to get her to stand.
He couldn't delay any longer. If he waited any more, the female jackal definitely wouldn't survive, and the newborn pups would die too.
Chen Ying thought for a moment, stood up, and made a noise to alert the jackal pack of his presence.
"I can save her, I can save her, you have to trust me."
He desperately tried to convey his goodwill while also guarding against an attack from the pack.
Fortunately, the largest male jackal still had some sense and stopped its companions from charging at Chen Ying.
"Save her, or I will bite your throat."
The male jackal's low bark carried a strong ferocity, its eyes fixed intently on Chen Ying.
