Chapter 662: I Think I’ve Found It

At 3:00 PM, Shen Yibin arrived at the southernmost town in the province. Because of its proximity to the border and its unique tropical forest landscape, the local tourism industry was booming. Shen Yibin easily found an inn to check into. After treating Hah’Er and the others to a meal of local specialties and taking in the town’s scenery, he turned in early at 8:00 PM. He had to enter the forest tomorrow and needed to be well-rested.

"Innkeeper, I’ll be out for two days. No need to check me out of the room. My car will stay parked in your courtyard. Could you please keep an eye on it for me?" Early the next morning, Shen Yibin was ready to set off with Hah’Er and the others.

"Going into the forest, are you? Don’t you worry, I guarantee your car will still be sparkling clean when you get back!" The innkeeper was, of course, thrilled with this arrangement. His guest wasn’t staying, which saved him the trouble of cleaning the room and changing the bedding, yet he was still getting paid. What was there not to like about getting paid for less work?

"Exactly. It’d be a waste to come all this way and not see the forest, right?" Shen Yibin waved with a smile, left the inn, and headed toward the forest along the route he had asked about during dinner the previous day.

It wasn’t peak tourist season yet, so there were few other travelers on the road, which saved them a lot of trouble. Shen Yibin led the way with Carmen on a leash. Turtle Immortal rested on Hah’Er’s back, while Xiaoliu leaped from tree to tree, occasionally plucking an oddly shaped fruit and presenting it to Turtle Immortal.

Turtle Immortal would lean in, give the fruit a look and a sniff, and turn its head away from most of them. For the few it took a couple of bites from, Shen Yibin paid close attention, having Xiaoliu gather more of them to share with himself, Hah’Er, and the others. Needless to say, these had to be good stuff.

He even had Maphario store the leftover pits. These seeds would all be brought back and planted in his own courtyard so that in the future, he could enjoy these delicious fruits without ever leaving home.

"Huh? Hah’Er, is that a Heaven-Reaching Tree over there?" Not long after entering the forest, Shen Yibin spotted a colossal tree soaring into the clouds at the bottom of a valley. A quick glance told him it wasn’t much shorter than the one he had felled at the logging camp. Moreover, this tree looked full of vitality, with room to grow even taller.

"Mmm..." Hah’Er stood beneath the tree and tilted his head up, arching his back and widening his eyes to see the top. And then... THUD! He fell flat on his back. He had leaned back a little too far.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Before Shen Yibin could even react, Xiaoliu was already in a panic. Turtle Immortal was still on Hah’Er’s back! What if it had been crushed? It scurried over to flip Hah’Er back over.

Thankfully, Hah’Er had landed on a thick pile of fallen leaves where the ground was extremely soft. Coupled with Turtle Immortal’s hard shell, no harm was done. After being rescued, Turtle Immortal also stretched its neck out to gaze at the massive tree. You didn’t see trees sixty or seventy meters tall back at Dongting Lake.

’What a shame. This tree looks like it still has many years of life left in it, and it’s a nationally protected plant. Otherwise, it’d be great to take it back, have Marc carve another Totem Pole, and set it up in the estate.’

’Ugh, what am I thinking? Isn’t it better to let it live here in peace? Why must it become a Totem Pole in your yard?’ Shen Yibin smiled, walked over, and patted the fallen leaves off Hah’Er, rubbing the spot where he had fallen. Then, he continued following Carmen deeper into the jungle.

"Hah’Er, remember how we went to the frozen lands up north and found Scarf, and Scarf turned out to hate the heat? Do you think a pet we find in a place this hot will end up hating the cold?" Shen Yibin said, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. Even though it was still Spring, the forest was already as hot as a steamer, leaving him drenched in sweat.

"Mmm! Mmm!" This heat was different from the heat of the African Savannah, and Hah’Er was also feeling uncomfortable. It answered with two listless grunts. How could an animal accustomed to this kind of place possibly like the climate in Yunzhong City?

Carmen’s tongue was lolling out as it used this method to cool down. It led Shen Yibin and the others through valley after valley, weaving between the towering trees. By noon, they had covered half the distance. If their luck held, they could meet the mutant animal tonight.

Along the way, Turtle Immortal would also stop from time to time to direct Shen Yibin and Xiaoliu to collect precious medicinal herbs. It was just as Shen Yibin had imagined: this place was even less traveled than the forests around Yunzhong City. The herbs they dug up were much larger than the ones they’d found before, and their medicinal fragrance was richer. Their effects would surely be better, too.

’Ah, what a pity Director Kong has already gone back. It would’ve been great to have him take some back with him. But that’s alright, I can prepare these herbs after I get back and mail them to him.’

Here, Xiaoliu was in paradise. It swung from the vines hanging in mid-air, letting out joyous howls. Shen Yibin felt like he was watching Tarzan.

When it was time to rest, Xiaoliu would bring them plump berries. They looked quite similar to the ones Cheeky usually enjoyed. ’I should’ve brought Cheeky along,’ he thought. ’It probably would have loved this environment.’

"Alright, let’s rest here for the night! We should find our target first thing in the morning!" Following the experience Qi Jian had taught him, Shen Yibin found a suitable place to make camp. He set up the tent and sprinkled a circle of insect and pest repellent around the perimeter. In a tropical forest, these were the greatest threat.

After eating their dry rations and resting for a bit, he took out his phone to check the Pet Radar. Hmm, the orange dot still hadn’t moved.

Shen Yibin reached out and patted Turtle Immortal’s shell. ’The fellow we’re looking for this time can’t be as lazy as you, can it? Then again, that would be good. It’d save me the effort of catching it.’

He woke up in the morning, packed up the tent, and ate some breakfast to tide him over. Shen Yibin continued to lead the way with Carmen. According to the Pet Radar, they were only two or three kilometers from the target.

The paths in the tropical forest were winding and confusing, making it easy to get lost. Sometimes, things that looked close were actually very far. But with Carmen, none of that was a problem. It took just over an hour for Shen Yibin to arrive near the orange dot.

Mmm, it should be just below this small slope. Shen Yibin raised his hand, halting Hah’Er and the others. He set his backpack on the ground and took out his binoculars to look down.

The sight made him nearly piss his pants. ’Holy crap,’ he thought, ’don’t tell me *that’s* the target this time?’