The battle between the two sides raged on, and Luo Wen was surprised to see that despite the Red Ants’ mixed forces receiving continuous reinforcements, they were still being pushed back step by step.
The soldier ants of the new species, distinguished by their oversized heads, were tentatively named Big-headed Ants by Luo Wen.
Compared to the brute-force tactics of the Red and Black Ant coalition, the Big-headed Ants demonstrated far superior strategy.
Each type of their soldier ants carried numerous Worker Ants on their backs, forming a defensive layer. This approach resembled infantry-tank coordination.
Whenever a Red Ant approached one of the Big-headed Ant soldiers, several Worker Ants would leap off the soldier’s back to entangle the attacker. Meanwhile, the soldier would seize the opportunity to deliver a fatal strike.
With the Red Ants neutralized, the Black Ants’ basic weapons and equipment alone posed little threat to the Big-headed Ant soldiers. Their massive jaws, which grew proportionally with their size, easily dealt with the Black Ants.
Although both sides had committed similar numbers of troops, the Red and Black coalition’s primary combat units were outclassed tactically. Relying on the supporting Worker Ants for victory was nearly impossible.
As Luo Wen predicted, the Red and Black coalition’s forces were continually whittled down. Their casualty ratio was far higher than that of the Big-headed Ants.
The Big-headed Ants, however, showed no signs of overconfidence. They maintained a steady, methodical advance without rushing for a swift victory.
Yet, strangely, when the Red Ants later tried to recover the battlefield, many of the soldier ant corpses were inexplicably missing. The remains of two particularly massive soldier ants were nowhere to be found.
The missing corpses had, of course, been taken by Luo Wen. Disguised as a rock, he had crept close to the battlefield, selectively scavenged what he wanted, and then retreated with his haul on his back. With eight long legs propelling him swiftly away, he came and went like a shadow.
These gigantic soldier ants were remarkable specimens. Using an ant template to reach such a size must have involved unique adaptations. Now that he had obtained their genes, Luo Wen planned to study them when he had the time.
For now, he postponed his return to the Brood Nest. His priority was to uncover the origins of this newly emerged Big-headed Ant species.
Three days later, after suffering losses exceeding 100,000 troops, the Red Ants remained unyielding, unwilling to retreat. But the Big-headed Ants, satisfied with their gains, chose to withdraw rather than risk overextending themselves.
When the Red Ants gathered a massive force for a decisive battle, they found their opponents had vanished without a trace.
The Red Ants were puzzled, but Luo Wen, who had been monitoring the battlefield closely, didn’t miss a thing. The Big-headed Ant army, numbering in the tens of thousands, had retreated with their spoils. Such a large-scale movement was impossible to hide from Luo Wen’s long-range surveillance.
Their retreat resembled the Swarm’s methods. Various types of soldier ants and large-to-medium Workers served as transport vehicles, while smaller Worker Ants climbed aboard, both to conserve energy and secure the loot.
With their combined combat coordination and efficient transportation system, the Big-headed Ants were clearly a step ahead of other ant species.
Their speed also exceeded Luo Wen’s expectations. After traveling less than two kilometers, they had already returned to their nest.
This left Luo Wen puzzled. The Swarm controlled a territory spanning more than ten kilometers. For a nest capable of deploying such a large combat force, their territory should be significantly larger.
“Could their territory extend farther in other directions?” Luo Wen shook his head. Based on his observations, this species seemed to radiate their territory evenly in all directions.
If no unusual factors were involved, their nest should logically occupy the center of their domain.
Potential factors included insurmountable barriers like rivers or cliffs, or the persistent disappearance of scouts in a specific area.
“Could it be because of the Red Ant nests?” Luo Wen quickly dismissed this thought. Given the Big-headed Ant army’s demonstrated strength, they could easily overpower the Red Ants if they chose to expand.
Luo Wen shook his head again, abandoning further speculation for now. With so little information available, drawing conclusions was impossible. Moreover, until the conflict between the Red and Big-headed Ants resolved, the two sides wouldn’t directly confront each other.
He still had plenty of time. By continuing to observe the Big-headed Ants, Luo Wen hoped to gather more information for analysis.
The Big-headed Ant nest stood out from other ant colonies, leaving Luo Wen astonished when he first saw it.
The nest was a small mound spanning 20 to 30 square meters, with a ring of entrances midway up its slope. The ground around each entrance bore heavy tread marks.
The tens of thousands of Big-headed Ant troops Luo Wen had been following split into several groups, entering the nest through adjacent entrances.
If that was all, the nest would simply appear to have more exits than usual.
However, atop the mound were numerous small protrusions densely packed together. Each protrusion had a central opening, resembling tiny chimneys.
Notably, no tread marks surrounded these “chimneys,” indicating they weren’t used as entrances or exits. Ants, being pragmatic creatures, wouldn’t build anything without purpose. These chimneys must have a specific function.
What that function might be, Luo Wen could only sigh in frustration. If he still had his previous, smaller body, sneaking inside for a closer look would have been easy.
Still, Luo Wen had no regrets. With his current size, few things could threaten his life. Everything else was secondary to survival.
Unable to discern the chimneys’ purpose from the outside and unable to infiltrate the nest, Luo Wen decided further observation was a waste of time.
He cast one last glance at the mysterious chimneys before turning to explore other directions.
Having recently consumed a high-protein meal, Luo Wen moved quickly. In just one day, he had surveyed most of the area surrounding the Big-headed Ant nest.
Curiously, the Big-headed Ants’ territory was indeed small.
In every direction, within roughly two kilometers, Luo Wen found evidence of other ant nests and activity.
Pheromones made it easy to distinguish. From the Big-headed Ant nest at the center, Luo Wen identified at least eleven different pheromone signatures within a two-kilometer radius.
This confirmed that the Big-headed Ants, like most ant species, placed their nests at the very center of their territory.
Yet this raised a puzzling question: how could such a small territory sustain such a massive army?