As Yang Lin led the two stray elephants back to the herd, night had fully fallen.
Yet, the elephant herd remained as he had left them, huddled together obediently. Clearly, apart from the two unruly males, the other elephants were quite well-behaved.
The moment Yang Lin and the two stray elephants were spotted, the matriarch let out an angry trumpet. Seeing this, Yang Lin quickly dismounted from the elephant's back and spent a considerable time calming her down.
With the two males rejoined, the journey continued. Although the highway was dark, the helicopters overhead cast beams of light, illuminating their path forward. Even though hours had passed since the herd had gotten onto the highway, the audience's enthusiasm had not waned one bit.
Especially the viewers in the Guangxi region, as soon as Yang Lin and Tuan Tuan began guiding the elephants, a large number of Guangxi residents immediately settled in front of their televisions. A massive screen was even set up outside the Xihong Zoo to broadcast the live feed for tourists and nearby residents. Every time Yang Lin and Tuan Tuan caused a stir, cheers would erupt from the crowd. The scene was so lively it completely overshadowed the World Cup. In their words, China wasn't participating in this World Cup, but a Guangxi local and a Guangxi panda were involved in this elephant migration.
While the audience was cheering, Yang Lin wasn't feeling quite as excited. He had never felt the highway to be so long. Even at the herd's fastest pace, they could only cover thirty kilometers in an hour at most. He felt a sense of exhaustion, both mentally and physically. Thankfully, his physical condition was far from what it used to be, otherwise, he would have surely buckled.
"It's a pity Tuan Tuan can't drive, or it could take over for a while," he thought.
Just as he was pondering this, the dense forest area suddenly gave way to a mountainous terrain. The low-lying woods by the roadside transformed into rolling hills. Seeing this change, Yang Lin marveled, "As expected of Yunnan, the terrain is so complex. No wonder the biological resources are so rich."
"I wonder if any animals will pop out from the roadside."
The moment he finished speaking, an animal that appeared on the road ahead startled him. In the spotlight from the helicopters overhead, a group of large, jet-black creatures blocked the highway. These beasts were nearly three meters long and stood about two meters tall. Coupled with the pair of curved horns on their heads, their overall size was just a notch smaller than an Asian elephant.
"Wow, so many gaur! Are the animals in Yunnan this wild? They're not afraid of people and specifically choose to walk on the highway." Not only was Yang Lin shocked by this herd of gaur, but the viewers constantly monitoring the road also saw them.
"Friends from Yunnan, please tell us, what kind of cattle are these? How did they grow so large?"
"Goodness, I'm learning so much. If I have the chance, I must visit Yunnan once in my life. You can even encounter wild animals on the highway."
"I think these are gaur. There are only found in Yunnan, and they're quite rare. How did so many appear here?"
"Are they really that rare? Director Yang, quickly grab a couple and put them in the car, then take them back to Ningnan."
"Yes, yes, Ningnan doesn't have these gaur. Thank you for the gifts from nature."
"You people from Guangxi can't take our Yunnan animals away. However, Director Yang has helped us so much this time, so it's not entirely impossible, but he'll have to ask the gaur first."
...
"My goodness, these gaur are so majestic. No, when we get to the Yunnan Zoo, I'll have to figure out a way to get a couple. Director Song probably has some, right?" Looking at the herd of gaur, Yang Lin was truly covetous. If it weren't for the numerous camera lenses pointed at him, he would have already rescued one and brought it into the car. It would have been perfectly reasonable and legal for a zoo director from Guangxi to travel a thousand miles to rescue an injured gaur.
Unfortunately, just as the viewers said, the people of Yunnan might agree, and he might agree, but the gaur wouldn't. Most importantly, they were blocking the road. Helplessly, Yang Lin had to use his deterrent power again.
In the next second, the herd of gaur, to Yang Lin's reluctant gaze, scattered into the surrounding forests. After the gaur herd dispersed, Yang Lin once again led the elephants onward.
Perhaps it was because there were no other vehicles on the highway, but along the way, they encountered other wild animals one after another. A family of wild boars charging headlong with their young. Monkey troops in small groups robbing airdropped supplies on the road. Blue sheep leaping from mountaintops without any apparent harm. These encounters made both Yang Lin and the viewers exclaim in amazement.
Only the viewers from Yunnan showed a hint of pride. "Oh, they're not that rare, they're very common here."
"Just so-so. We used to encounter them often. Don't you have them where you are? That's a shame."
"I thought everywhere was like our Yunnan."
"Hahaha, if you have the chance to visit Yunnan, I'll show you the elephants I keep at home."
"Actually, we just have a tiny bit more animals and a slightly better climate. Everywhere else is not as good as ours."
"So annoying, I have to take an elephant riding exam at school tomorrow, and I haven't even finished learning the peacock dance from my own peacock."
...
Amidst the humblebrags of the Yunnan netizens, the night grew deeper. And a drizzle began to fall on the road. At first, it was light rain, but it gradually turned into a downpour. Fortunately, there were no other vehicles on the road, and Yang Lin was driving slowly, so there wasn't much of a problem. The only real trouble was for Tuan Tuan.
As the heavy rain poured down, Tuan Tuan's originally fluffy fur instantly stuck tightly to its body. The viewers had expected Tuan Tuan to be less round after getting wet. However, when they saw Tuan Tuan again, they almost burst into laughter. This was because even after being soaked, Tuan Tuan was still so fat, only slightly smaller than before. The layers of fat were clearly exposed.
"Hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter. Tuan Tuan is solid! I thought it was hollow before."
"Oh my god, I always thought Tuan Tuan's fur was just fluffy, but I didn't expect it wasn't just about the fur."
...
At this moment, the audience was roaring with laughter. However, on the other side, Yang Lin couldn't laugh. As a flash of lightning split the sky, a small mountain less than fifty meters away from him suddenly collapsed. In the blink of an eye, the entire road was completely blocked by the falling rocks and trees. Seeing this, he almost burst into tears.