dkrc Chapter 1: The end of the universe is the exam, and even sheep are no exception?
Chapter 1: The end of the universe is the exam, and even sheep are no exception?
[The sky is vast and blue, the fields are boundless, the wind blows the grass low to reveal cattle and sheep! What kind of divine picture quality is this?]
[I'm so envious! This streamer is living the retirement life I've always dreamed of in her early twenties! That's like skipping forty years of detours!]
[Are all these sheep covering the hillside the streamer's private property? Wow, how much is that worth?]
[Hey everyone, look! What's with that flock of sheep on the right? They're wearing red tags around their necks, could they be officially registered?]
……
At the foot of the Qilian Mountains, outside an ecological observation station.
The morning sunlight spread across the boundless grassland like scattered gold dust. The emerald meadows stretched like a giant natural carpet all the way to the snow-capped mountain peaks.
The sky was as blue as the finest jade, and the large, fluffy white clouds looked like cotton candy that you could almost touch.
Lin Ye rode leisurely on a magnificent chestnut-red Yili horse. He took a deep breath of the air, which was filled with the fragrance of earth and grass, and watched the drone live stream hovering in front of him with contentment.
This is his hometown, the Qilian Mountains Alpine Pasture.
His father was Han Chinese, and his mother was a Tomo people.
Back then, in order to get extra points on the college entrance exam, he decisively chose his mother's ethnicity, making him a genuine ethnic minority man.
Lin Ye's grandfather passed away recently, and his parents were too busy with business in another city to take care of him. Lin Ye, who had just graduated from the veterinary medicine program at an agricultural university, naturally returned to the land that nurtured him and inherited this vast "family property".
As luck would have it, the winds of change have reached not only the Qilian Mountains, but also the ends of the universe.
The agricultural university and the local forestry bureau jointly established an "ecological observation station" here, immediately drawn to the existing paved facilities and unique geographical location of his ranch. The state then generously leased half of the eastern pasture.
Not only does Lin Ye earn an extremely generous rent every year, but he also easily secured a formal position as an "assistant observer" thanks to his solid professional skills and local connections.
In short, he is now not only herding his own sheep, but also genuinely herding sheep for the country.
They were offered a secure job that makes countless people taking the civil service exam envious!
Seeing the speculations in the comments, Lin Ye smiled and raised the shepherd's whip in his hand, the crisp sound of the whip echoing across the open grassland.
"Brothers, you have a good eye! You're absolutely right, these two groups of sheep are worlds apart in terms of class and status."
Lin Ye, with great interest, controlled the drone to zoom in, pointing to the flock of sheep on the left, who were head down, frantically munching and jostling each other without any regard for their image, and introduced them:
"Look everyone, these three hundred-plus fat and strong Kazakh sheep on the left, which don't look very smart, are my private property. These are what we commonly call 'dry rice sheep'."
"When autumn comes and they're all plump and juicy, I'll randomly select a few from the live stream and ship lamb legs directly via SF Express cold chain! Brothers who want to eat authentic free-range lamb from the mountains, type '1' in the chat!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the screen was flooded with "1111" and memes of people swallowing their saliva, instantly taking over the live stream.
Immediately afterwards, Lin Ye changed the subject and panned the camera to the right.
There were probably a hundred sheep there, and the style was completely different.
They all wore eye-catching red electronic tags around their necks, walked at a leisurely pace, and even when eating grass, they picked out the tenderest tips and chewed slowly. More than a hundred sheep exuded the elite air of "department-level cadres" inspecting grassroots work.
"As for the dozens of 'old men' on the right, everyone should stop drooling and stop thinking about them."
Lin Ye dropped his joking tone, deliberately lowered his voice, and cleared his throat mysteriously:
"These are 'Alpine Merino' experimental sheep, bred with significant investment by a national research team. They are genuine state property! They come with official research status!"
"These are top-quality breeding sheep, delicate and expensive. Forget eating them, if even a single wool goes missing while grazing, I'd have to write an eight-hundred-word apology to the old professor at the station!"
The comments section was instantly filled with laughter:
[Regarding the trivial matter of me losing a single wool from the country]
[A sheep with a turban? No wonder it looks much more elegant than me; even eating grass exudes an otherworldly nobility.]
[The working class is devastated; I'm not even as socially important as a sheep!]
……
Just as the live stream was generating a lot of memes, a burst of noise suddenly entered Lin Ye's mind.
"Meow—(Dry rice! Dry rice! This grass smells so damn good!)"
"Baa—(You stepped on my hoof, you idiot! Get away from me, don't steal the dandelion in front of me!)"
"Meow! (Hurry up, I'm starving!)"
Lin Ye rubbed his temples helplessly and glanced at his flock of clear-eyed but foolish Kazakh sheep on his left.
This is the god-tier skill he obtained from the newbie gift pack when he awakened the [Leisurely Nature System] a few months ago:
[Listen to the Voice of All Things].
This is also the core reason why he was able to give up his high-paying job in the big city without hesitation and wholeheartedly return to his hometown to herd sheep!
By showcasing the beauty of nature, popularizing knowledge about plants and animals, or completing rescue missions issued by the system through live streaming, you can earn generous rewards, including various amazing items and god-like skills.
But when he shifted his attention to the "bundled experimental sheep" area on the right...
The image in my mind instantly took a 180-degree turn:
"Meow~ (Mind your formation, stay elegant. Today, the two-legged creatures are taking us to Moon Lake. I heard that the saline-alkali soil there is rich in trace elements, which greatly enhance the luster of our noble wool.)"
"Meh. (Understood. As the representatives of the Takayama Merino, everyone must pay attention to their demeanor and not mix with those country bumpkins on the left who don't even have official positions, as they would lower our status.)"
"Mwah~ (Sigh, I have to inspect this pasture every day, it must be hard work for me.)"
Hearing this completely different voice, which even carried a strong "Versailles" vibe, Lin Ye's lips began to twitch wildly.
Good heavens, after eating government meals for a few days, they've even developed a class consciousness like sheep?! These old men really think they're leaders!
"Brothers, our mission today is clear: take these 'leader uncles' to Moon Lake for a saline-alkaline spa to replenish their minerals..."
Lin Ye was facing the camera, laughing and joking as he planned today's grazing route.
However, before he could finish speaking!
He keenly sensed that a sudden, extremely terrified, even tragic, commotion had arisen from the experimental sheep flock on the right edge!
"Meow—!! (Holy crap! An assassin! Protect me! Help!!)"
A shrill, almost broken bleating of a sheep exploded in Lin Ye's mind! The dignified mountain merinos who had just been putting on airs instantly lost all their composure.
Lin Ye felt a sudden chill run down his spine, and his hair stood on end.
These experimental sheep are the precious jewels of this key research project; each one is worth as much as a small car, so we absolutely cannot afford to make any mistakes!
"drive!"
He spurred his horse's flanks and gave a low shout. The Ili horse beneath him, incredibly intelligent, instantly understood and galloped off like a raging red lightning bolt towards the direction of the sheep's disturbance.
Following the sound, Lin Ye gasped at the sight before him.
The usually proud and arrogant mountain Merino sheep were now running around like headless flies, urinating and defecating in panic.
And just as the flock scattered in terror—
A thick, furry tail with white and mottled markings suddenly rose from the waist-high withered grass, coming into view of the forest!
Such a long, thick tail, plus that unique snow-white base color interwoven with rose-colored black spots in its fur.
At the foot of the Qilian Mountains, which are over 2,000 meters above sea level, there is only one chilling answer!
Viewers in the live stream also clearly captured the deadly yet beautiful lurking figure through the high-definition drone lens.
The previously cheerful comments froze instantly, followed by a massive explosion:
[Holy crap! Holy crap! What a huge tail! And that pattern... am I seeing things?!]
[No way, buddy, you just broke into the mainstream and got your base raided?! You've run into a big boss!]
[This is terrible! We just said the experimental sheep were important, and now there's been a major loss of state-owned assets!]
Lin Ye took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his wildly beating heart, and with a clean and neat roll on the horse's back, he suddenly dismounted.
He moved with lightning speed, reaching for the back of the saddle without hesitation.
There hangs a double-barreled shotgun for self-defense that has been strictly registered with the Forestry Bureau and the local police station.
Click.
The bullet is loaded.
Lin Ye crouched low, moved quietly, and carefully approached, taking advantage of the undulating terrain for cover.
Slowly parting the waist-high withered grass in front of him, the scene before him completely confirmed his guess, and his heart sank to the bottom.
It was next to a rock not far away.
A slender, beautiful cat covered in rose-patterned markings, exuding unparalleled wildness and a sense of oppression, is opening its blood-red maw and biting down hard on the throat of a high-altitude Merino experimental sheep!
The unfortunate sheep, which was convulsing violently, had a bright red electronic tag hanging around its neck that was particularly glaring in the sunlight!
Number: 014.
Lin Ye gasped.
That was a real wild snow leopard!
And what it was carrying in its mouth was the No. 014 breeding sheep from this batch of experimental sheep!