Chen Hao's breath caught in his throat, as if he were being sucked in by those compound eyes. He didn't move, and neither did the insect; they stared at each other from a distance of a few centimeters. A drop of sweat slid down his forehead and fell into the soil, startling a nearby fungus hyphae into a slight tremor.
"Did you get a picture?" He asked in a very low voice, almost as if he were squeezing it out from between his teeth.
Nana's robotic arm slightly adjusted its angle, and the lens moved forward silently. "Spectral recording complete. The crystal on the back of the target shows a significant resonance response to the violet band."
"So, it mistook the wheat for a light bulb?"
"More precisely, it may rely on this light signal to locate food sources or similar species."
Chen Hao slowly took a step back, his heel sinking into a pebble with a slight crunch. The insect's antennae twitched, but it didn't fly away. He took another step back, then another, until his back was against the observation post, before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
"Alright then." He wiped his face. "Since it's after the light, let's let it shine as much as it wants."
He turned and headed towards the tool shed, his pace quickening until he was almost jogging. Nana followed closely behind, the mechanical legs making rhythmic, soft thuds on the ridges of the field.
"What are you planning to do?" she asked.
"Get something reflective." He kicked open the shed door. "Are the solar panels we took down last time still there?"
"Thirty-seven fragments are stored on the third shelf of the storage area in Zone B."
"Bring everything out." He bent down and pulled out a roll of aluminum foil, shook it, and dust fell off in a flurry. "Let's find some foldable brackets and put a circle of mirrors around this place."
After scanning the inventory, Nana quickly retrieved the transport route. The two of them worked swiftly and efficiently, one disassembling and the other assembling. The edges of the photovoltaic panels were sharp, and Chen Hao didn't even notice that his gloves were worn through. He simply shook off the bloodstains on his fingers and continued tightening the screws.
"How do we determine the angle?" he asked, looking up.
“Based on the current luminescence intensity of the wheat field and the angle of incidence of morning light, a tilt of 43 degrees can achieve the maximum scattering range.” Nana used a laser to mark the baseline, “Prioritizing the coverage of the eastern and northern slopes, which are the main migration paths brought by the wind direction.”
“Let’s do it this way.” He picked up a panel and walked up the slope. “We’re not going to farm anymore, we’re going to do landscaping.”
As dusk fell, the first support frame was erected. Then came the second, the third, the reflective film piece by piece, like a silver trim edging the earth. The wind began to blow, the film rustling and occasionally reflecting a blinding glare.
At 1:17 a.m., a faint sound of wings flapping came from the southeast.
"They're here," Nana said softly.
Chen Hao was squatting on the ground securing the last rope when he heard the noise and immediately looked up. In the distance, a few faint reflections moved in the grass, like night dew wetting shards of glass.
"Didn't we agree that you'd arrive at 2 a.m.?" he muttered, grabbing the carabiner beside him. "The script doesn't follow any rules."
The swarm of insects approached faster than expected. They glided along the ground, avoiding high ground and choosing to pass through gaps in sparse vegetation. The number of red dots on the monitoring device increased rapidly, tripling in density.
"The southwest wind is strengthening, bringing airflow disturbances," Nana warned. "You are expected to be able to access the protective belt in five minutes."
"The rope broke!" Chen Hao jumped up and rushed towards the northeast corner. The connection point that had just been secured was blown away by the wind, and the reflective film drooped down, revealing a gap of more than half a meter.
He pulled over the spare alloy wire, went around the support beam, and was about to tie a knot when a gust of wind blew in again, causing the entire membrane to flutter up and almost knock him over.
"Nana! Help me pull her!"
The robotic arm extended instantly, firmly gripping the edge of the membrane. Chen Hao took the opportunity to lock the latch, panting as he said, "Next time, don't wait for me to call you, can't you just use automatic positioning?"
“Dynamic tracking mode is enabled.” She withdrew her arm. “Should all remaining materials be deployed?”
"Of course." He wiped his sweat. "The rest can be cut into strips and hung on the ridges of the fields as wind chimes."
The two cut the remaining aluminum foil into narrow strips and hung one every fifty centimeters. When the wind blew, the silver light shimmered wildly, like countless tiny blades dancing in the air.
At 2:46, the first swarm of insects reached the edge of the reflective zone.
The first one paused, its antennae outstretched, seemingly detecting changes in the light. Then, it abruptly retreated, causing the rest of the group to follow suit. But soon after, several more tentatively approached, circling along the outer edge of the membrane.
"Not scary enough." Chen Hao stared at them. "We need to add some drama."
"I suggest simulating a sudden, intense light source." Nana activated the mobile spotlight. "To test the stress avoidance response."
"Open!" he commanded.
Five sets of high-brightness lights illuminated simultaneously, unleashing a torrent of white light that refracted and scattered upon impact with the reflective membrane. The entire wheat field was instantly enveloped in a tearing silver light, as if the air itself had frozen.
The insect swarm froze.
The next second, as if slapped by an invisible hand, they exploded and scattered in all directions. Some bounced back after hitting the wheat stalks, while others plunged directly into the cracks in the soil and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"It works!" Chen Hao slammed his fist on the ground. "We've built a shimmering cage."
“But continuous lighting will accelerate battery drain.” Nana turned off some of the lights. “It is recommended to retain the basic reflective system and only activate the high-intensity deterrent during intense intrusions.”
"Okay, let's get to energy-saving mode." He sat down against the observation post, picked up a broken piece of strap and wrapped it around his wrist. "Anyway, they won't dare to come back easily."
At 4:18, the alarm sounded again.
"Signal density is recovering in the southeast corner." Nana pulled up the thermal image. "A low-altitude gliding individual has appeared, attempting to cross the blind spot of the reflective zone."
Chen Hao squinted and saw several almost transparent figures skimming across the ground, moving nimbly and deliberately choosing to traverse the shadowy areas where the light and shadow intertwined.
"Pretty clever," he sneered. "Thinking you're safe just by hiding in the shadows?"
He grabbed the control box: "Turn on the lights! Full power!"
Nana activated all the lighting arrays simultaneously. This time, the wall of light arrived faster and more intensely. Blinding white and purple light intertwined, reflecting off the reflective film layer by layer, making the entire field look as if it had been thrown into a furnace, so bright that it was impossible to open one's eyes.
The swarm of insects came to a complete halt as soon as they entered the edge of the area. A few that managed to push forward showed obvious scorch marks on their wings in the bright light, and then they fell uncontrollably.
The rest quickly turned around and retreated in a radial pattern, disappearing into the distant grass and never reappearing.
At six o'clock in the morning, the sun rises.
Sunlight spills across the wheat fields, shimmering and intertwining with purple and silver light. Reflective film sways gently in the breeze, casting fragmented yet dazzling shadows. The entire land appears as if coated with liquid metal, and from afar, it seems as if the earth is cradling a fallen galaxy.
"No signs of active intrusion are currently observed in the area," Nana reported. "Preliminary assessment indicates successful defense."
Chen Hao slumped down on the edge of the field, his protective suit covered in dust, and a mud stain on his face that he didn't even know when it had gotten there. He grinned and casually tossed the piece of strap into the tool bag next to him.
“This isn’t farming,” he said, looking up at the glaring reflective strips. “It’s clearly a large-scale art exhibition.”
Nana stood beside the observation post, and the mechanical eye continuously scanned the ecological data at the edge of the farmland, while the main system remained operational.
The wind picked up again, making the reflective curtains rustle. A silver ray swept across the wheat ears, causing the leaves to tremble slightly. A dewdrop rolled off the tip of a leaf, hitting the soil and splashing up a tiny speck of dust.
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