Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness

"Spy?"

A few men in uniform appeared atop the desert, accompanied by a herdsman leading a camel, clad in a white robe. From their mouths emerged a scenario Bi Fang had never imagined.

The wind howled through the sands, its abrasive whispers rising again with an unfathomable sound.

"Me?"

Bi Fang exchanged bewildered looks, falling silent after receiving a nod of confirmation.

Algeria was indeed beautiful, but behind that beauty lay seclusion.

Bi Fang had not anticipated that the greatest challenge he'd face on this trip wasn't the harshness of Nature but the wary villagers at the Algerian border.

With fewer than a thousand tourists annually, the majority of these visitors were concentrated within the cities, and as for the rural areas beyond, it was almost impossible to see much human traffic.

The population in Algeria mainly belonged to the Mediterranean type of the Europa race, which includes Arabs and Berbers. Bi Fang, with his Asian features, stood out especially with three drones hovering over his head.

When a young, unfamiliar man with a typical foreign look lingers around a village, only to quickly distance himself upon spotting people, carrying equipment that seemed designed for photography...

Okay, even if Algeria weren't so insular, Bi Fang felt he looked suspicious.

It was an unavoidable situation, even though Bi Fang had been very cautious to avoid populated areas. Sometimes, interactions just happened – he couldn't possibly know the location of every small village within Algeria.

Bi Fang looked up at the herdsman who had arrived with the police, searched his memory quickly, and remembered seeing the herdsman from a distance. He hadn't expected such a misunderstanding to arise.

"All right, then how should I prove myself?"

Bi Fang sighed.

...

[Done for, this won't end well, right?]

[Should be okay, right? The live stream isn't off yet, is it?]

[Old Fang is skilled and brave. What's there to fear?]

[Hahaha, suspected of being a spy, I can't stop laughing. Who these days doesn't know Old Fang's reputation?]

[I still remember when Master Fang came out of Qaidam, he seemed to be under suspicion too (dog's head), but that was within Huaxia territory, amongst our own people, so nothing serious happened.]

[This moment is as timely as that one.]

[Fun fact: In Algeria, you need a license to watch official television, and even for using computers, mobile phones, and other devices, as well as for live streaming. It's not like you can just go online whenever you want, so theoretically, it's abnormal for ordinary people to know of Old Fang.]

[Mind boggled.]

[Wow, are we even on the same planet?]

The audience started to worry about Bi Fang's predicament, though perhaps there was some assurance in being taken away by official authorities, so most comments were in jest.

After all, being taken away on suspicion of spying seemed ludicrous, especially given the extent of Bi Fang's fame. Such an event, perhaps, could only occur in these peculiar countries.

[But why are there countries that don't welcome tourists?]

[If you're talking about reasons, it's mostly cultural, along with certain economic factors. Algeria is particularly rich in oil and gas resources, ranked 15th in the world for oil and 10th for natural gas. These resources account for over 97% of the nation's export total and are the backbone of its economy.]

[So unlike Morocco and such countries, they don't rely on tourism economically. Add to that a culture somewhat resistant to outside influence, and naturally, they don't do much promotion.]

[Old Fang is good at negotiating, eh? Accused of being a spy and he hasn't even turned off the live stream.]

```

Why hadn't he stopped the live stream even though he was suspected of being a spy? It was due to Bi Fang's excellent "communication" skills.

As a professional live streamer, Bi Fang naturally had all his documents in order, and at the first sign of suspicion, he presented them, then explained the reasons for his visit, his purposes, and why he lingered near some villages.

Of course, the most crucial aspect was Bi Fang's extremely fluent French and Arabic.

Europe's "backyard."

This phrase could be seen as a compliment, admiring the environment of Algeria, or as a derogatory term, a shame of having been a French colony.

It was precisely because of the colonization that there were two common languages here: French and Arabic.

Coincidentally, Bi Fang spoke both.

Algerian women seldom show their faces in public, and most of the faces you see on the streets are those of "Old Arab" uncles and elder men.

In recent years, Huaxia has had many infrastructure and energy projects in cooperation with the locals. When faced with an oriental face, most "Old Arab" would still politely say "hello," but the conversation often stops there as most people's English is halting and doesn't allow for much chat.

But once you cross the language barrier and blend into the circles of Arabic or French speakers, Algerians' demeanor changes drastically, turning chatty and friendly, they might even drag you to a matchmaking event if they get along well with you.

This kind of relationship, where people are either strangers or extremely close, is basically universal.

Most Huaxia people feel a sense of kinship and pride when they see a foreigner who can speak fluent Chinese.

This sentiment is just more overt and apparent in Algeria.

Here, people of different racial and skin color coexist, but racial discrimination is almost non-existent.

Generally, they believe that anyone who speaks the same language and lives in the same area is one of their own.

The boundaries between people are as narrow as the gaps between houses, they like to invite business partners home, and wedding guests might burst into song contests over a disagreement.

As long as you speak the same language, there are no outsiders, only one of their own.

The officer had come with a responsible, not nitpicking, attitude, and after Bi Fang showed his relevant documents and successfully used language to foster a sense of closeness, they agreed to his request not to shut down the live stream.

But the agreement wasn't unconditional; until everything was confirmed, the live stream camera had to face the ground, and other people couldn't be filmed.

Bi Fang had no objections to this, but the live stream chat room wasn't so calm because they had learned something else.

Master Fang could actually speak Arabic too!!!

"What language number is this, what number!!!"

"How many languages does Old Fang actually speak???"

"I always thought people who are proficient in eight languages only existed in movies... old Fang has taught me a lesson in humility."

"Actually, there's a pattern in learning languages; when someone speaks more than three languages, it's highly probable that they'll know the fifth, sixth, seventh (Dog's head)."

"Master Fang must be at five or six by now, seriously awesome, another language genius."

"How does Master Fang do it, so young and it feels like he knows everything... I'm really envious, if I had even a quarter of his abilities, I wouldn't still be working in an office."

Bi Fang initially didn't want to show off too much, after all, the languages he knew were already impressive enough.

However, compared to French, it was indeed Arabic that made the locals drop their guard a bit more, making it easier to deal with them.

Seeing his cooperation, the police also relaxed, feeling this might really just be a misunderstanding. One of the leading-looking officers raised an eyebrow, and the nearby shepherd got the hint and stepped forward to take Alpha.

"Wait!"

But they were too close, and before Bi Fang could warn him, the shepherd had already grabbed the reins!

```

Bi Fang always remembered that Alpha wasn't just any ordinary camel, it was a wild camel that had been tamed!

Even after a mere month, under his hands, there was no issue. Bi Fang, both the captor and the tamer, had already instilled a powerful and inviolable mark in the camel's mind. However, in someone else's hands, there was no telling what danger might arise!

Although Bi Fang remembered this, he hadn't expected the other party to come and lead the camel away. He hadn't gripped the reins firmly and when the other party snatched them, they slipped right out of his hands.

The situation he feared most indeed happened. Almost the instant the herdsman grabbed the reins, Alpha snorted loudly and then suddenly raised its forehooves.

A behemoth weighing over half a ton is inherently oppressive; as it raised its forehooves, the herdsman was momentarily so frightened that he couldn't move, frozen in place.

Luckily, Bi Fang reacted swiftly. He kicked off the ground, surged forward at high speed, and rolled the herdsman to the side. Then he quickly got up from the ground, leapt to catch the flying reins, and pulled Alpha back down to the ground as he shouted,

"Sit down, sit down!"

Bi Fang tugged at the reins forcefully, pulling Alpha to the ground, suppressing the signs of an uprising.

Only now did the nearby police begin to draw their weapons. Bi Fang shouted loudly, "Don't worry, don't worry, it's fine now, everything's under control."

Seeing the camel sit down, the police officers seemed assured of their safety and didn't actually draw their weapons. However, the relaxed atmosphere from moments ago had completely vanished, and the scene became tense once again.

Bi Fang even noticed that several police officers, who had been quite close just moments ago, had now backed away three to four meters. Clearly, they too had been frightened.

At such a close range, no kind of gun would be effective.

"My God, what... what's with this camel?"

The herdsman, still shaken, got up from the ground, adjusting his hat, his face showing panic, his legs trembling.

If it weren't for Bi Fang's quick response, pushing him away the instant the camel lifted its forehooves, he might now be lying under its hooves.

A half-ton camel isn't something to joke about. A collapsed chest would be the least of his troubles.

The herdsman had seen many camels, but to think this one could become violent with just a tug of the reins was a first for him.

When a behemoth, whose head was as big as a human chest, became agitated, it was oppressive to people no matter whether its usual diet was grass or meat.

That kind of presence could easily make a normal person's legs go weak.

It was precisely for this reason that each time a behemoth was subdued, whether easy or difficult, it would always excite a large audience.

Looking at the herdsman's frightened eyes, Bi Fang felt a bit of remorse; it was his oversight.

Alpha, a wild camel just a month ago, was indeed obedient to him, but that wouldn't necessarily be the case with others. Perhaps in another two or three months, this wouldn't have been an issue.

"What's going on here?"

"Alpha is a wild camel I captured near Mali; we've only been together for less than a month. If someone else tries to lead it by the reins, it might not listen as well as it does to me?"

"Wild camel? Are you joking with me? Or do you think we're idiots?" a police officer asked sharply, pointing an accusatory finger at Bi Fang. Obviously angered by the scare, he was past the point where words could smooth things over.

Bi Fang shrugged. He had no evidence to present unless the other party was willing to pull out a phone and rewatch the live stream, which seemed unlikely.

Whether or not there's even a signal for normal cell phones out here was doubtful.

The lead officer apologized for his subordinate's rudeness and sized up Bi Fang, then took another look at Alpha, now kneeling, "Alpha, is that its name?"

"Yes."

"Then would you mind leading Alpha and coming with us? If you make any unexpected moves on the way, don't blame us for taking necessary measures."

"Of course, but I do hope this can be resolved quickly."

"If there are truly no issues, it will be."

Several hours later.

Following the officer, Bi Fang walked from the desert into the city. As someone visiting for the first time, his gaze inevitably revealed curiosity.

There was no onslaught of tourists, and entering Algeria alone felt like slipping into an isolated society.

Regardless of which town he reached, the spaces between buildings were filled with the unfiltered essence of local life.

The residential areas seemed capable of stopping time, much like those old French buildings in Algiers, where residents hadn't changed for decades.

Here, oil was as cheap as water, and Algeria had a good welfare system. Despite the severe class stratification, unemployed commoners receiving subsistence allowances could barely make ends meet.

Though the houses were old and the living conditions not exactly advanced, since faith was greater than everything, Algerians were willing to forgo the pursuit of rapid development and continue their tranquil traditional slow life.

Just by looking at those houses, Bi Fang knew that it was unlikely for an outsider to visit the community alone.

Imagine old walls paired with rusty iron bars on windows, thick electric wires entangled with clotheslines, and faded childish graffiti next to a group of bearded "Old Als" smoking and chatting.

Insert this scene into a movie, and you'd expect trouble to arrive soon.

Without a local guide, tourists entering the neighborhood would feel like they've entered a labyrinth with undecipherable street signs, running amok while being suspected of peeping into people's homes.

Bi Fang, with a foreign face and led by the police, received more than one doubtful glance from the crowd on the street, all filled with suspicion.

Eventually, Bi Fang was taken to the local police station.

There, Bi Fang was unquestionably subjected to a series of interrogations by multiple batches of officers, and his passport was taken by the police for verification.

"Would you like some tea? Or perhaps some food?"

One of the initial officers that took Bi Fang, the one who stopped his subordinate from being disrespectful, did indeed sit beside Bi Fang with a small tray.

On it were a few sweets and a cup of mint tea.

The sweets were standard, but the tea was somewhat special.

The cup was almost half filled with foam "mousse" and gave off a strong scent reminiscent of menthol balm, invigorating Bi Fang's senses.

He had heard that in alcohol-prohibiting Algeria, besides the steam coffee and Arab coffee they already loved, locals would drink mint tea as if it were whiskey.

If that wasn't satisfying enough, they'd mix in some green tea, sugary water for a kick, paired with a few coconut dates and a drop of the soulful menthol balm.

Turns out, it was true.

"Thank you, but no need."

"But you look quite thirsty," the chief said, eyeing Bi Fang's pale lips with suspicion.

"If I must give an explanation, regard me as an ascetic monk."

"Like the People from Yingdu?"

"Like the People from Yingdu," Bi Fang nodded.

"All the resources for this journey must be gathered with my own hands, all the tools must be created with my own hands."

"I think I understand why you were determined to tame a wild camel."