Chen Hao squatted on the earthen embankment, his fingers covered in mud, poking small holes in the soft black soil. As he poked, he counted, muttering, "Ten shepherd's purse plants, eight purslane plants, leave two fingers' width of space, don't squeeze them together like a hot pot."
Nana stood to the side, her blue eyes scanning every pit, her voice as calm as if she were reporting the weather: "The depth of the seventh pit in the third row has reached three centimeters, exceeding the standard by a factor of two."
"Oops, my hand slipped." Chen Hao quickly filled the excess soil back in and tamped it down. "This isn't like building Lego; will it explode if it's a millimeter off?"
“It won’t explode,” she said, “but the seeds might not be able to sprout.”
“Then it’ll have to work harder.” He clapped his hands, took a dry leaf from his backpack, and unfolded it to reveal a few small, grayish-brown seeds. He carefully placed them into the pit, his movements as gentle as if he were covering a baby with a blanket.
"The first batch of VIPs to move into 'Pit No. 1', please enjoy five-star soil services." He solemnly announced, "Sunlight is limited, water depends on the weather, and there's no compensation if it dies."
Nana didn't reply, but slightly adjusted the angle of the shoulder lamp, casting a grid-like light and shadow that covered the entire planting area. "The planting coordinates have been marked, and subsequent growth data will be tracked point by point."
Chen Hao stood up, took two steps back, put his hands on his hips, and looked like a general inspecting an army. "This is the first shovelful of wasteland we've cleared; history textbooks will have to write about it."
"Currently, no textbooks include this incident."
"It was bound to happen sooner or later." He grinned, turned around, picked up the watering can, and slowly poured water around the edge of the plot. The water seeped into the soil, leaving a dark mark, like drawing a temporary boundary for the land.
For the next few days, he arrived on time every day, carrying small pieces of wood as labels, writing "Shepherd's Purse Area A" and "Purslane Area B". He even used pebbles to make an arrow pointing to the location he thought was most likely to sprout first.
"What do you think they're doing underground right now?" He squatted down, his ear almost touching the ground. "Holding a meeting to elect representatives? Or are they protesting being buried too deep?"
“The seeds are dormant,” Nana replied after scanning. “The germination period is expected to be seven to fourteen days.”
"Waiting this long?" He frowned. "It's slower than ordering takeout."
"Plants do not accept expedited order processing services."
He sighed, lay down on a nearby rock, one hand on his forehead, the other swinging a small wooden stick. "I hate waiting the most. Exam results come out, games get updates, and now even a blade of grass makes me wait?"
Nana glanced down at him. "I suggest engaging in other productive activities to alleviate your anxiety."
“I want to too.” He rolled over, lying face down. “But all I can think about right now are those seeds—what if they oversleep? What if they have a nightmare they don’t want to wake up from?”
She didn't respond, but silently brought up the ground vibration monitoring interface.
At night, Chen Hao dozed off in a corner of the platform, wrapped in a blanket, his breathing even. Nana stood still, her eyes flashing with a faint blue light, continuously receiving the subtle signals coming from the direction of the rock crevice.
At 3:17 a.m., her system detected a set of abnormal data: high-frequency, dense, and regular vibration waves coming from below the eastern rock wall, about 180 meters away from the planting area, and approaching at a slow but steady speed.
She turned to Chen Hao and gently nudged him.
"Um... five more minutes..." he waved his hand vaguely.
“We detected signs of arthropod movement,” she said. “The number is estimated to be over five hundred, and the path leads directly to the planting area.”
"Ants moving house?" He opened his eyes groggily. "It can't be that bad, I didn't steal their candy."
“Not an ant.” She pulled up the data map. “Small in size, with a hard exoskeleton, it moves by crawling close to the ground, and the mouthparts of some individuals show that they are adapted to nibble on tender leaf tissue.”
Chen Hao sat up and rubbed his face. "You mean...they want to eat my vegetables?"
"If the seedlings sprout, they are very likely to become the target."
"But the seedlings haven't sprouted yet!"
"They may sense chemical signals from soil disturbance or the release of organic matter."
He paused for a few seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing: "So this place is now a popular spot for internet celebrities to take photos? It attracted insects as soon as it opened?"
The metaphor is inaccurate.
"Anyway, the meaning is there." He scratched his head. "Hundreds of insects came rushing towards my few seeds, making it seem like I was going to host an insect buffet."
Nana didn't pick up on the joke, but continued to project the dynamic trajectory map: the red dots were densely clustered and were gradually advancing along the rock fissure network.
Chen Hao stared at the image, his smile gradually fading. "Wait...you mean, they're already on their way?"
"The distance has been shortened to 150 meters."
He jumped up and kicked a small pebble away. "No way! I only planted it two days ago! I haven't even seen a sprout yet, and it's going to be eaten up completely?"
"Survival rate projections have dropped to 23%."
"This signal is weaker than my home Wi-Fi signal!"
He paced back and forth, his brow furrowed. "Can't we burn them? Surely we can light a fire to smoke them out?"
"Smoke and dust can alter the soil's pH level and deposit harmful particles."
"How about sprinkling some chili powder? I remember watching a video before, and the bugs were afraid of spicy food."
"There is no source of chili peppers, and the powdery substance is easily dispersed by airflow to non-target areas."
"Sigh." He plopped down, rubbing his head in his hands. "I should have brought a bottle of insecticide with me when I transmigrated; it would have been more practical than instant noodles."
After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly looked up: "How about digging a trench? Dig a deep trench, they can't fly over it, can they?"
Nana quickly calculated. "Feasible. I suggest digging a barrier trench 30 centimeters wide and 40 centimeters deep at the east entrance, and laying ash to form a physical barrier."
"ash?"
"The residue from burning can interfere with the sensory perception of insects' antennae."
“Okay, let’s get to work!” He rolled over and got up. “Let’s start tonight and get the defense line built before they arrive.”
The two immediately got to work. Chen Hao picked up a makeshift shovel and began digging, shovel by shovel. The soil was wet and heavy, mixed with gravel, and each dig made his hands go numb from the vibrations.
"This job is much more tiring than the gym," he said, panting. "I should have stayed in bed for two fewer years."
Nana used an arm-mounted device to cut the edges of the rocks, ensuring the trench was neat and stable. At the same time, she activated a ground scanner to monitor the movement of the insect swarm in real time.
"One hundred and twenty meters away."
"Got it." Chen Hao wiped his sweat and continued digging. "Ten more centimeters and it'll be good enough to be used as a moat."
As the ditch gradually took shape, he piled the excavated soil on the inner side, forming a low wall. Then, he dug out some cooled ashes from the campfire the night before and scattered them around the edge of the ditch.
"It looks like a construction site fence." He stepped back a few paces to examine it. "It's just missing a sign that says: Construction Site, Insects Keep Out."
“The defensive fortifications are 87% complete,” Nana said. “The swarm is expected to reach the edge of the area in six hours.”
Chen Hao sat down against the rock wall, his chest heaving, his face streaked with sweat and mud. He gazed at the patch of land that had yet to sprout, his eyes no longer as relaxed as they had been a few days ago.
"You mean they can really smell the seeds?"
"Highly likely."
"So, do they think... there's suddenly a lot more delicious food here, and they're rushing to grab it?"
"It conforms to the logic of biological competition."
He gave a wry smile. "I just thought I was a farmer, and now I'm going to be a security guard."
In the distance, a very faint rustling sound came from deep within the rock crevices, like countless tiny claws gently scraping across the stone.
Nana's eyes flashed blue light continuously, and the data stream kept refreshing.
Chen Hao grabbed the shovel and stood up with his hands and feet.
"Fine," he said. "Nobody can touch my land."
He bent down and scattered the last bit of ashes into the ditch.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com