Chapter 682: Chapter 24: Raiding the Wasp Nest

Half an hour later.

Adam and Chen Wen had set up all the traps and were observing for a while by the oasis.

Chen Wen pointed out the snowy owl’s nest to Adam.

Looking at the nest high in the treetops, Adam had no idea how to deal with it.

"We’ll have to let your raptor try, but the snowy owl doesn’t seem to be around now."

Adam said.

Chen Wen nodded: "Snowy owls are usually in pairs or groups; this one might be a youngster pursuing its love."

Adam realized: "So, there are other snowy owls nearby?"

"Exactly!"

Chen Wen stopped looking at the snowy owl’s nest and turned toward the group of tiger parrots, saying: "The presence of snowy owls indicates a significant oasis nearby. If we have time, we can use snowy owls and raptors to find more oases and stock up on resources."

"This way, we’ll have plenty of resources and don’t need to rush to the first oasis."

Adam agreed with Chen Wen’s opinion.

He followed Chen Wen’s gaze to the tiger parrots standing on the trees far from the snowy owl’s nest, making incessant noisy calls.

The two spent a little more time, and as the sky darkened, they returned to their small hill.

By the time they reached the hill, it was completely dark.

"The sky seems to get dark particularly fast in this cursed place."

Chen Wen couldn’t help but say.

This time, he hadn’t brought any night-vision entries, and his perception ability had drastically declined.

However, as long as he transformed into a North American gray wolf or a snowy owl, he could gain stronger night vision.

But now wasn’t the right time to use the transformation entry.

Upon hearing this, Adam lit the fire using the moonlight.

He said, "Without mountains to block the way in the desert, the sun disappears below the horizon, making it dark quickly. In areas with terrain, the sun is blocked by mountains before setting, creating an illusion."

"Nonetheless, the weather here is consistently clear, and today’s moonlight is good."

As if confirming Adam’s words.

Quickly, a breeze blew by, and a crescent moon hung high in the night sky.

Though it was a crescent moon, its illumination wasn’t reduced at all.

Besides, there were plenty of stars beside the moon.

The density of stars is much denser than in the Northern Hemisphere!

Gazing at the night sky different from the Northern Hemisphere, Chen Wen and Adam became captivated.

"I’ve heard that astronomy enthusiasts call the middle of autumn to spring in the Southern Hemisphere ’Milky Way season’ because, during this time, they can directly view the center of the Milky Way in the Southern Hemisphere, and Australia has excellent stargazing conditions, known as a stargazing paradise."

Adam couldn’t help but sigh: "It’s said that more stars can be seen here than in the Northern Hemisphere, by a hundredfold, not to mention meteor showers, dust lanes, and nebulae."

"Now it seems those astronomers weren’t wrong!" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Chen Wen interrupted Adam: "Hey, now isn’t the time to stargaze! Besides, it’s only the end of summer in the Southern Hemisphere, not the stargazing season yet."

"And the last time in Caprivi, didn’t you look?"

Caprivi?

Adam smirked: "Don’t mention it; in Caprivi, there was limited time and heavy tasks. I didn’t have the leisure."

Disrupted by Chen Wen’s mood, Adam stopped looking and took out the simple torch they made that afternoon.

Chen Wen pulled out the smoking materials he prepared.

They were half-dry branches and leaves.

"Need some simple defense mechanisms?"

Adam asked.

Chen Wen waved: "No need, a true man charges straight in!"

Of course, he wasn’t speaking recklessly.

In these circumstances, if the smoking plan fails, unless with two full sets of protective gear, other defensive items are useless.

So it’s better to go in lightly equipped.

Once prepared, the two quickly headed to the hornet nest Chen Wen found.

Adam followed behind Chen Wen, providing light with his torch.

As they approached the hornet nest, Chen Wen signaled Adam to stop.

He carefully took the torch and slowly walked toward the nest.

Actually, Chen Wen had a backup method - transforming into a hornet hawk.

The hornet hawk had been reverse-selected, allowing Chen Wen to transform into it.

So if the plan fails, after letting Adam escape, he could transform into a hornet hawk and attack the nest.

But this is the last resort.

With the drone capturing footage, even with [Disguise] concealment, exposure is likely.

Therefore, it’s best if the smoking method succeeds, allowing them to directly remove the nest.

Sticking to the cliff, Chen Wen slowly approached the hornet nest.

Hornets are sensitive to vibrations, so Chen Wen didn’t move much.

Once safe, Chen Wen waved the torch for Adam to proceed.

"How’s it going?"

Adam whispered, like a mosquito, asking Chen Wen.

Chen Wen nodded: "Not bad, there don’t seem to be any hornets outside now."

He lifted the torch slightly higher.

Through the torchlight, Adam could see the nest clearly.

It’s damn huge!

Adam widened his eyes, filled with disbelief.

Even if they manage to smoke the hornets unconscious, taking the entire nest might not be possible!

But seeing it’s now or never, burning it all is an alternative.

As Chen Wen ignited the smoke materials, Adam quickly took the torch to help Chen Wen ignite them.

In no time, as the fire flickered, curls of smoke rose into the air.

Cautiously, Chen Wen placed some burning materials under the nest, while others were placed at the entrance beside the nest.

Smoke billowed, and within the nest, the hornets noticed.

They sensed the smoke, and under its stimulus, some sentinel hornets began releasing alarm pheromones.

But smoke can greatly obscure these pheromones, preventing other hornets from perceiving their companions’ danger signals.

So, after a brief commotion.

The hornets gradually calmed down.

Simultaneously, smoke created an illusion for the hornets.

Some hornets mistakenly identified the situation as a fire.

These hornets scrambled out of the nest, fleeing in different directions.

Chen Wen and Adam pressed themselves against the cliff without blocking the fleeing hornets.

They watched the hornets leave the nest while intensifying the smoking.

Smoke affects hornets less than bees, but under Chen Wen’s intense smoking, the hornets still fell into chaos.

Many hornets moved away from the nest, while others were overwhelmed by the smoke, perched motionless inside.

These hornets lost their ability to make judgments due to the smoke, entering a confused state.

However, this confused state wouldn’t last long.

Once the hornets realize smoke poses no actual harm and adapt, they’ll quickly enter battle mode to defend the nest.

So Chen Wen swiftly moved to seize the pupae and kill remaining hornets.

Adam watched in terror as Chen Wen used a knife to cut open the hornet nest.

A second later, he brazenly reached in and directly took out part of the nest.

This sight frightened Adam.

He wanted to remind Chen Wen to handle the hornets more gently.

But worried about disrupting Chen Wen, causing hornet frenzy.

Luckily, the smoke’s effect showed.

The hornets faced with such destructive nest activity did not react.