Chapter 678: Chapter 20: Common Yellow Hornet

Chen Wen’s side.

About half an hour after he left the camp, he arrived at a Gobi area.

"Generally speaking, there will be more plants on the Gobi desert side. The land here is mainly rocky, so you can pick up some stones to use as slingshot ammunition. You can also find some insects. In places like these, as long as it’s a shaded area, you can find them."

Chen Wen explained his behavior, and took a glance at the surrounding situation.

This Gobi desert is not very large, but it has relatively more vegetation.

Additionally, from his current position, about two hundred meters ahead, there is a small protruding hill.

"There’s probably something inside this small hill, let’s go have a look."

Chen Wen picked up a small bag of stones from the ground, put them in his pocket, and walked straight towards the small hill.

...

Soon, Chen Wen arrived in front of the small hill.

As soon as he stopped, he felt something unusual.

"This place... doesn’t seem very safe."

Chen Wen said, staring fixedly at the ground about a meter in front of him.

There was a very large hornet, to be precise, a wasp.

This wasp wasn’t particularly large, but it was about two centimeters.

"A wasp, but I don’t know which kind."

Chen Wen said, crouching down carefully to observe the wasp closely.

The wasp looked in poor condition, as if it was about to die.

Chen Wen recalled information about wasps.

In Australia, the most common wasp should be the common yellow wasp.

The naming of this wasp has a curious similarity to the Chinese gourmet mushroom, which left a deep impression on Chen Wen.

The common yellow wasp can completely be called the Eurasian wasp.

They originated from the Eurasia continent, but for certain well-known reasons, these wasps were brought to Australia.

And they started breeding unchecked here.

In the Great Sand Desert, the common yellow wasp is considered the most common type of wasp.

Chen Wen came close to the common yellow wasp, found a random stick, and poked the wasp’s body.

The wasp didn’t even bother to move.

"If it’s a common yellow wasp, this one should be close to dying. Generally, during each winter, most members of the wasp colony will die, with only the queen surviving to the following year. Although it’s not yet winter, late summer to early autumn is the wasps’ mating season, and most male wasps will die after mating."

"Either work until they die or die after working, anyway, male wasps work all year long, only to face death in the end."

Chen Wen said, unable to stop himself from pulling a wry smile.

Using the stick, he picked up the wasp from the ground, examining it once more.

The wasp had no ability to resist.

So, Chen Wen used a dagger to cut off the wasp’s venomous sting, then put it in his backpack.

This time, in addition to the fixed tools, each contestant could also carry a large backpack.

He didn’t have to rack his brain for the backpack this time like he did at the Great Slave Lake.

Although a single wasp could fulfill Chen Wen’s entry needs, it wasn’t enough for his food requirements.

Wasps are edible. Although they’re poisonous, as long as the venomous sting is removed, they’re a reliable high-protein food.

Especially wasp larvae and pupae.

They’re delicacies of the supreme level!

Roasted over fire and sprinkled with some pepper and salt, that taste~

It’s a pity, Chen Wen doesn’t have pepper and salt right now.

But sprinkling some salt powder should suffice.

Chen Wen thought, and started looking around for the wasp’s old nest.

Generally, where a dying male wasp is found, there must be a nest nearby.

These male wasps, after exhausting their bodies, can’t fly far.

Moreover, wasps like to build nests on the foundations of abandoned small animal burrows.

So most of the time, wasp nests can be found below cliffs.

This small hill is very suspicious!

Holding a long spear, Chen Wen walked very cautiously, slowly approaching the hill.

After all, wasps are very dangerous. Unlike bees, they won’t sting you only if you don’t actively approach or provoke them.

Wasps have a fierce temper.

Once they sense you’re a threat or you’re too close, they’ll suddenly fly up and let you feel the excruciating pain of their venomous sting!

Furthermore, a wasp’s sting doesn’t have barbs, nor is it connected to the internal organs.

Their stings can be used repeatedly!

Lightning five stings, each sting with venom!

Therefore, one must avoid angering these hot-tempered common yellow wasps as much as possible.

With Chen Wen’s cautious exploration, half an hour later, he found the nest in the hill’s interior.

The nest hung beneath the cliff, roughly two to three basketballs large, oval-shaped, and appeared white on the outside.

This color is related to the wasp’s nesting habits.

Their nests are usually built from a mixture of beeswax and wood pulp.

"Here is the nest. Judging by the size, it seems to be a large nest."

Chen Wen recalled related information and said, "Generally, those super-large nests can accommodate more than twenty-five thousand wasps. Although this one isn’t that exaggerated, it can probably accommodate several hundreds or even a few thousand wasps."

That said, Chen Wen cautiously backed off a bit, increasing the distance between him and the wasps.

In front of him, the massive nest constantly had wasps coming and going.

Judging by their body patterns, these wasps should be the common yellow wasp.

The individuals were similar to the one Chen Wen saw earlier.

"Wasps are active during the day and rest at night. On such hot days, they’re active during the day. Truly, they are the battle horses among cattle and horses."

Chen Wen quipped without approaching recklessly.

"I’ll try tonight, see if I can get some wasp pupae."

Chen Wen shook his head, left the hill, and noted the location in his mind.

Now isn’t a suitable time to harvest the nest. Such nests should be harvested at night, when almost all wasps are inside.

Otherwise, without protective gear and only a mild [Insect Repellent] entry as it stands now.

If the wasps riot, and the outside wasps attack Chen Wen, he wouldn’t withstand it.

Though wasp venom isn’t as severe as snake or scorpion venom, getting stung is very painful.

In serious cases, it can even cause anaphylactic shock.

Braving for wasp pupae is one thing, but the risk isn’t worth it.

So Chen Wen plans to wait until night.

After leaving the small hill, Chen Wen continued exploring places where insects might be found.

However, during the daytime in desert areas, especially from morning to afternoon, most insects hide in the shade to avoid heat.

Finding insects is hard.

Chen Wen could only use his slingshot to target birds drinking water.

...

Back at the camp.

Adam spent the morning making quite a few bird traps.

Now, he just needs to get the bait, and he can go to the place where Chen Wen said the birds drink water to set the traps.

Among the hundreds to thousands of birds, if even one gets caught, his efforts wouldn’t be in vain.

Moreover, in such a crowded situation, it won’t just be one or two getting caught.

Having made the traps, Adam went to help Dennis process the camels.

Earlier, Dennis pulled one of the camels aside to slaughter it. Now, he’s dividing the camel meat, intending to slice it today and cook it over the campfire.

But to improve efficiency, Adam plans to make a smokehouse that can quickly process the camel meat and store it long-term.

Adam’s action efficiency is also high. After Dennis transports the camel meat back in batches.

His smokehouse is also set up.