Chapter Nineteen: Streamer, Are You Trying to Challenge the Environmental Protection Act?!
The official document from the Environmental Protection Agency, stamped in vivid red, stood like a cold tombstone weighing heavily on the hearts of all supporters of Longyu University.
Every letter printed on that paper acted as the sharpest chisel, erasing the newly kindled dream of the university stroke by stroke, without mercy.
“Cease all construction activities immediately; conduct an ecological impact assessment lasting no less than one year.”
One year.
That single timeframe was a death sentence for Longyu University.
The once vibrant official forum was now shrouded in gloom. Millions of messages piled up, yet no one refreshed the page anymore. Those netizens who had once rallied tirelessly and donated their resources for the university seemed to have lost all their strength in an instant.
Some changed their avatars to black and white.
Some quietly deleted every post supporting Longyu University.
“It’s over.”
“We lost.”
“I always knew that dreams are so fragile when faced with reality.”
Pessimism spread like a plague, infecting everyone swiftly. Hope, once a cherished word, now appeared cheap and laughable in the face of the Environmental Protection Agency’s authoritative verdict.
Yet beneath this cloud of despair that engulfed the entire internet, the temporary office of He Yu was so quiet that one could hear the rustling of wild grass outside the window.
He calmly stared at the faded, disheartened comments on the screen, his eyes unwavering.
As if none of this concerned him.
At that moment, the familiar voice finally sounded in his mind.
[Beep!]
[Host is facing a major crisis: The Longyu University project has been forcibly halted due to ecological concerns, and public support has plummeted dramatically.]
[New challenge task triggered: Ecological Resonance.]
[Background: The Chinese Peacock Butterfly, a rare and endemic species, shares its core habitat with the selected site for Longyu University. Traditional construction methods will cause irreversible and devastating damage.]
[Task requirement: Within two weeks, devise an ecological balance plan that allows the university and the Chinese Peacock Butterfly to coexist harmoniously, and secure official approval from the Environmental Protection Agency to resume construction.]
[Reward: 30,000 reputation points.]
After hearing the system’s prompt, a barely perceptible smile crept to the corner of He Yu’s mouth.
He loved challenges.
Especially those deemed “impossible” by everyone else.
“System,” he silently commanded.
“Redeem the ‘Master Ecologist’ skill.”
[Confirm redemption? This skill will consume 15,000 reputation points.]
“Confirm.”
[Beep! Redemption successful! Congratulations, host, you have acquired the ‘Master Ecologist’ skill!]
An immense torrent of knowledge flooded his mind instantaneously.
From the macroscopic structure of the biosphere to microscopic genetic evolution; from constructing complex ecological models to decoding the life codes of each plant, insect, and microorganism... Countless once obscure concepts crystallized into instinctive understanding.
He could even vividly “see” how every speck of phosphorescent powder on the wings of the Chinese Peacock Butterfly in the valley outside reflected the sunlight in myriad hues.
He Yu closed his eyes slowly, absorbing this newfound power.
When he opened them again, the entire world looked utterly transformed.
***
At dawn the next day, as the first rays of sunlight pierced the clouds and bathed the silent valley, He Yu’s livestream resumed after a night of silence.
Facing the camera, his expression was calm, but his gaze held an unprecedented determination.
“Everyone,”
his voice transmitted clearly through the microphone, reaching across the internet,
“I have received the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision. The construction of Longyu University is indeed facing unprecedented challenges.”
Viewers began returning slowly to the livestream; scattered messages of comfort and regret floated across the screen.
“But,” He Yu shifted tone abruptly, his voice rising sharply with undeniable conviction, “I will not give up.”
“I will personally present a plan — one that allows our university to coexist perfectly with the Chinese Peacock Butterfly.”
“Longyu University will be built!”
His declaration was like a jolt of adrenaline, instantly igniting the entire livestream!
Yet what followed was even greater panic and doubt.
Especially when a senior expert from the Environmental Protection Agency, upon learning of He Yu’s decision, immediately issued a stern warning through the media.
“Utter nonsense! Pure nonsense!”
The elder expert raged on camera, his breath huffing and eyes blazing.
“The Chinese Peacock Butterfly’s core habitat is the most fragile link in the entire ecosystem of South He Province! The vegetation, water sources, and even the microbial communities in the soil maintain an exquisitely precise dynamic balance.”
“Any intrusion by unqualified personnel — even stepping on the wrong plant — could trigger a chain reaction, inflicting catastrophic damage on this precious species!”
“This is playing with the fate of a national treasure! It’s ignorance! Worse, it’s arrogance!”
The expert’s warning crushed the faint hope budding among netizens once again.
Yes, this was ecology.
A top-tier discipline demanding decades of consistent fieldwork and data collection.
No matter how gifted He Yu was, becoming an ecologist overnight was impossible, right?
Yet He Yu’s next move made everyone realize he was not joking.
He was serious.
Under the watchful eyes of millions online, he brought no engineering team, nor any seemingly advanced instruments.
Dressed simply in outdoor sportswear, carrying a backpack with basic survey equipment, he walked alone toward the core ecological zone cordoned off by official yellow caution tape, where entry was strictly forbidden.
At that moment, the livestream footage seemed to slow to a crawl.
Against the backdrop of lush green valleys, He Yu’s figure appeared small yet resolute beyond measure.
He reached the caution line.
Without hesitation.
***
He raised his foot calmly and stepped over.
The livestream exploded.
Millions of hearts seemed gripped by an invisible hand, nearly stopping altogether.
After a brief silence of a tenth of a second, the barrage of comments flooded the screen at an unprecedented speed!
“No!!!”
“Director! Don’t be reckless! Come back now!!”
“He’s lost his mind! The line marks the core habitat of a nationally protected species! Crossing it is illegal!”
“I’m calling the police right now! Somebody stop him on site! This isn’t just courting death — it’s openly defying environmental law!”
“It’s over… completely over. Originally construction was just suspended. But now that the director has entered, if any disturbance to the butterfly is proven, he’s looking at serious legal consequences!”
“How dare he?! Does he even know what he’s doing?!”
Panic, shock, confusion, anger—
All these emotions surged into a tidal wave of information sweeping across the internet.
The phrase “He Yu solo breaches Chinese Peacock Butterfly core habitat” rocketed to the top of every major platform’s trending list within seconds.
Countless media calls nearly overwhelmed the Environmental Protection Agency and local authorities.
Yet, at the eye of the storm, He Yu remained indifferent to the outside world.
He had already entered the valley.
Once inside, the clamor of the outside vanished as if shielded by an invisible barrier.
He took a deep breath.
The air was rich with the scent of damp earth, mingled with the unique aromas of over a hundred different plants.
Through his “Master Ecologist” perception, this was no longer merely a valley.
It was a web of life.
He could clearly “hear” the varying frequencies of wind rustling through different leaves;
He could “see” the flight paths traced by the wingbeats of every insect under the sun; he could even “sense” how the tangled roots beneath his feet symbiotically exchanged matter and energy with the microbial communities.
He seemed to merge with the forest itself.
The drone camera faithfully recorded every moment.
All viewers held their breath, riveted to their screens.
They watched He Yu—the “madman playing with fire” in their eyes—face the powder keg he had ignited.
What they did not know was this:
From the moment He Yu stepped over that line, a miracle poised to overturn the entire field of biology had quietly begun to unfold.