Qin Haonan nodded and asked, "Where are we putting the lab mice and equipment?"
"Elder Hua built another bamboo house inside to serve as our base’s laboratory. Let’s put everything in there," Ren Yuanyang replied.
"Alright!" Qin Haonan replied, then started wolfing down his food.
Meanwhile, Wang Feng arrived at the bamboo house Ren Yuanyang had prepared for him.
The bamboo house was small, but it had everything one could need—a table, chairs, stools, and a bed. Not a single thing was missing.
On the table sat two bamboo bowls, one large and one small, each thoughtfully covered with a lid.
Wang Feng walked over and lifted the lids. The rich aroma of rice and cooked vegetables instantly hit him.
His eyes widened. "Is this rice and a stir-fry? And such a generous portion?"
But a moment later, his surprise gave way to a ravenous hunger. He buried his head in the bowl and began to eat, figuring everything else could wait until he was full.
He’d been starving lately, surviving on just a little honey each day to stay alive.
He’d scraped the hives nearly clean of honey, which was why the bees had been forced to fly out in the heavy rain.
Who would want to go out and gather nectar in such awful weather if they weren’t starving?
Wang Feng was incredibly grateful to his five hives of bees, but he also felt a pang of guilt. He had stolen their rations just to survive.
’So fragrant! So delicious!’
Wang Feng quickly polished off the food in the main bowl. He felt like he could eat three more.
But he knew getting rice and vegetables at all was a luxury, and he shouldn’t be greedy.
He set down his bowl and chopsticks and got up to go outside. He was only about sixty percent full, but he needed to check on his bees.
When he got to the shed where the beehives were kept, Wang Feng was surprised to find the bees buzzing with activity.
They hadn’t been able to gather nectar for so long that the bees in all five hives had grown listless and sickly.
But now, the bees were flying about in energetic swarms. The scene was bustling with life.
Although raindrops still fell within the Banyan Forest, the dense canopy of branches and leaves provided plenty of shelter. On top of that, the bees had discovered an abundance of flowers, and now they were acting as if they were on steroids.
Wang Feng was overjoyed to see this. He checked the bamboo shed to make sure it wasn’t leaking, then stepped out and looked at the lush jungle around him, feeling a wave of emotion.
"How did Peach Blossom Base find such a paradise?" Wang Feng mused, stomping his foot on the Duckweed beneath him. He was then shocked to discover that it was all water underneath!
’So this isn’t solid ground!’
’This Duckweed can actually support my weight!’
’How is this possible?’
Just as he was reeling from the shock, Ren Yuanyang and the others walked over.
"Have you eaten dinner?"
Hearing Ren Yuanyang’s question, Wang Feng snapped back to his senses. "Yes, I’ve eaten. Thank you for your concern, Sir!"
"Don’t eat too much on your first day. There’ll be plenty of chances for big meals later," Ren Yuanyang said before heading toward the beehives.
Wang Feng hurried to follow him.
"Open the hive. I want to see the queen," Ren Yuanyang ordered, standing before one of the beehives.
Wang Feng nodded, opened the first hive, and searched for a moment. He finally located a bee about three centimeters long with a noticeably elongated abdomen.
"Oh no, the queen is dying!" Wang Feng grew tense, his face filled with regret. "It’s all my fault. I ate their honey, and now she’s starving to death!"
Ren Yuanyang immediately stepped forward and reached out, touching the queen with his fingertip.
"Be gentle!" Wang Feng couldn’t help but exclaim.
Ren Yuanyang shot him a glance but ignored the warning. As his finger made contact with the queen, a system prompt sounded.
[Beep. Dying queen bee detected. Enhance?]
’Enhance the queen’s survival and reproductive capabilities.’
[Enhancing... Enhancement successful!]
"Sir, she’s already almost dead! Please, just leave her be!" Wang Feng pleaded, watching Ren Yuanyang press his finger against the queen.
Ren Yuanyang gave him an exasperated look. "I’m saving her!"
With that, he lifted his finger. The queen, miraculously full of vigor, immediately began to actively seek out food and eat.
Wang Feng’s eyes widened. "What... what just happened?"
"Next hive. It’ll be a problem if the queens die," Ren Yuanyang said, not answering the question but urging him on.
Wang Feng nodded at once and moved to the next hive. Ren Yuanyang repeated the process, enhancing every single queen.
In Wang Feng’s eyes, all Ren Yuanyang did was touch each queen, and they would spring back to life, as if resurrected from the brink of death.
After all five queens were saved, Wang Feng dropped to his knees before Ren Yuanyang.
"Thank you for saving the queens, Sir! I will work like an ox to repay your kindness!" Wang Feng exclaimed, bowing his head to the ground.
His action caught Ren Yuanyang completely off guard.
"Get up, get up! This isn’t the feudal age," Ren Yuanyang said quickly. "We brought you into Peach Blossom Base because you’re a beekeeper. None of us have any experience with it! We need you to raise and expand the colonies, so of course, we can’t let the queens die."
Wang Feng was even more shocked. "Sir, you don’t know anything about beekeeping? Then how did you heal the queens?"
"You don’t need to worry about that," Ren Yuanyang replied coolly. "Just focus on raising the bees."
Wang Feng immediately realized he’d overstepped and nodded quickly. "I understand, Sir. I shouldn’t have asked."
"Haonan, take him over to the yacht on the east side. Get him a change of clean clothes and have him take a shower. He can get breakfast on the yacht tomorrow morning, too. Tell Si Youqin to prepare for one extra person," Ren Yuanyang instructed.
"You got it!" Qin Haonan replied with a smile. He then beckoned to Wang Feng. "Let’s go. I’ll give you a tour of the base, but remember, you can’t just wander around aimlessly."
"Yes, Sir. Thank you very much," Wang Feng said, nodding as he followed Qin Haonan eastward.
Ren Yuanyang, Hua Lingfang, and the others began moving the lab equipment.
On the way to the yacht, Wang Feng couldn’t help but ask, "Sir, what’s the deal with this Duckweed we’re walking on?"
"Simple. It’s all evolved Duckweed. It has incredible buoyancy," Qin Haonan explained casually. "And it’s not just the Duckweed under your feet. Every plant you see here has evolved."
Wang Feng’s eyes widened. "How does our base have so many evolved plants?"
But he immediately recalled that Peach Blossom Base had been trading food for plants. There was no way all the plants they acquired were already Evolutionary Forms. That left only one possibility: Peach Blossom Base could turn regular plants *into* Evolutionary Forms!
The conclusion left Wang Feng even more stunned.
Seeing the look on Wang Feng’s face, Qin Haonan chuckled. "Looks like you’ve already figured it out. No need for me to explain, then."
"Is our base’s technology really that advanced? No wonder we detected the start of the undercurrents before the Aircraft Carrier Base did," Wang Feng marveled.
Hearing this, Qin Haonan paused for a second, then laughed. "Who told you we use technology to make these plants evolve?"
"We don’t?" Wang Feng asked, confused. He couldn’t imagine any other way to make so many plants evolve simultaneously.
"Of course not. Our base has so many evolved plants entirely because our leader has a special ability," Qin Haonan said, his voice swelling with pride, as if the ability were his own.
"The leader is an Evolver? No wonder he could heal the queen!" Wang Feng realized with a jolt.
’Wait, can the boss evolve animals, not just plants? If so, that ability is just insane!’
As they spoke, they reached the eastern edge of the Banyan Forest. A Level 7 wind whipped around them, forcing them to pull their raincoats tighter.
When Wang Feng saw the luxuriously decorated yacht, he was visibly stunned.
"With such a nice yacht, the leader must live on board," Wang Feng said, his tone full of envy.
Qin Haonan shook his head. "Nah, the leader doesn’t stay here. It rocks too much, says he can’t get a good night’s sleep."
Wang Feng paused for a beat, then nodded. "That’s true. It’s much more stable back in the forest."
Qin Haonan led him aboard the yacht.
Si Youqin and the other women had just finished dinner and were chatting in the main lounge. When they saw Qin Haonan enter, they all stood up.
"Everyone, let me introduce our new colleague!" Qin Haonan said, gesturing to Wang Feng beside him. "This is Wang Feng. He’s a beekeeper and will be in charge of our bees and honey production."
At the mention of honey, the eyes of Si Youqin and the others lit up.
Seeing a yacht full of beautiful women, Wang Feng grew a little flustered. "I-it’s a pleasure to meet you all!"

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