After several back-and-forth skirmishes, the hive’s forces began to show signs of exhaustion. At the same time, the Worker Bugs of the Brood Nest had depleted their reserves of acid solution.
Having observed from the sidelines for quite a while, Luo Wen finally moved to the frontlines. His massive frame, several times larger than a Soldier Ant, became an unstoppable force. With the insects coordinating around him, he resembled a bulldozer, charging through the battlefield with ease.
It wasn’t that he was cowardly. Well, at the beginning, he might have been a little hesitant.
Given his size, Luo Wen was an obvious target on the battlefield.
While his growing body granted him immense strength and resilience, his structure also left him vulnerable to smaller foes. His back, in particular, was a blind spot that was hard to defend.
If too many Worker Ants surrounded him, he couldn’t fend them all off. Should they manage to climb onto his back, there wasn’t much he could do to stop them.
Although his entire body was encased in tough chitinous armor that the smaller combatants couldn’t penetrate, his bulbous, unprotected compound eyes were a glaring weakness. It wouldn’t take much for a Worker Ant’s bite to cause irreparable damage.
When the Brood Nest’s task force had besieged the cliff spider earlier, these very Worker Ants had crawled through its wounds and burrowed into its body. Since hive Worker Ants shared the same basic template as their Brood Nest counterparts, they likely possessed the same tactics.
Luo Wen had no intention of experiencing the fate of that spider.
Thus, during the intense early skirmishes, Luo Wen watched from a distance, occasionally intercepting a stray Scout Ant returning to the hive.
Now that the battle had calmed somewhat, Luo Wen, his blood boiling with excitement, finally had his chance to join in.
Several Worker Bugs climbed onto his dorsal armor to guard his back, ensuring no Worker Ants could ambush him. At his feet, dozens of Worker Bugs followed closely, protecting his striding limbs and intercepting enemies from the flanks.
Behind him trailed a few Soldier Bugs guarding his rear.
This setup allowed Luo Wen to focus solely on the enemies ahead.
Though his large compound eyes were a defensive weak spot, their incredible refresh rate made it nearly impossible for the Worker Ants and Soldier Ants to evade his gaze.
He snapped his mandibles around a Worker Ant’s thorax and abdomen, applying just enough pressure to sever it cleanly in two, the lifeless halves dropping to either side of his jaws.
Luo Wen extended a striding limb, its clawed tip lashing out like lightning to hook another Worker Ant. Tiny adhesive hairs on the claw’s pads clung to its prey as he pulled it back. His mandibles opened and shut, decapitating the ant in an instant. With a flick of his striding limb, he discarded the remains.
Against opponents so far below his level, each one was dispatched effortlessly.
Luo Wen couldn’t help but wonder if his unique Luo-style insect combat techniques might become rusty from lack of proper use.
Fortunately, a Soldier Ant from the hive soon appeared, charging directly toward him. Its size made it a passable opponent to test his skills.
Grinning internally, Luo Wen assumed the opening stance of his combat style and advanced to meet the enemy.
As the battle wore on, reinforcements from the hive ceased emerging from the tunnel. The remaining hive forces on the surface, now without fresh troops, were quickly isolated and eliminated.
Luo Wen swung his antennae side to side, releasing new pheromone instructions. The Worker Bugs guarding his striding limbs dispersed.
Moments later, a strike team of over a dozen Soldier Bugs charged into the hive’s tunnel, followed by a hundred Worker Bugs providing support.
Simultaneously, several reserve units underground received Luo Wen’s updated orders via messenger bugs.
Inside the hive, numerous tunnels were breached by Burrower Ants, their figures quickly widening the openings. Following them, large groups of Worker Bugs surged in, led by Soldier Bugs.
Within moments, Brood Nest units attacked the hive from multiple directions.
The hive’s fighting forces had long been exhausted. The few stragglers left offered no meaningful resistance. Without their Queen Ant, there was no centralized command, leaving them to fight as individuals.
Before long, multiple Brood Nest squads converged in the hive’s Hatchery. Under Luo Wen’s command, some Soldier Bugs and their Worker Bug escorts fanned out to search the tunnels for any survivors.
Meanwhile, the majority of Worker Bugs swarmed into the Hatchery to claim the spoils. The finely ground food scraps were highly nutritious and easy to consume—top-tier provisions.
Additionally, the hive’s eggs, pupae, and larvae were excellent sources of protein, perfect for harvesting and repurposing.
By midnight, the Worker Bugs’ transport teams were still shuttling back and forth through the underground passages. Their two-way lines stretched into orderly formations, operating with impressive efficiency.
Luo Wen, as the supreme commander of this operation, considered his work done and retired to his quarters for the night.
Post-battle statistics showed that over 5,000 members of the hive had been virtually annihilated. A few Scout Ants scattered far afield had avoided capture, but their numbers were negligible.
Thanks to excellent tactical execution, the Brood Nest lost only a few hundred Worker Bugs and just over twenty Soldier Bugs. Luo Wen couldn’t be bothered with exact figures. First, in this vast Brood Nest, he was the only one who could count. As its highest-ranking officer, he needed only an approximate idea. Second, the corpses of their fallen, be they enemy or ally, were piled together in a jumble of severed limbs, making it nearly impossible to determine precise numbers.
The next morning, Luo Wen observed the still-bustling Brood Nest and made adjustments to his original plans.
The goal of taking down one hive per day was temporarily postponed. Luo Wen had underestimated the logistical challenges of post-battle operations. For one, the Worker Bugs’ acid solution reserves would require several days to replenish.
Acid solution, with its ability to blind and burn enemies, was a critical auxiliary weapon in war. However, once depleted, it took considerable time to regenerate.
The massive gains from annihilating this hive would also require the Brood Nest to process its spoils over time. Being near a lakeside meant high humidity, which made food difficult to preserve. If four hives were conquered in rapid succession, the resulting surplus would likely spoil before it could be consumed.
The insects of the Brood Nest were creations of the Brood Nest Mother, who shared an intimate, undisclosed relationship with Luo Wen. Given how the insects treated Luo Wen’s pheromone commands as divine orders, their bond was clearly profound.
Thus, no insect dared oppose Luo Wen’s decisions.
For now, the Brood Nest Troops halted their assaults on the remaining hives, shifting into a brief period of recovery and reorganization.