Feng Yi decided to take some time to buy a few pairs of shoes as backup, not only boots for entering the swamp, but also a few pairs of sneakers, home slippers and the like.
Although the weather in Florida has been good recently, it is not sunny every day. There is a high chance of rain during this month's activities. If it rains lightly, it is fine. If it rains heavily, it is inconvenient to go out and you have to stay in the hotel.
Feng Yi thought that if it rained and he stayed in the hotel room, he would soak in the bathtub for a few more hours. It was impossible to completely transform the tail, the bathtub could not bear the movement, and the space was too small to move it.
Just some scales will do.
While taking a bath, Feng Yi looked at the scales that appeared on his feet and sighed.
He hadn't been away from home long, but he already missed the big bathtub at home and the soaking pool in the basement.
Or maybe it was because the tail had not been out for the past few days and it was feeling suffocated, so suddenly it came to such a suitable natural environment as the swamp, and it felt excited just by stepping in the water a few times.
The temperature drops a lot at night. If it were during the day when the temperature was more suitable, wouldn't Tail be crazy about coming out to bask in the sun
Alas, sad.
Even my mood is a bit depressed.
“How pitiful.”
But it is impossible for the tail to come out. However, Feng Yi thought that he could start looking for the python in the next few days. When he is alone, could he try treading water
Maybe even take off your boots and go for a refreshing swim in the water if no one is paying attention
Forget it. After all, it’s during an event. It’s better to be cautious unless it’s necessary. Who knows when a drone will suddenly fly over
Perhaps there are some inspectors from the Joint Security Bureau hiding in various places
Feng Yi thought about it and decided to just play in the water wearing the boots. As long as the changes were not too big, the boots would not break.
Today he was not mentally prepared, and his feet changed suddenly, which tore through his boots. He will be more careful next time.
While Feng Yi was figuring out how to play in the water, other members of the python hunting team were also talking about him.
As the teams returned one by one and went to the designated location to deliver the pythons, they would also ask about the situation of other teams. The staff at the delivery point would not tell too much detail, but the key information was also revealed to more people. After all, this was not a private matter, and Feng Yi did not specifically emphasize confidentiality.
So, Feng Yi's name appeared in their chat messages in various languages.
The Grayson brothers were a famous pair of brothers in the professional hunting team. They also brought a trained hunting dog. They caught five today, which was a good record. At least among the people he knew, no one could catch more than them.
This is not the time when snakes are active, and the weather has been dry recently, not as humid as the rainy season. Pythons hide most of the time. Even those that come out to bask in the sun are under hidden cover, such as grass or branches. It is rare to see them directly exposed.
At first glance, it is impossible to find the python in the withered grass. Even experienced hunters may not be able to find it immediately. The brothers have rich experience in finding pythons, and hunting dogs can help them find pythons faster and more accurately.
They were traveling by land today, and after driving to a place, they took the dogs into the swamp to search.
Although hounds can help, there are many limitations, as well as other odor distractions, especially avoiding areas where alligators are present. There are a lot of alligators in the Everglades, so there are many places they won't go near.
Crocodiles are protected by the local government. There are some methods they can use on pythons, but not on crocodiles. If they are photographed by drones or spotted by inspectors, they will lose their qualifications for this event.
In addition to the Joint Security Bureau, they also encountered cars from the local watershed management bureau and the Geological Survey Bureau along the way today.
Being watched by these people, they couldn't use many of their tricks.
On the first day, everyone came in and caught all the easy ones. After that, if you caught two or three every day, you were considered lucky. Many people returned empty-handed on the first day.
I thought that catching five on the first day was impressive enough and something they could show off to others, but I didn’t expect someone to catch seven!
"On the first day, one person caught seven?"
"The people at the delivery point said it, and the news is true. Regardless of the size, it is really amazing that one person can catch 7 pythons!"
"Can you find out how he caught him?"
"I have a friend who knows someone at the research center here, and according to them, this person uses 'ancestral DNA'."
"… Another way to say talent? Or is it that there are other hidden means that they just don't want to talk about?"
"I do not know."
"Well, he doesn't need to avoid crocodiles, and he has unknown searching skills, so he can indeed catch so many. You can observe him next time you meet him in the swamp."
Regardless of the reactions of all parties, the name "Feng Yi" has left some impression in everyone's mind.
On the other hand, Cheng Si was out all day today, and the live broadcast lasted more than 8 hours. However, he couldn’t rest immediately after returning home at night. After the team collected information from all parties, Cheng Si started the live broadcast again.
It is night here, but it is daytime in China, and there are quite a few people in the live broadcast room.
"The time is too short and the information we can receive is limited..."
This is the information they only got after paying the money. They cannot contact some python hunting teams, and they don’t have time to find them one by one. The simplest thing is to share the information with other media teams, or pay to get the information from others.
But even so, it is not easy to get complete and accurate data. But these are enough, and they don't need to bother looking for irrelevant data.
Cheng Si was in a good mood. "I was also surprised when I saw these data. I saw other media hyping up elite teams from all over the world, experienced old hunters, famous couples, and brothers and dogs who seemed to have golden fingers. In the end, it was still my Yi... Brother Snake was the best!
"What a pity! I couldn't go with them to shoot today!"
If he had known that Feng Yi and Steve were just trying to find the route today instead of catching the python, he would have followed them again!
"How many did you catch? Brother Snake caught 7 pythons on the first day... They weren't giant pythons. They were just going there to familiarize themselves with the route... Yeah, I would have followed them earlier. I'm regretting it now... Not tomorrow. I just sent them a message and was rejected. I have to start looking for giant pythons tomorrow... I can't help it. That's the world of masters. I still need to practice more..."
Cheng Si interacted with the audience in the live broadcast room and answered some questions that he could answer. However, in order to avoid causing trouble for Feng Yi, he still used his nickname when talking about Feng Yi.
But Cheng Si didn’t know that Feng Yi’s name had gradually spread.
The next day, Cheng Si deliberately observed Feng Yi and Steve and found that the route they took today was different from yesterday. Knowing that the two really had other arrangements, he gave up following them.
As soon as Steve saw Feng Yi in the morning, he started complaining, "Director He told me again to take you to fewer weird places!"
Steve's first reaction after hearing what Director He said was that he didn't take Feng Yi out to fool around!
But Director He was talking about Feng Yi's shoes.
"I didn't notice yesterday. Are your shoes okay? They don't feel strong and durable. How about I lend you mine? I brought a spare pair. What size do you wear?"
Feng Yi refused, "It's okay, I brought spare boots, they are quite sturdy, the pair I brought yesterday was just an accident. I have explained this to Director He."
"It's no use explaining. The old man won't listen. He is such a person..."
Steve talked about Director He's past all the way until they boarded the ship.
The starting point they chose today was different from yesterday's and most other teams'. This was decided after the target route was set.
After telling Warren the route, Warren thought for a moment, recalling the swamp area he was familiar with, and then said, "I roughly understand. I'll run for a while first, and then ask you when I get to the uncertain place."
Warren is ready today and must take a video of Feng Yi catching the python!
Yesterday he went back and told his colleagues and friends, but they still didn't believe him! They said Warren was exaggerating and bragging!
The video of Feng Yi catching a venomous snake in the research center can still be found online, but you said that he could just pull a python out of the wild? That's bullshit!
Who living in Florida doesn't know that pythons in the swamp are hard to catch?! And it's the dry season now!
Warren felt as aggrieved as a Michigan alligator with its mouth tied up.
It’s obviously true!
Unfortunately, there were no pictures and no truth, so he could only hope to take a picture today to prove that he was not lying.
The boat was sailing on the water, but there were too many people out at this time, so the speed was not fast enough. Feng Yi and Steve were not in a hurry. Steve continued to analyze the information of the swamp, while Feng Yi looked at the surrounding environment with envy. Even if you can't let go and play, you can always enjoy the sight.
The boat sailed for a while and saw no other ships, so Warren slowed down the boat.
"What's wrong?" Steve asked.
Feng Yi looked over there and said, "There's someone over there, it seems like they encountered an alligator."
There were four people standing over there. When they heard the noise, they looked over here. Their facial expressions changed obviously from expectation to disappointment.
At this time, Steve also saw the situation over there clearly.
There were four people, three standing on one side and one standing in the water, with a nearly four-meter-long alligator lying across the middle.
"Feng Yi?" one of them asked.
"Do you know me?" Feng Yi said.
"My name is Pan Weining, a friend of Zhai Yiyou. I saw you at the security checkpoint yesterday. Can I help you?"
Pan Weining was not sure either. Zhai Yiyou only told him that if he encountered a python, he could look for Feng Yi, who was very good at catching snakes, but he did not tell him what to do if he encountered a big crocodile!
Their team returned empty-handed yesterday, as they didn't catch any pythons. However, they did encounter several pythons in places suitable for fishing. Someone suggested bringing a fishing rod and finding a place to fish. If they couldn't catch a python, they could just go fishing for fun. This activity didn't say that they couldn't fish when they were inside catching pythons.
After making the decision, Pan Weining made an appointment with another fishing buddy. He thought that the activity period was still long, and while others were fishing, he could look for pythons nearby.
I asked around for some suitable fishing spots in the dry season swamps, decided on a faraway spot where I wouldn't be disturbed by other people, rented a fishing rod and other fishing gear, and went there early in the morning to reserve space to prevent it from being occupied by other amateur teams.
The pool was relatively calm, so even if there were crocodiles in it, it would be okay. They had inquired and found out that this was also the area where the Michigan alligator lived, not the American crocodile.
It is not the breeding season now and the crocodiles are not that active. As long as you don't get too close to the shore and don't go into the water, you will be fine.
There will be restrictions on some fishing tools during the event, and those with lethality are not allowed to be brought in.
Unexpectedly, before the fish was caught and pulled to shore, a big crocodile rushed out.
Not only did it rush ashore, it also chased after them.
Pan Weining's cousin accidentally fell and rolled into the water. Pan Weining and his friends tried to save him, but the big crocodile blocked the way. They tried to attract the crocodile, but it didn't work. Instead, the crocodile seemed to be getting angrier and angrier.
"I've already called for help, but... we'll have to wait."
The rescue team from the organizer will first teach the people from the expert team. Several expert teams did not come back last night because they were doing research in the swamp. They encountered some trouble this morning, so the rescue team went to rescue them and cannot take care of them here for the time being.
Moreover, the rescue workers here were a bit perfunctory in their attitude towards amateur teams like Pan Weining who paid money to come in. At the same time, in the eyes of those people, this situation was not particularly urgent.
This is when the experts come into play, and the amateurs take a back seat.
Pan Weining paid extra money to find a private rescue team, but they would arrive a little slower.
They are not the only amateur team. Many people in these amateur teams do not have much ability, but they are very good at causing trouble.
But, this isn't really causing trouble, right
If it was just a two-meter crocodile, Pan Weining could handle it by himself, but no one dared to try this three-meter-long alligator. Moreover, this alligator seemed different from most of the alligators he knew. It was more irritable. It was staring at the people in the water. They had seen its speed just now, and now they just wanted to delay time and wait for professionals to rescue them.
When they heard the sound of the boat, they thought the rescuers had arrived, but they didn't expect it to be the contestants.
Steve and Warren discussed what to do, as there were no professional crocodile catching tools on the boat.
“It’ll get its attention,” Steve said.
"These few people must have tried it, but it didn't work. There are also some exceptions among alligators." Warren pointed, "You can check which alligator this is. There is a mark on its tail."
Steve took a photo and asked the people at the research center,
At this time Feng Yi said: "I'll go over and take care of it."
"Are you doing this alone?" Steve asked.
"OK!"
Seeing Feng Yi's affirmation, Steve looked at the situation over there and nodded, "Pay attention."
Feng Yi got off the boat and headed over there.
Warren said worriedly, "It usually takes several people to cooperate with an alligator of this size, except for a few experts who specialize in this. Are you sure you want to let him go alone?"
"Don't underestimate him, he has the strength to deal with a giant python alone."
Having said that, Steve still took the limited ropes, oars and other tools on the boat and went over, just in case.
Warren took his tools and followed Feng Yi out of the boat. He was also curious. He knew that Feng Yi was good at catching snakes and had seen it with his own eyes, but crocodiles were different from snakes.
Steve and Warren followed Feng Yi, wanting to see how Feng Yi would handle it.
Then they saw Feng Yi speed up, and then...
A slide tackle!
Everyone:
What is this operation
Slide right into the crocodile's mouth?!
Steve: I don’t understand it, but I’m blown away!