To the east, directly in front of the ant nest, lies the nest of the horned beetle.
Horned ants have combat strength roughly equivalent to ordinary worker ants. Whether horned ant colonies have combat units is unknown.
The bamboo shoots from another world have edible sap. The sap will solidify within two to three minutes after flowing out of the wound on the bamboo shoot, making it easy to store.
This is the information Zhao Zian has so far. After seeing the horned beetle eating the bamboo shoot juice, he also asked the ants near the nest to find a bamboo shoot and try it out.
It was finally determined that ants are edible, and very nutritious, with protein levels comparable to beef... (crossed out).
...
The ants sent out to explore other areas hadn't found anything yet, so Zhao Zian got a little bored and simply focused his attention on a scout ant, then went to fight a horned beetle.
Go test the strength of the horned beetle. After all, the first ant was surrounded and killed, so it doesn't really demonstrate the horned beetle's fighting power.
After a while, Zhao Zian instructed the little ants in the southeast to explore eastward on their own.
Soon they discovered a large group of horned beetles, but Zhao Zian did not attack. After all, being ganged up on would not demonstrate anything and would only result in the loss of a worker ant.
Although worker ants are worthless, they shouldn't die in vain...
One-on-one duels are a more direct way to demonstrate combat prowess.
After getting away from the swarm of insects, I searched for a little while longer and finally found a lone horned beetle.
This horned beetle wasn't collecting the sap; it kept looking left and right, as if it were exploring for food.
There were no other horned beetles around, and it was unlikely that any other insects would come to its aid anytime soon, so Zhao Zian set his sights on it.
As fellow reconnaissance soldiers, let's have a real man's solo match!
In the imperial city battle, whoever calls for help is a dog!
Zhao Zian controlled the little ant and charged straight in. The horned beetle on the other side, realizing something was wrong, immediately adopted a fighting stance, constantly releasing combat pheromones, seemingly trying to scare the enemy away.
Hmph, I have gods behind me, do you think I'm afraid of you?
Haha, don't worry, kid, the gods will always be watching over you. If you really find yourself in dire straits... then you really are in dire straits.
I'm sorry, child, but there's no one behind you. If you really encounter danger, the gods won't save you; you're doomed...
Zhao Zian continuously sensed the power of faith transmitted from the little ant and sent it a message of battle.
The little ant immediately charged forward with full confidence, took a bite, and was then knocked to the ground by the horn beetle's horn. Before the ant could get up, the horn beetle took two more bites.
...
They fought for a long time, neither side giving an inch, but the horned beetle was a bit bigger, giving it a slight advantage overall.
The little ant was covered in wounds, so Zhao Zi'an didn't let it continue fighting.
One of its tentacles was bitten off, one of its legs was broken, and some of its shell was also broken.
As for the horned beetle on the other side, its shell was also broken, but it was larger and had more energy, so its overall condition was better than the ant's.
However, four of its six legs have been bitten off, and it is almost unable to move. In terms of biting, ants are still the better choice.
We have a general understanding of their combat strength. In a 1v1 duel, the ant's combat strength is slightly weaker than the horned beetle's.
In terms of attack power and agility, ants are stronger, but horned beetles have the advantage in overall defense and stamina.
However, Zhao Zian didn't take this difference in combat strength seriously at all.
The main reason is that I'm not familiar with horned beetles. If I had known that horned beetles weren't very agile, I would have had the ants be more nimble.
You could easily break its leg first, then slowly kite it, taking a bite and moving to another spot; it'll be disgusting enough to drive it crazy.
Zhao Zian directed the injured ants to retreat towards the nest. The horned beetle, which had already lost several legs, was unable to stop the ants and could only continuously release pheromones to call for support from its own colony.
After sending the message for the ants to return to their nest, Zhao Zian shifted his focus away.
Because at this moment, the ants on the other side also encountered a new situation.
These are exploratory ants from the north, which is to the right of the nest.
The ants, which were exploring, discovered a plump white worm, and several other similar worms were blocking the path ahead.
This insect is very similar in size to a large green caterpillar, the kind that crawls into vegetables and eats them.
It might be a bit fatter, and its color is pure white.
Each one is about ten centimeters long. They lie on the ground and keep wriggling. First, they arch their bodies and then push forward, just like cabbage worms. They move very slowly.
Wow, this is high-quality protein! It's from beef... (crossed out)
If it really resembles the cabbage worm in real life, then it could be considered an excellent food source.
It's not aggressive, has plenty of energy, moves slowly, and is easy to catch...
Just as Zhao Zian was maneuvering the ant to move closer, wanting to get a better look...
Suddenly, a green blob flew out of the white worm's mouth.
Like a wad of phlegm from 1982...
Hey!
The thick, green phlegm accurately hit the advancing little ant.
The green slime instantly covered the ant's entire body, and in an instant, the little ant began to struggle in pain, and the surrounding soil was slightly corroded.
After about three seconds, the little ant stopped moving and died...
The ant's perspective suddenly went black.
Holy crap!
Zhao Zian, who was viewing the scene from a divine perspective, was utterly startled.
What a huge mouthful of phlegm! That was Zhao Zian's last thought.
Feeling the severed power of faith, Zhao Zian knew in his heart that the little ant was probably dead.
As expected of a creature from another world, it can swagger around on the street without any restraint. It must have something to rely on. It seems I'm still too young and inexperienced in the ways of the world...
So you can spit, right? It's a remote unit, huh?
Zhao Zian stroked his chin, slightly mimicking the Thinker, before raising his head.
That's quite a mouthful of phlegm, and these ranged units can't possibly have endless ammunition like in the game.
That phlegm is several milliliters thick. I don't believe you can store that much in your stomach. Even if you could produce this kind of ammunition continuously, you couldn't possibly produce it that quickly.
Zhao Zian immediately turned his attention back to the insect hive's main base.
They grabbed ten able-bodied men and made them move along the path that the ants had explored on the right.
He had just spat out a mouthful of saliva when Zhao Zian immediately went to beat the white worm before it recovered. He estimated that it could spit out a few more mouthfuls at most.
Soon, the ten little ants rushed to the white insect.
However, Zhao Zian couldn't quite tell which of the white insects was the first one.
Not knowing who to seek revenge against, he randomly picked a white worm and began his plan.
(If you absolutely have to find a real-life prototype to make it relatable, then how about Yin Datou?)
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