Reincarnated To Evolve My Bee Empire - Chapter 76

Chapter 76: It’s good to have some quarantine experience (no)
〔Bee Empire〕

〔Wellness〕: 40 %

〔Population〕: 430 thousand

〔Territory〕: 36738 sq. kilometers

〔Settlement count〕: 16

〔Development level〕: 4

〔Development points〕: 248 / 1000

〔Species〕: Common Honey Bee

〔Attributes〕

> Workpower: 1390

> Military: 216

> Brainpower: 282

> Logistics: 68

> Resilience: 357

〔Resources〕:

> Food: 7486 units

> Building materials: 399 units

> Crafting materials: 52 units

〔Colony Council〕

〔Military Adviser〕: increases total military by 10%. (Bloodhero)

〔Science Adviser〕: adds 10% of total workpower to brainpower. (Researchina)

〔Industry Adviser〕: increases total workpower by 10%. (Things-Things)

〔Economics Adviser〕: adds 10% of total workpower to military. (Workharder)

〔Culture Adviser〕: increases all total attributes and wellness by 3%. (Ambrosia)

〔Technologies〕

Dance Communication, Hive Building, Food Preservation, Forager Posts, Rank-Based Hierarchy, Border Patrols, Candles, Primitive Spiked Armor, Primitive Medicine, Work Camps, Literacy, Scientific Method, Basic Hygiene, Technology of Stone Age

〔〕〔〕〔〕

‘This is just awful… I have to assume all the nearby hives are infected, even if some might’ve stayed clean.’

At the moment, some weren’t subjugated yet, but it was only a matter of time. And I couldn’t be happy with the rising development points and other stats, if this all could fall apart in weeks.

“Since the source of the sickness or how it works isn’t clear, at least we must mitigate the damage,” I declared to the gathered Colony Council.

If someone gave me a nickel every time I had to live through a mass pandemic and go on a quarantine, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but at least I had some experience to draw from right now.

“First, there’s no way we can put everybody in a quarantine, girls. We live in a beehive! People barely have privacy or personal space.”

“But… Only sick people have to go on quarantine, Father!” Workharder exclaimed. “I don’t get it. We just put sick people aside and keep working. What’s the problem?”

Researchina cut her a sharp glance.

“Don’t be so hammer-headed, sister. We have sick pupae in the hive—we have to isolate them, too. Them, and sick bees in other hives, who are too stupid to understand what ‘quarantine’ even means.”

I nodded.

“Thanks, Researchina. But what’s worse is that illnesses… they can grow! At first, you won’t notice that you are sick. Then, bam! You infect a dozen people without knowing it. Finally, you get worse and realize that you are ill, but it’s too late by then.”

My Advisers frowned with concern and some fear. Things-Things shuddered, and even the cold Researchina looked uneasy.

“So are you saying we must quarantine *everybody*, because they might be sick and contagious without knowing it?” Ambrosia asked. “But as you said… it’s impossible.”

I sighed.

“Yeah. Yeah, you got it, Amby. A total quarantine is the best way to stop a pandemic after a vaccine, but we can’t do it.”

“Then what we *can* do?” Workharder asked.

“We will quarantine only the bees that are obviously sick. It will be better than nothing. And we will still send support to the outer hives—but tell the bees we send and your sister Queens to stay away from their new Worker Bees as much as possible.”

“Yes, Father!” Bloodhero and Workharder said in unison.

I smiled at them adoringly.

They became so responsible and mature… Although physically they were still Worker Bees.

With clothes on, they could’ve easily pretended to be boys if they cut their hair shorter. Although right now it barely went past their chins.

Tomboys, 99.9% of my little girls were tomboys.

“And the research complex will put all its efforts on finding more about the sickness,” Researchina said.

I nodded.

“Yes. All other science projects should be put on hold for now.”

I gave out several more orders, and after some discussion, the Council dispersed.

Soon, Hive Supremo became an even bigger whirlwind of activity than usual.

***

In another hour, all 20 surrounding hives were attached to the Bee Empire.

With it, the total population of the empire became 593 thousand, but wellness dropped to 38%. Reports from the overtaken hives showed that most of them either ranged from mildly to badly infected.

The few that showed no obvious signs of sickness were still suspicious.

By my order, a quarantine village was built at the foot of Hive Supremo’s pillar mountain. The base of it was dug in the earth itself, and inside were buildings from wax and wood.

All of it was done in a single day. When there were thousands of bees to do things, “as soon as possible” was almost instantaneous!

The village, as I called it, was built just enough to protect the bees inside from an occasional storm. A hole in the ground wasn’t as good a protection as a cave high on a mountain, but it had to do.

It’d be hard to find a better place nearby on such short notice.

By evening, all the sick bees were told to stay in the quarantine village. Besides them, there were a hundred guards for the village, and some supporting staff like Cleaning Bees.

“But… Why Cleaning Bees? We can clean ourselves! *We* are cleaning bees!” some of the sick bees tried to protest.

“Your only duty right now is to rest, eat plenty, get healthy, and help Researcher Bees in their research! And no objecting to your Father. Father knows best!”

“Yes, he knows best,” Ambrosia said with a face so serious, I was 70% sure she was being ironic.

My daughters couldn’t protest afterward.

At first, in the village were just the sick bees in the last generation of Hive Supremo.

Next morning, a hundred bees from Hive Hornet’s Nest joined them.

Researcher Bees did their best. For someone who lacked any lab equipment, they were very thorough in their experiments. They quickly found all the common and less common symptoms of the sickness, and gave it a name—Paleness.

Paleness was one of the main symptoms, alongside weakness and lack of muscle mass. Especially on younger bees that were sick as pupae.

It reminded me of anemia, but… Anemia wasn’t contagious.

Two days later, for the first time, an adult bee in our hive went sick.