After the results of the meteorite identification came out, Wen Zhiyu and Pan Weining came to find Feng Yi.
"Officials say this meteorite has great scientific value. What should we do if we shovel away the sand? What if there are meteorite fragments inside?"
"Are we supposed to pick out the meteorite particles from the sand? Are we supposed to turn them in?"
"Wait! Look at this!"
Wen Zhiyu showed them the pages he found on his shopping app.
"These stores just put the Star Wish Bottles on the shelves, saying that they contain star sand dug from the core area where the meteorites fell. This is actually the sand dug by the meteorite hunters, right? They are so fast! No one is taking care of this?"
Pan Weining also looked at the new information he had received. "Uncle Du said that the government has management and control over that area, and has sent people to patrol the desert. As for other things, he didn't say anything."
Wen Zhiyu's mind worked quickly at this time: "So, there is no explicit prohibition on the sale of this kind of sand!"
Pan Weining raised his eyebrows.
They both understood the meaning behind this and stopped asking Feng Yi any more questions and started planning the division of the items.
They shoveled several bags of sand and had to put them into the bottles. It's better to give this kind of gift as soon as possible.
But it’s late today, so prepare it and repack it tomorrow.
After the two left, Feng Yi looked through the information on the Internet and the trends in several expert groups.
Strange.
It is said that the meteorite has great scientific research value, but there is no clear ban on the sale of sand that may contain meteorite particles.
Given the way the Joint Security Bureau and the Ministry of Security operate, they would not ignore such a loophole.
All I can say is that they left this loophole on purpose!
Feng Yi opened the shopping platform and searched for goods related to Star Wish Bottle and Star Sand.
On the displayed page, the merchant showed pictures of the items. They couldn’t be said to be exactly the same as the glass bottles and shoveled sand they bought at the stall in Tuoga Town, but they could obviously be from the same place!
Some businesses even specially note the specialties of Tuoga Town!
And very considerately, they guide buyers on how to identify real and fake star sand on the page.
Where there are genuine goods, there are definitely fakes.
Stores that sell genuine products are confident. They mark up their prices high, but the products are genuine! Of course, they have to let buyers know which store is genuine!
Although some people clamored that they didn't need to pay for it and came here to dig sand.
But after calculating the cost, I gave up the idea.
The already increased prices of round-trip air tickets, car rentals, accommodation fees, and the money to purchase various equipment have greatly increased the costs, and the sand excavated may not be able to offset these costs.
Besides, life safety is important! We also have to prevent getting lost in the desert, worry about encountering sandstorms due to bad weather, or encountering various dangerous events.
There are too many people and it’s too mixed, it’s not very safe.
Those who had no experience, no channels, and were unwilling to take risks backed down.
Not everyone can make this kind of money.
The next day, Feng Yi turned on his mobile phone to check what was happening online.
The sand dug from meteorite-rich areas is named star sand by merchants, and its online sales are particularly hot.
Feng Yi also saw a video in which self-media interviewed meteorite hunters and asked questions about meteorites and the sand.
The meteorite hunter argued:
"It is true that unlicensed meteorites are not allowed to be sold, but we are not selling meteorites, we are only selling sand!"
"I don't even know if there are any meteorite particles in it! There is no local regulation prohibiting the sale of sand!"
Obviously, the boundary has been drawn, but there is indeed no explicit regulation prohibiting the sale of sand.
The sand in the desert is different from the river sand used in construction projects. The alkali content and plasticity are different, and it does not meet construction requirements. No one wanted to sell it before because the price could not be obtained.
It's different now.
After reading the news, Feng Yi received a link from Wen Zhiyu, which was a live broadcast room on a certain live broadcast platform.
When I clicked on it, I saw the host opening a package.
Nowadays, whenever there is something new on the Internet, or something suddenly becomes popular, these self-media bloggers are extremely sharp and can always get it first through various means.
The anchor had already opened the outer package of the express and said with a complex tone of emotion:
"I have told myself countless times to be conscious of being a loser, but every time I can't control my hand and click to buy, I still feel strangely depressed."
“This time we bought two more bottles online, a gift from the desert town!”
As he spoke, he took out two ten-centimeter-high glass bottles from the express box one by one.
"One is the star-shaped wishing bottle that has been very popular online these days. I specially bought the star-shaped one."
"The other one is the newly released Star Wishing Bottle of the Exploration Edition!"
"Everyone knows that the Star Wish Bottle contains meteorite debris. Whether it is real or fake is unknown. Anyway, it is quite expensive. If I buy a fake one, I will probably be depressed for a longer time."
"Let's talk about the exploration version. It's a pile of sand mixed with meteorite debris, and its authenticity is unknown. This so-called exploration version is to let you experience a job similar to that of a gold digger. The difference is that you need to pick out meteorite particles as big as sesame seeds from a pile of sand, or even smaller than sesame seeds."
"I think this kind of 'exploration' thing is not for people with bad tempers. Oh my god! My eyes are already tired before we even start!"
The anchor showed the exploration version of the Star Wish Bottle filled with meteorite fragments to the audience in the live broadcast room, and then picked up the bottle.
"There's a note on the jar. It says the sand inside was dug from the area where the meteor exploded. The sand was packed randomly, and we don't know if we can pick out a meteorite."
"This exploration version of star sand... Oh! This stuff mixed with all kinds of impurities is called 'star sand'!"
At this point the anchor couldn't help but smile.
"Rumors, uh... gossip, I don't know if it's true or not. It's said that the origin of this 'Star Sand' is that a group of meteorite hunters saw Feng Yi picking up small stones from the sand. They immediately realized it and shoveled sand frantically with large sacks. Then, they suddenly had an idea!"
"Then this one appeared, um... a local specialty of Tuojia Town."
"Yes, it's the Feng Yi you all know! The one who is very good at catching snakes... How would I know if he went to the desert to catch snakes... I really didn't mean to take advantage of his popularity, I just told him what I know."
The anchor talked about the origin of the bottle of sand and brought the glass bottle closer to the camera:
"Everyone, look carefully and bear witness to us, this is unopened!"
"Looking at this yellow sand full of impurities, I always feel like I've been cheated. Every time I pay an IQ tax, I have a similar feeling."
"But this exploration version was sold out very quickly once it was put on the shelves. It took all the employees in our company to get a bottle. We paid extra to have it air-shipped and we just got it."
"Let me reiterate that, from the moment we unpacked the bottle of sand we bought, everything was done right under everyone's eyes!"
"First, pour the sand onto this table and spread it out..."
The anchor picked and picked in the sand, and finally picked out a few small black dots, which looked like gravel. After counting them, there were barely ten grains.
He couldn't help but smile bitterly.
“I always feel that this thing is quite unreliable.”
Bring a magnifying glass and look at them one by one.
“After watching it, I feel it’s even more unreliable.”
Four more grains were sifted out.
There were only six black stones left in the small white porcelain dish.
"Okay, according to the identification tips I searched online, these are the only ones that look similar. The rest can only be left to the machine."
"I don't know how many of these six pills are real, and maybe none of them are real."
"We will send all six pills for testing. If they are genuine, they will not be returned. The whole packaging process is under camera, everyone supervise, don't miss a single pill... Four pills that were screened out? Oh my! Are you still afraid that I will hide them? Okay, I'll take pictures and post them on social media!"
The assistant next to him added: "If it is ordinary meteorite debris, it can be brought back."
Host: "Oh, yes, if it's an ordinary meteorite, we can take it back, but if it's proven to be the one that was blown up by aliens... ahem, it has great scientific research value, so we have to hand it in."
Someone in the barrage asked about the testing fee.
Anchor: "Testing fee? Oh, it seems that if it is confirmed that it is the debris of the fireball, the testing fee can be waived. You can also get some points. Points are good, they can be used for buying a house, settling down, declaring personal income tax, obtaining a professional title, etc."
Afterwards, the anchor will seal the packaged items, affix tape to them, and then go out and drive directly to the nearest testing agency for testing.
Indeed, the whole process was captured on camera.
The bloggers have a strong desire to survive. They can use this to earn traffic, but the suspected meteorites must be sent for testing.
Feng Yi looked at the number of views in his live broadcast room and was a little bit unbelieving.
Is it so popular
Compare the number of views of this anchor’s live broadcast a few days ago, and then look at today.
Are there really so many people interested in picking stones from the sand
Let’s take a look at the sold-out icon and the number of units sold of the Discovery Edition Star Wish Bottle on the shopping platform.
Is there really anyone willing to spend so much money to buy sand
Is it for personal enjoyment? Or is it a gambler's mentality to pick out meteorites and sell them for money
When Feng Yi was confused, he received another message from Feng Chi.
Feng Chi: Brother! Are you still in Tuojia Town? !
Feng Yi: Well, what
Fengchi: I want a Star Wish Bottle filled with Star Sand! There are too many fakes online! I can’t buy it!
Feng Yi: ...Okay, let me take a look.
After thinking about it, Feng Yi sent him another message: Is this thing very popular
Feng Chi: It’s okay, the discussion level is quite high. I have formed a group with a few friends and we are competing to see who has the luck to get a real meteorite!
Feng Yi really didn't expect that these sands could be sold all over the country in this way. No, it seems that there are people abroad who want to buy them on his behalf!
Feng Yi didn't pack much at that time. His main target was the meteorite fragments, while Xiao Jia dug them for the housekeeper.
If you want to install sand, you have to find Wen Zhiyu and Pan Weining.
The two people over there started working early in the morning. In order to facilitate the packaging and not to dirty the room, they carried the sandbags directly to the indoor greenhouse on the second floor.
This house has not been lived in for a long time, so even though this greenhouse was built, there are no flowers planted in it and it is just an empty room.
The curtains were drawn to prevent anyone from peeping in from outside.
Today they saw a self-media team bringing a drone. What if they were photographed by someone
This is not something that can be made public.
The two were packing the things when Feng Yi came over.
"Do you have much sand here?"
Wen Zhiyu said, "How much do you want? Shovel it yourself."
Pan Weining pointed to the open sandbags and said, "Put them all on the side. Just shovel as much as you want."
Wen Zhiyu laughed grimly: "Someone asked you for it?"
Feng Yi said: "A cousin."
"Then you'd better prepare a few more copies. If one cousin gives one, the other brothers and sisters will be upset... ah!"
Wen Zhiyu was hit on the arm by Pan Weining with a shovel.
He suddenly came to his senses.
Oh, I seem to have heard that Feng Yi and the Feng family of Yangcheng don't get along. What brothers and sisters? I guess their relationship is not very good.
Look at my mouth!
Wen Zhiyu patted his lips, but forgot that he was holding a shovel in his hand. There was still sand on the shovel, and the sand went into his mouth.
"Pooh!"
He quickly spit the sand in his mouth into the trash can, wiped the sand off his mouth with a tissue, and said to Feng Yi:
"Ahem! Well, if we don't send them to relatives or friends, it will be fine to prepare a few more. Anyway, we have dug a lot, so it is enough."
Pan Weining also said: "Yes, we have enough. If you need it, just come over and shovel it. The sandbags are here. We shoveled this sand with you, and you have your share in it."
Feng Yi didn't hesitate: "Okay, I'll come over and shovel if you need me."
After filling a bottle of sand, Feng Yi left first.
When only Wen Zhiyu and Pan Weining were left in the small greenhouse.
While packing the sand, Wen Zhiyu lowered his voice and said, "Da Pan, what do you think the Feng family in Yangcheng thinks? If our family produces a talent like this, we must support him and pile all kinds of resources on him!"
Pan Weining said, "Who knows. Anyway, don't mention the people from the Feng family in Yangcheng in front of him."
Wen Zhiyu: "I know. How many bottles do you plan to put this sand in?"
Pan Weining: "Ten large bottles, ten to twenty small bottles. If there are more, don't pack them. We'll talk about it later."
Wen Zhiyu agreed, "I think so too. The situation is unclear now, and it's easy to get into trouble if you pretend too much."
There are no explicit regulations above, and it doesn't say what is not allowed, but there is definitely a limit. If the number is not large, it's okay, but if the number is large, it's easy to cross the line.
They are not meteorite hunters, and this is not their profession. They don't want to bring trouble to their families.
After filling the last bottle, Wen Zhiyu took out his mobile phone to check the news.
Seeing the latest news push, Wen Zhiyu said happily: "Wow, I just said it, and it's here!"
This news reported that some criminals disguised meteorites as other minerals and transported them out, but they were seized by customs and eventually traced back to a small group of meteorite hunters in Tuoga Town.
The news was accompanied by pictures, not only of the batch of meteorites disguised as minerals, but also of the base of the small group of meteorite hunters in Tuoga Town.
Wen Zhiyu scanned the pictures one by one and quickly found the highlight.
He enlarged the picture of the meteorite hunter gang's base and pointed to the upper right corner to show Pan Weining:
"Da Pan, this is the altar, right? Meteorite hunters believe in God? What can they bless? Bless for meteorites to fall from the sky? I don't know who is on the altar, it's blurred! Tsk!"
Pan Weining didn't care much: "It might be a statue that could easily trigger public opinion."
Wen Zhiyu was curious: "I don't know which sect it is, or whether it is legitimate or not."
On the other side, Feng Yi, who returned to the room, also saw the news that had just been pushed on his mobile phone.
I also noticed the blurred part on the table in the corner of the picture.
"What sensitive elements are involved here that need to be censored?"
However, Feng Yi just read it and put it aside, not taking it seriously.
He thought again of what Wen Zhiyu had just said. It wasn’t about relatives or anything like that, but Feng Yi thought of Xiao Wu and the Ancestor Factory.
He decided to wait for the FBI to return part of his sample and then give them two pills.
This is certified by the Joint Guarantee Bureau. There is no need to hide anything. Everything can be said openly.
After packing the Tuoga Town specialties for Feng Chi, Feng Yi received a message from Team Leader Yuan.
Team leader Yuan asked him to come over and return some of the test samples to him.
The address is not near the testing agency, but another place, a temporary office location of the Joint Security Bureau and the Security Department.
Half an hour later, Feng Yi arrived at the designated location.
Team leader Yuan had just finished a phone call and called Feng Yi over and handed him a small jar.
Feng Yi opened it and took a look. It turned out that they were the meteorite particles he had picked out, but the number returned was more than he expected.
Seeing Feng Yi's confusion, Team Leader Yuan said, "Testing agencies in various places have received meteorite samples one after another, ranging from particles as big as green beans to particles as small as dust."
Feng Yi understood as soon as he heard this.
Just like the anchorman he saw today who was doing a live broadcast of picking stones, many people bought the sand and actually picked out the things and sent them for testing.
Even if only a portion of the cases are sent for testing, the total number is still very large.
Not to mention, the "local specialties of Tuoga Town" are now selling like hot cakes.
Since there are enough samples, there is no need to stick to the stones submitted by Feng Yi.
Team leader Yuan handed him another certificate and an agreement.
Feng Yi has to sign on it, promising to use it only for collection and not for trading.
It's all about following the process.
Feng Yi thought he could leave after signing, but he didn't expect Team Leader Yuan to take out some photos.
"We're investigating an illegal gang today, and I have something to show you."
Feng Yi looked over and his expression gradually froze.
These photos looked familiar. He had seen them today when he was reading the news, and wondered why the altar was censored.
Now, the uncensored version is in front of me.
The altar, the offerings, and in the middle, a photo of Feng Yi himself.
This photo was taken when I was picking up stones in the desert.
At that time, he was only wearing a hat, without sunglasses or a mask, and he was holding a small transparent jar filled with black stones in his hand.
Feng Yi: …
My face is about to split!
This horse...
I am...
"I have nothing to do with them!" Feng Yi said.
Team leader Yuan nodded, said nothing, and handed over another stack of photos.
Different places, different styles of altars, different offerings placed on them, and the same picture in the photo frame occupying the C position.
Feng Yi: “…”
I don't know who took these photos, but the pictures in the frames are very clear. The offerings on the altar and in front of the frames are also clearly visible.
Some were filled with fruits and flowers, some were filled with chicken, duck, fish and meat, both raw and cooked, and some were filled with pig heads, cow heads and sheep heads.
I won’t talk about the ones that put fake snakes and snake skins.
The worst thing is that there are candles on both sides and an incense burner in the middle, with smoke curling around, as if the person in the frame has already transcended this world.
Feng Yi: “…”
Cheating your father!
are you crazy!
Could these meteorite hunters be a little more polite
I really don’t want this kind of core position!
Feng Yi wished he could get into the photo and overturn all the altars!
Team leader Yuan lowered his head slightly to hide the smile in his eyes, and when he raised his head again, he returned to his usual serious and solemn expression.