After leaving Yangcheng, Feng Yi took a plane to Haicheng, his destination being the Haicheng Branch of the Joint Security Bureau.
That is the designated registration location for the python hunting team, and they need to sign in there within the specified time.
Feng Yi is one of the earlier batches. The other selected candidates are very busy, especially those who are doing research. They have projects on hand and are busy day and night. They also have to rush to work for the Virginia python hunting event. Unlike Feng Yi, they are relatively leisurely now.
After verifying my identity at the Haicheng Branch of the Joint Security Bureau, I signed in and went to the training base with my ID card.
The training place is far from the city center and is no longer within the urban area. The place is relatively large, after all, as a place for actual combat training, there must be some dangerous creatures inside.
For example, crocodiles.
For example, the venomous snake python.
In this season, the average temperature in Haicheng in the past week has been below ten degrees, much lower than that in Yangcheng. Snakes in the wild have already gone into hibernation.
However, here at the training base, all training during this season is conducted indoors, where the temperature is almost constant.
Feng Yi had seen several warning signs while checking in at the training base. Different areas had different signs. For example, the area where Feng Yi was about to go had a snake on the warning sign.
These warning signs are to tell people who come here not to be overly curious, not to run around randomly, some areas are not allowed to be entered without permission, and unauthorized persons are prohibited from entering dangerous areas!
Feng Yi was not that curious. The various smells he heard when he walked in here had already told him too much information. Some of the smells were not so pleasant and made him sneeze several times.
The aunt who checked him in spoke a few words of concern and told Feng Yi the location of the pharmacy and clinic.
"Generally speaking, here, common minor injuries and illnesses can be treated in the clinic, but if it is..."
The aunt who checked him in took a look at Feng Yi's ID card, which showed that the training area classification was Reptiles. She realized that Feng Yi was one of the group participating in the Virginia python hunting event.
"If you are bitten, minor wounds that are not venomous can be treated at the clinic. As for bites from highly venomous snakes or large pythons, oh, and wounds caused by crocodiles and other such animals, look, there are ambulances waiting over there." The aunt raised her hand and pointed to a place.
Feng Yi looked in the direction she pointed.
There was a large parking lot in the distance, reserved for ambulances. Parked there was a very stressful array of ambulances.
"So many?" Feng Yi was surprised. This seemed too exaggerated.
The aunt in charge of the formalities gave Feng Yi a meaningful look and said calmly, "You have to understand the exploratory spirit of researchers."
The word “explore”, with emphasis on it.
Feng Yi was silent.
Indeed, many times, when researchers see a goal that satisfies them, they cannot help but do something beyond reason.
Feng Yi thought of the time when he caught a python at the resort, and the expert who was invited to catch the snake had teeth marks all over his body.
After completing the formalities, Feng Yi was not in a hurry, so he took a detour to take a look at the parking lot on his way to the dormitory.
Those ambulances are donated by some institutions or private companies, and they carry various logos or words belonging to the donors.
The propaganda board standing nearby let Feng Yi know that these ambulances do not always stay here. Some of them will set out with the outbound teams. The configurations and facilities inside are different from those of the ambulances seen outside. They are targeted and uniformly deployed by the administrative office of the Joint Security Bureau.
For example, if a team goes to Haicheng or somewhere nearby to look for venomous snakes, the ambulance accompanying the team will definitely be equipped with anti-snake venom serum and related drugs.
However, not every city has this configuration. In places with more difficult conditions, even if there is a training base for the Joint Security Bureau, there may not be so many ambulances, and they may not be able to keep up.
Feng Yi took a look and went to find a dormitory.
The assigned suite is for 4 people, each person has a single bedroom with an office area in the bedroom.
The place is not big but fully equipped.
After entering the house and taking a look, there were not many daily necessities placed in the public areas such as the living room and kitchen, so it was hard to tell how many people had moved in. However, Feng Yi could tell from the smell that the other three people had already arrived, two of whom had come recently, and the other had lived here longer.
After making the bed and sitting down to rest, Feng Yi sent a message to Steve, saying that he had arrived at the training base.
Steve is also a member of the team, but he is not at the training base. Instead, he is already preparing in Florida.
Soon Steve video-called.
It was 12 noon here, and 12 midnight there, there was a time difference between the two. Feng Yi thought that Steve, who was far away in Florida, had already fallen asleep at this time, but he was still active.
Steve looked quite refreshed.
"Have you arrived at the training base? I just came back here too. I followed them to catch alligators. A research team here goes to investigate the number and living conditions of alligators in the swamp from time to time. It's not complicated. We catch them, drag them onto the boat, record the data, tag them, and then release them. The ones we caught today weren't very big. There was a slightly larger one that we didn't catch, but it was only three meters long."
"'Only' three meters?" Feng Yi didn't know what to say.
Crocodiles are not long and narrow like snakes.
Both are three meters long, but the visual impact of a three-meter crocodile versus a three-meter snake is much greater!
To exaggerate a little, it's like the comparison between a rope and a brick.
But Steve didn't think he was wrong. Although most crocodiles in the swamp were about one or two meters long, but...
"There's a bigger one at the research center, called 'Crocodile Tyrant', which is almost five meters long. You can come over and see it when the time comes. This alligator was rescued from a python by a retired researcher at the research center. It has been kept at the research center for many years. It is usually free-range and it doesn't run far. Recently, due to the python hunting activities, there are many people coming and going, so the research center has put up a net to separate it. I took a lot of photos today!"
As he spoke, Steve's expression gradually became more and more infatuated, "How charming!"
Feng Yi: “…”
It is hard to imagine how such a ferocious face of the prehistoric beast could fascinate Steve and others so much that they could not stop.
However, anyone who calls "big baby" to the cold-blooded killer python cannot be considered an ordinary person.
Used to it.
Steve became excited when talking about crocodiles and shared with Feng Yi what he saw in the swamp.
There are American alligators and Melissa alligators in Virginia.
When they say "crocodile", they mean the American alligator. When they say "alligator", they mean the Milwaukee alligator.
This is not generally said in China.
There are two kinds of alligators in the genus Alligator. One is the Milwaukee alligator that Steve saw in Florida, and the other is the Chinese alligator, a first-class protected animal in China.
In China, most people only know two kinds of crocodiles, the Yangtze alligator and other crocodiles.
When Steve was talking about "A Few Things About Me and Alligators (Milwaukee Alligators)", Feng Yi heard dozens of exaggerated adjectives in less than half an hour.
After finishing his narration, Steve sighed again, "In the Everglades, compared to the alligators at the visitor center that are as strong as armored vehicles, these almost wild alligators are so skinny that it makes people feel sorry for them!"
Why are you thin
Because there is less food!
Why is there so little food
Because the python grabbed it!
During the abnormal climate period, a large number of American crocodiles and alligators in Florida were frozen to death. During that period, their old rivals in the Everglades, pythons, also did not have a good time.
When the abnormal climate period is over, before the crocodiles can regain their strength, the pythons will rise up first, steal their food, seize their territory, and eat their cubs!
That’s why some people say that the alligators in the Florida Everglades are almost starving to death.
The python forced me to do it.
In Florida, alligators and alligator nests are protected, while pythons such as the Burmese python are considered invasive species.
After experiencing an abnormal climate, the pythons in the Everglades gave birth to stronger offspring through hybridization and genetic mutation, posing a greater threat to the ecology of the swamp and being classified as a "scourge."
Before the abnormal climate period, pythons in Florida could be hunted directly. But now there are protection laws in place, and the Federal Protection Bureau is watching, so python hunters are required to capture them alive as much as possible.
"There are so many pythons here now. I saw several when I went out today, but they were not big and it was difficult to catch them at the time."
Steve sighed, then changed the subject and said, "You will start training soon. It will be some theoretical knowledge, key points and so on. There are some weak points that can be strengthened at the training base. This is also an observation period for you. If you are not suitable during the observation period, you will be persuaded to return directly. It is mainly some preliminary work. It is not a big deal and the training will not last for a few days."
Feng Yi listened to him and waited for his next words. Steve came over via video, definitely not just to talk about the little things with the crocodile.
Sure enough, Feng Yi soon heard Steve say:
"There is also a matter of forming a team. Feng Yi, how about we form a team? My target this time is a large python, so I will go deep into the swamp to look for it. What do you think?"
During the Nanchong scientific expedition team's trip, Steve knew that Feng Yi was faster than some veterans at finding snakes. Later, when he learned about Feng Yi Resort catching pythons, he became interested.
Feng Yi thought about it and realized that the team would definitely not allow him to act alone. If he wanted to find someone to form a team with, he could find a teammate he knew, who was capable and had a certain understanding of the local area. Since everyone had the same goal, they could form a team.
Feng Yi’s target is also the large python. The large python will give him more points and money, so he will not compete with others for the small python.
"Sure. By the way, I heard that this python hunting activity will be live broadcast?" Feng Yi asked.
"I know about live broadcast, but that has nothing to do with us. The live broadcast team can't keep up with our speed!" Steve said proudly.
He wasn't exaggerating, those people carrying cameras just couldn't keep up with his pace in catching snakes, and drone filming had certain limitations, but Steve didn't care.
After discussing with Feng Yi how to fill out the team application, Steve was satisfied and was looking forward to the python hunting event in January.
This time is different from the Nanchong scientific expedition. That time, we not only valued the results, but also the process, and would teach some people in the process.
This time, when hunting pythons, we only care about the results.
For activities that only look at results, the requirements are different.
Before disconnecting the call, Steve was still saying, "For people like us who are targeting giant pythons, we can catch a python over four meters long by ourselves, so our combat power is calculated as '1 python'. The others, those who can't catch a python with two people and whose personal combat power is less than 0.5 pythons, are all trash!"
Feng Yi stared at the phone screen where the call had ended in a daze.
My fighting power is only 1 python