Malai Crocodile

As everyone was dealing with the bamboo rats and otter-like creatures, Fang Moqi returned.

He jumped down from a tree, holding a honeycomb in his hand.

"Holy crap!" everyone yelped, quickly dodging.

Lan Mu was also a bit flustered, but he didn't dodge. He thought Fang Moqi wouldn't be reckless.

As expected, it was an empty honeycomb; the bees were nowhere to be found.

"Yo, well done."

Fang Moqi picked up the otter-like creature and noticed it was still alive. Just then, the otter-like creature woke up and struggled violently upon realizing it had fallen into human hands.

Fang Moqi smiled, walked to the side, and released the otter-like creature.

The otter-like creature bared its teeth, put on a fierce expression, and then nimbly escaped.

"Ah! Brother Fang, why did you let it go?"

"Yeah! Otter-like creature meat is delicious!"

Fang Moqi waved his hand and chuckled, "Since it's still alive, let's not eat it. We have enough food anyway. You wouldn't be able to eat it all if you killed it, and the leftover skin and meat would just be a burden. We still have to travel."

"As compensation, I'll give you this honeycomb. Who caught the otter-like creature alive?"

Everyone looked at Lan Mu. Fang Moqi looked unsurprised.

"Looks like you're not just good at archery. Catching an otter-like creature alive takes skill."

Lan Mu smiled, "Just lucky. I picked it up."

Hearing this, everyone gave him a "are you kidding me" look.

Fang Moqi broke off half the honeycomb and handed it to Lan Mu, giving the other half to everyone else.

He said to Lan Mu, "Eat it. This piece of honeycomb is enough to replenish your energy."

Lan Mu looked at the palm-sized honeycomb filled with almost solidified amber-colored honey and ate it with his hands.

As soon as he tasted it, Lan Mu's eyebrows shot up. The taste was truly surprising, more delicious than any honey he had ever eaten.

Du Yu also got a piece and asked while eating, "Brother Fang, did you drive away the bees with fire and then bring back the honeycomb?"

"No," Fang Moqi replied. "I found a honeycomb about the size of a car earlier. I reached in and took out a few pieces from the center. I tasted some myself, and brought the rest back for you."

"Huh? What! Are you okay? Didn't you get stung?" everyone exclaimed. Reaching directly into a beehive?

"Ah, I did anger them, but I managed to escape and even caught a few to eat along the way," Fang Moqi said nonchalantly.

Lan Mu was curious this time. He couldn't imagine how Fang Moqi had escaped. Facing a swarm of bees, even he, in his transformed state, would have had trouble dealing with them.

Fang Moqi happily answered Lan Mu's question. He said, "After finding the honeycomb, I scouted the vicinity. I eventually discovered a patch of bee-eating grass about a kilometer away, so I went back to get the honeycomb."

"There are many natural enemies of bees, and even among bee colonies, there are many conflicts. For a honeycomb the size of a car, there must be many predators nearby. Otherwise, they would build nests everywhere and spread out."

"Being forced to unite doesn't mean they are strong; it actually means they are weak. After all, just supporting such a large hive and foraging in only one area is a huge challenge. This colony of bees works overtime every day... hehe."

After hearing Fang Moqi's explanation, Lan Mu understood and quickly licked the honeycomb clean.

Seeing Lan Mu casually toss the honeycomb on the ground, Fang Moqi paused, then picked it up with a smile.

He broke off a piece and put it in his mouth, saying, "You're quite picky, throwing away such a good thing."

"Wild honeycombs are precious medicine. Although it's a bee's secretion, it doesn't taste bad."

"For bears, this is a rare delicacy, something they'd risk their lives for!"

After speaking, he broke off another piece and chewed it.

Lan Mu was taken aback, realizing his ignorance. He had only thought honey was edible and had thrown away the honeycomb.

Zheng Hui was also chewing on the honeycomb and said, "Amateurs. Honeycombs are treasures. The honey, the bee larvae, the bees themselves, and the hive itself are all edible."

"For wilderness survival hunters, this is an extremely great gift from nature. Every hunter has several ways to deal with bees. Seeing a beehive is like being saved for a hunter."

Lan Mu touched his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed. He truly didn't know this.

Zheng Hui looked at him with disdain, but Fang Moqi didn't seem to care. Seeing that everyone had eaten their fill, he told them to light torches and continue their journey.

Along the way, they saw animals and insects everywhere.

As they walked, Fang Moqi suddenly lunged, his hand reaching for a tree branch, as if he had grabbed something.

With a forceful shake, a colorful snake was pulled down. With a crackling sound, it was shaken until it was half dead.

Then, he held the snake's neck with one hand, bit off its head, and extracted the black, thumb-tip-sized gall bladder, which he swallowed whole.

He casually tossed the snake backward, and Zheng Hui immediately caught it and put it away.

"Hmm, it tastes good, just a bit small," Fang Moqi muttered after swallowing the gall bladder.

This was just a minor incident on their journey. Basically, few animals attacked humans. The jungle was relatively friendly to humans, and many of the terrifying creatures they had expected did not appear.

"I'm so bored! Didn't they say the depths of the rainforest were very dangerous?" someone finally complained. Walking in the rainforest was torture. It was humid everywhere, and a slight misstep could lead to a fall.

Insects bit them from time to time, and the hot climate made them feel stuffy and uncomfortable, as if a heavy stone was pressing on their chests.

"Soon. Look! We've passed several signs of large animals along the way. Judging by their direction, there should be a water source not far ahead of us."

About three minutes later, everyone indeed heard the sound of gurgling water.

"Wow!"

Hearing the water, everyone became excited and quickened their pace.

Soon, they arrived at a riverbank. Across the river was an even denser jungle, with roots tightly intertwined. The large trees formed a continuous canopy, blocking out the sun. Inside, it was pitch black. The average height of the trees was even sixty meters.

"This is what 'a single tree forms a forest' looks like. Many trees in tropical rainforests are arranged like this. Sometimes, it's a dead end for humans because the jungle is too dense. Unless you cut down the trees, it's no different from prison bars; it's very difficult for people to pass through."

Zheng Hui boasted his knowledge, then walked to the small river and observed for a while before preparing to drink.

After taking a few sips, he exclaimed, "There are so many fish in the water!"

After shouting, he rushed into the water, wanting to catch fish.

Fang Moqi shouted, "Wait! Come back!"

Zheng Hui was stunned. Seeing it was Fang Moqi speaking, he hurriedly ran back. He reached the shore without encountering any danger.

"What's wrong?"

Everyone was confused, not understanding what Fang Moqi had discovered.

At this time, the camera was back in Lan Mu's hands. He pointed the lens at Fang Moqi.

Fang Moqi chuckled and said, "Didn't you see that piece of mud and wood on the bank?"

Lan Mu turned the camera over. Indeed, there was a piece of mud and wood on the bank, like long-rotted wood, covered in mud, moss, and even aquatic plants.

That piece of wood was only about four or five meters from where Zheng Hui had entered the water.

"What's wrong with that piece of wood?"

Everyone was puzzled, but Zheng Hui suddenly understood, and said awkwardly, "I was careless. I really didn't recognize it just now. With so many fish in the river, I never expected an ambush by a crocodile."

"Crocodile?" everyone exclaimed, and looked again, but no matter how they looked, it was still just a piece of wood!

Fang Moqi smiled, "The fish are deliberately left by this Malai Crocodile on the bank as bait."

"Didn't you see the small animals in the forest hesitating to go to the river to drink? They are much more experienced than you."

"But this crocodile is too sinister, driving so many small fish to the riverbank. It's a fatal temptation for certain animals. Soon, some animals will be unable to resist, like salamanders... hehe."

"But I don't have time to waste..."

After speaking, Fang Moqi threw the body of the flower snake he had caught earlier into the water. It landed right in front of the 'wooden' object, but the 'wood' remained motionless.

"Heh... so bold!"

Fang Moqi directly cut down a bamboo stalk and walked towards the 'wood' holding the bamboo pole.