The queen sensed the impending danger and instinctively braced, frantically flapping her membranous wings while dragging her swollen abdomen backward. However, her massive size made her far less agile than the reproductive ants. Before she could move far, Ye Changming had already closed in.
Compared to the queen’s slow, bloated movements, Ye Changming moved with the grace and speed of a flying dragon. After dodging the acid attack from a reproductive ant, he leapt with a light push from his toes, stepping on the approaching ant. His grip tightened on the Tang sword, blue veins bulging on the back of his lean hands, as he swung the blade down towards the queen.
The cold steel of the Tang sword pierced the hard mouthparts of the queen ant, sending her into a frenzy of pain. She shook her enormous head wildly, trying to throw off both the sword and the man attacking her.
But Ye Changming held firm, gripping the sword with one hand and using the momentum to flip over her head.
“Squeak!!!” The queen let out a hoarse, fearful screech from her shattered mouthparts. The once-sleeping young ants began to hatch rapidly, growing at an alarming rate and rushed toward their queen in defense.
Standing atop the queen’s head, Ye Changming was unfazed. His feet were steady, even as the queen’s head thrashed beneath him. Cold eyes watched the swarm of young ants approach, but he remained unmoved. His right hand opened slightly, and his left hand gripped the sword once more. The fingers, long and elegant, looked like cold jade in the dim cave light, yet the bulging veins indicated the immense strength within.
“Ka-cha!” The Tang sword, still lodged in the queen’s mouthparts, was suddenly slashed downward. The queen’s shell, though tough, yielded as easily as a blade slicing through mud.
The queen struggled, trying to raise her head for a final desperate cry, but her broken mouthparts could no longer produce sound. Her body and wings twitched weakly as her strength failed.
At some point, Ye Changming’s black scarf had fallen away, revealing his sharp, handsome face. His expression remained icy and calm as he wielded the sword with precision, slicing from the queen’s head down to her tail, and splitting her in two.
As her body fell to either side, even in death she trembled. The young termites that had been rushing toward Ye Changming suddenly stopped. Confused, they raised their heads, sniffing the air as if wondering why their queen’s commands had ceased.
Ye Changming stepped off the queen’s tail, walking through her abdomen without a word. Inside, he noticed fragments of wood and branches—remnants of the termites’ consumption, still undigested. He pulled out his optical computer to document the scene, taking pictures to send to Yan Shengbian back on the surface.
Just then, a male termite silently launched itself from the cave wall, folding its wings as it aimed its sharp limbs at Ye Changming, ready to strike.
Without turning his head, Ye Changming stabbed backward, the Tang sword driving straight into the male ant’s abdomen. He twisted the blade, then pulled it out swiftly. Yellow-white mucus dripped from the tip of the blade, falling into the muddy cave floor. The male termite let out a final hiss before collapsing beside the queen.
The young termites, now recognizing their new target, resumed their attack, rushing toward Ye Changming in a frenzy. There were too many, and the rest of his team could barely hold them off.
Suddenly, five drones flew into the cave. Larger than the previous terrain observation drones, these were armed with modified limb guns. They began firing at the young ants on the ground and the reproductive ants in the air.
It was Tian Qixiao from outside.
Ye Changming signaled his team to spread out, coordinating with the drones to gather the young termites into one area. Once the termites were concentrated, the team retreated, leaving the drones to deploy explosives.
Twenty minutes later, a deafening “Boom!” echoed through the pit. The entire termite nest was obliterated.
Ye Changming wiped the blade clean and returned it to the scabbard on his back. Turning to his team, he simply said, “Let’s go.”
…
Yan Shengbian and Wei Li were already seated inside the car. On either side of the vehicle, Zhi Mingyue and Kun Yue stood ready, prepared to act at the first sign of trouble. Tian Qixiao, sitting in the back of the pickup truck, controlled the drones still hovering around them. His hands moved steadily as the drone that had dropped explosives in the cave returned to him. Just as the Ting army arrived with reinforcements, Ye Changming led his team back to safety.
Yan Shengbian, seeing the group return unscathed, smiled in relief. “I have underestimated the Alien Killing Team,” he said, his voice filled with admiration.
“Team Leader Yan, I took some photos.” Ye Changming, ever diligent, sent the recorded data, including pictures and videos, directly to Yan Shengbian’s device.
Curious, Wei Li leaned over for a peek, but her eyes widened when she saw the split remains of the queen. “!”
She instantly took a breath, shrank her head quietly, and dared not speak again. Her cousin was the one who she feared the most. His methods were brutal, almost inhuman.
Yan Shengbian, frowning as he reviewed the footage, said thoughtfully, “Termites ate an A-level mutant dragon claw locust?”
High-level mutant plants, like the dragon claw locust, were renowned for their regenerative abilities. Fire couldn’t destroy them entirely, making them vital food sources for the central base. The revelation that a nest of mutant termites had consumed one was startling.
“Maybe these mutant termites can devour the dragon claw locust trees faster than they can regenerate,” Wei Li suggested quietly, her tone uncertain but hopeful. “A whole nest of termites could make it possible.”
“Not impossible,” Yan Shengbian responded after a moment’s thought. His eyes turned serious as he addressed Ye Changming. “I’ll apply immediately to observe the feeding city. If termites can handle A-level mutant plants, this could be our breakthrough.”
The team packed up and left the feeding city, unaware of what they had left behind. Beneath the enormous pit created by the explosion, a black seed inside the queen ant’s abdomen broke free from its pod. Green buds emerged, pushing through the dead branches of the dragon claw locust trees. Covered in the same yellow-white mucus from the termite nest, the plant began to grow at an alarming rate.
—
“Finally, fifty thousand points in the bag,” He Yuesheng exhaled, leaning back on the train seat. “Feels like a lifetime.”
Zhao Linong, sitting beside him, turned his head to ask the question that had been on his mind. “Why did you come to the fifth base?”
He Yuesheng was known for making money by reselling small items and taking advantage of information asymmetry. Zhao Linong couldn’t understand why He Yuesheng had signed up for manual labor at the fifth base.
“To make connections,” He Yuesheng replied, pressing a cold bottle of water against his neck. “I had some things to sell, and this was the place to meet the right people.”
Zhao Linong asked, “Did you find the buyer?”
“I did. Sold everything the day before yesterday.” He Yuesheng grinned, pulling out a small bag and giving Zhao a wink. “I also got something good in return. Heard it’s nutritious when stewed.”
Zhao Linong took the package and opened it to find finely shredded Cordyceps sinensis flowers1
. The pieces were so small they looked like discarded scraps, yet in this world, such things had immense value.
Zhao Linong carefully rewrapped the flowers and handed them back. “Good stuff.”
Over the past week, they had been harvesting Cordyceps sinensis. Although they faced attacks from mutant plants—especially on the first day—the guards dealt with them swiftly, preventing major casualties. Still, the ever-present threat of mutated plants hung over their heads like the sword of Damocles, making it impossible to relax.
Since that day, the little girl who had shared a room with Zhao Linong had been avoiding her. It was as though she no longer wanted to see her.
Zhao Linong had saved her once, but she had, in turn, taken someone else’s life.
In this unforgiving world, it was not unexpected, and there were no laws to stop it. As long as the mutant plants persisted, this cycle of violence and survival would continue.
Zhao Linong and He Yuesheng arrived at the ninth agricultural base in the evening, only to find that Tong Tong had returned early. The sight of her familiar face was a pleasant surprise.
“When did you get here?” Zhao Linong asked, setting down her luggage and offering a cup of jasmine tea. The fragrant steam curled up between them.
“I came back yesterday,” Tong Tong replied, a gentle smile playing on her lips. “I missed the roses in the field and got bored at home, so I decided to come back early.”
Zhao nodded, understanding. “Good to settle back in early. You’ll have time to adjust.”
Tong Tong stood to boil water, her spirits high. “You should go wash up quickly. We’ll have tea together.”
“Alright,” Zhao said, heading off to freshen up.
Just as Zhao Linong emerged from the washroom, her light brain began to buzz incessantly. Curious, she checked it—**Wei Li’s messages** flooded her screen.
Moldy gas tank: [This world is terrifying! (＞_＜)]
Moldy gas tank: [They said there were no high-level mutant plants in Ting Feeding City, but mutant animals ate the plants! Unbelievable!!]
Moldy gas tank: [I got a video, it’s scary! You need to see this.]
Moldy gas tank: [Click to watch: A nest of mutant termites.avi]
Intrigued, Zhao Linong clicked on the video. At first, the screen was dark, but soon, the familiar view of a drone camera emerged. The footage showed large insect corpses littering a cave floor—termite bodies.
She frowned, realizing these were no ordinary termites. These were massive, far more dangerous than the ones she had encountered in agricultural work. She knew the damage termites could cause to crops, but these were something else entirely—large enough to threaten human survival.
The drone moved deeper into the cave, showing a familiar figure: Ye Changming, his Tang sword gleaming in his hand, standing amid the carnage. His precise, fluid movements, even through a second viewing, impressed Zhao Linong. But as her eyes drifted past him, she focused on something more disturbing—the queen’s remains, her abdomen split wide open.
The characteristics of the queen ant were very obvious, with an enlarged abdomen. Even if it was split in two, it was still very conspicuous. There were undigested dead branches in the abdomen, and the dead branches were wrapped in mucus, which was weird and disgusting.
Abdomen… dead branches…
Zhao Linong felt something was wrong.
Just when she was about to take a closer look, the video suddenly failed.
Moldy gas tank: [Damn! @##4%]
AAA Farming Xiao Zhao: [Senior?]
Moldy gas Tank: [Quick #?%6#?%]
AAA Farming Xiao Zhao: [Senior, the video is invalid. ]
Moldy gas tank: [Confidential content. Unauthorized personnel cannot view this.]
Zhao Linong paused, realizing the person behind the messages wasn’t Wei Li at all. Her gut twisted as she recalled something.
AAA Farming Xiao Zhao: [Cousin?]
On the other side, the young man holding Wei Li’s device frowned, his fingers coldly typing a response:
Moldy gas tank: [I am not your cousin.]
