Chapter 268

The blurred figure under the blazing sun was indistinct, but even just its silhouette conveyed a terrifying aura—the exclusive might of the king of the grassland.

"Lion, holy shit, finally saw a lion."

"Brother Qin, go on, take it down."

"So badass, Brother Qin, hurry over and take a selfie with it."

"Badass, but why does it look kinda desperate?"

"Can't see clearly, Brother Qin, get closer."

Qin Yun looked at the drone's feed and said dryly, "You've had enough—it's a lion, not a cat. Even if this is a lone lion, its condition clearly isn't that of an old lion, but a fully grown adult male."

"If it were an old lion, I'd have some confidence—but a healthy adult male lion? I'd only have a seventy percent chance. I'm not doing anything that dangerous."

Was Qin Yun afraid of lions? Of course not.

After he'd taken down a brown bear alone, his confidence had soared to an almost superhuman level. If faced with a pride, he might hesitate—but a single lion? With his current physical condition and combat power, as he said, he still had a seventy percent chance.

But the cost-benefit ratio was too low, utterly unnecessary. Plus, he faced a high risk of injury—adult male lions were terrifying enough.

"666, Brother Qin doesn't even need to draft his bragging."

"I don't believe it—unless you try it."

"Qin, take it down."

"Brother Qin, you said it yourself—it's a lion, not a cat. Why does it sound like you're going to beat up a dog?"

"Seventy percent chance? Why not say you can kill it easily?"

The netizens' skepticism broke through their defenses, all declaring they didn't believe him—but everyone just took it as a joke; no one seriously expected Qin Yun to fight a lion.

Qin Yun smiled.

"Brothers, if you're unlucky enough to face an adult male lion on the grassland without a vehicle, find a comfortable position—so the lion can bite down more easily."

"An adult male lion weighs over 200 kg, runs at speeds up to 80 km/h—far beyond human capability, its explosive power crushes humans. One swipe can shatter a skull; one bite to the throat means certain death. And its hide is thick and tough—your dagger might not even pierce it."

"In direct confrontation, I'm definitely no match. But I have weapons—there are still ways to deal with a lion like this."

Qin Yun watched through the drone as the lion drew nearer; the antelope, sensing danger, had long since fled. The baboons hiding in the tree trembled, not daring to make a sound, cowering in one spot.

Soon, the lion in the camera view became clear.

Judging purely by appearance, this male lion was fully mature—broad shoulders, tight muscles, thick dark-brown mane, looking remarkably young.

Qin Yun's eyes narrowed slightly—he'd initially thought it was a defeated lion king, but it turned out to be a young male.

After a brief assessment, he spoke: "This male lion is about four years old, just entered adulthood. I suspect it was driven off by its own parents."

"Why drive it off? Don't animals understand 'strength in numbers'?"

"Why would the pride drive it away?"

"Can't understand."

Qin Yun explained: "On the Serengeti grassland, once a male lion reaches sexual maturity and grows a mane, he becomes a threat to his father's rule. The lionesses won't protect their grown sons, and the lion king won't hesitate. The father will viciously bite and drive him away; the lionesses will watch coldly, even join in intimidating and expelling him. Through repeated fights, he's driven out of the home he grew up in."

"Look—his mane edges are messy, his neck bears fresh scratches, still scabbed over but not long ago. His anger is visible in his eyes. This newly matured male lion hasn't fully grown yet—he must survive alone for a while before becoming a true adult male."

"Damn, that's brutal."

"Turns out animals really are animals."

"Uh… wasn't ancient imperial courts the same?"

"Lions are kings of the grassland—kinda royalty, haha."

"Made me think of Simba—this isn't how it went, those father-son pairs were all affectionate. Streamer's full of shit."

"Top comment, go get your brain drained—it's swollen."

Qin Yun was far enough from the baobab tree, so he wasn't worried about being discovered. If this lion truly wanted to attack him, his dagger wasn't useless.

But as long as the lion didn't come at him proactively, he wouldn't approach it either.

"This lion's probably thirsty—smelled the scent near the baobab tree."

As the lion neared the baobab tree, it circled the trunk once, then raised its paw to scratch the bark. After scratching for a while, it leaned its head down to gnaw and suck at the trunk, exerting great effort before finally drinking water.

But after drinking, it urinated right there, then lay down to rest.

Seeing this, the netizens burst out laughing.

"Brother Qin, what are you gonna do? Go over?"

"Haha, the lion took the baobab tree—doesn't that mean Brother Qin's gonna die of thirst?"

"Shit, maybe we should detour?"

"We finally found a baobab tree, and now the lion's taken it."

Qin Yun's face twisted in frustration as he shook his head helplessly.

"No choice—I don't want to clash with an adult male lion. If he won't leave, I will."

But after walking for two hours, the sun had reached its fiercest point. He decided to wait beneath this acacia tree until the heat passed.

He shook his water bottle—it held less than a hundred milliliters, enough for just two sips.

He cast a greedy glance at the distant baobab tree, then lit a fire on the spot, planning to eat the dried snake. It wouldn't quench his thirst, but at least it would replenish some water and energy.

As the flames rose, the aroma soon drifted out.

The drone kept locked on the distant baobab tree. When the snake meat's scent spread, viewers immediately noticed the lion snap its head up, staring straight toward Qin Yun. Everyone's hearts tightened instantly.

"Brother Qin, run! The lion smelled the scent!"

"Shit, climb a tree! Lions can't climb!"

"…"

Qin Yun glanced over and smiled calmly: "Don't worry—this lion already smelled my scent. Lions can detect odors from five kilometers away, and their hearing is far beyond imagination. Their vision is excellent too—they can spot silhouettes from one or two kilometers. But lions generally don't attack humans."

As Qin Yun finished speaking, the lion in the camera indeed lay back down.

"Holy shit, that's terrifying."

"But Qin Ye is way too calm—what if a lion comes running? It's only three hundred meters away; the lion would catch up in two strides."

"The reckless fool is exactly the streamer."

"666 sent the streamer ten Carnival gifts—looking forward to seeing Qin Ye wrestling with the lion."

"Hou Sairei sent the streamer…"

After thanking the fans who sent gifts, Qin Yun quickly swallowed the snake meat. Eating the roasted snake flesh with the bird eggs, it truly had a unique flavor. But after just a few bites, the water in his canteen was gone, consumed along with the food.

After finishing the grilled snake meat, Qin Yun leaned against the Huanhuan tree, chatting casually with his online fans, quietly waiting for the high temperature to fade.

After chatting for over an hour, a netizen suddenly shouted:

"Qin Ye, there seems to be movement."

"Check the drone feed."

"The lion has stood up."

Qin Yun immediately turned to the main monitor and saw, on the secondary camera's feed, the lion had shaken itself upright, its nostrils flaring violently, staring fixedly toward the northeast, its mane slightly bristling, eyes filled with ferocity—as if it had caught a scent.

Seeing this, Qin Yun raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

"It's rare for an adult male lion to react so strongly. Even if this lion isn't the most experienced, it was raised in a pride—only another adult male lion, a pack of spotted hyenas, or the undisputed king, the elephant, could make it this wary."

"Here, encountering a lone lion is already lucky; it's impossible to run into another lone lion. So the most likely possibility is that this lion has caught the stench unique to spotted hyenas—the foul, sour, rancid odor."

"Spotted hyenas dare attack lions?"

"Don't they have that little courage?"

"Yeah, spotted hyenas are nothing compared to lions."

Qin Yun shook his head: "Anyone who's watched Animal World wouldn't ask that."

He stood up, watching the monitor's footage.

"A single spotted hyena wouldn't dare challenge a lion—but five or more spotted hyenas? They'll surround and kill a lone lion. Remember, their bite force is terrifying—they can crush lion bones—and their stamina far exceeds the lion's. Most importantly, they're pack animals."

"Just like we saw this morning—they appear in groups of seven or eight at minimum, sometimes dozens."

"I need to find a hiding spot and see if it really is spotted hyenas."

Saying this, Qin Yun scanned the surroundings, searching for a place to conceal himself. Soon, he found a massive rock hidden among the grass.

He didn't rush over. Instead, he scooped up a handful of ash from the extinguished fire and slapped it directly onto his body.

"Gū wū—!"

Suddenly, a low, muffled roar echoed from afar.

In the instant the lion's roar faded, seven or eight similar "Wu he" sounds rose in succession—low, sticky, and foul—drawing closer with every passing moment.

Qin Yun's expression changed.

"It's definitely spotted hyenas!"