Chapter 281: Seronera

The wind of the Seronera Valley, swirling with dry grass and the stench of blood, wailed across the grasslands.

Beside the valley, beneath a granite outcrop, a temporary camp had just been set up—four tents standing in the open sky as the Tanzanian Dar es Salaam University wildlife research team ate a simple dinner.

It was a six-person team led by Professor Mboma, a 54-year-old ecologist with salt-and-pepper hair, a forehead lined with deep wrinkles, and a face weathered by wind and sun. He now ate compressed biscuits while watching infrared camera photos transmitted around him.

Beside him was his assistant, also a university lecturer pursuing her doctorate: Miss Amina. A typical Tanzanian, with dark brown skin, delicate features, and a ponytail.

On the other side were three younger students: the muscular Joseph, the fair-skinned Karon, and the slender Salim.

As for the guide Hassan, he fell into a deep sleep the moment the tents were pitched.

Joseph, tall and dark-skinned, ate from a can and exchanged half-hearted chatter with Karon and Salim. All three showed clear signs of fatigue—they had been in the wild for over a month, moving cautiously, eating poorly, sleeping poorly, and unsure when their mission for the professor would end.

He glanced at Professor Mboma and Miss Amina, then whispered to Karon and Salim: "Wasn't it said that during this season, Seronera has plenty of African leopards? How come we haven't seen a single pride since we came?"

Karon shrugged; in skin tone alone, he looked more white—a typical mixed-race individual.

"Who knows? Maybe they're avoiding us."

Salim nodded: "Didn't the professor find traces of leopards nearby? Maybe we'll see one soon. I've had enough of being out here—I miss my bed. Eating these cans every day, I feel like I'm pickled. Can't we hunt some wild meat?"

Joseph strongly agreed, casting a cautious glance at Mboma: "If you hunt wild game right under Professor Mboma's nose, you'll never graduate."

Salim had only spoken in passing—he knew full well his professor's temper.

"By the way, aren't you still carrying a beer? Go ahead and open it."

Joseph froze: "How do you know I still have a beer?"

Salim grinned: "You treat it like a treasure—everyone knows. Get it out quick, while Hassan's asleep, let's five of us split it."

"Yeah, hurry up—I've got some dried beef here too, bring it over."

Karon added quickly.

Joseph had no choice but to agree. He stood, set down his can, and muttered: "I was saving it for the last day before we leave."

The tents were arranged in a circle; his tent pressed against the rock outcrop, open on two sides. He found his backpack, pulled out a canned beer, and was about to retrieve Karon's dried beef when he suddenly noticed something moving outside.

"I swear there weren't any trees back here."

Muttering to himself, Joseph unzipped the tent flap.

"Roar—!"

……

Qin Yun pushed on, but the lion seemed to have taken a liking to him and refused to leave.

In the end, he had no choice but to let it follow.

Fortunately, the beast wasn't just waiting to be fed—it would leave on its own when hungry, and seek water when thirsty. It had vanished for half-days several times, making him think it wouldn't return, only to reappear again.

But the benefit of having Da Huang was obvious—he now moved much faster.

On August 8 alone, he made up the distance he'd fallen short on the first two days. By the evening of August 9, he calculated precisely—he had advanced a full 130 to 140 kilometers.

Tonight, luck favored him: he found a cave.

After setting fire to the entrance, he and Da Huang slipped inside.

"Based on distance, I'm now in the central Seronera region—this area is also called Seronera, which you should've noticed along the way. The terrain has changed noticeably: the valleys, rock outcrops, and shallows here far outnumber what we saw in the past few days."

"From Nduto Lake, it was nearly endless flatland with visibility stretching dozens of kilometers without obstruction. But Seronera's elevation changes sharply, and precisely because of its many valleys and shallows—even in dry season—the vegetation here is far more lush than before."

Qin Yun spoke briefly, laid out dry grass on the ground, and prepared to rest.

But just as he was about to shut down his livestream, a flood of comments suddenly appeared on his TikTok feed.

Translated into Chinese: Qin, if you see this, please reply, please reply—I'm Elias.

Elias repeatedly posted this comment, terrified it would be buried under others.

Qin Yun quickly replied: "Elias, I see you. Speak."

Elias, far away at the research center, finally exhaled in relief and immediately replied in the comment section:

"Qin, I need your help—I'll be brief: a wildlife research team from Dar es Salaam University in Tanzania has been attacked by wild animals in Seronera. One is critically injured, one is missing. Rescue teams won't arrive for at least three hours. Can you go assist before the animals strike again?"

Qin Yun didn't refuse outright. He dropped his casual demeanor and asked in English: "How many people? How do I know their exact location?"

"Professor Mboma's team has six members: five researchers and one guide. They can communicate via radio, but due to distance, rescue can't reach them in time—that's why I thought of you. We'll have them fire a signal flare—see if you can spot it."

Qin Yun nodded: "Alright, I'm heading out now."

He patted Da Huang on the head.

"Stay here. Don't wander off."

Without caring whether Da Huang understood, Qin Yun turned and walked out of the cave.

"Just now, a fan in Tanzania contacted me—he's a researcher there. He said a university research team was attacked by wild animals, right here in Seronera. But Seronera spans over 200 square kilometers—if they're too far, I might not even see the flare…"

His words were cut short as a sudden "Boom—!" echoed across the sky.

Qin Yun snapped his head up: far on the horizon, a brilliant red light, several meters in diameter, exploded midair like a miniature sun, illuminating the entire sky.

The fireball burned for five or six seconds before slowly falling.

"About thirteen kilometers straight-line distance. Looks like they're lucky."

Qin Yun said nothing more and moved swiftly toward the flare's location.

"666, you actually ran into someone in this hellhole."

"Running into people on the African savanna isn't rare—helicopters fly overhead all the time."

"Every year, many TV crews come here to film documentaries."

"But didn't the research team have weapons? How could they be so easily attacked?"

"Probably caught off guard in the middle of the night."

Qin Yun glanced at the comments and replied: "Seronera is a leopard hotspot. University research teams often come here to observe leopards. Without truth, being attacked at night is only natural."

……

"Wahhh… what do we do? Salim… Salim was dragged away by the Nile crocodile… Professor…"

Karon wept bitterly; beside him, Joseph's shoulder was drenched in blood, crudely bandaged, his face pale and filled with fear. Professor Mboma and Miss Amina forced calm, but only the guide Hassan appeared relatively composed.

"Will there really be rescue?"

Miss Amina looked up at the red light above and asked the question.

Hassan held a double-barreled shotgun—the only firearm in their party, used solely for vigilance.

Hearing Miss Amina's words, he sneered: "Of course there'll be rescue—but by the time they arrive, that student named Salim is probably already reduced to dust."

That's a Nile crocodile—its bite force reaches 3,500 pounds, capable of crushing a skull in one snap. That kid's skin and bones—he probably died instantly, without pain."

Mboma shook his head; he too doubted the claims from that side, but any rescue was better than none. Right now, leopards still prowled outside—they couldn't go search for Salim.

Joseph had been attacked by a leopard ahead, and behind them, Salim had been dragged away by a Nile crocodile in panic—truly, misfortune never comes alone.

"Aow—!"

A roar echoed; a shadow flashed through the darkness, like a devil walking the night, waiting to reap their souls.

"Bang!"

Hassan fired at the direction the shadow had vanished, shouting: "Damn it, I'll shoot you dead!"

…

Brothers, drop some催更!