Chapter 327: Director Chen

Chen Ling glanced at the time on his flip phone. There were 4 hours left out of the 12-hour activity time. Just getting from Shangjing to Shennongjia—subway to plane, plane to high-speed rail, high-speed rail to car, car to walking—the journey had really put him through the wringer.

His arrival time was a bit later than expected, but the good news was that these researchers had also been delayed by the weather and hadn't started the exploration yet.

Chen Ling’s gaze swept over the many figures moving through the tent area, seemingly looking for a suitable identity...

Finally, his gaze landed on a tent not far from him.

"I told you, this isn't about the money!" A young man in casual clothes frowned, pointing toward the pitch-black deep mountains.

"The place you want to go is already in the deepest part of Shennongjia! Even the locals don't go there! The only ones with the qualifications and experience to be your guides are Old Wang Er and Old Zhao San... but they went in with your first two teams and there’s still no news of them! You want me to be your guide? I don't want to die!"

"There's no news of them, perhaps because the meteorite fragments affected the magnetic field; it doesn't mean something happened... Also, our third team this time has top-tier firepower protection and nine top scientists from various fields. The scale is not something the first two times can compare to."

"But with this kind of visibility, we need someone familiar with the mountain forest environment to head in. Don't worry, our people will protect you. Aside from occasionally needing you to use your experience to guide us, you won't have to do anything else," a figure in camouflage explained earnestly.

"No, you don't need to say anything more. I know which is more important, money or my life. I absolutely will not..."

Ring-a-ling—

Before the young man could finish, his phone rang in his pocket, interrupting him.

The young man frowned and didn't continue. Instead, he took out his phone and turned to walk out of the tent. "Hello? Hello..."

The figure in camouflage watched him leave, his expression extremely complicated.

"How is it? Still haven't found a guide?" Wang Xinye walked over from another tent.

"No... After two guides went missing in a row, no one is willing to be our guide anymore. No matter how high the price is, it's useless." The camouflage figure sighed. "There are few residents living near here, and even fewer with experience. I'm afraid we have to be prepared to go without a guide..."

Just as the two were talking, the young man had already walked out of the tent, holding his phone high while walking toward the edge of the tent area, seemingly looking for a signal.

On his phone screen, it showed that the call with "Dad" had been going on for over thirty seconds, but there was no sound from the other end.

"That's strange, there was a signal when I came just now..."

The young man spoke suspiciously. Just as he was about to turn back, a hand suddenly reached out from the darkness and dragged him violently into the mountain forest!

With the fine rain pouring onto the earth, he only felt a pain in the back of his head before losing consciousness completely.

Snap—

Chen Ling closed the flip phone, and the call the young man was holding also hung up. As the light of the screen faded, the surroundings fell into pitch darkness.

He looked at the unconscious young man at his feet, tore at his chin with his fingertips, and his figure instantly changed into the young man's appearance.

"Borrowing this for a moment."

Chen Ling said faintly and walked straight back to the tent from before.

The camouflage figure, who was still talking to Wang Xinye, saw the young man walk back and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes...

"Double." Chen Ling held up two fingers. "Double the pay, and I can go with you. And I only want cash."

Chen Ling’s sudden quote made the camouflage figure, who had lost hope, light up. However, he didn't agree immediately but turned to look at Wang Xinye. After all, Chen Ling’s quote was not low; it could be considered a lion's share.

Wang Xinye didn't hesitate much and nodded. "No problem."

With things having reached this point, money was a small issue. Having solved the guide problem, he chatted with the camouflage figure for a few words before turning and leaving in a hurry.

"Director Chen, happy cooperation." The camouflage figure shook Chen Ling’s hand lightly and then followed Wang Xinye. "Someone will settle the cash with you later. I have to go get busy."

Director Chen?

Hearing this title, Chen Ling’s expression became a bit strange.

It seems this young man is also surnamed Chen, and combined with the title of "Director," it gave Chen Ling the illusion of dreaming back to the theater... Could it be considered a coincidence?

Now that he had a reasonable identity, Chen Ling’s mind became active. He walked to the tent door, scanned his surroundings, and saw a familiar figure... He walked over there as if by chance.

……

Yang Xiao was sitting on a small stool in the tent, holding a few pieces of compressed biscuits, silently stuffing them into his mouth.

One piece, two pieces, three pieces... After stuffing several pieces in a row, his mouth felt a bit dry. The compressed biscuits were being chewed like sand in his mouth. He frowned unconsciously, and just as he was about to stand up, he choked on the biscuit crumbs and began to cough violently.

Just then, a bottle of water was handed in front of him.

Beside him, the female doctor was holding a bottle of water and said faintly, "If you can't eat it, don't force yourself. Drink more water. Eating too much of this kind of biscuit will make you very dry."

Yang Xiao immediately took the water and took a gulp, finally swallowing the biscuits.

"Phew... thanks."

"First time at an event like this?"

"Yes." Yang Xiao nodded, lowered his head, and didn't speak.

The female doctor looked him over. "We should be meeting for the first time, right?"

"Yes." Yang Xiao finally reacted, put down the water in his hand, and somewhat awkwardly extended a palm. "My name is Yang Xiao. Yang as in poplar tree, Xiao as in the Lantern Festival."

"...Yang Xiao." The female doctor shook his hand politely, feeling the name was a bit familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

A figure walked into the tent at the same time, seemingly preparing to grab two pieces of compressed biscuits to satisfy his hunger. Hearing this, he turned back in surprise.

"Dr. Yang Xiao?"

Yang Xiao was stunned. He turned back to see a young figure in casual clothes, a look of confusion appearing in his eyes. He tried to recall who this person was, but he was truly face-blind and couldn't remember at all.

"I’ve read your paper on magnetic field research, especially the one about the relationship between magnetic fields and the human soul."

Hearing this, a look of deep surprise appeared on Yang Xiao’s face.

"You’ve read that paper?" He looked at the young man and asked suspiciously, "You are..."

"Oh, I'm not a researcher, just a student." Chen Ling smiled and extended his hand. "Hello, my name is Chen Ling. I graduated from the MIT Physics Department, specializing in magnetic fields... especially electromagnetic induction and communication equipment."