Live Cat Appraisal: Starting with a Beast That's Got a Long Prison Record

Chapter 120: The Herd of Himalayan Sheep, Abandoning the Snow Leopard?

The seventh day of holding the line at the snow line.

Chen Nian and her two companions have already changed seven different inspection sites.

This observation point is closer to the cliff face, and the cold wind is no longer howling, but has turned into a mournful wail, carrying ice crystals and whistling through the jagged rocks.

buzzing-

A deep blue, cryogenic drone stubbornly hovers above the steep cliff, scanning the area below where white and black meet, trying to find a strange gray-white color.

This is the seventh time the drone has patrolled today!
The frigid temperatures drastically reduce battery efficiency.

Every launch is like a gamble.

If they still find nothing this time, Chen Nian will have no choice but to give up and return to the camp with Xia Qiyue and Lin Sen.

Not only because of the lower temperatures here.

More importantly, he saw a thick, leaden rain cloud with ominous, dark edges rolling across the distant horizon, which was visibly swallowing up the sky.

"At this speed, we should arrive here in about an hour..."

Chen Nian stood on a boulder and observed through binoculars.

Then, based on the experience of the Gesang religion, I roughly judged when the rain clouds would arrive.

"July." He lowered his head and called out to Xia Qiyue, who was intently controlling the drone below:
"Get ready to wrap up! A storm is coming!"

After saying that, Chen Nian pressed the button on the walkie-talkie again: "Old Lin, get ready to go back!"

zizi——

Lin Sen: "Okay, I'll be back."

After informing the two, Chen Nian scanned the familiar area with her binoculars one last time, but did not find the small gray figure.

"The thief must have gone into hiding too."

These highland spirits have a weather sense far beyond that of humans.

They had already hidden themselves away when the cold wind swept across the land with dampness, so Chen Nian didn't need to worry about them.

Relieved, Chen Nian slowly stepped down from the rock.

We plan to help Xia Qiyue retrieve the drone together, and then head straight back to camp as soon as Lin Sen returns.

at this time.

Xia Qiyue, who had been controlling the drone, suddenly shouted, "Chen Nian! We've found something!"

Her voice pierced the cold wind with clarity.

This made Chen Nian's heart start racing uncontrollably.

"What discovery?! Is it a snow leopard?!"

In her excitement, Chen Nian disregarded the fact that she was still two meters above the ground and jumped down.

There was a snap.

The next moment, his feet landed precisely on a flat spot in the pile of rocks, and his knees bent slightly to absorb the impact.

Then Chen Nian ran to Xia Qiyue without stopping.

The live stream on the phone clipped to her shoulder strap also became excited. Forgetting Chen Nian's thrilling landing, they all typed questions:

"Has a snow leopard been spotted?!"

"Teacher Chen, let me see! Let me see!"

Chen Nian became even more excited.

Although he had successfully overcome his fear of cold after five days of acclimatization, his physical condition was starting to give out in this extreme environment!

Low temperature + cold wind.

Even Jesus sneezed before leaving.

Chen Nian and the other two have only managed to persevere this far because of their unwavering determination!

But if things continued like this, Chen Nian worried that they would collapse before they even found the snow leopard!
So he was prepared to stop looking if he couldn't find it.

More important than finding the mysterious snow leopard was the safety of his teammates, which was his primary concern as the squad leader.

Anyway, the snow leopard won't run away.

We can always come back next time!
There's still a long life ahead of you; you'll find it eventually.

Unexpectedly, just as Chen Nian was about to give up, the drone that had been flying for seven consecutive days made a discovery first.

Is it a snow leopard?

Chen Nian rushed to Xia Qiyue with excitement.

Xia Qiyue did not answer, but instead zoomed in on the screen in her hand.

at this time.

The drone is flying over a cliff.

The drone footage shows just how steep the cliff is, with an angle of nearly 80 degrees!
However, even on such a steep rock face, a group of animals were moving about.

"This is."

Chen Nian zoomed in on the image again, stunned.

The animals' true appearances are also revealed more clearly.

"A herd of blue sheep??"

These animals, leaping and twirling on the steep cliffs, are none other than a herd of blue sheep with thick, grayish-brown fur and long, curved horns on their heads!
They move with ease on the near-vertical, awe-inspiring rock face, nimbly spinning and leaping, their eyes closed, gnawing on the moss that grows tenaciously in the crevices.

This is the climbing master of the animal kingdom!
"So it wasn't a snow leopard after all."

It wasn't the grayish-white ghost she had expected, which made Chen Nian sigh slightly in disappointment. But this disappointment was quickly dispelled by the herd of argali sheep in front of her.

Among the herd of blue sheep, the lead sheep, which was particularly robust and had horns like scimitars, seemed to have noticed the 'strange bird' above its head.

It stopped moving and tilted its large, thick-haired head in confusion.

A pair of docile yet wary eyes curiously examined the buzzing drone.

Then, it emitted a long, drawn-out sound towards the drone:

Meow!
It seems to be wondering what kind of bird this is?

I've never seen this before!

This bleating sound seemed to flip a switch, successfully attracting the attention of the other ibex.

In an instant, the other argali sheep that were concentrating on foraging or climbing on the cliff also stopped what they were doing, raised their heads in unison, and focused their dozens of eyes, big and small, on the drone with the same almost adorable confusion.

The scene was exactly like a group of students being suddenly called on by the teacher, but having no idea what the answer was!

"Ha ha!"

Chen Nian sniffed her frozen nose and couldn't help but grin.

As a result, his lips cracked and bled.

Although the viewers in the live stream were a little disappointed that it wasn't a snow leopard, they all laughed at the sight of so many Himalayan ibex memes.

"so cute!"

"Even without snow leopards, watching sheep is quite nice~"

"Holy crap! How did they manage to climb such a steep slope?"

"Look at that little lamb! It's so fluffy and cute!!!"

Chen Nian suppressed her disappointment, adjusted her mindset, and asked Xia Qiyue to fly the drone closer.

"If we can shoot as much footage as possible, then the trip will have been worthwhile."

Just then, Lin Sen, wrapped in a coat, stumbled back, breathing heavily.

"What are you guys smoking... what are you looking at?"

He curiously leaned closer.

His voice had a distinct nasal quality.

Chen Nian keenly noticed the unnatural flush on Lin Sen's face, her heart tightened, and she immediately frowned and asked, "Do you have a cold?"

"I feel a little dizzy, but it's nothing serious." Lin Sen peered at the drone screen.

"Wow, such a huge herd of blue sheep! There must be at least thirty or forty of them, right? That's spectacular!"

He watched the screen with great interest.

After all, apart from that monkey-like thief who avoided him, he hadn't seen any animals in the past few days.

It was naturally very novel at first.

He was about to stand on tiptoe to get a better look when Chen Nian pulled him away.

Chen Nian placed the back of her hand directly on Lin Sen's forehead, and felt a sensation that was noticeably higher than normal body temperature.

Chen Nian said with a serious expression, "I really have a cold!"

Catching a cold at high altitude is no small matter!
Especially since Lin Sen already suffers from altitude sickness, it would be terrible if he caught a cold and it made his altitude sickness even worse!
Lin Sen waved his hand dismissively: "Relax, relax, Lao Chen, I probably caught a chill because I took off some clothes at noon because I was a little hot. It's nothing, a small matter!"

"This is no small matter!"

Chen Nian glared at him and interrupted him.

Then he looked at Xia Qiyue and quickly said, "Qiyue, pack up and let's go."

"Okay!" Xia Qiyue understood that this matter couldn't be delayed, so she immediately controlled the drone to fly back.

Chen Nian then quickly began packing her things.

"Don't rush, there are still two cameras that haven't been collected yet. If we leave them until tomorrow, they might freeze and break!"

Lin Sen wanted to retrieve the infrared camera, but Chen Nian stopped him.

"The camera is broken, so be it. But if something happens to you, I won't be able to explain it to Brother Liang! Stay put, we'll pack up and leave!"

"But.."

"No buts." Chen Nian's attitude was firm: "Besides, a heavy rain is about to start, we can't afford to delay!"

Heavy rain on the plateau often turns into sleet.

If Lin Sen catches a cold and gets caught in the rain, he won't be able to leave standing up.

"Alright alright."

Seeing this, Lin Sen had no choice but to give up.

The drone was quickly and successfully retrieved. Chen Nian took Lin Sen's bag and invited the two of them to go down the mountain together.

On the way, Chen Nian casually told the two about her decision.

"I've decided to give up on looking for the snow leopard. We don't need to come over tomorrow."

"Don't do that, Old Chen! Teacher Chen!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Sen immediately became anxious.

(Awooo!)

　Thank you to the cat friend "Lantern-lit Book Fairy" for the 1500 Qidian coins!
　　Thank you to cat friend Qinglongzeyu for the 100 Qidian coins!
　　感谢猫友提灯书仙、1983102605、每天都在等新粮、彼岸花火丶此案灯斑、书友0475、寒冰916、羽米、书友9348、冷冷冰心、木怀风、书友2759、自语_dB、书友4040、DAYBREAK送来的月票！
　　Thank you to all the cat lovers for sending your votes!

　　Wishing everyone happiness and prosperity every day!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)