“My colleague’s incident was picked up by a self-media marketing account, and they made a whole video about it. The story was told in such a dramatic and twisted way, with ups and downs, mysterious and eerie background music, flashback effects, and twist after twist—then it shot straight to the trending topics!

“Although in the end it did help clear up the rumors for my colleague, not everyone wants to become famous in this way.”

Henry Clark understood. So that’s what happened. He really hadn’t paid attention to this kind of news online because of the studio issues. No wonder so many drivers had refused to go to Xiaofeng Mountain earlier—there really was something going on.

While waiting at a red light, the driver glanced at Henry Clark in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

“Are you a celebrity?” the driver asked.

Henry Clark was startled. He’d only played a supporting role in a web drama, and although he’d gotten a bit of attention recently by luck, he hadn’t had time to manage his popularity because of the studio situation, so the buzz had already died down. There’s no way the driver could actually recognize him, right?

Thinking it over, Henry Clark gave a light cough and replied firmly, “No.”

What kind of celebrity is a washed-up, bottom-tier internet micro-influencer?

I’m not worthy!!!

Chapter 5 Xiaofeng Mountain

The driver just thought Henry Clark looked pretty good, kind of like those young guys who are popular in the entertainment industry these days. Honestly, he couldn’t tell one from another—they all looked about the same to him. He’d just heard that some celebrities had come to Yangcheng to film a show recently, so he asked.

Since Henry Clark said he wasn’t a celebrity, the driver believed him.

Makes sense—why would a celebrity not even be able to get a ride?

People say celebrities always have cars picking them up wherever they go. Besides, what celebrity would go to a place like Xiaofeng Mountain?

So, the thought of “Did I just give a ride to a celebrity?” circled around in the driver’s mind and then flew away.

“What are you going to Xiaofeng Mountain for? Scientific research? Filming a video? Or going on an adventure? In the past couple of years, a few internet personalities have gone there to shoot videos, but none of them had a good experience, so now nobody goes anymore,” the driver said.

“To find someone.” Henry Clark noticed this driver was quite talkative and wanted to see if he could get more information out of him.

“What’s up there on Xiaofeng Mountain? This is my first time going,” Henry Clark asked.

“There are snakes! That’s why it’s called Snake Mountain. Not even birds build nests there. Oh, and there are a lot of agriculture and livestock companies around there, with big fields and ranches at the foot of the mountain.”

“So if I want to go up the mountain, do I have to walk?” Henry Clark asked again.

“Not necessarily. I’ve heard there are people living halfway up the mountain, so there are cars going up and down. I’m not too sure about the details, but if you’re lucky, you might catch a ride up the mountain—just pay them a bit and they’ll take you. That’s what I’ve heard.”

“If I’m going there, is there anything I should watch out for?” Henry Clark opened his phone’s notepad, ready to jot down the driver’s advice.

“Watch out for what?” The driver smacked his lips. “Bring plenty of food when you go up the mountain. Don’t touch anything wild if you can help it—you never know if it’s poisonous. And animals—no matter how curious you are, don’t mess with them. The security drones there are unpredictable and mysterious; they patrol every day, but at random times.”

Remembering something, the driver added, “Last June, three out-of-towners came here to go on an adventure—first-year high school kids. They snuck up the mountain with a bunch of stuff to have a barbecue and even planned to catch snakes. The drones detected the fire and caught them red-handed.

“After that, the three of them were taken in for education and had to take exams—forest management secret tests, ten sets of animal protection questions, that kind of thing. Only after passing could they leave.”

“Animal protection what?” Henry Clark didn’t catch that.

“‘Forest management secret tests,’ ‘ten sets of animal protection questions’—that’s just our way of joking about it. It’s stuff like forest laws, fire prevention regulations, wild fire source management measures, and so on—collectively called forest management. Animal protection is about animal and ecological environment protection, and some expert came up with ten sets of test questions. I heard those three kids, all about 1.8 meters tall, ended up crying over the test papers!”

Henry Clark suddenly understood and jotted down the keywords.

The driver continued, “Anyway, that area is a protected zone. Don’t touch any animals on the mountain—snakes, birds, frogs, whatever. Just assume they’re all protected species and keep your distance to be safe. If you accidentally kill or injure one, you’ll be in big trouble. Just remember this: ‘One illegal, ten prosecuted.’”

“That’s… a bit much. What if I run into a rat? Can’t I kill it? There have been rat infestations everywhere lately,” Henry Clark asked.

“Are you kidding me? Rats on Snake Mountain? Snakes are rats’ natural enemies! The king of Xiaofeng Mountain is the king ratsnake—it’s a rat-eating machine. The rats there have long since been wiped out!

“Do you know why people still live halfway up Xiaofeng Mountain? Because they have to feed the snakes! Every so often, they have to bring in rats from elsewhere, or else the snakes isolated in the reserve would starve to death.”

“Oh right, king ratsnakes eat rats,” Henry Clark nodded. “And they’re non-venomous.”

The driver smacked his lips again. “King ratsnake—that’s what a lot of people call the ‘cauliflower snake.’ Around here, we also call it the ‘big king snake.’ A long time ago, they were actually raised to be eaten…”

“They’re not allowed to be eaten anymore,” Henry Clark said.

Driver: “Back in my grandparents’ day, the old folks used to say, ‘It’s a crime not to kill a snake when you see one.’”

Henry Clark: “Now it’s ‘One illegal, ten prosecuted’?”