Farting Bugs, Part Two
These Farting Bug, despite their formic acid spraying, possess formidable long-range firepower, killing large numbers of Swarm Soldier Ant after their arrival. However, their abilities share a common characteristic with Formic Acid Spray: limited ammunition.
Rowan observed carefully and found that each Farting Bug could only fire twenty to thirty "poof" shots before running out of ammunition and retreating into the cave. Then a new batch of Farting Bug would crawl out again.
Because of the "Corncob" obstructing his view, Rowan couldn't see the Farting Bug that had retreated back into their burrow. Therefore, he couldn't figure out how long it would take them to reload.
However, judging from the rate at which the Formic Acid Solution is replenished, they may not have another chance to participate in this battle.
Although he didn't know how many Farting Bug were still hiding in the cave, the reserve of a billion bugs gave Rowan tremendous confidence.
So what if all 15 million troops are lost in battle? In just a few days, another 15 million troops will be deployed back to the battlefield.
The talents they've already displayed are astonishing enough, making it worthwhile for Rowan to increase his investment. Not to mention, they also hide other secrets in the cave; whether through breeding or planting, he'll always reap some additional rewards.
However, although the opponent has long-range fire support, it lacks a variety of troops, and its actual combat strength and numbers are about the same as those of the Big-Headed Ant.
After a day of fighting, the enemy's reinforcements began to wane, and the number of reinforcements emerging from the cave started to decrease significantly.
At this time, the Swarm still numbered at least eight million.
The battle lasted for another half day, and the plump, white female insect was dragged out of the hole and brought before Rowan.
This is truly a super-sized fleshy worm. Its head and upper body appear somewhat normal, but starting from its waist and abdomen, its entire lower body has gone wild and swelled up.
It's like a person having a normal upper body but a shipping container as their lower body.
The Ant Queen's tiny body hangs precariously from the front of its enormous, milky-white abdomen, making it look quite comical. Its disproportionate abdomen also renders it incapable of basic movement; its six Walking Leg are practically decorative, barely touching the ground, and can only be used sparingly when eating.
Although it has lost some things, the Ant Queen's enormous abdomen has given it unparalleled egg-laying ability, which is exactly what the Swarm needs right now.
Rowan, who never expected to receive such an unexpected surprise, was now troubled by the sight of the giant, fleshy queen Ant Queen.
Firstly, the thing looked really bad. He could eat spiders and the like, but this milky white, wriggling worm really made him nauseous.
Secondly, he cannot freely choose his genetic evolution. If his urgent desire to expand the Swarm's numbers causes his instincts to misunderstand, and he wakes up to find himself looking like this, he really wouldn't want to live anymore.
After hesitating for a long time without finding a practical solution, Rowan finally gritted his teeth, wiggled his tentacles, and turned to leave.
In no time, the muscle tissue, cut into small pieces, was presented to Rowan. The Worker Ant weren't as fussy as Rowan; in their minds, there was only edible or inedible, and they didn't care about anything else.
Rowan carefully tasted a few small pieces of meat, then nodded in satisfaction.
Actually, if you don't think about what the ingredients are like in their original form, this tastes pretty good. It's sticky and chewy, giving you a feeling of eating white meat, with a lingering flavor of meat and milk.
The first problem is solved. As for the second one, well, that's up to fate. But Rowan thought about it and realized that after experiencing the earliest Mother Nest incident, his instincts should be able to understand what his bottom line is, so there shouldn't be too much to worry about.
While Rowan was enjoying his feast, the Worker Ant, having just finished dividing up the food, were far from idle. They still needed to dismantle the other's nest so Rowan could see what was inside.
Because this expedition only brought a small number of Worker Ant, and lacked Excavator Ant that were skilled at digging holes, and the Soldier Ant ants nearby didn't help with these tasks, the construction was extremely slow.
Rowan wasn't in a hurry, since he had nothing else to do. After finishing his meal, he closed his eyes to rest.
Several hours later, reinforcements arrived at the front line, including a large number of Worker Ant and Excavator Ant.
Another day and night passed, and the secrets deep within the enemy's lair were revealed to Rowan without reservation.
Its interior is basically the same as that of Big-Headed Ant nest, and it also possesses cultivation techniques. However, instead of cultivating the white, fibrous fungi, they cultivate something that Rowan finds very familiar at first glance.
"Holy crap, isn't this a mushroom?"
In the underground room, the floor was covered with rotten wood, small leaves, rotten tree roots, and other basically inedible junk. Rows of small mushrooms grew on it.
The long, thin white stem and the small, grayish-white canopy looked so familiar and dear to Rowan.
Rowan picked a few and tasted them. They tasted pretty good and were quite juicy; no wonder he could raise such a large army of ants. Moreover, these mushrooms seemed easier to care for; all he needed was some dry grass or something similar. Unlike white fungi, which required Worker Ant to chew up leaves and carefully tend to them, these mushrooms didn't need to be.
It seems we can vigorously promote the cultivation of this type of mushroom in the future, but we also need to continue cultivating some white fungi. They are the main source of sugar for Rowan, and these mushrooms aren't sweet. As for other insects that want sugar, they can eat Aphid droppings, which are also very sweet.
Knowing the secret, there was no point in staying any longer. He arranged for an Ant Queen to temporarily take over the area, while the Central Army continued its journey, and Rowan embarked on his return trip.
As he was leaving, he glanced back at the conspicuous "Corncob." This massive creature, over twenty meters tall, had a unique texture and excellent air permeability, serving as both the entrance and a heat dissipation device for the Ant Nest.
However, the architectural style is truly indecent and too conspicuous. But the Swarm is not yet familiar with the growth patterns and environment of the new crop, so it is not advisable to rashly change the building layout.
Rowan shook his head. "Let's talk about it later."
They returned to the Mother Nest and uploaded new gene fragments.
These insects may look similar to ants, but their genetic templates are quite different.
The genetic templates of these insects are more similar to those of crustaceans, which explains why those Farting Bug look so much like beetles.
However, these are all minor details. Rowan's main purpose this time is to further refine the responsibilities of the upgraded and optimized Ant Queen.