Chapter 275

"Look, those two zebras seem to be drinking water?"

In the distance, a large and a small zebra repeatedly licked their long tongues downward.

Qin Yun quickly controlled the drone to zoom in, magnifying it about tenfold, clearly seeing droplets continuously falling from the zebras' mouths—undoubtedly drinking water.

A look of delight appeared on his face.

"I never expected water to exist in this area—I must go take a look."

Saying this, he left the drone stationary while he hurried toward the zebras' location; he kept the drone still because its rotor noise was loud and could easily provoke the rock bees' hostility.

As Qin Yun drew closer, the two zebras immediately lifted their heads, staring at him, then nervously stamped the ground, their nostrils flaring as if warning him not to approach.

But just two zebras? Qin Yun paid them no mind and instead increased his speed.

At this, the zebras panicked and turned to flee, retreating far away.

Qin Yun laughed heartily: "Who knew my name, Qin Ye, had already echoed across the Serengeti, so much that even tiny zebras dare not face me head-on and must retreat three miles!"

Seeing his smug expression, netizens immediately erupted.

"Damn it, Qin Ye, do you even have a shred of shame?"

"What name do you even have?"

"Laughing my ass off—Qin Ye's shameless face is right up my alley."

"6666"

"Qin Zhen is hilarious!"

As he neared, Qin Yun quickly spotted a water pool in the rock crevice—a stone basin roughly one cubic meter in size, now half-filled with water.

Netizens, viewing through his head-mounted action camera, all expressed regret over his luck.

Qin Yun pointed to the granite before him, walked to its backside, and there, fine droplets were seeping out, slowly trickling down the rock face to converge into the stone basin.

"I've actually witnessed rock seepage," he said, patting the granite with his hand and smiling, "beneath this massive granite lies a water source; under the midday sun, moisture seeps from its shaded side—this is the purest freshwater, safe to drink without hesitation."

He shook his head: "Too bad, the zebras have already spoiled the water in the basin—after they drank it, bacteria and parasites are surely in there. I'm too lazy to start a fire now—I'll wait until tonight."

Hearing this, his livestream fans were astonished.

"Qin Ye, didn't you say you'd cover more ground today? You've barely walked five kilometers—actually, you're even behind, having veered way off course following the rock bees."

"Yeah, Qin Ye, if you don't walk more today, you'll have to cover even farther tomorrow or the day after."

"Just grab the honey and get out fast."

"I'm the beekeeper from earlier—I can tell Qin Ye plans to harvest honey tonight; that's correct, because when night falls, all rock bees return to their hive."

Qin Yun returned to where the drone was stationed, glanced at the comment section, and smiled: "The beekeeper brother is right—wasting a day for ten kilograms of honey is worth it. I'm waiting until night to harvest because I can't touch it during the day."

He continued: "During the day, all worker bees are out foraging, none are in the hive. If I act rashly, every single rock bee will attack me—I'd have to sprint away. Though I'm not slower than them, this is the grassland—if I'm cornered into some danger, it won't be worth it."

"But at night, it's different—all rock bees are back in the hive. I can use smoke to successfully harvest the honey."

"How? Won't the smoke make them all fly out?"

"Yeah, right now they're scattered—you can run fast. But at night, won't they swarm in a massive cloud? You'll be dead."

"Still me, the beekeeper: when rock bees return to the hive, Qin Ye can use smoke to harvest honey safely. The smoke makes them collectively gorge on honey; once their bellies swell from honey, they can't sting or fly, temporarily losing all attack capability—by the time Qin Ye finishes harvesting, all's well."

"666, there's actually a move like that."

"Qin Ye really knows everything."

Qin Yun smiled: "Just basic knowledge—anyone who observes daily life can learn it. Now I need to confirm the hive's exact location; among this thousand-square-meter granite cluster, rock bee hives are only in a few spots—I'll eliminate them one by one and find it quickly."

Saying this, Qin Yun re-entered the granite cluster, leaving the drone outside.

He moved quietly—too many rock bees surrounded him; any sudden motion might trigger their misunderstanding.

Minutes later, he appeared before two massive granite boulders, their gray-white bodies stacked in layers, covered with weathered cracks and uneven grooves; at a vertical crevice recessed inward, rock bees flew in and out densely.

He did not approach too closely, observing carefully.

The crevice was narrow—only half a meter wide, extending one or two meters inward, with no direct sunlight. The comb hung vertically along the rock fissure, deeply embedded within the stone. A quick glance told him the comb contained no fewer than twelve cells.

Viewers on the livestream, through the action camera, also saw this.

"666, that's a huge lump."

"Qin Ye's got a treat coming."

"They say honey never spoils—why?"

"Beekeeper brother, explain."

"Here we go: natural honey doesn't spoil because it has extremely low moisture, extremely high acidity, and naturally contains antibacterial agents. In the wild, it won't rot for years, decades—even millennia."

"Sounds impressive even if I still don't get it—but it sure looks impressive."

"…"

Having confirmed the hive's location and the number of combs, Qin Yun returned satisfied to the drone's position.

Now came the waiting. Though he'd wasted a day, harvesting honey made it worthwhile.

Sitting beneath the acacia tree, Qin Yun gathered dry grass and dead branches, then leaned back calmly against the acacia.

"With this guard detail, danger nearby is nearly impossible. Such a massive colony of rock bees—even the fiercest wild animals won't dare provoke them. This is a natural no-go zone; the only creatures bold enough to come are honey badgers."

"Honey badgers—'Flathead Brother.' They specialize in eating honey, with thick skin, dense fur, and loose hide; even stings don't hurt them. But there aren't many Flathead Brothers on the Serengeti grassland."

…

As dusk fell, Qin Yun wrapped a piece of bark over his face, completely covering his head and neck, then began twisting the dry grass and dead shrubs he'd prepared into torches as thick as his thigh.

"Night's coming—look, the foraging worker bees are almost all gone. In a little while, every rock bee will return to the hive. That's when I act. First, I'll smolder this torch."

As he worked, darkness deepened; after full sunset, his massive torch was thoroughly smoldering, thick smoke billowing out.

"Cough—cough!" He coughed twice, then stood up. "Brothers, it's time to pluck the chestnuts from the fire—follow me."

Saying this, he dashed toward the hive's crevice.

Arriving at the crevice, he thrust the smoldering torch deep inside—instantly, the narrow fissure filled with dense smoke.

This group of Serengeti rock peaks never imagined that a dog would appear on the grassland—they had no preparation at all, and as the smoke spread, they instinctively began feeding on the honey.

Qin Yun listened closely; the buzzing inside had noticeably weakened, and finally not a single wingbeat remained, though a few scattered rock bees emerged, and upon seeing Qin Yun, this unexpected intruder, they immediately launched an attack.

Fortunately, Qin Yun was wrapped tightly, wore a hat and bark on his head, and his only exposed hands were tucked inside his sleeves, leaving these rock bees utterly unable to find a place to strike.

After three or four minutes, Qin Yun chuckled, swung the torch aside, and the drone swiftly descended from the air.

"Brothers, we did it—let's take the honey."

As he spoke, Qin Yun leaned his head inward, and the livestream camera instantly switched to the feed from his head-mounted camera.

There, on a large honeycomb, countless rock bees clung densely; even now, sensing him as an enemy, they could not move—a fury useless.

The entire interior of the rock crevice was filled with bee bodies across the comb surfaces.

Qin Yun pulled out his dagger and began cutting.

"Of this comb's upper and lower sections, we only need the top, because the top holds honey—the bottom holds pupae and larvae. I'm still quite kind."

As he spoke, three combs were cut free; he left everything else untouched, and throughout the entire process, not a single rock bee was killed.

Holding the three combs in hand, Qin Yun unhesitatingly pulled away.

"Wind's up—let's bolt!"

…………

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