Chapter 61

Chapter 61

[Da Bai: Look how awesome I am! Don’t look at them! Look at me!]

Hearing what Lin Qianyu said, the livestream chat was flooded with: "Hurry up!"

【Go Lin-jie! Hope you win over the thylacine-like soon (even though it's free outside, it still feels like it'd be better cared for with Lin-jie).】

【Go go go! If you see it, just scoop it up and run.】

【Cook it a full imperial feast, let it pick whichever dish it wants.】

Because of the extinction factor, even though the thylacine-like has solid hunting abilities and was once a dominant force on the grasslands, people still instinctively feel that it might not be able to take care of itself in the wild.

Now that the idea was in her head, Lin Qianyu didn’t rush to act on it. She was only halfway through picking the jia-gu fruit—she needed to finish her current task before moving on to the next.

Besides, judging by the time, the thylacine-like probably hadn’t been long since it ate the native chicken she left behind. It shouldn’t be hungry yet.

Even if she went looking now, the thylacine-like might no longer be by the shore.

If it hadn’t been stunned earlier by the splash from the orca, it might never have shown up under the rescue station’s surveillance cameras at all.

“I’ll think about where to look and come up with a plan before heading over,” Lin Qianyu said, placing the bag within reach and hanging it on a lower branch. She protected the wild fruits in her arms as she prepared to jump down, planning to come back for the bag afterward.

Just as she was about to jump, the red-footed falcon returned, landing directly on a tree branch not far from Lin Qianyu.

“Oh? You came back,” Lin Qianyu smiled with her eyes. “I thought you were scared off by my talk of protection fees.”

Worried the red-footed falcon might fly off again, she quickly added, “Just teasing. If you like this tree, you can stay here.”

The red-footed falcon turned around and shuffled backward a little. The magpie under its claws suddenly flapped hard in a struggle.

But it seemed to have injured a wing—it kept flapping in place and couldn’t even stand up.

After placing the magpie down, the red-footed falcon turned and flew to a higher branch on the jia-gu fruit tree.

【?!】

【Protection... fee?!】

【This red-footed falcon really knows how things work. Lin-jie said "pay a fee," and it didn’t hesitate.】

【Truly considerate. First visit and it brings a magpie—still alive. Auspicious symbolism! Lin-jie, lend it to me. I’ll bring it home for Lunar New Year greetings to my great-grandmother.】

【That poor magpie, not only might its nest get stolen by the falcon, now it’s been captured too. Poor thing.】

...

“Is this for me?” Lin Qianyu saw the injured magpie trying to hop off the branch and quickly reached out to block it.

It couldn’t fully open its wings even on the branch—jumping down like this would be no different from suicide.

“Chirp—chirp chirp chirp!” Startled, the magpie cried out in panic. Its claws barely gripped the branch as it struggled to move in the opposite direction from Lin Qianyu.

After all that effort, it had only managed to scoot a tiny bit.

Looking closer, its claws also seemed to be injured.

Meanwhile, the red-footed falcon had a freshly snapped jia-gu tree twig in its beak and was already considering nest construction. Hearing Lin Qianyu’s comment, it let out a soft "chirp."

Though the sound was quieter than the magpie’s panicked cries, the magpie immediately went silent upon hearing it.

This must be the pressure of hierarchy.Lin Qianyu lay down, trying to bring her line of sight level with the magpie.

Even though she was still a massive and intimidating presence in the magpie’s eyes, it was much better than sitting upright.

“Hey? Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you,” Lin Qianyu rested her hands under her chin, pressing down the messy branches and leaves. “Let me take a look at your injury, okay?”

The magpie, realizing it couldn’t move after trying hard, simply stopped struggling. Though it didn’t let down its guard, there was little use in being cautious if it couldn’t even move.

“I can help bandage you up,” Lin Qianyu said as she noticed the bird didn’t seem too badly off—maybe just startled by the red-footed falcon earlier.

She slowly approached, palm facing up, inching closer. “Don’t be scared.”

The magpie shrank its neck and closed its eyes as if giving up.

Lin Qianyu’s hand slid gently over the magpie’s head, her fingers slowly curling to pick it up.

“Chirp!” The magpie let out a panicked cry, flapping its wings in alarm.

Thankfully, Lin Qianyu reacted in time and tucked it into her arms before it could fully extend its wings.

The magpie, unable to struggle, lay still as Lin Qianyu smoothed its feathers with her fingers. She then lifted a tree branch she had trimmed from the jia-gu tree and handed it up.

This red-footed falcon didn’t want to use broken twigs from the ground; it had been picking and choosing its preferred branches directly from the tree, and after all that effort, still hadn’t gathered many.

The branch Lin Qianyu offered had green leaves and multiple forks, standing in stark contrast to the falcon’s thin twig, freshly snapped from the tree.

The red-footed falcon glanced at the offering, then decisively dropped the twig in its beak and took the branch from Lin Qianyu instead.

Seeing that it accepted it, Lin Qianyu let out a soft laugh, but quickly stifled it and cleared her throat when the red-footed falcon turned sharply toward her. “I’ll get going now. Take your time building your nest.”

Saying that, she tucked the magpie temporarily into her coat pocket, gathered the jia-gu fruit into her rolled-up shirt, braced herself against the tree for leverage, swung past two branches, and jumped down.

The cheetah looked up when she returned and immediately spotted the magpie poking its head out of her pocket.

The magpie had been curiously surveying the strange wooden shelter nearby, but suddenly sensed an intense stare burning into it. Almost instinctively, it shrank back into the pocket, its eyes just peeking out near the edge—only then did it realize the cheetah’s presence.

“!!!” Instantly, the magpie’s feathers puffed up in alarm.

Cheetahs, when unable to catch larger prey, sometimes settle for birds to fill their stomachs. They don’t have a fixed diet—basically, they eat whatever they can catch when they’re hungry.

So sometimes, magpies not only had to guard against natural predators, but also hungry cheetahs on the prowl.

An injured bird that couldn’t fly was bound to become a convenient snack if it encountered a cheetah.

But—only if the cheetah wasn’t already full.

Right now, Dou Dou hadn’t even finished digesting its last meal. Just chewing something would feel like a chore—there was no way it would be interested in the magpie.

More than anything, it was just curious why a magpie was in Lin Qianyu’s pocket.

Even without the cheetah asking, Lin Qianyu noticed its unwavering stare and could guess. “The red-footed falcon gave it to me.”

“It seems to be injured, so I’ll check it out first.” She took the magpie from her pocket and placed it on the wooden table layered with soft pelts.

Lying on something soft was far more comfortable than trying to balance on a branch.

Perhaps the magpie sensed that Lin Qianyu was trying to help, or maybe it was afraid that any movement would draw the cheetah’s attention—in any case, it stayed absolutely still. Even when Lin Qianyu lifted its wing, the magpie didn’t so much as tremble, solid as a rock.

Lin Qianyu carefully parted the feathers at the wing with her fingertips, checking inch by inch for bone injuries. “Fortunately, no bones were hurt.”Just now it was panicking so much but still couldn’t take flight. After checking the condition of its wings, she concluded, “It probably couldn’t fly because it was scared.”

Its cries were full of spirit, and it had been desperately trying to escape. Judging by its mental state, it didn’t seem like it had suffered any serious internal injuries.

But since it had been caught by the red-footed falcon, there were inevitably some marks left by its sharp talons.

Lin Qianyu had made a habit of collecting anti-inflammatory and hemostatic herbs whenever she came across them along the way.

Now that she needed them, she simply took some out and crushed them.

After applying the medicine and bandaging the wing, Lin Qianyu even tied a butterfly knot on the final wrap.

“All done.”

With the bandage on its wing, the magpie looked visibly uncomfortable and kept tilting its head.

The wound wasn’t deep—after applying medicine two or three times, it would almost fully heal.

But the magpie could reach this wound with its beak. If it started preening and pecked off the external herbal wrap, it might end up eating the herbs, which wouldn’t be good.

Although they were all-natural and a little herbal juice wouldn’t be fatal, it was still best avoided.

So for now, it had to stay bandaged.

“Don’t peck at the cloth. Once the medicine has been absorbed, I’ll help you take it off,” Lin Qianyu tidied up the table. For convenience, her desk was built right next to her wooden bed, with a gap in between to fit her legs, saving the trouble of needing a separate chair.

“That cloth came from my shirt. If you chew it up, I’ll be out of luck.”

She only had two sets of clothes to change into. If she had to tear up each one for bandages, they’d be unwearable in no time.

After she said that, the magpie didn’t react at all, as if lost in its own world.

Finding it odd, Lin Qianyu thought for a moment and asked, “Can you understand what I’m saying?”

Logically, with a magpie’s intelligence, it should be perfectly capable of understanding normal conversation.

But from the start, it had been entirely silent while she did all the talking.

Could it be… this magpie really didn’t understand her?

Just as that thought crossed her mind, the magpie shook its head.

“You shook your head? You really don’t understand?” Lin Qianyu was momentarily unsure whether to be surprised or amused that the magpie wasn’t quite as smart as she expected.

Then she froze for a second and pursed her lips. “If you didn’t understand, why would you shake your head?”

【Hahahahaha I’m dead!】

【Isn’t shaking your head when you don’t understand the most logical thing?】

【Help—this magpie is hilarious. Dou Dou, bite it!】

The magpie’s head-shaking motion paused mid-action, and it silently turned its head back around, no longer shaking.

“As long as you can understand,” Lin Qianyu let out a breath of relief and, half amused and half exasperated, poked the magpie’s head. “Go play by yourself. Just don’t run off. If you go outside and get snatched by a predator while you still can’t fly, I won’t be able to save you.”

Magpie: “Chirp!”

—Tasmanian tigers mostly hunt at night.Lin Qianyu, driven by the idea of finding the thylacine, deliberately adjusted her biological clock.

She spent the afternoon resting inside the shelter, lying in bed, absentmindedly scrolling through the barrage of comments.

In reality, she was waiting for news from Bai Zhao.

The cheetah was lying inside the room, very close—right next to the bed, within Lin Qianyu's reach.

The little cheetahs had played all day. Now that the sun had gone down outside, they had already fallen asleep, huddled together in a corner.

Sleeping like that gave off a strong sense of security.

The room was very quiet, with only the occasional sound of bones being crunched coming from the young wolf eating outside.

Lin Qianyu rolled over. The cheetah beside the bed was grooming itself.

The floor inside was covered with fur rugs, so anything fluffy that came in had to wipe its paws first. Even after wiping, the cheetah was still obsessively licking its pads.

After cleaning its paws, it continued grooming its body. Its sleek, shiny fur was impeccably clean.

Lin Qianyu watched quietly for a while, finding the scene rather sleep-inducing.

She pinched her brow to keep herself from dozing off. Seeing how focused the cheetah was, she couldn’t resist suddenly stretching out her hand and blocking one of its paws with lightning speed.

The cheetah, immersed in grooming, didn’t react in time and ended up licking the back of her hand once.

It didn’t hold back on strength, and with just that one lick, a visible red mark appeared on Lin Qianyu’s hand.

It didn’t hurt, but the mark looked quite alarming.

The cheetah paused, then placed its paw on her wrist and lowered its head to gently lick the spot.

Lin Qianyu spread her fingers and cupped the cheetah’s face from the other side. Even through the gaps between her fingers, she could see the cheetah’s helpless expression.

Even so, it didn’t struggle and simply licked her palm again.

【Honestly, isn’t this cheetah cold-faced but warm-hearted?】

【Looks aloof on the outside, but spoils you endlessly—it’s exactly the kind of big kitty I want to snuggle bald!】

【Found my dream material for tonight. Just say the word, and drop this cheetah into my dream.】

…

A cold face, but surprisingly good temper.

Lin Qianyu felt the same way.

After grooming for quite some time, maybe the cheetah was tired—its movements had noticeably slowed down.

Lin Qianyu let her hand drop from the side of the bed, gently rubbing the cheetah’s head with her palm. “It’s about time. Should we go out to look for the pseudo-thylacine? Or should Dou Dou stay behind to watch the house?”

The cheetah’s habits were the opposite of the thylacine’s—it preferred to rest at night and take care of the cubs.

And it wasn’t a good idea to bring too many animals along when going to find the pseudo-thylacine.

It might misunderstand and think she was bringing predators to hunt it.

Preparing for night outings required more supplies than during the day.For example, a flashlight for lighting, a compass to confirm direction...

But Lin Qianyu didn’t have any of those things, so after packing for quite a while, she ended up with just the usual trio: a kitchen knife, wild fruits, and her backpack.

Worried she might be heading out too early and the pseudo-thylacines hadn’t come out yet, Lin Qianyu deliberately waited until it was completely dark outside before picking up her backpack and stepping out.

The prairie wolf was pawing at a coconut that had rolled away, nudging it back with a kick. “Woo...?”

“Do you know what a pseudo-thylacine is?” Lin Qianyu held the little wolf’s paw and pinched its paw pad. “I ran into one by the beach today. I plan to go look for it tonight while they’re out hunting.”

The prairie wolf had only recently arrived here and seemed unfamiliar with the name Lin Qianyu mentioned.

“We’ll start by checking near the beach.” She figured that even though thylacines typically hunted at night, the fact that a pseudo-thylacine had shown up during the day meant its den couldn’t be far from the shore.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for it to roam that far from home during its inactive hours.

Lin Qianyu zipped up her jacket, swung herself onto the zebra, and before setting off, she reminded the livestream chat, “We’re just going to have a look, so don’t get your hopes up too high.”

The appearance of the pseudo-thylacine—even in a blurry video—had done nothing to dampen everyone’s enthusiasm.

Once viewers learned she was planning to look for it, even back when she first started talking to Feng Jingye, many had already begun waiting in her livestream room, solely to catch a glimpse of the pseudo-thylacine.

The existing footage of thylacines was mostly in black and white; you couldn’t even easily find a photo online without digging deep.

Countless people were eagerly hoping to see a living, breathing pseudo-thylacine through Lin Qianyu’s stream.

Even though it wasn’t a true thylacine, it was still the species most closely related to them that currently existed in the world.

To manage expectations, Lin Qianyu had been reminding viewers from the beginning, repeating the same thing now right before she left.

But at this point, the audience was only thinking about how she was finally setting off—they weren’t paying attention to anything else.

Viewers who’d been dozing off in front of the screen suddenly perked up.

Lin Qianyu fiddled with her watch, trying to see if she could adjust the light range. “Without a flashlight or night vision, if a pseudo-thylacine shows up, I might not even see it.”

【It’s fine, the livestream equipment has night vision—we can see.】

【Yeah yeah yeah, as long as we can see, you just keep moving, Lin-jie. If we spot a pseudo-thylacine, we’ll shout!】

【Keep an eye on the chat. We’ll point you in the right direction—just toss the livestream gear that way.】

【Whether you see it or not doesn’t matter.】

Lin Qianyu: “...”

Are you seriously pulling up the ladder before I even cross the river?

With Windchaser carrying her, her poor night vision was well covered.

The thylacine was once the largest carnivorous marsupial of the modern era, and any creature carrying part of its bloodline wouldn’t be weak either.

When it came to predatory threats, Windchaser was always the first to sound an alert.

And with the prairie wolf clearing the path up ahead, the otherwise tense night journey across the grasslands didn’t feel all that dangerous.

Although they were both coastal areas, the seaside on Prairie Island felt a little cooler than the one near the rainforest.

Lin Qianyu had already raised the collar of her jacket and zipped it all the way up—lowering her head allowed it to cover nearly half her face."Actually, the pseudo-thylacine..." Lin Qianyu was still trying to recall where the pseudo-thylacine had been flung to when the orca slapped the water earlier. Following the direction from memory, she walked over—and saw a crowd.

—All the show's guests were present except Feng Jingye, and even the director was there.

The staff were also all assembled.

Lin Qianyu: "???"

What’s going on?

Su Yuxing, as the director, felt rather awkward facing so many guests right now. He gave a small cough and said, "We were just curious about the thylacine and came to have a look."

There were a lot of people curious about the thylacine.

Some people who had a bit of influence even started contacting Feng Jingye, trying to get permission to come to the island.

Since Su Yuxing was already on the island, quite a few of his acquaintances began messaging him, asking how to get there.

Annoyed by the constant pop-up messages from private DMs, Su Yuxing simply gave up on checking his phone and came out to wander around himself, hoping he might bump into a pseudo-thylacine.

And after arriving, he realized that many others had the same idea—they were all milling around in this area.

Lin Qianyu said, “With so many people here, the pseudo-thylacine won’t show up. Everyone should leave.”

Pseudo-thylacines were known to avoid humans—this was something Feng Jingye had said himself.

Even if they didn’t avoid humans, no wild animal would willingly show up in a densely crowded area.

Su Yuxing rubbed his nose. “Yeah, that’s what I told them too.”

Originally, they thought that since it had been said, everyone would just chat a bit and then disperse. But the result? Every person was saying “okay, we’re leaving,” yet not a single foot was lifted.

Clearly, no one actually wanted to go.

After all, if they went back, they’d just be lying down to sleep—that’s nowhere near as exciting as being out here on an adventure.

So the same people who had been saying they’d leave a few hours ago were still standing in exactly the same spot a few hours later.

Lin Qianyu looked around. “Well, you all have fun, I’m heading back.”

Rather than stand here idly in the sea breeze, she’d much rather go back to the shelter and get some sleep.

As for finding the pseudo-thylacine—she could try again next time.

However... with everyone showing such strong interest in the pseudo-thylacine, the number of people at the beach was probably only going to increase.

The staff at the rescue station had a dedicated protocol for dealing with pseudo-thylacines, so no matter how curious they were, they weren’t allowed to be out here this late at night.

But it was different for the guests. They had more free time, and now that the internet was buzzing with discussions about the pseudo-thylacine—with experts stepping in and even official entities showing interest—it wasn’t surprising.

Yet even now, no outsiders had been granted entry to the island.

So naturally, all that attention fell on the people already here.

They were all in the entertainment industry—who didn’t want more popularity?

More popularity meant better career prospects, and when it came to popularity, the more the better.

"Lin Qianyu, everyone’s standing around here waiting. Don’t ruin the mood." Shi Jingyuan suddenly spoke up, directly targeting Lin Qianyu. “Just call the thylacine out already, take a few photos and record a video and we’ll be done. We’ve been waiting ages for you to show up, and now you’re saying you’ll just leave? You’re acting like the rest of us don’t matter at all.”As soon as Shi Jingyuan said that, Hang Sisi and Yu Lingyu—who had been chasing waves on the beach—immediately changed their expressions and stopped playing.

Gong Xinming and Nie Lingyang didn’t look too happy either.

This guy must be crazy—why was Shi Jingyuan dragging them into this mess he stirred up?

They had only come over to catch some live footage. If they saw the pseudo-thylacine, great; if not, no big deal. Their livestream room had a nice vibe either way—they were just treating it as a late-night party.

But with just one sentence, Shi Jingyuan had shoved them all onto Lin Qianyu’s opposing side.

Wasn’t that insane?

Lin Qianyu halted her steps, frowning in confusion. “What kind of thing are you that I should give you a second thought?”

She was genuinely asking. From her perspective, all those so-called honors Shi Jingyuan had received in the past didn’t mean anything to her, so naturally, she didn’t consider him a big deal.

Shi Jingyuan’s face went dark instantly. Of the whole group, other than Lin Qianyu, the other guests generally went along with him. Whatever supplies he asked for, the younger folks wouldn’t object.

Only Lin Qianyu—no matter what he said, she always found something to nitpick.

And the worst part? He couldn’t do anything about it. He was so furious his hands trembled. “You are simply—”

“Teacher Shi.” Hang Sisi cut in with an awkward laugh, interrupting him. “Lingyu and I are just here for the fun. We didn’t come specifically for the pseudo-thylacine.”

Yu Lingyu nodded quickly. “I even said in my livestream earlier—I mainly came to see the orcas.”

She couldn’t say she wasn’t curious about the pseudo-thylacine at all, but given the situation, she’d have to be insane to stand on the same side as Shi Jingyuan.

It was obvious he couldn’t get his way with Lin Qianyu, so now he was trying to pull the younger guests down with him.

And acting like he was some noble martyr—“you all are too polite to speak, so I’ll be the bad guy and say what everyone’s thinking.” That nauseating righteousness made Yu Lingyu feel like she was about to vomit last night’s dinner.

Please. All the new guests on this season came because of Sister Lin, okay?

If it weren’t for the need to keep her expressions under control, Yu Lingyu would’ve rolled her eyes on the spot.

What made her the angriest was that she was the least experienced, not as seasoned as Hang Sisi, and Shi Jingyuan had exploited her the hardest! If Hang Sisi hadn’t stepped in to mediate, she would’ve ended up handing over everything she gathered straight into Shi Jingyuan’s pockets.

With resentment simmering for a while now, and now this random pit he’d dug for her—Yu Lingyu was absolutely fuming.

Already upset, Shi Jingyuan now found himself getting interrupted by Hang Sisi and Yu Lingyu in succession. “You two really have no respect at all.”

Yin Youlin chuckled lightly. “We all came here to have fun. If it’s too much for you to bear, why don’t you go ahead and isolate us? Let us have our fun all by ourselves.”

【Shi Jingyuan is incredible—how did he manage to get on everyone’s nerves at once?】

【Acting all high and mighty, a mooch who uses his age to take other people’s supplies. He opens his mouth and demands things, and if you don’t give, you’re disrespectful and rude. Who wouldn’t be annoyed?】

【Hahaha please look at the director’s face—I swear Director Su looks like he wants to boot Shi Jingyuan into the sea.】

【Why did Director Su make such a bad call and invite Shi Jingyuan as a guest?】

…

Su Yuxing was indeed extremely annoyed. Rather than saying he invited him, it would be more accurate to say Shi Jingyuan brought his own funding into the show. If it weren’t for how much he contributed—and how earnestly he pleaded, saying he was getting older and just wanted to exercise, to experience the energy of young people...

He even said it would create more sparks in the show, and that Lin Qianyu shouldn’t always be the one carrying all the attention—others should share the spotlight too.

Su Yuxing had found the reasoning sound at the time, and after careful consideration, he signed the contract with Shi Jingyuan.Totally unexpected—the “conflict” did happen, but it almost ended up killing him!

After Shi Jingyuan provoked Lin Qianyu that first time, Su Yuxing had pulled him aside for a one-on-one talk and warned him: if this kind of behavior happened again, he’d be kicked off the show.

Things had been calm for a while—until they met again. The moment he opened his mouth, he managed to offend someone.

Su Yuxing took a deep breath. “It’s getting late. Everyone should head back.”

People paired off naturally. Yin Youlin went off with Hang Sisi and the others, leaving only Shi Jingyuan standing alone.

Shi Jingyuan hesitated. “Xiao Nie…”

Nie Lingyang, still chewing on food, said, “Ah! Teacher Shi, I just remembered I lost my watch—gotta go first!”

He didn’t even finish his sentence before turning and running. To him, Shi Jingyuan was like some greedy old beast—everything he saw, he had to take a little of. Outside, it could be seen as a gift to a senior, but in a survival situation with scarce supplies, Nie Lingyang really didn’t want to be scavenged by Shi Jingyuan any longer.

As he sprinted away, Gong Xinming shouted, “Wait up! I’ll light the way for you!”

Everyone was dodging Shi Jingyuan like he was some sort of monster.

Shi Jingyuan muttered something under his breath, trying to avoid the cameras. Su Yuxing, who was nearby, heard it and immediately frowned, stepping forward to say something.

Then suddenly—splash!

Years of directorial instinct kicked in. Su Yuxing reflexively stepped back just as a wave surged up from the sea and smacked Shi Jingyuan directly.

The force of it was strong enough to make a loud slap when it landed.

Amid the murmur of people chatting as they drifted apart in twos and threes, that sound stood out sharply.

Lin Qianyu squinted at the water. Something about it felt familiar. That didn’t look like a wave stirred by mere wind. Peering into the ocean under the cover of darkness, its color indistinct and its contents veiled in mystery, she focused carefully—sure enough, she vaguely spotted an orca swishing its tail impatiently.

Shi Jingyuan was stunned—completely stunned.

That splash had risen over half a meter above his head and came crashing down hard. He was drenched from head to toe, ears ringing from the seawater that had rushed in. The glasses perched on his nose—chosen for their scholarly appearance—now had cracks across the lenses.

He stood rooted to the spot, dazed for a long moment.

“Wheeeng—!”

The orca wasn’t done yet—it looked like it was about to flick its tail again.

Shi Jingyuan scrambled away from the shore as fast as he could. But just as he moved, he felt a warm trickle from his nose. Reaching up, his hand came away bloody.

Su Yuxing noticed that his eyes were bloodshot too. That wave had hit him hard. His limbs looked numb and stiff, his steps robotic—the bend in his knees barely even forming an arc.

“Xiao Wang! Hurry—go get rescue personnel and bring a stretcher!”

As he spoke, Shi Jingyuan opened his mouth, but no words came out. His eyes rolled back—and he fainted on the spot.

The grassland wolf standing in front of Lin Qianyu darkened its gaze slightly. Its tail swished behind it in irritation. Retracting its extended paw, it turned and rubbed its head against Lin Qianyu’s side.

【?! Huh? Did… did the sea just attack him?】

【Did anyone else see Shi Jingyuan’s lips move just now? I thought my headphones were broken because I couldn’t hear anything.】

【He was definitely badmouthing my Linlin and Da Bai (the orca) heard it!】【Damn, if anyone ever says again that orcas are only kings of the ocean and powerless on land, I’m sending them this video. That hit looked like it almost wiped Shi Jingyuan out.】

【Did you notice? Da Bai actually controls its strength. When it tossed the seal before, it was clearly gentler. Otherwise, that thylacine-like creature that got splashed back then wouldn’t have had time to yelp before fainting. It clearly wasn’t hurt—just startled by the water.】

...

Everyone was focused on what just happened. The livestream clearly showed the nosebleed Shi Jingyuan got from the hit, but... no one really cared.

Instead, the chat was enthusiastically discussing the orca’s control over water and the sheer force behind its tail slap.

A few mentions of Shi Jingyuan’s name appeared here and there, but they were quickly drowned out, not even making a ripple.

After a while, one comment popped up: 【LOL I'm dying—Yu Lingyu’s stream is playing “A Good Day” right now hahaha.】

Except for Lin Qianyu, all the current guests had been “bullied” to some extent by Shi Jingyuan. Everyone was secretly resentful, even if they didn’t dare speak up.

Those with decent wilderness survival skills kept their distance. Hang Sisi, Yin Youlin, and Yu Lingyu huddled together—and ended up becoming Shi Jingyuan’s main targets.

“Wheeng!” The orca poked its head above the surface once most people had left, eyes crinkling like it was smiling.

Lin Qianyu, noticing Shi Jingyuan being carried off on a stretcher, lightly patted the grassland wolf’s neck and walked toward the water. “Aren’t you going back to the deep sea to rest?”

Every time the orca saw Lin Qianyu, it got excited and wanted to roll around—even if they had just met not long ago, seeing her again in a short time still made it genuinely happy.

Sensing its mood, Lin Qianyu sighed softly. “Sigh, if only I could bring you back with me.”

That way, the orca could live with her and the fluffballs at home. Otherwise, it had to stay alone in the sea, waiting for her.

Even going out to deeper waters to hunt strange food would be better than just soaking in the shallows.

“Wheeng…” The orca didn’t seem to mind, looking cheerful as it flipped over. Even the rising pitch of its calls sounded carefree.

From a distance, over the waves, it was playfully acting spoiled with Lin Qianyu.

At that moment, the ocean’s mighty ruler seemed more like a little chatterbox, calling nonstop.

Suddenly, its voice cut off.

Da Bai, who had been rolling around happily, abruptly straightened and flipped over, turning toward the deep sea.

It didn’t leave—just stared in that direction.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Qianyu took off her shoes and rolled up her pants, walking down into the water. “Is something approaching?”

Whatever made an orca this alert had to be something like a humpback whale—or an aggressive shark.

The orca noticed Lin Qianyu coming down and got anxious, quickly swimming over to her, seemingly trying to push her back toward shore.

That made things feel even more off.

Fear comes from the unknown.

Especially when the sea only looked dark blue in the far distance. The deeper shades made it impossible to see what might be hiding underneath.

【Damn this is creepy. Don’t tell me there’s some kind of prehistoric beast under there.】

【No clue, but very few creatures can make an orca nervous like this. Linlin, maybe get back on shore—this place feels dangerous.】

Maybe the whole scene just looked too eerie now. The cold, tense atmosphere gave people chills, and even the sound of waves crashing onto the beach tightened their throats with unease.Urged insistently by Da Bai, Lin Qianyu backed away while pushing at it. “Alright, alright, I’ll go back up. But don’t follow me, the water gets too shallow further in.”

She retreated to the edge, where the waves barely brushed past her ankles, all the while keeping her eyes fixed in the orca’s direction.

After a while, the sea remained calm.

There was no large-scale fight as expected—instead, a dorsal fin emerged from the water with the rolling waves.

“Wheeng!”

“Wheeeeng—” A whole group of orcas vocalized at once, full of curiosity in their tones.

Lin Qianyu: “???”

【!!!】

So—so many orcas.

Da Bai clearly knew these orcas. When it heard their greetings, it angrily bumped into one of them.

The orca that got bumped didn’t mind and continued trying to “talk” to Lin Qianyu.

Which only made Da Bai even more annoyed.

“Wheeng!”

The orcas didn’t stay in one spot, and their movement made it hard for Lin Qianyu to tell exactly how many were in the area.

Anyway, from the looks of it, Da Bai was basically fighting all of them.

And it was fighting fiercely.

Lin Qianyu mumbled, “So... why are you so nervous if the ones who came are your own pod?”

She had thought something serious was going on, but it turned out to be a false alarm.

They were familiar whales.

【Trust me, if my friends tried to steal my cat, I’d be more anxious than Da Bai.】

【When they all called out together just now, it sounded like me and my roommates finding a stray kitten on the street and all yelling ‘kitty!’】

【No wonder Da Bai doesn’t return to the pod—they’re all trying to steal its little kitten!】

Having just adopted a human, of course Da Bai wouldn’t want to share with the rest of the pod. It didn’t even show off.

Lin Qianyu raised an eyebrow—she was starting to wonder if Da Bai had actually found its pod again but chose not to go back because of her, and just stayed around to play.

One whale taking on an entire pod.

Da Bai: “Wheeeeeng—!”

It won—but was still mad.

“Alright, alright, quit it already. You’re all going to end up onshore at this rate. You guys head back now,” Lin Qianyu stomped her foot lightly. Just now, she’d stepped into the seawater—though her pants were rolled up, they still got quite wet.

Now, with the wind blowing, the damp fabric was starting to feel stiff and chilly.

“I should head back too…”As Lin Qianyu was speaking, an orca in the sea suddenly stood up.

—it literally stood upright and moved sideways.

Orca: “Wheeng!”

Look at me!

Seeing Lin Qianyu’s gaze shift over, the orca put even more effort into its performance.

The clever orca was using this trick to get Lin Qianyu’s attention.

Da Bai: “Wheeng!”

You dog!

Fuming, Da Bai swam over, leapt out of the water, and knocked the other one down.

Then it flipped in the water and surfaced again—mimicking the other orca’s “standing walk,” but standing even straighter!

Da Bai, full of righteous fury: “Wheeeeng——!”

Lin Qianyu held her forehead in exasperation, not sure how things had suddenly taken such a bizarre turn.

【Is—Is this really something I get to watch for free?】

【Reject animal performances. But how do you reject animals who insist on performing?】

【Da Bai: Look how cool I am! Don’t look at them! Look at me!】

【They’re officially competing now.】

Author's note: 【All thylacine-related information sourced from the internet】

Good night, sleep early, love every one of you.