Chapter 327: Chen Director

Chen Ling glanced at the time displayed on his flip phone. Four hours remained of the 12-hour activity period. The journey alone had been arduous, taking him from Shangjing to Shennongjia—subway to plane, plane to high-speed train, high-speed train to car, car to walking.

His arrival was later than expected, but the good news was that the research scholars were also delayed by the weather and hadn't immediately begun their exploration.

Chen Ling's gaze swept over the many figures moving through the camp area, seemingly searching for a suitable identity.

Finally, his eyes settled on a tent not far from him.

"I told you, it's not about money!" a young man in civilian clothes said with a frown, pointing at the darkness in the deep mountains.

"The place you're going is deep within Shennongjia! Even few locals would venture there! Only Old Wang Er and Old Zhao San are qualified and experienced enough to be your guides... but they went in with your previous two groups and haven't been heard from since! You want me to be your guide? I don't want to die!"

"Their lack of communication might be due to meteor fragments affecting the magnetic field; it doesn't necessarily mean something bad happened," a figure in camouflage explained seriously. "Furthermore, our third team has top-tier firepower protection and nine top scientists from various fields. The scale is incomparable to the previous two times. However, given this visibility, we need someone familiar with the mountain environment to guide us into the mountains. Rest assured, our people will protect you. Besides occasionally needing your expertise for direction, you won't have to do anything else."

"No, you don't need to say more. I know what's more important, money or life. I absolutely won't..."

Ring! Ring!

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

The young man frowned, stopped speaking, and pulled out his phone as he turned to walk out of the tent. "Hello? Hello..."

The camouflaged figure watched him leave, a complex expression on his face.

"How is it? Still no guide?" Wang Xinye approached from another tent.

"No... two guides have gone missing consecutively, so no one is willing to be our guide anymore. Even the highest price is useless," the camouflaged figure sighed. "There are few residents living nearby to begin with, and even fewer with experience. I'm afraid we'll have to prepare to go without a guide..."

As the two were talking, the young man had already walked out of the tent, holding his phone high as he headed towards the edge of the camp area, seemingly searching for a signal.

His phone screen showed a call with "Dad" that had lasted over thirty seconds, but there was no sound from the other end.

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

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

Fine rain was falling on the ground. He felt a sharp pain at the back of his head and then completely lost consciousness.

Click.

Chen Ling closed the flip phone, and the call in the young man's hand was disconnected. As the screen light went out, the surroundings plunged into darkness.

He looked at the unconscious young man at his feet, then tore at his chin with his fingertips, his body instantly transforming into the young man's likeness.

"Just borrowing this."

Chen Ling said calmly and walked straight towards the tent he had just left.

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

"Double," Chen Ling said, holding up two fingers. "Double the pay, and I'll go with you. I only want cash."

Chen Ling's sudden offer made the camouflaged figure, who had lost hope, light up. However, he didn't agree immediately. Instead, he turned to Wang Xinye, as Chen Ling's offer was quite high, practically an exorbitant demand.

Wang Xinye nodded without much hesitation. "No problem."

At this point, money was a minor issue. Having solved the guide problem, he chatted with the camouflaged figure for a moment before turning and leaving in a hurry.

"Director Chen, pleasant cooperation." The camouflaged figure shook Chen Ling's hand lightly, then followed Wang Xinye. "Someone will settle the cash payment with you shortly. I'll be busy now."

Director Chen?

Hearing this address, Chen Ling's expression immediately turned a little strange.

It seemed this young man also had the surname Chen. Coupled with the title of "director," it gave Chen Ling a fleeting sensation of being back in the theater... a coincidence, perhaps?

With a legitimate identity, Chen Ling's mind became active. He walked to the tent entrance, scanned his surroundings, and spotted a familiar figure... He then casually walked towards them.

Yang Xiao sat on a small folding stool inside the tent, silently putting several compressed biscuits into his mouth.

One, two, three... After stuffing several pieces consecutively, his mouth felt dry. The compressed biscuits chewed like sand in his mouth. He unconsciously frowned and was about to get up when he choked on biscuit crumbs, coughing violently.

Just then, a bottle of water was offered to him.

Beside him, the female doctor held a bottle of water casually and said lightly, "If you can't eat it, don't force it. Drink more water; these biscuits can be very dry if you eat too many."

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

"Phew... thank you."

"First time in this kind of setting?"

"Yes," Yang Xiao nodded, then lowered his head and said nothing more.

The female doctor looked him over. "We haven't met before, have we?"

"That's right." Yang Xiao then realized, put down the water bottle, and awkwardly extended a hand. "My name is Yang Xiao. Yang, as in poplar tree, and Xiao, as in Lantern Festival."

"...Yang Xiao." The female doctor shook his hand politely, finding the name somewhat familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

A figure simultaneously entered the tent, seemingly intending to grab two compressed biscuits to eat. Hearing this, he turned around in surprise.

"Dr. Yang Xiao?"

Yang Xiao froze, then turned to see a young figure in civilian clothes, a bewildered look in his eyes. He tried to remember who this person was but, being face-blind, he couldn't recall.

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

Hearing this, a look of profound surprise appeared on Yang Xiao's face.

"You've read that paper?" He looked at the young man, asking doubtfully, "You are..."

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