Advancing into the Ant Nest

Within a radius of several kilometers around the anthill, all vegetation and animals had been devoured, leaving only sparse dead trees on the desolate land, which was basically completely exposed.

In this environment, although the hunter teams fought independently, they could still see each other. Looking into the distance, they could see several other teams advancing together, which added a sense of security.

However, as they approached the anthill, the terrain began to become more complex.

Firemane Ant can use secretions to mix with sand to create natural concrete, which can be used to build sturdy and huge nests, and can also change the terrain around the nest.

Within a few hundred meters of the Firemane Ant, various irregular concrete structures began to appear. Essentially, these were the foundations laid by the Firemane Ant to further expand their nests. At this moment, with only one or two layers of foundation, it looked like a huge maze to the hunters.

Dong Huicheng arrived outside the maze, looking at the dark and deep "corridor" ahead, and hesitated.

Firemane Ant prefer dark environments, and they couldn't be seen under the blazing sun along the way. But there must be many hiding in this maze shaded by concrete walls. The narrow environment, and the Firemane Ant ' territory, is very dangerous.

Looking around, many teams had disappeared, presumably having entered the maze.

There was no other way; we came all this way for the reward. We couldn't catch many ants outside, and if we didn't go in, we'd have to leave empty-handed!

"Big Dragon will lead the charge, Little Ying will follow behind him, Benevolent Heart will be in the middle, Xu Hao will provide long-range cover in position four, and I'll cover the rear!" After arranging the formation, Dong Huicheng took out a small bottle. "Sprinkle some Odor Removal Powder on yourselves; ants mainly rely on their sense of smell to identify their prey."

Having made preparations, the group carefully entered the maze.

It was called a maze, but it was only a half-finished anthill. Although it was surrounded by tall concrete structures, light still managed to get through, and the hunters, with their exceptional senses, were able to keep track of what was happening around them.

Soon, Xu Hao, in position four, twitched his ears and called out, "There's movement ahead..."

Deng Yuanlong immediately stopped, took off his Great Shield with his left hand and placed it on the ground, while holding his Great Axe in his right hand, ready to fight.

After waiting for a while, a huge insect crawled out from around the corner ahead. It was longer than a minivan when it lay on the ground, with a huge head and large mandibles. Its two front claws had evolved into large pincers.

The insect seemed to have noticed them too. Suddenly, it straightened its upper body, rushed a few steps toward the hunters, opened its mandibles, and spat out a tongue of fire!

They are Soldier Ant, just as described on the mission sheet!

Finally, the prey has been spotted!

Deng Yuanlong licked his lips, charged forward with his Great Shield, and blocked the raging flames. Xu Hao snorted coldly, drew his arrow, and with a whoosh, the arrow struck the open mouthparts of the Soldier Ant!

With its head pierced by an arrow, the Soldier Ant stopped breathing fire, but it wasn't quite dead yet. It continued to attack with its large pincers. Deng Yuanlong swung his axe and with a snap, severed the Soldier Ant's left pincer. Then, with a swing of his shield, he deflected the right pincer.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Han Xiaoying leaped high, soaring over Deng Yuanlong's head. She wielded her twin blades, the short blade severing the Soldier Ant's head, and the long blade plunging into its cavity along the incision, forcefully twisting it to destroy its central nervous system, finally ending the giant insect's life.

Their operations were smooth and their teamwork was excellent, showing that they were a well-established and experienced team that had been working together for a long time.

"That's all..." Deng Yuanlong curled his lip in disdain. "I could easily handle a normal level three monster by myself."

"We can't underestimate them." Captain Dong Huicheng removed the Acid Sac from the Soldier Ant's mouth. It was a gland the size of an orange, which couldn't hold much acid. After one round of spraying, it would take a considerable amount of time to recover.

After handing the spoils to Benevolent Heart for safekeeping, Dong Huicheng cautioned, "We've never encountered this kind of prey before. They're a species that thrives in groups. This one is easy to deal with, but we still need to be careful to avoid injury, otherwise we'll have a hard time dealing with a large group."

As he spoke, he drew his greatsword and cleaved open the Soldier Ant's carapace.

"Don't rush forward. Benevolent Heart, study this thing's body structure, find its weaknesses, and increase your efficiency in killing it later."

"Understood!" Bai Renxin took out a pair of thin gloves, put them on, and began to dissect the wound with a small knife, while the others rested and kept watch on the side.

Luo Jun, who was watching all this from a distance, secretly gave a thumbs up.

So this is what a professional hunter is like. He could tell that the Soldier Ant posed no threat to the team, but they still handled it cautiously, even dissecting the corpse to gather information and ensure they knew their enemy... It seems that being a good hunter requires more than just being able to fight.

After observing the battle, Luo Jun couldn't help but compare the Soldier Ant with the Giant Centipede he encountered in the Tower of Choice. Although he hadn't experienced it firsthand, he could roughly estimate the strength of the Soldier Ant by observing their movements and speed.

The two are quite similar; both are insects and both spray acid, but Soldier Ant ' acid has a flammable property, making it more troublesome. However, in other aspects, whether it's size, strength, or speed, Soldier Ant are far inferior to Giant Centipede.

Is this considered a level three monster? What level would the Giant Centipede be considered here? Level four?

Luo Jun had a general idea of what level three monsters were like. It seemed he could easily handle three to five, but any more would require him to try his hand at them. After all, he didn't know the power of the flames, and if there were too many, he feared he would have a hard time dodging a volley.

Not long after, Bai Renxin finished the dissection. She took off her gloves, adjusted her glasses, looked at the disassembled Soldier Ant remains on the ground, and explained to the group in a calm tone.

"This monster's carapace isn't particularly strong; a powerful attack can damage its limbs. It has two weak points. One is a common weakness among insects, located in the Subpharyngeal Nerve Ganglion of its thorax, which is where Little Ying just stabbed it; it can basically kill with one blow. The other is located at the lower end of its abdomen. This is where the reproductive glands haven't completely degenerated. Although it's not directly fatal, when stimulated, the ant's nerves will react violently—in human terms, it would be excruciating pain. I suspect it would cause the ant to be temporarily paralyzed, leaving it vulnerable to attack."

"Another point is the Acid Sac. If this is damaged, the acid will flow back into the body and cause huge damage, but it may affect the quality of the loot. It is not recommended to attack it unless absolutely necessary."

"If there's really no opportunity to strike a weakness, you can try severing the ant's second pair of legs. Soldier Ant fight with their forelegs upright, and if their second pair of legs are destroyed, they will instantly lose their balance, weakening their Combat Power by more than half..."

As they listed out the strategies, the team members quickly devised various combat plans in their minds, and these ants were no longer so mysterious to them.

Luo Jun, who was following far behind, also focused his energy on his ears. Relying on his extraordinary perception, he overheard these important messages and memorized them.

"Hmm?" Xu Hao suddenly frowned and listened intently. "Something's coming, and this time there's a lot of it!"

"They must have been attracted by the smell of the corpse!" Dong Huicheng drew his greatsword. The corpse of the prey would attract more prey, which was an unavoidable situation in hunting. They were prepared for this and immediately formed a battle formation to meet the enemy.

Soon, giant Soldier Ant emerged from the maze ahead. This time, there were about twenty of them. As soon as they saw the group, they stood up and pounced on them with bared teeth and claws!

(End of this chapter)