Forest Ranger: Starting with a Giant Panda Mom Clinging to Me - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: The Trouble-Making Panda Mom

—Chichi

On the way back, Lin Tian glanced at the pangolin trailing behind him, feeling a bit helpless.

Good grief.

He’d set out with one human, one panda, and one alligator. Now, on the return trip, he’d picked up a pangolin too.

Oh well. At least pangolins were easy to care for and obedient.

In the afternoon, Lin Tian finished his mountain patrol and prepared to head back.

“Keep up, don’t fall behind,” he said, glancing at the group behind him.

But suddenly, he noticed something. Panda Mom was gone!

Lin Tian’s heart skipped a beat. How had she vanished so suddenly? He looked back along the path they’d come from but saw no sign of her. Then, he spotted a familiar figure on a large tree nearby. Panda Mom was clumsily climbing the tree, already halfway up. Her round head was tilted upward, staring intently.

Following her gaze, Lin Tian saw a beehive as big as a basketball. Was Panda Mom craving wild honey from the bees?

The live stream audience caught the scene and burst into laughter.

> “Hahaha, good grief, Panda Mom’s such a foodie!”

> “All she’s done this whole trip is eat, eat, eat.”

> “No idea how much she’s scarfed down along the way.”

> “She eats wherever she goes!”

> “Now she’s got her eyes on the bees’ honey.”

> “But wild honey’s good stuff—super nutritious.”

…

Lin Tian looked at Panda Mom, who was already more than halfway up the tree. He didn’t dare call out to her. If he startled her, she might fall.

Instead, he decided to keep his distance and watch from afar. After all, bee stings were no joke. Panda Mom had thick fur to shield her from the bees, but he didn’t.

Lin Tian found a spot farther away, squinting to observe.

But something felt off. Were those bees … a bit too big? They were about three times the size of normal bees.

Wait a second—those weren’t bees! They were hornets!

Lin Tian suddenly realized that the hive wasn’t just home to bees—there were hornets too. Seven or eight massive hornets were swarming the beehive, slaughtering the bees in droves. Their target was the hive as well!

“Panda Mom! Stop climbing, come back!”

Hornets were highly venomous! Their stings were far worse than bees’. Even Panda Mom would swell up for ten days or more if stung.

But it was too late. Panda Mom had already reached the hive.

Lin Tian’s heart tightened.

At that moment, the hive was in chaos, with all the bees going berserk due to the invaders. Swarms of bees were defending their home, while the hornets were killing them in large numbers. Panda Mom didn’t care about the battle.

Her eyes gleamed as she fixated on the hive. She reached out with her paw and, with one swipe, knocked the hive down. The hive plummeted straight to the ground.

The bees and hornets fighting around it were stunned. Instantly, the bees turned their attack on Panda Mom, and the hornets followed suit. But Panda Mom didn’t care. She kept swatting with her paws, unbothered by the bees buzzing around her.

Her thick fur blocked most of their stings.

With practiced ease, Panda Mom hugged the tree and slid down. Once on the ground, she grabbed the hive in her mouth and ran straight toward Lin Tian.

Lin Tian: ???

He froze, watching Panda Mom charge toward him with the hive in her mouth. Then he saw the massive, buzzing swarm of bees and hornets furiously chasing her.

His scalp tingled with dread! After a split-second pause, he turned and bolted.

“Panda Mom! Don’t run toward me—go somewhere else!”

Good grief!

This panda mom was leading disaster right to him! The bees wouldn’t care who stole the hive—they’d attack him just the same!

The live stream audience saw Panda Mom running toward Lin Tian with the bee swarm in tow and nearly died laughing.

> “Pfft, hahaha!”

> “Oh my gosh, I’m dying!”

> “Panda Mom’s too funny.”

> “Running straight to Brother Tian with the hive, hahaha!”

> “Brother Tian’s got it rough!”

> “Go, Panda Mom, catch up to Brother Tian!”

> “Brother Tian: Panda Mom, you’re so high and mighty with your fur, running to me with a beehive!”

…

Lin Tian sprinted for his life.

Panda Mom, holding the hive in her mouth, didn’t understand why Lin Tian was running but followed suit. Behind her, the Chinese Alligator glanced at the swarm chasing Panda Mom. Without a word, it turned and ran on its four stubby legs.

Only the pangolin stood still, confused. Due to its poor eyesight, it couldn’t quite make out what Panda Mom was doing.

It tilted its head, sniffing the air for a moment. Suddenly, it caught the scent of food.

As Panda Mom got closer, Lin Tian was so frustrated he wanted to knock her on the head. But then, he turned and saw the pangolin suddenly raise its head, flicking out its tongue to snatch the pursuing bees.

Lin Tian suddenly remembered.

Right—pangolins eat insects! Bees were part of their diet. And with its tough scales, it wasn’t afraid of bee stings. It was practically the bees’ natural predator!