Luo Wen prided himself on being the main force of this operation, but to his surprise, all he contributed was his brain power; there was no opportunity for him to take action himself.
Over the past two months, his combat strength had improved significantly. The giant spiders that once towered over him several times were now only about twice his size.
However, no matter how confident he was, Luo Wen didn’t believe he could take on a spider in a one-on-one fight. Its venomous fangs were essentially a cheat weapon—highly lethal and incredibly dangerous. One misstep could easily result in his defeat or even death at the hands of the spider.
To his astonishment, such a formidable enemy was rendered utterly powerless in the face of the precise coordination of over a hundred ants. Like a lamb led to slaughter, it was subdued without any opportunity to resist.
This success made Luo Wen feel that the unconventional path he had chosen, diverging from other Iphieash, might have even greater potential.
Moreover, the battle itself unfolded not solely based on his general plan but primarily on the instincts of the ants working together seamlessly.
This realization was a wake-up call. Luo Wen resolved not to rely solely on his own strength to recklessly charge into danger. He could easily end up capsized in a ditch—just like this spider—overwhelmed by smaller opponents through teamwork.
At this moment, the giant spider was already lifeless. Even if it were somehow still alive, it posed no threat. It could eliminate all the soldier ants and still be unable to deal with the numerous worker ants burrowing inside its body.
The crevices of the cliff were teeming with panicked little spiders, which hadn’t fully matured and posed no significant threat. However, they were an excellent source of protein.
But the little spiders were incredibly agile, scuttling deftly along the cliff face. After a lengthy effort, the ants managed to catch just over twenty, while most of them escaped.
Luo Wen wasn’t concerned. Let them run. When they matured, they’d provide an even greater bounty of protein.
The mission had been a complete success. The primary objective lay before him, and those minor details were not worth dwelling on.
The giant spider was dragged to the edge of the cliff and thrown down. A height of five to six meters wouldn’t cause it to stray too far, and there was no fear of other creatures stealing it. Any creature daring to challenge his claim would be asking to witness his skills firsthand.
The team then climbed down the cliff. Luo Wen began dismembering the giant spider, personally hauling the largest chunk toward the direction of the brood nest. He also sent two worker ants ahead to summon reinforcements.
After all, the spider was rather large. Nearly every ant in the group was carrying a piece of it, leaving little manpower for defense. If they encountered scouting ants from another colony on the way, it could become troublesome.
As the worker ants gathered the scattered ones flung away during the battle, a compound-eyed scout bug arrived. Luo Wen took a headcount. Besides one soldier ant killed in action, two worker ants were missing. All things considered, the losses were minimal.
The two missing workers likely hadn’t died from the fall. They might still be nearby and could make their way back to the brood nest on their own. Even if they didn’t, it wasn’t a big deal—worker ants were the most basic units, easily replaced.
On the return journey, they encountered reinforcements from the brood nest: over twenty soldier ants accompanied by more than three hundred worker ants. After the two groups merged, they collectively represented nearly half the brood nest’s combat-ready force. With this, Luo Wen had no further worries about running into ants from other nests.
They encountered a few scouting ants along the way. Before Luo Wen had a chance to act, the worker ants stationed on the perimeter immobilized them, allowing the soldier ants to move in and finish them off.
Watching the orderly proceedings, Luo Wen finally felt a glimmer of what it meant to be a leader.
Upon returning to the brood nest, Luo Wen directed the ants to pile the spider’s dismembered parts in his room. Yes, in the new nest, he had carved out a personal chamber as his private space.
The room was carpeted with dry wood shavings, sourced from an unknown type of tree whose roots the ants had severed. After the tree withered, the ants hollowed out its trunk to extract the shavings.
This was a lengthy process, requiring far more time than Luo Wen could afford to wait for a tree to wither. These wood shavings had been looted from another ant colony.
After dismissing the ants, Luo Wen gazed at the assortment of spider parts before him. It was finally time to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
Due to the spider being dismembered into small pieces and its tough, bristly exterior being difficult to eat, Luo Wen didn’t consume the entire spider. He only chose the meatiest sections.
Calling in a few worker ants to clean up the leftovers, Luo Wen then fell into a deep sleep.
The spider’s genetic material brought significant changes to Luo Wen. As he slept, his body began secreting a mucus-like substance that enveloped him. The mucus gradually hardened, transforming into a cocoon.
When Luo Wen awoke to find himself inside the cocoon, he knew immediately that this evolution was significant. Strangely, though, he felt no extraordinary sensations during his sleep—it was just an ordinary nap.
Breaking free from the cocoon, Luo Wen felt a tinge of regret that his room lacked a mirror, preventing him from immediately seeing his new form.
However, his eyes afforded him an expansive field of vision. With only a few blind spots, he could see nearly all of his body.
Twisting and bending his limbs to examine himself thoroughly, Luo Wen found himself puzzled.
Truthfully, his overall appearance hadn’t changed much. His body remained mostly the same, with minimal external differences. However, his striding limbs had undergone significant transformations.
Previously short and stubby, they had become long and robust, resembling a spider’s walking legs. Thick and sturdy, they now featured numerous joints—each limb consisted of seven segments, making them incredibly flexible. The exoskeleton covering them was reinforced with durable chitin, adorned with sharp spines and bristles. At their tips were small claws, under which lay tufts of barbed adhesive hairs.
Luo Wen recalled how the spider had pulled him back to the cliff with its sticky claws. Now, he felt capable of doing the same.
Crawling around his room, Luo Wen discovered he could cling upside down to the ceiling and still move swiftly. What once required immense effort to climb vertically now felt effortless.
This evolution of his limbs not only bolstered his offensive capabilities but also greatly enhanced his survival prospects. If he ever needed to escape, terrain would no longer pose a challenge.
Beyond his limbs, Luo Wen noticed changes in his mouthparts. He now had a pair of venomous fangs in addition to his mandibles. Previously, he could only grip enemies and crush them with his mandibles. Now, with these venomous fangs, he could bite enemies and inject venom into them.
Reflecting on the spider’s potent venom, Luo Wen reminded himself to be cautious while eating. He wasn’t sure if he had any resistance to his own venom. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally poison himself while eating.
On second thought, it seemed unlikely. He could control whether or not to inject venom. Even if he lacked resistance, he wouldn’t end up poisoning himself.