Liu Wei returned to the shore and relieved his breath.

Patters rushed over and asked, "Liu, are you okay?"

Liu Wei smiled slightly, "Professor Patters, I'll show you a good thing!"

The microcomputer of the diving live broadcast equipment clearly recorded the whole process of Liu Wei's discovery of the cave, and the claw marks intercepted by the audience in the live broadcast room were particularly clear.

Patters was first shocked.

His thoughts were the same as Liu Wei's, it was indeed not a suitable location for crocodiles to nest.

However, his attention was quickly drawn to the clear claw marks.

What most aroused Patters' desire to study was the size of the claw marks.

More than a decade ago, Patters also used his camera to record Gustav's claw marks.

"Liu, I think we should rush back to the research base!" Patters said.

Liu Wei understood what he meant and got into the car.

Back at the research base, Patters hurried into the lab, stood in front of the photo wall, put on reading glasses, and searched the photo with his right hand from top to bottom.

Finally, in the lower right corner of the photo wall, you can find the claw marks taken more than ten years ago.

Patters had thought they would never be needed again, but in recent years, he has focused more on the conservation of Nile crocodiles.

The photograph on his hand was a little yellowed, but the marks left by Gustav's crawling could still be seen.

Through the comparison of more than a dozen photos.

Patters came to a shocking conclusion, "Liu, the crocodile that lives in that cave may be bigger than Gustav?"

Liu Wei was stunned for a moment.

Could it be that there is a bigger Nile crocodile in Lake Tanganico?

It actually proved Liu Wei's previous conjecture that the tank of more than four meters was indeed not the king of crocodiles.

Pats suddenly smiled, "I patted Liu Wei on the shoulder, Liu, the Nile crocodile is a lifelong animal, although it grows very slowly after reaching a certain age, but it has been more than ten years since the last time I saw Gustav, if it is Gustav, then the growth of more than ten years is also very obvious!"

Liu Wei couldn't help but smile.

Both of them were just shocked by the length of the crocodile, and forgot the common sense that crocodiles grow for life.

Liu Wei said with some regret: "Because the current is too fast, I can't get into it to investigate, but with the brutal nature of the Nile crocodile, if I find an object moving around its cave, I will definitely react, and I can conclude that it should not be at home!"

Patters made another conjecture, "Maybe it's a break in another hole!"

Liu Wei agrees with him.

The process of nesting crocodiles is very complex, and the hole at the mouth of the lake is not the only outlet for crocodiles.

In this way, it can also explain the crocodile's unreasonable nesting site.

"Professor Patters, can you be sure it's Gustav now?" Liu Wei asked the most crucial question.

Patters shook his head, "Based on the information found so far, it's not certain that it's Gustav, but such a large Nile crocodile has been able to attract the attention of the whole world."

We need more strength to help us uncover the truth!"

"What are you going to do?" asked Liu Wei.

"I'm going to take what you've found and our reasoning, come up with an academic hypothesis, and send it to the journal Nature, and I'm sure it's going to get noticed soon!" Patters said.

"Then I'm bothering you!" Liu Wei and Patters had the same idea, it was difficult for the two of them to carry out this scientific expedition with the strength of the two of them.

Patters was in charge of writing the material.

Liu Wei rests at the base.

Before the evening, an article titled "Gustav may still be alive!" was published in the journal Nature.

Nature is one of the most authoritative journals in the industry, and Patters has a high reputation in the field of reptilology.

Coupled with the reasonableness of the article's presentation and the clear contrast of the pictures, all kinds of evidence point to the possibility that Gustav is alive!

Soon!

Several authoritative journals in the industry, such as Science Magazine and Biology Journal, have successively reposted Patters's article.

In addition, various media outlets associated with nature and ecology also retweeted Patters' article.

Liu Wei lay on the bed and finished reading Patters's article, which can be said to be the most rigorous academic hypothesis, and he had to admire the thinking and pen power of this senior.

The next morning.

Patters received the good news and knocked on Liu Wei's door excitedly.

Liu Wei woke up in a daze.

Patters excitedly said, "Liu, there will be a strong force to help us.

The World Wide Union for Nature (WWU) will sponsor our expedition, and my old partner, Professor Ellison, the most famous zoologist in France, will bring his research team to support us!"

Liu Wei smiled, "Great!"

While the two were communicating, there was a noise outside the base.

"I'll go out and have a look!" Patters turned and walked out the door.

Liu Wei also followed.

Residents of the area gather on the riverbank.

"What's going on?" asked Patus, who knew the villagers well, as he slipped into the crowd.

The villagers fell silent and did not reply, their eyes fixed on the corpses on the riverbank.

Liu Wei frowned.

The body was incomplete, only the head and right shoulder remained, and the skull was revealed.

Liu Wei walked up to Patters: "It's been too long to be soaked in the river!"

Patters observed the corpse with a bad premonition.

Turning his head to look at Liu Wei.

Both nodded at the same time.

They thought of going together.

The shape of the corpse is not far from that of the corpse shown in the lab photographs.

Although it has been soaked in the river for a long time, there are still obvious bite marks between the skin and flesh.

Patters was all too familiar with such bite marks.

That's right!

It's a crocodile's bite mark!

Just yesterday the hypothesis that Gustav might still be alive was proposed, and today a corpse washed up on the riverbank.

It's a coincidence, isn't it?

However, Liu Wei and Patters are not sure that Gustav did it for the time being, and it may also be another crocodile.

Although it is not yet the estrus season of the Nile crocodile, the Nile crocodile, who have been waiting for a year and are hungry for the arrival of the migratory army, are also unusually short-tempered.

At this time, there is a high possibility that crocodiles will attack people when people enter the watershed of the reserve!

Wrong!

Patters suddenly frowned again.

He couldn't help but think of several similar murders that had happened after Gustav disappeared.

The last time was three years ago.

The last time was in ......

Patters was stunned.

It was five years ago!

That is, in 2015!

In 2015, villagers living around Lake Tanganico mentioned that they had seen Gustav capture a buffalo.

At the time, the news was not widely recognized, including Patters himself, who believed that the most likely time for Gustav to appear before he disappeared was from 2007 to 2008, because in 2004, he witnessed Gustav with a gunshot wound, and the span between the two time points was only three years, and the time span of the 2015 appearance was more than ten years, which is not very rigorous.

But now, Patters has to reconsider that point in time, because there was a murder case by a Nile crocodile that coincided with that time, and yesterday's observations and discussions with Liu Wei proved that Gustav could be alive.

Pats has a creepy feeling!

n.