Zhou Qi’s scalp tingled as he saw over a dozen strange snakes, with more continuously crawling out of the cave behind them.
The Five-Ranked Army Ant Queen immediately issued a command, and the One-Order Army Ants on the ground swarmed together, forming a black, living wall that charged towards the strange snakes.
The One-Order Army Ants instantly became agitated, the date-sized ants furiously pouncing on the strange snakes and tearing at them with their sharp mandibles.
The strange snakes thrashed their grey, muddy bodies, sweeping away two One-Order Army Ants, but more ants clung on, using the momentum of the thrashing to climb up and bite fiercely.
The battle was deadlocked; the strange snakes hissed, summoning their companions, while frantically twisting their bodies, attempting to shake off the ants.
The Five-Ranked Army Ant Queen continuously summoned reinforcements, and countless One-Order Army Ants on the surface crawled into the underground passage.
Inside the underground grotto, the One-Order Army Ants charged fearlessly towards the enemy. Soon, strange snakes, one after another, slithered over.
The One-Order Army Ants, however, showed no fear; their numbers continuously increased, with a dozen or so One-Order Army Ants able to completely envelop a single snake, and the battle grew increasingly fierce.
More and more strange snakes crawled out of the cave, and gradually, strange snakes over 3 meters long began to emerge, causing the wall formed by the One-Order Army Ants to become increasingly unable to stop them.
The number of One-Order Army Ants in the underground grotto was too small, and reinforcements from the surface had not yet arrived.
Zhou Qi looked at the two Ten-Tiered Giant Mantises and Five-Tier Bullet Ants beside him and immediately ordered them all to join the battle as well.
The Ten-Tiered Giant Mantis wielded its scythe-like forearms, activating its Fast Movement talent, and charged into the battlefield like lightning; wherever it went, the strange snake groups scattered.
The Ten-Tiered Giant Mantis’s crimson compound eyes gleamed with a cold light, precisely locking onto its targets.
Each swing brought a fierce gust of wind, and several strange snakes that were about to break through the defense line were directly cut in half, their blood splattering the cave walls.
With several great talents imbued in it, the Giant Mantis at this moment was a complete killing machine.
With each swing and chop, several strange snakes were cut in half mid-air; its double-bladed, saw-toothed arms were covered in a layer of red energy light.
It was as if a martial arts master was releasing his internal Qi; the strange snakes that were grazed died, and those that were touched were injured.
The Five-Tier Bullet Ants followed closely, their steps strong and powerful; they were fist-sized and exuded a murderous aura.
The Five-Tier Bullet Ants charged into the battlefield, attacking the snake group with their hard exoskeletons and powerful stings.
As soon as a strange snake was stung, its body would writhe in agony, immediately stopping its movements and dying from the intense pain.
The snake group’s movements slowed, and they even began to retreat in defeat as the One-Order Army Ants, who had arrived as reinforcements from the surface, joined the fray.
Zhou Qi glanced at the cave behind him, unsure of what other dangers lay within, and decisively ordered his dependents not to pursue.
The recent battlefield was a scene of severed limbs and scattered remains, with dead One-Order Ants and strange snake corpses, torn and mangled or cut in two, resembling a war zone.
The Five-Ranked Army Ant Queen gave the command, and One-Order Army Ants began to clear the battlefield; the hundreds of strange snakes killed would be enough for the Five-Ranked Army Ant Queen to eat for a long time.
Through this battle, Zhou Qi also recognized the considerable strength of his dependents.
However, while the One-Order Army Ants could dominate among insects, they were still too fragile against these strange life forms.
It would be great if the Army Ant Queen could breed powerful, concentrated dependents.
“Ding, Evolution Space upgraded to Level 5. Dependent Combination function unlocked,” a prompt suddenly appeared on the light screen as Zhou Qi was thinking.
“Dependent Combination? Is it similar to a synthesis ability?” Zhou Qi murmured.
October 24, 2016
Current Evolution Points: 166,000.
Time flew by, and two days passed.
Today was Sunday, and Li Ruhai called early in the morning to say that the gathering was set in Guan City, the provincial capital next to Zhou Qi’s.
Coincidentally, Liang Xiaoxi also needed to attend the meeting, so the two decided to leave together. Before departing, Liang Xiaoxi brought her luggage downstairs and put it in the car.
“Are you leaving today?” Zhou Qi asked.
“I’ve already troubled you enough these past few days; if I kept staying, I’d truly feel bad,” Liang Xiaoxi replied with an apologetic smile.
Although the two hadn’t stayed together these past few days, they both felt a certain fondness for each other, and Zhou Qi openly expressed his regret.
The car drove on the highway, and the two chatted along the way.
Mainly, Liang Xiaoxi was giving Zhou Qi a rundown, as she had already attended two such gatherings.
Each time she went, it was primarily to admire the big shots, and she would also buy some inexpensive insects that interested her.
Zhou Qi’s purpose in going this time was also to buy some fierce insects. As for where the money would come from, it would, of course, be from reselling.
Zhou Qi’s “startup capital” was in the backpack in the back seat.
More than two hours later, Zhou Qi and Liang Xiaoxi arrived at the gathering location—a huge manor hidden in the outskirts of Guan City.
Zhou Qi and Liang Xiaoxi took out their phones; a QR code had been sent in the group chat earlier. After scanning the QR code at the gatehouse, the two walked in.
As soon as he stepped into the manor, Zhou Qi was deeply shocked by the sight before him.
The manor was arranged like a fantastical insect kingdom, with various rare insects leisurely inhabiting carefully crafted ecological containers, and the air was filled with the enthusiastic discussions of insect enthusiasts.
Zhou Qi, with a mix of excitement and nervousness, weaved through the crowd, looking here and there.
There were small, reddish-brown, highly dangerous Red Fire Ants.
There was the Brazilian Wandering Spider, known as the world’s most venomous spider according to the Guinness World Records, capable of killing a person in just over ten minutes.
There was the True Emperor Scorpion, with a body length of up to 30 centimeters.
And the Giraffe Stag Beetle, capable of lifting 850 times its own body weight.
...
Zhou Qi was momentarily dazzled.
“Pa!” A large hand clapped Zhou Qi’s shoulder.
It was Li Ruhai. “You finally made it, kid.”
“Hai-ge, you came just in time. I want to ask you something. I’d like to sell the beetle I have here. How do I go about it?” Zhou Qi looked at Li Ruhai with a pleasant surprise.
He was just wondering how to sell the beetle that the Five-Ranked Army Ant Queen had found in White Snake Mountain and was in his bag, and coincidentally, Li Ruhai arrived.
“You truly are my benefactor,” Zhou Qi thought.
“Oh, you’ve got something good there. To sell your insects here, you need to have some reputation in the industry, and only then will the group owner give you a sales permit,” Li Ruhai said to Zhou Qi, looking serious.
Zhou Qi frowned; this was going to be a bit difficult.
If he couldn’t sell the beetle in his bag, he wouldn’t have enough money to buy the several insects he wanted.
Zhou Qi looked up and saw Li Ruhai smiling mischievously at him, and quickly asked, “Hai-ge, do you have a solution?”