Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness

The extinguished campfire was emitting a wisp of blue smoke.

Beside it, on a dead tree, a baboon's hands and feet were tied to the bark. Its entire body curled up into a ball, wedged between two large roots exposed on the surface of the ground, emitting a low and slow breathing sound.

On the other side, leaning against the rock, a cheetah also purred softly.

Bi Fang woke up from his sleep, first checking his surroundings to confirm there was no danger or traces of other animals, then he got up to prepare for the day's activities.

He collected some blackish-gray charcoal ash, then found a tree that seemed to be quite lively nearby, climbed up, and took some branches.

After parting the leaves of the tree that held the branches, Bi Fang crushed one end, then rubbed it on a rock until the broken end was frayed with dense fibers. He then dipped this end in some charcoal ash and used it as a toothbrush to brush his teeth.

There was a slight burning sensation in his mouth, luckily, not too intense.

Normally, one should mix the charcoal ash with water to make charcoal water, then use it as toothpaste for brushing teeth; otherwise, it could irritate the mouth.

If conditions were good, one could also add some aromatic plants for sterilization, but it was regrettable that currently, there wasn't even any water to drink, let alone to make toothpaste with.

After a quick rinse, spitting out the mouthful of charcoal ash, Bi Fang slung his backpack over his shoulders and woke up Harley, who was sound asleep.

Lastly, he started the live stream.

[Although the National Day holiday has ended and it's back to work, I still choose to slack off and watch the live stream (dog head emoji)]

[It's reasonable, work is exchanging labor for compensation, slacking off is really making money]

[Earn the boss's money fiercely]

[Is it time to find a water source today?]

The baboon by the tree was also startled awake by Bi Fang's movement and started to howl again. After calling out for a while and realizing no one paid attention to it, it gradually quieted down.

At this time, Bi Fang approached it to check on the baboon's status.

[A smile of pure kindness]

[Some salt, please, salt]

[Subway, elderly, phone face]

"Drinking water is an innate behavior, mainly triggered by two different types of thirst, one is due to an increase in blood osmotic pressure causing osmotic thirst, compelling animals to drink pure water."

"Another is caused by the loss of bodily fluids leading to hypovolemic thirst, where animals seek both water and minerals—usually salt—to restore blood volume."

"Although the reasons are different, both states have some external manifestations, such as skin laxity, which is basically universal among mammals."

Bi Fang picked up the baboon, preventing it from turning its head aimlessly, to avoid getting bitten.

Then he reached out and pinched its nape.

"If you have a dog or cat at home, you can try pinching their nape lightly. If they're as hydrated as humans, their skin will be firm and elastic."

"But if they're in a state of dehydration, when you pinch the skin on their nape, it will feel very slack."

"Secondly, pacing back and forth; when animals feel thirsty and can't find water to drink, they exhibit restless and anxious emotions, pacing back and forth in a certain area, often accompanied by a certain mental lethargy, and sometimes drooling."

The mental lethargy couldn't be clearly seen by everyone because the baboon had been very lethargic since being captured yesterday.

However, the drooling was indeed visibly apparent. Earlier, Bi Fang had seen the baboon unconsciously licking its lips while asleep.

This was also one of the signs of thirst.

When thirsty, one unconsciously licks their own lips, subconsciously wetting their mouth to alleviate the feeling of thirst.

Of course, this is futile and will only exacerbate the loss of water.

But this doesn't stop the animal instinct to do so.

Based on various behaviors, it was almost certain that the baboon was thirsty, and to a considerable extent.

"Let's wait a bit longer, until eight or nine o'clock," said Master Fang, "At that time, the visibility is the best, it's the hardest to lose sight of it, and the bullet can fly a bit longer."

It was not yet six o'clock, and the sky had not fully brightened, so releasing the baboon at this time was not the best choice.

There were no time limits on this live broadcast mission, so Bi Fang was not in a hurry.

Bi Fang gathered materials nearby, reignited the campfire, and then found several straight branches and began to carve while sitting on a rock.

After crafting the spearheads, he placed them in the fire to blacken.

"Wood is carbonized after being burned, its molecular structure changes, thus it becomes harder," he explained, "But don't burn it for too long. You just need to remove some moisture; burning it for too long will make it brittle due to combustion."

Having crafted several spears for weapons, he then chatted with the viewers for a while.

Looking at the shadows of the trees on the ground, Bi Fang confirmed the time and approached the baboon, untying the knotted rope.

"It's eight o'clock; time to get moving," he announced.

"At this hour, the baboon won't care who is following it as it seeks out its secret water source."

The baboon squatting on the ground watched as the rope on the tree trunk suddenly loosened and finally fell to the earth, stirring up a bit of dust.

Then its own limbs also abruptly relaxed.

Initially thinking it was about to be eaten, the baboon had screamed madly, but after a short moment of confusion, it quickly understood and bolted.

"Quick, quick, follow it!" Bi Fang immediately grabbed his backpack and motioned for Harley to follow.

So on the vast African Savanna, one man and one cheetah began a pursuit of a monkey, during which Bi Fang also had to make sure the cheetah didn't run too fast and catch the monkey right away.

But there was a problem.

After nearly twenty minutes of running, Harley was panting and struggling to keep up.

The baboon's secret water source was much farther away than Bi Fang had anticipated.

The baboon using all four limbs wasn't very fast, and it was only a slow run for the cheetah, but after a continuous twenty minutes, it couldn't hold on any longer.

Seeing this, Bi Fang didn't hesitate much. He threaded a rope through the cheetah's limbs, quickly secured it, and then carried the whole cheetah on his back.

Harley was still a subadult and slightly smaller than a full-grown cheetah. Moreover, Bi Fang's backpack only contained a Gambian pouched rat, an empty water bottle, preserved fire starter, some plant ash, and he was also carrying several spears. Altogether, it weighed around forty kilograms.

Forty kilograms wasn't too difficult for Bi Fang to carry, especially in moderate temperatures.

Some highly capable soldiers could do the same, but in the eyes of the viewers, it was an incredibly badass feat.

On the other hand, if he didn't carry it and something unpredictable happened, that would be a different story.

Just like parents wouldn't feel safe letting their child run around alone in a supermarket.

[Dog's head, that's badass]

[Master Fang: This thing is so slow, and you even dare to call yourself 'Yellow Lightning'?]

[The golden flash of Earth, right.]

[Harley: Who am I, where am I, and how did I start flying?]

[Footage of early humans taming wild monkey kings]

[Baboon: What's that B noise behind, damn, a cheetah, damn, a person carrying a cheetah and running!]

[Standard? I want to see the unstandard!]

[You know about recordings.]

[In this live broadcast, I saw the design of complex tools, the formulation of comprehensive strategies, the use of other creatures, the patient waiting for the right moment, the developed sweat glands, the powerful cardiopulmonary function and muscle recruitment capability, and the full range of joint movement. Indeed, humans are the real monsters.]

[Humans are endurance monsters!!!]

[I'm really jealous of Old Fang's physical fitness. If I had his body, I would be the brightest star in the gym.]

[Let's be honest, even if you can't do anything else, having Master Fang's physical fitness would already make you successful in society.]

About fifteen minutes had passed.

Even Bi Fang, with his endurance, was exhausted from running for so long, drenched in sweat.

Having not had water for more than a day, his throat was about to smoke.

Finally, the hard yellow earth became rocky ground. The baboons leaped over the rough terrain and, in a few swift movements, vanished from sight.

By the time Bi Fang noticed, a modestly-sized dark cave had appeared before him.

Bi Fang set Harley down, no longer in a rush to enter but instead sat at the cave entrance to rest for a good while.

It was obvious why the baboons headed for this cave with such purposeful intent.

The target had been found, so there was naturally no need to hurry.

"Phew... inside such a rocky cave… even if there isn't a water source, the condensation of water droplets will accumulate and form puddles under the day-night cycles," Bi Fang explained to the audience, sweating profusely.

"Since the surroundings are all rocks... the water won't seep into the soil... it will just gather up."

After catching his breath, Bi Fang's tone became more fluent.

"However, I believe there should be an underground river. You see, there's barely any grass in the vicinity, and there are quite a few footprints, indicating that a number of animals frequent this place. If it was just condensation from the diurnal cycle, it wouldn't be enough to sustain so many animals drinking."

Despite being drenched in sweat and somewhat breathless, this didn't mean Bi Fang had reached his limit.

Sweating and panting are just normal physiological reactions to cool down, which happens to even the fittest people. The key is whether the legs have turned to jelly yet.

So, though he appeared very tired, after sitting for just a little while, Bi Fang felt rested enough. Reigniting the preserved kindling, he made a torch, and with Harley in tow, entered the pitch-black cave.

The entrance, though not large, was two meters long and one meter wide, more than enough for a person to pass through comfortably.

At this moment, Bi Fang wasn't concerned about the cave's scenery; water was the most beautiful thing to him.

Advancing less than thirty meters, a slowly flowing river appeared before everyone.

At the same time, the audience also saw the fleeing baboon take a hearty drink before noticing Bi Fang entering the cave. It immediately climbed up the rock wall and disappeared without a trace.

Bi Fang, a primate like himself, didn't consider the baboon as food. His sole purpose in capturing it was to find a water source.

Now that he had achieved his goal.

Upon spotting the water source, Harley couldn't wait to rush forward and drink, but Bi Fang grabbed him with the rope he had used.

Before, when carrying the cheetah, Bi Fang had tied it up with a rope for convenience, which he hadn't yet loosened.

"Don't rush to drink when you find a water source," Bi Fang had often said. "In the wilderness, you must be cautious about whether the water is safe. Moving water and stagnant water are different, and even amongst moving waters, there are variations."

"Even if it's all moving water, a large river is often not as clean as a rushing stream."

"Of course, that's not why I stopped Harley. If the baboon can drink, then many animals can, and so can Harley. Clean or dirty is only a human concern. I stopped him to guard against potential dangers in the water."

"In the wilderness, you must always be aware of your position, especially when close to moving water, as it might support large animals. Most of the time, there's no need to worry since large fish rarely attack creatures on the shore, but here in Africa, we have to be wary of possible crocodiles in the water."

"This is something Harley, who has never seen a crocodile hunt, definitely doesn't know. After a few sightings, it will learn to be cautious. For now, it's up to me to prevent accidents."

Crocodiles are abundant in African rivers.

[Fuck, there are crocodiles in the underground river too?]

[Master Fang, you're not joking with me, are you?]

"It's unlikely, but not impossible, because you don't know if this underground river connects to a surface river, or if a crocodile accustomed to holding its breath accidentally wandered in."

Bi Fang lifted the torch, illuminating the surface of the water, and surveyed the bank for signs of reptile tracks.

"Normally, a crocodile submerges for about 10-15 minutes at a time, but it can stay underwater for up to 30 minutes to avoid danger."

"In extreme cases, most crocodiles can dive for close to two hours, and the larger the crocodile, the longer it can hold its breath."

"Unlike us, who like to take a deep breath and use stored air to extend breath-holding time, crocodiles disdain such inefficient methods. Before diving, crocodiles even expel air from their lungs, relying mainly on their strong ability to regulate heart rate for breath-holding."

"While diving, a crocodile's heart rate can drop to 2-3 beats per minute, drastically reducing their oxygen consumption."

"Additionally, the duration of a crocodile's dive is also greatly affected by the water temperature. There are recorded instances of crocodiles that stayed submerged for over eight hours in nearly frozen rivers and survived."

"So, it's possible for some surface river crocodiles to enter underground rivers."

"However, there are no traces nearby, so it should be safe."

After checking around the bank, Bi Fang found no signs of crocodiles and allowed Harley to drink.

Free from restraint at last, the thirsty Harley eagerly drank from the river.

Bi Fang filled his water bottle too, and after Harley had quenched its thirst, went outside to boil the water. Afterwards, he wrapped the heated bottle in clothing and shook it vigorously to cool it down quickly. When it reached around sixty to seventy degrees, he couldn't wait any longer and began to sip it, despite the heat.

With fresh water rejuvenating his body, Bi Fang immediately felt refreshed and much better.

He repeated this process until he had consumed two bottles of water, and only then did he feel fully satisfied.

But now, with the water issue resolved, another problem arose.

Hunger.

Neither Bi Fang nor Harley had eaten since the day before.

Looking around at the animal tracks nearby,

Bi Fang cracked a smile, "Perhaps we could just wait for a rabbit to come to us."