A large number of Chimera Ants poured out from underground, converging on Xiang Nan with hostile intent. Holding a pistol, Xiang Nan fired rapidly, pulling the trigger again and again.
As bullets struck home, several airborne Chimera Ants tumbled to the ground, gunpowder smoke filling the air. Yet it was evident the enraged swarm was no small crowd. Bullets, after all, were finite.
Once Xiang Nan exhausted his pistol rounds, he simply tossed aside the gun. From inside his windbreaker, he drew out a scalpel in each hand. Then he charged into the oncoming ant horde in a frenzy, dancing like a madman.
His swift, darting silhouette and electrifying footwork resembled the movements of a ghost. In midair, each slash of the scalpels left streaks of silver light, weaving a veritable web.
Within mere seconds, that sea of ants swarming in from all sides was shredded into pieces.
After coming to a halt, Xiang Nan deftly returned his scalpels into the sheaths inside his windbreaker. Around him, broken fragments of chimera ants fell down, crashing at his feet.
Seeing this scene, Silent Cloud's heart trembled violently. She had initially assumed it would be the Nen user, "LikesIceCream," stepping forward to fight—yet never imagined that it was actually Seventeen!
Judging by these Chimera Ants' behavior, they seemed even more terrifying than in the original story. Even for a player like her, if she were surrounded by that swarm, she'd likely be finished. For one thing, they moved faster than humans could normally react, and their heightened perception was extremely keen. Some ants lying on the ground, wounded by the bullets, were still twitching about with legs and mouthparts, their vitality shockingly resilient.
Ordinary firearms had already begun to show their limitations at this stage. And these ants were just the smallest, infant types…
Intentionally, Xiang Nan didn't wipe them all out. He spared a few still alive, though they were currently disabled. Judging by how quickly they recovered, given enough time, they might become active again.
"They already exceed human beings in biological level."
Afterward, Xiang Nan crouched down. He picked up a still-squealing chimera ant, curiously examining it.
He beckoned to Manman, signaling her to bring the camera closer for a close-up shot.
Next, he walked over to pick up a rock, placing it near the ant's mouthparts. At a light snap of its jaws, the rock—solid as it was—split and crumbled, as though made of powder.
He repeated the process with the metal handgun on the ground. The ant's mandibles similarly took a bite out of the gun's frame.
Once they'd gathered all the footage needed, Xiang Nan had Manman turn off the camera.
"You… you're also a Nen user?!"
Only at that point did Silent Cloud regain her senses. Staring at Xiang Nan with disbelief, she ventured aloud.
For Silent Cloud, that revelation came as less of a shock. After all, it now made sense that a Nen user like "LikesIceCream" followed Xiang Nan's every command. Moreover, Xiang Nan, aware of the danger posed by these Ants, was boldly diving deeper into the investigation. Without some hidden trump card, that sort of confidence would've been utterly reckless.
"Just these dozen or so Chimera Ants alone… I'd bet they could easily wipe out an entire village."
Silent Cloud swallowed anxiously. "They're even more horrifying than in the manga."
"They're still in infancy, but from their biological makeup, they can already receive simple commands and signals. At this stage, they likely won't invade any human settlement. The Queen also wouldn't want to draw attention to herself so soon, not until they're strong enough to challenge the human world."
While scrutinizing the antenna on the Chimera Ant in his hand, Xiang Nan casually commented.
"Why not kill them all?"
Silent Cloud asked. "We've already filmed everything. With tangible footage, we don't even need to search for them any further, right? We can just examine the surrounding ecology of the Miera mountain range to fill out the report, then turn it in… We've done plenty already."
Xiang Nan simply smiled.
"What else are you trying to do?"
Xiang Nan didn't respond.
Over the next several days, the trio continued to camp by the lake.
Plenty of small Chimera Ants remained alive from that earlier battle. Xiang Nan and Manman went hunting through the forest, deliberately piling animal carcasses along the lakeshore. While some of the flesh got devoured by young ants, most was dissected and carried away.
And after a few days, once the ants' food supply had been built up to a certain level…
What Xiang Nan had been waiting for, finally emerged.
Late one night, hidden amid the forest's darkness, Xiang Nan spotted several tiny black silhouettes faintly descending from the starry sky.
Those were adult-stage flying worker ants—soldier ants, in fact. Obviously, they had flown in from the NGL.
Silent Cloud, upon seeing that, was so frightened she almost cried out, reflexively covering her mouth.
Indeed, these were genuine Chimera Ants, all alive, appearing right in front of her eyes.
Any one soldier ant like that, from what she knew, could kill her in seconds. Especially considering their formidable physical prowess…
Moments later, the ants flew to a part of the forest. Xiang Nan, without hesitation, dashed silently between the trees toward that same direction. Manman followed close behind, filming with the camera.
Silent Cloud froze, still unable to react. In mere seconds, the two of them had disappeared without a trace.
Before long, Xiang Nan and Manman arrived at the ants' position.
Within a clearing in the forest stood a cone-shaped mound of soil, about three or four meters tall. The surface was uneven, with depressions and holes—clearly a rudimentary ant nest.
Both Xiang Nan and Manman used "Zetsu" to hide their auras.
They saw six soldier ants busily hauling a massive "food supply."
Though these ants' limbs looked slender, they seemed astoundingly powerful. What's more, they'd apparently learned how to make use of human tools, carrying giant nets filled with animal carcasses in preparation for flight.
Given they had such "tools," it indicated some level of human settlement within the NGL domain had already been pillaged. So far, the matter likely hadn't escalated enough to draw wide attention.
Xiang Nan turned to Manman.
She nodded, raising the camera.
At that, Xiang Nan dropped from the treetops, hands in his coat pockets… slowly strolling toward the clearing ahead. Google seaʀᴄh novel✦fire.net
When his footsteps crunched on the ground, the soldier ants abruptly stopped their work and turned, confronting him with fierce gazes. As though in unison, these winged insects realized a human had stepped out of the forest shadows.
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