The grasshopper’s abilities were impressive, especially its powerful hind legs. Unfortunately, it was highly alert. Luo Wen barely rustled the grass before it leaped away. Though it didn’t jump far, the lush vegetation severely hampered his “eagle eye” ability in this environment.
No matter how sharp his vision was, it wasn’t x-ray capable; he couldn’t see through the dense underbrush. With his greatest advantage on the surface nullified, moving underground once more seemed safer.
The ground near the lake was moist, and Luo Wen soon sensed movement. Approaching cautiously, he found a worm.
This worm was different from the foul-smelling, ambush-prone one he’d encountered before. Its dark-red body was less grotesque and lacked the repulsive stench.
It wriggled through the soil with rhythmic undulations. To Luo Wen, such a chance meeting was fate. He decided to take a bite.
The more genetic fragments he added to his gene pool, the better. Who knew when they might come in handy? The foul-smelling worm’s ability to extract nutrition from dirt had been invaluable in a crisis, even if the experience of consuming it was unpleasant.
Encountering a new species of worm presented an opportunity to gain another useful trait. Perhaps by collecting and combining different worms’ abilities, Luo Wen could eventually achieve the ultimate dirt-eating efficiency—without any digestive side effects.
Grabbing one end of the worm, Luo Wen unceremoniously shoved its dirt-covered body into his mouth. This worm was unimpressive, offering no resistance to his attack.
Perhaps due to his prior experience with far worse flavors, the earthy taste and faint stench of this worm were relatively tolerable.
Its vitality was enviable, but Luo Wen already possessed the ability to regenerate lost limbs. The absorbed genetic fragments seemed to enhance his recovery further, subtly strengthening his resilience.
Still, he was far more interested in the spider that had ambushed him on the cliff. Obtaining its genetic fragments could be transformative.
Although spiders weren’t insects, Luo Wen wasn’t a traditional bug, either. The Iphieash species to which he belonged defied Earth’s definitions. While they resembled insects during their early stages, their genetic makeup was a patchwork of various creatures. If categorized, they were more akin to a “swarm species” than true insects.
At this point, Luo Wen might be the last surviving member of his kind.
Pondering his battle with the spider, Luo Wen recognized the vast disparity in power. A direct confrontation was hopeless, especially given its venom. Without poison, he might have been able to rely on his armor to endure. But the spider’s venom rendered its attacks devastating.
If a solo fight was out of the question, perhaps overwhelming it with numbers could work. By rallying his brood, Luo Wen could emulate the yellow earth ants, sacrificing weaker individuals to exhaust the spider’s venom reserves before swarming it.
The plan was feasible and aligned with his goal of building a collective. Not everything had to be a solo effort.
For now, finding a new nesting site took priority. Once he had secured a location, he could bring the rest of his swarm.
An ideal site would be near ant nests, as ants were plentiful and provided valuable resources.
It didn’t take long for Luo Wen to encounter a familiar network of tunnels underground. Emerging onto the surface, he spotted numerous black ants. Upon closer inspection, he realized they were the same species as the black ants from the desert.
This discovery simplified matters. Luo Wen altered his pheromones and brazenly infiltrated the black ants’ nest.
The layout of the tunnels felt familiar, and Luo Wen followed the largest pathway to the incubation chamber, where he found some “old acquaintances.” As the saying goes, “old enemies meet, and sparks fly.” A few well-aimed acid spits dispatched them.
After examining the incubation and storage chambers, along with the number of soldier ants, Luo Wen estimated the nest contained over 5,000 members.
The abundance of resources near the lake was evident. Even a randomly encountered ant nest dwarfed those in the desert.
After a hearty meal courtesy of the black ants’ supplies, Luo Wen emerged from the nest and began scouting the surrounding area.
The presence of such a large nest suggested the absence of major threats. Otherwise, the relatively weak black ants couldn’t have grown to this size.
Luo Wen decided to explore above ground. The underground offered little beyond roots and worms, while the surface held the promise of diverse genetic material.
Cautiously crawling through the underbrush, he occasionally startled grasshoppers of various colors and sizes. These grasshoppers typically rested on grass blades and were highly vigilant. Luo Wen’s size made silent approaches nearly impossible, so he hadn’t yet had the chance to “showcase his talents” to them.
He also encountered numerous new insects, though most lacked distinctive traits worth assimilating. Having recently feasted, Luo Wen wasn’t particularly hungry and didn’t bother engaging them.
Among his discoveries were many black ants foraging for food. Underneath a rock, a group of worker ants was dragging out a segmented, half-cylindrical insect covered in a tough carapace. This creature had numerous joints and small legs but had curled into a ball to defend itself.
The worker ants couldn’t breach its armor but surrounded it persistently. Whenever the insect attempted to uncurl and escape, they swarmed it, forcing it to retreat into its defensive posture.
This was only delaying the inevitable. A massive soldier ant, guided by several workers, was making its way through the grass.
Soon, the battle resumed. The armored insect’s defenses were no match for the soldier ant’s formidable weaponry. After a few exchanges, it lay gravely wounded, its body severely damaged.
The workers swarmed over it, dismembering it into smaller pieces for transport back to the nest.
Elsewhere, Luo Wen noticed black ants on plant stems, tending to green, translucent aphids. Surprisingly, the ants didn’t attack the aphids but patrolled around them diligently. Periodically, the aphids lifted their abdomens, excreting a sticky liquid, which the worker ants scraped up with their mandibles.
Moments later, the ants regurgitated a semi-solid, jelly-like substance, feeding it mouth-to-mouth to their companions.
Watching this, Luo Wen recalled eating something similar in the ant nest earlier. The sweet, syrupy flavor had been quite enjoyable.
Now, however, the thought of its origin filled him with nausea.