Optical Invisibility (Happy New Year)

Seeing the special talent displayed by this bug, Rowan's eyes practically lit up, and he hurriedly jumped down from the tree trunk.

The bug dove into the grass and vanished. If Rowan hadn't been staring at it unblinkingly since the very beginning, he might have actually let it get away.

His advantage in size became apparent at this moment; Rowan charged straight toward the bug like a tank, ignoring all obstacles in his path and crushing them directly beneath him.

Although the color on the bug's body changed rapidly as it scurried along, matching the surrounding environment to make it nearly impossible to detect, it was a pity that it lacked the powerful hind legs of a grasshopper. Having already been locked onto, it was caught by Rowan just as it squeezed through a few gaps in the weeds.

A long walking leg lashed out like lightning, sticking to its back armor and dragging it in front of Rowan.

Two digging legs descended from above to pin it down. Though it struggled violently, it was to no avail; the disparity in strength could not be overcome.

A pair of large mandibles clamped onto it, and with a single snap, the bug ceased its struggle.

Fresh ingredients are best consumed promptly. Rowan didn't bother moving; after a hearty meal on the spot, he returned to his sleeping quarters to rest.

Upon waking, he was able to catch a glimpse of the secret behind that Color-Changing Bug.

The surface of Rowan's exoskeleton armor was covered in a layer of extremely fine and dense scales.

Many nano-scale crystals had grown within the epidermal cells of these scales, forming a special type of pigment cell. By controlling the spacing between the crystals within these cells, they could reflect light of different wavelengths.

They could automatically and rapidly adjust based on the surrounding environment, causing this layer of scales to reflect the same light as the surrounding matter, thereby deceiving observers and achieving the goal of self-concealment.

This new ability was highly targeted and served as a perfect counter to Rowan's own clairvoyant-like vision.

The eye is a highly complex and sophisticated optical system, as well as a vital observational organ. It functions by sensing light, projecting it onto a light-sensitive retina to form an image, and then converting that into special signals to be transmitted to the brain.

Light contains a vast array of colors, and how many of those one can perceive depends on the types of photoreceptors in an organism's eyes. The human eye contains three different color photoreceptors, allowing humans to see three primary colors, while dogs only have two.

Rowan's eyes were far more complex, and the number of primary colors he could perceive was much higher, though he couldn't specify exactly how many. Mixing primary colors in different proportions could produce many new colors, but these were not primary colors themselves.

He compared this to his previous life; the scenery he saw now was much richer than before. For instance, he could perceive a very special type of light. Through it, although Rowan could not see the sun or moon of this planet, he could determine their positions and use them for navigation.

Ever since he turned into a bug, his poor sense of direction had been cured, all thanks to this special light.

However, even with the ability to see a wider variety of light, he would still be countered by this new ability.

Because this new ability perfectly mimicked the reflected light of the surrounding environment, no matter how many types of light an observer could receive, they would see no difference at all.

Just like before, Rowan could only tell there was a bug-shaped piece of bark on the tree by observing the depth of the space. Relying solely on his eyes, he couldn't distinguish any difference between them.

But through brain analysis, he could deduce that it was a bug.

Yet, all of this was predicated on knowing in advance that there was an anomaly there. If the Worker Ants hadn't discovered that irregularity, he could have stared at it for a whole day and noticed nothing.

However, while this ability was highly targeted, its weaknesses were also quite obvious. For creatures like ants, which basically don't rely on their eyes to observe the world, it was like dancing for the blind.

It was very easy to see through, and this bug was also quite straightforward, being overly confident in its own ability. Even after being surrounded, it didn't believe it had been exposed, ultimately contributing this ability to Rowan.

Despite its various flaws, it could be called a truly awesome piece of black technology. When Rowan was surfing the internet in his past life, he had scrolled past videos of similar inventions—special armor that used electronic screens to mimic the surrounding environment to deceive visual observation.

However, that kind of device was completely blown out of the water by the instinctual ability evolved by this creature.

Although, the greatest help this new ability currently provided to Rowan was that when he lay on a tree trunk, he no longer looked as conspicuous as a patch of dog-skin plaster.

After this little interlude, life returned to a state of calm.

As the days passed, everything in the Insect Nest developed in an orderly fashion, and the vegetation within the radiation range slowly began to look a little different from its surroundings.

Rowan implemented a new aphid-feeding regulation: aphids were only allowed to eat an old leaf when the plant grew a new one.

If the aphids ate forbidden food due to overpopulation, a portion of them would be cleared out by the Worker Ants and recycled into protein.

Thus, under strict control, the vegetation in the territory grew lushly, irrigated by bio-fertilizer.

The abundance of food led to more and more bugs hatching within the Insect Nest, and once a certain threshold was reached, a new round of expansion began.

Under Rowan's command, while ensuring the normal operation of the Insect Nest, all available bugs surged outward.

Because they had plenty of experience in conquest, the bugs were well-versed in their craft, uprooting one ant colony after another that had previously served as food extraction stations.

This was not a war between equals; guided by advanced tactical thinking and possessing several times the force of the ant colonies, the resistance of the ant nests failed to stir up any waves.

After expanding the territory outward in a fan shape by 100 meters, the Insect Nest army halted to begin another round of recuperation and consolidation of their turf.

Once the Insect Nest was on the right track, its rate of development was like a snowball rolling downhill.

Many Worker Ants with rich work experience headed in droves to the new territory. They would establish new aphid pastures there. At the same time, corresponding to the pastures, the vegetation in the new territory was also irrigated with bio-fertilizer.

The vacancies left behind by those who departed were filled by a constant stream of new adults emerging from pupae.

Rowan no longer had a concept of how many bugs were in the Insect Nest, as bugs died every day from various accidents.

For example, being mobbed by Black Armored Beetles, getting lost while exploring outside the territory, or being ambushed by unknown bugs.

There were also bugs here underground, like the Stinky Earthworm, that hid in the soil to ambush others. They would dig a funnel-shaped pit on the surface, and when the Worker Ants passed by, they would easily slide into the small pit.

The bug would then lie in wait at the bottom of the pit; when the prey fell to the bottom, it would suddenly burst out, using the pair of large, pincer-like mandibles on its head to restrain the prey and drag it underground to be eaten.

However, they were mostly concentrated in the new territory.

After the Insect Nest took over there, they had been mostly cleared out. Still, a few fish had slipped through the net, and every day, some unlucky fellows still lost their lives at their hands.