pertwk Chapter 272 The Legend of the Woodcutter Bear
Chapter 272 The Legend of the Woodcutter Bear
As he spoke, Lin Feng stepped closer from the side and stopped a step away from the man in the trench coat.
I first looked at the lion, and then my gaze "naturally" fell on the exaggerated camera lens.
"Wow!" he exclaimed at just the right moment, gently patting the man in the trench coat on the arm.
"Dude, your equipment...it's so professional!"
"Is it the EF 400mm f/2.8? The legendary 'Little Fat White'! I've only ever seen it in magazines!"
The man in the trench coat stiffened slightly, his hat brim shifted, but he didn't speak, though his icy aura didn't intensify.
Lin Feng pressed his advantage, speaking in a warm tone: "I also dabble in photography, but I'm just a beginner."
"You big guy... hunting birds?"
"Wait, is this a photo of a lion?"
"The image quality must be incredibly sharp, right? Can... I see this amazing device for myself?"
His eyes were fixed on the camera, filled with "desire" and "curiosity".
The man in the trench coat slowly and dryly uttered four words: "...You have good taste!"
"Absolutely! Bro, let me try it out? Just for a second! I promise I'll be careful!"
Lin Feng's request was as pure as a tech geek encountering their dream love.
The man in the trench coat remained silent for a few seconds, then very carefully turned the heavy camera toward Lin Feng, his hand still not completely removed.
"It's very heavy."
"Understood, understood!" Lin Feng carefully accepted it as if it were a precious treasure, feeling its heavy, cold texture in his hand.
He pretended to adjust the viewfinder, leaned closer, and clicked his tongue in admiration.
"This field of vision...this clarity...it's amazing! Dude, this gear must have been expensive!"
As he spoke, [Call of the Wild] was quietly activated.
An invisible force gently caressed the giant beast in Lion Ridge, conveying soothing and guidance:
"Hey guys, someone's taking pictures of your eyes with a telephoto lens. Don't point your heads at the crowd, turn around and show your backside."
In Lion Ridge, the lion's ears twitched slightly, it yawned, slowly got up, and nimbly turned around, hiding its majestic front and eyes, and facing the viewing platform with its furry rear end.
Other lions followed suit, and soon, only a few lion "back walls" with no photographic value remained in the lion enclosure.
"That's fantastic! The damping, the autofocus speed..."
Lin Feng ended his "experience" at just the right moment, carefully handing the camera back, his gaze still lingering on the slender lens.
"Brother, this is truly eye-opening! Thank you!"
The man in the trench coat took the camera, brought it closer to the viewfinder, and eagerly searched for the half-closed lion's eyes.
In the viewfinder, only the backs of a few furry lions were visible.
Man in trench coat: "..."
He frowned slightly, adjusted his angle, and tried to find the lion's profile or front view.
No.
All the lions stood with their backs to him in unison, as if they had rehearsed.
He tried tapping the metal railing lightly with his knuckles, producing a faint knocking sound.
The lions seemed to have collectively gone deaf, not even twitching their ears.
The man in the trench coat gripped the camera tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
He stood frozen in place, the camera futilely scanning every corner of the rocky slope.
Just then, an impatient voice urged from behind:
"Hey! Have you looked around yet? Do you own this observation deck? Why are you hogging it and refusing to leave?"
........................
Studio:
"Hahaha, the trench coat guy's expression, like he'd just eaten shit, is so real!"
"Brother Feng is brilliant, MVP of the game!"
"Lion: I'm not showing you my face today, are you mad?"
"How did they detect it? Animal instincts are too mysterious."
"Looking across the river at the flowers in the backyard... hahaha (doge)"
........................
The man in the trench coat's face turned pale and then red, and with no other choice, he slowly put down his camera.
He pulled up his trench coat collar, covering most of his face, and like a gray shadow, silently pushed through the crowd and left the observation deck.
Only after that figure completely disappeared around the corner did Lin Feng and Vassim exchange a glance and both silently breathe a sigh of relief.
The two continued their patrol along the path, sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled patterns of light on the stone pavement.
After turning a corner, a spacious viewing platform in the bear enclosure appeared ahead, where many tourists had already gathered.
Just as they approached, they heard the clear, cheerful noise of children ahead.
It turned out that a small group of children were surrounding a woman wearing a blue tour guide uniform.
Lin Feng wanted to step forward and remind them to "keep it down," but he stopped in his tracks the moment the guide spoke.
"Children, have you heard the legend of the 'Woodcutter Bear'?" The guide's voice was clear and magnetic.
"A long time ago, deep in the forest behind our zoo lived a hardworking lumberjack."
"He went into the mountains every day with an axe, became familiar with every tree, and loved this forest."
The children quieted down, their eyes wide open.
"But one day, a strange black fog drifted from the mountains. That fog would quietly steal people's memories."
The guide lowered his voice.
"The lumberjack accidentally walked into the fog. When he came out, he had forgotten who he was, what his name was, and even where his home was."
A little boy wearing a hat nervously grabbed his friend's sleeve.
"He wandered aimlessly through the forest, his body gradually grew heavy, thick fur grew on him, and his hands turned into claws... Finally, he turned into a bear."
"After turning into a bear, he remembered nothing, only an indescribable sadness stuck in his heart."
"Sometimes he would walk to the edge of the woods in the middle of the night, face the direction of the lights, and make a sound that was like crying and roaring."
"The villagers all say the forest is haunted and they dare not go near it."
"Only the lumberjack's wife didn't believe it." The guide's voice softened a bit. "She felt that the voice was familiar."
"So one night, she took a lantern and went to the edge of the forest, and saw a bear standing in the moonlight in the distance."
"The bear saw her, but didn't attack; it just stared at her blankly."
"She slowly approached and discovered a deep, old scar on the bear's right forepaw—the same location and shape as when her husband was accidentally injured by an axe while logging years ago."
The guide gestured with his palm.
"In that instant, she understood everything."
"With tears streaming down her face, she shouted her husband's name at the bear with all her might—"
The children held their breath.
"The bear's body began to tremble, its fur gradually disappeared, and its outline, under the moonlight, transformed back into a human-like shape."
"He's finally back!"
The guide's gaze swept lightly over Lin Feng and Vassim not far away, a profound meaning in his eyes.
"A name is a person's deepest root."
"As long as there are still people who remember and can still call out the correct name, even if you are lost deep in the black fog, you still have a chance to find your way home."
"But what if no one in the world remembers your name anymore..."
She paused for a moment, a hint of pity in her voice.
"That's true disappearance, more complete than death itself!"