I chewed on my tough bee nail.
This was bad, but it didn't have to be *critical*.
Perhaps… Perhaps a clash can be avoided at all!
I perked up, suddenly overcome with optimism.
"Rest here and go back with our Foragers—it's too dangerous to fly alone, and you need more rest. I have a colony to protect!" I said to the Warrior Bee and flew off.
I went right to the Chief Foreman B9381.
"Continue the project without me. Urgent business at the hive—but *you* have nothing to worry about except doing your job."
"Yes-yes, Father!" Chief Foreman raised her hammer. "You heard him! Do your jobs!"
I took a squad of Commando Bees with me for defense. Before we left, though, I asked them if they remembered where all the other anthills they found near our hive were.
"Perfect. We are going to kill two ants with one stone!"
Three hours of direct flight later, we arrived at the hive.
My squad was tired from the long flight with all their equipment; I fared much better. As a side effect of putting all my attribute points into the *fucking lifespan gacha* I had more stamina than even the most genetically advanced bees.
Ambrosia appreciated it, too.
I saw her as soon as I landed inside the hive—she was talking with the Military Adviser and some other Warrior and Foremen Bees. Pollenia, as usual, was shadowing her.
"Amby! Polly! Everybody!" I shouted, running up to them. "I heard about our ant problem, and I came up with a solution!"
Ambrosia turned to me sharply. Other bees with her fell silent, but waved to me in greeting (a gesture they've been copying from me).
"You didn't bring the rest of our daughters with you, Nectus. Are you so sure we won't need them? Secondary reports say that there are at least forty thousand legionary ants in the wave that goes toward us."
I choked on saliva and coughed for a solid minute.
"Didn't you hear, Father?" Pollenia said. "At least forty thousand. That's a *very* big number."
"I sent one of the Teacher Bees with guards to count. Like you've counted bees—by the density of ants on a surface area of a certain size. That's a lot of ants, even though they are weaker than us; I really hoped you'd bring the rest of our forces here."
I cringed. There were more ants than there were bees. The report from the Warrior Bee *really* made me underestimate their numbers.
But I cheered up again.
"That doesn't matter, Amby. For my plan, their numbers don't matter! Only a thousand bees will be enough to protect us from the entire horde! And before you ask—the Project Great Flood goes well."
"I wasn't about to ask. I *really* have other priorities at the moment. So should you."
"I am!" I protested. "Look, I'm here and I have a *plan*."
Ambrosia folded her hands over her chest. She looked so stern… Then she smiled suddenly.
"This is good to hear. Your plans always work out in the end. What is in this one?"
I beamed at her and explained my idea. The idea which was as simple as the ants themselves.
What did Sun Tzu say?
'The greatest victory is that which requires no battle and results in the biggest number of enemies lying dead.'
I wished I had a copy of 'Art of War' with me to read…
The sky was already darkening. But the ants showed no sign of stopping in their march.
The wave of them, as wide and long as the channel of the Project Great Flood, was walking down the forest, attacking and devouring everything in their path. They climbed trees, too—often only to fall, shrug it off, and resemble walking.
Caterpillars, grasshoppers, centipedes—if it was too slow, soldier ants rushed at it and tore the prey with their saber-like fangs.
Meanwhile, our hive was close enough to be easily seen from this distance.
I had no doubt the ants could easily climb our pillar mountain, and it would take a lot of bees to defend it.
But being ants, they paid no attention to the bees hovering a couple dozen meters above them. Sometimes, an ant or two will raise her head and wave her antennae at us, but then the push of the ant wave would keep her going.
"Everything is ready, Father!" my Military Adviser reported.
I looked at the bees next to her and nodded.
"Alright. Deploy the honey!"
"You heard that. DEPLOY THE HONEY!"
The bees flew toward the ant wave. The first bee threw a jug of honey right at a soldier ant's head.
The ant fell, but a dozen others swarmed her, attracted by the honey. The soft wax jug was torn in an instant—but then another landed a distance away.
As ants swarmed the jugs full of delicious-smelling honey, their wave ever so slowly began to turn.
Using honey from our supplies as bait, my bees were directing the legionary vampire ants away from our hive—and toward the rest of the honey trail.
A hundred units of food were used to create it, but it was worth every drop. Although the initial turn of the ant army was slow, now they moved with their old determination in the entirely new direction.
And on each step of their journey, a reward of honey and insects attracted to it was waiting.
I chuckled with glee as I watched the tidal wave of ants. Although it was getting dark, I was intent on staying here and watching this play out. By now, only a squad of guards stayed with me—and they looked as excited as I was.
"They are almost there…" a Sergeant Warrior, the squad leader, said.
"And here, a great treasure is waiting for them… Or death. No matter how it will play out, we've already won, girls!"
This was the cherry on top of my brilliant plan—the ants' destination!