Luo Wen didn’t want to stir up trouble just yet. The longer he could delay, the more advantageous it was for him. The foundation accumulated by the Swarm required time to be converted into military strength. However, over the past two days of observation, it was evident that the size of the Red Ant coalition at the front line had exceeded half a million. Their relentless scavenging of areas near the border had left these regions overexploited and severely depleted, making it increasingly difficult to sustain their daily consumption.
Luo Wen even witnessed several groups of Red Ants turning on Black Ants in their own ranks for food.
The situation had reached a critical point. The Red Ant coalition now faced a choice: either launch an offensive or retreat. The probability of retreat was low, which meant that an all-out war between the two sides was imminent.
Time was of the essence. Over 50,000 Burrower Ants were prepared, with 500 ants riding on each Transport Bug.
In addition, more than 5,000 Small Soldier Ants were accompanying the convoy to provide protection. Due to their smaller size, each Transport Bug could carry 800 to 900 of them.
The team also included a small number of Scout Bugs and Spy Bugs.
Under Luo Wen’s command, over a hundred Transport Bugs marched briskly into enemy-occupied territory, carefully avoiding areas under surveillance along the way.
An hour later, the unit arrived at its designated location.
This spot lay along the riverbank, about 600 meters from the Red Ants’ Brood Nest. Without delay, Luo Wen began excavating a channel from a point half a meter from the riverbank. His massive body functioned like a giant excavator, carving out a trench that extended toward the Red Ants’ nest.
Meanwhile, the Scout Bugs and Small Soldier Ants spread out around the team to maintain vigilance, and the Transport Bugs climbed the surrounding vegetation to fortify their positions.
The operation proceeded in an orderly manner, and progress was swift. Luo Wen singlehandedly tackled the most challenging tasks, his large digging claws tearing through the hardened earth, conserving the stamina of the Burrower Ants behind him.
The plan unfolded smoothly. Although a few enemy scouts crossed their path, they were swiftly eliminated, providing the team with a modest supply of protein reserves.
However, as the excavation neared the enemy’s nest, they encountered an increasing number of enemy troops, with steadily growing forces.
Even so, the Small Soldier Ants maintained their numerical superiority. Transport Bugs were also deployed to patrol the periphery, pursuing any fleeing enemies to prevent them from reporting back. Meanwhile, Spy Bugs erased any pheromone trails the enemies left behind.
When the team was within 20 meters of the enemy’s nest, their presence was finally exposed.
The prolonged combat had drained the unit’s stamina, and the proximity to the enemy’s Brood Nest meant that patrols were more frequent in this area.
Although the Swarm still held a numerical advantage overall, they could no longer intercept all the fleeing enemy troops. Eventually, a few managed to slip away and spread the alarm.
Fortunately, the distance to their target was now minimal, and ants were not the most efficient communicators.
Luo Wen, deeply familiar with the rhythms of ant colony operations, understood that it would take some time for the Red Ants to react.
Seizing this window of opportunity, he abandoned any pretense of concealment and pushed forward with full force, digging directly toward the “mini-volcano” ahead.
Simultaneously, 20 Transport Bugs carrying 10,000 Burrower Ants sped back to the riverbank. Their mission was to breach the half-meter barrier separating the river from the trench.
Although the departure of one-fifth of the workforce slightly slowed the excavation, the overall impact was manageable.
After about ten minutes, with the Small Soldier Ants fighting valiantly to cover them, Luo Wen breached the “mini-volcano’s” wall, creating a large hole that exposed the dark, winding tunnels of the enemy nest.
This was like striking a hornet’s nest. Swarms of Red and Black Ants surged out from the breach.
Exhausted from digging the 600-meter trench, Luo Wen was barely holding on. The final meters had been sheer willpower alone.
Now that the task was complete, the fatigue hit him all at once. Even lifting his digging claws became a struggle.
Remaining in the area was a death sentence. Summoning the last of his strength, Luo Wen retreated a short distance.
The Burrower Ants moved ahead to shield him, standing firm as the bicolored flood of ants surged toward them. The Burrower Ants crouched, aiming their rears forward in standard spray formation.
Acidic Spray!
Thousands of Burrower Ants unleashed their acidic solutions simultaneously, dousing the advancing vanguard in a wave of corrosive fluid. The enemy troops faltered, overwhelmed by the saturation attack.
While an individual Burrower Ant didn’t carry much acid, the combined output of thousands formed a river of acid. The liquid pooled on the surface, unable to seep into the soil, flowing directly into the nest’s depths.
Many enemies didn’t even have time to react before their limbs and antennae dissolved in the acid stream. Struggling in vain, they succumbed to silence.
Having withdrawn to the rear, Luo Wen began issuing commands. He ordered a few Worker Ants to scavenge ant remains from the battlefield so he could replenish his strength.
Next, he directed 20,000 Burrower Ants to the “volcano’s mouth” to block the entrance. Any enemy that emerged was greeted with a fresh spray of acid.
The remaining Burrower Ants held the newly-dug breach, ready to meet any escaping enemies with the same treatment.
The Small Soldier Ants and Transport Bugs guarded the flanks. Since the main force of the enemy was trapped inside the nest, the scattered patrols outside could still be held at bay.
Half an hour later, despite several enemy charges, the Swarm held firm, repelling each assault with concentrated acidic sprays.
Using acid to block the tunnel entrance amplified its lethality exponentially, far surpassing its effectiveness in open-field battles.
However, the repeated waves of self-sacrificial charges weren’t without effect. The Burrower Ants’ acid reserves were rapidly depleting. One more assault, and they’d likely run out.
Just then, a distant rumbling reached their ears—the sound of rushing water. The trench, now filled with water, surged toward them, carrying the corpses of Burrower Ants that had sacrificed themselves to complete the task.
Luo Wen knew all too well that the respiratory systems of insects like these were highly vulnerable to flooding. The final task of breaking the river’s barrier had been perilous, and many had drowned in the attempt.
But their sacrifice had not been in vain.