149: Let me lend you a few kids to try.

The next morning, the sunlight was like golden silk threads, playfully weaving through the gaps in the leaves and scattering in speckles across the Shelter's courtyard.

Lu Fan slowly woke up from his slumber, a faint smile still hanging on the corner of his mouth.

It turned out he had just had a wonderful dream. In the dream, he was feasting with brothers he hadn't seen in a long time. The table was covered with golden, glistening fried wasp larvae, and cold beers were placed right next to them.

The aftertaste of this beautiful dream still lingered in his heart; as soon as he opened his eyes, the tempting image of those fried wasp larvae was stuck in his mind.

His stomach also rumbled right on cue, making him look exactly like a glutton whose soul had been snatched away by gourmet food.

“An Lan, I plan to go and raid that wasp nest from yesterday,” Lu Fan said indistinctly to An Lan, who was preparing breakfast, while he brushed his teeth.

His eyes sparkled with an eager light, as if that wasn't a wasp nest, but a treasure chest filled with delicacies.

An Lan's movements stopped instantly. She hurriedly turned her head, her face full of worry. “Don't do anything reckless. Wasp stings are very painful. What if you get stung?”

Lu Fan put down his toothbrush and patted his chest with full confidence, the thumping sound echoing clearly.

“Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. This time I'll prepare more protective measures; nothing will happen.

Besides, that wasp nest is near where we often move about. If we accidentally provoke them one day and you get hurt, that would be a problem.

I'm just being proactive and thinking about everyone's safety.”

Looking at Lu Fan's impatient look, An Lan couldn't help but shake her head, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.

She teased, “I remember there's a dish in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan called fried wasp larvae. You're just craving it, aren't you? Don't think I don't know what you're up to.”

“How could that be? Am I the kind of person who only cares about satisfying his appetite?”

Lu Fan's eyes darted around as he flatly denied it, though a hint of awkwardness flashed across his face.

After speaking, Lu Fan excitedly began to prepare his tools. He rummaged through things to find a large basket and then picked up a torch.

As for protective measures, he didn't take them to heart at all, muttering to himself, “I'm blessed with great luck; what can a few wasps do to me?”

“Da Hei, let's go! Come with me to pull off something big!”

Lu Fan shouted to Da Hei, who was frolicking in the courtyard. His voice carried a hint of heroism, as if he were a general about to head to the battlefield.

Hearing the summons, Da Hei ran over happily, wagging its tail. It thought he was taking it to play some fun game, so it hopped and skipped all the way, extremely excited.

One man and one dog marched valiantly toward the direction of the wasp nest.

Along the way, Lu Fan hummed a tune out of key; the singing was practically an assault on the ears.

But he was completely oblivious, as if he could already see the delicious fried wasp larvae beckoning to him, with a few drops of drool occasionally leaking from the corner of his mouth.

Soon, they arrived under that large tree.

From a distance, Lu Fan saw the wasp nest hanging from a branch, looking like a giant lotus seed pod.

The wasps were buzzing around it like patrolling soldiers guarding their home.

“Da Hei, it's up to you. Go lure those wasps away.” Lu Fan patted Da Hei's back and gestured for it to charge, his tone sounding like he was commanding a vast army.

Da Hei seemed to sense the tension in the air, and its previously joyful steps became cautious.

It slowly approached the wasp nest. Just as it got close, a few sharp-eyed wasps spotted it and instantly flew toward it like arrows released from a bow.

Da Hei let out a terrified yelp and turned to run. It was as fast as a gust of wind, disappearing from Lu Fan's sight in an instant, leaving Lu Fan stomping his feet in anger.

“Da Hei, you silly dog! You dropped the ball at the critical moment! Where did all your usual bravado go?” Lu Fan jumped in anger, shouting in the direction Da Hei had disappeared.

Left with no choice, Lu Fan had to do it himself.

He pulled out his dagger, hunched over, and crept toward the wasp nest on tiptoe, intending to cut it down.

He was even chanting under his breath: “Wasps, oh wasps, don't sting me. I'm just borrowing a few of your children to eat. I'll return them once I'm done. We're all friends; let's talk this through.”

His heart was beating so fast it felt like it would burst through his chest; his whole body was as tense as a tightly wound string.

Although Lu Fan tried his best to lower his 'malice' and release his Animal Affinity, the wasps still sensed his killing intent.

They were instantly enraged and flew toward Lu Fan aggressively, looking as if they wanted to swallow him alive.

“Oh my god!”

Lu Fan's face turned pale with fright, and he turned to run.

But the wasps were like provoked avengers, pursuing him relentlessly. Lu Fan dodged and weaved, only managing to shake off the wasps' pursuit with great difficulty.

Leaning against a tree, he panted heavily. “Since you're being so heartless, don't blame me for being unjust. I'm definitely eating these bee pupae today!”

Knowing that acting rashly would only lead to another failure, he decided to use the smoking method.

He first gathered a large handful of dried Mugwort and hay. These plants would produce thick smoke when burned, making them excellent materials for driving away wasps.

He muttered as he searched, “Let's see how I handle you this time. I'll show you what I'm made of.”

With everything ready, Lu Fan took a deep breath and slowly walked toward the large tree that had caused him so much trouble.

Before he even got close, he heard the buzzing of wings, sounding like a final warning.

He piled the hay and Mugwort at the base of the tree and lit them with the Flint.

Instantly, thick smoke billowed up. Lu Fan waved a long branch, fanning the smoke toward the wasp nest.

The movement looked like he was engaged in an intense battle with the wasps.

Sensing danger, the wasps' nest exploded into chaos. Their previously orderly coming and going became frantic as they circled the hive wildly, trying to find the 'enemy'.

But the smoke grew thicker, gradually enveloping the entire wasp nest. The wasps were dazed by the smoke and fled the hive one after another like headless flies.

Lu Fan approached cautiously, his eyes fixed on the wasp nest, ready to deal with any possible attack at any moment.

With every step, he could feel his heart pounding violently, but his desire for the delicacy kept him from retreating a single inch. He thought to himself, “Hang in there, I'll be eating delicious bee pupae soon.”

Finally reaching the tree, he looked up, timed it right, quickly reached his dagger toward the wasp nest, and then pulled hard.

“Success!” he shouted excitedly, his voice echoing through the woods as the wasp nest was safely caught in the basket.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, a few stragglers suddenly burst out of the smoke and lunged toward his neck.

Lu Fan reacted quickly, raising his dagger and delivering a terrifyingly powerful slash. The movement was as fast as lightning, carrying the air of a great hero.