After arranging the frontline operations, Luo Wen wasted no time and rushed back to the hive’s main base.
Upon reconnecting with the Brood Nest and conducting a thorough examination, he was surprised to find no genetic fragments from the Red Ants that could explain their ability to subjugate Black Ants.
This was terrible news, and Luo Wen was at a loss.
The Red Ants weren’t using some genetic “skill” to dominate the Black Ants—could it be their charisma?
“Are you kidding me?” Luo Wen thought incredulously.
Still, though the reason eluded him, the outcome was clear.
Not dwelling on this mystery for too long, Luo Wen shifted his focus to adjusting the Worker Ant template.
Originally, he intended to integrate the Red Ants’ stingers into the Worker Ants’ design. However, he discovered that the stinger was incompatible with the acid-spray system.
The conflict was not only positional—both systems required the same area at the rear of the body—but also internal, with overlapping storage chambers for venom and acid.
Suddenly, inspiration struck. He realized that although the Red Ants were smaller than the Black Ants, their specialization in combat over production marked them as akin to Soldier Ants. This shift in perspective explained their exceptional ferocity.
“So, they’re essentially a species where every member is a Soldier Ant,” Luo Wen concluded.
No wonder they were so aggressive.
With this revelation, Luo Wen used the Red Ant template as a base, first altering their red pigmentation to black for uniformity in his forces.
He then added features like acid-resistant armor, enhanced spring-like movement, reinforced chitin plating, and stronger mandibles.
The resulting new ant type was a small Soldier Ant. These creatures were entirely combat-focused and undertook no production tasks. Their size matched that of the Red Ants, but they were stronger, with thicker armor and larger, tougher mandibles.
Though slightly less agile than the Red Ants, the addition of the spring-like movement compensated for this drawback.
Luo Wen gave them a simple name: Small Soldier Ants.
Not stopping there, Luo Wen developed two additional new species.
The first was based on spiders, incorporating his own eye genes, the Black Beetle’s carapace, and chitin-reinforced legs.
This new species, called the Transport Bug, was designed for logistics. Using spiders as the base allowed for a large body size, and their nimble legs made them quick and agile. The beetle’s wide back provided ample space for carrying materials.
While primarily a support species, the Transport Bugs were no pushovers in combat. Their legs, sheathed in bone armor, could transform into spears, piercing enemies with precision aided by high-resolution vision. Luo Wen had personally tested this design and found it highly effective.
The second species was a pure support unit named the Adhesive Bug. Modeled after regular Worker Ants, they were enhanced with the Camouflage Bug’s adhesive traits. Their role was to assist the Transport Bugs by using their adhesive abilities to secure loads on their carriers’ backs. Once the materials reached their destination, the adhesive would dissolve to aid unloading.
Logistics would be crucial in the war against the Red Ants, especially given both sides’ reliance on foraging and plundering for sustenance. In a prolonged conflict, the first to lose their supply lines would fall.
The Red Ants, with their captive Black Ants serving as living food reserves and expendable soldiers, posed a unique challenge.
“What a headache,” Luo Wen muttered, narrowing his eyes. If possible, he’d need to find a way to disrupt their operations.
For now, though, Luo Wen focused on preparation. Due to the high energy demands of producing Queen Ants, the Brood Nest only produced fifty, then switched to mass-producing the three new species.
The first batch of new Queens would take time to mature. Until then, the production of the new species fell solely on the Brood Nest. Luo Wen ordered the existing Queens to concentrate on producing Worker Ants.
Worker Ants were the swarm’s only ranged attackers and were essential for reclaiming and developing territory after defeating the Red Ants. Their numbers needed to grow as much as possible.
With the rear operations in order, Luo Wen returned to the frontlines. His lingering concerns about his swarm’s adaptability made his presence reassuring.
In the following days, messenger units crisscrossed the territory, relaying Luo Wen’s orders. He personally conducted reconnaissance in enemy-controlled areas, observing the Red Ants mobilizing their forces. Numerous detachments returned from foraging and began amassing along the border.
The joint Red-Black Ant army swelled to an estimated 200,000, with their numbers continuing to rise.
The enemy swept through the borderlands, occasionally sending small raiding parties into the hive’s territory to harass and sabotage.
Two branch bases, too remote for timely reinforcements, were overrun and destroyed.
However, most bases successfully repelled attacks with the timely arrival of reinforcements, driving the Red Ants away.
The situation grew increasingly dire—a full-scale war was imminent.
On Luo Wen’s side, the newly developed species matured. From above, one could see large numbers of Transport Bugs marching on their eight long legs toward the frontlines.
Some carried food, while others bore swarms of Small Soldier Ants on their backs.
Small Soldier Ants, due to their small size and limited energy reserves, weren’t suited for long marches. Using Transport Bugs to carry them conserved resources.
Though outnumbered, the swarm forces concentrated their troops and adopted a defensive strategy. Meanwhile, the vast outer territories became hunting grounds for the Red Ant army. Their foraging sustained their massive numbers despite weaker logistical capabilities.
As the first fifty new Queens reached maturity, they were escorted to the frontlines by dedicated teams of Transport Bugs and guards. There, they began mass-producing Small Soldier Ants on-site.
The Brood Nest, meanwhile, ceased Small Soldier Ant production. After producing ten more Queens, it shifted entirely to creating Transport Bugs and Adhesive Bugs, reducing the burden of transporting Small Soldier Ants.
At the same time, restrictions on the aphid farms were lifted, drawing heavily on the swarm’s vegetative reserves to maximize food production.
When the first batches of Small Soldier Ants emerged from their pupae, Luo Wen issued an order to redeploy the Burrower Ants from across the territory to the frontlines.
The Burrower Ants, previously tasked with digging tunnels and later relegated to fertilizing vegetation, now had a new purpose in Luo Wen’s plan.
Far-off groups of Burrower Ants rode on Transport Bugs, while closer ones traveled on foot. Over the next few days, they steadily arrived at their designated positions. Luo Wen tallied their numbers, which totaled over 50,000—representing 80% of the hive’s Burrower Ants.