Chapter 657: Chapter 536: What Are You Playing? Count Me In
Matil yawned and impatiently let out a “growl”, questioning what on earth Chen Ying and the two-legged beasts were doing. Were they going to work or not? At this slow pace, they wouldn’t even be able to catch a whole rabbit.
Chen Ying stifled a laugh, instructed the three to set up their tent first, then asked one of them to go with him to the bottom of the ravine to set up the camera, while the other two stayed to set up the camp.
When he had previously reported to his teacher, he had mentioned discovering traces of the Eurasian lynx here. Most likely, these three were also tasked with tracking the Eurasian lynx. Judging by the equipment they carried, they wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon, not for at least half a month.
“Chen, my name is Mike, the one with long hair on the left is Daniel, and the lady on the right is Judy. For the next period, we will be working with you to complete the behavioral research on the Iberian lynx and the Eurasian lynx.”
Chen Ying was momentarily stunned; nobody had informed him of this? Oh, right, his teacher had mentioned that someone would be dispatched for follow-up, but he had thought he wouldn’t have to get involved in this matter.
The task didn’t sound particularly difficult, but it was time-consuming. He hadn’t completed this year’s teaching duties yet; he also needed to take leave to attend a wedding at home. If he took on this task, would he still be able to leave this year?
His mind was in turmoil, yet he didn’t reveal any of it on the surface. After exchanging a few words with the three, Chen Ying gathered his gear and, with Mike in tow, hurried after Matil towards the ravine.
A few minutes after they left, Daniel, who had finished setting up the tent, suddenly spoke, “That Chen, it seems like he can communicate with animals?”
“What are you talking about? He can merely read what animals want to express through their subtle facial expressions and movements. Quite a few people have this ability; no one has just dug deeper into it.”
Daniel shrugged, not debating with Judy. He still firmly believed in his judgment that this Chen from the East surely had a special way of communicating with animals.
Meanwhile, Chen Ying, following Matil, reached the vicinity of the deep ravine, where he gathered some fur left by a lynx rubbing against a rock, along with claw marks nearby.
“This is the scent left by Lightning; a bit ahead, there’s another scent left by a male.”
So close? Does this mean Lightning might encounter another lynx searching for a mate?
“No, the ravine acts as a boundary; the east side is another lynx’s territory, while the west side belongs to Lightning.”
As Matil explained, it led them forward, finding traces of urine and scratched rocks on the stones on the far side of the ravine by the big cat.
“This male is quite old, but its strength is still considerable.” Matil restlessly paced in circles, urging Chen Ying to head back to search for Lightning.
“Don’t be that way, Matil. We need some time. Don’t worry, as long as Lightning is still alive, I will definitely find her.”
It was evident Matil was quite agitated, so Chen Ying quickly knelt down, picked up the little creature, and gently soothed it.
Matil visibly exhaled, its tense muscles gradually relaxing.
It laid in Chen Ying’s arms, emitting low, purring sounds.
Meanwhile, Mike, having finished collecting samples, came over and, upon seeing the scene of Chen Ying calming Matil, raised his camera to snap a shot.
“You seem very close to Matil. Did you take care of her before?”
“No, not at all.” Chen Ying placed Matil back on the ground. “Matil is one of the research subjects at our institute. I often visit her and her siblings.”
Having been successfully soothed, Matil glanced at Mike, darted swiftly past where he stood, and vanished.
“What’s up with her?” Mike raised an eyebrow in inquiry.
“Matil’s gone hunting. She had her eyes on prey earlier when we arrived; there’s a rabbit hole on the hill.”
Chen Ying picked up his binoculars, scanning the hills on both sides. “Lightning should be nearby. Let’s head back and assign tasks. Tomorrow, we can disperse to look for her trails.”
Mike didn’t oppose the plan, even volunteering to team up with Chen Ying, “Daniel is interested in Judy, so let them pair up. I heard there’s a saying in your culture, something about ‘bringing people together’?”
Chen Ying didn’t mind either way. He was okay teaming with anyone, even being a team by himself.
After a preliminary search, they returned to the camp before nightfall.
Judy had already prepared hot soup, with bread sandwiches stuffed with salted meat and pickles, putting together a simple dinner.
After dinner, Chen Ying detailed his encounter with the Eurasian lynx to the three. Initially skeptical Judy couldn’t help but waver in disbelief that there were Eurasian lynxes here.
“Alright then, tomorrow, you and Mike will mainly focus on searching for Lightning, and Daniel and I will try our luck near the Stone Bridge.”
Of course, saying it was luck was partly an excuse to verify Chen Ying’s account on the ground.
Checking tracks is difficult for ordinary people but, for wildlife research specialists, one glance is often enough to deduce a fair amount.
The night passed without dreams, and by 5:30 a.m., they were ready to set out.
Morning is when many animals are active, so it was a perfect time to search for animal traces from the night.
Chen Ying and Mike set off first. Following the previous day’s path, they reached the vicinity of the deep ravine, first checking to see if the infrared cameras had captured any images of Lightning.
Apparently, their luck wasn’t great, as there were many photos taken, but none captured their mission’s target.