A Clean Sweep! Every Squadron Leader Goes Silent

The abandoned drug factory's iron gate was thick with rust. The building lay in a valley deep in the forest, its surrounding trees cut down to the last one. Broken firearms and scraps of human clothing littered the clearing. Squadron Leader Wing lounged against an iron throne, his lower body that of a powerful horse and his upper body wrapped in scaled armor. He toyed with a silver-plated pistol while his hooves pawed impatiently at the ground.

More than a dozen bound villagers knelt at his feet, bruised, battered, and trembling with fear.

"What are you crying for?" Wing sneered. He raised the pistol and pressed its muzzle to the forehead of the villager in front. "You should be honored to become food for the queen. Once the next patrol gets back, we'll send you to the main nest. None of you are getting away."

He had been one of the first Squadron Leaders to break free of the queen's control. He had claimed the abandoned factory as his own and made a habit of capturing nearby villagers for fun. As far as he was concerned, humans were livestock on two legs, good for nothing but food. And the Hunter Association's investigation team? They would be delivering themselves to him. With over forty Soldier Ants under his command and his reinforced shell, any ordinary Hunters who came here would die.

"Report!"

A Soldier Ant stumbled into the factory, his voice shaking. "S-sir! There's a bald man outside! He knocked all the sentries flying!"

"A bald man?" Wing frowned and tucked the pistol into his belt. "What kind of nobody dares barge into my territory? Is he alone?"

"J-just one! There's a blond one behind him, too!" The Soldier Ant had barely finished speaking when the factory's iron door flew inward