Farting Bugs (Part One)

The "Corncob" building structure was perfectly suited to Rowan's knocking style.

He raised his claw and plunged it in hard.

Unexpectedly, it was hollow inside. Rowan used too much force and poked a big hole in it.

The soil on the cave walls fell down in a flurry, leaving Rowan somewhat dumbfounded.

To avoid unnecessary disputes with his new "neighbors," he decided to withdraw first.

Eight long legs swung rapidly. Although one pair, due to slight structural changes, was no longer as effective on land, Rowan's speed was not actually affected, and he dashed more than fifty meters away in a flash.

Everything we just discussed was speculation. What exactly is hidden inside the "Corncob" remains unknown, so it's best to be cautious.

The black hole on the mysterious building was like the gaze of an abyss, dark and full of mystery. Time passed slowly, and suddenly, a yellow cloud emerged from it.

Upon closer inspection, this yellow cloud was actually composed of countless insects. Each one was about two or three centimeters long, with an amber-colored head and a lighter, pale yellow thorax and abdomen.

The pair of jaw teeth at the front of its head, although overall they look like ants, something just feels off.

Rowan pondered for a moment and suddenly understood. The thorax and abdomen of these insects were not clearly segmented, but rather fused together. But ants, Rowan had seen many varieties, and no matter what talents they had or what skin color they had, their overall body structure was similar, with their head, thorax, and abdomen clearly distinguished.

More and more yellow clouds surged out, seemingly enraged by the large hole that had inexplicably been torn open in the house.

In just a short time, the number of Yellow Bug crawling out of the hole exceeded 200,000.

Judging from their familiar setup and their reclusive nature, Rowan guessed that these guys must have been tinkering with something underground.

It's not about raising something or planting something.

Otherwise, it would be impossible for so many insects to emerge from a single nest.

Rowan was no longer surprised by this kind of thing; after all, if you wanted to take over a territory here, you had to have some special skills.

With a flick of his antennae, hundreds of Transport Bug behind him, carrying tens of thousands of Worker Ant, crossed Rowan and rushed toward the "Corncob" on the opposite side.

They raised their buttocks high, then poured a wave of Formic Acid Solution over their heads, giving their "neighbors" a little "Greeting Gift" first. They wiped out a swarm of 500,000 Swarm; it's not unreasonable for the Swarm to return the favor, is it?

The effect of this long-range artillery barrage surprised Rowan; it wasn't that the damage was excessive, but rather that it was negligible. Looking at their armor, which gradient from deep yellow to light yellow, Rowan pondered, "Could it be that this color of armor has strong acid resistance?"

However, these creatures possess acid-resistant armor, which completely negates the Swarm's only ranged attack capability. Moreover, in previous battles, the Swarm had relied on this ranged support firepower to significantly reduce their own casualties.

It seems this time it's going to be a direct, head-on brawl.

The tentacles twitched, and the Swarm temporarily retreated.

A week later, because long-range attacks were ineffective, it was necessary to readjust the troop composition, so it took several more days to mobilize the troops.

To show respect, Rowan mobilized 15 million troops.

This was based on the experience of the Big-Headed Ant, who cultivated and raised an army of seven or eight million underground. These new insects also operate underground, and their numbers are estimated to be at least several million. Therefore, Rowan initially deployed twice the number of their troops as a token gesture, and subsequent support forces are still being mobilized.

He had originally planned to devise some tactics, but the Spy Bug he sent out were all wiped out. Later, Rowan discovered that these bugs communicated not only with pheromones but also by making sounds by tapping their heads or limbs on the ground.

This is equivalent to a person speaking while simultaneously using sign language. The Spy Bug only knew one of them, completely clueless about the other, thus revealing its weakness and giving itself away.

This infuriated Rowan, so he decided to avoid complicated tactics and simply overwhelm them with sheer force. The extra days it took to gather troops were partly due to this.

Furthermore, in preparation for this head-on confrontation, the composition of the Swarm's forces underwent a significant change, with Soldier Ant making up more than 80% of the force, while Worker Ant were only brought in small numbers for cleaning up the battlefield.

The army pressed in and surrounded the "Corncob".

Rowan stepped forward, raised his two claws, and quickly poked seven or eight large holes in them from all directions, then swiftly retreated to the rear of the troops.

A moment later, large swarms of "yellow clouds" poured out from several hollows.

Although Rowan was going to confront them head-on, he wouldn't wait for them all to crawl out and get into position. With a flick of his tentacles, his army surged forward, launching a preemptive strike before they could establish a firm foothold.

The enemy lacks large combat units. Although these big guys aren't very good at fighting small units one-on-one, if they have small combat units to support them and help them hold off the enemy, they can still be very fast at decapitating enemies.

In addition, the enemy was outnumbered, and many of them appeared to be Worker Ant. Facing a swarm of Swarm was almost entirely composed of Soldier Ant, the enemy was put at a disadvantage and was gradually pushed back to the breach.

The blockade tactic was too slow in killing enemies and didn't make use of the Swarm's numerical advantage. So, under Rowan's command, the troops retreated, making room for the enemy to re-emerge.

After several rounds of tug-of-war, the Yellow Bug suffered heavy losses.

However, at that moment, some insects with darker armor and larger bodies crawled out of the hole. These insects did not look like ants, but rather more like some kind of beetle.

They all stuck out their rear ends, striking a pose that Rowan was very familiar with.

Rowan was completely absorbed; the other person was finally about to showcase their talent, and he didn't want to miss this performance.

Accompanied by "poof, poof, poof" sounds, plumes of thick smoke rose, like farting. Their rear ends, like "shotguns," sprayed out countless unidentified liquids.

These liquids, like scattered "projectiles," were launched at extremely high speeds onto the battlefield.

Touching these tiny Swarm Soldier Ant ants immediately causes scorching and corrosion marks on their carapaces, greatly reducing their combat effectiveness. Some, if unlucky, even die on the spot.

Rowan's eyes lit up; the burn marks on the battlefield were made by these insects. He had previously thought their talent was playing with fire, but it turned out they were using chemical weapons.

Moreover, the battlefield was filled with a foul stench as ammunition was fired. If this were a fight with a dog, this characteristic alone would be enough to secure victory.

This is extremely unsportsmanlike.

Despite its minor flaws, Rowan was quite pleased; the Swarm was about to acquire a new ranged attack method. After all, the Earth-Yellow Ant also possessed acid-resistant armor.

Rowan will inevitably clash with them sooner or later; it's always good to have more options.