Chapter 350 - 342: No Uproar on Baiyun Mountain

Where was the Monkey mentioned by Master Sage now?

In the place of its birth, deep within Baiyun Mountain in He Province, now one of the restricted-entry zones.

Elder Mo had helped the Monkey obtain two sets of materials on staff techniques, both in video format. During its previous martial arts training, he had also long since instructed the Monkey on some of the key points.

Deep in the mountains, among the flowing springs, a large monkey with golden fur lay by a small waterfall. It had its legs crossed and its hands pillowed behind its head, its clear eyes watching the white clouds drift across the sky.

Gusts of mountain wind rustled the leaves. Its golden fur rippled gently. The fresh air and the scent of flowers mingled with birdsong, painting a picture of tranquility.

'The Monkey King's mind was filled with the wild madness of a flailing staff, the sheer heroism of sweeping through mountains and cleaving rivers. Deep in its eyes, countless phantom staffs seemed to flicker continuously.'

'In addition, a vast knowledge of Magic Patterns was interwoven with these thoughts, as if searching for some point of convergence.'

The tranquility of nature and the turbulence of its thoughts seemed to possess a strange harmony, allowing the Monkey and the natural world to reflect each other on both a physical and mental level.

Unfortunately, this was a sight that tourists would never get to see.

Several hundred macaques, large and small, milled about the area. Some were sitting, some were lying down, some were in the trees, and some were even playing in the mountain streams.

Even more monkeys patrolled the periphery. All the simians of Baiyun Mountain had come to regard this place as a Holy Land, for they all knew their king was here.

Every day, troops of monkeys would scour the mountains for an abundance of fruit and deliver it here.

The beautiful, scenic Baiyun Mountain was no longer the Baiyun Mountain of old.

Baiyun Mountain had once been acclaimed as a global geopark, but now its vegetation cover was beginning to show signs of expanding into the surrounding areas.

The government of He Province had already begun to consider when to evacuate the villages and even towns around Baiyun Mountain.

After all, Baiyun Mountain was only a primitive forest area in the heartland of the Funiu Mountains. The outer regions still had vast tracts of forest, but they were also heavily populated. Now, however, the reforestation in those areas was proceeding at an abnormally fast rate.

For now, however, the local government and the Special Security Team had assessed that such a step was not yet necessary.

According to investigations conducted by the Dawn Association in recent years, Baiyun Mountain, as one of the first places where evolved animals appeared, naturally had its own unique qualities.

Viewed through the unique light-spectrum perspective of a Holy Spirit, the area was emanating a relatively dense worldly aura, allowing the flora and fauna here to grow with greater vitality.

In fact, it wasn't just here. Any large, concentrated area of woodland in the mountains could easily produce that unique effect, and the larger the area, the more pronounced it was.

Only Dawn and other national-level organizations were aware of the many changes occurring within the restricted-entry zones.

Although some people would intentionally or accidentally wander into the outskirts of these zones, they would usually turn back upon seeing the perimeter fences and the wildlife warnings posted on them.

It wasn't unheard of for people like You Ye and his schoolmates to find a spot with no fencing and enter the Taihang Mountains, but as long as they weren't actively courting death, ninety-nine percent of them would still beat a retreat.

As for the hard-headed ones, many would get lost and encounter danger after venturing deeper. Courting death would become actual death. Even if they carried a satellite phone and could send a distress signal, they might not survive long enough for the garrisoned troops to send a team in.

After all, the restricted-entry zones were becoming increasingly dangerous. Even the garrisoned troops had to be fully prepared before entering, and the field commander had the authority to issue a no-rescue order.

Baiyun Mountain had long been designated as a strictly controlled area. The former AAAAA-rated tourist destination had already closed most of its attractions, leaving only a few outer spots open for ticketed entry. However, there were military outposts in most places that weren't deep inside the park.

Despite this, plenty of people still came to buy tickets for the few remaining attractions. There were fewer places to visit, but the feedback from recent visitors was surprisingly positive.

The air was fresh, their moods were lifted, and because of the limited-ticket policy, it was no longer crowded at all, greatly increasing the comfort of the travel experience.

Furthermore, some once-fringe opinions were now gradually becoming mainstream.

Among travel enthusiasts, many believed that the government's establishment of restricted-entry zones was just a stopgap measure. They thought that eventually, natural tourist attractions in relatively vast environments would be closed, and Baiyun Mountain was likely to be among them.

Some might be closed permanently, while others would certainly be closed for a considerable period.

This viewpoint was, in part, the result of deliberate guidance by government-affiliated online influencers.

As an already outstanding scenic spot, Baiyun Mountain had always been a favorite among nature lovers. Under these circumstances, a continuous stream of tourists from both within and outside Hua Country came, drawn by its reputation.

...

「That evening, inside a hotel room at the foot of the mountain, the television was broadcasting the news.」

"Let's turn our attention to environmental protection. Since the beginning of this year, relevant departments have taken decisive action. Polluting enterprises of all sizes across the country have been brought into compliance, and the forest environment restoration has been a great success. A certain leader from the State Council stated that this year will be our country's most vigorous year for protecting the ecological environment, and as for..."

The big-headed man lying on the bed changed the channel, switching to the fourth season of *A Bite of Hua Country*.

This person was none other than You Ye's classmate, Cao Qifeng, nicknamed Big Head Child.

His companion on the other bed was on the phone. After hanging up, he looked rather dejected.

"Sigh, my brother's visa didn't get approved."

"Huh? Your brother's didn't go through either?"

"Yeah!"

He waved his phone and then glanced at the delicious food on the TV.

"Short-term ones are a bit better, but I feel like getting long-term visas for foreign countries has become so difficult now. The domestic review for the necessary documents often doesn't pass, let alone the visa interview."

Cao Qifeng, holding the remote, sat up in bed, seemingly intrigued by the topic.

"I heard from a friend of mine who's an official that the country has started discouraging citizens from going abroad for long periods. It's especially affecting travel to smaller countries or those with heavy forest cover."

"I guess it's because the economy is in a slump, and they hope to prevent capital outflow or something."

Hearing Big Head Child say this, his companion chuckled dryly.

"You think that's going to revive the domestic economy? What a joke. So naive. If I were in charge, I could think of plenty of better methods!"

Cao Qifeng checked his phone to see if anyone was looking for him on QQ. Seeing no messages, he continued chatting with his companion.

"I don't think you're any smarter than the people in power. This isn't ancient times! I think..."

At this, he lowered his voice.

"I think the government's real reason for doing all this isn't what they're publicly stating."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"How can you be so dense? I think the country is contracting. Tsk, how do I put it... It feels like they just don't want people running around freely."

"Also, you know about the Thousand Talents Plan, right? The country is desperately trying to pull outstanding ethnic Hua talent back, like they're racing against time..."

His companion laughed and waved his hand dismissively.

"Now you're just being sensational. That's a policy the country has had for a long time. It didn't just start this year."

As the two were talking, a deep, resounding howl that seemed to echo from the Abyss came from outside the hotel window, cutting their conversation short.

"AWOOOO~~~~~"

It wasn't just the two of them. Everyone in their hotel, as well as those in all the nearby hotels and some of the villages, fell silent.

About a minute or two passed before Cao Qifeng came to his senses.

"Was that... a wolf's howl just now?"

"I don't know. Are there wolves in these mountains?"

"Well, I'm not sure... Baiyun Mountain is huge, and it's a nature reserve and mostly a restricted-entry zone. It's hard to say..."

"But the sound was so clear. Doesn't that mean the wolf isn't far from here?"

Because of that sound, the two of them made sure to check the window before going to sleep.

Meanwhile, in a military outpost four kilometers away, the few Soldiers who heard the howl also had tense expressions. From their position, the sound was so loud it felt as if it were right nearby.

"WHIMPER..."

The two military dogs inside the outpost cowered and refused to come out, which indicated that this was no ordinary wolf.

About half an hour later, a much fainter sound was heard.

"AWOO... AWOO... WHIMPER..."

It was the same sound, but the tone was different now.

Dozens of powerful macaques were perched in the treetops, about a dozen of whom were particularly large. A rain of fist-sized rocks fell, pelting the large, howling wolf so relentlessly that it couldn't even lift its head as it fled. Every so often, a direct hit would make it cry out in pain.

The normal-sized wolves in the pack scattered in a panic. Fortunately for them, the monkeys' target wasn't them; at most, they would occasionally get pelted with small stones as a lesson.

"SKREE!!! ROAR ROAR ROAR!!! AHHH~~~ ROAR ROAR!!!"

"ROAR ROAR!!!!"

...

The low roars of monkeys echoed from all around, making it impossible to tell just how many there were.

Any wolf in the pack that dared to make a sound was immediately bombarded with rocks. Some were even smashed to death on the spot.

Eventually, the wolf pack slowly realized that as long as they didn't make a sound, the rocks wouldn't fall. The monkeys above only stopped once all the wolves, including the alpha, were too scared to make a peep.

Back by the small mountain stream, the Monkey King was still lying there.

A Great Macaque leaped down from a nearby tree, landed beside him, and let out a few low "ROAR ROAR"s. Only after seeing the Monkey King give a slight nod did it jump back up into the tree and leave.

P.S. Sunday's first chapter.