117: laid back

Jiang Yuan sat on the steps at the edge of the terrace, cutting off a piece of beef that was charred on the outside and tender on the inside before putting it in his mouth.

The juices exploded on the tip of his tongue. Combined with the distant chirping of insects and the sound of the wind, it was absolute bliss.

"Phew..."

Just then, a puff of warm breath hit the top of his head.

Jiang Yuan looked up.

He saw that the giraffe hadn't left.

Perhaps because the Nano Camp didn't emit any industrial odors, or perhaps because the aura Jiang Yuan exuded was too peaceful, the big guy had actually grown bold enough to poke its massive head into the terrace area.

Its large eyes, fringed with long lashes, stared at the meat on Jiang Yuan's plate, blinking in confusion as if trying to figure out what it was.

"You can't eat this."

Jiang Yuan smiled.

He casually picked up a bright green apple from the fruit bowl—this was also an improved variety from Star City, known as an "Emerald Fruit," which had an extremely high sugar content.

"Here, try this."

Jiang Yuan held up the apple.

The giraffe clearly recognized the shape of the object. It hesitated for a moment before its long, purplish-black tongue curled out nimbly.

It wasn't as slimy as he'd imagined; it very carefully curled the apple out of Jiang Yuan's palm, not even touching his skin.

Crunch.

The crisp sound of chewing echoed above his head.

Clearly, this never-before-tasted delicacy had opened the door to a new world for the giraffe.

It flicked its ears excitedly, lowered its head, and gently rubbed its furry chin against Jiang Yuan's shoulder, as if trying to curry favor or urging him to "give me another one."

"Greedy fellow."

Jiang Yuan shook his head with a smile and picked up another one to toss to it.

Just then, several more sneaky little heads poked out from the grass.

They were a few colorful Lilac-breasted Rollers and two very bold Dwarf Mongooses.

Attracted by the scent of food, they tentatively hopped onto the terrace.

Normally, they would never dare approach a human.

But around Jiang Yuan, the naturally radiating biological affinity made them feel an unprecedented sense of security.

One Lilac-breasted Roller even landed directly on Jiang Yuan's knee, tilting its head to watch him slice the meat.

Jiang Yuan cut off a small scrap of beef and flicked it to the Dwarf Mongoose.

The little fellow was startled at first, but then immediately grabbed the piece of meat and began to feast.

Jiang Yuan sat on the steps, surrounded by a group of small animals looking for a free meal, with a giraffe ruminating on an apple above his head and a glass of red wine in his hand.

In the distance, the occasional eerie cry of a hyena and the low growl of a lion could be heard.

But this didn't affect the tranquility here in the slightest.

"This is the life."

Jiang Yuan drained the red wine in his glass, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

Compared to winning hundreds of billions at a gambling table or acting as a creator in a base...

This current freedom of breathing in unison with all living things was what he truly wanted.

"Zero."

"I am here, Master."

"Set the protective field to 'Biological Filtering' mode. Don't let the mosquitoes and insects in, but don't scare these little guys away."

"As you command, Master."

As Zero's voice faded, an invisible ripple radiated outward from the terrace.

The tsetse flies and mosquitoes that had been buzzing in the air were bounced away as if they had hit an invisible wall of air.

Meanwhile, the giraffe and the Dwarf Mongooses noticed nothing, still contentedly enjoying this pure land free of annoying flying insects.

The afternoon sun grew increasingly harsh, beating down on the red earth, and the distant heat waves made the air appear distorted with refraction.

At this time of day, most herbivores were hiding in the shade of trees to ruminate, and even the most heat-resistant Maasai people people wouldn't choose to go out.

Jiang Yuan finished the last piece of steak and wiped his mouth.

"I'm going out for a walk to digest."

He stood up, and his silver-gray casual clothes flowed like mercury again, instantly reorganizing into a solid black hooded windbreaker and tactical trousers.

It looked no different from an ordinary outdoor brand, but it was actually an absolute defense made of Dark matter nanometal. Not only was it bulletproof and explosion-proof, but it also had a built-in micro-field air conditioner, completely isolating him from the thirty-five-degree heat outside and keeping Jiang Yuan's skin temperature at a comfortable twenty-four degrees.

"No need to follow."

Jiang Yuan waved his hand at Zero, who wanted to follow, and walked off the terrace alone, stepping on the dry yellow grass as he headed deep into the savanna.

About two kilometers away from the camp.

This was a low-lying area of the Serengeti Plain, surrounded by waist-high bushes.

The air was filled with a faint smell of blood and the distinct musky odor of wild beasts.

Jiang Yuan's footsteps came to a halt.

Fifty meters ahead of him, under a massive Baobab tree, a whole family of local residents lay scattered about.

It was a large pride of fifteen lions.

They had clearly just finished eating; the remains of a juvenile buffalo lay discarded to one side, covered in flies.

Several lionesses were lying belly-up in the shade, fast asleep, while a few cubs were energetically biting and playing with each other.

The massive male lion, with a thick black mane around its neck, was lying on the highest rock, eyes half-closed, lazily scanning its territory.

The moment Jiang Yuan's figure appeared from behind the bushes...

The previously silent pride instantly erupted into chaos.

"Roar—!"

The male lion reacted fastest, springing up almost instantly, a low, thunderous warning growl emanating from its throat.

As the king of the savanna, it maintained a high level of vigilance and aggression toward any upright ape that entered its territory.

As the male lion rose, six or seven lionesses also instantly entered a combat state. They crouched low, baring blood-stained fangs, muscles tensed as they glared at this reckless human.

Fifty meters.

Within a lion's burst range, it would only take three seconds for them to tear this human to shreds.

However, Jiang Yuan did not retreat, nor did he pull out any weapons.

He simply walked with his hands in his pockets, strolling forward as if he were wandering through his own backyard.

"ROAR!!!"

The male lion was enraged by this disregard.

It lunged forward a step, opening its bloody maw and letting out a roar powerful enough to shatter the courage of any ordinary person.

The massive sound wave kicked up dust from the ground, and one could even feel their chest cavity resonating.

If it were an ordinary tourist, they would probably be so terrified that their legs would give out and they'd wet themselves by now.

But Jiang Yuan only slightly raised his eyelids, and a golden glint flashed through his ink-black eyes.

The Third-Order Gene Lock biological field was fully unleashed.

There was no earth-shattering explosion of energy.

Only an absolute suppression originating from the very level of existence.

In that instant, in the lions' perception, the tiny human before them suddenly vanished.

In his place was an indescribable, terrifying behemoth that seemed to come from the ancient primordial era.

That aura was so powerful that it was ten thousand times more fearsome than elephants, rhinos, or any predator they had ever encountered.

It was a fear etched into their genes.

"Whimper..."

The male lion, which had been roaring just moments ago, suddenly stopped, its voice sounding like a duck being strangled.

Its fierce vertical pupils instantly constricted, its mane stood on end, and then its limbs went weak as its massive body slumped uncontrollably onto the rock.

This was not an attack posture.

This was submission.

The other lionesses were shivering even more violently, and two cubs even tucked their tails and crawled under their mother's belly, letting out whimpers like kittens.

"That's more like it."

Jiang Yuan withdrew his aura, the golden light in his eyes faded, and he returned to being that gentle human once more.