The moonlight shone bright, silhouettes scattered unevenly.
Now and then, the wind stirred the ripples, like a silver carp leaping high and flashing a streak of cold light.
The soldier stripped naked, clamped a Qi Bug between his teeth, jumped into the water, and swam down to the bottom.
One red and one black, the two figures stood upon the rocks, silently watching the soldier's movements.
Beyond the people.
Rustle, rustle, rustle...
Light and darkness interwove among the trees. Low, ceaseless chewing sounded from the shadows as fire-red giant ant swarms clung to the cliffside, their Open and Close Mouthpieces gnawing through stone and transforming into a Red Tide.
Amid the clamor, a finger-sized Giant Red Ant spread its wings, broke away from the Red Tide, flew down onto an index finger, and secreted Pheromone.
Zang Yunzhou brought it to his nose and sniffed.
"What did you smell?"
"All of it."
"All of it?"
Ren Ye frowned.
Splash.
Zang Yunzhou casually put away the red ant and looked toward the soldier. "What is the situation?"
"Reporting to the general." Water streamed from the soldier's entire body as he dropped to one knee and reported the survey results. "This fissure is thirteen li long in total! Its depth cannot be measured; it reaches straight down to the rock layer. It is entirely cracks, with water gushing out, unevenly scattered. There are another seven Deep Pits, all filled with standing water, in every direction—east, south, west, and north!"
Ren Ye turned his head.
Zang Yunzhou did not answer at once. He rose to his feet, took a deep breath, considered briefly, then pointed at the sky. The Giant Red Ant crawled out from his red sleeve again, flew over his fingertip, and beat its transparent wings.
"The intruder could fly. He descended