Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Hao Li had long noticed the sea of red flowers in Shennong Star's green belt. It was not only a beautiful sight but also exuded a pleasant fragrance, clearly indicating a high-quality nectar source.

Unfortunately, such high-quality flower varieties must be expensive. Buying them as a nectar source for Bee King Star would be too costly and not worth the investment. Otherwise, she would have considered purchasing some from the lord, as they could surely produce higher-grade honey. For a beekeeper, this would be a lifelong career goal worth striving for.

Even though the flowers were excellent, there couldn't possibly be Black Rock Bees here, right? These creatures were not to be trifled with—black in color, with rock-hard exteriors, and highly territorial. Anyone passing by would likely end up stung.

Hao Li glanced casually, planning to gently warn Yun Wan, but unexpectedly, her peripheral vision caught a small black shadow hidden beneath the flowers. Listening carefully, she could hear a faint buzzing sound in the air.

After a closer look, it was indeed a Black Rock Bee!

Hao Li and her team exchanged glances, each seeing surprise and confusion in the others' eyes. Then, in disbelief, they looked again. The Black Rock Bee had already moved to another flower to collect nectar. Upon closer inspection, they spotted at least seven or eight Black Rock Bees within their line of sight.

Logically, the Black Rock Bees were close enough to notice the humans, so why were they peacefully collecting nectar without showing any aggression?

Hao Li wasn't sure, but her professional instincts urged her to offer a cautious suggestion. "Lord, the presence of Black Rock Bees in the city means we should be on high alert. Otherwise, the residents could be attacked by The Swarm...!"

Before she could finish, a Black Rock Bee flew straight toward her, its large abdomen gleaming black under the sunlight, its stinger flashing dangerously.

She instinctively drew her weapon, but the bee was too close. Firing recklessly might accidentally harm Yun Wan. In that brief moment of hesitation, the Black Rock Bee flew past her face.

"..." Hao Li broke into a cold sweat, touching her face after the close call. Indeed, she hadn't been attacked.

She turned to look at the Black Rock Bee, which was still leisurely flitting among the flowers, completely ignoring the nearby humans.

"It seems we don't need to be on high alert, do we?" Yun Wan said.

Hao Li met Yun Wan's gaze, feeling as though her entire professional worldview was crumbling.

"We can't draw conclusions yet," Hao Li said.

Her experience and knowledge told her that Black Rock Bees were part of The Swarm, still holding onto their primal instincts. How could they possibly become docile?

Hao Li directed her team to approach the Black Rock Bees and conduct various tests. Without fail, they were ignored. Even when one team member made a deliberate reaching motion, the Black Rock Bee observed it briefly, deemed it non-threatening, and returned to its business.

This wasn't right, not at all!

The elite cleanup team all thought the same.

They followed Yun Wan back to the grove of trees, trying to approach the hive. Instantly, the Black Rock Bees swarmed out, their loud buzzing creating a powerful impact on the soul.

The team quickly found a safe spot to observe from a distance.

Hao Li watched as the Black Rock Bees, having lost their target, returned to the hive. This was more like it!

"Ah, these bees are still so aggressive!" Yun Wan complained.

Hao Li had a strong intuition that Yun Wan knew the reason behind the Black Rock Bees' change in behavior and humbly asked, "Lord, do you know why the Black Rock Bees have changed?"

"Hmm, I think it's because of the nectar source," Yun Wan replied, seeing no reason to hide it.

"The nectar source?" Hao Li pondered silently.

She wanted to refute but couldn't find another explanation. Could the flowers of Shennong Star really be that miraculous? They were just a nectar source, not some kind of drug. How could they tame the Black Rock Bees so thoroughly?

Whether it was true or not, testing it would reveal the answer.

Yun Wan planted a circle of Desert Roses near the grove of trees. As soon as the fiery red flowers took root, many Black Rock Bees were drawn to their fragrance. The humans stood near the Desert Roses without retreating, but the excited bees were too busy to pay them any attention.

In just a few minutes, the Black Rock Bees shifted from displaying obvious aggressive intentions to completely ignoring the intruders. Hao Li had to believe that the flowers of Shennong Star were truly this extraordinary!

She swallowed hard, her eyes filled with desire for these flowers.

Desert Rose, right? For a planet like Bee King Star, this flower is nothing short of a sacred bloom, worthy of being crowned the king of all flowers!

A flower that can tame bees? If all bees became this docile, beekeepers would have it so much easier!

Although she really wanted to discuss a partnership with Yun Wan regarding the Desert Rose, she restrained herself, deciding to complete the Black Rock Bee cleanup mission first.

"The Desert Rose can indeed make Black Rock Bees more docile. This area can be directly converted, but I still don’t recommend having the Black Rock Bee swarm too close to the city. After all, the Swarm is unpredictable, and we don’t know when they might become aggressive."

Yun Wan nodded, then happily said, "Then I can keep bees!"

"Logically, that’s correct."

Yun Wan thought about the sweet honey and couldn’t help but salivate.

The sugar in the interstellar realm always had an industrial taste—overly sweet and not pure. Honey, on the other hand, was slightly bitter and not particularly palatable. There was almost no honey or sugar with a contemporary, familiar flavor. Now, at last, she could keep bees and make honey!

Following the plan of the Ace Cleanup Team, a large circular area was cleared around the edge of the tree forest. Weeds and trees were removed, and the entire area was planted with Desert Roses, effectively surrounding the Black Rock Bee swarm.

Not long after the flowers were planted, swarms of Black Rock Bees left their hives to gather nectar. Their goal was unmistakable—they headed straight for the Desert Roses. Even when different swarms met, no conflicts arose. Each group gathered nectar peacefully, focused on their own tasks, and then returned to their hives. The coexistence was remarkably harmonious.

Hao Li was filled with endless reflection.

This was the first time she had seen such harmony among the Swarm. The beautiful sea of flowers and the diligent bees made the enigmatic natural realm seem less dangerous and more beautiful. She couldn’t help but fall in love with such a scene, though she had to suppress her restless heart and remind herself that this was an exception. On other planets, the Swarm was still bloodthirsty and devoid of humanity.

With the flower source set up, all that was needed was for the Black Rock Bees to undergo transformation through nectar gathering. Hao Li hadn’t expected the problem to be solved so quickly. With some extra time, she began researching why the nectar of the Desert Rose was so attractive to the Black Rock Bees. Did it truly make them docile? Or was the nectar simply more appealing than attacking humans?

Her experiments hadn’t yet yielded results when the Black Rock Bee swarm suddenly went into a frenzy.

"Trouble! Trouble! Sister Li, the Black Rock Bee swarm has invaded the city!" Li Yan from the Ace Cleanup Team ran over in a panic.

By the time Hao Li stepped outside, she could already see the sky being slowly covered by a vast black shroud, as if the entire swarm had mobilized.

She immediately made her way to the lord’s residence to inform Yun Wan. Shennong Star quickly entered a complete lockdown, with doors and windows sealed, and everyone ordered to stay indoors.

"What’s going on?! I finally got my turn, and now this happens?! Is Shennong Star’s security this bad?" A customer in the restaurant complained.

His complaints fell on deaf ears. Black Rock Bees weren’t considered too dangerous within the Swarm. Shennong Star had so many Combat Robots that dealing with these creatures would be more than enough. The real question was, would the Black Rock Bees affect the restaurant’s business?!

"Strange!" Chen Hu blurted out, his voice drawing the attention of many other diners. Some even recognized him, having seen this middle-aged man here many times before.

"What’s strange?" someone nearby asked curiously.

Chen Hu, as if explaining to himself or to the others, continued, "Black Rock Bees are neutral creatures. In theory, they wouldn’t launch a large-scale attack on a city. This many Black Rock Bees—it’s like every single one on Shennong Star has come here! Did the lord disturb their hive?"

"Ah, that makes sense. Black Rock Bees would riot if they lost their hive, but surely the lord isn’t that clueless? Why would she disturb their hive and then leave the bees alone?"

For a while, the diners buzzed with discussion, and many pulled out their smart devices to take photos and videos.

Unlike the calm diners, the residents of Shennong Star were filled with worry. They didn’t know these were Black Rock Bees; to them, this was the Swarm. In their understanding, the Swarm meant only danger. On Z3458, every encounter with the Swarm had resulted in heavy losses, with many lives lost.

Looking at the overwhelming swarm covering the sky, the residents felt as if their small, fragile Shennong Star was being enveloped by a powerful black force, unable to break free.

This was the new home they had just found. Were they about to be displaced again?

The residents clasped their hands together, praying silently in their hearts that Shennong Star would emerge unscathed from this crisis.

Jiang Jiayu was one of the settlers who had recently arrived on Shennong Star. Since landing, she had moved into a large house and planted some potted flowers she had brought from Z3458. She initially worried they might not adapt, but both the flowers and she thrived on Shennong Star.

She was skilled at planting, but the lord's farming was fully automated, leaving no jobs for workers like her. She had to settle for a land reclamation job instead.

The job was grueling, but it let her work closely with all kinds of plants. She could collect interesting specimens, making it her dream job.

She loved Shennong Star's nutrient solution, adored its Desert Roses, and was thrilled to see her family and friends more lively than ever. After arriving on Shennong Star, her once dull world suddenly bloomed with vibrant colors.

She couldn’t bear to lose these newfound joys. If the heavens heard her, she prayed Shennong Star would thrive in the interstellar world forever.

As if answering the residents' prayers, the Black Rock Bee swarm didn’t stay long in the city. After circling the lord's mansion, they flew off without a backward glance.

They didn’t attack anyone or invade homes. It was like they were just passing through, as if on a casual sightseeing stroll.

A looming crisis vanished like a stone sinking into water, leaving no trace.

Everyone was amazed and kept replaying the recordings on their devices.

"Did the Black Rock Bees really just leave like that?"

Curious, diners and residents stepped outside. Not a single bee remained, as if the earlier swarm had been a dream.

"Hey, what on earth is that on the ground?!"

Following someone's exclamation, everyone's gaze turned toward Yun Wan, and they all noticed something unusual.

The streets outside the lord's mansion were lined with golden oval shapes. Golden honey spilled everywhere, forming a honey sea.

At first, everyone thought they were mistaken. But as they approached and accidentally stepped on the spilled honey, the sticky sensation confirmed it was indeed honey. One bold person tasted a clean piece, eyes widening as they exclaimed:

"It's honey! It really is honey!"

The diners and residents felt dazed, as if still dreaming.

This world was just too surreal! So the bees weren’t here to fight—they were moving? No, they left their hives. It was like they came to gift the lord!

Hao Li was even more baffled than the others.

She wanted to ask the two bees she’d caught: Where’s your wild side? What kind of Black Rock Bee just abandons its home? And leaves behind all the honey they collected? Did they come to give humans a gift? Have these bees gained consciousness or what?!

Yun Wan, on the other hand, took it all in stride. The sudden invasion by the Black Rock Bees had startled her, but if they had said they were coming to deliver a gift, she would have opened the city gates wide to welcome them.

She figured these were the bees from the Desert Rose fields. Unable to resist, she dipped her finger into the honey on the hive's surface and tasted it. The delightful sweetness carried a refreshing floral aroma, without a hint of bitterness. The floral scent lingered in her mouth and even in her breath for a long time.

Yun Wan counted the hives—there were over two hundred massive hives, each filled to the brim with golden, enticing honey.

"Thank you, nature, for this gift."

She could enjoy the honey ahead of time!

Yun Wan couldn't help but smile. It seemed that both people and animals loved giving her gifts. Such thoughtfulness was simply adorable!

She loved Shennong Star and the Black Rock Bees so much!