Chapter 74

Chapter 74

The giraffe responded by lifting its head, “Moo-oo...”

No matter the size, age, or species of feline—when they see a cardboard box or basket, they always want to squeeze into it.

Even tigers in zoos will paw at a big cardboard box and try to crawl in.

Lin Qianyu cleared her throat and said seriously, “This one really was poor quality.”

The materials used to weave the basket weren’t ideal for weaving in the first place, but they were the best substitute she could find for wicker.

After being dried, the twigs became quite brittle. Still... under normal circumstances, they could easily carry some heavy items.

It’s just that the white lion was too big. Even the weight of a single paw was more than the basket could handle.

But there were plenty more at home. If it broke, it broke.

At that moment, as the white lion stared at the broken basket, its face didn’t show much expression, but its emotional shift was clear. It moved its paw hesitantly, curled it back, and seemed ready to lie down.

Worried the sharp ends of broken twigs might poke it, Lin Qianyu quickly got up and cleaned up the debris, pushing it all into the fire pit to stoke the flames. “Let me see if I can find a tougher material, something that won’t turn brittle when dried. I’ll weave you a bigger one.”

The white lion gave its fur a shake and turned its head, now distracted by the shell wind chime being blown in the wind.

Lin Qianyu sat back down and turned to see the little wolf still staring unblinking at the white lion. She raised her arm and gently turned the grassland wolf’s neck. “Don’t look at the lion. Look at me.”

Avoiding eye contact could help prevent a furry standoff.

She kept gently fidgeting with the little wolf to draw its attention. “Want some rabbit? I can roast a few for you. Or do you want it raw?”

The fish it had in the morning wasn’t enough to keep it full, and the food from last night at the rescue station had likely long since been digested.

“Oooh...” The little wolf licked its lips and let out a sound in response.

“Both, huh? Then I’ll do a bit of each.” Lin Qianyu pulled a few rabbits from the basket. “Did you go back home after hunting?”

No wonder it took so long to arrive.

So it had caught too many rabbits to carry, went back to get a basket, packed them up, and then returned.

Just going back and forth, not counting the time spent hunting, had already delayed it plenty.

After prepping the rabbits and setting them on the rack, Lin Qianyu first gave some beef to the little wolf. Back on Rainforest Island, Big Orange used to hunt water buffalo all the time, so this kind of meat wasn’t unfamiliar to the little wolf.

The white lion didn’t eat cooked meat, so Lin Qianyu set aside a few skinned and gutted rabbits without roasting them, only cooking about a third of the total.

The rabbits were small. One or two wouldn’t even fill the gap between the white lion’s teeth.

Sharing the food the other had hunted was also a way to build familiarity between them.

She split the raw rabbit meat into two portions. The little wolf’s had more of the half-roasted, still-bloody pieces. Lin Qianyu turned and called out, “Big lion, want some rabbit...?”

Her voice trailed off.

She saw the white lion squatting in front of the wooden house, its right paw raised and slightly curled, staring intently at the swaying shell wind chime. Its pupils dilated, then contracted, and finally locked in place. Then, it slapped its paw down.

Lin Qianyu thought the paw strike would send the wind chime flying. She had added a latch, but it was only enough to keep the chime from being blown away by the wind. The force of a white lion’s paw could warp a roof beam—what chance did a latch have?

Yet, just as the paw neared the wind chime, the white lion clearly restrained its strength. In the end, it only gave a gentle flick, testing the shells with a cautious hook of its claw.

The shell wind chime, which had nearly gone still, was nudged back into motion by the push and began chiming again.

The white lion’s tail swayed behind it. After pulling its paw back to rest in front of it, it only raised its paw again to nudge when the wind stirred the chime once more.Looks like the white lion really liked the decorative wind chime.

New things always catch attention. Since the white lion had just eaten an entire buffalo leg, Lin Qianyu didn’t urge it to come over for the rabbit. She simply covered the rabbits with a few more leaves. When the lion got tired of playing and wanted to eat, it would come on its own.

Compared to the cautious approach yesterday, today Zhui Feng was like a new beast—bold enough to walk right in.

After handling the rabbits, Lin Qianyu took out the green plants from the side pouches on Zhui Feng. These were all dug up near the lake, ornamental greenery that wasn’t available around here.

She stuffed the rabbit skins into the side pouches as well.

Lin Qianyu turned to dig holes and plant the greenery. Without proper protection, they couldn’t be out of soil for too long. The soil wrapped around the roots wouldn’t keep them safe for long either, so she planted them temporarily. Once the yard was planned out, she could move them. This way was more convenient—no need to make another long trip.

When she finished, Lin Qianyu patted the surrounding soil. “All done.”

Turning around, she saw the grassland wolf had already finished eating both the rabbit and buffalo meat. It was leaning beside her, eyes downcast, watching the freshly piled earth.

Lin Qianyu instinctively raised her hand to pat the fuzzy head, but she'd half-used tools and half-used her hands to dig just now—her hands were covered in dirt. So she pulled back and rubbed it gently with her elbow instead. “I’m gonna go wash my hands first.”

The white lion’s home resembled the cave back on Rainforest Island—situated on higher ground, with a river behind it. The elevation difference meant that even during rainy season floods, the rising water wouldn’t reach its den.

Coming back from the riverside, Lin Qianyu wiped her hands with a compressed towel. Seeing the white lion still playing with the shell wind chime, her eyes curved in amusement and she raised her voice: “Big lion, I’m heading out. I’ll come build your yard next time.”

The white lion glanced over at her in response, but made no sound.

Lin Qianyu strapped her backpack onto Zhui Feng, extinguished the fire, grabbed the ostrich egg water bottle, and left. Before going, she reminded, “Don’t forget to eat the rabbit.”

“Woo...”

—Leaving the white lion’s territory, the grassland wolf took the lead toward home.

Lin Qianyu scrolled through the comments and said, “Little wolf, wait. We’re not going home just yet. Let’s go find Gong Xinming—I want to return the rope.”

Might as well take care of everything while there was time, in case anything else delayed her later.

No telling how long she’d end up holding onto that rope.

In the variety show Wilderness, that rope was practically a divine tool—excellent quality and very useful. But outside the show, no matter how good the rope was, it was still just a rope—not much use.

The zebra brought up the rear, slowly following with supplies on its back. Every time it passed drooping leaves, it had to bite them to sample the taste.

After seeing in the comments where Gong Xinming was, Lin Qianyu led the little wolf and Zhui Feng downhill along the river behind the slope.

Compared to the river behind the white lion’s home, the water here wasn’t nearly as clear. It looked like thick silt had settled at the bottom, and the flick of a fish tail could muddy a whole patch of water.

The grassland wolf noticed the situation and slowed down, falling half a step behind. It circled to Lin Qianyu’s other side, standing between her and the river.

Lin Qianyu asked, “Is there something in the river?”

“Aow!”

Ugly.

After that, the grassland wolf paused, then gave a soft “woo.”

Lin Qianyu thought for a moment. “Little wolf says there are crocodiles sleeping in the river.”

The river was flowing, not still, so she couldn’t see any crocodiles even looking down.

She hadn’t seen a crocodile since coming to the grasslands, but they were the kind of creatures that usually hid in rivers or swamps.During the rainy season, it's not too bad—just be cautious when drinking water, or better yet, switch to a safer river altogether.

But once the dry season hits and rivers dry up, crocodiles will definitely be found at the remaining water sources on the grasslands. Rhinos will also take over the mud pits, soaking in them to cool off.

As Lin Qianyu walked forward, lightly swinging the rope in her hand, she suddenly paused. “Hey… look, there are giraffes over there.”

Giraffes are the tallest terrestrial animals in the world. Even newborn calves are 1.5 meters tall. Their fur patterns come in two types—spots and a net-like pattern.

Not far off, across the river, it looked like a giraffe was about to cross.

A baby giraffe followed closely beside its mother, curiously observing the water.

The phrase “you can see farther from a higher place” applies universally. When the giraffe lifted its head and looked this way, Lin Qianyu quickly crouched down and pulled the little wolf with her into the riverside bushes.

Lin Qianyu raised her index finger to her lips and whispered, “Shh…”

The grassland wolf rubbed its nose against her fingertip.

When the zebra caught up and saw Lin Qianyu hiding, it looked utterly confused, chewing its half-eaten leaves without swallowing. It had no idea why they were suddenly hiding.

But that thought lasted only a moment before it was distracted by the bushes nearby and started munching its way bald through a path.

As a fellow herbivore, the zebra didn’t trigger any alarm in the giraffes.

After scanning the surroundings, the tallest giraffe in the group took the lead into the river. With their long legs, they could walk freely in the water—the current didn’t even reach their necks. The baby giraffe followed right beside its mother.

The giraffe’s ossicones looked small—thick, short, and branching. Its large black eyes gave it a dazed and gentle appearance.

Aside from the difference in pattern, the baby giraffe looked like a miniature version of the adult.

【So cute!】

【The way it’s trying to keep up with its mom is so obedient.】

【They're about to go into the water!】

…

【Wait, hold up, what’s going on?】

The scene on land had been heartwarming and adorable—but the moment they entered the river, the tone completely changed.

The baby giraffe wasn’t tall enough to walk freely like the adults.

The sleeping crocodiles in the distance weren’t an immediate threat. The real danger came from the flowing water. Even though the current wasn’t fast, it still caused the baby giraffe to wobble and stagger.

It struggled to walk forward, bobbing up and down in the water.

Lin Qianyu: “……”

Comments: 【???】

【Adult giraffe: The water's shallow, kiddo, just walk. Baby giraffe steps in: splash blub blub... Re-really shallow, huh.】

【Hahaha help, the adult giraffe seriously underestimated the baby’s height.】

Fortunately, despite how dangerous it looked, the leading group under the adult giraffe's guidance still managed to make it to shore safely.

The rest of the group continued crossing in an orderly fashion.Only occasionally, the baby giraffe had to lift its head—if its face couldn’t stay above water, at least its nose had to float up. At this rate, a few more rounds and it would probably learn how to do the breaststroke.

The river water looked clear, perhaps because the sediments that usually cloud it had settled at the bottom. But once the giraffe herd passed through, they stirred up the mud, and even this stretch of river visibly changed color.

Splash—the baby giraffe seemed to step on something slippery and suddenly toppled headfirst into the water.

Choking on water, the baby giraffe panicked, flailing its legs wildly, but completely lost its balance and was swept away by the not-so-strong current.

“Yelp!”

The baby giraffe’s panicked cries overlapped with the sound of splashing water.

The adult giraffe sensed something was wrong and bent its head to try to block it, but the baby, out of control, was carried even farther by the current.

“Damn.” Since Lin Qianyu saw it happen, there was no way she'd just stand by. She quickly got up and ran over.

The grassland wolf leapt out of the bushes as well.

The giraffe herd, already panicked by the baby drowning, became even more chaotic the moment they spotted the wolf.

Wolves occasionally prey on giraffes—even though this young wolf hadn’t interacted with this group, their instinctual fear kicked in as soon as they saw a predator.

Only the adult giraffe closest to the baby remained, constantly bending its head down, trying to block the baby drifting downstream and help it stand.

The slow-moving current wasn’t strong enough to wash the baby away. It was just that the baby giraffe couldn’t get its footing, and its flailing made it drift with the flow.

The adult giraffe followed alongside underwater, dipping its head again and again.

“Move, move!” Lin Qianyu ran around the giraffe herd. The situation was too urgent to explain anything. As she ran, she started untying the rope in her hands.

The baby giraffe was already dizzy in the water. It had swallowed a lot during its tumbling and was slowing down, even its kicking weakening. The murky water began to submerge its nose and mouth; it struggled to raise its head again, only to sink once more.

In its panic, the baby giraffe kicked the adult giraffe several times, splattering mud all over its face. The adult was even forced to take a step aside.

Hearing Lin Qianyu’s voice, the adult giraffe maintained its bent posture but hadn’t lifted its head yet. It hesitated and looked toward the human running along the riverbank.

Luckily, the rest of the herd was still focused on the grassland wolf. Otherwise, by now, the stronger adult giraffes would’ve charged at Lin Qianyu.

【Ahhh?! This is making me so anxious—hurry up and save it!】

【Has no one ever told you not to jump into water to save a drowning person without rescue training? They’ll drag you down too. That applies to people—who dares try saving a giraffe?!】

【That adult giraffe just got its jaw kicked sideways. What if a person gets knocked out with one kick?】

【Also, the current’s really fast, okay? You're way less agile in the water than on land.】

…

The comments were filled with panic and urgency. Supporters and opponents of jumping in to save the giraffe were now arguing in the tension.

But Lin Qianyu couldn’t spare any attention for that.

“Bite the rope!” she shouted, tossing one end of the rope. But the semi-conscious baby giraffe clearly couldn’t respond. The rope landed beside it and sank.

Without hesitation, Lin Qianyu pulled the rope back in and tried to tie a loop. But after measuring it briefly, she gave up—the rope wasn’t long enough.

It had fallen off a tent, so it wasn’t very long to begin with. Making a loop wouldn’t even get it close to the baby giraffe.

If there had been a life ring on the end, Lin Qianyu could’ve at least tried to hook it.At the moment, Lin Qianyu frowned as she assessed her surroundings. She didn’t throw the rope again but suddenly accelerated, running ahead of the drifting baby giraffe. With a swing, the rope landed precisely by the baby giraffe’s mouth.

As it broke the surface in a startled cry, it instinctively bit down. Lin Qianyu gave a forceful tug, just barely keeping the baby giraffe’s face above water, while grabbing a short tree nearby.

However, with the force of the tumble and the current’s impact, as soon as Lin Qianyu stopped moving and the baby giraffe was pulled forward, the rope went taut.

The baby giraffe lifted its head at the surface, biting down on the rope with all its strength, its eyes still filled with panic.

The adult giraffe followed along the riverbank.

【!!! Sister Lin is amazing!】

【Be careful, stay safe.】

Lin Qianyu looped the taut rope around her hand, just about to start pulling the baby giraffe in little by little—

Then, a crack sounded.

Lin Qianyu’s eyes widened. The tree trunk she had barely managed to grip snapped clean in two.

Her body was instantly yanked forward, out of control.

The current was stronger than it looked, and the murky water concealed what was underneath. Lin Qianyu suspected there was an undercurrent.

She couldn’t hold her ground. The only way not to get pulled down was to run along with it. Lin Qianyu reached out for more branches, but there were only a few trees near the riverbank she could use. The branches couldn’t withstand the force and snapped the moment the rope went taut.

Even so, Lin Qianyu kept winding the rope around her hands, slowly shortening the distance between her and the baby giraffe.

With something to anchor to, the baby giraffe stopped thrashing. Just by biting the rope, it could keep breathing at the surface.

After running a long way and snapping countless branches and trunks, the force pulling against her finally lessened. Lin Qianyu wound the last loop of rope.

“Huff…” She let out a long breath, bracing herself against a rock. She reached out to grab the baby giraffe’s front leg and tried to haul it up—but only then did she realize her hands were covered in cuts. Her fingertips trembled uncontrollably. She had gripped too hard earlier, and now that she had loosened up, weakness made them shake.

She couldn’t lift it. The baby giraffe just lay there at the edge, dragging its front legs against the bank once or twice, then gave up and collapsed there.

Having just brushed past death, the baby giraffe coughed up two mouthfuls of water. Its wet eyes blinked slowly, and the corners of its mouth lifted slightly—it looked like it was smiling.

Lin Qianyu’s lips were pale. She pressed them together, noticing her wrist, tightly wrapped by the rope, was already turning purple. She loosened it a bit, but didn’t take it off completely.

Looking at the baby giraffe staring at her with wide, hopeful eyes, Lin Qianyu asked, “Does anything hurt?”

As soon as she spoke, she realized her voice was hoarse beyond recognition.

Lin Qianyu cleared her throat. “If anything feels wrong, you can tell me. I’ll take you to a doctor.”

“Yelp.” The baby giraffe shook its head, stuck out its tongue, and bent sideways to take a bite of grass by the river.

【?】

【Wow, it got hungry from all that rolling in the water.】

【Good thing it’s okay. That was terrifying. But Sister Lin doesn’t look too well—her complexion had just gotten better before.】

Lin Qianyu had been living on the island for a long time and didn’t usually look in mirrors. Sometimes she’d glance at her reflection when fetching water. So when fans mentioned her complexion had been “rosy,” she wasn’t really sure when that had been.

She only felt that her face being pale as paper had long become the norm—she was used to it.

Her whole arm was starting to go numb now, her muscles burning with overexertion. “Can you climb up by yourself?” Lin Qianyu had no strength left to lift it.The baby giraffe blinked slowly, its hooves resting motionless on the riverbank.

Alright then—exhausted, the human and the animal stared blankly at each other.

It had been rough, but thankfully, nothing serious had happened.

Lin Qianyu was tired too, so she simply lay down by the river with her head toward the water, letting her wrist wrapped in rope rest to the side. “Let’s just wait for rescue here.”

Seeing her lie down, the baby giraffe anxiously lifted its head. “Yelp? Yelp!”

It looked around in a panic, trying to find its mother for help.

“It’s okay, I just need to rest for a bit.” Lin Qianyu reached up and steadied the baby giraffe’s shaking head. “You rest too. Catch your breath. Maybe if we both try again in a while, we can pull you up.”

Perhaps because it had just come through a life-or-death moment, the baby giraffe was especially calm now. Knowing it had no strength left, it didn’t try to scramble up again, and instead comforted Lin Qianyu in return. “Yelp…”

Don’t be afraid.

Lin Qianyu smiled gently and rubbed the baby giraffe’s ear in return.

As long as the little one wasn’t traumatized, that was good.

Lin Qianyu hadn’t rested long when the grassland wolf arrived. Seeing her lying there, the little wolf froze in panic before rushing over in a few long strides. “Growl!”

“Don’t worry,” Lin Qianyu raised the hand still wrapped in rope. “I’m fine. Totally safe.”

The little wolf leapt over, and Lin Qianyu caught it in her arms, patting its back. “Good boy, help me pull the baby giraffe up, will you?”

The grassland wolf bit down on the rope wrapped around her wrist—it had been looped several times, leaving bruises and purple marks on her skin.

Lin Qianyu had thought she would keep the rope wrapped on her end, while the wolf pulled from the other, so that if the baby giraffe lost its footing and fell again, the rope around her wrist could still act as a safety anchor.

But the wolf unwrapped the rope from her wrist first, then grabbed it and backed away.

The baby giraffe, still biting the rope since earlier and not daring to let go—likely remembering it was what had saved its life—continued to grip tightly, even as it lay limp in the water.

As the wolf pulled it up, the baby giraffe didn’t even stretch out its legs. It collapsed directly on the ground, utterly exhausted, not wanting to move a muscle.

Even though it knew the grassland wolf might bite through its neck at any moment, the baby giraffe didn’t care—it didn’t even want to blink, much less make any other movement.

The grassland wolf curled up against Lin Qianyu’s neck, pressing its forehead against her cheek. “Whimper…”

“It’s okay, don’t worry, I’m just a little tired,” Lin Qianyu hugged the wolf gently and coaxed, “Let me lie here a little longer, and then we’ll head back.”

【They’re not waiting for rescue anymore?】

【Wait—where’s the director? If the rescue team hasn’t arrived yet, Director Su’s going to be in trouble.】

【Hold on, did anyone see Sister Lin actually contact the rescue team? If she only said she needed help, does that count as the kind of “rescue” that disqualifies her?】

The sun was starting to get hot. Lin Qianyu raised her hand to shade her forehead. The livestream comments were flying by. She squinted and explained, “When I said I was waiting for rescue, I meant the little wolf.”

If she were going to contact Director Su, she would’ve messaged him for sure.

Lin Qianyu took a deep breath, rolled over, and buried her face in the grassland wolf’s fur. “Ugh… so tired. Little wolf, carry me back, okay?”

The grassland wolf licked her cheek and made a move to stand.

Lin Qianyu quickly pulled it back into her arms, laughing. “I was joking. Just lie with me for a while.”The giraffe mother was the first to arrive, lowering her head to nudge the baby giraffe lying on the ground.

A group of giraffes followed behind her.

Giraffes are timid and gentle animals with weak combat abilities; when encountering predators, they immediately flee.

After spending so long confronting the grassland wolf earlier, they seemed to realize that the wolf had no intention of harming them. So now, seeing the wolf lying on the ground, a few giraffes even cautiously stepped forward.

The baby giraffe kept calling out, “Yelp, yelp,” nonstop.

One giraffe stepped out from the group—it seemed to have a fairly high status in the herd—and walked to Lin Qianyu’s side, letting out a soft call.

“No need to thank me. If I see someone in trouble, I’ll always help.” Lin Qianyu pushed herself up with her hands. The shallow cuts still stung a little. She waved to call Zhui Feng over. The water inside was already cool, but thanks to the hot weather, it wasn’t icy cold—still warm enough.

Fortunately, it was the white lion who had fetched the water this time, and it hadn’t added fruit to it—otherwise, there wouldn’t be a way to clean the wounds.

With the way the river looked now, it was fine to splash a bit to wash your hands if uninjured, but definitely not safe to use on wounds.

Lin Qianyu rinsed twice with the water—there didn’t seem to be any major issues.

There were no deep wounds, just some minor scrapes, hardly visible.

The giraffes continued to linger nearby and didn’t leave.

Lin Qianyu had recovered enough and stood up to roll up the rope. “You all should keep moving. I’ve got to go too.”

The adult giraffe tilted its head. “Moo…”

Giraffes of different ages can make different sounds, ranging from crisp to deep and muffled.

Lin Qianyu rolled up her pant legs and said, “Head west. I’m going to find my colleagues.”

This little delay meant time was running short.

Lin Qianyu said, “I’m heading off now.”

But just as she turned to leave, the giraffe lowered its head and let out a sound.

Lin Qianyu froze. “You… want to send me off?”

The afternoon sun was scorching. Walking under it in short sleeves felt like getting a layer of skin burned right off.

Gong Xinming leaned against a tree, using a giant banana leaf to fan himself. In the distance, he spotted giraffes appearing along the edge.

He reached out and tapped Hang Sisi beside him with the banana leaf. “Sisi, look—aren’t those giraffes up ahead?”

Hang Sisi was sipping coconut juice, resting her head on her backpack. The leaf she had placed over her head slid off, and she sleepily opened her eyes. “So many giraffes.”

The ground was so hot it felt like the heat had taken physical form, causing the air to ripple with mirages.

Hang Sisi had only ever seen giraffes at the zoo, separated by barriers. This was her first time seeing wild giraffes out in nature, and she was a little excited.

But after sitting up and watching for a while, Hang Sisi suddenly sensed something off. She furrowed her brow and muttered in confusion, “It looks like they’re heading in our direction?”

Yu Lingyu gasped. “Now that you mention it… yeah, it really does look that way…”

Yin Youlin stood up, glancing around. “Do we have giraffe food here or something? Why are they heading straight toward us?”

The guests gathered under the tree were all dumbfounded.Watching the herd of giraffes slowly approach, Hang Sisi and Yin Youlin exchanged a glance, as if silently asking whether they should run.

If it had been a pride of lions approaching, they definitely would’ve run without hesitation—but giraffes, it seemed, wouldn’t harm humans without reason.

Hang Sisi suddenly asked, “Did any of you happen to offend a giraffe?”

Animals are spiritual beings. If someone unknowingly angered a giraffe, then that poor little thing who got bullied earlier might really have brought its companions back for revenge.

That’s common with carnivore packs, but who knows if giraffes behave the same way.

Still, right now... other than that guess, there didn’t seem to be any better explanation.

Gong Xinming shook his head. “I’ve only offended a jackal.”

None of the other guests had interacted with any animals.

Just as they were still confused, Hang Sisi suddenly said, “Is there someone on the back of that giraffe at the front?”

Yin Youlin raised his hand to shield his eyes and also noticed something was off. He exclaimed, “It’s not just someone—why is there a wolf among the giraffes? And a zebra too?!”

They were getting closer.

Lin Qianyu leaned sideways from behind the giraffe’s neck, revealing herself where she’d been hidden by its neck. “Hi, good afternoon, everyone.”

The giraffe lifted its head in response. “Moo-ooh…”

Good afternoon.

Author's Note: [All information about animals is sourced from the internet]

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