Future Pet Shop

Chapter 214: Bear Grylls on the Run

"Alfred, we need to fly about another ten kilometers west from here," Shen Yibin said quickly, praying the animal wasn’t moving too fast.

"In that case, we probably won’t have enough fuel for the return trip. We’ll need to head to a nearby army base to refuel first," Alfred said, glancing at the instrument panel. He then spoke a few words to the guide in the local language.

The guide nodded, took his headset, and spoke a few words. The helicopter changed direction, flying toward the army base. After arriving and refueling and replenishing their drinking water, the group resumed their pursuit of the animal.

"Ooh! Ooh!" They hadn’t been flying for long when Hah’Er, who was pressed against the window, grew excited. Below them, on the endless savanna, a small, winding river meandered peacefully. Countless animals, large and small, were gathered along its banks to drink. The rare spectacle immediately captured the attention of Shen Yibin and Sylvie.

"Bin, why don’t we go down and have a look? We could have some lunch, too. Hah’Er must be getting hungry, right?" Sylvie suggested. She was getting a little restless after being in the helicopter for so long.

"Um, is it safe to go down?" Shen Yibin was worried; the African Savannah was home to plenty of dangerous predators. Before Alfred could answer, the princess began speaking to their guide in fluent French.

’Wow, I never expected this princess to be a Top Student, fluent in several languages.’ Shen Yibin’s admiration for her grew. A moment later, Sylvie turned back to him. "There are no crocodiles or other large predators in this river, so it’s perfectly safe to go near it. We just can’t drink the water, or we might get sick. As for anything else, you don’t need to worry. Alfred and our guide are both excellent shots, so they can handle any surprises."

The guide smiled at Shen Yibin, revealing two rows of dazzlingly white teeth, and patted the rifle cradled in his arms. Alfred pointed to his own sidearm hanging on his seat and said, "Alright then, we’re landing."

The helicopter slowly descended, landing on a flat patch of ground by the river and scaring away many of the animals that had come to drink. It looked like the poor creatures would have to find another spot farther away.

"Hah’Er, don’t drink the water, and don’t eat anything you find. Got it?" ’A panda from the 22nd century probably wouldn’t be bothered by such minor things, right?’ But Shen Yibin didn’t dare take the chance, so he warned Hah’Er before they disembarked.

"Uh-huh! Uh-huh!" Hah’Er nodded eagerly, clearly impatient to get down and play. Shen Yibin didn’t let him go right away, however. He waited inside the helicopter until the guide, who had gone down first to scout the area, gave them the ’OK’ sign. Only then did he lead Hah’Er out of the aircraft.

Hah’Er stood on his tiptoes, craning his neck to curiously observe the animals unique to the African Savannah, such as African elephants, hippos, African buffalo, giant elands, and topis.

The animals seemed to notice Hah’Er, too. They tilted their heads, staring at this creature they had never seen before, as if wondering what on earth it was.

Shen Yibin stood off to the side, chuckling happily as he snapped photos of the magnificent scenery and the unique local animals. Of course, he didn’t forget to take a few shots of Hah’Er. Photos of a panda with the Savannah as a backdrop were a rare sight, after all. He posted them to his social media feed, immediately drawing a chorus of envious replies from Bai Yanni, Sun Qian, Xu Ye, and others.

As cute as these animals looked, getting too close would be dangerous, so Shen Yibin and Hah’Er simply watched them from a distance with no intention of approaching.

Hah’Er raised a paw, waving at a distant baby elephant hiding beside its mother, as if inviting it to come play. The little elephant seemed interested in this strange creature, too. It even took a few steps toward Hah’Er, but unfortunately, its cautious mother stopped it before it got far, much to the disappointment of both Shen Yibin and Sylvie.

The guide, however, let out a sigh of relief. A mother elephant on a rampage was a terrifying thing. Even with his rifle, he couldn’t guarantee he could protect everyone.

After a short rest, some water, and a few bites of dry rations to tide them over, Shen Yibin and Hah’Er boarded the helicopter and took to the skies again. They had a mission to complete, after all; they couldn’t just spend the whole day playing. They could always come back and have fun later, once they found the animal they were looking for.

"It’s still in the same area as before." As the helicopter took off, Shen Yibin checked his phone again. He saw that while the animal was on the move, it wasn’t traveling in a straight line but was circling around, not straying far from its previous location.

"Roger that. We should be there in about eight minutes," Alfred said with a cool wave. The helicopter banked in a graceful arc and headed toward their destination.

Soon, the red dot for Shen Yibin, the green dot for Hah’Er, and the orange dot for the unknown animal began to converge on his phone screen. Shen Yibin asked Alfred to slow down as he raised a pair of binoculars and began scanning the ground below for any sign of the creature.

"There’s someone down there!" Shen Yibin suddenly shouted. Through his binoculars, he could see a Caucasian man with short hair, wearing a gray shirt and jeans, running in a panic. The man kept glancing over his shoulder as he ran, as if being chased by some fearsome animal.

Off to his side and slightly behind him, an off-road vehicle kept pace, a cameraman with a video camera on his shoulder recording the man’s every move.

"Are they filming some kind of show?" Sylvie asked, having spotted them as well.

Just then, the filming seemed to pause. The short-haired man sat on the ground, panting heavily, and the cameraman walked over to say something to him. They noticed the helicopter overhead and waved up at Shen Yibin and the others.

"Let’s go down and see if they need help," Sylvie said. They were far from any human settlement; if these people were in trouble, she couldn’t just ignore them. After observing for a moment and determining there was no danger, the guide agreed with her. Alfred brought the helicopter down for a gentle landing beside them.

"Do you need any help?" the guide called out as he stepped out of the helicopter.

It was then that Shen Yibin recognized the short-haired man. ’Huh? Isn’t that the famous Bear Grylls? Holy crap! The man at the top of the food chain is being run ragged like this? What on earth is that animal? It... it couldn’t be the one I’m looking for, could it?’ Shen Yibin had a very bad feeling about this.