Chapter 580: Going Up the Mountain

"Climb to the top of this mountain, then cross it, and you'll see the primeval forest." Minister Bai pointed as they walked.

Gu Yin estimated the distance and frowned: "It doesn't look close. Half a day might not be enough for a round trip. Are we going to camp?"

Zhou Wansheng nodded: "Don't worry, we brought a tent. If we can come back, we can come back; if not, we'll camp. Anyway, we're fully equipped, so there's nothing to worry about."

Bai Mengshan, who originally thought he would just go and come back, wondered: "...Wouldn't it be unsafe to camp in the wild at night, especially near a primeval forest? Putting aside everything else, what if there are wild animals around?"

The bodyguard captain smiled and waved his hand: "It's alright, we have insect repellent. We suffered a lot of losses when we went through the Amazon many times on missions before. After that, our organization developed this medicine. As long as we sprinkle the medicine around, even tigers won't come near."

What else could Bai Mengshan say? He could only nod with an awkward smile and say, "That's good. I'm relieved then."

Zhou Wansheng looked at Bai Mengshan meaningfully and said, "Don't worry, if we really encounter a ferocious beast, it will definitely not abandon you."

Bai Mengshan touched his nose: "That's not what I meant. Besides, we haven't gone deep enough, so we probably won't run into each other."

Zhou Wansheng fell silent, and the group quickened their pace.

I originally thought Gu Yin would be the weakest in the team, after all, she's the youngest and a girl. But it turns out that apart from the bodyguards, she was the most relaxed.

The experts and Secretary Zhou were all breathing heavily.

Seeing this, Zhou Wansheng told everyone to rest and recuperate on the spot.

Gu Yin took out some water and handed it to Zhou Wansheng: "Grandpa, have some. How about it? Can you continue?"

Zhou Wansheng nodded, reached out and took the drink, and slowly began to drink: "It's not bad. If I were ten years younger, I could climb to the top of the mountain once. Although I've been exercising all these years, I'm getting old and can't compare to you young people. You have to accept getting old!"

The accompanying doctor opened his medical kit, took out various equipment, and examined the old man.

After the examination was completed, Gu Yin asked, "How are you? Are you alright?"

The doctor shook his head: "It's nothing, just need some energy." He then handed Zhou Wansheng a packet of drinks, which Zhou Wansheng drank in one gulp. He pointed at Gu Yin: "Give her a look too."

The doctor nodded, and Gu Yin did not refuse. Although she knew she was fine, the old man did not.

"The young lady is fine, she has plenty of energy. She's still young, her energy and stamina are really good!" The doctor smiled and continued to examine the specialist next to him.

Bai Mengshan sized up Gu Yin and smiled, "Miss Zhou, do you exercise often?" He was a little out of breath after sitting in the office for so long and climbing for so long.

Gu Yin shook her head: "I'm quite strong, and I've done military training before, and I run every day. Besides, I used to run all over the mountains when I was a kid. It's just that I've gotten older and haven't been as active in the last few years, so I'm fine at this height."

Bai Mengshan nodded: "That's good, that's great for young people, full of energy and vitality!"

After resting for about half an hour, the group started moving again. The higher they went, the thicker the fog became and the colder it got. They could even see snow piled up not far ahead.

Fortunately, their windbreakers were specially made, designed to cool down and heat up, and to cool down as well. These items were brought in advance by the bodyguards.

Gu Yin initially thought the old man's visit was just a simple on-site inspection, but once these equipment appeared, even she, as naive as she was, could tell that it was not simple at all.

"Mr. Zhou, it's about to snow," an expert said, approaching with equipment.

Gu Yin looked up but couldn't make out anything. It was still calm and quiet, without even the sound of birds chirping. The only sound was the crunching of their footsteps on the dry branches.

Zhou Wansheng looked at the mountaintop: "We're not far now, let's speed up."

Before we even reached the summit, it started snowing.

"This is the first snow after summer. It shouldn't be too heavy. When we get to the top of the mountain, let's not rest. Let's go straight down. We'll be fine when we get to the halfway point. There's a grassy area about the size of a basketball court on the outer edge of the primeval forest. To prevent people from accidentally wandering in, no trees grow there all year round."

Gu Yin asked in surprise, "Does someone clean it regularly?"

Bai Mengshan nodded: "My dad comes over every three months to handle this. He just came over last week."

I see.

There were no animals at all on the way to the top of the mountain, and it became increasingly desolate and cold as you went higher.

Once we reached the summit, the fog was so thick that we couldn't see the mountainside at all. If it weren't for Bai Mengshan leading the way, it would have been very difficult and troublesome to get down!

As they descended the mountain path, the experts were no longer able to walk independently and were being supported by their bodyguards as they swayed and staggered down the mountain.

Gu Yin called out to 001 in her mind, but there was no response. She wondered what the other party was doing and began to worry.

"We can finally see the road! Let's walk another hundred meters and then rest here!"

As the group emerged from the white mist, the greenery halfway up the mountain finally came into view.

Luckily, my clothes, pants, and shoes were waterproof, otherwise I would have been soaked through by now!

Gu Yin strolled around in everyone's sight with the bread in her hand. Most of the trees on Dabai Mountain were sand fir, Changbai larch, red spruce, and red pine, with red pine being the most common.

The red pine trees here are not very big. Gu Yin looked at the trunks and found stumps, so what she saw now must have grown relatively recently.

"Minister Bai, do you cut down all the red pines here?"

Minister Bai nodded: "Red pine has a fine structure, strong resistance to decay, and is easy to process. It can be used for construction, furniture, etc. The bark can also be used to make pulp, oil, incense, etc. These areas can be felled within a specified time, but only after obtaining approval from higher authorities."

Gu Yin remembered that logging was prohibited in the Dabai Mountain forest area of ​​later generations, but she couldn't recall when the law was enacted.

Gu Yin reached out and picked a pine cone. It wasn't ripe yet, but it was already plump. These were food for squirrels and other animals.

"They won't be ripe until next month; they're still unripe now," Bai Mengshan reminded Gu Yin as she picked pine cones.

Gu Yin nodded in understanding.

After resting, the group continued their journey.