Chen Hao squatted by the field. He had just hammered the alloy sheet into an arc when the mud on his trouser leg had already dried into a hard shell. He shook his aching wrist and casually tore off a tomato leaf to wipe the wrench, but as soon as his fingertips touched the leaf, it snapped into several withered yellow fragments with a "crack".

“This stuff was all green yesterday, but this morning it looks like it’s been scorched by fire.” He threw the fallen leaves on the ground and looked up at Nana, who was checking the pipes not far away. “Take a look, is this land possessed?”

Nana didn't stop. Her optical eye scanned the field, and suddenly a transparent projection popped up in mid-air, covered with magnified images of insects. She walked over, flipped her palm, and the microscope landed steadily on the muddy ground, its lens aimed at the roots of a curled bean sprout.

“It wasn’t possession,” she said. “It was being eaten.”

In the video, several beetles are gnawing on the fibrous layer with their serrated mouthparts. Their exoskeletons gleam with a metallic gray sheen, like they've been coated with frosted glass. "Silicified exoskeleton, highly resistant to corrosion, ineffective against common plant toxins."

Chen Hao leaned closer for a look, straightened up, and patted his knees: "So all that hard work we put into repairing water pipes and laying furrows is just to build them a canteen?"

"From the perspective of the ecosystem, this is one way to understand it."

"Thanks for your explanation, it was quite thorough." He bent down, picked up a broken branch, and scribbled it on the ground. "So what do we do now? Spray some concentrated pesticide? Burn it? Or should I sit here and act as a human guard?"

Nana didn't answer, but turned around and pulled out a silver-gray cylinder from the back panel interface. The bottom unfolded a tripod. "The sonic insect repellent device is activated. The initial frequency is set to 18kHz to simulate the wing flapping signal of natural enemies."

"It sounds like a dog whistle." Chen Hao took two steps back, crossed his arms, and watched. "If it could actually understand it, wouldn't it be so scared that it would retire on the spot?"

The device vibrated slightly with a buzz, causing the air to tremble slightly. Several beetles paused for a moment, their antennae twitched, and then they continued gnawing.

"Useless?" Chen Hao frowned.

“Somewhat slow,” Nana said, pulling up the data stream, “but no effective removal has been achieved.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly noticed that the insects in the distant grass were moving—not scurrying around, but forming a thin line, converging on the center of the field from all directions. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the beetles had actually formed a triangular formation pointing in their direction as they moved.

"Wait..." Chen Hao's voice lowered, "Are they... in line?"

“Yes.” Nana’s tone remained unchanged. “The group’s behavior pattern has changed, and it is suspected that information is being transmitted through ground vibrations.”

"What? A meeting?" He took a half step back, almost stepping into a ditch. "When did this happen? Can bugs launch tactical attacks?"

“The current sound frequency may have been identified as a clustering signal.” She quickly shut down the output and “recalculated the auditory sensitivity range.”

Chen Hao stared at the ever-growing, dark mass of people and swallowed hard. "So what you just issued was a call to arms? It's like pressing the 'start attack' button for them?"

“A technical misjudgment.” She slid her finger quickly across the control panel. “Low-frequency bands have now been ruled out. Switch to 40kHz ultrasound for directional transmission.”

"Don't you dare come up with a military parade march again."

Nana pressed the start button.

In an instant, the air seemed to be struck by an invisible hammer, producing a slight popping sound. The dust on the ground trembled slightly, and several beetles near the device convulsed violently, their antennae flailing wildly, their compound eyes losing focus, spinning in place like drunkards. Then, the entire swarm exploded as if a table had been overturned, scattering in all directions.

A beetle hopped onto Chen Hao's shoe, its six legs twitched a few times, and then it stopped moving.

He glanced down, kicked the corpse away, and sighed, "Good heavens, a direct mental attack? This isn't insect repellent, it's brainwashing!"

“The ultrasound interferes with the conduction of the ganglia, leading to motor incoordination.” Nana put away the equipment. “The effect lasts for about three hours. It is recommended to set up long-term protective nodes during this period.”

"Okay, just make sure they don't launch another mass attack." He wiped his sweat and pulled a few copper wires from his tool bag. "So, how do we put them? In the ground like wishing candles?"

"Buried at the intersections of fields, spaced five meters apart, forming a pulse network." She handed over a set of miniature transmitters, "which automatically release the defense bands in a cycle after being powered on."

The two began laying cables along the ridge of the field. Chen Hao squatted on the ground digging a hole, his wrists aching from the mud, muttering, "Do you think these bugs escaped from someone's lab? Otherwise, how come they know more about organization and discipline than I do?"

“It’s more likely to be convergent evolution under radiation.” Nana placed a node in the pit and compacted the soil. “Long-term exposure to electromagnetic disturbances leads to adaptive reorganization of the nervous system.”

"So this place is a mutant base?" He patted down the last clump of soil. "Water pipes explode during the day, bugs line up for roll call at night, will even earthworms come out shouting slogans tomorrow?"

No abnormal behavior of annelids has been detected so far.

"That's good, otherwise I would have wondered if I was planting crops or a military academy training base."

With the last node installed, Nana activated the system, and a faint, almost imperceptible ripple spread out from the edge of the field. The ground remained quiet for a few seconds, then a few small beetles that had slipped through the net emerged from the cracks in the soil, took only two steps, then abruptly turned and hurriedly burrowed back underground.

“It’s working,” she said.

Chen Hao plopped down on the edge of the field, pulled half a dry biscuit from his pocket, took a bite, and his cheeks bulged like a hamster's. "Finally, they've quieted down," he mumbled, chewing the biscuit. "Do you think they'll hold a grudge? Maybe they'll bring their families back for revenge next time?"

“The possibility exists.” Nana stood on high ground, her robotic arm in scanning mode. “I suggest increasing the frequency of patrols at night.”

"Well, I guess I'll have to work another shift." He rolled his eyes. "It's just growing vegetables, but I've managed to pull off the sense of mission of a border guard."

The sun was setting in the west, and a breeze blew in from the woods, carrying a damp, earthy smell. The fields returned to calm, and the newly planted knots lay quietly dormant in the soil, like silent sentinels buried deep within.

Chen Hao leaned against the mound of earth, dozing off. Nana stood beside him, her optical eyes flashing steadily blue, the monitoring program running continuously.

Suddenly, her arm paused, and the data stream refreshed faster.

"A weak vibration source was detected, located 30 meters to the northwest."

Chen Hao opened one eye: "Was it the wind?"

“The rhythm is regular, not due to any natural cause.” She turned in that direction. “It’s getting closer.”

He slowly sat up straight, half a pancake still dangling from his mouth: "No way, we just finished clearing out one wave, and now another one is coming?"

“Distance of twenty meters… fifteen meters…” Nana’s voice deepened, “Number of targets… single target.”

Chen Hao was stunned: "Just one?"

“Yes.” She raised her hand to signal for quiet. “The mode of movement… is neither flying nor crawling, but more like… leaping forward.”

Before he finished speaking, there was a rustling sound from the grass by the field.

A beetle the size of a fist suddenly leaped out. It was jet black with dark red stripes on its back. As it landed, it braced itself with its forelimbs and stood upright, like some kind of small mechanical beast. Its compound eyes locked onto the two people, and its antennae vibrated rapidly, emitting short, sharp "tap-tap" sounds.

The pancake in Chen Hao's hand fell to the ground.

The insect didn't rush forward; instead, it took half a step back and tapped the ground twice with its forelegs.

Then, a response came from afar—two light knocks.

Another sound.

One more time.

It's like some kind of signal.

Nana immediately shielded him behind her, and the sonic device re-deployed.

The beetle suddenly turned around, leaped into the grass, and disappeared.

The air was filled with an aftershock-like silence.

Chen Hao took a breath and pointed at the swaying blade of grass: "Was it... calling for someone just now?"