Scene 11 – Night Scene

Characters: Gao Yingxiong, Zhou Tianyou, Wu Lili, several students, several mountain patrol members
Time: That night
Setting: Hunting trail, hunting lodge at the 2250-meter highland of Mount Lulin

△ Gao Yingxiong and Zhou Tianyou arrive near the hunting lodge at the 2250-meter highland.

Yingxiong: (shouting loudly) “Miss Lili! Miss Lili!”

△ Wu Lili and the students respond from inside the hunting lodge. Gao Yingxiong and Zhou Tianyou stop by the roadside and listen carefully.

Lili: “Hey──we’re over here!”

Yingxiong: (excitedly) “They’re at the hunting lodge. Quick, follow me!”

△ The team members follow Gao Yingxiong and circle around to the hunting lodge.

Students: (breaking into relieved smiles and cheering) “We’re saved! Someone has come to rescue us!”

Lili: “One of my students injured his foot, and another has a fever. Tianyou, can you help carry them down the mountain?”

△ Tianyou looks at the child with the injured foot and frowns.

Tianyou: “Miss, on the way here just now, I twisted my ankle. I’m afraid…”

Yingxiong: “I’ll do it.” (picks up the student on his back)

Lili: “Thank you.”

△ Lili begins to develop a favorable impression of Gao Yingxiong’s warm-heartedness.

Yingxiong: “Let’s go. We’ll take a detour out of here.”

Scene 12 – Day Scene

Characters: Wu Tianliang, Mai Youlong, Wu Lili, Gao Yingxiong, Zhou Tianyou, several students, several rescue team members
Time: Morning
Setting: Mount Lulin Work Station

△ The group successfully returns to the Mount Lulin Work Station. Accompanied by Precinct Chief Mai, Wu Tianliang rushes to the station to visit his daughter, who has returned safely after surviving the ordeal.

Tianliang: (upon seeing his daughter, steps forward and hugs her) “Lili, you made your father worry for two whole days. Your mother scolded me nonstop.”

Lili: “Daddy, Lili made you worry.”

Tianliang: “It’s good that you came back safely, good that you came back safely!”

Youlong: “Captain Gao and all the team members, thank you for your hard work.”

Yingxiong: “A huge section of the mountain road connecting to the outside had collapsed. We had to pass through the forest to reach the hunting lodge.”

Tianliang: “To thank everyone for rescuing Lili and her students from danger, I will donate one hundred thousand dollars to the mountain patrol team as a bonus fund.”

Yingxiong: “Councilman, you are too generous.”

Tianliang: “It’s only a small token of appreciation. It’s the least I should do, the least I should do.”

Scene 13 – Day Scene

Characters: Wu Lili, Gao Yingxiong, Zhou Tianyou, several students, several mountain patrol members
Time: Daytime (morning)
Setting: Mount Lulin Work Station

△ After several days of observation and rest, Wu Lili and the students become interested in continuing their research again. The students all suggest finding a guide, and Wu Lili goes to discuss it with Gao Yingxiong.

Lili: (politely) “Mr… Mr. Gao, are you very familiar with Mount Lulin?”

Yingxiong: (boldly and straightforwardly) “Of course. I’m a mountain patrol officer here. Naturally, I know this place very well.”

△ Lili and the students exchange smiles.

Lili: “I wonder if Mr. Gao would be willing to be our guide?”

Yingxiong: “Uh, if my supervisor approves, then accompanying a teacher and university students on research work would certainly be my pleasure.”

Lili: “Thank you.”

Yingxiong: “No need to be so polite! We Tsou people are all very warm-hearted and enthusiastic!”

Lili: (smiling) “Tianyou, when you go back, you can tell my father not to worry anymore. I’ve found a good guide.”

Tianyou: “Alright. I’ll head back this afternoon. The councilman’s business is very busy and needs manpower.”

Lili: “Mm.”

Scene 14 – Night Scene

Characters: Wu Tianliang, Zhou Tianyou
Time: Night
Setting: Living room of Wu Tianliang’s luxurious mansion

Tianliang: (sitting on the sofa and cursing angrily) “Those hat-wearers (the police) have become more and more outrageous lately. Every few days they raid my territory to inspect tobacco and alcohol. If I don’t think of a solution soon, my company will go bankrupt. Tianyou, do you have any good ideas?”

Tianyou: “Councilman! When I went to Mount Lulin, I discovered many precious trees there. As long as we cut down a few Taiwan yews and red cypresses and transport them out for sale, Councilman, the company’s financial problems can be solved.”

Tianliang: (thinking for a moment) “That actually sounds like a feasible method.”

Tianyou: “Right now customs officers and the hat-wearers are specifically targeting the sea smugglers. Instead of drawing attention, we might as well temporarily avoid the spotlight and switch professions to become mountain rats.”

△ Wu Tianliang happily stands up and walks in front of Tianyou, lightly patting Tianyou’s left shoulder with his right hand.

Tianliang: “Mm! Tianyou! Now that’s what I call talking like a real man! Hahaha! Good, we’ll do it your way. I’ll leave this matter entirely in your hands.”

Scene 15 – Day Scene

Characters: Yabu, Gao Minghui, more than a dozen tribespeople
Time: Daytime (afternoon)
Setting: “Kuba” of Tefuye Tribe

△ Sounds of whipping and wailing echo repeatedly from the “Kuba” of the Tefuye Tribe.

Minghui: (sitting on a bamboo-woven bench, angrily pointing at Yabu) “Yabu, speak! Why did you steal the gold ornaments and statues from the shrine and sell them? Do you realize this is disrespectful to the ancestral spirits?”

Yabu: (kneeling before Minghui with both knees on the ground) “Chief, please spare me. I’ll never dare to do it again. I went gambling with Han Chinese people and lost too much money. They kept pressuring me to repay the debts, so I had no choice but to steal the gold ornaments and statues. Chief—no, Father Gao, please spare me!”

Minghui: (shaking his head) “You are a warrior of the Tefuye Tribe! I watched you grow up since childhood, yet you actually did something like this. How can I face the ancestral spirits?”

Tribesman A: “Yabu is no longer a warrior. He is unworthy! I request that the chief expel Yabu from the Tefuye Tribe.”

△ The tribespeople raise their hands and shout in unison to drive Yabu out of the Tefuye Tribe.

Tribespeople: “Drive Yabu out! Drive him out!”

Minghui: (raising his right hand to calm the tribespeople first) “Yabu, you are no longer a warrior of the Tefuye Tribe. Leave. Go far away, and never come back again.”

Scene 16 – Day Scene

Characters: Jian Dafa, Yabu
Time: Daytime (afternoon)
Setting: Forestry road in the NTU Experimental Forest compartment area

△ Jian Dafa drives a small truck up the mountain, pretending to sell groceries while scouting the area, but becomes lost in the mountains.

Dafa: (getting out of the truck to inspect the road conditions) “Damn it! What kind of hellish place is this?”

△ Dafa urgently needs to relieve himself and walks into the woods.

Dafa: (spotting a figure) “Hey! Is someone in there?”

Yabu: (walking out) “Friend, do you have any cigarettes on you?”

Dafa: (taking cigarettes out from his pocket) “Are you hunting around here?”

Yabu: (looking tense and glancing around nervously) “Friend, do you have anything to eat in your truck? I’m so hungry.”

Dafa: (taking out dry rations, canned fish, and alcohol from the truck) “Brother, let me treat you to some meat and drinks.”

△ Yabu drinks alcohol while eating canned food.

Dafa: (sitting beside Yabu) “Brother, how many days has it been since you last ate? You look starved. By the way, how did you end up here?”

Yabu: (holding up three fingers to indicate three days, wolfing down the food) “I came from the Tefuye Tribe. Because I loved drinking and gambling, the tribespeople found out, and they drove me out.”

Dafa: (voice-over/inner thought) “Here comes my opportunity.”

Dafa: (taking out another bottle of alcohol for Yabu) “Brother, just because of that, your tribespeople kicked you out? I really feel indignant for you. Come on, brother, drink more. We won’t go home until we’re drunk.”

Yabu: “Since you stand up for me, Yabu will definitely treat you as a good friend.”

Dafa: (patting Yabu on the shoulder) “Good friend, you must know this place very well, huh?”

Yabu: “Of course! I’m a hunting expert from the Tefuye Tribe. I know Mount Lulin extremely well.”

Dafa: “Good friend, I suppose you have nowhere to stay and no money on you. I’ll take you down the mountain to meet my boss and get you a job. How about it?”

Yabu: (happily) “Really? A place to stay and money to earn! That sounds great.”

Scene 17 – Day Scene

Characters: Zhou Tianyou, Jian Dafa, Yabu
Time: Daytime (morning)
Setting: Zhou Tianyou’s office

△ Zhou Tianyou sits inside the office. A knocking sound comes from the door.

Tianyou: (smoking) “Come in.”

△ Jian Dafa and Yabu walk in. Jian Dafa walks over to Zhou Tianyou and whispers a few words into his ear.

Tianyou: “Yabu, sit, sit, sit. Treat this place like your own home. Have a cigarette.”

Yabu: (smoking) “Boss! Thank you for the cigarette.”

Tianyou: “Just call me Second Brother. Above me there’s still a Big Brother. He’s the real boss of the company. I heard from Dafa that you’re a warrior from the Tefuye Tribe and very familiar with Mount Lulin?”

Yabu: (scratching his head) “That’s right. Yabu grew up in the mountains since childhood. Second Brother, I wonder what little brother here can help the company with?”

Tianyou: “Our company has invested a huge amount of capital in the domestic and international imported timber trade. We need talented people like you, Yabu, to join our company.”

Yabu: (grinning foolishly) “But I don’t know how to do anything. I only know how to hunt.”

Tianyou: “You’re very familiar with the Mount Lulin area. As long as you lead us up there and help cut down a few trees to bring back, that will do. Once the company makes big money, the boss won’t treat you unfairly.”

Yabu: “Sounds pretty good. Alright! Yabu agrees to join you.”

Tianyou: “How about this? The company’s business department is lacking an assistant manager. We’ll let you be the assistant manager.”

△ Tianyou signals Dafa with his eyes. Dafa deliberately walks over beside Yabu.

Dafa: “Yabu, from now on I’ll have to call you Assistant Manager.”

Yabu: “Assistant Manager! From now on I’m the assistant manager!” (cheering)

Scene 18 – Dawn Scene

Characters: Zhou Tianyou, Jian Dafa, Yabu, several logging workers
Time: Early morning
Setting: Near Forest Compartment No. 22 of Mount Lulin

△ Yabu leads a group of logging workers driving medium-sized cargo trucks to a certain forest area. Zhou Tianyou and Jian Dafa follow behind them.

Yabu: (ordering the driver) “Stop the vehicle. This is the place.”

Tianyou: (getting out of the vehicle) “Yabu, why are we stopping? I don’t see the trees I want here.”

Yabu: “Brother You, who says there aren’t any? Inside the forest there are two hundred-year-old mock orange trees. Judging by the market price, they’re worth at least two or three million.”

Dafa: (skeptically) “Yabu, are you serious or joking? In a godforsaken place like this?”

Tianyou: “Yabu wouldn’t lie to us. Dafa, you shouldn’t say things like that.”

Dafa: “Yabu, I wrongly blamed you.”

△ Under Yabu’s guidance, everyone finds the location of the mock orange trees.

△ The scene fades in again. Tianyou orders the logging workers to dig up the mock orange trees, tie them securely, and place them in the back of the truck, then cover them with dozens of sacks of mushrooms.

Tianyou: “Yabu, you performed well this time. Let’s continue searching to see whether there are trees with even greater value.”

Yabu: “Second Brother, if we want to cut down large trees like red cypress, Taiwan yew, or stout camphor trees, now is not a good time. We should wait until next year’s fog season before taking action, so we don’t alert the enemy.”

Tianyou: “Why do we have to wait for fog season?”

Yabu: “Because during fog season we won’t attract attention.”

Tianyou: “Mm! Today we’ve gained something after all. This trip was not in vain.”

Yabu: “I’ll lead you out through a detour to avoid the mountain patrol officers and the checkpoints.”

Tianyou: “Thank you for your trouble, Assistant Manager Yabu.”

Scene 19 – Day Scene

Characters: Gao Yingxiong, Mala
Time: Daytime (morning)
Setting: Forest Compartment No. 22

△ Mountain patrol officer Gao Yingxiong and his team member Mala discover signs of illegal logging by timber thieves while patrolling Forest Compartment No. 22.

Mala: “Captain, the timber thieves have been here.”

Yingxiong: “These timber thieves are worse than a virus. They really infiltrate everywhere!”

Mala: “I just checked the area. Two hundred-year-old mock orange trees were dug out and taken away.”

Yingxiong: “It seems the timber thieves know our patrol schedule very well. That’s how they managed to dig out and remove the trees without anyone noticing. The police checkpoints also haven’t reported any suspicious vehicles entering or leaving these past two days. These timber thieves really have remarkable abilities.”

Mala: “Could it have been done by an insider?”

Yingxiong: “It’s possible! Let’s first investigate within our mountain patrol team.”

Mala: “It could even be someone from the police precinct.”

Yingxiong: “Maybe. But we have no authority over them. Let’s begin by investigating our own people first.”

Scene 20 – Day Scene

Characters: Gao Yingxiong, Forestry Bureau Director Molov
Time: The same afternoon
Setting: Director’s office, Chiayi Forest District Office, Forestry Bureau

△ Gao Yingxiong hurriedly enters the director’s office.

Yingxiong: (urgently, panting) “Reporting to Director, recently someone has been illegally logging the forest. Two hundred-year-old mock orange trees in Forest Compartment No. 22 were stolen by timber thieves.”

Director: (surprised) “What happened? It’s been a long time since anyone came to steal timber. Could it be that the timber thieves have crawled out of their holes again?”

Yingxiong: (panting, nodding) “Yes. Mala and I discovered it while patrolling the mountains. The trees should have been dug out within the past two days.”

Director: “Have you found any clues about the timber thieves yet?”

Yingxiong: (panting) “Not yet. But I suspect that after getting a taste of success, the timber thieves will come again to continue illegal logging.”

Director: “Your mountain patrol officers should strengthen patrols. This time the timber thieves succeeded so easily. If word gets out, I’m afraid timber thieves from all over will become restless with anticipation. Illegal logging will only become even more serious in the future! It seems you, as captain, must work even harder!”

Yingxiong: “Reporting to Director, with our current manpower allocation, the team members are already working overtime. It’s very difficult to increase the number of patrol shifts.”

Director: (thinking for a moment) “I see. Then think about whether there are any good strategies to solve this problem.”

Yingxiong: “Unless we increase personnel allocation, I can’t think of a better solution.”

Director: “Increasing personnel allocation involves budget planning and would require approval from the Legislative Yuan. I’m afraid that won’t solve the urgent problem in time. Why not consider using manpower from your local communities or tribes?”

Yingxiong: “Director, your meaning is…?”

Director: “If you organize civilian volunteer mountain patrol teams, wouldn’t that make up for the shortage in manpower allocation?”

Yingxiong: “Director, even if they’re volunteers, we would still need to purchase necessary equipment like radio communication devices, and there would also be basic expenses such as meal allowances.”

Director: “That is indeed a problem. I’ll report it to the higher-ups in the bureau and see what can be done.”