Shen Yi stood on the hive’s takeoff platform, gazing blankly into the distance.

Before him stretched an endless expanse of green.

Towering trees formed enormous emerald canopies that blotted out the sky, while unfamiliar vines coiled around trunks and rocks, climbing and growing. Delicate grasses took root in the small spaces formed by curved tree trunks, blooming with pretty little flowers. Mushrooms and mosses of every hue wound their way up exposed roots, adorning decaying grass and bark; even the treetops were draped with vibrant, unknown parasitic flowers, hanging in clusters like brilliant bouquets.

Strange insect chirps, the damp scent of soil, dazzling colors, and rustling sounds hidden beneath rotting leaves—all combined in Shen Yi’s senses to form a mysterious, fantastical primeval forest.

—Did such forests truly exist on Earth?

As if bewitched, Shen Yi spread his wings without hesitation and leaped down.

He seemed to fly naturally, carried by the wind through gaps in the leaves, soaring into the sky.

The breeze brushed through the fur on his body, creating a light, tickling sensation. The clusters of mushrooms on the ground grew farther and farther away, like a dream—he was actually flying.

Gradually, he encountered more and more bumblebees. To his surprise, Shen Yi noticed several bumblebees that looked just like him, with the final stripe on their abdomens also golden yellow.

Was his golden rear not one in a million? Just as he was puzzling over this, Shen Yi watched as one of those bumblebees mounted the back of a new queen bee.

The fantastical insect world suddenly took on some adult themes.

“…”

Queen bee, queen bee.

The queen who nurtures the colony.

Shen Yi finally realized the most crucial information he had been overlooking all along—the queen bee’s primary duty in the hive was to lay eggs!

He was used to thinking from a human perspective, so naturally, he hadn’t concerned himself with whether a small bee was male or female, focusing only on the word “queen.”

“Queen bee = egg-laying machine.”

Then what about him…?

No, this couldn’t be right.

Let’s start from the beginning.

Fertilized eggs hatch into queen bees and worker bees, while unfertilized eggs hatch into drones.

He started as a worker bee—a sterile female bee.

Later, he risked his life to climb into a queen cell, securing the chance to develop into a queen bee. So now he was…

Shen Yi’s mind was in chaos, and just at this critical moment, he watched as the drone mounting the new queen bee suddenly tore off its reproductive organ mid-air and fell. !!!

Torn off right there.

A white thread trailed behind the new queen, fluttering in the wind. Perhaps this was the highest honor and achievement for drones, but no human male could witness this scene without feeling disturbed.

Soon, another drone chased after her, tearing off the previous bumblebee’s genitalia, and began fulfilling its lifelong duty.

Shen Yi’s rear clenched in alarm, and he nearly fell out of the sky.

—He had to find a place to thoroughly check his physical condition!

Shen Yi couldn’t wait another moment. He landed immediately, perching on a nearby large tree, with his little followers trailing closely behind.

After a thorough self-examination, Shen Yi finally saw his bumblebee version of male genitalia—just as tiny as a mosquito’s leg, barely visible without careful inspection. Thankfully, his eyes were as good as a measuring tool.

In the end, Shen Yi determined with both relief and excitement—he was actually a drone.

Though unscientific, thank the heavens and his ancestors for their blessings.

If Shen Yi were an entomologist, he might research a thesis: “On the Influence of Subjective Consciousness on the Direction of Insect Metamorphosis.”

Many things that had been unclear suddenly made sense.

Why his coloring differed from other worker bees, why the other new queen bees ignored him, why the worker bees catered to his basic needs.

Shen Yi guessed that during his pupal stage of re-differentiation, whether due to the uniqueness of his soul or his strong gender identity, or perhaps with the help of a queen bee’s support system, he developed the psychic traits and pheromones of a queen bee but did not develop reproductive capabilities, retaining the male gender of his soul’s identity.

Thus, lower-ranking worker bees identified him as a new queen bee through pheromones, but queen bee reserves of his same rank could discern his gender and therefore did not attack him.

In his situation, clearly, he couldn’t become a queen bee. A queen bee that couldn’t lay eggs would be abandoned by the colony.

So, would he just mooch off the hive from now on? The moment this thought arose, Shen Yi felt a chill in his nether regions.

And what about his mission?

If given the choice, he’d rather abandon the mission than become an egg-laying machine.

Shen Yi returned to the hive with his little followers, preoccupied, only to find dense crowds of bumblebees gathered near the entrance, with more continuously pouring out.

Suddenly, the swarm outside took to the sky, their buzzing wings merging into a roaring stream. Shen Yi saw the leading bumblebee, larger than the worker bees behind—it was the old queen bee.

“Are they moving?”

Just as Shen Yi hesitated whether to follow, the new queen bee, having completed the mating flight, returned. The remaining worker bees in the hive came out to welcome her, ushering their new queen back inside.

Shen Yi belatedly looked up at the swarm already flying far into the sky, momentarily speechless with shock.

Swarming—it turned out the old queen bee led part of the colony away, leaving the hive to the new queen.

He had always assumed it would be like ants, where the new queen leaves the nest after birth, riding the wind like dandelion seeds to spread their lineage far and wide.

Gazing at the distant swarm now reduced to black dots, Shen Yi felt a surge of respect. The scene of a veteran leader passing her hard-earned kingdom to the next generation, taking her followers to conquer new lands and establish a new dynasty, was profoundly moving, almost bringing tears to his eyes.

But his emotional moment came to an abrupt halt as guard bees at the hive entrance blocked him.

In the blink of an eye, they no longer recognized him.

Well, now he didn’t have to debate over what choice to make.

A dozen guard bees formed a line, encircling and driving him outward. The little followers behind Shen Yi, judging their king was being challenged, puffed up and charged forward ready to fight.

Before Shen Yi could stop them, the guard bees sent out an alarm signal. Waves of bumblebees rushed over, forming ranks and flapping their wings menacingly toward Shen Yi’s group. War was imminent, but the little followers showed no fear, plunging headfirst into the charge.

Twelve against thousands—like ants taking on an eagle, small and vulnerable.

But the bumblebees guarding Shen Yi showed no retreat.

Unhesitating, uncalculating, unwavering choice—no weighing of gains and losses, unconditional protection.

For a moment, Shen Yi was stunned. As a human, he had never experienced anything like this.

It must be that after turning into a bee, his heart also shrunk, easily satisfied now.

The bees that used to be tiny in his eyes are now the same size as him. Just as humans see other humans, bees see other bees—each one unique and impossible to overlook. Their eyes, fuzz, and delicate legs have all become clear, and so many things feel different now.

However, assessing the situation, avoiding pointless sacrifice, and knowing when to strategically retreat are essential qualities for any leader. Shen Yi excels in this regard.

“Too many bees, can’t win this fight. Let’s retreat for now.”

Discretion is the better part of valor. Shen Yi decisively led his followers away.

It’s tough to get ahead in an old enterprise with an established leadership structure. Better to strike out on your own if you want to get ahead.

Shen Yi secretly thought, since he’s male and can’t lay eggs anyway, being independent would be more freeing—he could do whatever he wanted.

His followers unconditionally aligned their will with Shen Yi’s, moving exactly where he directed, instantly swarming behind him the moment he signaled.

Leading them away from the hive, Shen Yi thought, with over a dozen followers, this counts as a small swarm, right? In a way, doesn’t that mean he’s become a queen bee? Does that mean the task is complete?

As if in response to his question, the system prompt sounded:

“Main Quest: Become the queen bee completed.”

“System update program initiating. Update time uncertain. Please wait patiently, Host.”