C32 – Bullet Ant Swarm
Qin Hongyu and Bo Miaojiao, with a sense of resignation, patted their empty stomachs and made their way over.
More than five hours had passed since lunch, and it was certainly dinner time. But in the Iron Woods, where would one find a delicious meal?
“How can you eat such a cute little hedgehog?” Bo Miaojiao grimaced at the sight before her.
Without a word, Qin Hongyu took the military knife from Fu Tian, sliced off a small piece of meat, and popped it into Bo Miaojiao’s mouth, chuckling, “Eat up while we’ve got cooked food! Remember, our assessment goes on for a full 24 hours!”
Bo Miaojiao put up a token resistance, but hunger won out. She bit down heartily and exclaimed with a hint of surprise, “This is delicious!”
“We’re not going to eat the hedgehog. Other Demon Beasts will come to feed on it later. That’s just the way of nature, and we need to learn to adapt,” Fu Tian said solemnly.
Suddenly, an eerie noise surrounded them, signaling the approach of something unusual.
“What’s that sound? Did you hear it?” Qin Hongyu froze, halting his actions.
“I heard it too. Something’s coming this way!” Bo Miaojiao also paused, her ears perked up in alert.
Fu Tian scanned the surroundings with a wary eye. At that moment, the Screeching Hedgehog’s carcass before him was vanishing at a visibly rapid pace.
He looked closely and saw a swarm of golden ants engulfing the Screeching Hedgehog, frenziedly devouring it until only bones remained.
“I wasn’t even full yet! What in the world is this?” Fu Tian bellowed in frustration.
A stream of data then flooded Qin Hongyu’s mind:
[Demon Beast Name]: Bullet Ant
[Demon Beast Skill]: Poison Fang, Ant Tide
[Demon Beast Special Characteristic]: A group of over 100 Bullet Ants can initiate an Ant Tide, elevating their power to that of a middle-class Demon Beast. Caution is advised!
“Watch out, everyone! These are Bullet Ants. Don’t let them bite you; they’re venomous. And remember, don’t…” Qin Hongyu urgently cautioned.
Fortunately, it seemed that the group of Bullet Ants wasn’t quite as large as a hundred—at least not from what we could see at the moment.
But before Qin Hongyu could finish his sentence, Gibbs, the Fire Spirit, unexpectedly unleashed a massive fireball. The Bullet Ants swarming the Screeching Hedgehog were instantly scorched, their bodies curling up in the intense heat.
“Take them out,” Qin Hongyu finally completed his thought.
“Don’t look at me; Gibbs acted on his own!” Bo Miaojiao said, clearly bewildered.
The once tranquil ground was now punctuated by a series of tiny holes, from which Bullet Ants began to emerge in droves. In a matter of seconds, the count exceeded a hundred, with more ants continuing to surface.
Qin Hongyu’s face tensed with urgency. Seizing the moment before the ants could regroup, he sprinted to the freshly deceased ants and deftly collected two Gray Iron Rank Spiritual Cards that hovered in the air.
He then dashed back to his team with lightning speed. Seeing his companions still in shock, he urged them, “What are you doing standing there? Run!”