Concealment, ambush, stinging, evasion—Shen Yi killed almost entirely on instinct.

These tiny insects, insignificant when he was human, now appeared as enormous and monstrous creatures when scaled up to his size. Their bizarre spots, antennae, and even the rippling flesh waves as they crawled were vividly clear.

If it weren’t for the rage over the death of his Third Brother driving him earlier, Shen Yi might not have charged in headfirst so recklessly.

Shen Yi didn’t know if bees had adrenaline, but he felt his blood boiling with excitement and exhilaration.

“Captured Life Energy +20, System Update Progress +0.2”

“Captured Life Energy +15, System Update Progress +0.1”

…

The constant stream of notifications gave him the illusion of farming mobs in a game, as if he were harvesting not lives, but a series of artificially coded data.

While Shen Yi was fully immersed in the thrill of hunting, the jungle’s predators had also set their sights on this particularly plump and sizable bee.

Somehow sensing danger in advance, Shen Yi shrouded himself in psychic energy to conceal his form and sent out his psychic senses to stay alert.

In the realm of psychic perception, all disguises were laid bare.

The first things he noticed were countless praying mantises near and far, their bizarre shapes and astonishing variety amazing Shen Yi. These masters of camouflage in nature perfectly mimicked dead leaves, fresh foliage, branches, and even vibrant flowers, blending seamlessly into tree trunks, leaves, and every unexpected corner, patiently waiting with their scythe-like arms raised for prey to approach.

These mantises were Shen Yi’s favorite prey—their soft abdomens made them easy targets for ambushes from behind, and they provided abundant life energy, like free experience points.

At this thought, he couldn’t help but glance at the system update progress bar—96/100.

He then checked the sky. After working tirelessly for almost an entire day, only a little bit was left. He alternately stretched his six, sore legs, his head throbbing faintly. He’d nearly depleted his psychic energy, even using it sparingly.

He knew it was reckless to act so boldly in a forest full of dangers, but he couldn’t help himself.

The system had introduced this new life-energy collecting mechanic, and he was eager to find out what the update would bring. It was like dangling a delicious carrot in front of a donkey—who could resist?

But with nightfall approaching, as much as he wanted to continue, he had to wait until tomorrow. The faint sense of danger in his heart wasn’t strong enough to push him further. Shen Yi withdrew his psychic net, leaving only a thin layer over his body, and decided to keep watching for a while.

Nearby, the sound of flapping wings and a faint birdcall reached his ears. Shen Yi instinctively perked up his antennae at the sound.

There was a bird in the forest with vibrant feathers and a slender beak, which fed on various bees. Shen Yi had encountered it several times that day. He had never known birds could have a taste for bees, and initially, captivated by its beauty, he had let his guard down, nearly becoming its meal. Fortunately, he had narrowly escaped, leaving him with a deep impression of the bird, especially its call.

In this forest, he could only bully insects. Birds were colossal giants to him, and his only option was to hide when encountering them. Hearing the familiar birdcall, his body reacted before his mind did, shrinking deeper into the dense foliage, planning to wait for the bird to fly away before returning to his nest and trying again tomorrow.

As he was planning, the flapping sounds grew closer, seeming somewhat frantic and erratic. Curious, Shen Yi glanced toward the source. A sparrow-sized, brightly colored bird was struggling to flap its wings unsteadily, emitting mournful cries as if under attack. Scanning the area, he saw no other birds or predators, and his gaze returned to the struggling bird.

As the bird drew nearer, Shen Yi suddenly pushed himself up on his sore legs in surprise, crawling forward a few steps to get a clearer view. On the bird’s head were two large hornets!

These hornets had a mechanical, punk-like appearance, with yellow and black stripes resembling tiger patterns. Shen Yi classified them as hornets.

These hornets didn’t gather nectar but preferred a carnivorous diet. Shen Yi had been chased by them before and learned that bumblebees were also on their menu.

With their well-developed, sharp mandibles, though smaller than bumblebees, the two hornets clung tightly to the bird’s head, their stingers piercing through the sparse feathers and digging deep into its flesh.

Soon, the bird could no longer hold on and fell to the ground, shaking its head desperately. Its slender beak, specialized for eating bees, flailed uselessly in panic. After a brief struggle, it gradually stopped moving.

Unconsciously, Shen Yi had climbed to a nearby treetop, staring in disbelief at the scene before him.

A bird that specialized in eating bees had been stung to death by bees. What in the world was impossible?

Witnessing such a dramatic reversal in a battle with such a vast size difference made Shen Yi’s blood boil with excitement.

If he relied on stealth and ambush, he could probably kill a few hornets. But even if he broke his stinger, he doubted he could kill a bird.

Shen Yi pondered for a long time, stroking his antennae, trying to figure out the difference between himself and the hornets. How could it be that, despite being a bee himself and having a size advantage, they could take on birds while he was still limited to small insects? After much thought, he concluded it must be the potency of their venom—his stinger simply wasn’t toxic enough.

He wondered if there was a way to enhance the toxicity of his venom glands.

Nearby, the two hornets began to claim their prize, using their sharp mandibles to easily slice through the bird’s flesh, carving out small pieces to carry back to their nest. They also summoned their swarm to help transport the food. Shen Yi knew he had to leave before the swarm arrived.

Just as he stretched his wings, he heard a familiar system notification.

“Captured Life Energy +1327, System Update Progress 100/100”

“System update complete. Loading now, 10, 9, 8…” !!!

He could gain life energy even from prey killed by others?!

Shen Yi couldn’t believe such a windfall had fallen into his lap.

But he had no time to dwell on it now.

The system had finally finished updating, revealing a new interface.

It was still a new chapter—The Rise of the Swarm.

“Main Quest: Expand the Swarm—Swarm Size: 11/1000”

“Quest Reward: Queen Bee Nest Seed”

In addition to the quest log, a new attribute bar appeared at the top of the screen, a swarm management system on the right, and a system manager.

Attribute Bar:

“Psychic Energy: 2/40”

“Stamina: 9/20”

“Venom Gland: 9”

“Mandibles: 4”

The game-like interface made Shen Yi feel disoriented, and he couldn’t help muttering, “Whoa, did I transmigrate into some kind of game?”

“This update incorporates game-related concepts from the host’s subconscious and the host’s desires, generated by the System Directional Upgrade Card. It is random and unique. For detailed content, please explore freely.”

Shen Yi was startled by the system’s sudden voice. He asked hesitantly, “System?”

“Hmm?”

Confirming his suspicion, Shen Yi grew even more surprised. “You… you’re conscious now?”

“System Intelligent Assistant is now online to help the host better utilize the system.”

Shen Yi asked a few more questions and learned that this intelligent assistant was akin to a smart assistant in a mobile system. Though not highly intelligent, it could at least interact with him. For system-related queries, it could provide basic answers, which was better than fumbling in the dark on his own.

In the “Swarm Management” interface, the top displayed “Queen Bee,” followed by “Swarm Size: 11.” Below were options for “Food Reserves,” “Nest Construction,” “Swarm Appointments,” and “Swarm Breeding.”

The “Food Reserves” section even listed the number of aphids they were farming in detail.

“Nest Construction” is currently at zero; the small tent they built with leaves is not recognized by the system.

“Swarm Appointment,” as the name suggests, involves assigning roles within the swarm. Due to the current small scale of the swarm, he cannot assign any specific roles yet. All his subordinates serve both as his guard bees and worker bees, going wherever they are needed.

When Shen Yi saw the words “Swarm Breeding,” his antennae couldn’t help but quiver with excitement—he could now produce larvae through the system!

However, breeding is not unconditional or arbitrary. It requires meeting the basic requirements of “Food Reserves” and “Nest Construction” and consumes life energy to proceed.

After opening the “Swarm Breeding” interface, Shen Yi noticed a “Summon” button at the bottom and wondered why it was labeled “Summon.”

Currently, without a nest, the number of larvae he can summon is zero.

But this is not a problem! Shen Yi plans to discuss building a hive with his subordinates as soon as he returns.

After gleefully examining the entire swarm management interface again and again, he moved on to the next interface—the System Manager.

The interface is divided into “Earth Port” and “System Port.” Seeing the familiar word “Earth,” Shen Yi froze for a moment, almost holding his breath.

He urgently called out to the system assistant: “System, what does ‘Earth Port’ mean? Can I go back?”

“The host, as the Bee Emperor, cannot produce larvae. The system cannot create souls out of nothing, nor can it send the host back to Earth. Based on the host’s wishes, the system has upgraded and loaded a new module. The host can summon Earth souls to produce larvae. This module draws inspiration from the host’s subconscious gaming ideas. The host can use the Earth Port to publish promotions and attract players.”

After carefully studying the information several times, Shen Yi finally understood that the system update had truly introduced an incredible feature.

He could summon his fellow Earthlings to work as worker bees for him!

Shen Yi was almost overwhelmed by this good fortune. Suppressing his excitement, he confirmed it with the system a few more times.

When Earthlings answer the summons, a corresponding number of larvae will appear in his nest. These larvae need to be fed, and just before metamorphosis, the Earthling souls will take over, break out of their cocoons, and emerge as his bee colony members. For the Earthlings, isn’t this just like character creation in a game?

Playing the game causes no harm to their bodies or souls and even provides some positive mental relaxation benefits. In other words, even if they play all night, Earthlings won’t feel tired but will instead enjoy a “soul spa”—comfortable and relaxing, truly enjoying the game.

Shen Yi couldn’t help but feel envious. Why didn’t he get to experience such a good thing?

Still, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure he could resist summoning his fellow Earthlings if there were side effects to pulling them into the game.

After all, he was all alone in this foreign world, and it was too lonely.

Even if it wasn’t for completing tasks, just summoning a fellow Earthling to chat with would be enough to satisfy him.

Shen Yi felt as if he had drunk nectar and honeydew, all his weariness melted away, his spirits lifted, and he was full of energy. He couldn’t wait to buzz his wings and fly back to the nest.

Passing through the valley, the image of the lively little fairy flashed through his mind, and Shen Yi couldn’t help feeling curious. Reason told him that fairy was dangerous, but a voice deep inside urged him to get closer, just a little closer…

Indeed, the more dangerous, the more alluring. Shen Yi was utterly captivated. He quickly found a justification for his conflicting feelings—after all, who could resist getting closer to such a beautiful and adorable fairy?

After a brief hesitation, he finally gave in to his curiosity and decided to swing by the valley first. Anyway, even if he returned now, they couldn’t start building the hive today. Might as well see if the little fairy was still there.

Just one look.