NOVEL NEXT Chapter 204 - 201: The Path Clears as the Willow Darkens and the Flowers Brighten
Chapter 204: Chapter 201: The Path Clears as the Willow Darkens and the Flowers Brighten
Bi Fang opened his eyes; no longer was he met with the black sky, but a dim grey ceiling that should have been white, with only a dim wall lamp lighting the room.
His head hurt, his legs ached, and when he reached up to touch his head, he found it bandaged, his mouth uncomfortably dry. It was then that he heard several familiar voices shouting.
“He’s awake!”
“He’s woken up!”
“Doctor! Bi Fang is awake!”
A crowd of people, seeing Bi Fang open his eyes, shouted excitedly. Elvan even came forward and grasped Bi Fang’s hand tightly.
“Elvan, Lenin, Wang…CEO Wang?”
Bi Fang turned his neck, stiff as if rusted, towards the sources of the voices, eyeing the plump figure by his bed with skepticism. How could Wang Yongbo be here?
It seemed that every time he got injured and woke up in the hospital, Wang Yongbo would be there to greet him—utterly unexpected. Even if Yao Jun were here, it wouldn’t be this surprising.
“Of course, I came to see you,” Wang Yongbo said with a smile, before pausing, “Should I turn on the lights?”
“Go ahead.”
Bi Fang closed his eyes as the room brightened before slowly opening them again. And there he was, indeed Wang Yongbo.
How odd!
I had my visa prepared in advance, but what about you?
But now wasn’t the time to worry about why Wang Yongbo was here. Bi Fang hurriedly asked, “Where’s Étienne?”
From the battle the day before, Bi Fang could only vaguely remember Étienne subduing Johnny before he soon heard the sound of police sirens. After spotting a helicopter, consciousness eluded him.
“I’m here!”
Étienne raised his hand high, pushing his way through the crowd.
Relieved to see Étienne unharmed, Bi Fang couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Can you shoot? You dared to wield a gun at that time.”
Étienne chuckled with a smug expression, “I was in the boy scouts, not only did I learn shooting, but I also learned hunting! I once took down a wild chicken on my own with a hunting rifle!”
Bi Fang fought the urge to pat Étienne on the head, sitting up in bed and looking towards Elvan, “What about the geese?”
“They’re all at Lenin’s place now, safe,” Elvan glanced at Lenin, then back at Bi Fang. He started to speak, then hesitated, but in the end, decided to tell the truth, “Bi Fang, I must tell you something, we have to…we have to stop here…”
Elvan bowed his head: “We need to call it quits at this point…”
“What?” Bi Fang and Étienne were both stunned.
Étienne quickly asked, “Then where will they go?”
“They’re not going anywhere.”
Bi Fang touched his forehead, not quite understanding, “Didn’t the blood tests end? They’re healthy, right?”
“Yes, but we’ve entered France…” Elvan felt helpless; France wouldn’t approve his plan. If they had just flown directly into the wild, there wouldn’t have been any problem, but now…
Bi Fang had been forced into hospital treatment.
This is France, the last stop, and the most difficult one.
“We need to help them by clipping their wings. If not, they will be caged for life. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let you do something so dangerous, I didn’t…I didn’t expect things to turn out like this, I’m sorry.”
Elvan stood up and bowed deeply to Bi Fang, offering a sincere apology.
“This is your solution? Choose to stop here?” Bi Fang’s expression immediately turned serious, and he picked up a cushion to sit higher. “What did you say when you first came to me? I’ve put in so much, and now you’re telling me to stop?”
Elvan remained silent, knowing he had already done enough foolish things.
He had almost killed his own son and Bi Fang!
What good was a feasible plan if foolish acts should end? Everyone should return to their own life paths. He shouldn’t have bothered Bi Fang from the start, nor should he have troubled everyone else.
The atmosphere gradually grew heavy.
Wang Yongbo, who didn’t understand French, still sensed that something was off and quickly tried to smooth things over: “What’s going on with you two? Bi Fang, I have good news for you. That video from yesterday…”
But Bi Fang waved his hand, cutting off Wang Yongbo’s words. The migration being halted meant there was no good news for him now.
What had he put in so much effort for?
Elvan’s invitation?
What a joke, my relationship is with Gu Qingyuan, not Elvan!
Bi Fang had never agreed because of any relationship between Elvan and Gu Qingyuan; it was the plan that had moved Bi Fang!
He too wanted to save the geese, to make an effort like in his previous life, which is why he repeatedly tolerated things, flying with Étienne even when he knew he shouldn’t, willingly taking risks even when he knew it was dangerous. And now they were telling him he couldn’t fly again?
If his left hand were able to move, Bi Fang would truly want to strangle Elvan, that plague-bringer!
Feeling the need to change the subject, Wang Yongbo remarked, “Alright, alright, let’s not mention it. Let’s watch the news instead. Yes, the news! You’ve been all over TV lately! You’re a hero, Bi Fang, and the whole world knows about you!”
Wang Yongbo picked up the remote from the cabinet head and turned on the TV.
“Last night, a turning point occurred in the highly-publicized goose migration incident. To everyone’s surprise, a group of poachers appeared, attempting to hunt the White-fronted Goose. What’s especially chilling is that this group of poachers was deliberately brought in by the director of the Schengen Area park, who is then involved in a series of dark trade secrets.”
“And the reason why the blood test results for the geese were not qualified also has inextricable ties to the director, Johnny. In fact, these adorable geese have no problems at all; they are completely safe and healthy. Over the years, Johnny has been exploiting loopholes in the rules for his own massive profits, readily handing over these animals to poachers if he didn’t get what he wanted, and then both parties would split the sale profits.”
“This poaching team is extremely dangerous. Investigations reveal that the leader of this group was once an elite member of the Qiaobote Assault Team, and the other three are all veterans—highly dangerous men. They’re not just a threat to animals; the police even suspect that they might have killed more than three rangers!”
“Fortunately, with Bi Fang from Huaxia thwarting the poachers and Johnny’s plot, their schemes did not succeed; instead, they paid a bloody price. In a two-against-five situation, the Huaxia broadcaster defeated the entire poaching team by himself, one against four… wait, one against four?”
The host picked up the script and checked it before joking in feigned surprise: “Well, if our staff didn’t mess up the script, it was indeed one against four. In this encounter, four were severely injured—one lightly—and all were captured alive, while Bi Fang only sustained minor injuries, which can only be called a miracle. This forces me to believe in the fact that every Huaxia person knows martial arts, and that even our most formidable special forces are no match for them.”
The background music came in subtly as the host smoothly transitioned back to the topic, turning the screen aside.
Elvan was stunned because there on the TV was Legoff, the one who had initially opposed his plan!
“We now welcome to the studio Mr. Legoff, director of the Natural History Museum. Director, thank you for accepting our invitation. Do you think this was a beautiful adventure?”
“Actually, this is more like… like a kind of animal training, rather than a real scientific experiment,” Legoff paused. “Geese that see humans as their parents, how could they possibly know their way back into the wild? Hence, they cannot return to the Arctic to build their nests.”
“It’s undoubtedly a beautiful adventure but, scientifically speaking, it is not the migration route shift claimed by Mr. Elvan. The issue is not that simple. From my personal viewpoint, if they can’t return, then it’s useless…”
The atmosphere in the hospital room grew even quieter.
“But!” Legoff suddenly changed his tone on the TV, “Although I personally do not agree with this migration, the World Animal Protection Organization considers it a bold and innovative endeavor, and has requested that we fully cooperate and assist.”
“Now that I think about it, perhaps they are right. Any first attempt is filled with uncertainties, and if we simply refuse to try because we disagree, then the future of a species might truly end because of my personal decision.
“At first, I perhaps should not have stopped Elvan. Here, I apologize to him, and if the migration continues, I will offer all the help I can provide.”