At the starting point, some people drove on the highway, some rode bicycles to some small roads, and some walked slowly from the tourist area. Different purposes require different travel methods.
Some people also made boats, swamp artifact air boats.
Feng Yi saw a team of amateur contestants who seemed to be from China, about five or six people, who rented a larger air boat. When the boat started, some of them were taking selfies with their mobile phones, and some people next to them were shouting strangely, enjoying this novel activity and the excitement of the unknown.
"The boat old Josh was talking about is over there."
Steve compared the pictures and boat information he received on his mobile phone, and took Feng Yi to find the boat that Old Josh rented to him. They soon found the boat parked on the shore.
Most of the other contestants have already set off. There are not many boats here, so it is easy to find them by comparing the pictures.
"Warren?" Steve looked at the people on the boat.
On old Josh's boat, there stood a white man in his forties. Steve knew him. He was also from the research center, but not a researcher. He did other logistical work.
The people on the boat also raised their hands, "Hey Steve, old Josh asked me to be your driver."
Steve was stunned. He thought Warren was just going to drive the boat over to him, but he didn't expect that he would have to follow him all the time
Picking up the phone, the latest message was a voice message from old Josh: "Let Warren take you to the swamp forest."
Steve replied: "Don't worry, I can fly an air boat too."
Old Josh quickly responded: "I'm not worried about you, I'm worried about my boat!"
Steve: “I think you have some misunderstandings about me!”
Old Josh: "Then it's a misunderstanding! Good luck! Be gentle with my ship!!"
Steve: "Look at what you said, it must be gentle. Don't worry! I guarantee it with our friendship!"
After sending the message, Steve called Feng Yi and said, "Let's go!"
Steve is ready to go: My cutie!
Feng Yi is ready to go: My experimental equipment!
Like Steve, Feng Yi also wore sunglasses today. He was not afraid of the glare of the sun. The reason he wore sunglasses was, firstly, to keep out the wind, and secondly, to block his eyes when catching or looking for snakes to avoid being noticed by others.
There were not many boats on the river at that time, and the boats were moving faster. It was obvious that Warren was an experienced man and was familiar with the terrain here.
The river flows very slowly, and some sections are almost completely covered with plants. As ships pass by, "roads" are carved out.
Most of the boat drivers are locals who are more familiar with this place. There are rivers and water beaches covered with grass. If it is the rainy season, it will be more humid, with large areas of grass covering the water flow. When the boat passes by, it is like flying directly over the grassland.
During the dry season, many small puddles have dried up, or only a shallow layer remains, making it less enjoyable and relaxing.
After the boat has traveled for a while, it will stop for a while.
Steve and Feng Yi got off the boat, walked around nearby, and then made some additional annotations based on the map in their hands and the location of their mobile phones.
They were not in a hurry to catch the python on the first day. They had to find out the terrain first, familiarize themselves with the area by checking the map, so that they would have an idea.
Before the event started, Steve planned to take Feng Yi to the swamp to familiarize himself with the terrain, but he didn't expect the area to be closed. However, there was no rush, they still had time, a month.
Their ultimate goal this time is not to catch more snakes, but to catch bigger snakes!
Therefore, at the beginning of the operation, some professional analysis is needed, and then we go to several key areas to search. The swamp is too large, so we must mark the key points.
As the ancients said, sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood!
Steve talked to Feng Yi about the map in his hand, which also showed the water distribution map with seasonal changes. It was not particularly detailed, but very useful for reference.
While I was analyzing it, a rescue helicopter came flying over.
Steve was surprised: "You got busy right at the beginning?"
Warren had been sitting on the boat, checking his phone, and said calmly, "Oh, someone was bitten by a crocodile. Two teams saw the same python and rushed to catch it. They accidentally stepped on a crocodile and one of them was bitten. Fortunately, the crocodile was not big and the bite was not serious. He will be able to walk after a month of nursing."
Feng Yi: “…” This injury is still quite serious.
Warren scrolled through his several chat groups to get more up-to-date information, and sighed: "This damn desire to win."
But after flipping through the pages for a while, Warren lost interest. Seeing Steve recording something on the map, he said, "It's harder to catch pythons in the dry season, because they're not very active. It's easier to catch them in the rainy season, especially during the breeding season. Did you know that the research center has an 'elimination plan'?"
Steve nodded. "I've heard of it. During the breeding season, adult female pythons are caught, fitted with trackers, and then released back into the wild. Once they attract more male pythons, they are caught in one fell swoop!"
Warren agrees with this high efficiency in catching pythons: "There are always many male pythons near the female pythons in the breeding season. The research center has caught many pythons. In recent years, it can be felt that the number of great swamp pythons has been brought under control to a certain extent. The eradication plan is still successful!"
Feng Yi sighed, "This beauty trap is really well played! No, it should be the beauty python trap."
"So there may be more juvenile pythons here," Warren said. "Big pythons are hard to find, and it becomes more difficult to find them during the dry season."
Warren suggested jokingly, "Maybe you could try making a wish to God?"
"I don't believe in God." Feng Yi said.
"Then what do you believe in?"
"Believe in our ancestors."
"Oh~ Then you can make a wish to your ancestors, hoping that you can find a python as soon as possible!"
"Actually, for me, finding a python is not a difficult task."
"What gives you the confidence?" Warren asked.
"Maybe it's... ancestral DNA?" Feng Yi said.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Warren laughed out loud and thought: This young man is so humorous!
It's just that some people are overconfident and arrogant, and the swamp will teach him a lesson.
Every year, many experienced python hunters from around the world come here, but in fact, their harvest is not as much as the snakes caught by researchers using the "Beautiful Python Plan". Maybe, in a month, they only find a dozen snakes. Many people return empty-handed.
"When the sun is out and the temperature is high, they won't be out in the open, but will hide under cover, dead branches, thick grass, or somewhere else. You may search for hours where you think there is a snake and find nothing. Sometimes it's right at your feet and you don't even know it."
"Is this what you mean?"
Feng Yi leaned over and pulled out a python from the dead branches at his feet. It wasn't too big, only about two meters long.
Warren: “…”
Feng Yi had not originally intended to catch the python as the size of the snake was not within their target range. He had thought of making a mark on the dead branch and sending its location to other members of the group so that they could catch it. But Warren had already said this, so Feng Yi just pulled it out.
Warren looked at the pile of dead branches, then at the snake in Feng Yi's hand, his face full of confusion, "How did you know it was hiding there?"
Feng Yi: "DNA inherited from our ancestors."