Chapter 281

The wind of the Seroñera Valley, carrying 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, newly erected. The Tanzanian Dar es Salaam University wildlife research team now ate a simple dinner beneath the open sky.

It was a six-person team, led by Professor Mboma, a 54-year-old ecologist. His hair was streaked gray, his forehead lined with deep wrinkles, weathered by years of hardship. Now, he ate compressed biscuits while watching infrared camera photos transmitted around the camp.

Beside him was his assistant, also a university lecturer and PhD candidate, Amina. A typical Tanzanian, her skin was dark brown, her features delicate, her hair tied in a ponytail.

On the other side were three younger students: Joseph, sturdy and muscular; Karen, with lighter skin; and Salim, thin and frail.

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

Joseph, tall and dark-skinned, munched on canned food and exchanged half-hearted chatter with Karen and Salim. Clearly, all three were exhausted—they’d been in the wild for over a month, moving cautiously, eating poorly, sleeping poorly, unsure when their mission for the professor would end.

He glanced at Professor Mboma and Amina, then whispered to Karen and Salim: “Wasn’t it said that during this season, Seroñera has plenty of African leopards? How come we haven’t seen a single pride since we arrived?”

Karen shrugged. In terms of skin tone, he looked more like a white person—a typical mixed-race individual.

“Who knows? Maybe they’re avoiding us.”

Salim nodded: “Didn’t the professor find leopard tracks nearby? Maybe we’ll see one soon. I’ve had enough of being out here—I miss my bed. Eating these canned meals day after day, I feel like I’m pickled. Can’t we hunt some wild game?”

Joseph strongly agreed, casting a cautious glance at Mboma: “If you try to hunt game under Professor Mboma’s nose, you’ll never graduate.”

Salim had only spoken in passing—he knew his professor’s temper all too well.

“By the way, didn’t you still have one beer left? 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 share it.”

“Yeah, hurry up. I’ve got some dried beef—bring it over too.”

Karen chimed in 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 left.”

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 Karen’s dried beef when he noticed something moving outside.

“I swear there weren’t any trees back there.”

Muttering to himself, Joseph unzipped the tent flap.

“Roar—!”

…

Qin Yun kept driving forward, 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. Several times it vanished for half a day, and he thought it wouldn’t return, only for it to reappear again.

But having Da Huang’s company had clear benefits—he moved noticeably 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, after careful calculation, he had advanced a full 130 to 140 kilometers.

Tonight, luck favored him—he found a cave.

After lighting a fire to clear it, he and Da Huang slipped inside.

“Based on distance, I’m now in the central Serengeti—this area is also called Seroñera, which you should’ve noticed along the way. The terrain has changed noticeably: the valleys, rock outcrops, and shallow banks here far outnumber what we saw in the past few days.”

“From Nduutu Lake, it was an endless plain with visibility stretching dozens of kilometers without obstruction. But Seroñera’s terrain rises and falls sharply, and because of its abundance of valleys and shallows—even in the 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 respond. I’m Elias.

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

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

Elias, at the research center far away, 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 Seroñera. One is seriously injured, one is missing. Rescue teams won’t arrive for at least three hours. Can you go and 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 the distance is too great for timely rescue, so I thought of you. We’ll have them fire a signal flare—see if you can spot it.”

Qin Yun nodded: “Alright. I’m leaving now.”

He patted Da Huang on the head.

“Stay here. Don’t wander off.”

Without caring whether Da Huang understood, Qin Yun turned and stepped 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 Seroñera. But Seroñera spans over two hundred square kilometers—if they’re too far away, I might not even see the flare…”

Before he finished speaking, a sharp “Boom—!” echoed through 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, who’d have thought you’d run into people here?”

“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 don’t research teams carry weapons? How could they be attacked so easily?”

“Probably caught off guard at night.”

Qin Yun glanced at the comments and replied: “Seroñera is a leopard hotspot. Universities often send research teams here to observe leopards. Without truth, being attacked at night is only natural.”

…

“Waaah… what do we do? Salim… Salim was dragged away by a Nile crocodile! Professor…”

Karen wept bitterly. Joseph, beside him, bled heavily from his shoulder, crudely bandaged, his face pale with terror. Professor Mboma and Amina forced calmness, but only the guide Hassan appeared composed.

“Will there really be rescue?”

Amina stared at the red light above and asked.

Hassan held a double-barreled shotgun—the team’s only firearm, kept only for defense.

Hearing her question, he sneered: “Of course rescue will come—but by the time they arrive, that boy Salim will be nothing but bones.”

That’s a Nile crocodile—bite force of 3,500 pounds, capable of crushing skulls. That skinny kid? He’s dead in one bite, no pain.

Mboma shook his head—he doubted the rescue would come, but something was better than nothing. The real problem was the leopard still circling outside; they couldn’t search for Salim.

First Joseph was attacked by a leopard, then Salim was snatched by a crocodile—misfortune piled upon misfortune.

“Howl—!”

A roar echoed. A shadow flashed from the darkness like a devil walking the night, waiting to claim their souls.

“Bang!”

Hassan fired at the shadow’s direction, cursing: “Damn it, I’ll shoot you dead!”

…

Brothers, drop some updates!