Chapter 72: Explosive Bees, Swarming Dance

"No. 1, open the rear compartment," Zeng Shen commanded as he returned to the Gui Jin abandoned building. He got out of the vehicle and walked to the rear, waiting for the bees.

It didn't take long before over a dozen bees appeared, heading straight for the eleven pots of bee orchids to gather nectar.

Zeng Shen cast an Eye of Insight towards them, only to find none would survive beyond three years.

Disappointed, he didn't have to wait long before another group of bees arrived from all directions.

Excitedly, he used multiple Eyes of Insight.

Finally, one bee's information appeared on a virtual panel only he could see.

[Insect Species: Explosive Bee]

[Qualification: Common]

[Second Tier: 0/1000]

[Name: Not Named.]

[Skill: Not Activated.]

[Believer: No Faith.]

[Mood: Joyful]

[Analysis: An insect species tamed by the Wasp Tribe, happily gathering nectar. If angered, it will summon more explosive bees to attack.]

"You're the one," Zeng Shen smiled, casting a Beast Taming spell. A clear notification sounded in his ear.

[Congratulations to the host, successful taming, pet Explosive Bee acquired, generic follower +1.]

Zeng Shen commanded the tamed bee, "From now on, you're called Little Bee. Now, take me to your hive."

Little Bee, receiving Zeng Shen's command, buzzed its wings, flying swiftly towards the vine-covered rubble on the left side of the abandoned building.

It stopped near a discarded iron oil barrel, fifty meters from the vehicle, surrounded by half-meter tall weeds.

Zeng Shen parted the weeds and approached quickly.

As he neared the oil barrel, a warning sounded.

[Danger! The host is about to enter a core area inhabited by the Wasp Tribe. Entry will result in attacks by the tribe and their tamed beasts, followed by capture and enslavement. Please leave immediately.]

"Finally found the spot," Zeng Shen chuckled, ignoring the warning panel, and pushed through the weeds to the horizontal oil barrel.

The barrel, a large one with a body length of one and a half meters and a diameter of one meter, housed a massive hive.

The outermost comb was densely populated with bees.

Behind this comb, the hive was covered with dirt and vines, obscuring the number of bees inside.

Still, Zeng Shen estimated there were at least ten thousand.

He cast an Eye of Insight at once.

[Wasp Tribe Hive.]

"These are the bees," Zeng Shen confirmed, instructing Little Bee beside him, "Go tell the queen to lead her swarm out and submit to me, or else I'll..."

Before he could finish, several small bees flew from the hive, attacking Little Bee and knocking it into the thick grass.

Some bit its neck, others its wings, and still others its limbs.

"What the heck?" Zeng Shen was stunned, then a notification sounded in his ear.

[Your pet Little Bee's scent was mistaken by the Wasp Tribe's guard bees as that of a honey thief, resulting in a destructive attack.]

Recalling that bees identify their group by scent, any unfamiliar scent attracts the guard bees' attention, leading to expulsion or even death.

Zeng Shen realized, taming Little Bee must have altered its scent, leading the other bees to mistake it for an intruder.

Just then, an urgent notification rang out.

[Your pet has been dismembered by the Wasp Tribe guard bees and succumbed to its injuries. The guard bees see you as an accomplice and are rallying to expel you. Please flee immediately.]

With the notification came the sound of buzzing wings from the hive.

In moments, thousands of small bees swarmed out, forming a dark mass, flying rapidly towards Zeng Shen.

"Crap," Zeng Shen muttered, feeling his scalp tingle at the sight of the swarm, ready to use Agility Amplification to escape.

But suddenly, a thought struck him, and he changed his mind, stopping in his tracks and concentrating as he lowly chanted, "Air Shield."

Instantly, an invisible ripple formed half a meter in front of him, blocking the advancing swarm.

Yet the bees didn't give up.

In less than ten minutes, the Air Shield was covered in a thick layer of bees.

Inside, Zeng Shen felt his scalp crawl at the sight of the swarm, only half a meter away.

"Without this Air Shield, I'd be stung all over," he muttered, frowning as he pondered how to capture the queen without violence.

Using his method for the ant colony wouldn't work, as bees couldn't carry heavy objects like ants, nor could they bring the queen out.

Suddenly, Zeng Shen felt the air grow stifling, the temperature inside the Air Shield rising.

Sweat poured from his forehead, and he struggled to breathe.

He realized the bees were trying to suffocate him.

"They're trying to smother me!" Zeng Shen exclaimed, leaping up to shake off some bees.

He focused, casting a Flight spell, zooming around the abandoned building.

Once the bees clinging to the shield were shaken off, he landed slowly.

Cautiously, he kept the Air Shield up, wary of the bees that hadn't given up and followed him, unsure if they'd summon more.

Thus, he kept the Air Shield active, heading towards the hive.

Approaching the rear compartment, a warning sounded.

[Warning! The host is about to encounter the poisonous golden-ringed wasp beast. Please retreat immediately.]

"Poisonous golden-ringed wasp beast, what now?" Zeng Shen muttered, peering into the compartment.

Five thumb-sized hornets were preying on the bees on the bee orchids.

One was munching on a bee carcass, savoring the meal.

"Wow, these bee orchids attracted five hornets," Zeng Shen noted.

Hornets, also known as yellowjackets, are predators of bees.

He'd heard they could kill 40 bees a minute.

Meaning these five hornets could take down 12,000 bees in an hour, potentially more with his empowerment.

With a new idea, Zeng Shen focused, casting an Eye of Insight on the five hornets.

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