The Insect Empress and the Blade
The second group to be eliminated was also a group of Carnivorous Fish in the river.
These Carnivorous Fish, relying on their sharp teeth, powerful mouths, and advantageous terrain, have long set up checkpoints in the river, charging exorbitant fees. Many small and medium-sized creatures crossing the river or coming to drink have unwittingly paid for their lives. The crimes they have committed are countless, and the forest dwellers have long suffered at their hands.
Given this, the Swarm, as a top-tier power, naturally has an obligation to eliminate them, especially since they are located not far south of the Swarm base, severely hindering the Swarm's expansion in this direction.
However, Carnivorous Fish have an absolute advantage in the water. Rowan tried to catch some Crab and Mantis Shrimp, but they were no match for them. These fish have exceptionally strong teeth; their hard exoskeletons are like crispy shells in their mouths. The Crab didn't even have time to escape before being devoured, and the Mantis Shrimp could put up a fight, but that was about it.
Left with no other option, Rowan resorted to his usual tactic—poisoning.
Several small prey were dragged to the riverbank, killed, injected with neurotoxins, and then thrown into the river.
The spreading stench of blood quickly attracted the attention of Carnivorous Fish, and streaks of water rushed toward their prey from all directions. Then, the river seemed to boil, with fish rolling and splashing, creating a lively scene.
The murky river water gradually turned red, attracting more Carnivorous Fish. The smell of blood drove them into a frenzy, and they even injured their own kind in the process.
If any Carnivorous Fish is injured, it will immediately be attacked, torn apart, and eaten by its own kind.
The Carnivorous Fish went on a rampage.
However, the revelry soon came to an abrupt end. Although they were fierce, they relied most on their terrain and numerical superiority. Their small size and relatively simple nervous system made them very vulnerable to neurotoxins.
The neurotoxins inside the prey had already entered their bodies during the earlier struggle, and even the river water and blood in this area contained trace amounts of neurotoxins.
As a result, a large number of Carnivorous Fish floated to the surface belly up. Some of those that managed to get some meat died instantly, while those that didn't drink a lot of blood and water, their bodies becoming paralyzed as they struggled to survive.
Several large Slat-Back Bug slid into the water, carrying a large number of Spider War-Bug on their backs. They scooped up the floating Carnivorous Fish and carried them back to the shore.
Carnivorous Fish have very low intelligence. The Swarm carried out similar operations in multiple locations along the river, reaping rich rewards each time. They only stopped when the density of Carnivorous Fish decreased to the point where they could hardly form a large force.
During this period, the Swarm's Carnivorous Fish army has matured. Previously, because the river was entirely the territory of wild Carnivorous Fish, the Swarm's Aquatic Army had no way to enter the water.
After obtaining the Carnivorous Fish genes, the Scorpion and Excavator Ant, who had been idle at home for a long time without any tasks, were ordered by Rowan to dig a pond by the river to raise the Carnivorous Fish fry.
Now that wild Carnivorous Fish have been almost completely eradicated, it's the perfect time for Swarm Carnivorous Fish to take over the rivers. Moreover, with the protection of this first batch of Carnivorous Fish, subsequent Aquatic Army forces can hatch directly in the rivers.
As the Swarm's territory expanded rapidly, the rate of troop production couldn't keep up.
In order to adapt to changes, the combat units of the Swarm have become larger. The main combat unit Spider War-Bug, is generally about 30 centimeters in size, the Flying Bug Type I is about 10 centimeters, and the Flying Bug Type II is about 15 centimeters. Not to mention the even larger specialized support units.
Previously, even the Super Giant ants were only 20 to 30 centimeters long, while the main fighting forces, such as Soldier Ant and Worker Ant, were only 1 to 2 centimeters long. Given that their opponents were also small insects, this was naturally not a problem.
But now the creatures they face are often seven or eight meters, ten or twenty meters long. Even their prey are basically one meter or more. So now, apart from a large number of Worker Ant, Excavator Ant, and Spy Ant produced in the early stages, the Swarm has basically stopped producing the small and medium-sized Soldier Ant that used to be the main fighting force.
After several rounds of optimization, the production cycle of those small and medium-sized Soldier Ant has been shortened to more than ten days. The Ant Queen can also produce a large number of Insect Egg every day.
However, the main combat force has now changed, and its size has reached 30 centimeters. The Ant Queen hand, has not changed and still maintains a size of about 10 centimeters.
This results in them producing very small Insect Egg take much longer to mature. The production cycle of a single Spider War-Bug takes more than forty days, even after genetic modification that eliminates the need for molting.
Therefore, the Ant Queen can no longer keep up with the current development of the Swarm and need to be redesigned and upgraded.
Rowan quickly realized this, temporarily abandoning the guy tinkering with the Seed and setting about developing a new Ant Queen.
The respiratory system that previously limited the Ant Queen's gigantic size has now been easily solved. A powerful heart and circulatory system from a large organism can easily propel the Ant Queen to a size of over ten meters.
Now that they have been fitted with hearts, they no longer use the ant template. The new Ant Queen adopt a hybrid template of reptiles and mammals, further strengthening her reproductive organs and enhancing her reproductive capacity.
The new Ant Queen can be considered a completely new insectoid creature, so it no longer continues the version numbering of previous Ant Queen. It will be renamed Insect Empress and a new version sequence will be developed.
At the same time, in order for the Insect Empress to grow larger, they will no longer have Exoskeleton Armor, but will instead have keratinous armor. While this armor is slightly inferior to Exoskeleton Armor in terms of thickness, it lacks many of the auxiliary capabilities of Exoskeleton Armor.
However, its advantage is that it can grow along with the body without the hassle of shedding its skin. As its size increases, the keratin layer armor will also become thicker, greatly increasing its defensive capabilities, eventually rivaling those of Exoskeleton Armor.
Insect Empress, due to their enormous size and resemblance to Ant Queen Type III is essentially incapacitated. They will hide in the safest places within the Swarm and will generally be unaffected by attacks.
The new Insect Empress be able to produce Insect Egg with a diameter of over 30 centimeters. In other words, Spider War-Bug will be close to their full size as soon as they hatch from the Insect Egg. Even for Heavy-Armored Soldier Ant that are one meter long, the production time will be greatly shortened.
This will greatly accelerate the rate at which the Swarm can mass produce units.
Meanwhile, since the Ant Queen version number has been removed, the Type I Ant Queen, which specializes in commanding operations, will no longer have reproductive functions, although the template will not change for the time being.
They will be separated and reorganized, with the new group codenamed "Blade," and their duty will remain to assist Rowan in commanding the battle.
Furthermore, they will be granted a higher level of Swarm Network authority, enabling them to command all Swarm combat units, including the Insect Empress.
Thank you to Smiling Dog for the 1558 Qidian Coins, and thank you to Bug Lord for the 500 Qidian Coins.
Sorry everyone, this is my first time uploading VIP chapters, and I made a mistake by missing one chapter. Actually, chapters 1, 2, and 3 are before this one. I apologize very much.