Chen Hao was squatting outside the workshop, holding a piece of wire in his hand, winding it around a newly made resin bucket. He gritted his teeth and tightened the last turn, beads of sweat beading on his forehead. This bucket was much thicker than the last one, but it wobbled violently when lifted, like a broken ladle half-filled with water.

He stood up, shook his aching wrist, and casually patted the trunk of the dead tree next to him, trying to wipe off the resin residue on his hand.

A loud "buzz" exploded above my head.

A dark shadow shot out from the tree hole, like cold water being poured into a red-hot iron pot, causing it to explode violently.

He paused for a second, then looked up and saw countless tiny black dots swirling in the air, gathering more and more.

"Why?"

He had barely opened his mouth when a bee bumped against his nose, followed by a second and a third.

He raised his hand to block, but the other one slipped into his collar and bit him on the neck. The pain made him flinch, his foot slipped on a discarded screw, and he fell backward, hitting the edge of the control panel on the back of his head, seeing stars.

The swarm of bees circled around him, and he felt a series of needle-like pains on his face, ears, and the back of his hands.

He rolled on the ground, clutching his head and cursing, "Who did I to offend you! I haven't even touched your place yet!"

Nana stood at the workshop entrance, a slight clicking sound coming from her right shoulder joint. She tried to raise her arm to activate the defense program, but the resin reinforcement layer had just cracked open when the system indicated restricted operation.

She turned around, rushed into the workshop, removed the vibration module from a discarded speaker in the corner, and quickly connected the battery and frequency regulator. Three minutes later, she came out carrying a metal box covered in soldered wires and pressed the switch.

The low-frequency vibration waves spread out, causing the bee swarm's flight path to become chaotic, and some began to retreat back into the tree hole.

Chen Hao seized the opportunity to get up, his face flushed and his eyelids swollen shut. He wiped his face, his hands smeared with a mixture of blood and yellow semen.

"Am I going to die?" he gasped. "Why is everything going black... and I can smell barbecue?"

“You’re not poisoned.” Nana came over and wiped the wound on his face with a damp cloth. “The content of wild bee venom protein is below the lethal threshold. Your symptoms are a local allergic reaction.”

"Will my face still be able to recognize people?"

"Given your original weight, even if you were twice as swollen, it wouldn't affect the recognition function."

Chen Hao sat on the ground, wincing and wincing in pain: "You're still laughing? I'm practically a honeycomb briquette."

Nana squatted down and placed a cooling cloth on his eyelids, while using her other hand to bring up yesterday's weather data.

"Last night, there was a level 3 southeast wind that lasted for four hours. The rapeseed flowers you tried planting the day before yesterday have entered their peak blooming period, with pollen concentrations exceeding the standard by seven times. The tree hole was originally a cavity of rotten wood, suitable for nesting. The bee colony must have been attracted by the pollen and completed its migration last night."

"So it wasn't me who disturbed them, but they stole my flowers first?"

"The logic holds true."

"Then they have to pay compensation."

"The claims process cannot be executed at this time."

Chen Hao snorted, stood up with the help of the control panel, and staggered to the tree hole, squinting at the still restless swarm of bees inside.

"How about we just burn it down?"

“Killing bee colonies will lead to a decrease in pollination rates, which is expected to affect subsequent crop yields by 32 percent,” Nana said. “Furthermore, the smoke may ignite surrounding dry vegetation.”

"Then kick them out?"

"The success rate of expulsion is low, and it is easy to trigger secondary attacks. It is recommended to adopt the 'guided migration' strategy."

Speak like a human.

"Make a fake nest and let them move it themselves."

Chen Hao turned to look at her: "You know how to make beehives?"

"The knowledge base includes diagrams of traditional European beehive structures from the 17th century, with a material compatibility rate of 61%. It can be assembled from scrap metal frames and resin boards, with a small amount of nectar applied inside as an attractant."

Why didn't you say so earlier?

"You have not encountered any bee-related conflicts before."

Chen Hao rolled his eyes and limped back to the workshop to rummage for materials. He came out ten minutes later with a crooked iron frame covered with a resin board, the gaps sealed with fiber.

"Like a broken coffin," he said.

Nana took it and applied a layer of viscous liquid to the inner wall.

What is this?

"The jam residue you made last week has a moderate sugar concentration, which simulates natural honey gland secretions."

They placed the box in a shady spot five meters away from the tree hole and then squatted down at the workshop entrance to observe.

At first, nothing happened.

Half an hour later, several worker bees flew out, circled around the new hive, went inside and flew out again, and soon brought back more of their companions.

"It's working?" Chen Hao leaned closer to take a look.

"Don't get too close," Nana said, pulling on his arm.

Before he could finish speaking, a bee swarmed out and flew straight at his nose.

He jerked his head to dodge the attack, but was stung on the shoulder again.

"What did I do to deserve this?!" He jumped away. "Do they recognize me?"

“It’s possible,” Nana said. “You have traces of sweat and fear hormones from the attack on you; the scent has been identified.”

"So I'll have to wear a gas mask every time I pass by from now on?"

"It is recommended to avoid approaching beekeeping areas alone in the short term."

For the next two days, Chen Hao, wearing goggles and old spacesuit gloves, kept a close eye on the bee colony's migration progress. Most of the bees had moved into the new hive, and the tree hole gradually became quiet.

On the morning of the third day, he carefully approached the beehives, carrying a long-handled smoker. Nana stood five meters away, holding a sonic jammer, ready to provide support at any moment.

He lit some dry mugwort fibers and gently blew them into the hive entrance. Smoke filled the air, and the bees slowed their activity.

He reached in and took out a honeycomb board covered in honey; it was heavy and still trembling slightly.

"It's done!" He grinned, but halfway through his smile, the corner of his mouth pulled at his wound, causing him to wince in pain.

Back at the workshop, he cut off a piece of honey and tasted it. It was sweet with a hint of bitterness, and his throat felt a little numb after swallowing it.

"Is it edible?" he asked.

"Tests showed no neurotoxins, so it's edible," Nana said. "However, since it hasn't been sterilized at high temperatures, there may be microbial contamination."

"Then what do we do? Let it rot?"

"This can be used to test the preservation performance." Nana took out two resin jars and put the same sliced ​​vegetables into each. One jar was coated with honey evenly on its inner wall, while the other was kept dry.

Twenty-four hours later, the vegetable leaves in the ordinary jar turned yellow and softened, while those in the honey-coated jar remained crisp and green.

"Really?" Chen Hao's eyes widened. "This thing works even better than a refrigerator?"

"Natural antibacterial enzymes play a role in slowing down the spoilage process. They have practical value for short-term food storage."

Chen Hao slapped his thigh: "Then we won't have to rush to harvest every day anymore!"

He immediately set to work, modifying the remaining three beehives by brushing the inside with honey, intending to use them to store vegetables.

In the evening, he and Nana moved the beehives to the perimeter of the base, arranging them in a triangular pattern.

"It can be used for both honey gathering and thief prevention," he said. "Anyone who dares to approach will be dealt with by these little devils first."

Nana engraved a yellow warning symbol on the side of the casing and connected it to the monitoring system.

“An alarm linkage mechanism has been set up,” she said. “Abnormal swarm activity will trigger an alarm.”

Chen Hao sat on the edge of the field, holding the last beehive in his hand, applying honey to the corner. His face was still swollen, his eyes were squinted, and his fingers were covered in sticky honey.

Nana stood to the side, her right shoulder having been re-coated with a thicker layer of resin. She didn't dare to move around much until the surface dried.

The farmland in the distance is quiet, and the rapeseed flowers are in full bloom, a golden expanse.

Suddenly, she slightly turned her camera and noticed something unusual at the entrance to the beehive.

A bee stopped at the edge, its wings fluttered rapidly a few times, and then it suddenly darted inside.

Immediately afterwards, the entire beehive began to vibrate slightly.

Chen Hao looked up, and honey dripped onto his knee.