Picking Up Leaks

The ants entangled their bodies, forming a net that enveloped the Black Beetle.

The Black Beetle found it increasingly difficult to shake off the ants, and the tide of the battle, which had been ten to zero, shifted to the unknown. If there had been any betting, this would surely have been a shocking tragedy.

After the Black Beetle had two of its claws bitten off and half of its antennae severed, it finally chose to flee.

Continuing to fight might have led to its eventual demise, but if it were to escape, the ants' slender bodies could not stop it.

Like a heavy tank charging an infantry position, the Black Beetle, covered in ants, roared away. Mid-flight, ants were occasionally flung off due to the excessive speed.

Since Rowan had been observing from a great distance, the Black Beetle, with some of the ants, quickly disappeared from his line of sight.

Rowan didn't stand around gawking; what was the point of watching for so long? Besides mere entertainment, he harbored a sliver of hope to pick up some scraps.

Now that both sides of the battle had departed, they left behind many valuable remnants. It wasn't Rowan's style to ignore such opportunities, so he got up and hurried towards the battlefield.

A distance of ten-odd meters would have been a few steps for his previous self, but for him, now only the size of a fingernail, it was no less than a marathon.

Fortunately, he had been anticipating scavenging the battlefield all along and had planned his route to the battleground while observing, simultaneously scanning for any dangers along the way.

No overt threats were detected, but having encountered the Foolish Earthworm before, he knew that such hidden hunters were difficult to spot without getting close.

Therefore, as Rowan sprinted, he paid close attention to his footing, lest his joy turn to sorrow.

Fortunately, he encountered no trouble and safely reached the battlefield. His mouthparts were inadequate for quickly consuming meat, so he could only pick up an ant's lower body, stick his rear end up, and start digging into the ground.

After digging a small hole deep underground to store the food, Rowan returned twice more, dragging back a head and a torso. By the time he resurfaced, a few scattered ants had appeared on the battlefield, so he didn't risk further exposure and retreated back into the depths of the earth.

Taking the ant parts with him, he moved further underground, dug out a room, and created several escape routes. He then gathered some roots to supplement his food.

Upon returning again, it was finally time for the main course, and he hoped to obtain something useful.

After spending a long time licking the ant meat clean, he discarded the pile of exoskeletons and began to rest with great anticipation.

Time passed, and upon waking, Rowan, ignoring his hunger and the warning of his energy reserves, urgently checked his body.

He examined his antennae, eyes, limbs, and carapace one by one, but found no changes.

Rowan was somewhat disappointed; seeing how the Black Ant hadn't displayed any special abilities after fighting for so long, he shouldn't have held such high expectations.

He pouted dejectedly, but then felt something was off with his mouth?

Unfortunately, his mouth was one of the few blind spots for his large eyes. He could only carefully touch it with his limbs, feeling it meticulously with the fine hairs on them.

Alas, if only he had a mirror, he wouldn't have to go through such trouble.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him; he was being foolish. If his mouth had changed, it must be due to the Black Ant, likely something similar to its mouthparts.

The empty shell of the ant's head rolled nearby, and Rowan crawled over to examine it.

Comparing the sensation from his own hairs with the sample before him, Rowan had a good idea.

"My mouth has finally been replaced."

He sighed, having long harbored resentment towards his previous lapping mouthparts. Couldn't his starting equipment have been something more effective? From the moment he "was born," he was given a mouth that could only eat soft food.

What he had now replaced it with should be the chewing mouthparts of the ant before him. His original mushroom-shaped mouth was gone, replaced by several new labial lobes, maxillary lobes, palps, and some plates. These were responsible for drawing food into his mouth, much like having a circle of small hands around one's mouth, creating a vivid image.

Although chewing mouthparts are the most basic type of insect mouthparts, and lapping mouthparts evolved from them, strictly speaking, his transition from lapping to chewing wasn't an evolution but rather a devolution.

However, sometimes, the most basic is also the most adaptable, and what suits oneself is the best.

It was a bright and sunny day, and the familiar bushes unfurled their small green leaves.

As the underground river drew closer to the surface, the vegetation here became denser. The ground was no longer covered in yellow sand and rocks but was carpeted with decaying leaves.

Rowan crawled underground for a long time, moving away from yesterday's battlefield, then pushed aside a layer of fallen leaves and emerged.

Unknown insects hid among the bushes, emitting various chirps. Compared to the lifeless desert, this place was clearly much livelier.

At the same time, this also meant an increase in danger.

After crawling for only a short while, Rowan's antennae detected some unusual sounds from a bush not far away.

He quickly turned his head and saw a relative of yesterday's "War God" gnawing on leaves; those sounds were coming from it.

This Black Beetle was even larger than yesterday's, and its limbs were intact, which was why Rowan immediately recognized it wasn't the same Black Beetle as yesterday.

But he was surprised that such a mighty and imposing figure, capable of taking on multiple opponents, was a herbivore. Rowan was shocked. It was like a burly man clad in sturdy armor, wielding an unparalleled greatsword, charging through enemy lines several times, returning covered in blood, only to grin at the cheering crowd welcoming their triumphant hero and say, "Actually, I'm just cosplaying."

Rowan felt a great deal of resentment. Considering himself a carnivorous insect, being completely outmatched in size, equipment, and everything else by a herbivore left him feeling terrible.

But before he could voice his complaints, he noticed a piece of bark moving not far from the vegetarian powerhouse.

Rowan immediately focused his attention, looking closely, and discovered a pair of slender antennae twitching erratically at the front of the bark. That piece of bark was actually a bug.

Still reeling from the previous shock, Rowan was stunned again. Were insects playing such fancy games now? What kind of black technology was this?

His knowledge of entomology was truly lacking. He had only heard of chameleons before, but never of camouflaged insects. Although this insect's camouflage had some minor flaws, it would indeed be difficult to spot if it remained still.

Whenever the leaves were rustled by the wind and branches swayed, making a rustling sound, the insect would use the noise as cover, appearing to be moved by the wind itself, and inch closer to the Black Beetle leisurely munching on leaves.

After several minutes, the Camouflage Bug had reached a position one step behind the Black Beetle.

The Black Beetle was completely unaware of this, but Rowan, the spectator, felt his heart race. What was the Camouflage Bug planning to do?