Chapter 280: Da Huang: What a Coincidence

At this moment, the local time was just after eleven a. m.; by three p. m., it would be the hottest part of the Serengeti, with temperatures holding steady around 36 degrees.

From hearing the hyena pack and breaking into a run, to hunting the gazelle, though the time wasn't long, the physical exertion was the greatest he'd experienced since arriving here; had his recovery ability not been strong, he would have been completely drained.

Now, he desperately needed food to restore his strength; otherwise, if he encountered danger again, his margin for error would shrink.

With his legendary-level wilderness hunter skills, following animal tracks, he quickly found a dry riverbed. The edges of the riverbed were lined with plenty of green vegetation and acacia trees; Qin Yun walked along the riverbed for a while, and finally spotted water.

"Too bad, it's stagnant water, all stinking. Even if you dig on the outskirts, the water you extract won't be usable—even after filtering, some bacteria can't be removed."

Qin Yun sighed, feeling disappointed.

He continued forward, and after walking only a short distance, a tree with dense palm fronds caught his attention.

"No way, there's actually one of these here."

Qin Yun exclaimed in surprise, quickened his pace, and arrived at the tree.

"Look, there's a wild date palm tree—luck is really on our side."

The livestream audience watched the massive tree on camera—it looked like a coconut tree, covered in dense clusters of fruit, appearing extremely abundant.

Qin Yun reached out, plucked one fruit, rubbed it against his body, and tossed it straight into his mouth. He chewed twice and gave his evaluation.

"Hmm, fairly sweet, decent taste—but the wild date palm fruit this season has already dried halfway in the sun, with little moisture left; still, it can replenish some sugar."

He patted the wild date palm tree, then paused and added:

"Wild date palms are one of the main sources of water for the Maasai and Samburu natives in the wild. Just carve a V-shaped incision into the trunk to form a channel, and the sap will flow out—during the dry season, you can collect 300ml per hour. This stuff is sweet, refreshing, and delicious."

"I'll gather some of its fruit first, then keep searching for water. If I can't find any, I'll have to sacrifice this wild date palm."

Saying that, Qin Yun plucked two large bunches of fruit and continued along the riverbed.

After walking for over ten minutes, he suddenly spotted several Footprints on the edge of the riverbed—clearly visible.

"Lion!"

The livestream audience instantly grew excited.

Qin Yun looked ahead—the Footprints extended forward along the riverbed, indicating this lion had also come for water; by animal instinct, the water source was almost certainly ahead.

After a while, the livestream audience heard the sound of "splash-splash."

Qin Yun quickened his steps, passed through several clumps of grass, and finally saw flowing water—a tributary, a branch of the riverbed.

The one he was on was nearly dead, but this branch still flowed, forming a small stream.

Qin Yun didn't act rashly; he observed carefully, and soon spotted Footprints along the stream.

"Look, these Footprints are from lions, wildebeests, and buffaloes—clearly animals frequent this spot. I need to hurry, finish processing the gazelle and leave quickly, so I don't run into wild animals coming to drink."

Saying that, Qin Yun went to the stream, drank the remaining water in his canteen, then refilled it. He laid the gazelle down, pulled out his dagger, and began working.

In no time, the gazelle was gutted, and the smell of blood inevitably spread—but he didn't care, staying alert, cleaning rapidly.

Less than ten minutes later, he successfully dismantled the gazelle.

Ribs went to ribs, gazelle meat to gazelle meat, organs to organs, limbs to limbs, bones to bones; after sorting and packing everything, he slung it onto his back, then suddenly froze, slowly turning his head.

The drone followed his movement, slowly pivoting—and everyone saw a lion, its body scarred, half-emerging from the grass, staring fixedly at him.

This sight terrified some viewers.

But viewers with memory immediately recognized it.

"Da Huang—I can't believe it's Da Huang."

"Qin Ye, your Da Huang came to find you."

"Da Huang's face shows no joy at prey—only fear."

"Da Huang: What a coincidence, Qin Ye!"

Qin Ye himself recognized the lion's identity—it was the unlucky lion he'd met on his first day, the lone lion he'd named Da Huang.

"Hi!"

Their eyes met; Qin Yun waved his hand.

"Pfft—!"

Netizens burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, Da Huang is completely stunned."

"This is hilarious."

"Da Huang: Hi."

Qin Yun thought for a moment, pulled a rib with meat from his pack, and tossed it casually to Da Huang.

"Meeting is fate. This is for you. Goodbye."

Saying that, Qin Yun turned and walked away.

But after walking a hundred meters or so, he stopped—behind him, not far away, Da Huang was chewing the rib and following him.

Everyone could see the lion had no intention to attack, but clearly coveted the meat on Qin Yun's person.

"Don't be a beggar—that's mine."

Da Huang sat back on his haunches, staring hopefully at Qin Yun.

"Damn it, you're a lion—go hunt your own food!"

Qin Yun was speechless.

Da Huang tilted his head and licked his tongue.

"Hahaha, Qin Ye's been stuck with a freeloader."

"Can't fight back, can't find food—what else can you do but beg?"

Qin Yun shook his head and kept walking; the lion behind him kept following. One man and one lion walked for over an hour before Qin Yun finally stopped.

Leaning against the rock ahead, Qin Yun quickly built a firepit, then dug a pit beside it, lining it with dry grass and setting it ablaze.

"Gazelle meat is perfect for slow-braising—far better than roasting over fire. As for the ribs, roasting them works best—rub on some honey to remove the gaminess, and the flavor is incredible."

While Qin Yun built a fire and set up a clay stove, Dahuang, seven or eight meters away, began gnawing on the bone with meat, eating with great relish.

Soon, the sand and soil in the pit turned glowing red; Qin Yun swiftly wrapped the gazelle meat in leaves, buried it inside, then covered it with hot earth to steam-roast it. Meanwhile, the ribs resting on the fire had begun to sizzle and drip oil, which fell onto the flames with crackling pops.

This made Qin Yun's mouth water.

Seeing it was nearly done, Qin Yun immediately pulled off one rib and began gnawing on it.

"Sss… hot… so tender."

Watching Qin Yun's eating habits on screen, netizens all grew hungry.

"Fuck, is it really that good? I don't believe it."

"I'm eating Sha County snacks right now—you're eating gazelle meat. Who's really surviving?"

"Same thing—you're surviving in the city, Brother Qin is surviving in the wilderness."

After finishing one rib, Qin Yun sucked on it, then casually tossed it to Dahuang nearby.

Dahuang tossed his head up, bit the rib mid-air, then CRUNCH—shattered it into pieces.

Qin Yun's lip twitched; he muttered silently: Fuck, that bite force is insane.

After eating three ribs, checking the time, Qin Yun dug out the steam-roasted meat from the earth. As the leaves unfurled, steam instantly rose.

He tugged lightly—the meat separated effortlessly, looking incredibly tender.

"Mm, the meat is soft, the juices fully locked in—plus honey, delicious."

After finishing this bundle of meat, Qin Yun felt satisfied. But the remaining meat had to be dealt with—otherwise, in this weather, it would spoil quickly. He adjusted the fire and began smoking it, which would preserve it for at least three or four more days.

As for the organs!

Qin Yun glanced at the liver, kidneys, and heart, then ultimately chose to abandon them.

"Though there's no risk of parasites, these parts have a strong stench—better give them to Dahuang."

He walked toward Dahuang holding the organs.

Seeing him approach, Dahuang didn't rise or tense up—instead, he shook his head slightly, as if greeting him.

Qin Yun placed the organs before Dahuang, then picked up the liver and held it to Dahuang's mouth: "Here, eat."

Dahuang opened his jaws, bit the liver, and swallowed it whole, chewing only twice before gulping it down.

Then he lowered his head and began gnawing at the heart and kidneys.

Seeing this, Qin Yun patted his head and returned to the fire to tend to the remaining meat.

"Dahuang: Lucky I had foresight—I knew following Brother Qin meant meat."

"Fuck, is this even a lion? How's it acting like a dog?"

"It's an animal with brains. It saw Qin-ye kill seven spotted hyenas—it knows exactly what kind of terrifying being he is."

"Saved my life."