Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness-Chapter 827 - 823 Not Better Yet, Reserving a Spot

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In the desert, the giant ostrich with its black and white feathers had its wings slowly cut off by Bi Fang with a dagger.

A grand feast.

This ostrich had reached adulthood and was male, weighing at least two hundred kilograms. The severely injured cobra definitely couldn't swallow it whole.

The reason Bi Fang watched the great battle between the bird and the snake was not without the intention of scavenging.

"The snake's lower jaw is loosely connected to the skull by ligaments, and it has a pair of quadrate bones at the jaw joint, allowing the lower jaw to hinge at two points on the skull. The ligaments are strong and flexible, which means that when it swallows, this structure can dislocate and expand greatly, allowing them to open their jaws to 150 degrees."

"Next, the bones between the snake's left and right lower jaws are connected by a movable joint and ligaments, allowing the jaws to open wide on either side. Therefore, a snake's mouth can open not only up and down but also unrestricted laterally, so it can engulf prey much larger than its mouth."

"The reason snakes have evolved this ability is that they cannot chew; they can only satisfy their needs by swallowing large prey whole."

Snake teeth are thin and sharp, ill-suited for chewing. Animals with teeth designed for chewing have blunt teeth, while sharp teeth can't grind food down for digestion. Snake fangs only serve to anchor the prey during capture.

"But for the cobra, an ostrich weighing over two hundred kilograms is too much to swallow, even some juvenile pythons would struggle, so it all comes easy for us."

Snakes evaluate before hunting if they can eat their prey. If they can't, they don't strike. If they do strike and can't swallow, the snake will first open its mouth to the limit and then give up the hunt if it still can't manage.

This time, it was clearly not the cobra hunting the ostrich but rather the opposite – a desperate defense.

Venom has always been a tool for the weak to turn the tables against the strong, and although the chances are slim, it's not impossible.

"However, I initially had no idea that the cobra could turn the tables on the ostrich. My plan was to scavenge from the cobra, but instead, I stumbled upon a huge windfall!"

Although ostriches do eat snakes, the chances of them consuming the entire thing are slim.

This area is a mix of semi-desert and grassland. For top predators like ostriches, they often have the "privilege" to be picky eaters and usually don't consume their food entirely.

A cobra is large enough that normally there would be leftovers.

But there wouldn't be as much leftover from an ostrich. This was pure luck; with these extra two hundred kilograms, there's almost no need to worry about food for quite a while.

The only concern was storage.

[The Scavenger King!]

[Despicable, that's just low!]

[I thought it was going to be an epic battle; didn't expect the bird to collapse so quickly.]

Being unable to fly, the ostrich's feathers were extremely soft and pleasant to touch. Bi Fang was careful not to stain the feathers with blood. First, he dug a hole next to the neck, then bled the carcass while it was still warm.

Without good storage methods and all the containers reserved for clean water, the blood could only be wasted.

The blood collected in a pit in the sand, emitting a strong, fishy smell that persisted under the scorching sun.

After draining the blood, Bi Fang began butchering the carcass, using the sharp obsidian dagger to slice through the thick skin of the ostrich, peeling it back to reveal the red muscle tissue underneath.

"In the wilderness, no part of the animal you've killed should be wasted. Large animals provide fresh meat, and the surplus can be preserved while parts that cannot be eaten can be used to make clothing or tools."

"And we need to remove the viscera as soon as possible."

Bi Fang crouched on the ground, split open the ostrich's abdomen, and a great amount of viscera poured out.

He took them all out and sorted them neatly, among which the stomach was heavy and extremely thick.

Bi Fang cut open both ends of the stomach, and suddenly, a large amount of sand mixed with gastric acid flowed out.

"Ostriches don't have teeth, so they don't chew. Their stomachs are large, and usually contain sand and stones they eat, which help grind their food."

"Thus, an ostrich's stomach is called a gizzard, which is very thick. After the food enters the gizzard, it is ground into small pieces to facilitate absorption by the intestines. One might say they never really get full."

Following along, behind the stomach were the long intestines, incredibly lengthy.

"An ostrich's intestines are 14 meters long, twice that of humans."

[Wow, that's a huge bird.]

[Such a big bird.]

[No wonder it weighs over two hundred pounds, that's insane.]

As Bi Fang crouched on the ground, with him as a point of reference, the audience could finally comprehend just how large the ostrich was.

From the front, the ostrich's body was almost as tall as Bi Fang crouched down!

"Normally, the height of an ostrich is measured from the body, like the shoulder height of a horse. If you include the head, most male ostriches are taller than humans, quite imposing indeed, and their strength is also very formidable, capable of carrying an adult male while walking."

"Speaking of which, I still owe it to the Egyptian Cobra; otherwise, I would have never been able to eat this ostrich."

"In the wild, it's generally believed there are four subspecies: the North African subspecies, the Somali subspecies, the Masai subspecies, and the South African subspecies. The differences between them are quite distinct, with noticeable distinctions in neck color and feather characteristics. The one before us is the North African subspecies."

"The North African subspecies isn't numerous, unlike the South African subspecies, so they are protected. I would never actively hunt one if it were not for a natural death witnessed by everyone."

It was well known that Bi Fang didn't touch critically protected animals, partly due to strict adherence to treaties and also as a proactive measure to maintain ecological balance and set an example.

As a public figure, having benefited from this profession, he had to assume the responsibility that came with it.

It made no sense for Bi Fang to have prospered through livestreaming, only to then do as he pleased.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

If he were in his home country, Bi Fang would go further, not even touching naturally deceased protected animals due to legal regulations.

It's necessary not to open that can of worms; otherwise, next time anyone could use the excuse that the animal died naturally.

Fortunately, this was abroad, and although typically one still couldn't eat naturally deceased protected animals, the restrictions weren't as stringent.

For Bi Fang, who held a Professional Hunter's certificate, it was even permissible to proactively handle the carcasses of protected animals.

Moreover, this was witnessed by everyone openly.

Skilfully following the structure of the ostrich, Bi Fang dismembered each part of the ostrich, even skinning off the complete pelt.

"The ostrich feathers are soft, full, elegant, and nice to touch, with excellent insulating properties. Moreover, ostrich feathers are the only feathers that don't carry static and can clean delicate industrial instruments; they are a prime material for the clothing industry. We can take them and craft a small cape, which would also be pretty nice."

The Sahara nights are cold, so some protection is necessary.

After retrieving the ostrich meat, Bi Fang stared at the severed tail of the cobra for a while, uncertain whether to take it or not.

In the end, he decided to leave it behind.

Snakes can eat their own tails.

It's not parasites that cause this, but a half-full stomach that leads to a heightened appetite. They look for anything they can swallow in their environment, and upon discovering a moving tail, they may end up eating it.

Snakes, as creatures with low intelligence, do not recognize their tails as part of their bodies, and if they didn't feel pain, they might genuinely attempt to eat it.

"In the wild, snakes in vast environments generally do not exhibit this behavior of eating their own tails, but in isolated breeding conditions with no distractions, they are particularly prone to noticing their tails."

"Besides having a voracious appetite, there are other pressures like their environment..."

"Dogs too might bite their tails, but more often than not, it's to relieve an itch or in play."

"That cobra from earlier was severely wounded and unlikely to survive; however, nothing is absolute, and it might come back to eat its own tail."

"If we were to take it away, we might cut off its slim chance of survival."

There was already plenty of ostrich meat, and the Sahara's hot weather meant that food spoiled easily. There was no need to risk eating a cobra.

Carrying a large amount of ostrich meat, Bi Fang quickly left the blood-stained gorge and immediately began to deal with the ostrich meat once outside.

To preserve it, it was necessary to remove the moisture, and making jerky was the best method.

For this reason, Bi Fang did not cease his smoking work until nightfall.

No life can exist without water, and the same goes for bacteria and microorganisms. Without the conditions for these organisms to survive, they too cannot live.

Hence, cured meats, sausages, and dry foods have a long shelf life and don't spoil easily.

If one could cure the meat, that would be even better, as the increased concentration of salt in cured food causes the bacteria cells' moisture to seep into the food, dehydrating and killing the bacteria.

That's why cured products also have a very long shelf-life. Such as

Cured and then dried, that's the ultimate combo, with a preservation period of years, even decades, like ham.

The only hitch is that curing requires a large amount of salt, which Bi Fang could gather, but did not have on hand at the moment.

Nevertheless, smoking was sufficient, and as he was likely to make it through the next month, there was no need for prolonged preservation.

Plus, he could enjoy some grilled meat on the side.

Removing moisture cannot be done by roasting, only by smoking and drying – Bi Fang constructed a rack and hung the meat on it.

The fire below wasn't idle either, grilling dinner for that evening.

It was a large ostrich leg, scored with deep cuts to facilitate flavor absorption and thorough cooking.

The wood crackled intensely in the fire, and the sparks scattered in the darkness, casting a reddish glow on Bi Fang's face.

The plants in the Sahara are very dry and catch fire easily, but they burn quickly; the same burning time and intensity required much more wood.

"Although this ostrich died from snake venom, I've always said that snake venom is mainly composed of proteins and peptides, which can be killed through high heat. Therefore, birds killed by venomous snakes, as long as they are not spoiled, are edible and can even be used to supplement protein. However, the precondition is that they must be cooked at high temperatures for a long time before we can safely consume them."

Snake venom has a dual function as an anesthetic and a digestive fluid, and its chemical nature is mainly proteins.

Even without heat denaturation, once proteins reach the stomach, their peptide bonds would break and denature under the action of stomach acid and digestive enzymes. The molecular spatial structure would be destroyed by gastric juice, causing them to lose activity and function, transforming into non-toxic substances.

Animals killed by venomous snakes are essentially pre-digested. In theory, they could directly be safe for humans to eat, provided that there are absolutely no injuries in the person's mouth and digestive tract.

"The only thing to note is that animals killed by venomous snakes should be consumed quickly. Otherwise, they will decompose faster than those that die naturally over time."

"In Africa, there is a particular tribe that used to use snake venom as a weapon during hunting. There is a highly venomous snake called the Puffy Hissing Krait that can kill a strong buffalo in a very short time. People admired its power and used it to catch buffalo, thus feasting on them without being poisoned."

"However, they didn't smear the venom on arrows; they were smarter. After catching the snakes, they would tie them up to set traps, fastening them to trees by the river. When buffaloes came to drink water, the snake would leap up and bite them. Then hunters would search for the poisoned buffalo, drag it back, cook it thoroughly, and thus wouldn't be poisoned themselves."

[666, that's pretty slick.]

[Biological Trap (Dog's Head)]

[Damn, I'm so hungry, this grilled meat smells so good.]

[I've never had ostrich meat before, drooling drooling.]

The desert has many aromatic plants, which Bi Fang had come across on his journey. Sometimes he would casually pick and dry them out; they could be dried in just one day, and with a simple rub of the hands, they turned into small flakes and powder.

Mixed with the collected rock salt, it made a rather good spice blend.

When salt and spices were sprinkled on, Bi Fang used the Stone Dagger to carve off a piece of the cooked surface meat, and despite the heat, he stuffed it into his mouth. He inhaled sharply and took a long time to swallow, exclaiming with satisfaction.

The skin was golden and crisp, making a crunching sound under the scrape of the dagger, covered with grease. The high heat melted the salt granules, and with the spice powder collected during the travel, it released a rich and exotic fragrance.

Even just watching it through the screen made one salivate.

Animals that live in the wilderness over the long term, especially their legs, have well-developed muscles and not much fat, making the meat somewhat dry and tough to chew.

Yet with the various treatments done by Bi Fang, there was no gamey smell, and the taste was not bad. Even if the texture was less than ideal, there was the advantage of having a large quantity.

In the Sahara, resources were hard to come by, and Bi Fang had not enjoyed eating this liberally for a long time; he normally ate just enough to fill his stomach, followed by some water, barely enough to satisfy hunger.

"You can't eat too much either, being too full can make you sleepy. Normally, it wouldn't matter, but in the wilderness, it's a bit dangerous because you need to stay highly alert, especially when you have to keep watch at night."

Chatting with the viewers while eating, Bi Fang made quick work of the food, finishing most of the entire ostrich leg, which attested to his hearty appetite.

Though the meat was lean, it probably wouldn't taste as good as jerky later on.

But even so, he only ate to eighty percent full, restraining himself.

Thus, by drying during the day and smoking at night, a substantial amount of water was evaporated from the meat.

All the ostrich meat was turned into dried rations by Bi Fang in less than two days, now hanging on the back of Alpha.

With ostrich meat as a food supplement, there was no need to worry about resource shortage for at least a month. Besides needing to find fresh water, the pace quickened a bit.

But in the semi-savannah regions, water resources were somewhat easier to find and could also be extracted using the functions of plants.