Chapter 105 Chapter 105 Spending Money Day 105
The fragments collected near the lion group were exchanged for 21 points for Liu Yue.
Liu Yue breathed a sigh of relief. Although she believed that the system would not deceive her, she would definitely feel more at ease after the points were credited to her account.
She first redeemed a ticket for a designated wheel. The instructions were exactly as they sounded. She carefully read the instructions in full, confirming that they didn't distinguish between different wheel types or have an expiration date.
Great! This is a universal card with an unlimited validity period. Liu Yue had no need to spend a lot of money on the African grasslands, and she had already decided to consider how to use it after the fragment collection mission was completed.
Liu Yue's mindset remained unchanged by the impending 10 billion yuan. She was in no rush to return. Her adventure in Tanzania was incredibly interesting; there was something new happening every day on the grasslands.
The word she used was "adventure"—and yes, the tone of her trip was set the first day she arrived in the Serengeti and watched the sunset with a pride of lions.
She saw antelopes and warthogs on the grassland, which is the prototype of the famous animated character "Pumbaa"; she observed elephants eating up close and watched buffaloes drinking water.
The last two are the most easily spotted of the Big Five in Africa. They appeared many times along the way, so frequently that Liu Yue was too lazy to pick up her phone to take pictures and record them.
It is worth mentioning that the guide and the driver were not afraid of lions, but rarely stopped when they saw buffaloes. Even when they were parked, they were always ready to start and counterattack.
When Liu Yue asked, she found out that lions rarely attack people on their own initiative. They can also judge whether an elephant's attitude is friendly based on the frequency of its ears shaking, but it is hard to say about buffaloes.
First of all, it has strong combat capability, after all, it is one of the "Big Five in Africa". Secondly, it has a very unstable personality and often launches a charge without warning.
Although it is a favorite prey of the lion group, it is not impossible to scare away the lion group if the crazy buffalo is really forced into a corner.
Liu Yue sighed, African buffaloes really have a stubborn temper.
The other three bulls, rhinoceros, lion and leopard, are not so easy to find.
Liu Yue was lucky to see a pride of lions that day, but she only saw lions sporadically over the next few days. One time, her guide saw vultures circling in the sky and, believing there must be wild animals feeding nearby, led her there. That's when she finally spotted a few lions.
The principle is very simple. Vultures are the scavengers of nature, and the carrion left over by lions belongs to them.
When Liu Yue and others drove there, the prey had been almost eaten. To be honest, that scene gave her a great shock.
Several lions surrounded a lying zebra and feasted on it. The zebra's stomach was ripped open and its internal organs were pulled out. There was blood on its head and its entire head looked like a deflated balloon.
Liu Yue looked away reluctantly, feeling that the zebra was a bit pitiful.
But then she thought again, this is the law of the jungle on the grassland, and she shouldn't comment on it from a human perspective.
It's pitiful that the zebras are eaten, but if lions don't hunt, they will starve to death.
Besides, she herself likes to eat meat, and no one can go against the laws of nature.
It is not easy for Liu Yue to see black rhinos because their numbers are relatively small and they are an extremely endangered species. There are relatively more leopards, but they are really good at hiding their tracks.
Even experienced guides have a hard time finding leopards. They can appear in any tree, and they tend to choose branches that offer shelter.
Liu Yue stayed here for several days and only saw a leopard once.
That was also a very coincidental and thrilling situation. They parked the car on the side of the road to rest. The guide hung a basket in front of the car. Several people who had been sitting for a long time stood outside the car to chat, drink some drinks and eat some snacks.
Suddenly, Liu Yue saw the branches and leaves on the tree shaking, revealing faint leopard patterns.
That moment reminded her of Lucas, because her cat had a similar pattern. But this was the African grasslands, and there were no kittens, only big cats.
Liu Yue was nervous, excited and scared. She whispered to Ren Zhen that she seemed to have seen a leopard. Ren Zhen immediately protected her behind him.
This action gave Liu Yue enough sense of security, at least it made her not rush to get in the car.
——But there is no protection in the car, so it seems to make no difference whether it is on or not.
The guide told her not to be nervous, because she couldn't see the leopard at the moment, but the leopard could see her, and animals could sense human emotions.
Only when you are strong will it be wary and will not approach you easily; if you show weakness, you will fall into a disadvantage and become passive.
He reiterated: "Leopards won't attack people. We just need to slowly return to the car and find an angle to observe it."
Liu Yue of course believed the guide at this time, and she was led into the car by Ren Zhen.
Seeing this group of humans enter the iron box, the leopard also poked its head out and happened to meet Liu Yue's eyes.
This was a genuine big cat, its eyes seemingly lazy, yet its gaze carried an undeniable sense of oppression. The guide pointed out to her that there was a leopard's remaining prey hanging near the tree. Judging from the remaining half of the prey, it must be a wildebeest.
Liu Yue swallowed nervously, her hands trembling a little as she picked up the phone.
By the way, she had never seen a living wildebeest, so it was a pity that she had to get to know it in this way first.
The Bengal cat in Liu Yue's home can look at the camera, and it seems that the leopard can too.
It tilted its head, and Liu Yue was able to take a picture of its face.
Although they are not of the same species and just have similar patterns, Liu Yue couldn't help but compare Lucas with it.
Lucas has a round face, which is very cute. The leopard's face is shaped like an inverted triangle, and it has the blade-like jaw that is standard for the male protagonist in novels.
Lucas loves parkour, but the leopard looks a bit lazy, its long tail sweeping the leaves around it.
Liu Yue thought it was just playing, but she didn't expect the guide to say it was time to leave, which meant the leopard wanted to drive them away.
Huh? The leopard is really stingy. Liu Yue hasn't even taken a few photos yet.
She recorded a few seconds of video and wanted to wave to the leopard before leaving, but when she thought of its look just now, she put her hand down.
Although it was a bit disappointing, I was lucky enough to see a leopard. Many people come to Africa for ten days or half a month and may not be able to see one.
As for the leopard chasing them away, Liu Yue thought about it and could understand. Perhaps it was just in a bad mood and didn't want to see people. Humans have such moments too.
It is difficult to meet a leopard, but a cheetah will come to you on its own initiative.
That day, Liu Yue and others stopped the car, and the guide built a simple toilet on the grassland by the roadside, which was actually a fence.
There's nothing we can do about it; that's just the way it is on the grasslands. As for the uncivilized ones...wild animals also poop on the spot; they can't use the toilet.
Sang Yu went, but Liu Yue didn't have to go for the time being. She was playing with her mobile phone in the car.
There was no Wi-Fi on the grassland, but you could still play some games that didn't require an internet connection. She had just finished a level when Ren Zhen reminded her that the cheetah was approaching.
Liu Yue thought the cheetah was coming and pointed to the grassland beside the car, but when she looked up, she saw a cheetah jumping onto the hood of the SUV.
This was the closest Liu Yue had ever been to a wild animal. She froze in place, not daring to move at all.
- Fortunately, she has been trained to be brave in the past few days. If she had been given such a big "surprise" as soon as she arrived in Africa, she would not know how scared she would be.
Liu Yue came back to her senses when she thought of Ren Zhen next to her.
Ren Zhen must have known something was wrong if he allowed the cheetah to jump here. The returning guide was not in a hurry. He acted as if he didn't see the cheetah in front of him. He calmly sat back in the car, fastened his seat belt, and began to educate Liu Yue about the habits of cheetahs.
...Wait, if everyone is so calm, doesn't that make her look stupid?
The cheetah was truly worthy of the trust placed in them by the humans. It simply stood on the hood of the car, curiously gazing at Liu Yue and the others. Not to mention the guide, even Liu Yue could tell it had no intention of attacking.
The cheetah belongs to the Panthera genus, but Liu Yue feels that its personality is very similar to that of a cat.
After overcoming her instinctive fear, she began to get a little excited. Ren Zhen took a photo of her and the cheetah, and Liu Yue even asked the guide if she could pet the cheetah.
Guide: "...According to the regulations, it's not allowed. Touching wild animals will result in a fine of one hundred dollars."
What, a hundred dollars for one touch?
Of course, this was just a joke in her mind, and Liu Yue didn't say it out loud.
The guide also advised her not to touch them, saying wild animals weren't as clean as her cat. More importantly, cheetahs should remain wary of humans; if they get used to being around people, poachers will have an easier time.
So, the guide only let the cheetah stay here for a while, and then asked the driver to start the car. The roar of the engine scared the cheetah, and it quickly jumped out of the car and distanced itself from the car.
Although she felt a little reluctant, Liu Yue agreed with the guide's approach. She took a few more photos of the cheetah, and when everyone arrived, the cheetah watched them leave.
In a hotel with wifi, Liu Yue posted the cheetah video she took today to her Moments. It was a clip of the cheetah on the hood of her car, in close contact with her.
After this circle of friends was posted, it immediately received many likes and comments. Many people asked questions below, and some asked where she took the photo and whether she was scared at the time.
Liu Yue was indeed a little scared at the time, but she certainly wouldn't talk about this in her circle of friends.
She replied uniformly that this was not in any zoo, but in Africa; the video was of course real, and she shot it herself, and the voice speaking in it was her.
Hehehe, Liu Yue admits that she is a vulgar person, and she feels good when others envy her.
She posted the original material of the video on her Moments, and Liu Yue packaged the videos she had shot in the past few days and shared them with Sang Yu, asking her to cut out a vlog.
She previously posted a few photos of zebras and giraffes on Xiaohongshu. Her fans all knew that she had gone to Europe, and left comments saying that they wanted her to share more photos and videos.
On a whim, Liu Yue tried to edit a vlog herself, but it took her three minutes to get started and she gave up in three seconds. She couldn't do this job, so she decided to leave it to someone else.
It seems that Sang Yu also outsourced the cutting to someone else. Liu Yue doesn't care about this as long as the finished product is good.
She was waiting for the video when Ye Jiashu sent her a chat message.
Ye Jiashu: [Did you really encounter a cheetah today?]
Ye Jiashu: [It was really thrilling. I was a little panicked watching it. You are really brave.]
Liu Yue hummed twice and said, of course.
She was in a particularly good mood at the moment, chatting with him for a few more words on the voice call and even sending him a video of a cheetah chasing an antelope.
This photo wasn't taken by her, but by Sang Yu. The cheetah moved so fast that she couldn't keep up with the camera, but Sang Yu could barely catch it.
In this video, the cheetah even left an afterimage. This was no exaggeration, and Liu Yue was also surprised when she saw it.
The situation on site was a hundred times more exciting than in the video. They first saw the dormant cheetah from a distance, and the guide drove over slowly, trying not to make any disturbing noises.
The cheetah slowly approached the antelope, which was still leisurely grazing. Suddenly, it jumped out of the grass, and the antelope quickly fled, a life-and-death battle between the two.
For the antelope, this is a life-and-death battle, and the same is true for the cheetah. If it can't catch prey, it will starve to death. The grassland is such a ruthless and cruel place.
The antelope was fast, but the cheetah was even faster. After the two were close, the cheetah pounced and bit the antelope's throat. The antelope kicked its limbs on the ground, but soon stopped moving.
The dead antelope becomes the cheetah's dinner, and the cheetah can live longer after eating the food.
The process is very fast. After successfully hunting, the cheetah does not rush to eat, but stands still first. The guide said that this is to calm down the heart rate that has soared in a short period of time.
Liu Yue also re-established her understanding of the cheetah in her mind. When it ran towards its prey, it still fully displayed the wild charm of the grassland carnivore. You can't really think of it as a larger domestic cat.
After watching the video and combining it with Liu Yue's description, Ye Jiashu also wanted to go to Africa.
However, what he was more concerned about now was when Liu Yue would come back.
She has really been abroad for a long time, almost a month, right?
Ye Jiashu missed her very much, but he was too embarrassed to say it directly. He said Lucifer must miss her.
How could AI have such emotions? Liu Yue understood his little thoughts and the corners of her mouth rose unconsciously.
"Maybe in a few days." Liu Yue said, "I'm moving to a new place the day after tomorrow. I'll return home after watching Ferry of the Sky River."
Ye Jiashu: "Do you miss Lucifer too?"
Liu Yue: "It's just average. I miss my cat the most. I wonder how Lucas is eating and sleeping these days."
Ye Jiashu felt a sour taste in his mouth. Even though he knew Liu Yue might have said that on purpose, he still felt a little sour.
"He's been waiting for you to come back... Don't you really want to?"
Liu Yue told him, "The grasslands are vast, and the starry sky at night is beautiful. The cheetah that jumped onto the hood of the car today is enough to make me savor it for a long time. You will never get tired of exploring the primitive and wild nature."
After hanging up the phone, Ye Jiashu pondered this sentence for a long time.
Never get tired of nature... Was she hinting that she was tired of him? Impossible!
Liu Yue's casual remark had Ye Jiashu worried for days. When his boss borrowed his computer, he stumbled upon his search box, which was filled with "How to keep a woman interested in a man," "How to improve male charm," and "100 things girls like most in guys."
The boss sneered twice, knowing that this kid would have this day.
Alas, I hope he can be more sensible and not affect Liu Yue’s interest in the robot dog.
Liu Yue didn't pay attention to Ye Jiashu for the time being. She posted the edited video to Xiaohongshu first.
This is not all of the journey, and she is too lazy to make plans, such as how many episodes the video will be divided into, what content will be in each episode... She just posts whatever she thinks of.
After the video was released, Liu Yue went to sleep. When she woke up, the video had already received over 10,000 likes.
There were all kinds of private messages in the background asking her whether she would sign with an agency or accept advertising. Liu Yue skipped them and read the popular comments.
Seeing that netizens’ reactions to the cheetah jumping out of the car were even more excited than hers, Liu Yue felt relieved. It seemed that she was indeed quite brave, but she just didn’t react in time.
Because she took a nap and didn't reply in time, many comments asking for strategies had already been replied to by other enthusiastic netizens.
"Singita" is printed on the car, and this is the ultimate hotel accommodation in Africa. No need to worry about travel guides, just let the guide lead you and experience true wild luxury. Oh, and during peak season, room rates start at several thousand dollars per night [heart]]
[In addition, she lives in Milele, don’t even think about it if you don’t have $30,000]
[I laughed at myself for being so poor. I don’t understand what is said in the comments section.]
[No wonder they say the richest people travel in Africa. Poverty limits my imagination.]
She rode the hot air balloon three times. Three times! I couldn’t bear to ride it even once.
[It’s not the blogger’s limit to ride it three times, but the scenery is pretty much the same, and I get tired of it after three times.]
[This is the view from the sky overlooking the Serengeti. Thanks to the blogger, I saved thousands of dollars immediately.]
[I watched the video and wanted to travel to Africa, but when I learned about the prices, I was disappointed. The most economical way to travel starts at tens of thousands of yuan, and you have to sleep outdoors.]
[Haha, I traveled to Africa before, and it was also peak season. In the national park, there were more people carrying cameras than animals. There were only cars coming and going, so you couldn't see anything. I guess the blogger went to a private reserve, so if you round it up, you had the grassland all to yourself.]
Liu Yue replied: [It’s not just me, the grassland is the home of wild animals, humans are just guests]
This comment received a lot of likes, and many people praised her for her broad vision and said that she deserved to be rich. Liu Yue just smiled.
After breakfast, she prepared to move to the northern Serengeti, where she would stake out the Mara River to see the crossing of the Celestial River.
Before setting off, the guide reminded her that this was also a matter of luck.
Liu Yue was mentally prepared. She also told Sang Yu that if she couldn't see him in these three days, she would extend her stay and she would stay in Africa until she could see him.
——Luck is an uncontrollable metaphysics, but she holds the initiative to spend money.
Her new accommodation is also Singita, but this time it is not a villa but a tent camp.
This camp is located between crossings 1 and 2 along the Mara River, a prime location for watching the wildebeest cross the river. Living here, she can watch the wildebeest gather from her bed, and as soon as she confirms their intention to cross, she can set off immediately.
If she is lazy, she can even watch it lying on the bed without going out. But the distance is a bit far, and it will be more shocking if it is closer to the Mara River.
Liu Yue was very satisfied with the new accommodation environment. When she first heard that it was a camp, she thought the accommodation conditions would be rather difficult, but top luxury is top luxury. It does use tent cloth, but the main body of the building is still a wooden structure. The interior space is spacious and comfortable.
Sure enough, no matter where they are, rich people will never treat themselves badly.
She had been on safari for the past few days. On the first day at the camp, she did not go out with the guide, but stayed in the tent to rest.
This decision was very correct - the location of the tent was so good that even if she just sat here, she could appreciate many animals that came to her door.
A lioness was taking her cubs for a walk, a cheetah was chasing prey on the other side of the river, and the black rhino, which she had never seen in her driving during her several days of exploring the west, also appeared in her sight.
Although it was quite far away, Liu Yue had a telescope and a telephoto lens. During her time in Africa, she had become very proficient in using both.
Liu Yue sighed, "It's true that even if you try hard to plant flowers, they won't bloom, but if you plant willows by accident, they will grow into a shade..."
A few days ago, Liu Yue comforted herself by saying that she regretted not being able to gather the Big Five of Africa on the grassland, so that she could come back to complete the task next time. Now that they had met, she felt even more excited and thrilled, and she didn't want to leave.
"We'll come again next year," Liu Yue and Sang Yu said. "I heard that January to March is the cub season, and I want to see the cubs of these animals."
She only arrived in July, and although the cubs are not yet adults, they are no longer in the soft and heart-melting state they were when they were first born.
Sang Yu helped her write it down and thought about whether to remind her at the end of the year.
After all, Liu Yue has said "I will come again next year" at many tourist attractions. She is a person who can find joy in life, and there are so many things that can make her happy.
A girl who is happy every day will never have bad luck.
The next morning, Liu Yue was woken up by Ren Zhen. The sun had just risen, and Liu Yue hadn't slept enough, but Ren Zhen told her that wildebeests and zebras were gathering on the shore and were likely about to cross the river.
Hearing this, Liu Yue was no longer sleepy.
She quickly changed her clothes and took the SUV to the shore. The camp was very close to the ferry, only a few minutes' drive away.
Liu Yue arrived just in time. The zebras and wildebeest were both lingering on the shore, clearly still hesitating. She took the bread Sang Yu handed her, took a big bite, and then slowly observed the surrounding situation.
She spotted vultures standing proudly on the opposite bank, and lions prowling the other side. Using a telescope, Liu Yue carefully observed the river and, as expected, spotted several crocodiles, gazing intently at them.
A little later, a leopard appeared near her side of the river. It was afraid to approach because of the large herds of wildebeest, fearing that any lone or injured animal would become its prey.
This is really... There are lions in front and leopards behind, crocodiles in the water, and vultures in the sky, and they all want to bite off the flesh and blood of these herbivores.
If you put yourself in the shoes of wildebeests and zebras, it’s hard not to feel the urgency and cruelty of survival.
Liu Yue asked, "Will they cross the river today?"
The guide said cautiously, "It's highly likely, but not guaranteed. There have been many cases of wildebeest returning after gathering. It all depends on whether the first wildebeest can make it through successfully."
Wildebeests do not have high IQs, but they have a strong sense of team discipline. When one wildebeest leads the charge, the rest will follow. However, if the leader returns the same way or is dragged into the water by a crocodile, the entire herd will panic, and the young, solitary wildebeests will become food for carnivores.
Liu Yue nodded. She asked Sang Yu to set up the camera. All they had to do next was wait patiently.
She thought she would have to wait for a long time, but unexpectedly a wildebeest suddenly rushed forward, so fast that Sang Yu almost didn't have time to press the recording switch.
Not only the onlookers were surprised, but the crocodiles in the water were also surprised. The leading wildebeest rushed to the other side, without howling or communicating, and immediately other wildebeests followed, and zebras also mixed in with them.
The wildebeests' hooves splashed water on the river. They crossed the river in large groups, with great momentum and overwhelming force.
They migrate with the grasslands' rainy and dry seasons in search of more abundant water and food. The rushing water can reach their chests, but it cannot stop them from moving forward.
But the resistance that wildebeests face in crossing the river is not just the water.
Although the wildebeests formed a high momentum in the procession crossing the river, the crocodiles in the water would also wait for an opportunity to strike. They would stick their heads out of the river, bite the wildebeest's hind legs with their sharp teeth, and drag it into the river.
Wildebeests that hesitated and dared not move would be attacked by leopards, and wildebeests that were left alone after crossing the river would have their throats bitten by lions.
Liu Yue's telephoto lens captured several zebras crossing the river covered in blood, apparently having been bitten off by crocodiles in the water. Whether they could survive depended on their ability to heal.
The hope of survival and the tragedy of death are intertwined on the banks of the Mara River.
Liu Yue had a lot of emotions in her heart, but she said nothing in the end. She just picked up her camera and became a silent recorder.
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