36: Popularize science with Yaoyao and popularize science for girls

"Cuckoo... Cuckoo..." In the distance, a cacophony of loud bird calls suddenly erupted.

Numerous birds chirped in unison, their voices intertwining and overlapping, growing louder and louder, echoing through the air in layers, reverberating in all directions.

This sudden commotion instantly attracted the attention of many residents.

Filled with curiosity, everyone ran out of their homes, eager to investigate.

When people looked up at the sky and saw the massive flock of birds that blotted out the sun, many were stunned, their mouths agape, and couldn't help but let out gasps of surprise.

"Are those Cuckoos? That's strange, how did so many appear all at once? And acting collectively?"

Experienced individuals, upon hearing the bird calls, immediately identified them as Cuckoos.

However, such a large-scale gathering of Cuckoos seemed truly unbelievable.

At Jiaodaokou Police Station, the on-duty police also heard the noisy bird calls.

Out of curiosity, he subconsciously looked up at the sky and was instantly captivated by the enormous flock of birds before his eyes.

He saw dense masses of birds flying closer and closer, a truly spectacular sight. Startled, he quickly turned and rushed into the police station, shouting loudly for his colleagues to come out and see.

"Come out and see! There's a huge flock of birds in the sky, I've never seen so many!"

The on-duty police's voice echoed through the police station.

Chief Zhang, Officer Liu Xiuan, and a group of other police officers heard the shouts and emerged from their offices, standing in the open space outside the police station, looking up at the sky with puzzled expressions.

As the bird flock gradually approached, sharp-eyed police officers recognized the species of bird.

"These are Cuckoos, Large Cuckoo Birds! But Large Cuckoo Birds have always been solitary, rarely forming flocks, let alone entering the city collectively on such a large scale. What on earth is going on?"

The police officer's face was filled with surprise; the sight before him was completely different from the habits of Large Cuckoo Birds he knew, leaving him utterly confused.

"Hey, look, there seems to be something under the bird flock."

Suddenly, a police officer noticed what appeared to be an unknown object suspended beneath the bird flock.

This discovery immediately drew the attention of the other police officers, who began to whisper among themselves, guessing what it could be, and the atmosphere on site grew increasingly tense and mysterious.

The bird flock drew closer and closer.

Finally, hundreds of Large Cuckoo Birds flapped their wings and slowly descended onto the open space of the police station.

They gripped two large net bags tightly with their claws and landed steadily. The other Large Cuckoo Birds circled above the police station, continuously calling out "Cuckoo... Cuckoo..." as if carrying out some mysterious mission.

This series of unusual actions stunned everyone present.

Everyone stared intently at the scene before them, filled with curiosity and apprehension, wondering what would happen next.

Chief Zhang and Officer Liu Xiuan and the other police officers immediately became vigilant.

They knew that although Large Cuckoo Birds were not large and had limited lethality, if startled, they could peck at a person's vital points, causing considerable danger.

However, to everyone's surprise, after ensuring the net bags touched the ground, the hundreds of Large Cuckoo Birds released their claws, flapped their wings, and quickly flew back into the flock in the sky.

"Cuckoo... Cuckoo..." After rejoining the flock, hundreds of Large Cuckoo Birds called out in unison again, then circled the city two and a half times, as if completing some ritual, and finally flew away collectively into the distance, leaving only the empty sky and the two mysterious large net bags on the ground.

Chief Zhang and the others were filled with curiosity but also maintained a high degree of vigilance, observing the large net bags on the ground from a distance.

They discovered that the net bags contained some square-shaped objects, and since they were unsure what they were, everyone's expressions became even more cautious.

After all, there had been many incidents in the past where enemy agents used animals to carry explosives for bombing, and these painful lessons forced them to be on guard.

Everyone stood still, not daring to approach easily.

Only Officer Liu Xiuan's curiosity overcame his fear, and after a moment of hesitation, he wanted to go forward and examine them.

"I'll go take a look, maybe there's no danger."

Officer Liu Xiuan said, about to step forward.

Chief Zhang, quick-witted, immediately reached out and stopped him, saying sternly, "Are you crazy? If there's a bomb in there, you'll be blown to smithereens if you go over!"

Officer Liu Xiuan, reprimanded by Chief Zhang, was too scared to retort and could only stand obediently in place.

Seeing this, Chief Zhang immediately turned and hurried back to his office, picked up the phone, and quickly reported the situation to his superiors, requesting support and professional personnel to handle it.

By this time, many curious onlookers had gathered outside the police station.

They chattered and gossiped outside the police station, inquiring about news, with curiosity and surprise written on every face.

But because the police had set up a cordon, the atmosphere was tense, and no one dared to rashly enter the police station.

"Disperse the crowd, don't let them get close to the police station, it would be terrible if there was danger!"

Chief Zhang finished his call, came out of the office, and seeing the crowd gathered outside, immediately ordered loudly.

Several police officers heard the command and rushed over to persuade the crowd to disperse, and set up a cordon around the police station to prevent people from entering the dangerous area out of curiosity, which could lead to unnecessary safety incidents.

--- "Wen Ting, why do you think so many birds suddenly appeared today?"

Gu Shiyu was attracted by the bird calls and pulled Li Wenting out of the workshop, looking up at the birds flying in the sky, her eyes full of curiosity and confusion.

"I'm not too sure either." Li Wenting gently shook her head, but deep down, she subconsciously felt that this matter might be related to Long Feiyang.

But soon, she dismissed the thought.

Whether it was Long Feiyang or not, she firmly believed that Long Feiyang would not harm them; he was a man she could rely on.

"Shiyu, do you know Director Lou's daughter?" Li Wenting rolled her eyes and suddenly asked.

"No, I've only seen her a few times. Why? Why are you suddenly asking about her? Could it be that you want to get to know Lou Xiaoe?"

Gu Shiyu looked at Li Wenting in surprise, not understanding why she was suddenly interested in Lou Xiaoe.

"Just asking casually, wanted to understand the situation."

Li Wenting smiled, not wanting to reveal that she was helping Sha Zhu inquire about a wife for now, and began to subtly ask Gu Shiyu for information about Lou Xiaoe.

"Just tell me, what's her usual personality like? How does she treat people?" Li Wenting continued to press.

"I heard she has a bit of a pampered young lady's temper, but she seems quite kind and doesn't have any bad intentions," Gu Shiyu replied thoughtfully.

--- On the other side, Long Feiyang held Yaoyao, standing in the distance, quietly observing the magnificent flock of birds in the sky.

"Papa, what kind of birds are those?" Yaoyao blinked her big eyes and asked curiously.

"Those are Large Cuckoo Birds, a type of bird that does seemingly cruel things to survive."

Long Feiyang looked down at Yaoyao, preparing to tell her about the habits of Large Cuckoo Birds.

"Sir, how can you say that about Cuckoos? Cuckoos are beneficial birds! They only eat pests, not grain."

A clear and pleasant voice came from behind, with a hint of accusation in its words.

Long Feiyang turned his head at the sound, only to see a beautiful, stylish, and fashionable young lady standing there.

The girl looked eighteen or nineteen, and from her dress and demeanor, it was clear she was a city girl, which happened to fit Sha Zhu's criteria for a spouse.

Long Feiyang looked closely and noticed a golden character for "goodness" on the girl's head, secretly thinking to himself that this girl's character should be good. Now it seemed she met all three of the spouse selection criteria Sha Zhu had proposed.

"Sister, my Papa wouldn't lie to me."

Yaoyao, seeing someone question Long Feiyang, immediately stood up like a little guard to protect her father, saying in a fierce, childlike voice.

"Hehe, this little girl is too cute."

The young lady looked at Yaoyao's angry expression, her heart almost melting, and she couldn't help but laugh, even getting the urge to tease her.

"Little girl, do you know the habits of Large Cuckoo Birds?"

Long Feiyang looked at the young lady, an idea forming in his mind.

He planned to test the young lady and, at the same time, learn more about her, then have Red Queen analyze her carefully.

The young lady shook her head slightly and said, "I don't know. I only read in books that Cuckoos symbolize the vitality and hope of spring, like to eat pests, and are beneficial birds."

"Haha, for farmers, Cuckoos are indeed beneficial birds."

Long Feiyang smiled, then continued, "But did you know? Large Cuckoo Birds don't build their own nests, nor do they personally incubate their eggs. During the breeding season, the female Giant Cuckoo will find a suitable host bird's nest, and while the host bird is out foraging, she quickly flies into their nest, lays an egg in a short time, and then carries away one of the host bird's eggs. This is to prevent the host bird from noticing the change in the number of eggs."

"How is that possible? Wouldn't the host bird notice that the eggs are different?"

The young lady listened, her face full of doubt, and even brought up her own knowledge to refute Long Feiyang. In her understanding, eggs from different types of birds must be different.

"The eggs laid by Large Cuckoo Birds mimic the size, color, and markings of the host bird's eggs, making them very similar to the host bird's eggs. This reduces the risk of being discovered and abandoned by the host bird.

For example, when it parasitizes a reed warbler's nest, the Cuckoo egg's color and markings are very similar to the reed warbler's eggs.

If the host bird doesn't notice anything unusual, it will incubate the Giant Cuckoo's egg just as it would its own eggs.

Moreover, Cuckoo chicks usually hatch earlier than the host bird's chicks.

As soon as a Cuckoo chick hatches, it has an instinct to use its back to push the host bird's eggs or chicks out of the nest. This way, the host bird can only raise it, and it can monopolize food and other resources, growing and developing better."

Long Feiyang patiently explained, "It is understood that 24 bird species in China are parasitized by Large Cuckoo Birds' nests. Birds like the reed warbler, great reed warbler, and small birds such as the bush warbler and azure-winged magpie have all experienced nest parasitism by Large Cuckoo Birds."

"Wow, that bird is so bad!" Yaoyao heard this, her little face scrunched up, and she began to dislike Large Cuckoo Birds.

"That's impossible, you must be making it up. I still believe what's written in books; how could Cuckoos do such cruel things?"

The young lady still refused to believe Long Feiyang's words; she firmly believed that what she had learned from books was correct.