Future Pet Shop

Chapter 219: Prison Break Master Pingtou

"Wait, are you saying the Mongoose loves honey? So much that it’s willing to risk getting attacked by Killer Bees for it?" Shen Yibin seemed to have found a glimmer of hope.

"Yes. It’s said that many Mongooses have died from bee stings. Although their fur is thick and they have some resistance to venom, when tens of thousands of venomous bees swarm them at once, it’s more than they can handle." The guide launched into a detailed account of the battles between Mongooses and venomous bees.

Pingtou is notoriously fearless and brutally straightforward. The moment it spots a hive, it charges without a second thought to rip it open for the honey. Naturally, the swarm can’t tolerate that and will rush out to overwhelm the intruder. Think about it—even a black bear with its much tougher defenses wouldn’t dare provoke a swarm directly. How could Pingtou possibly come out unscathed?

"So we can use honey as bait to set a trap and catch it?" Shen Yibin’s suggestion received support from Sylvie and Alfred, and the guide didn’t object either.

"Alright, let’s start preparing. The hotel should have some honey, but we’ll need to go out and buy the other things." Shen Yibin immediately made arrangements. "Sylvie, you and Alfred stay at the hotel and ask them for some honey. I’ll have to trouble you to look after Hah’Er, too. The guide and I will go out and see if we can buy the right tools."

’This city’s public safety doesn’t seem great. I’m not comfortable with Sylvie coming along. Of course, we could ask Patrice for help and have him send bodyguards, but making such a big fuss over something so minor feels like overkill. I’d better go check things out myself first.’

Leaving Hah’Er at the hotel, Shen Yibin followed the guide out the main entrance. They got a car from the hotel and drove slowly through the streets, searching. ’I’ll need a few shovels to dig a pitfall trap, and also a large cage trap. That should be enough.’ Shen Yibin was optimistic. ’It’s just an animal, after all. These tools should do the trick.’

The guide was extremely familiar with the city and quickly found a place that sold these items. The transaction went smoothly. To ensure they could successfully capture Pingtou, Shen Yibin specifically chose the largest and thickest-wired cage trap he could find. The wires were a full three millimeters thick, which should be enough to hold Pingtou.

After bringing the items back to the hotel, they found that Sylvie and the others had also procured a large jar of honey. With everything seemingly in place, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

Early the next morning, they once again took the helicopter and flew toward the spot where Pingtou had eaten the cobra the day before. They refueled once along the way and finally arrived at their destination around noon.

"It hasn’t gone far. We can start getting ready," Shen Yibin said, looking at the map. He saw that Pingtou was still wandering around the vicinity.

He had Sylvie and Hah’Er stay in the helicopter again while he and the guide went to Pingtou’s usual path to start digging the trap. The savanna soil was easy to dig. Before long, the two of them had dug a pit about a meter and a half deep. They then carried the excavated earth far away and covered the mouth of the pit with thin branches.

Next, Shen Yibin returned to the helicopter, took out a jar of honey and a big piece of bread, spread the honey on the bread, and gently placed it on top of the thin branches. He then hurried back to the helicopter with the guide, where they waited silently for Pingtou to arrive.

Soon, a distinct black-and-white shadow appeared in the lens of the binoculars. Pingtou was trotting forward, its nose twitching nonstop. It seemed to have already smelled the honey’s divinely sweet fragrance.

"It’s heading for the trap," Sylvie whispered excitedly. She could already picture Pingtou falling into the pit.

Things began just as Sylvie had predicted. As expected, Pingtou would risk life and limb for honey. The moment it saw the bread, it charged toward the trap without the slightest hesitation. And then... THUD! It and the honey-slathered bread tumbled right into the pit.

"Let’s go take a look?" Sylvie said, about to get out of the helicopter, but the guide stopped her. "Hold on. It’ll be dangerous if it gets out."

"That’s impossible! The pit you dug is so deep..." Before Sylvie could finish her sentence, she saw Pingtou leap out of the pit. It finished the honey-covered bread right at the edge of the pit, then swaggered off. It was as if Shen Yibin and the others had gone through all that trouble just to deliver a meal to Pingtou.

The mood in the helicopter instantly turned awkward. After a long moment, Shen Yibin finally said, "Well, Plan A has failed. Let’s go down and see how on earth it escaped." ’Given its size, it shouldn’t have been able to climb out, right?’

When they got to the edge of the pit and looked down, Shen Yibin and Sylvie were utterly floored. In one corner at the bottom of the pit, several large clods of dirt that Shen Yibin hadn’t carried away were piled up. An image immediately formed in his mind: Pingtou at the bottom of the pit, pushing these clods into a corner to make a pile, then using them as a stepping stone to escape to freedom.

’Sigh... the devil is in the details. If I’d just been a bit more careful, this mistake wouldn’t have happened. I completely wasted a golden opportunity.’

"Well then, it looks like we’ll have to go with Plan B," Shen Yibin said. He took the cage trap out of the helicopter again, opened the door, and set the latch. He then took out another piece of bread, spread it with honey, and placed it in another area that Pingtou frequented.

’The cage trap looked a bit conspicuous out on the savanna, which is why I made the pitfall my first choice. But Pingtou already fell for one trap; it probably won’t be fooled again so quickly. Time for the backup plan.’

The group ate lunch in the helicopter while waiting for Pingtou to arrive. About an hour later, Hah’Er suddenly began to slap the window excitedly, "Ooh! Ooh!"

Following Hah’Er’s gaze, they saw Pingtou’s figure appear once again. Through the binoculars, they could see several new bloody marks on its body. It looked like the little guy had just been in another fight. Who knows what unlucky creature had provoked it this time.

Pingtou was as straightforward as ever. The moment it saw the honey, it charged over without a shred of suspicion. Ignoring the cage trap completely, it dove through the entrance and grabbed the bread with both paws, ready to lick off the honey.

Unfortunately for it, entering the cage had already triggered the trap’s mechanism. With a loud CLANG, the cage door fell shut and locked tight, trapping Pingtou inside.

’You’re not getting away this time, are you?’ Shen Yibin smiled.