Chapter 414 - 386: Rock Honey
On the floor of the Insect Taming Hall, the enormous Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle lay in a sandpit, looking utterly content.
The environment here felt very comfortable to it.
Although it was different from its previous habitat, lying here made it feel inexplicably comfortable.
Around the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle, countless Abdominal Aphid Spiders were gathered. These basketball-sized spiders occupied the surrounding areas, their eyes closed in feigned sleep.
Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, the Abdominal Aphid Spiders stirred. They unfolded their legs and crawled up onto the four walls.
Noticing the spiders around him, Qin Ziwen’s expression didn’t change as he sat down directly in front of the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle.
"How do you like living here?"
"Comfortable..." came the feedback from the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle.
"As long as you like it. Here, take a look at this." Like a magician, Qin Ziwen pulled a can of food from his pocket.
The Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle’s eyes swiveled, its gaze fixing on the can.
CLICK.
Qin Ziwen twisted open the lid, and a fragrant aroma wafted out.
The Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle’s body shuddered, and its eyes lit up instantly.
"Have a taste." Qin Ziwen tossed the can over.
He had brought the can specifically for the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle to try. He was confident that once it had a taste, it would be unable to resist the temptation.
’As for using the can to coerce it... that’s not necessary. It’s not that smart. Beating around the bush would just be a subpar tactic. It’s better to be direct.’
The Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle swallowed the can, the meat inside, and all, in a single gulp.
A grating, crunching sound came from its mouth as the tin can was crushed into pieces, mixing with the tender chunks of meat and juice hidden inside.
"Hard..."
Qin Ziwen said, "Of course it is. I only told you to eat the meat inside. Who told you to eat the can, too?"
The Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle didn’t respond, focusing only on eating.
It was a little hard, and it ground against its teeth.
But the taste was incredible.
It was overjoyed.
In all its many years as an insect, this was the first time it had eaten something so delicious.
Staying here seemed like a very good idea.
Watching the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle finish its tenth can, Qin Ziwen said with a grin, "Ate your fill?"
"Not enough..." the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle answered honestly.
Although the cans were large, each weighing several pounds, to a creature of its enormous size, they were just appetizers that barely filled the gaps between its teeth.
"Want... more..."
Qin Ziwen couldn’t help but laugh. "Well, you’re honest. Let me ask you a question: back in that Underground Forest, were you the overlord? Was there any other overlord more powerful than you?"
The Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle hesitated, its two long antennae twitching atop its head.
Finally, it sent back a confused thought, "What is... overlord?"
Qin Ziwen put a hand to his forehead. ’Right, I forgot.’ This Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle had a limited vocabulary; it couldn’t understand slightly more complex concepts.
After a detailed explanation, the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle finally understood.
It responded faintly, "In forest... much food. All is food..."
Soon, Qin Ziwen understood why the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle was so confident.
The reason was—poison.
The reason it hadn’t been apparent that day in the Underground Forest was because the Abdominal Aphid Spiders had been completely unable to pierce their defenses.
Whether it was Mogu or Red Hare, their teeth simply broke when they tried to bite them.
But the rabbit now serving as a demonstration, after being bitten once by an Abdominal Aphid Spider...
...hopped twice on the spot, then collapsed, kicked its legs, and died right then and there.
Lifting the rabbit by its ears, Qin Ziwen saw its eyes were bulging, and it was bleeding from its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
Having been around many doctors for a long time, Qin Ziwen now had some experience with these things. ’It’s likely some kind of cardiotoxin.’
When Qin Ziwen turned back to look at the Abdominal Aphid Spiders, the seemingly cute little spiders had transformed into ferocious killers in his eyes.
"It seems I’ve underestimated you. From now on, take good care of these ’sons’ of yours. Don’t let them run around, and don’t allow them to attack anyone else in the Home," Qin Ziwen instructed the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle.
Judging by how quickly the rabbit died after being poisoned, the Abdominal Aphid Spiders’ venom was extremely potent.
Even a human, if bitten, probably wouldn’t last more than a few minutes.
The toxicity was too high; an ordinary person wouldn’t survive long enough for help to arrive.
And those Dark Tide Fishmen... from what he’d observed, their physical constitution was even weaker than an ordinary human’s.
If they were bitten, the time from envenomation to death would likely be even shorter.
’It’s a pity these Abdominal Aphid Spiders don’t seem to be able to swim. It would be great if they could go underwater.’
But even if they couldn’t swim, as long as he could tame them and make them obedient, land-based Abdominal Aphid Spiders were still a valuable asset.
Qin Ziwen reached his hand out to one of the nearby Abdominal Aphid Spiders.
The spider, which had been resting on a pile of sand, lifted its head and looked at the human curiously.
Its legs twitched, and it cautiously stepped forward, crawling up his fingers and into his palm.
As he cupped his hand, the Abdominal Aphid Spider obediently curled its legs and settled into his palm.
His finger touched the side of the Abdominal Aphid Spider’s body. It was soft, covered in a light fuzz, like a large, ripe persimmon.
SMACK—
A dark appendage descended, swatting the Abdominal Aphid Spider aside. Then, the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle’s massive body squeezed over.
"Eat..."
On the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle’s back, from the seam between its wings, a thick, orange-yellow liquid began to seep out.
The liquid exuded a sickly sweet fragrance into the air.
"It’s like honey."
He recalled the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle’s abilities. One of them was "Stone Honey." ’Could this be it?’
Smelling the fragrance in the air, the surrounding Abdominal Aphid Spiders grew restless.
The Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle lay down, turned its body to present its back to Qin Ziwen, a clear invitation for him to taste the liquid.
Qin Ziwen used Insight.
[Stone Honey: A special liquid secreted by the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle. Individuals who consume it long-term will develop a dependency on the producer. If the consumer is a juvenile, their obedience toward the producer will be greatly increased.]
After reading the description, Qin Ziwen couldn’t keep a straight face.
’I was nice enough to offer you canned food, and you want to be my "mother"?’
’However... if that’s the case...’ Qin Ziwen’s gaze wandered between the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle and the Abdominal Aphid Spiders.
Previously, because both species had the character for "Aphid" in their names, he had subconsciously assumed the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle was their matriarch.
Now, it seemed that wasn’t the case.
’Could all these Abdominal Aphid Spiders be adopted children the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle "tricked"?’
If his guess was correct, then this Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle was a true dark horse, hiding its true capabilities.
Qin Ziwen found a scraper and collected a bowlful of Stone Honey from the beetle’s back.
He found a newborn field mouse in one of the animal cages.
He fed the Stone Honey to the little field mouse.
As soon as the field mouse smelled the fragrance, it ate eagerly, getting the Stone Honey all over its face.
After it finished eating, it suddenly stood up on its two hind legs, its front paws held against its chest.
It looked around.
Then, it excitedly scurried toward the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle.
It affectionately rubbed its head against the beetle’s huge, black, clawed leg.
Seeing this, the corners of Qin Ziwen’s mouth slowly curved upward.
...