As the small trees toppled one by one, an adult Asian elephant, five meters long and over three meters tall, as large as a small truck, emerged from the dense forest beside the highway.
Yang Lin could even see the adult elephant's broken trunk and its two tusks like curved knives.
And this was only the beginning. Behind the first elephant, more than a dozen others soon emerged one after another.
What was once a dense forest was turned into a flat plain under their trampling.
When this scene unfolded before Yang Lin, he felt an immense shock.
He had seen elephants before; the Xihong Zoo had one. But this was the first time he had seen a wild herd appearing in such numbers.
It was no exaggeration to say that if such a force appeared on Blue Star, no creature would dare to provoke them.
Even powerful predators like lions and tigers would not have the courage to anger these migrating herds.
As for humans, they certainly wouldn't provoke them without reason.
If they were to go mad, all the vehicles on the highway would be destroyed.
As Yang Lin and the others watched the elephant herd in the distance with shock, the herd began to enter the highway.
The guardrails by the roadside were like paper in front of these elephants, easily smashed to pieces.
Everyone thought the herd would cross the highway to the other side, but to their surprise, the elephants did not cross. Instead, they began to walk along the highway.
The sliver of hope that had just risen in their hearts was instantly extinguished.
"We're finished. How long will this last?"
"Exactly. Are these elephants even moving at ten kilometers per hour? If they don't leave the highway, are we really going to spend the night here?"
"More than just overnight, we might not even get off the highway tomorrow."
"I wish I had prepared more food. Now we'll starve tonight."
Listening to the chatter of the people around him, Yang Lin's brow furrowed deeper.
Indeed, as they said, if the herd remained on the highway, they would be helpless.
"Fortunately, I prepared a lot of food. We shouldn't go hungry tonight."
Thinking this, Yang Lin admired his foresight.
However, when he turned his head, he was immediately stunned by the scene before him.
In the carriage behind him, the various fruits and food he had bought not long ago had already been almost entirely consumed by Tuan Tuan.
"Oh my god, Tuan Tuan, you really didn't leave anything for me! You ate it all so quickly? What will we eat tonight?"
Hearing Yang Lin's words, Tuan Tuan, who had been eating voraciously, suddenly looked up.
"Eat? What else is good to eat? Bring it here quickly."
"Good heavens, I said so much, and you only heard the word 'eat', right?"
Shaking his head speechlessly, Yang Lin's expression immediately turned serious again.
"I mean we have no more food, and we're going to be hungry tonight. You need to eat sparingly."
This time, Tuan Tuan finally understood, and a rare look of solemnity appeared on its face.
However, it was only for a moment before its brow relaxed.
"It's okay. Aren't there these bamboos? If there's really nothing else to eat, I'll eat these."
Saying this, Tuan Tuan picked up the bundle of bamboo given by someone else with a troubled expression.
"Boss, do you want one too? Although this thing isn't very tasty, it's all we have now."
"As expected, people with a good appetite have a good mindset. I'm truly impressed."
Yang Lin shook his head speechlessly, and suddenly felt a sense of despair for the future.
Stuck on the highway by a herd of elephants, unable to move forward or back, and facing hunger tonight.
Just as despair filled his heart, the system's prompt suddenly sounded.
"Ding! A temporary mission has been triggered. Please escort the elephant herd to a safe location – Jingning District, Mingkun City."
"The host must ensure the safety of the elephant herd en route. If any elephant leaves the herd or gets lost, a portion of the reward will be deducted."
"At the same time, the host must also ensure the safety of the villages and towns along the way."
"Mission completion reward: 10 Talent Points, one random Talent Treasure Chest."
Hearing the prompt in his mind, Yang Lin's expression changed instantly.
This was the first mission he had received since the system upgrade.
He didn't expect such a generous reward right away – 10 Talent Points and a Talent Treasure Chest.
But then he thought about the content of the mission and felt that the reward wasn't that generous after all.
Escorting a wild Asian elephant herd from here to Mingkun City, hundreds of kilometers away, while ensuring they were not threatened and no members were lost, the difficulty was immense.
After all, this was a herd of wild elephants, not like the domesticated ones in zoos.
It was possible that a few mischievous ones might wander off midway and cause damage in the villages along the way.
"Fortunately, their destination is the same as mine this time. Otherwise, I would have had to make a special trip."
Thinking this, Yang Lin glanced at the herd of elephants moving away from him.
The next second, he walked towards the traffic control personnel who were blocking the road.
Under their surprised gazes, Yang Lin explained his intention.
As soon as he finished speaking, the control personnel were dumbfounded and then sternly refused.
"What? You want to escort those elephants all the way to Mingkun?"
"No, that's too dangerous. What if something happens to you along the way?"
However, as soon as they refused, Yang Lin quickly patted his chest and said,
"Don't worry, I've been dealing with animals for decades. I can handle this little matter."
"Besides, I came to Diannan this time for an exchange visit to the Diannan Zoo."
"See, I can even tame pandas."
Saying this, Yang Lin turned his gaze to Tuan Tuan in the back carriage.
"Come on, Tuan Tuan, say hello to them."
Hearing Yang Lin's words, Tuan Tuan in the carriage immediately waved to the crowd.
It was as if it was saying that what he said was true, and they should believe him.
Seeing Tuan Tuan, these control personnel suddenly remembered Yang Lin's identity.
At this moment, Yang Lin added,
"Not only can I escort them safely, but I can also quickly resolve the traffic congestion and reduce the damage these elephants cause along the way."
It had to be said, this last sentence was the most effective.
As soon as Yang Lin finished speaking, a voice came from the walkie-talkie.
"Since that's the case, let Director Yang try."