Chapter Twenty-Two: The Nest of the Fiery Ants

All of the elite forces brought by the enemy this time had perished; that was enough. There was no need to pursue and kill any further. As for revenge from those who survived, to be honest, there was nothing to fear. It was Yan Dao who needed to worry about being hunted, not him who needed to fear Yan Dao's retaliation.

"Clean up the battlefield!"

...

At this moment, Shi Jiu, who was wandering along the outskirts with Lu Sheng and the others, made a discovery. He ordered the team to stop. "Look over there, there's a nest of red fire ants."

The red fire ants were first-tier creatures, adults about the size of a person's forearm, with astonishing biting strength and hard shells—troublemakers not easily dealt with. Yet they had one benefit: their abdomens contained a red sac filled with crimson liquid, energy converted from their food. Absorbing this energy could rapidly enhance one's life card.

The only limitation was that red fire ants were merely first-tier monsters, and the red liquid in their sacs was only effective for first-tier beings. For everyone present, this was no restriction—they were all first-tier!

Mu Kui was trembling with excitement. "Judging by the size of this nest, there’s enough for all of us to advance to the second tier. This is our opportunity!"

The nest stretched twenty meters wide and five meters high. Based on surface and underground volume, it housed more than five hundred red fire ants.

"That’s right. This time, we’re in luck!"

No one in the group was unmoved—even Lu Sheng couldn't suppress his joy. This was a treasure that could propel their strength forward by leaps and bounds.

Shi Jiu, however, was the first to regain his composure. "Listen up—after we succeed, keep quiet. While this nest is large, once the nine of us break through to the second tier, it’ll be nearly depleted. When we're done, we’ll split the red sacs evenly. Any extras, keep for yourself—sell them or use them as you wish. But don’t spread word of today’s events, understood?"

This kind of cultivation resource was easier to absorb, and the life card could take in more, but it would eventually reach saturation. Just as a person can’t become obese in one meal, they would need some time to cultivate to the second tier using the red sacs. If word got out that they carried such treasures, who knew what might happen.

In the apocalypse, the human heart is unpredictable. The recent incident where Lei Yan stole Lu Sheng’s skill card was still fresh in their minds; how could they dare expose themselves?

"Alright, Captain, let’s get moving. If others discover it, we’ll be in trouble," Mu Kui urged impatiently.

"Alright, let's begin. Chen An, you lure out the monsters. Don't bring too many at once—let’s deal with the nest gradually. We don’t have the strength to handle them all in one go."

"Understood!"

Chen An stepped forward, excitement barely contained. Anyone would be thrilled to have this task.

His life card was a water-arrow frog, able to shoot water arrows. When possessed, it granted him dynamic vision—a fine life card indeed.

The meter-tall water-arrow frog appeared, launching a water arrow at the towering red fire ant nest.

Red fire ants built their nests above ground, using clay to form a huge mound. Only the queen lived underground, and not very deep.

Compared to the others, Lu Sheng coveted the queen most. Today, he had to obtain her, even if it meant revealing his true strength.

Such a queen couldn’t be raised by ordinary means; only by turning her into a card with a blank card could she be cultivated.

He had seen the price of a red fire ant queen at the main city’s breeding shop: two thousand first-tier source pearls!

Lu Sheng was sure none of his teammates wanted the queen. First, they had no blank cards; second, they lacked the ability to cultivate her.

Raising a queen required vast quantities of meat, beyond the means of ordinary people.

They could report it to Li Kuang, who would be delighted.

But would they? Reporting it meant exposing what they possessed. They would never hand it in.

So, as far as Lu Sheng was concerned, the red fire ant queen was already his.

Yet, despite this, Lu Sheng felt anxious. The queen was not yet in his grasp; should anything go awry, he’d be beside himself with regret.

Chen An directed the water-arrow frog to shoot at the nest, striking just the edge.

Even so, the nest was shattered at one corner.

With their home destroyed, the red fire ants went berserk. Dozens poured out from the nest.

"Number: thirty-four. Finish them quickly!"

Shi Jiu counted as they emerged, relaxing only when the last one appeared. As long as they didn’t swarm all at once, they stood a chance.

The squad sprang into action, each displaying impressive combat prowess, far superior to their usual lazy performances.

In fact, they were exceeding themselves.

Even Lu Sheng secretly pushed his limits, dispatching one red fire ant with each strike.

Their hard shells were laughable before Lu Sheng; his blade split their skulls with ease.

The others, though not as dazzling as Lu Sheng, held their own.

The battle ended in ten minutes, the ground littered with corpses that made their eyes shine.

"Harvest the red sacs, and prepare for the next wave!"

The red sacs were located in the ants’ abdomens; slicing open the belly revealed the organ. The shell was tough, but the lower abdomen was unprotected—one swipe exposed the viscera and the coveted red sac.

By rule, they were collected together, to be distributed later.

"Continue!"

"Alright!"

Chen An, elated, directed his water-arrow frog to lure out more.

This time, a large chunk of the nest collapsed, and fifty-one red fire ants emerged—a daunting number. But no fear showed in their eyes.

Men die for wealth, birds for food—there’s truth in that saying.

A moment’s carelessness and it would all be over.

During the fight, Lu Sheng went all out. At first, he held back, not wanting to draw attention, but his companions focused solely on the ants, noticing nothing else.

Besides, even if they sensed something amiss, Lu Sheng could easily explain it away, pretending he’d just broken through.

With twenty-five times his normal strength, chopping red fire ants was like slicing melons; none could withstand him.

He targeted the head, avoiding the abdomen for fear of rupturing the sacs and wasting the red liquid.

Fifty-one red fire ants fell in twenty minutes—mission accomplished.

"Collect the red sacs, rest for half an hour, then resume," said Shi Jiu, seeing the exhausted faces. He knew they had spent much energy and needed a break.

If they continued without resting, it could become dangerous.

Moreover, with so much of the nest destroyed, the next attack might draw out a massive horde, forcing them to flee.

Everyone understood their situation and accepted Shi Jiu's suggestion without objection.