Chapter 265: Check-In Mission Activated (First Update)

Following behind the African elephant, Qin Yun felt considerably more at ease.

"Haha, with these elephants as bodyguards, I dare any fool to come near me."

Watching Qin Yun's smug appearance on camera, netizens fell silent in unison.

"Call Didi to kill this bastard."

"Hahaha, Qin Ye is such a prankster; watch out those African elephants turn around and trample you."

"Is Qin Ye really going to Ndutu Lake? There must be tons of wild animals there—what if lions or leopards target him?"

Seeing these comments, Qin Yun smiled and replied: "African elephants are gentle. If I don't provoke them, they won't chase me. As for going to Ndutu Lake, you don't need to worry. Ndutu Lake covers a vast area; although wild animals are everywhere, they're not visible at a glance—especially around the waters where African elephants roam, most animals avoid them entirely."

As he spoke, a massive lake appeared in the distance; the auxiliary drone quickly ascended, preparing to fly over.

But just then, an unexpected visitor suddenly locked onto it.

"Shriek—!"

The sharp cry made Qin Yun look up—he saw a giant raptor spreading its wings, heading straight for the drone.

Qin Yun immediately commanded the drone to descend, barely avoiding being attacked by the raptor.

"Damn, it's a martial eagle!" Qin Yun exclaimed, swiftly recalling the drone and refusing to let it rise again, fearing it would be mistaken for prey and destroyed.

"Holy shit, what's that wingspan? What bird is this?"

"Terrifying—its body must be several meters long."

"666, the drone can't fly too far away—otherwise, if a raptor targets it, it'll be a shame to lose."

Qin Yun looked up at the circling raptor and explained: "This is an African sky dominator—the martial eagle. The name sounds a bit crude, but it's Africa's largest eagle, with a wingspan reaching two to three meters. Its dive speed can hit 230 km/h; it's a top predator of the savanna, feeding on gazelle calves, monkeys, jackals, and even leopard cubs—just how fierce it is speaks for itself."

The martial eagle's sharp gaze swept over Qin Yun once, then quickly departed—it clearly didn't know how to attack such a large target.

Qin Yun continued forward; the African elephants ahead had already moved far away.

Ndutu Lake was now right before him.

Soon, Qin Yun officially entered the lake's range. Since it was August—the dry season—the lake's water had visibly receded, exposing vast stretches of shallow lakebed, dazzlingly white under the sun.

"Look—this area where the African elephants are, you can hardly see any large carnivores, but you can still spot remnants of zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, and antelopes."

"Qin Ye, what's this white stuff? Why is it this color?"

"I see flamingos—there are white pelicans too."

"It really is a paradise for wild animals—look at all these different species everywhere; more than any zoo."

"Harmonious nature."

Qin Yun said: "This white expanse is a salt flat—made of natural alkaline salt."

"Oh? So Qin Ye has seasoning now?"

"666, pack a bagful—Qin Ye's set for the rest of the trip."

Seeing these comments, Qin Yun chuckled bitterly: "Don't even think about it. This is salt, but it's not edible. Ndutu Lake is an alkaline soda lake—this is a crust of highly alkaline salt, primarily sodium carbonate. Anyone who studied chemistry knows this is pure alkali, plus sodium bicarbonate, large amounts of alkaline substances, heavy metals, and other toxins. One bite would cause dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea, and internal mucosal erosion."

"Ah… it's not edible?"

"So all that effort was for nothing."

"Can't you purify it?"

Qin Yun shook his head: "Purification is possible, but with the tools I have now, I can't achieve complete purification—so it's useless to me. Even the water here, I can't use."

As he spoke, he smiled faintly.

"But I know how to find usable water nearby."

Saying this, he walked to a spot free of animals, stepped into the saline-alkaline ground, and instantly, the starting point—Ndutu Lake—lit up on his system panel.

Thus, the check-in mission was officially activated.

He avoided disturbing the wild animals, keeping a safe distance. Then he began searching along the lake's edge for suitable locations.

"Ndutu Lake is an alkaline saline lake, but the sandy soil layer along its shore has a natural filtration system. When lake water seeps underground, it's naturally filtered through sand and volcanic ash layers, drastically reducing salinity and alkalinity, becoming underground freshwater seepage."

"This water is drinkable directly—but you need to pick the right spot. This white salt flat? No. Black mud? No. The best spot is right there." Qin Yun pointed to an acacia tree not far from the lake: "That spot is slightly higher than the lake surface—if water seeps through there, it's ideal."

He walked over and pulled out his dagger, beginning to dig.

As he dug, he spoke.

"These acacia trees look like open umbrellas. In the rainy season, they're lush green, covered in golden spherical flowers—very beautiful. Not like now: few blossoms, sparse leaves."

"Damn, Qin Ye recognizes every tree."

"Qin Ye the Encyclopedia isn't called that for nothing."

"Qin Ye's sweating buckets—what if he ends up with not a drop of water? Not worth it. He should just keep moving."

"I'm curious why animals can drink this water but humans can't."

"+1"

Qin Yun glanced over and said coolly: "We're weaklings. How can we compare?"

"Humans are the only animals that can kill themselves just by eating. Fragile…" He didn't finish—he suddenly turned his head to the side, where a giant beast was charging toward him with an unyielding stride.

He immediately stopped digging. The drone slowly rose, and viewers in the livestream finally saw what the giant beast was.

"OMG, black rhinoceros."

"Damn, so huge—it must be four meters long."

"Those two horns on its head—thick and hard, terrifying. Qin Ye, aren't you running?"

"Did Qin Ye trespass on this black rhino's territory? I read online that black rhinos like to sleep under acacia trees during the day."

Qin Yun swallowed hard, helplessly sheathed his dagger, and prepared to retreat.

"Some netizens are right and wrong—it's not that this black rhino is targeting me, but that it wants this acacia tree. I need to leave quickly before it notices me. Black rhinos have terrible tempers—if it decides to hassle me, it'll be trouble."

Saying this, he immediately stepped back, slowly distancing himself from the acacia tree.

And sure enough, the black rhino appeared beneath the tree, rolled its body to one side, and collapsed onto the ground—just as Qin Yun had said, it had come here to escape the heat.

Far away, Qin Yun shrugged his shoulders.

"This is an adult black rhinoceros, weighing about 1.5 tons—even by black rhino standards, it's a giant. But black rhinos have terrible eyesight, equivalent to 2000-degree myopia; they can't distinguish stationary objects beyond ten meters and often bump into trees or rocks. They mostly navigate by smell."

"Look at where I am now—I'm only about ten meters away from him, but he can barely see me. Still, he can smell me."

Qin Yun turned and walked away, continuing to search for a suitable seep point.

"According to records, at the beginning of the 20th century, there were 850,000 black rhinos. Now, globally, there are only 6,000 left—perhaps only a dozen or so remain around Lake Ndutu. If you knew the truth behind their near-extinction, you'd die laughing."

"Qin Ye, tell us quickly."

"Spill it now!"

Qin Yun smiled and said, "You all know that poachers target rhinos and elephants for their horns and tusks. The reason black rhino horns command high prices is the rumor that they have 'aphrodisiac and anticancer' properties—but scientific studies show rhino horn is made of keratin."

He grinned mysteriously, raised his thumb, and pointed at his fingernail: "Keratin? It's everywhere on the human body—your fingernails, your hair. It has zero medicinal value. If rhino horn really had aphrodisiac effects, then James would've turned into a giant by now from chewing his nails all day."

"Pfft…"

"Damn, that's hilarious—now you're roasting Old James."

"Still, Qin Ye's right—it's actually true."

"666, learned something new."

…

Three chapters today!