"What? They want me to be a guest on the 'Approaching Science' TV show to explain the water monster incident to the audience live?"
Hearing Lin Feng's request over the phone, Yang Lin's face immediately showed a peculiar expression.
He never expected the 'Approaching Science' TV crew would arrive in Ningnan so quickly.
Even more surprising was their invitation for him to be a guest on the show.
This was ridiculous!
The water monster was his creation, he raised it and released it, and now they wanted him to reveal the truth about it to everyone.
This was just... just perfect!
After pretending to hesitate for a moment, Yang Lin casually agreed.
Before leaving the zoo, he specifically instructed the animals in West Rainbow Zoo not to cause any trouble.
Once everything was arranged, he hailed a taxi at the zoo entrance and headed toward the Yong River embankment.
Meanwhile, the official livestream of 'Approaching Science' launched simultaneously across multiple platforms.
The moment it went live, a massive number of netizens flooded in.
Across all platforms combined, the viewership likely reached tens of millions.
All these viewers shared the same purpose: to find out exactly what the water monster in the Yong River really was.
"Front row seats! Waiting for the experts to give us a reasonable explanation."
"Never thought I'd watch a live broadcast of 'Approaching Science' one day."
"I'm ready for an epic series."
"Makes sense. They once made three episodes about an old man's bleeding gums, so this water monster should be worth at least thirty episodes."
"That's why they call it a water monster, right?"
"Speaking of which, didn't West Rainbow Zoo have a water monster incident before? Director Yang caught it alive in less than half an hour and ended up cooking it."
"Hahaha, hilarious! I was there last time, but I think this water monster is different from the previous one."
"Of course it's different! This water monster doesn't look like any normal creature. Let's see how the experts try to fool us this time."
...
As viewers were discussing, the livestream camera focused on a middle-aged male host - Li Bonian, who had previously met with Lin Feng.
"Good afternoon, viewers. I'm Li Bonian from 'Approaching Science.'"
"This time, our crew has come to the beautiful city of Ningnan to solve the mystery of the water monster."
"We've specially invited several experts and professors to provide their analysis."
The camera then turned to a bald, middle-aged man wearing glasses.
"This is Director Chen Maosheng from the Ningnan Aquatic Research Institute. He has worked in the aquaculture industry for decades and is very familiar with the Yong River's aquatic environment."
"Besides Director Chen, we've also invited Professor Xu Jincheng from Ocean University, an expert in fish and reptilian biology."
As soon as he finished speaking, another middle-aged man in his fifties appeared on camera.
Seeing these two so-called expert professors, the viewers in the livestream weren't impressed.
"Are they really reliable? I'm not too convinced."
"Yeah, they're not going to try to pass it off as just a big fish again, are they?"
"The video evidence is so clear. If they try to fool us with some lame excuse this time, I'm never watching this show again."
"They'll probably try to brush it off somehow. After all, officials will never acknowledge the existence of water monsters."
...
While viewers were expressing doubts about these two expert professors, Li Bonian spoke up again.
"Of course, besides these two field experts, we've also invited a special mystery guest."
"This mysterious guest should be quite familiar to many viewers, especially those from Ningnan."
"Without further ado, please welcome the director of West Rainbow Zoo, Director Yang Lin."
As Li Bonian finished speaking, a figure very familiar to the viewers appeared on camera.
Seeing this figure, the previously uninterested audience immediately erupted with excitement.
"Wow, the Director is here!"
"It's really Director Yang! The show team knows what they're doing, actually inviting him!"
"Those others are just for show - this is the real deal right here."
"While he might not have as much academic expertise as the others, he definitely knows his stuff when it comes to animals."
"Has 'Approaching Science' finally cracked the code for ratings?"
"Those water monsters are in trouble now. Last time it was steamed and braised - wonder what cooking method it'll be this time."
"This might actually get interesting."
"Hey, did he bring that big alligator with him?"
"Now this is what I call professional. Can't wait to see these water monsters caught."
...
Yang Lin's arrival clearly gave the viewers a boost of confidence.
"Hello everyone, I'm Yang Lin, director of West Rainbow Zoo. I've been invited by the show to help solve the mystery of the water monster."
Yang Lin spoke seriously in front of the camera.
After his introduction, the crew led everyone to the location where the water monster incidents occurred.
As soon as they arrived, the two expert professors brought out various professional equipment to examine the surrounding waters.
Two divers also went into the river with underwater cameras.
The viewers watched all these operations in confusion.
Only Yang Lin stood aside, trying hard to suppress his laughter.
In his view, it would be a miracle if these people could find anything.
And indeed, things turned out exactly as he expected.
Despite all the efforts of the experts, professors, and researchers, they couldn't find anything conclusive.
Seeing the investigation going nowhere, Yang Lin actively stepped forward.
"Professors, I think we're making this more complicated than necessary."
"Here are some locations I found today from netizen reports."
He opened a map application as he spoke.
"Look, the first water monster sighting was ten kilometers upstream from here, and the last sighting was ten kilometers downstream."
"We can roughly see that this ten-kilometer radius is the water monster's activity range."
"If we take the center point, it would be around this backwater bay."
He pointed to a backwater bay in the Yong River, which happened to be exactly where Ming Corporation had buried their sewage outlet.
Hearing his explanation, everyone was stunned for a moment before realizing what he meant.
They had indeed overlooked the internet as the most direct and effective source of information.
Just as everyone was having this revelation, Lin Feng suddenly received a phone call from among the crowd.
After hanging up, his face immediately showed excitement.
"Mr. Li, someone has discovered a large number of fish and shrimp remains upstream in the backwater bay, with bite marks that appear to be from a large reptile."
"There are also footprints on the nearby beach."
Hearing Lin Feng's words, everyone felt excited while also recalling Yang Lin's earlier deduction.