Raiding a Beehive

Fine snowflakes fell incessantly throughout the day, and dusk slowly enveloped the pine forest.

Throughout the day, Lu Heng carefully surveyed the surrounding woodland along a fan-shaped route around the Shelter. On the snow-covered ground, messy tracks left by wild animals could be seen everywhere. Animal prints of varying depths were crisscrossed on the snow crust, some shallow holes dug by small rodents foraging for food, others heavy footprints left by larger beasts. Compared to the deathly stillness of the forest during the trial, the frequency of wild animals appearing in the forest was now significantly higher.

The constraints imposed by the trial completely dissipated, and the forest creatures, which had been temporarily suppressed, no longer hibernated. Taking advantage of the time before the severe cold reached its extreme, they roamed around searching for food. The forest was no longer a lifeless wasteland, and countless creatures hidden in the Snowfield Forest became active again.

As evening approached, the snowstorm subsided slightly, and the swirling snowflakes transformed into a gentle, drifting shower. A layer of gray, cold mist shrouded the sky, reducing visibility and blurring the outlines of distant pine forests.

During his daytime patrol, Lu Heng spotted a wild beehive among a tall pine forest. He planned to return alone before it got completely dark and try to retrieve the beehive. Beeswax could be melted and applied to the cracks in the stone cave to block the cold wind from seeping in; the honey remaining inside the hive was a precious high-calorie food in the frigid environment.

Following the route he had noted down during the day, he once again ventured alone into the pine forest.

The old pine tree, over ten meters tall, has thick, sturdy branches that extend horizontally in all directions. The beehive is firmly embedded at the fork of two thick branches. Thick layers of beeswax cover the beehive, and the surface is covered with snow. After days of freezing temperatures, the outer shell is hard and thick, and there is no visible activity on the outside. Normally, in the extremely low temperatures of winter, wild bee colonies mostly huddle deep in their hives to hibernate, rarely venturing out and unlikely to disturb outsiders.

Lu Heng had not prepared any fireworks or tools such as long poles beforehand. The Withered Branch in the forest were damp, making it difficult to quickly ignite fireworks to drive away the bees. He quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind and decided to finish the job quickly. He climbed up the tree trunk with his bare hands, used a Bronze dagger to cut the beehive off the base, and before the bees could react, he immediately put it into his Wristband's Storage Space and took it away.

He tiptoed to the base of the pine tree, grabbed the rough knots protruding from the trunk, and slowly climbed upwards, stepping on the bark covered with a thin layer of snow. Fine snowflakes constantly landed on his shoulders and the back of his neck, the icy snowflakes seeping into his clothes through the gaps in his collar, the chill seeping into his skin little by little. The cold wind blew through the gaps in the pine branches, gusting against his face, making his cheeks stiff.

Reaching the fork in the branches, Lu Heng steadied himself, gripping a thick pine branch above him with one hand to secure his body, while slowly drawing the Bronze knife from his waist with the other. He pressed the blade against the base where the beehive connected to the branch, lowered his wrist slightly to gather strength, and then forcefully slashed horizontally along the frozen beeswax.

The brittle beeswax shell cracked open with a loud thud, and the honeycomb separated completely from the branch.

He freed his arm to steadily support the heavy honeycomb, and subconsciously raised his hand, wanting to put the honeycomb directly into the Wristband's Storage Space. But the Wristband did not react at all, and the screen did not pop up a storage prompt.

Lu Heng's heart sank slightly.

He instantly realized that the Storage Wristband couldn't store anything containing living creatures. The beehive contained overwintering wild bees and other living organisms, so the Wristband couldn't recognize and store it.

The originally simple and efficient plan has now completely fallen apart.

The beehive was quite heavy, and holding it with both hands left no room to move. The space in the tree was narrow, making it difficult to move steadily. Climbing down from a height while carrying a heavy object was extremely risky, as it was easy to slip and fall. For a moment, they found themselves in a dilemma, unable to move forward or backward.

Just then, a faint, low buzzing sound came from deep within the cracks in the honeycomb.

At first, the sound was faint, almost inaudible inside the hive. As cold air rushed into the hive through the cracks, the sound of the flapping wings gradually became more frequent.

Lu Heng's heart immediately tightened.

Common sense dictates that wild bees typically hibernate completely when temperatures drop below zero. However, species in Frost Forest have long adapted to the year-round harsh environment. Even amidst heavy snowfall, some wild bees do not enter deep hibernation. When the outer shell of the hive is pierced by a blade, the cold air penetrates the nest, suddenly disturbing the bee colony that has been huddled up for the winter.

The fine buzzing sound grew more and more urgent, and swarms of black wild bees emerged one after another through the crack, slowly circling around him. The soft sound of their wings fluttering was particularly clear in the quiet pine forest.

Several bold wild bees were the first to rush straight towards the exposed neck and forearm.

Caught off guard, I was stung on both sides of my neck and on my outer forearm. The sharp venomous stinger pierced through the skin instantly, and a sharp, stinging pain shot into my flesh. The burning pain spread from the wounds outwards, and my skin quickly became numb and itchy.

More and more wild bees flew out of the hive, gathering in dozens in just a short time. A dark swarm of bees circled and danced around him. Holding the heavy beehive in his hands, his arms were occupied, preventing him from waving them away. He was completely passive on the high branch, forced to watch the swarm approach. If the stalemate continued, the entire swarm would emerge, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

Lu Heng dared not linger in the tree any longer. He hugged the beehive tightly with both arms, bent his knees slightly, and leaped directly from the branch, which was more than two meters high, onto the snow. The soft snow cushioned the impact of his landing. The moment his feet touched the ground, he didn't bother to swat away the wild bees that landed on him. He bent down to protect the beehive in his arms, turned around, and ran quickly towards the edge of the pine forest.

A large swarm of wild bees followed closely behind, their dense buzzing echoing incessantly. No matter how fast he sped up, the swarm remained firmly in pursuit.

The open woodland offered no cover from tall shrubs, was completely bare, and covered in snow. There were no caves or ravines, making it difficult to quickly find a place to hide. Continuous running was exhausting, and the longer one ran, the greater the chance of being stung by bees.

He quickly scanned his surroundings and his gaze fell upon a slope in front of him that was buried in snow, with a thick layer of fluffy, deep snow piled up in the depression at the bottom of the slope.

There was no other choice in that instant. Lu Heng gritted his teeth, hugged the beehive, and plunged headfirst into the thick snow. He curled up, protecting the beehive on his chest with his hands, pulling his legs together, and shoveling snow around him to cover his body, leaving only a very narrow gap for his face to breathe.

Wild bees rely on air currents and scent to locate their targets, but the thick snow blocks the scent from spreading. The swarm loses its source of scent and hovers and flies above the snow, its buzzing echoing overhead.

Lu Heng lay buried beneath the cold snow, his entire body enveloped in snow, the chill seeping through his clothes. The stinging pain from the two wounds on his neck and arms flared up in waves, the venom slowly spreading, his skin tingling and swelling. He held his breath, afraid to make the slightest sound, quietly listening to the buzzing of the bees above him.

After an unknown amount of time, the swirling buzzing gradually thinned out, the swarm of bees scattered in all directions, and the sound gradually faded into the night.

Once he was sure it was completely quiet outside and he couldn't hear any more of the wild bees, Lu Heng slowly brushed away the snow covering him. He was covered in snow, and most of his clothes were soaked with icy water. The stings on his arms and neck were still throbbing, and the swelling was becoming more and more noticeable.

The beehive in his arms was intact, and he held it tightly in his arms.

Night had completely fallen, enveloping the entire snow-covered pine forest. Only snowflakes drifted down silently. All around was quiet, the wind was faint, and the occasional low growl of wild beasts echoed from afar. The Frost Forest at night was far more dangerous than during the day.

This place is not suitable for lingering. The temperature drops sharply at night, and staying outside for a long time can easily lead to frostbite. At the same time, nocturnal predators will also come out to hunt.

Lu Heng clutched the beehive tightly to his chest, lowered his body, and bent over to avoid open areas. Under the cover of night, he cautiously retraced his steps back towards the Stone Cave Shelter, following the footprints he had come from. Snowflakes fell on his shoulders, and the snow under his feet crunched softly. As he made his way, he kept an eye on the movements deep within the woods on both sides, his ears constantly listening for the slightest sounds around him, never daring to let his guard down for a moment.

He carefully avoided open areas along the way, and after more than half an hour, he could see the outline of the piled-up stones around the cave in the distance. In the darkness of night, the Shelter was quietly hidden in a mountain hollow, isolated from the boundless cold and darkness of the outside world.

Back at the entrance of the cave, he gently moved the outer layer of stones, squeezed inside, and then quickly resealed the cave entrance.

The cave's Geothermal heating system was still running smoothly, its warmth slowly enveloping his body and insulating him from the biting cold wind outside. Lu Heng gently placed the beehive on the ground, took off his snow-soaked coat, and, using the faint white light of his Wristband, looked down to examine the two stings. The skin in both places was noticeably red and swollen, and the stinging sensation was still lingering. He took a small amount of melted warm water to simply wipe the wounds, sat down on the straw mat, and slowly calmed his tense nerves.

The night outside the window was deep, and the wind and snow continued unabated.

The dangers lurking in the forest are far more unpredictable than they appear on the surface.