Chapter 267: Tree of Life (Third Update)

Qin Yun cracked open four bird eggs: two from white pelicans, two from flamingos.

"The flamingo eggs taste better than the white pelican ones."

After eating, Qin Yun's hunger eased slightly; he prepared to continue his journey. The local time was eleven o'clock, and he planned to walk two more hours, then rest around one o'clock until the hottest part of the day passed.

"It's fucking hot." He extinguished the fire and looked up at the scorching sun. "While my strength still holds, I'll walk another two hours—then I'll need to figure out water."

He shook his canteen; the liquid sloshed inside, clearly running low.

Under this blazing sun, even though he wasn't directly exposed and his body was fully covered, sweating was unavoidable—water and salt loss would weaken him, so replenishing fluids was essential. Consuming one liter of water since starting was perfectly normal.

After checking direction, Qin Yun scanned his surroundings—the sky held no birds. He immediately raised the auxiliary drone to a hundred meters and swept the horizon ahead.

Within view, the terrain showed no major change—the endless grassland remained endless. But through the drone, he witnessed a life-or-death chase across the savanna.

"That's a cheetah, right?"

"The one chasing is a Thomson's gazelle—holy shit, that speed."

"Speed's one thing, but have you noticed how insane the turns are? How's the cheetah even tracking it?"

"Yeah, the gazelle turns so suddenly, yet the cheetah instantly detects it and changes direction too."

"Damn, it feels like they're heading straight toward Brother Qin."

Qin Yun noticed too—he watched the scene on his main screen, only four to five hundred meters away. An adult cheetah was chasing a Thomson's gazelle.

"That's a Thomson's gazelle—the cheetah's primary prey. As for fans asking why the cheetah can turn instantly and keep up, it's because cheetahs have the savanna's strongest dynamic vision and inner-ear balance system—basically, they're built with a gyroscope."

"Also, their spine is spring-like—it can fold and whip instantly, allowing sharp turns without heavy braking. And look: cheetah claws can't fully retract; each step grips the ground like cleats."

Just then, the gazelle in the footage seemed about to be caught—suddenly veered left, body hugging the ground, pulling half a meter clear. But the cheetah reacted faster: its supple spine snapped like a bow, torso twisting sideways instantly, no braking lag, as if perfectly synced with the gazelle's motion.

The gazelle refused to die so easily, exhausting itself with rapid left-right directional shifts, switching constantly in a Z-pattern, speeding straight toward Qin Yun's position.

Two hundred meters vanished in an instant—each time the cheetah lunged to bite, the gazelle burst with hidden strength, narrowly evading death by a hair's breadth.

Qin Yun squinted slightly, showing no fear.

"If this cheetah doesn't catch the gazelle within a minute, the hunt fails. Though cheetahs are the savanna's fastest predators, their endurance is terrible. Their sprints put enormous strain on the body. Look—hasn't the cheetah's chest heaved more violently now?"

The drone zoomed in; viewers clearly saw the cheetah's chest rising and falling rapidly, yet its gaze remained sharp, showing no sign of surrender.

As it closed in again, the cheetah twisted sharply, lifting its front paws slightly to hook the gazelle's leg—but the gazelle halted and reversed again, barely avoiding capture.

For a full minute, every one of the cheetah's attacks proved futile.

"Tsk tsk—tried to steal a chicken and lost your rice. Exhausted."

"This gazelle is insane—this turning speed? Man, it'd crush Iverson a thousand times over in the NBA."

"The rawest moment of life—stunning."

As viewers finished commenting, the running gazelle suddenly stumbled. The cheetah, having nearly given up, summoned its last strength, lunged forward, leapt into the air, and pinned the gazelle's back with its claws—sharp teeth sinking precisely into its nape.

The gazelle let out a piercing scream, kicking desperately to break free—but the cheetah's teeth clamped deep into its neck, refusing to release. Soon, the gazelle's struggles weakened, then stopped entirely.

The cheetah released its grip, gasping heavily, then lifted its head toward a two-legged creature dozens of meters ahead.

Its cold gaze brimmed with wariness—and a warning.

Qin Yun did not approach or interfere. This was the savanna's normal survival—he felt no pity.

"This speed duel ended in the cheetah's victory."

Qin Yun's voice echoed in the livestream.

"But normally, cheetahs have low hunting success—even very low. On average, only one in six chases succeeds. Compared to the gazelle, their advantage is explosive speed, not endurance. Don't think those sharp turns are easy—they drain the cheetah massively."

"Most importantly, cheetahs are cautious—they'll abandon pursuit if they haven't caught prey within three hundred meters. This one chased five hundred meters—it must be starving."

Qin Yun watched silently as the cheetah, seeing he made no move, lowered its head and bit into the gazelle's neck, tearing into its flesh.

He wouldn't linger—he circled around and continued from the perimeter.

After two hours, Qin Yun calculated—he'd covered less than five kilometers. Those five kilometers, he'd spotted a hyena pack via drone and immediately veered far away. Unless absolutely necessary, he'd never confront wild animals head-on—especially scavengers.

A single bite could kill him—he couldn't afford that.

So naturally, his pace couldn't be fast.

But the journey wasn't without gains—he now had a file snake coiled around his neck and three rock monitor lizards tucked in his arms.

"Holy shit, isn't Brother Qin uncomfortable—with a snake on his neck and lizards in his arms?"

"Creepy as hell—I said he's apex predator and you didn't believe me."

"File snake: I'm dead already—how's he not scared?"

"Can you eat them?"

"Huh—!" Qin Yun exhaled, wiped sweat from his brow. "File snake's nonvenomous, tender, low-fat, no parasites—roasted, it's delicious. Rock monitors? Ugly, sure—but they're the most accessible edible lizards in Serengeti. Any food I find along the way, I collect."

"Here, I'm no different from that cheetah."

As he spoke, Qin Yun suddenly stopped. He leaned close to the drone screen—the auxiliary drone had captured a massive tree.

His expression shifted from shock to ecstatic joy in an instant.

"Holy shit—what did I just find?"

Hearing Qin Yun's exaggerated tone, everyone stared fixedly at the tree. Some fans knew their botany—they recognized it immediately.

"Holy shit, Brother Qin, what luck—you find a Tree of Life right here in Serengeti?"

"666—it's a baobab tree."

"So thick—heard these things are natural water tanks. True?"

"Some African tribes have their own baobab tree—marrying off daughters becomes easy."

"The world's vast—anything's possible."

Qin Yun burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! I was just thinking about solving water first—turns out I found a baobab tree. Baobabs in Serengeti mostly grow in the northern woodland belt or along the Mara River, usually solitary. To find one here? Pure luck."

Though thrilled, he didn't rush over. Instead, he found a nearby acacia tree and rested there temporarily.

"I need to observe first. Baobab trees on the grassland are animal supply stations—they must have a fixed population. If I barge in uninvited, I won't be welcome."

Saying this, he controlled the drone to rapidly approach; three hundred meters was already the drone's maximum range.

As the drone drew closer, the baobab tree's specific details gradually became clear.

This baobab tree stood about twenty meters tall, but its trunk diameter reached twelve meters—estimated to require over ten people to encircle.

"Baobab trees have extremely long lifespans, commonly living 1,000 to 2,000 years, making them living fossils of the grassland. Their water-storage capacity is immense—a single mature tree can yield 10,000 liters of water, enough to sustain an eight-month dry season."

Qin Yun observed the baobab tree, reciting its details as if listing family treasures.

As he spoke, he suddenly noticed movement inside several tree hollows. Zooming in, the camera revealed traces of lizards and snakes. Elsewhere, on the opposite side of the tree, several baboons hung from its branches, while below, a few antelopes grazed on fallen fruits.

"I think I know where the wound on my neck came from—the file snake."

He chuckled, preparing to move closer—but at that moment, a blurred figure appeared in the camera's view, over a hundred meters behind the baobab tree.

"Damn, what the hell is that?"

………

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