Feng Yi left and continued walking down the mountain, sending another text message to the driver from yesterday. If the driver was driving and couldn’t answer the phone, he’d see the message when he was free. If there was still no reply by the time Henry Clark got down the mountain, he’d find another car.

Fortunately, the driver replied quickly and called directly.

The driver remembered him well. “As long as you’re safe… Alright, I’m not far from there now, I’ll head over right away, you’ll have to wait… at most 50 minutes.”

Henry Clark wasn’t in a hurry now. After making arrangements with the driver, he still had the mood to enjoy the mountain scenery as he walked down.

He even spotted a hiding frog.

He’d heard there were frogs and toads in the reserve, just not many. Those king ratsnakes had been fed too many mice, which reduced their predation on frogs and toads, so a few still survived on the mountain.

When Henry Clark arrived at the parking lot from yesterday, the driver happened to pull up.

The driver gave him a once-over. “You look good.”

“Not bad.” Henry Clark put his bag away and got in the car.

As the car left Xiaofeng Mountain, they happened to see the reserve patrol chasing after an “escaped” snake. The snake had its mouth wide open, swallowing a frog.

Driver: “Tsk, seeing a snake eat up close is pretty scary, don’t you think?”

As he spoke, he turned his head, looking for agreement, only to see Henry Clark staring out the window, a bit of drool at the corner of his mouth.

Driver: ???

Henry Clark quickly wiped his mouth. Seeing the driver looking at him inquisitively, he explained, “A classmate just messaged me—we’re having a big meal when I get back.”

The driver understood, nodding vigorously. “Hey, same here! If someone told me they were treating me to a feast, I’d be even more excited than you!”

Then the driver added, “But remember, one is illegal, ten is a crime! If you want to eat, go for farmed bullfrogs, don’t touch wild frogs. Bullfrogs are common now, big and meaty—ah, my favorite is bullfrog with perilla!”

Henry Clark replied with a smile, then, when the driver turned back to the road, lightly slapped himself.

What’s wrong with me! How could I get hungry at that sight!

Chapter 8: Still Human?

There was no feast.

Henry Clark had just made up an excuse to get through that awkward moment.

But he knew something had indeed changed.

He’d eaten a huge bowl of noodle soup and ten plus-sized buns in the morning, but by the time he left Xiaofeng Mountain—still before noon—he was already feeling increasingly hungry.

The good thing was, he’d prepared plenty of food for the climb yesterday. Because he’d been stressed and on edge the whole time, he hadn’t had much appetite, so more than half was left.

“Master, I’m going to eat something in the car,” Henry Clark said.

“Go ahead, just don’t eat instant noodles or durian or anything like that. Be careful not to choke.”

The driver kept talking as he drove out of the Xiaofeng Mountain Reserve, but he couldn’t get the image of the king ratsnake swallowing the frog out of his mind.

“There’s a saying where I’m from: ‘A checkered keelback in the rafters, two hundred mice gone in a year!’ I don’t know which of the two big checkered keelbacks that refers to, but compared to the slender black-browed ratsnake, the king ratsnake is thick, short, and looks like it can eat more. Judging by how much those king ratsnakes eat in the reserve, I’d say they eat even more mice than that! Just look at them—so robust and cocky!”

“Don’t you think so?” the driver asked Henry Clark.

“Absolutely!” Henry Clark nodded. “A bunch of gluttons!”

Henry Clark finished off all the food in his bag during the ride, and had another good meal at the airport.

All the outdoor gear he’d bought for the trip—most of it couldn’t be taken on the plane, so Henry Clark packed it up and mailed it home.

He hadn’t booked a ticket in advance since he didn’t know when he’d be done, so he bought a flight for today. When he got back to Rongcheng, it was right at rush hour.

Sitting in the taxi, Henry Clark regretted not just squeezing onto the subway.

Outside the window, the cars on the overpass during rush hour were jammed together like a long snake…

Ugh!

Snakes again!

Henry Clark was feeling a bit avoidant now, not wanting to think about anything snake-related. He turned his gaze away from the long line on the overpass, rubbed his brow, and opened his phone to check the news.

By the time he got home, it was completely dark. Exhaustion hit, so Henry Clark ordered takeout for four, quickly ate, washed up, and went to bed. He tidied up the takeout trash and set it aside, planning to sort it tomorrow.

Late at night, most of the residents in the complex were asleep.

A rat crawled from the neighbor’s balcony toward Henry Clark’s side. Just as it was about to reach the balcony, it suddenly stopped and sniffed the air.

There was the tempting aroma of food in the air.

But there was also a scent that instinctively made it afraid.

After hesitating for a while, it finally turned around and climbed down the outer wall.

Henry Clark had a night full of strange dreams, but couldn’t remember any of them upon waking.

After dealing with yesterday’s trash, he carefully checked the apartment. He found no signs of rats, nor any cockroaches.

He felt relieved.

After breakfast, Henry Clark called the old butler.

This time, Old Butler started a video call with Henry Clark.

Henry Clark answered, “I got back from Xiaofeng Mountain last night. I’ve already been to the ancestral home and signed the genealogy book.”