Chapter 262: Serengeti (Please Support)

Africa has many vast grasslands, forming the largest grassland belt in the world.

You have to understand, Africa's land area is 30.37 million square kilometers, and grasslands alone account for 10 million square kilometers—a full third of it.

According to major geographical divisions, Africa can be divided into five major grassland regions.

They are the East African grassland region, the West African Sahel-Sudan grassland belt, the South African grassland region, the Central African grassland region, and the grasslands of western Madagascar. Among these, the most famous—even children and elderly people might know it—is the East African savanna.

Within it, the Serengeti, Maasai Mara, and Ngorongoro are the most renowned, especially the Serengeti, which has the richest wildlife populations and is also the core area of the Great Migration.

It lies in northern Tanzania, extending all the way to Kenya, connecting with the Maasai Mara reserve, together forming the most complete grassland ecosystem on Earth.

"Over 70 species of large mammals and more than 500 species of birds inhabit here—it is one of the most densely biodiverse regions on the planet."

The off-road vehicle drove at a leisurely pace across the grassland. The speaker was Elias Karu, a wildlife ecologist belonging to the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI), researching the migration ecology and population dynamics of large herbivores, especially the relationship between wildebeest and zebra migration and grassland vegetation and climate.

The man looked dark as coal, but his academic credentials were impressive—he held a PhD in Animal Ecology from the University of Cambridge in the UK. At the same time, he was also a devoted fan of Qin Yun. This directly shattered Qin Yun's prejudice against the locals here in Africa.

"Is the poaching here really as bad as they say online?" Qin Yun gazed at the boundless grassland, his mood lifting.

Elias nodded: "There is some, but not as much as people think. Controls are strict now. Poaching basically only happens in fringe or cross-border areas. In the core Serengeti region it's relatively rare—basically nonexistent."

He explained: "Because nowadays what poachers go after is basically ivory and rhino horn. Other wildlife doesn't have much value. And the ivory hotspots are in East Africa, while the rhino hotspots are in South Africa—these places are all tightly controlled zones."

"Unlike decades ago, when it was outright brazen slaughter—carcasses of animals littered all over East Africa."

As he spoke, he looked toward Qin Yun, his expression slightly hesitant.

Qin Yun smiled: "Elias, if you have something to say, just say it."

Elias laughed awkwardly: "Qin, if it's within controllable limits, could you refrain from killing those large wild animals?"

He had watched most of Qin Yun's livestreams and knew his combat ability—Qin Yun could even take down a brown bear, so some leopards or hyenas would probably just be delivering themselves as meals.

Hearing this, Qin Yun could not help but give a wry smile.

"Elias, this is East Africa—it's the animals' world. Apart from a handful of beasts, most of them live in groups; even lions are basically group-living. What would I use to hunt them down? Besides, the Serengeti is a World Heritage site. Unless my life is under a lethal threat, I'll always hold back. You can rest easy."

Elias scratched his head sheepishly. This young Tanzanian local said: "Thank you, Qin. I don't have much money, but when you livestream I'll be sure to like it and send you little hearts."

Qin Yun burst out laughing despite himself.

At this moment, it was August 4th, three in the afternoon. The sunlight was just right, and the grassland was a scene of perfect tranquility.

Qin Yun was on his way to Lake Ndutu.

Ever since he posted the livestream announcement, a fan far away in Africa—a person named Elias—had messaged him through the backend, offering to provide logistical support here. As soon as Qin Yun arrived in Tanzania, he reached out to the man with a try-it-and-see attitude.

The man then drove him first to the research institute. After staying a day, he proactively offered to take him to Lake Ndutu.

Qin Yun was naturally more than happy to accept.

The wind on the grassland had a different flavor from ordinary wind—it carried the scorched smell of withered grass, mingled with a faint animal musk, and felt hot and dry against the skin.

Looking out, the grassland at this season was a sea of golden withered grass. Occasionally the wind would whip it up, sending dust swirling into the air. The view was extremely open—animals could be spotted several kilometers away.

Along the way, they had set out from Arusha that morning, first reaching the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, then after a brief resupply, they sped off toward Lake Ndutu.

It was called speeding, but in truth the vehicle couldn't go fast at all.

These were all rough dirt tracks in the wilderness, extremely bumpy. No streetlights, no road signs, no signal. Without Elias, finding Lake Ndutu would have required hiring a helicopter.

Along the way, there were zebras, wildebeest, gazelles, and giraffes everywhere—and he even spotted a few leopards, cheetahs, and lion prides.

These animals paid no attention as they passed; at most, if the vehicle got too close, they'd rise and move farther away. According to Elias, the animals around here were basically used to humans and cars, so over time they'd grown accustomed.

But Qin Yun was more inclined to believe it was the AKs in the hands of the few armed personnel beside him—loaded and ready—that deterred these animals.

Animals' sixth sense is terrifyingly strong; any that don't retreat from "truth" are simply brainless.

"The entire lake area is around 104 square kilometers, but since it's August and the dry season, the water has receded. Qin, if you came in January or February, two million migrating animals would gather here—over 8,000 births a day, with a full 500,000 wildebeest calves born over three months. It's truly spectacular."

Qin Yun naturally knew all this.

As time passed, a cluster of buildings resembling a military quarantine zone appeared in view, but the signage and English lettering still read TAWIRI—this was Tanzania's official scientific research institution. Elias was a TAWIRI staff member, and his rank was quite high.

At the entrance to the compound, armed personnel stood guard, weapons loaded. Seeing the vehicle approach, they immediately stepped forward to check.

After Elias verified his identity, they chatted and laughed for a few words, casting curious glances at Qin Yun, this yellow-skinned Asian man.

Even through the camouflage clothing, they could still tell this Asian man was somewhat powerfully built, instinctively sensing an extremely high threat level.

Entering the compound, Elias arranged a room for him, and the two then went to the cafeteria to eat.

"Qin, tomorrow I'll have the vehicle take you within ten kilometers of Lake Ndutu. Any closer and I can't accompany you—you'll have to go on your own. Even though the wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles have mostly headed north by now, there are still large numbers of resident wildlife staying at Ndutu."

"Alright."

Qin Yun nodded: "This time I really owe you for the help. Otherwise I could only have rented a helicopter to get here."

"It's nothing, Qin. I'm your fan—I'll be following your livestream for the next twenty days straight."

"Hahaha, then thanks a lot."

The two chatted and laughed. From time to time staff members passed by and greeted Elias. It was clear Elias held a fairly high position at the institute—though only in his early thirties, he was exceptionally learned and had abundant achievements.

He was just a bit dark, giving one the feeling that evolution hadn't quite finished with him.

In Qin Yun's prejudice, Black people possessed unparalleled natural talent in sports and music, but the vast majority of grassroots Black people, as exposed online, behaved in ways that made one's eye twitch—as if they belonged to a completely different civilizational era.

But Elias gave him a different impression. Apart from the dark skin, his speech and thoughts alike gave off the air of a learned, cultivated person.

One could only say that education is the ultimate magic that decides what kind of person someone becomes.

Back in his dormitory, Qin Yun uploaded some photos taken along the way to Weibo.

【I've arrived in Tanzania. These are some photos I took along the way—for your viewing pleasure. See you tomorrow morning at eight, no excuses.】

The comment section immediately lit up with replies.

"Isn't this the season when gazelles head north? Why are there still some here?"

"Must be stragglers. Not every single wildebeest and gazelle has to migrate north."

"Wow, that lion is so close—how is it looking at Qin-ye with such contempt?"

"The lion says: these two-legged beasts, if it weren't for the 'truth' in their hands, I'd gobble them up one by one."

"Is that a leopard or a cat? Why is it so small?"

African golden cat.

Looking forward to Qin Ye's livestream tomorrow.

I'm already impatient.

A paradise for wildlife, they say poaching is rampant there, and armed factions control the region—Qin Ye, be careful.

That's all old news; the political situation in Tanzania where Qin Ye is is extremely stable.

After replying to a few comments, Qin Yun checked the time, told Su Huan, and lay down to sleep.

Fortunately, there is network coverage near this building, but once he truly enters the grassland, it will vanish. Here, only Starlink service is supported; China's BeiDou and Tian Tong are not covered here, so once Qin Yun truly enters the grassland, only the drone using Starlink can communicate—everything else will fail.

…………

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