In the next moment, the entire area erupted in shouts.
"Father!" Malevolence was one of the first to shout. "You—he was just there! What happened?!"
"Father, where are you?!"
"Did he fly somewhere while we didn't see?"
"Father, please, come back!"
The Scourge's annoyed growl made bees fall quiet for a moment. Mother-Queen used it to fly above the crowd, capturing everybody's attention.
"Everybody, calm down. This isn't the time for panic! The situation will be brought under control, no matter what."
Malevolence greedily swallowed Mother-Queen Ambrosia's words. Of course, their Empress won't let the Empire crumble!
Near her, other bees calmed down slightly as well. But they all still had the same question, which Malevolence couldn't help but ask.
"But what about Father? Do you know what happened to him, Mother-Queen?!"
Ambrosia looked down at Malevolence with an expression that made her innards turn to ice.
"Not yet. But we will find out. Gather the Empire Council immediately and bring a written report of the Eye for an Eye operation. And if—when—you will spread news about Father, do it without distracting other bees from their work!"
After these words, Mother-Queen Ambrosia gestured for Father's stricken bodyguards to follow her and hurriedly flew back inside the hive.
Malevolence clenched her fists close to her chest, where her heart beat like it was trying to break the prison of her body.
Around, other bees were exchanging the same clueless questions instead of preparing reports and taking care of their equipment.
"Father disappeared… Just like that. How could this even happen?" Malevolence muttered. "There's no hunter who can sneak upon us so easily. They are all dumb, anyway. Only… only humans have enough cunning!"
Malevolence eyes lit up with more anger than she ever felt.
"This is it!" she exclaimed. "This *has* to be humans' fault! If we kill them all, I'm sure we will find Father in one of their transparent prisons!"
The bees around turned to Malevolence with wide eyes.
"But how? That's impossible!"
"How much we don't know about humans?" another bee countered. "Even Father said he doesn't know it all! Maybe this is a secret trick of theirs!"
Malevolence nodded energetically and raised a fist in the air. She was a Lieutenant, and it was natural for her to lead people in need of leading.
And now she was more confident than ever in *where* to lead them. Malevolence was absolutely sure that Mother-Queen, in her great wisdom, already understood the same things Malevolence did.
"Yes! It must be their revenge for blinding some of them—or they just did it to bring the Empire down. But we won't go down! We will kill them all and then thrive on their corpses!"
"Then we must keep working, sisters! Keep working, so we will be ready for total war!"
"YES! TOTAL WAR! ONLY WAR!"
Malevolence barely had time to return her temporarily commissioned gear and wash dirt off herself in a communal washing pond when she was called to the Council Chamber.
Seven people sat around a large table with grim and sometimes fearful faces. Malevolence only saw most of these bees once or twice in her life, but she wasn't about to shake in fear like a Beehound.
Even if Military Adviser Bloodhero was glaring knives at her.
"Lieutenant Beemarine Malevolence, reporting for duty!" Malevolence saluted.
"Lieutenant? You will be a common soldier in no time!" Bloodhero exclaimed. "I already heard everything about your 'exchange'. This goes against all orders! And against your orders, too!"
"Enough," Mother-Queen's cold tone shut Bloodhero up in an instant. "I ordered Malevolence to come for another reason. She was the last person Nectus spoke to before he disappeared."
"You think she knows something about this?" The Research Adviser asked, narrowing her eyes.
Malevolence decisively nodded.
"Of course I know! I know it must be humans' fault!"
Research Adviser and Health Advised winced in unison.
"This is *not* substantial evidence," Research Adviser muttered.
Mother-Queen frowned.
"I see. It does look most logical, despite the lack of 'substantial evidence', Adviser Researchina. And even if it doesn't… I think we can all agree on the next plan of action."
The Advisers nodded darkly, all except one.
Industry Adviser Things-Things, who looked most shaken of all, shook her head.
"But what if… what if it doesn't work?"
Her neighbor, Culture Adviser Worriesgone, patted Things-Things' shoulder. Worriesgone's voice shook when she spoke.
"Then we will keep going, sister. Keep thriving. It's what Father would've wanted for us."
Malevolence felt out of place. She wanted to be with her own squad now. They had to hear about what happened… Then they can remind each other about their imminent victory against another human ploy.
At this point, Mother-Queen turned to her.
"You may go, Malevolence. Your disciplinary punishment can happen later at Bloodhero's discretion."
Malevolence saluted again and left the Council Chamber—but before she could fly far, she heard Bloodhero's voice from the inside. Malevolence paused in the air, listening—just like all the Attendants who were hanging on the comb's walls.
"We will definitely win! The entire might of the Bee Empire is ready to crush these humans, Mother-Queen! If Father is really kidnapped by them, we will save him!"
"Knowing what's at stake, every bee will work twice as hard!" Economics Adviser added.
"Then it's decided," Mother-Queen said. "While the detailed investigation is ongoing, even if humans are *not* at fault, we can't give them a single chance to attack us first! Operation Eye for an Eye will continue until our enemies have no eyes to speak about. And all 'diplomacy' might happen when, or if, Nectus will come back to us."
Despite the dire situation the Empire was so suddenly plunged in, Malevolence smiled.
Truly, Mother-Queen was wise and a true Empress. Malevolence felt much easier, knowing that in no time at all, the monstrous giants will know the full might of the Empire!
Surely, if Father was here, he'd give the same directions.