Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness

Under the night sky, the mountains resembled a serpentine form.

The stars were clear and bright, shining upon a flat expanse nestled within the valley. From the surrounding area, this valley floor looked like a giant pot.

It also appeared as a gaping maw to the viewers, many of whom suddenly felt a shiver of malevolence rising from the depths of their hearts.

Beneath them was pitch darkness, making it impossible to discern whether there were any plants or animals.

[It’s a bit like the mouth of the abyss.]

[Are there plants below? It looks so eerie.]

[Is this night mode or normal light?]

[I can’t tell anymore, it seems like normal light, otherwise it wouldn’t be this dark, right? But it also has a cinematic feel, normal light wouldn’t be this bright, would it?]

“No, you’re underestimating the night sky of the Qaidam Desert,” Bi Fang shook his head. The light-capture capability of the live broadcaster was indeed strong, but that was only part of the reason.

The desert sat at high altitude, and nearly devoid of human settlement, let alone industrial development, the nighttime sky was exceptionally beautiful.

Moonlight poured down, and even without torches or flashlight, Bi Fang could still see quite clearly, which was why he could travel so fast.

“It’s rare to find such a large valley in the desert; its formation is mostly due to tectonic activity. If we’re lucky, we might come across groundwater surging to the surface and find a water source right below us.”

“Even if that’s not the case, the huge cliffs on either side of the valley provide shade, making the valley floor very cool. Even during the day, the temperature at the bottom of the valley can be many degrees lower, maybe even by ten! So I must go down there.”

The factors limiting the growth of desert plants are two: temperature and water source. Now both might be found in one place, how could Bi Fang pass up this opportunity?

[Wow! Is this rock climbing again?]

[Rock climbing in the dark? No way, officer, isn’t that going too far?]

[So impressive, I’ve been rock climbing for three or four years now and I wouldn’t dare climb blind!]

[Hey, your ID looks familiar, haven’t I seen it before?]

[Isn’t that the same guy who left a long comment to show off during Old Fang’s first tree climb? I thought it was a scam for donations!]

[666, also a ten-year-old fan!]

“You’re making it sound more dramatic than it is. This mountain face has a slope, and a significant one at that, not a sheer cliff,” Bi Fang shook his head and began searching the edge of the valley.

He needed to find a gentler slope, the gentler the better.

Soon, Bi Fang found a gentle slope at a relatively narrow spot, with large rocks placed every few meters as footholds.

Under the viewers’ anxious gaze, Bi Fang turned his back to the canyon, didn’t hesitate too much, took a deep breath, and slowly extended his foot below the cliff’s edge.

[Damn, that step, definitely professional, both the force and the angle were just right. Without twenty years of skill, you couldn’t make that step!]

[Wow, is that step really so particular?]

[Upstairs, you’re blowing smoke, and you believe that?]

[So thrilling, props to everyone, I’m thankful.]

Bi Fang:

Just as he extended one foot and saw this barrage, he nearly developed a heart demon and quickly focused, fearful of falling into the valley to his death.

[The joyful Yang Pigskin has gifted the host a spaceship*!—Be careful, host! What is everyone waiting for, Master Fang is working so hard, why not send some gifts?]

[Here it comes, here it comes, these are my twenty-year-old meatballs, all for you.]

[Twenty years? They must be rotten by now?]

This guy is playing into my hands!

He deserved to be an admin.

Bi Fang glanced at the live chat barrage and noticed the message from the joyful Yang Pigskin, delighted inside but remained expressionless.

Please step up the effort!

Until now, Bi Fang’s live broadcast had quite a few admins, including Fat Cat Pete, Lord Mu, Lin Chang, among others, as well as some who didn’t gift much but frequently sent friendly messages, to whom Bi Fang also granted admin privileges.

Wilderness survival was an activity where one could easily encounter danger, and Bi Fang couldn’t always pay attention to the live broadcast, making the presence of admins quite necessary.

With that thought in mind, Bi Fang stepped on a protruding rock on the rock face with his left foot and confirmed its stability before shifting his weight onto it.

The skill given by the System is good in this regard; even without practice for a month, I still got the hang of it quickly and didn’t feel rusty.

The sky was very dark, but with Bi Fang’s current rock climbing level, handling a more than twenty-meter-high cliff with a not inconsiderable slope was still not difficult.

Over ten minutes later, after descending more than ten meters, Bi Fang looked at the pitch-dark ground below; he didn’t dare to jump straight down.

Since it was a valley, the moonlight couldn’t reach it, and everything below became pitch black, making it impossible to tell if the ground was flat or littered with broken rocks.

Better to climb down honestly.

Bi Fang dismissed the idea of courting death and three minutes later, he landed on the ground without incident.

“Phew, finally down,” Bi Fang shook his sore arms and then looked toward the dark valley.

It was too dark; he could only vaguely make out some upright shadows.

But the UAV, which had already switched to night mode, captured everything clearly, and the online friends were excitedly posting barrage comments.

[Grass, there’s really grass!]

[That’s a shrub, idiot!]

[Is there water to drink now?]

[Not necessarily, what hydration can these shrubs provide? Shouldn’t we be looking for cacti?]

“It seems there really are green plants here,” Bi Fang saw the barrage comments and sighed in relief, then added a reminder.

“But you all must not take it lightly, if there’s green flora, it means there’s a lot more moisture here, which can attract us, and naturally, it can attract other animals, especially venomous snakes! So, absolutely do not recklessly approach those shrubs.”

“It’s very possible that in a corner you can’t see, there’s a camouflaged venomous snake waiting to strike!”

[So sneaky?]

[It’s the survival of the fittest in nature! What’s sneaky about it]

“Yes, this is the survival of the fittest in nature,” Bi Fang nodded in agreement and then carefully avoided those shrubs, heading to the other side of the valley where the moonlight was much brighter and some plants could be simply identified.

As soon as he saw a shrub come into his view.

“Hey, look what I’ve found, it’s a ‘flower rod’!”

Bi Fang went over joyfully, making sure there were no creatures nearby, then directly grabbed a handful and started tying it up.

[Why isn’t Old Fang protecting the environment anymore?]

[No choice, there’s really nothing here, Old Fang has to use what’s available right now, it shouldn’t be a protected plant]

[‘Flower rod,’ that name sounds familiar]

[Wait, don’t tell me I planted it when I was planting trees in the Carapace Ant Forest?]

[Damn, now that you mention it, I remember too!]

Seeing this, Bi Fang chuckled.

“It looks like someone knows what it is. ‘Flower rod,’ also known as Sister Hua, flower hat, and bull tail, is drought-resistant, wind erosion-resistant, and is a pioneer plant for sand fixation in our country, mainly used for sand-fixing forests, desert highway shelterbelts, etc., often planted in the Carapace Ant Forest!”

“Most importantly, this plant is high in oil content, which makes it very suitable as a fuel for fires; I plan to make a simple torch with it.”

Bi Fang bundled up the ‘flower rod,’ took out his flint, and lit one end.

The flame burst into life, driving away both the darkness and the chill.

Bi Fang picked up the torch, about to move forward, when a dry branch a meter away caught his attention.

Crouching down with the torch in hand, he took a closer look and soon revealed a smile.

“Many desert snakes like to stay close to dry branches because they serve as perfect camouflage. Then, they wait for prey to come close and strike a fatal blow.”

“It seems we’re in luck this time, we’ve encountered one.”