Marching, Part One
Every extra day the army remained stationed there meant an extra day's worth of supplies being consumed. Although a small number of troops had not yet arrived, Rowan was no longer planning to wait.
The weather was fine that day, mostly cloudy, and the leaves overhead provided shade, blocking out most of the light and heat, making it perfect for a long march by the army.
At Rowan's command, over six thousand Transport Bug, fully loaded with various types of troops and supplies, strode forward on their eight long legs towards the Red Ant nest, creating a spectacular scene.
The roadside trees flashed past in the corner of his eye as Rowan led the way, running at the very front of the group.
His task at this moment was to guide the army. As the Zerg with the widest field of vision in the Swarm, he was the only one qualified to lead the way.
Along the way, the army evaded two Predator Squad of Red Ant.
The number and quality of this Swarm completely overwhelmed the Red Ant, so there was no need to get entangled with these small groups along the way. Rowan planned to lead his army straight to the heart of the enemy's base, and then disperse his troops to clear out their territory.
As for those two troops from earlier, let the larger units handle them.
Two hours later, after several rounds of rest and replenishment, the Transport Bug traversed two kilometers of forest and saw the familiar-looking "Volcano Crater".
There's not much to say; this isn't the first or second time we've wiped out Red Ant nests. The army simply surrounded the "Volcano Crater."
Rowan circled the cave entrance twice, his leg hairs sensing the texture of the ground, and he located the underground cavity pipe.
He extended his Pincer Limb, and after Digging Leg into Pincer Limb, the front part of these claws became even sharper. Now he was much more adept at poking holes in the ground.
After making several openings in the pipes of the Red Ant Nest and releasing a few waves of Black Ant to investigate, the Swarm then pushed their way in.
The Giant-Mandible Soldier Ant stand at the forefront, with Small Soldier Ant providing cover around them. If there are fewer enemy ants, they charge in for melee combat; if there are more, they leave an opening, and the Worker Ant behind provide ranged fire support.
The insects fought steadily, and although they suffered some losses, they were all within an acceptable range.
The battle continued until nightfall, mainly because the passage was too narrow for the troops to deploy effectively, thus negating the advantage of numerical superiority. In fact, less than one-fifth of the total army managed to enter the passage.
Most of the troops waited outside, and incidentally wiped out three returning Red Ant Predator Squad.
There's not much to say about a battle between 1.8 million and 10,000 or 20,000.
Basically, the battle was over by the vanguard just as the rear guard was preparing to charge...
To be honest, even the time spent cleaning up the battlefield was longer than the actual battle.
The spoils were collected; that's how the insects' war works—the victor takes everything. The remains of both the enemy and allies are all recycled, becoming nourishment for the winner's growth and expansion.
Post-battle statistics indicate that the Swarm suffered approximately 20,000 casualties. Enemy losses were difficult to accurately estimate because most of the battle took place in the tunnels.
But based on previous experience, there should be at least four or five hundred thousand ants in the nest. Even though it was attacked by Big-Headed Ant a month ago and has been resting for a month, it has almost replenished itself.
Rowan estimated that it would cost at least 400,000.
Adding the three Predator Squad that were wiped out outside, the total number should be around 450,000.
Just as they were calculating the accounts, a group of people slowly approached from a distance.
This is the Swarm's large-scale army: two hundred Super Giant Soldier Ant, five hundred Giant Soldier Ant, and two large Scorpion.
Both types of large Soldier Ant use the Big-Headed Ant Soldier Ant template with only minor modifications. Catapult Start gene was added to make them more agile in small-scale maneuvers, and the size of their mandibles was slightly increased to slightly enhance their attack power.
The two Scorpion, on the other hand, were experimental soldiers. Due to the addition of muscle-enhancing genes, they were larger than their prototypes, measuring about forty centimeters in length excluding their tails.
Since he couldn't figure out their purpose, Rowan only built two, hoping to test their fighting ability in this war with the Big-Headed Ant.
In addition to the Super Giant Soldier Ant and Scorpion, there are approximately ten thousand smaller combat units riding on their backs, responsible for protecting them.
These large creatures may look powerful, but their fighting strength lies in one-on-one combat and group battles. If they were to encounter a Red Ant Predator Squad alone, their poisonous stings would be enough to give them a hard time. If they were to be surrounded, their lives might be in danger.
Previously, because their legs were not strong enough to keep up with the speed of the Transport Bug, Rowan arranged for them to travel slowly at the rear.
In any case, they wouldn't be needed for battles like clearing out Red Ant Nest. And the army ahead had left behind many pheromone beacons along the way, enough to keep them from getting lost.
Earlier, during the army's march, they encountered two Predator Squad Red Ant. Rowan, in a hurry, chose to bypass them.
However, bypassing them doesn't mean letting them go.
After passing them, Rowan left two Mobile Squad to monitor them.
These squads are specifically responsible for tracking, harassment, and setting traps. The squads not only have regular troops, but also special combat troops such as reconnaissance bugs and Spy Bug, and even have an Ant Queen.
The Ant Queen's intelligence enabled this squad to carry out more complex missions devised by Rowan, and their combat methods became more flexible and varied.
After separating from the main force, the two squads ran ahead of the Red Ant Predator Squad and set up many deceptive pheromone beacons.
These beacons allowed the Predator Squad to circle within a certain area without being detected.
The squad then rejoined the massive combat unit that was slowly advancing behind them, and relayed Rowan's orders.
Rowan looked at the spoils behind these giant creatures and nodded in satisfaction. It seemed they had carried out his orders quite well.
However, the remains of several Giant Soldier Ant were rather conspicuous. Red Ant do not have such combat units, so their origins are quite puzzling.
The loss of a significant portion of the escort force further complicated the operation.
Fortunately, the Super Giant and Giant Scorpion were unharmed, the battle was won, and the dead were brought back.
These big guys are walking proteins, living reserve food.
When Ant Nest faces a food crisis, Worker Ant will kill these large fighting units to replenish their food supply. Therefore, the loss of these big guys once is enough to make an ordinary Ant Nest feel the pain for a long time.
Rowan wasn't quite that terrified yet, but he was still incredibly stingy. He considered the Swarm his possessions. If they were small units, it wouldn't matter, but these giants were all cultivated by him with vast resources. He couldn't bear to lose even one, whether they were alive or dead.