Chapter 63

Chapter 63

[Big Fish: Thank You, Nature, for Your Gift.]

Pei Feng let out a deep sigh under the fluffy gazes surrounding him.

Lin Qianyu silently held her forehead. “S-sorry.”

Pei Feng: “……”

Your laughter is deafening.

His voice was helpless: “Move your hand, your laughing is making it shake.”

The smartwatch was on her wrist, and Lin Qianyu was struggling to suppress her laughter—of course her hand was shaking.

The video was nearly vibrating from it.

She had been holding it in, but after Pei Feng said that, Lin Qianyu buried her face on the table and completely lost it. “Pfft… hahaha. I’m sorry.”

This scene, combined with Pei Feng’s words, made it almost impossible not to laugh.

【Type 1 if Buddha forgives you.】

【It really is tragic, but also so funny, I can’t—I'm laughing like a rooster.】

【Pei Feng, if you’re being threatened, just breathe—Good! You are breathing.】

【Seriously though, I’m used to seeing Linlin surrounded by the tiger, leopard, black bear, and red-tailed eagle—it feels warm and picturesque. But swap in Pei Feng, and now it looks like a hell-level horror film.】

The visuals were nice, but most importantly, Lin Qianyu got along naturally with the fluffballs.

Put Pei Feng in the same position, and it looked like he was being held hostage and filming a ransom demand video.

“Little Diao, Little Bear, Huahua, Da Ju, let him go first.” Lin Qianyu said through the screen, “Didn’t I tell you all? I’m going on a business trip for a while. I’ll be back when I’m done.”

Seeing that the fluffballs were still unwilling to let go, Lin Qianyu added gently, “Be good.”

“Grrr…”

Da Ju leaned close to the camera and sniffed. Of course, it couldn’t smell anything through the screen, but seeing the person inside, it got anxious and started pawing at it.

Lin Qianyu placed her hand on the camera and stroked it from the nose upward like she was smoothing its fur. “I’m here, sweetheart. Did you miss me?”

“Woo!” The black bear looked up at her, eyes full of longing.

The red-tailed land eagle hopped off Pei Feng and landed on the bear. Huahua jumped onto the table and peeked at the screen from behind the phone.

Lin Qianyu had worried before—after she left the rainforest, would the fluffballs go their separate ways? After all, they each had their own territories.

Though the cave was big, it was nothing compared to their home ranges.

That they stayed behind—it's no exaggeration to say—it was all for Lin Qianyu.

But now, it seemed… the fluffballs were still living together.

Lin Qianyu composed herself. “I’m really sorry about today. I didn’t expect them to go to the rescue center looking for you.”

Before leaving, she had told each of the fluffballs the same thing. Worried they wouldn’t understand, she had repeated herself constantly during those last few days: that she’d be away for a while, that she’d come back when work was done, and that they shouldn’t hurt the rescue center staff and should get along with everyone.

Wait a second…Lin Qianyu believed she had explained everything thoroughly and properly—every detail accounted for, nothing should have gone wrong.

However!

Judging by the current situation, it seemed there was still a slight problem.

Pei Feng straightened his jacket—he’d already tidied himself up while talking. “It’s my fault. I ran into the tiger during patrol today. It kept following me, and I thought it wanted to see you through me, so I showed it your livestream.”

At first, everything was fine. The tiger didn’t bare its teeth or act aggressive—just quietly watched the livestream.

After a while, it walked away.

Then later… he was blocked at the door by a whole group of beasts.

“Everything’s okay on your side, right?” Pei Feng made some small talk and added, “I’ve been busy with meetings lately, barely had time to catch your streams—day and night are all mixed up.”

He paused, then casually asked, “Saw in a recent stream you had something like a thylacine. So, uh… are there a lot of thylacine-types over there?”

Before Lin Qianyu could reply, Pei Feng mumbled almost to himself, “Actually, thylacines might not be suited to the grassland environment. I feel like they’d do better in a forest.”

He even lowered his voice while saying that, as if whispering during a video call.

But the next second—Bo Zhao’s call came in.

Because the stream was still running, a call notification popped up in the video window on Pei Feng’s end.

Pei Feng: “???”

The moment he picked up, Bo Zhao exploded: “Pei Feng, why didn’t you just let the tiger kill you!”

“……” Pei Feng hung up and blocked him in one smooth motion, then cleared his throat. “Ahem.”

He’d totally forgotten Lin Qianyu was still streaming—since the video was through his private phone, he’d been saying whatever came to mind.

Lin Qianyu smiled and said, “I’m not very familiar with the thylacine. Up to now, I think I’ve only seen that one.”

Maybe it wasn’t just one, but Lin Qianyu wasn’t sure.

Pei Feng nodded and didn’t bring up the thylacine again.

During the entire conversation, Pei Feng hadn’t appeared in the frame once.

The small screen barely had enough space for the fluffballs to each show a face—there was no room for Pei Feng at all.

Across the screen, Lin Qianyu was busy patting this one’s head and tapping that one’s ears.

Even though there was no real physical contact, the fluffballs always reacted whenever her fingers landed—either rubbing against the screen or twitching their ears.

Clatter—the phone stand clearly couldn’t handle so many animals squeezing in at once.

The phone in the video tumbled off the table with a clatter.

The fluffballs panicked and jumped down, carefully pawing at the phone.

The leopard and tiger held the phone down with their paws and looked up at Pei Feng nearby.

No need for the fluffballs to say anything—under these circumstances, Pei Feng’s reaction was exceptionally sharp. He had to be—if he wasn’t sharp, he had to be tough. One or the other.

Pei Feng picked up the phone. “It’s fine. Still on the call.”The phone had only fallen screen-down, so the video feed was just blocked from view.

The screen lit up again, but Pei Feng was quickly squeezed out of the center spot once more.

“Be good, I’ll be back very soon.” Lin Qianyu didn’t bother counting how many days she’d been gone—just happened to spot the steppe wolf returning from a hunt.

She quickly waved to the little wolf.

As the steppe wolf dropped its prey and ran over, Lin Qianyu wrapped her arms around its neck and pulled it onto her lap.

Now recovered, the steppe wolf was heavier than before, but given its species, even stronger it still wasn’t that heavy. “Look, the little wolf!” Lin Qianyu waved the wolf’s paw toward the camera. “I’ve been with it these past few days and made a lot of new friends. Doesn’t it look so much better now?”

“Woo!”

Even though their time together had been short, for a steppe wolf that had spent years locked in a concrete cage while sick, that time had been the most relaxed and free in ages.

With its incredible memory, the steppe wolf hadn’t forgotten them.

Lin Qianyu hugged the little wolf, resting her chin on its head. “The environment here’s great too. It’d be so nice if you all could come play here too.”

There were so many interesting things that had happened on the grassland, she couldn’t possibly finish telling them all at once.

But video-chatting with the fluffballs she hadn’t seen in a while felt so fresh and comforting.

Especially when it felt just like yesterday—still hugging Da Ju and Hua Hua, resting against Xiao Diao, and sleeping beside Xiao Xiong.

Without realizing, Lin Qianyu had ended up talking a lot—rambling, even bringing up little mundane things.

When she finally came back to herself, she felt like these were such trivial stories. But when she looked at the fluffballs on the other end of the screen, they were all listening with such focused attention.

Like the best audience ever—no matter what she said or how she said it, every pause was met with the most enthusiastic response.

In the end, Lin Qianyu smiled and said, “I’ll introduce you to my new friends next time.”

Ding—a low battery warning popped up on Pei Feng’s phone.

Lin Qianyu noticed and said, “Let’s stop here for today. I’ll tell you more fun stuff when I get back. Oh, and when you’re free, remember to check on the red pandas and giant pandas in the bamboo forest for me.”

She added, “Don’t scare the staff. I’ll be back soon.”

Pei Feng, who had just finished rummaging through his drawers to find a charger, paused for a moment at her words—then plugged the phone in anyway.

Lin Qianyu said, “Thanks for your help today.”

Pei Feng waved it off. “It’s my job. Nothing troublesome about it. But if you really feel bad, then maybe the thylacine…”

He’d said it before—when it came to matters involving Lin Qianyu, all other work came second. Her needs came first.

Even if she wasn’t currently on their rainforest island, his job duties hadn’t changed at all.

Buzz buzz—Pei Feng glanced at the unfamiliar number calling again. “Tsk…”

Bo Zhao had probably grabbed someone else’s phone.

After ending the video call, Lin Qianyu let out a soft sigh. She really missed the fluffballs waiting for her in the rainforest.

But she couldn’t stay on forever—if she did, the call would probably last all the way until she returned.

She rubbed the little wolf’s belly, hugged it tight and kissed it, then gathered herself and said, “Let’s rest for a bit. I’ll go slice the meat, and when Doudou comes back, we’ll eat.”“Woo!”

Lin Qianyu rubbed her face, glanced at the time, and figured the cheetah should be back soon.

Just as she slit open the belly of the prey, she saw the cheetah return, carrying an antelope in its mouth.

Lin Qianyu was momentarily stunned. She had casually mentioned the antelope they ran into earlier while joking on the phone with the cheetah using its paw pads—she hadn’t expected the cheetah to actually catch one and bring it back.

The cheetah placed the antelope next to her hand—within reach once she was done butchering the prey she was working on.

Lin Qianyu curved her lips into a slight smile, raised her hand intending to pat the furry head, but upon noticing the blood on her hands, she withdrew it and instead gently rubbed her arm against the cheetah’s head. “Thanks for the hard work.”

She looked at the cheetah, now off grooming itself, then at the steppe wolf sitting quietly by her side, waiting patiently for her to finish cutting the meat.

Lin Qianyu tapped her own cheek lightly and couldn’t help but sigh, “My fluffballs are all so good.”

【The devotion of predators… sigh… this kind of unique affection in the whole world, who could possibly resist it.】

【I’ve butchered pigs at Darunfa for ten years, my deboning and slicing skills are top-notch. Sister Lin, have you really never thought about hiring me to help out?】

【Fluffballs are great, but fluffballs that are only good to you—now that’s truly incredible. Ahhh!】

…

After portioning out the meat for the fluffballs,

Lin Qianyu went back to working on a half-finished piece of clothing. While plucking wool, she suddenly said, “Little Wolf, how about you bring the pack over for dinner tomorrow?”

The shelter had already been built, so of course it was time to invite Little Wolf’s companions over for a meal.

Other than their appearance on her first day here, the whole pack hadn’t shown up together again—just one or two at a time occasionally.

It was about time to gather them all at her home, especially since Little Wolf had made new friends here.

She hadn’t invited them earlier because they had nothing at the time—just a makeshift shelter that barely housed her and Little Wolf. There had been nowhere for the pack to go.

Now that the yard specially built for the steppe wolf pack was ready, it should finally be put to use.

And those wolf cubs could be perfect playmates for the cheetah cubs.

“Woo…” The steppe wolf licked its lips. When it lowered its head to drink milk, a bit of powder stuck to its chin.

Lin Qianyu spread out the damp wool and started thinking about what kind of prey she could hunt next.

With so many alphas in the pack, she definitely needed to prepare more food.

Steppe wolves would occasionally try fruits, not as a main course, but they were open to eating them as snacks.

The wild berries she picked last time had already been sent back to the rescue station by the patrol staff.

There were still some unripe ones on the trees, but these fruits were edible even when not fully ripe—the difference was only in taste.

She laid the wool in a thin layer. The stone slab had been washed with water, and after being baked in the sun, it was bone-dry—her hand could still feel the heat radiating from it.

With heat from below and sun from above, the wool dried quickly.

Lin Qianyu carefully teased the fibers with her fingertips, smoothing out a few thick, unopened tufts.

【Linlin, why are you going into retirement mode again? Be more active, come on!】【Exactly, everyone’s gone looking for the thylacine now. The beach area’s super lively.】

【Hang Sisi and Yu Lingyu are even staying over there tonight to wait.】

Ever since the thylacine appeared, the hype hadn’t died down.

Once the wool she’d laid out was almost dry, Lin Qianyu pressed one end with her fingertip, gently rolling it forward, while the other hand held down the coiled end of the yarn to keep it steady.

Catching a glimpse of the barrage discussion, she casually said, “I don’t like crowds.”

With that many people around, there was no way the thylacine would show up.

The fact that it only appeared after everyone left last night was already enough to prove Lin Qianyu’s point.

Such a simple truth, yet not necessarily something the other guests were unaware of.

But really, whether or not the thylacine appeared didn’t matter—as long as they showed up, the stream would gain traction. Some people were still betting on the slim chance the thylacine might appear.

Viewers who clicked into the livestream and stayed were still counted toward the popularity metrics.

Su Yuxing was genuinely curious to see the thylacine, just like the audience. Only, while the audience camped out in the livestream room, Su Yuxing went and physically camped at the spot where the thylacine had previously appeared.

Lin Qianyu wound the finished yarn around a wooden stick. Making clothes required a lot of thread—if she just coiled it up randomly like before, it might get tangled when she tried to unravel it later.

Winding it around a wooden stick was safer. She could even add a rotatable base to both ends and pull as she used it, without manually winding.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Qianyu said, “I’ll go when there are fewer people.”

【Why not have Feng Jingye go? Isn’t the whole island his? If Feng Jingye stepped in, could he maybe get a proper daylight shot of the thylacine’s face?】

It had been too dark last night. The thylacine only appeared during that time, and the livestream had been in night vision mode, everything tinted with a hazy green. People really wanted to see a clear photo.

Before Lin Qianyu could reply, old fans had already responded in the chat.

【Probably not gonna work. Seems like the island lord doesn’t have great luck with animals.】

【Hahaha, spending his own money to feed and care for them, only to be disliked by the very animals living on his island. What a tragic island owner.】

Listening to the chewing sounds of the fluffballs, Lin Qianyu took a sip of the water steeped with fresh fruit. She put away the wound-up yarn. “Still a bit short. I’ll have to catch more sheep when I hunt.”

She was aiming to get her clothes made soon.

One or two sheep weren’t nearly enough to meet her wool needs anymore.

Besides, roast sheep tasted good, and didn’t carry the legal grey areas of other prey.

Technically, rope made from palm leaves could also be used to make clothes, but it wasn’t realistic to wear against the skin. The material wasn’t great and it was uncomfortable to wear.

As she toyed with the cotton yarn, Lin Qianyu suddenly remembered something. “Right, my shells.”

She set the wooden stick on the table and turned to retrieve the shells she had washed and left outside to dry last night.

Without sunlight, some shells didn’t look as delicate or vibrant as they had the night before. It was also hard to tell which ones would shimmer in the light.

But they were all beautiful anyway, so she decided to drill holes in them one by one.

“I’ll string them into a wind chime and hang it here.” Lin Qianyu used the tip of a kitchen knife, like how one might pierce an ostrich egg, to poke small holes near the top of each shell.

Shells were brittle. They felt thick to the touch, but a slight misstep in pressure and they could crack into several pieces—or worse, get ground into powder if she pressed too hard.Therefore, delicate work like drilling holes had to be done with extreme care.

All of Lin Qianyu’s attention was focused on piercing the shells. Her fingertip suddenly paused for no reason. She carefully felt the weight tugging at her pant leg, then looked down—on her left and right, the two little cheetahs were working hard trying to climb up her legs.

They were so focused on climbing, they didn’t even lift their heads. From Lin Qianyu’s angle, all she could see were two fluffy little heads with ears straining upward.

Seeing how much fun they were having, Lin Qianyu didn’t interfere and continued her own task.

Since the door was open and daylight was streaming in, she didn’t rush to string the pierced shells together. She planned to drill as many holes as possible while it was light out and save the stringing for when it got dark and she had nothing else to do.

Efficient time management.

The baby cheetahs climbed very slowly. Even with Lin Qianyu staying perfectly still to cooperate, they would still slide down a little after every few inches they managed to climb. Tails stretched taut, they barely managed to steady themselves before continuing upward with determined little paws.

At this rate of climbing one step and slipping three, who knew when they’d actually reach the top.

…

The adult cheetah had finished eating and was lying outside in the sun.

The grassland wolf came into the wooden house and leaned in as if wanting to nuzzle Lin Qianyu like usual. But when it noticed the two cubs clinging to her clothes, it paused, then rubbed against her waist from behind. “Woo…”

“Hm? You want to go now?” Lin Qianyu reached a hand behind her and gently stroked its fur with the back of her hand. “Didn’t you just eat? Why so eager to hunt again?”

“Awoo!”

“All right, be careful.”In the end, all she had in her hands were seashells and a kitchen knife.

She paused, then looked down at the two little cheetahs on her legs, swatting at each other with their paws.

“…Mew?”

The little cheetah, lifted by the scruff of its neck, looked dazed.

In the next moment, Lin Qianyu held the cub forward a bit. “Chu chu chu…”

【???】

【The moment Lin-jie picked up the little cheetah, my CPU almost fried.】

【Da Sha Chun what are you even doing!】

【Little cheetah: So… love does fade away, huh.】

The thylacine outside showed no reaction, and in the end simply lay down at the doorway—just like last night. It would approach Lin Qianyu, but never too close.

Lin Qianyu thought for a moment and switched to the other little cheetah to try teasing the thylacine.

The adult cheetah had somehow walked over without her noticing. When it saw the cub in Lin Qianyu’s hand, it came closer to sniff it, didn’t think much of it, and turned to leave.

Then it seemed to realize something, paused mid-step, turned back, looked closely at the cub, then at Lin Qianyu, its gaze darting repeatedly between the two—becoming increasingly confused.

The puzzlement practically solidified on the cheetah’s face.

【Dou Dou: This bait looks kinda familiar.】

【Little cheetah: Please don’t look familiar, mama! Help! Mama!】

【Hahaha Linlin totally baffled the cheetah. Even the thylacine outside probably has no idea what's going on.】

…

Lin Qianyu put the two cubs down, cleared her throat lightly, and squatted by the door. “Not coming in?”

She had originally thought to use food as bait, but she hadn’t made a drying rack yet, so there was no jerky.

Freshly cut meat carried a strong bloody scent that lingered, making it hard to even close the door if it was kept inside.

So, in the wooden shelter, the only edible thing was coconut—everything else wasn’t suitable for eating.

The thylacine lay down, and its side-lying posture made it look like the simple wooden house had gained a light brown threshold.

“You’re just gonna lie down now?” Lin Qianyu’s eyes curved into a smile. “Have you eaten? We still have meat at home, I can cut some for you.”

The cheetah and grassland wolf had already eaten. Not much meat was left, but there was still some rabbit from before, already skinned and cleaned.

It wasn’t packaged though, so it couldn’t be stored well. Lin Qianyu had simply wrapped it in leaves, and when tidying the house, moved everything with a scent to the old palm-leaf shelter.

The thylacine still didn’t respond.

【I feel like the thylacine just comes to find Linlin, doesn’t talk, just keeps her company, and leaves after a while.】

【Yes! It was the same last night! Hardly any interaction.】

The quiet, introverted thylacine.The other guests were still waiting by the seaside, and no one expected that the thylacine, which had only shown up twice at night before, would completely change tactics today.

It moved during broad daylight. Judging by the fact that no livestream had mentioned its appearance, it had skillfully avoided all surveillance cameras and the streaming equipment following the hosts.

Lin Qianyu stood up to fetch the rabbit. Sensing the threatening aura from the newcomer, the little cheetah immediately bristled, struggling to open its mouth wide and bare its sharp teeth. “Hiss!”

The thylacine looked completely unfazed. Even when provoked by a cub, it remained calmly lying down.

The little cheetah bared its teeth fiercely for a while, and when it saw there was no reaction, it flopped to the ground, took a breath, and then lifted its head to keep baring its teeth.

Lin Qianyu gave the cub a couple of rubs, picked it up, and tucked it into her arms to bring to the adult cheetah. “I’ll leave it to you for now, take care of it.”

The cheetah raised a paw and gently rested it on the cub's head, pressing down the ferocious little one.

Lin Qianyu went next door to get the rabbit. As soon as she stepped out, she saw the thylacine that had been lying at the door silently stand up and start following behind her.

“Why are you following me?” Lin Qianyu paused. “I’m just grabbing something and coming right back.”

The thylacine didn’t say a word and just kept following her.

“…Alright then, if you like following, suit yourself.” Lin Qianyu reached out, trying to pat the thylacine’s head as a gesture of goodwill—but just as she extended her hand, the thylacine, which had been right behind her, suddenly took a few steps back.

Didn’t want to be touched.

Lin Qianyu raised an eyebrow and withdrew her hand. If you don’t want to be touched, then… I won’t touch!

Wild animals having a sense of vigilance and guarding against everything—that was something Lin Qianyu was glad to see.

In the wild, if an animal was too trusting or too naïve toward humans, it could easily lead to its own death. Knowing how to refuse and keep distance was crucial for protecting itself.

So, she didn’t mind the thylacine’s rejection at all.

Considering how rare they were now, Lin Qianyu only hoped they’d stay more cautious.

Still, it was a little odd. The thylacine came close to her, yet wouldn’t allow her to come close to it. Did it trust her or not? It felt strange.

Pushing aside the questions swirling in her mind, Lin Qianyu took out the rabbit bundle.

The grassland wolf at home had become obsessed with catching rabbits. After finishing off the last catch, now every time it went hunting and spotted a rabbit on the way, it would temporarily abandon whatever prey it had in its mouth to chase the rabbit—then bring both back.

Later, the cheetah started mimicking this behavior. If it could carry extra prey, it would go after rabbits; if not, it wouldn’t bother.

Lin Qianyu unwrapped the rabbit bundle. The leaves were soaked limp with blood, but the meat was still fresh.

In this kind of weather and temperature, Lin Qianyu never kept meat for more than three days. If it wasn’t finished by the third day, it had to be thrown out.

She mused, “Still need to build a meat-drying rack.”

Any leftover meat could be turned into salted meat, cured meat, or jerky—extending its shelf life in the sweltering heat.

Drying whole rabbits was also doable.

She set down the rabbit, placing the leaf wrapping underneath as padding, and called out, “Want to eat some?”

The thylacine stepped forward and sniffed… then sniffed again.

There were four rabbits in this bundle. The thylacine circled around and sniffed each one, then picked one to bite into, tearing off some meat and chewing it in small bites.

After swallowing, it carried another rabbit to the top of the pile and repeated the process, taking a bite.It seemed like it was inspecting something.

Seeing how slowly it was eating, like it wouldn't even finish half a rabbit anytime soon, Lin Qianyu sat down across from it. “No rush, take your time.”

【Ahhh—! The thylacine seems so cautious.】

【That’s good. This species only survived by luck. Without a strong population, if it were too trusting, a single encounter with a poacher would be the end.】

【I'm doomed—if Lin-jie looked at me that gently while telling me to eat, even if she poisoned me in front of my face, I’d think she was sprinkling powdered sugar!】

【Tsk, looks like you're beyond saving. Unlike you, in the same situation I’d just assume Lin-jie sprinkled salt.】

...

After taking a bite out of each rabbit, the thylacine stopped eating and stepped back slightly, squatting down and starting to groom itself.

“Not eating anymore?” Lin Qianyu looked at the rabbits with chunks missing. “Did you already eat before coming here?”

Otherwise, why eat so little?

The thylacine blinked, as if deep in thought, licked the blood at the corner of its mouth, and bit the edge of the leaf wrapping the rabbits.

It bit one side and lifted the edge. The leaf tilted, and the stacked rabbits rolled to the other side.

They barely stayed on the edge, but the blood was already dripping down the leaves. It gently bit the leaf and began dragging it backward, bit by bit.

Clearly, it wanted to take the food away.

“Wait a minute,” Lin Qianyu interrupted.

The thylacine paused. It didn’t seem surprised by Lin Qianyu’s refusal, and instead of grabbing the food and running, it calmly released the leaf from its mouth.

“Don’t go. Can you really be full with just that little?” Lin Qianyu folded the leaves and tied them up with a rope woven from palm fibers. “Here, this will be easier for you to carry.”

Seeing that the thylacine wanted to take the rabbits home, she helped pack them up.

Otherwise, with the leaves spread out and being dragged along the ground, not only would blood drip everywhere, but the bundle would be hard to carry. One wrong move and the rabbits could spill out. After all that effort, it might arrive home with just a single leaf left in its mouth.

And the blood would probably have drained dry.

The thylacine froze for a moment, staring at the neatly packed rabbit bundle in front of it, eyes wide and blank.

Lin Qianyu placed the bundle in front of it and said with a gentle smile, “You’re welcome to come again.”

The thylacine opened its mouth slightly, catching the scent of blood through the thin leaves, still not reacting.

After a while, it lowered its head, bit down on the rope, and turned to run off.

It seemed to still be mindful of something—it ran a couple of steps, then turned back to glance at Lin Qianyu, only to see her still standing in the same place.

The thylacine paused, then dove headfirst into the bushes.

Lin Qianyu stretched and relaxed her body. Earlier, to avoid making any sudden moves that might seem threatening to the thylacine, she hadn’t dared move a muscle while it was running off.

The thylacine looked back every few steps—so strange.

She rolled her sore shoulder, picked up a ripe fallen wild fruit, peeled it, and munched as she walked back.---In the afternoon, the wind picked up.

The grass on the ground rustled as they walked.

A group of demoiselle cranes was foraging not far away, their slender and fragile claws digging into the earth in search of food. Their black necks moved with agility.

The cheetah silently stepped forward.

The next moment, the cheetah was hugged around the neck by Lin Qianyu. “No hunting, no hunting. We just ate, and we won’t be able to finish it if we catch more.”

Before finding a proper way to store food, Lin Qianyu didn’t want to stockpile too much. Even if she did, it had to be something they could finish within three days.

“Let’s go check over there.” Lin Qianyu hugged the cheetah and rubbed its ears gently, moving quietly so as not to startle the cranes.

She had followed them here after spotting the demoiselle cranes while coming up the slope.

Lin Qianyu’s curiosity about the cranes was mistaken by the cheetah as her wanting to eat them, so it had gotten ready to pounce.

【I feel like this island is just too beautiful. Some of the scenery alone is enough to make you feel at peace.】

【Wuwuwu... stop, I’m about to dash in there and run a few laps.】

【Even demoiselle cranes are here. There aren’t many left in the world. Luckily, breeding centers exist now—hopefully one day their population will grow again.】

They climbed up with the cheetah.

Lin Qianyu didn’t really pay attention to direction—she just didn’t want the cheetah to keep eyeing the cranes.

Step by step, they went up the slope and unknowingly reached the upper stream of a river.

Near the water source, everything around them was vibrant with life.

Lin Qianyu stretched out her arms and took a deep breath. “This temperature, with a bit of breeze, actually feels pretty comfortable.”

Besides, the breeze wasn’t hot, nor was it cold.

Everything just felt perfectly balanced.

The wind lifted her hair. Lin Qianyu tried to smooth it down, only to realize she had forgotten to bring a hair tie, so she let it be.

The little cheetahs ran up ahead, not in straight lines—their wagging tails swung side to side with each bouncy step.

A small misstep and they would bump into each other.

Not bothering to yelp, they rolled a couple of times, got up, shook their fur, and continued forward.

“Chubby cubs really are the cutest.”

Round and bouncy.

Watching them play so happily, Lin Qianyu traced her fingers along the cheetah’s back. “Actually, staying in one place all the time must be pretty boring for them.”

They were naturally energetic, but since the outside world was dangerous, even if they weren’t kept in the yard, the mother cheetah would still hide the cubs all over the place.

“Wu! Awoo!” The cub running ahead seemed to have spotted something. It suddenly ran back and circled around Lin Qianyu.

It bit at her pants leg, tugging her backward, repeatedly signaling toward the right.

“Seems like someone’s there?” Just to be safe, Lin Qianyu picked up the two cubs first, then walked in that direction.A pile of stones had been stacked by the lakeside. A man sat on one of them, holding a slender tree branch, looking like he was fishing.

“Nie Lingyang?”

“Mm?” Nie Lingyang had dozed off while fishing, propping his chin up with one hand, hovering between sleep and wakefulness. Hearing someone call his name, he opened his eyes in a daze.

His gaze drifted in a slow circle, and when he saw Lin Qianyu, he focused and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to snap awake. “Lin-jie? You here to fish too?”

“I was just out for a walk.” Lin Qianyu lifted the little cheetah in her arms slightly. “Why are you dressed like that?”

Nie Lingyang glanced at the tattered animal fur on him. “Didn’t Gong Xinming’s clothes get torn up by a jackal?”

Lin Qianyu paused. “So you took the spirit of sharing to heart?”

“Not really.” Nie Lingyang shrugged. “Then he just robbed me.”

This variety show, having strangers as guests was one thing—but when people who knew each other joined, it got even worse.

You felt bad going after strangers, so whenever something happened, it was always the familiar ones who suffered first.

Nie Lingyang had greeted him, and then his clothes were forcibly swapped.

He spoke with a calm attitude: “It’s fine. Honestly, I’m confident about surviving in the wild. It’s just a piece of clothing—no big deal.”

“Do you do this type of show often?” Lin Qianyu asked, sitting down nearby and shielding the cheetah behind her. When the cheetah sat upright, Lin Qianyu couldn’t cover it, but sitting in front of it like this, she clearly meant to separate it from Nie Lingyang.

The way Nie Lingyang spoke would make anyone think he was a wilderness survival expert.

“Not really.” Nie Lingyang, now in an animal-skin skirt, looked much steadier. He fiddled with the fishing rod in his hand. “I can handle hunger well. Back when I was writing a script to get into a character’s mindset, I starved myself for several days, only drinking water.”

“In other words, even if I really can’t survive, I’ll still outlast the other guests.”

Lin Qianyu: “……”

【???】

【Wait—you’re proud of that??】

【I thought he was some kind of hidden expert. Next time, just choose sleeping pills during the supply selection. One pill a day, sleep through the whole thing.】

【Hahahaha, that’s actually genius!】

It was also Lin Qianyu’s first time encountering such a... surprising wilderness survival tactic.

But thinking about it more carefully, the ultimate goal of wilderness survival was—survive.

Everything you did was just to prepare to stay alive.

If Nie Lingyang could endure it, then yeah, he might just outlast the others.

At the very least, he had already outlasted the oldest contestant.

“Lin-jie, want to fish with me?” Nie Lingyang grabbed a handful of branches and invited her. “I see a lot of fish here. Nothing better to do anyway. Sitting here fishing saves energy, and if we catch something, we can eat it. This activity has no downside.”

“Can you actually catch anything like this?” Lin Qianyu looked at the clearly makeshift branch. What was tied to the end wasn’t even proper fishing line—it was probably one of the supplies Nie Lingyang chose from the program team.

There was line, a rod, and even bait attached at the bottom.

But... there was no hook.“Of course I can,” Nie Lingyang said seriously. “I just caught one a moment ago, but it was too small, so I released it.”

As he spoke, Nie Lingyang suddenly pointed toward the lake and lowered his voice. “Look! Qianyu-jie, do you see the fish?”

Lin Qianyu: “Yeah.”

A black fish was circling the bait. The water was clear, so it was easy to see.

Nie Lingyang stared intently. The moment the fish swallowed the bait, he suddenly yanked the rod upward. Even though there was no hook, the fish’s mouth was still shut and hadn’t had time to spit it out—so it was pulled straight out of the water.

If it let go now, it would just fall right back in.

Nie Lingyang stood up and caught the fish mid-air with one hand. “How about that, Lin-jie!”

He chuckled, “I caught it, didn’t I?”

Lin Qianyu raised an eyebrow, nodded, and clapped in approval. “Not bad.”

Nie Lingyang fiddled with the fish in his hand, then said regretfully, “It’s a little small. If it were bigger, I’d eat it. Since it’s this tiny, I’ll let it go.”

“Go tell your big brother to come here,” he added, tossing the fish casually back into the lake.

Before the little fish even touched the water, a large black fish suddenly shot up and swallowed it whole.

Splash! It disappeared back into the lake, sending ripples across the surface before everything calmed again.

Nie Lingyang froze: “??? Eh?”

Lin Qianyu pressed her lips together, cleared her throat, and then couldn’t help but laugh. “…Hahaha!”

【Help! Are you trying to kill me with laughter so you can inherit my credit card debt?】

【Big Fish: Thank you, Mother Nature, for your generous gift.】

【Little Fish: Thank you, kind human, I’m al—YOU #%&*—!”】

Author’s Note: Good night, sleep early, love you all.