Chapter 139: Army Ant Swarm
Cloud Mist Basin, there were three kinds of dangers.
The first was humans. Although Ferocious Beasts threatened survival, the current situation was not like the Doomsday Era, and it had not yet reached the point of life and death.
Perhaps this was a characteristic of humanity—only when the entire race stood on the brink of extinction would they truly unite.
Fortunately, Cloud Mist Basin covered a vast area. Hunters who entered it rarely encountered each other and engaged in slaughter. Generally, only when entering or leaving Cloud Mist Basin would they face ambushes and killings from other humans.
The second danger was Ferocious Beasts. Because Cloud Mist Basin was shrouded in mist all year round, coupled with dense vegetation, it was very easy to be ambushed by Ferocious Beasts.
For Apprentice Beast Tamers who had not yet mastered transcendent power, once a Ferocious Beast closed the distance, they would fall into a life-and-death crisis. Even with protective suits, safety was difficult to guarantee.
The third danger was miasma. Because of the mist, it was hard to distinguish which was poisonous miasma and which was ordinary fog.
However, for Zhou Ming, these three dangers posed little threat. Whether it was the Radar Sensory Domain, or the toxin-resistant constitution provided by the Ironthread Snake’s feedback, he could easily deal with them—unless his luck was truly bad and he encountered a high-tier Ferocious Beast.
After entering Cloud Mist Basin, Zhou Ming rested briefly for one night. Then, following the intelligence guidance, he began searching for Army Ants.
Now he only needed to perfect the Snake Swarm Will and then purchase the required Class Advancement Materials, and he would have a chance to advance to a Professional Beast Tamer.
Once he advanced to a Professional Beast Tamer, whether in terms of strength or status within the alliance, he would experience a qualitative leap.
One had to know that in Qinghui Base, the number of Professional Beast Tamers had not even exceeded a thousand. Every single one of them was a pivotal figure.
Three days later, waves of roars echoed within the fog of Cloud Mist Basin.
Zhou Ming, who was searching for Army Ants, immediately sensed several Ferocious Beasts breaking into his Radar Sensory Domain.
However, just as he was preparing to give his snake swarm an extra meal, dense red dots appeared within his Radar Sensory Domain.
Judging from the size of the red dots, they should be mutated animals.
Seeing this, Zhou Ming’s body moved like a giant python as he immediately climbed to the crown of a large tree and hid himself.
The forest of Cloud Mist Basin, covered in vast white fog and dense foliage, appeared gloomy and dim even during the daytime.
Fortunately, Zhou Ming possessed Dark-gold Serpent Pupils, allowing him to barely see clearly within several dozen meters.
After a short while, as the fog continuously rolled, several Jungle Wolves with greenish fur appeared in his field of vision.
Jungle Wolves were nearly two meters in length. Their abilities were mediocre across the board, and ordinary people could deal with them using powerful rifles.
Compared to the Gale Wolves of the Northern Wasteland, Jungle Wolves were bottom-tier existences among low-tier Ferocious Beasts, their strength not even matching that of Ironfang Hounds.
However, Jungle Wolves were pack-type Ferocious Beasts, with their largest groups reaching over a hundred individuals, which instead made them enemies not to be provoked lightly among low-tier Ferocious Beasts.
Yet the several Jungle Wolves before his eyes all bore injuries of varying severity, with fresh blood already dyeing their green fur red.
Just as Zhou Ming was guessing the reason for the Jungle Wolves’ injuries, a burst of “chi-chi” sounds rang beside his ears. Soon after, an ant swarm like a raging flood appeared.
Army Ants.
Seeing ants the size of fists, clad in fiery red carapaces, Zhou Ming’s eyes instantly lit up.
After three days of searching, he had finally discovered the traces of Army Ants.
Just as joy appeared on Zhou Ming’s face, the injured Jungle Wolves were already surrounded by the Army Ant swarm, which immediately launched an attack like surging tides.
Facing a situation with no way to retreat, the Jungle Wolves could only fight back in desperation.
Their sharp claws and fangs easily tore apart the carapaces of the Army Ants, but the number of Army Ants they faced was simply too great.
Moreover, the mandibles of the Army Ants that cut and tore food were like steel pincers. Even against low-tier Ferocious Beasts like Jungle Wolves, they could rip apart their tough hides.
Before long, the Army Ant swarm broke through the Jungle Wolves’ defenses. Hundreds and thousands of Army Ants wrapped around the Jungle Wolves.
In less than a minute, the mournful howls of the Jungle Wolves disappeared. The Army Ant swarm lifted the Jungle Wolves’ corpses and crawled back toward their nest.
Only after the tide-like Army Ants vanished did Zhou Ming jump down from the tree.
Looking at the hundreds of Army Ant corpses on the ground, Zhou Ming casually picked one up.
An Ironthread Snake slid out from his sleeve, its sharp venomous fangs instantly piercing through the Army Ant’s carapace.
“The Ironthread Snake’s venomous fangs can break their defense. Dealing with the Army Ant swarm will be much easier.”
After briefly testing the defensive strength of the Army Ants’ carapaces, joy once again appeared on Zhou Ming’s face.
As long as he relied on the mental intimidation of the Dark-gold Serpent Pupils to control the Army Ant swarm, his Ironthread Snake swarm would be able to wipe them out.
As for the Army Ant Queen, without the support of the swarm, it would be like a tiger without claws or fangs—naturally at his mercy.
Sensing that the Army Ant swarm was about to leave his Radar Sensory Domain, Zhou Ming immediately dropped the ant corpse and swiftly chased after the swarm.
Half an hour later, a bald little hill came into Zhou Ming’s sight. Tens of thousands of Army Ants were entering and exiting honeycomb-like tunnels.
“This swarm is way too large.”
Seeing the scene before him, even Zhou Ming felt his scalp go numb.
Not to mention ordinary low-tier Ferocious Beasts—even a dominant existence among low-tier Ferocious Beasts would only come here to become extra food for the Army Ant swarm.
No wonder that even though hunters knew the brain core of the Ant Queen could be refined into potions that enhanced Spiritual Power, no one came to provoke the Army Ants. It was purely a thankless task.
“I can only think of a way to lure and kill them bit by bit.”
After brief contemplation, Zhou Ming did not choose to launch a frontal assault.
Afterward, Zhou Ming began hunting mutated animals or Ferocious Beasts, placing their corpses not far from the Army Ant nest and letting the blood flow out.
An hour later, Zhou Ming, who was hidden among the treetops, sensed an Army Ant swarm approaching.
Just as the Army Ants began moving the mutated animal corpse, Zhou Ming—who had already removed his contact lenses—activated his Dark-gold Serpent Pupils.
A faint, ghostly glow bloomed in his eyes. Within a hundred-meter radius, everything instantly fell silent. The Army Ants that had been transporting food froze in place.
This was suppression from a higher life level. With the Army Ants’ weak consciousness, they had no ability to resist.
However, just as Zhou Ming thought the plan had succeeded, a piercing shriek rang out within his mind. A phantom of an Army Ant Queen, two meters long, appeared in his consciousness.
“This is the mental resistance formed by the interconnected consciousness between the swarm and the Ant Queen?”
Although an unexpected situation had occurred, this surprise instead delighted Zhou Ming, as it further confirmed that his conjecture was correct.
Seeing the Army Ants beginning to stir, the nebula within Zhou Ming’s Spiritual Sea began to rotate at high speed.
What formed this nebula was precisely the source of the mental seeds indirectly provided by the Ironthread Snake swarm.
Although the Ant Queen’s indirect swarm consciousness resisted fiercely, Zhou Ming’s Spiritual Power as a Beast Tamer was not weak either.
Moreover, he had already reached the limit of an Apprentice Beast Tamer. Coupled with his perfection of the snake swarm consciousness, he could also borrow the consciousness power of the Ironthread Snakes.
Suppressing the Army Ant Queen’s resistance, the phantom within his mind immediately dissipated. The Army Ant swarm beneath his feet was once again brought under control.
The surrounding Ironthread Snake swarm emerged, beginning to inject venom into the Army Ants with their fangs.