Time passed—
Half a month went by in the blink of an eye.
Netero's extermination plan had proved highly effective.
Over the past two weeks and more, their operations had left countless Chimera Ants dead or wounded.
Compared to the number of Chimera Ants that had initially gone out hunting, fewer than half remained now.
At this rate, it would not be long before Netero and the others could carry out the second phase of the plan—
A total blockade.
Then, if the Chimera Ants reacted as expected and chose to hole up inside, they would only need to wait patiently for a week before launching the decisive assault on the Ant Nest.
"We're clearing them out faster than expected. It's just..."
At the mouth of a cave high on a rocky mountain, Knov looked down at the vast forest below, deep in thought.
Beside him, Morel casually tossed away his empty water bottle and asked, "Just what?"
"Something feels strange. No, out of place would be more accurate."
Knov glanced at Morel, then looked back down at the forest, his brow faintly furrowed.
Morel straightened slightly. After a thoughtful hum, he lightly rubbed his broad chin with his index and middle fingers and said, "To be honest... I've been feeling the same thing."
"..."
Knov glanced at Morel again but offered no comment.
Morel continued, "There's no question that the Chimera Ant Queen needs a huge amount of food every day. We've been interfering right out in the open, but the Chimera Ants haven't done anything about it. Instead, they've expanded their hunting grounds."
"Exactly..."
Knov raised a finger to push up his glasses and said calmly:
"Expanding their hunting grounds could mean their food consumption has increased and they need more food. But that's the problem... The Chimera