The specifics of the feeding process need not be described in detail.
After feasting, Luo Wen found a large crevice in a nearby rock and lay down to rest. Meanwhile, he ordered the army to camp around him.
Since it was still early morning, and the battle had ended too quickly, Luo Wen found it difficult to enter a dormant state. Instead, he began reflecting on the recent skirmish.
The scorpions, despite their formidable individual combat prowess, seemed capable of standing against tens of thousands. However, in reality, only about a hundred Giant Mandible Soldier Ants had done the heavy lifting. The rest of the swarm was mostly there to spectate, much like Luo Wen, who had merely watched the spectacle.
This performance underscored the terror of collective combat once more. Unless an individual reached another level of evolution, it was impossible to negate the advantage of overwhelming numbers.
This realization further solidified Luo Wen’s resolve to pursue the path of the Swarm.
In his dreams, Luo Wen felt as if his hands were melting. Startled, he almost awoke, only to remember that he no longer had “hands.” A pair of burrowing legs and four pairs of walking legs—losing one pair wouldn’t matter since he could always regenerate severed limbs.
Reassured by this thought, he sank back into sleep.
He had no idea how long he slept, but when he awoke, it was still dark. Two moons hung high in the sky, casting a cold, silvery light.
So, this was molting.
Previously, whenever his body absorbed certain genes and underwent significant changes, it would cocoon and mutate. However, this was the first time he had experienced localized molting.
It seemed his earlier anticipation of growing chelae was coming to fruition. As for a scorpion’s tail, it was likely not happening. If he were to develop a tail, he would most likely need to cocoon.
He glanced back and felt around. His guess was correct—there was no new tail at his rear.
Next, it was time to test his newly obtained claws.
Tearing at the molting skin on his chelae with bites, Luo Wen exposed the still-soft and sticky inner limbs. Once freed, the chelae rapidly swelled to double their original size. They then began hardening and darkening.
Before long, the chelae were fully armored again, but now the armor was thicker. The internal musculature was also much stronger. With a thought, the two massive pincers opened, revealing a row of sharp serrations that glinted coldly.
He flexed the chelae. Despite their appearance being bulkier than his previous burrowing legs, they remained remarkably agile. In particular, the joints seemed to feature a specialized mechanism resembling a spring-loaded trigger, enhancing his striking speed.
A flicker of black light flashed. The pincers accurately clamped onto a nearby rock. With a squeeze of his muscles, there was a sharp “crack,” and the rock shattered into pieces.
“Awesome!” Luo Wen couldn’t help but exclaim inwardly. This was exactly what he had been hoping for.
Like a child with a new toy, Luo Wen went on a destructive spree, pulverizing everything around him—rocks, plants, and even scorpion exoskeletons all fell victim to his havoc.
Luo Wen was ecstatic. Not only had he gained a powerful new weapon, but these chelae also gave him a sensation akin to having hands again.
Granted, each “hand” only had two “fingers.” Still, this newfound familiarity almost brought him to tears.
After his excitement subsided, Luo Wen calmed himself. There was no use dwelling on the past; he needed to focus on moving forward.
Overall, while only his chelae had been enhanced this time, the improvement to Luo Wen’s strength was immense—not just in combat, but in daily life as well.
He also discovered that when the pincers were closed, the chelae could still function as burrowing legs. Moreover, their increased size made digging even more efficient. This left Luo Wen a bit speechless.
With the matter resolved, the western army continued their journey. Luo Wen returned to his lair and resumed his monotonous daily routine.
Each day consisted of little more than eating and lounging on tree trunks to enjoy the scenery. Time passed, with the only notable events being the constant departure of Queen Ants and Luo Wen’s steadily improving eyesight.
However, his immense size limited the number of trees in his territory that could support him, restricting his vantage points. This greatly diminished his scenic enjoyment.
The tedium of life reignited Luo Wen’s reckless curiosity. Although he had eliminated two Red Ant nests during this period, the growing strength of his swarm had rendered such conquests dull and meaningless. There was no sense of accomplishment, and it did nothing to suppress his urge to seek danger.
With no better options, Luo Wen tried to find tasks to distract himself.
First, he inspected his territory. With its continued expansion, the swarm had added another thousand Queen Ants, bringing their total to over 2,500.
Thanks to flourishing agriculture, abundant food, and a lack of major conflicts, the colonies experienced explosive population growth. Each base now housed at least 5,000 members, meaning the swarm’s total numbers had soared to at least 12 million.
Though most of these were Worker Ants, the swarm’s war potential remained formidable. With their current resources, they could easily raise an army of a million at short notice.
For instance, during the recent assaults on the two Red Ant nests, Luo Wen had summoned a million troops in no time. He no longer bothered with tactics like attrition or ambushes. These strategies were redundant.
Instead, he simply ordered his forces to bore holes into the enemy nests and flood them with troops. Although this resulted in higher casualties, it didn’t matter. Once the nests were captured, the fallen insects were recycled into protein.
Within days, the Queen Ants would transform this protein back into soldiers for the battlefield.
In the past, Luo Wen had felt a surge of excitement commanding his swarm in their first attack on a Black Ant nest. Eventually, Black Ant nests became mere supply points for the army.
Now, encountering a Black Ant nest required neither reporting to Luo Wen nor his direct involvement. The swarm simply bulldozed through. As a result, Luo Wen no longer knew how many Black Ant nests had been destroyed.
It seemed Red Ant nests were destined for a similar fate.
Could this be the loneliness of the master? Luo Wen found himself tempted to hum a tune about the solitude of invincibility. But then he remembered the looming threat of the Yellow Earth Ant Legion and lost all enthusiasm.
As an insect, it was best not to grow too arrogant.
Out of options, Luo Wen turned his attention to the lakes and rivers in the east.
There was little choice. The north and west were being explored by the swarm’s armies. The south consisted of cliffs and deserts patrolled by the Yellow Earth Ant Legion.
Only the east remained undeveloped.
Previously, Luo Wen’s smaller size had made even the shallow areas of the riverbanks perilous. Fear of the unknown depths had kept him away.
His closest encounter with the riverside had been during the first attack on a Red Ant nest. Even then, he stayed half a meter away from the river, avoiding the breach of barriers for water channels.
Now, with his long legs, Luo Wen felt he was ready to challenge the riverbanks.