Chapter 330 - 188: Racing Against Time to Hunt! Rainy Season Team Deployment! The Swarm Has Gone Berserk?

Chapter 330: Chapter 188: Racing Against Time to Hunt! Rainy Season Team Deployment! The Swarm Has Gone Berserk?

After all, not every person on every team could keep their mouth shut. They were bound to tell those close to them or boast to show off.

Although a small minority didn’t believe the news of a rainy season, figuring it was just a normal spell of overcast weather that would pass in a few days, they paused their hunting and stayed at the school.

But most people subscribed to the idea that it was better to be safe than sorry, and began searching for food in the jungle with even more vigor than usual.

Nearly every team out searching for resources was now racing against the clock, desperately seeking anything edible...

...

Unlike the other teams, who rushed about without a second to spare, Chen Chong and his party seemed far more composed.

Chen Chong, Xu Jun, Wang Biao, Jia Wen, Qi Zhen, Zhang Meng, Huang Mao, the Tiger Striped Dog, and the Rock Armor Eagle...

The seven of them wore high-quality, hooded rain ponchos purchased from the trading market. They had also changed into waterproof rain boots to avoid getting soaked and feeling unwell or catching a cold.

As a hunting hound and an Extraordinary Creature, the Tiger Striped Dog had no such concerns. In fact, the rain seemed to make it even more excited. It ran about, even rolling in the mud puddles, clearly loving this kind of weather.

The Rock Armor Eagle, however, was a different story.

As a bird that disliked the rain, it couldn’t escape its nature, even as an Extraordinary Creature.

Normally, it would stand on the Tiger Striped Dog’s back, the eagle and hound an inseparable pair.

But today, it stubbornly refused to leave the shelter of Chen Chong’s arms, determined to stay huddled inside his rain poncho. The crucial thing was, leaving it behind wasn’t an option. It had squawked nonstop when they tried to leave it at home, only quieting down once they brought it along.

With a body already over a meter tall and weighing dozens of pounds, it was making Chen Chong miserable.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t carry it.

To be honest, ever since becoming a Transcendent, a weight of dozens of pounds was practically nothing to Chen Chong.

He could carry it for a whole day and probably use less than a tenth of his stamina, let alone for just a short walk.

’The problem is, carrying such a huge lump in my arms is just really inconvenient.’

Xu Jun and Wang Biao, dressed in their black rain ponchos, looked tall, imposing, and well-put-together.

He, on the other hand, had a large backpack on and an eagle huddled in his arms, making him look like some huge, bloated figure. The poncho was hitched up so high it barely covered his torso.

But there was nothing Chen Chong could do about it.

’What can I do?’

’It’s my own eagle. I just have to spoil it...’

"Brother Chong, as you instructed before we left, I’ve relayed your orders to the hunting group. I told them the prelude to the rainy season is almost over. I expect all the teams out hunting will pick up the pace in the next two days and find as much food as possible."

"Also, regarding the bounty you placed on all types of Building Cards and Recruitment Cards, only three members have turned any in so far. As you instructed, I purchased all of them. They’re in the office drawer."

"However, there weren’t any fence cards or craftsman-type recruits among them. All we got was a D-Class fish tank and two C-Class animal Recruitment Cards."

Chen Chong nodded. "That’s fine, just keep up the acquisition. We’re not in a rush for craftsman-type recruits. As for Building Cards... if worse comes to worst, we can have the members just build some fences themselves for now."

Jia Wen remembered something else and spoke up. "Sir, President Zhong came to find me yesterday evening. He wanted to know your plans for the hunting group. But you went to sleep early last night, and we still don’t know how severe the rainy season will be. So, I just told President Zhong to have them continue their normal outings for now and play it by ear, rather than making specific plans for hunting during the rain."

"You were right to think that way," Chen Chong said. "It’s correct not to suspend the hunting plan. The rainy season might last a while, but it won’t be a torrential downpour the entire time. There will be lulls. If they’re truly stuck, the hunting group members can stay at the school. But when they can get out, we can’t miss any opportunity to find resources."

Once the rainy season set in, most animals would take shelter from the rain, remaining in their nests and burrows.

However, plenty of other animals and reptiles were well-adapted to this kind of wet environment.

By this point in their survival, the people at the school were far from being picky eaters. They wouldn’t refuse anything edible, including the reptiles and insects that once made many of them blanch at the mere thought.

Naturally, this prey was on everyone’s hunting list.

Even besides that kind of prey, there were wild fruits and vegetables. The rain wouldn’t make them any less plentiful, and bringing them back would still be a good haul.

There were also the fish in the great river...

Since their arrival, many students had obtained Cards, and a fair number had acquired trap-type Cards, just like Chen Chong and Xu Jun.

As far as Chen Chong knew, there were at least five teams within the hunting group that possessed trap Cards.

And that wasn’t counting those who could craft their own.

As the water level rose, fishing in the great river with a line became more difficult. But with traps like nets and fish cages, a decent harvest was still possible.

Besides, Chen Chong had another thought...

The rainy season would make hunting more difficult for everyone and reduce their catch, but for the members of the hunting group, it also presented an opportunity.

If they happened to stumble upon a cave in the jungle where medium-to-large animals like wild deer were hiding, catching them would be far easier than usual.

After all, in the past, even if people managed to find their tracks in the jungle, these large herbivores would flee long before anyone could get close.

But the rainy season changed things.

They would all be hiding in their dens and caves. If discovered, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel.

Of course, finding their hiding places wouldn’t be easy.

But at least if they were found, the chances of a successful hunt would increase dramatically!

This was like taking the extremely small chance that any given team had of catching large prey and concentrating it, giving a few lucky teams a small but real chance of success...

All in all, Chen Chong felt that this rainy season might just bring him a few pleasant surprises from some of the teams.

’It’s only a rainy season, after all. Compared to the more hostile environments we might face in the future, this barely even counts as a challenge.’

’And maybe I can use this rainy season to see how adaptable the teams are and find more suitable candidates to groom...’

"Brother Chong, we’re here."

After walking for some time, Chen Chong and his party arrived at a grove of short trees, where they saw the giant mud pit from which they had once harvested Vermilion Fruits.

The familiar, tower-like mud hive stood in a clearing by the pit. It resembled a mud-caked fortress and was several meters tall.

But unlike before, the Fierce Poisonous Bees that used to swarm around the mud tower were nowhere to be seen. To the uninformed, it might have looked like some sort of deliberate construction...

"No Fierce Poisonous Bees. They must all be hiding inside the hive, right?"

"I wonder how this hive was built. It looks like it’s made of mud, but it shows no signs of erosion from the rain. The heavier storms probably won’t be able to wash it away either."

"This hive is big, but considering the size and number of the Fierce Poisonous Bees, there must be more to it than what’s above ground. There’s definitely a portion underground."

"If the Ferocious Poison Bee King is underground, how are we supposed to get to it? Knock over the top and then start digging?"

The group exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of what to do. All eyes turned to Chen Chong.

Chen Chong stared at the distant hive as well.

’To be honest, I’m not entirely sure either.’

The jungle atlas he’d seen before had information on Fierce Poisonous Bees, but it only detailed their habits, attack patterns, and their honey’s unique properties.

It said nothing about the structure of their hives or where the king might be hiding.

’Looks like we’ll have to find out firsthand...’

"Ah Jun, Jia Wen, Qi Zhen, you three come with me. The rest of you wait here, and whatever you do, don’t get any closer."

With that said, Chen Chong handed the Rock Armor Eagle to Wang Biao, then led the three of them and the dog toward the hive.

As they drew near the hive, before they could even make a move, an increasingly agitated buzzing sound erupted from within the mud tower.

Chen Chong’s expression changed.

’You’ve got to be kidding me.’

’I haven’t even done anything. They’re going crazy just because I got close?’

The next moment, several vicious heads armed with giant pincers poked out from the openings in the hive...

...