Though the Fart Bugs’ ranged firepower was impressive, causing significant casualties among the swarm’s Soldier Ants, their attacks shared a limitation with ant acid: finite ammunition.
Luo Wen observed carefully and noted that each Fart Bug could only fire 20 to 30 “pops” before running out of ammunition and retreating into the nest. Then, a new batch of Fart Bugs would emerge to take their place.
Due to the “corncob” structure blocking his view, Luo Wen couldn’t see what happened to the retreating bugs inside. As such, he couldn’t determine how long it took them to “reload.”
However, judging by the replenishment speed of ant acid, it was likely these bugs wouldn’t have a chance to return to the battle in this engagement.
Luo Wen wasn’t certain how many more Fart Bugs were hidden within the nest, but with the swarm’s population of over a billion, he felt confident.
Even if the entire 15-million-strong army was lost, it would only take a few days to deploy another wave of 15 million troops to the battlefield.
The enemy’s demonstrated abilities were impressive enough to justify further investment. And with the secrets they were hiding underground—be it livestock or crops—Luo Wen was sure he’d gain something valuable.
Despite their formidable ranged support, the enemy lacked unit diversity, making their actual combat effectiveness comparable to the Big-headed Ants.
After a full day of fighting, the enemy’s reinforcements began to dwindle noticeably.
Half a day later, the enemy’s bloated queen was dragged out of the nest and presented to Luo Wen.
The queen resembled an enormous grub. While its head and upper body appeared relatively normal, its abdomen was grotesquely oversized, resembling a human with a regular upper body but a container-sized lower half.
The massive, milky-white abdomen hung awkwardly in front of the small queen’s body, creating a laughable disparity. The disproportionate size rendered the queen immobile, with its six legs reduced to mere decorative appendages that didn’t even touch the ground—except when it awkwardly used them for feeding.
Although the queen had lost mobility, its enormous abdomen granted unparalleled egg-laying capacity—something the swarm desperately needed.
Luo Wen was both surprised and troubled by this unexpected windfall.
First, its grotesque appearance was unappealing. Luo Wen had no qualms about eating creatures like spiders, but the sight of this wriggling, milky-white grub made his stomach turn.
Second, he was concerned about evolving its traits. If his desire to expand the swarm’s population caused his instincts to misinterpret his intentions, and he woke up one day looking like that… Luo Wen shuddered at the thought.
After much hesitation and finding no immediate solution, Luo Wen gritted his teeth, waved his antennae, and walked away.
Shortly after, pieces of the queen’s flesh were brought to him. The Worker Ants were not as squeamish as Luo Wen. In their minds, food was either edible or inedible—nothing more.
Cautiously, Luo Wen tasted a few small pieces and nodded in satisfaction.
If one overlooked its appearance, the flesh tasted quite good. It was tender and sticky, with a flavor reminiscent of white meat, blending a meaty aroma with a hint of creaminess.
With the first problem solved, Luo Wen left the second to fate. After all, his instincts had learned his boundaries during the Brood Nest incident, so there was little reason to worry too much.
While Luo Wen enjoyed his feast, the Worker Ants began dismantling the enemy nest to uncover its secrets.
Because the expeditionary force included only a small number of Worker Ants and no Burrower Ants, the progress was painfully slow. The Soldier Ants refused to assist, considering such tasks beneath them.
Luo Wen wasn’t in a hurry. With nothing else pressing, he closed his eyes to rest after finishing his meal.
Several hours later, reinforcements arrived at the front lines, including a large number of Worker Ants and Burrower Ants.
Another day and night passed before the mysteries of the enemy’s nest were fully revealed.
The interior was similar to a Big-headed Ant colony, complete with farming techniques. However, instead of cultivating white fibrous fungal crops, they were growing something Luo Wen immediately recognized.
“Holy crap, are those mushrooms?”
Inside the underground chambers, decayed wood, leaves, and roots were scattered everywhere, serving as a bed for rows of tiny mushrooms.
The long, white stems and small, grayish caps filled Luo Wen with a sense of nostalgia.
Plucking a few, Luo Wen tasted them. The mushrooms were juicy and flavorful, no wonder they had nourished such a large army. They also appeared easier to cultivate than the white fungal crops, requiring only a layer of dried grass or other debris—not the meticulous care needed for fungal farming, where Worker Ants had to chew up leaves into mulch.
It seemed mushrooms could be widely promoted for cultivation. However, the white fungus was still necessary, as it was Luo Wen’s main source of sugar, and these mushrooms were not sweet. Other insects could always rely on aphid excretions for their sugar fix—that stuff was plenty sweet.
Having uncovered the secret, there was no reason to linger. Luo Wen assigned a Queen Ant to temporarily take over the area, while the central army resumed its advance. Luo Wen began his journey back.
Before leaving, he glanced back at the conspicuous “corncob.” This 20-meter-tall structure, with its unique material and excellent ventilation, served as both an entrance and a cooling system for the nest.
Its design, however, was both unsightly and overly conspicuous. Luo Wen decided it wasn’t yet time to overhaul the swarm’s architecture, as they were still unfamiliar with the new crop’s growth patterns and requirements.
Shaking his head, Luo Wen resolved to revisit the matter later.
Upon returning to the Brood Nest, Luo Wen uploaded the new genetic data.
Despite their ant-like appearance, the genetic templates of these Fart Bugs were strikingly different. Their genes resembled those of beetles more than ants, which explained why they looked so similar to beetles.
These were minor details, however. Luo Wen’s primary goal now was to upgrade and optimize the Queen Ants, redistributing their roles and responsibilities more effectively.