When Luo Wen crawled back to the surface, it was already nighttime. The cool moonlight bathed the land, with a thin layer of frost on the ground reflecting a crystalline glow.
Luo Wen didn’t feel much of a chill. After all, he had no idea how far he’d traveled from his original location. It was possible that the nighttime temperatures here weren’t as low.
Or maybe his cold resistance had increased. Either way, the constant change of scenery made it difficult to draw any definitive conclusions.
Two light sources still hung high in the sky. Although Luo Wen couldn’t see them clearly, he could faintly discern their positions and colors. One was white with a slight yellowish hue, while the other was tinged with red. The yellow-white one appeared several times larger than the red one.
The cold wind blew through the silence of the night. No insect chirps or other sounds could be heard, creating an eerie and somewhat terrifying atmosphere.
With his six striding limbs crunching lightly on the frost, Luo Wen advanced cautiously, producing faint sounds and vibrations as he explored.
The surrounding shrubs had folded their green leaves tightly against their branches, making the originally yellowish-white branches look like they were wearing green coats. Luo Wen guessed that this might be a unique adaptation for retaining warmth.
Since he encountered no trouble—no giant earthworm relatives or friends—he managed to make significant progress despite his slow pace.
Previously, he had stayed directly above the underground river to quickly gather food and water.
But as the riverbed rose, Luo Wen shifted slightly away to maintain a sufficient strategic depth underground. Now, he was several hundred meters from the riverbed, running parallel to it. This way, he remained close enough to water while having enough soil above him for safety.On this alien planet, Luo Wen still couldn’t figure out the rotational and orbital systems. The timekeeping methods from his previous world no longer applied here. He had been crawling for a long time, yet the sky remained unchanged—the sun showed no signs of starting its shift.
Feeling his energy reserves drop to nearly half, Luo Wen stopped moving forward.
In this unfamiliar and dangerous environment, he didn’t dare exhaust his strength completely. He always stopped with about half his energy left, reserving it for potential emergencies.
After munching on some food from the shrub roots, he burrowed deep underground to rest.
After several days of slow advancement, the number of surface plants increased, and their variety became richer.
The last time Luo Wen crawled to the surface, it was broad daylight. Not long after he started moving, he stumbled upon a dramatic scene.
A massive black insect, easily over ten times his size and roughly the size of a human palm, was surrounded by dozens of ant-like black insects.
The black insect had a flat head with an exaggerated pair of giant mandibles. Its segmented body, viewed from the back, was armored with thick exoskeleton plates. Its six short limbs made it appear very low to the ground, and a pair of slender antennae extended from either side of its mandibles.
The black ants surrounding it seemed unremarkable in appearance. They lacked the exaggerated hooks and massive mandibles of the yellow earth ants Luo Wen had previously encountered and didn’t resort to fecal attacks. Their abilities, if any, were yet to be revealed.
At that moment, both sides were locked in a tense standoff, with the battle on the brink of erupting.
The massive black beetle strolled leisurely, seemingly indifferent to the tiny ants encircling it.
The black ants, on the other hand, held their positions, as if waiting for reinforcements. It made sense; these black ants were smaller than Luo Wen, so why would they think challenging such a behemoth was a good idea?
Luo Wen’s advantage became evident in this situation. Although his compound eyes would have been considered nearsighted by human standards, they were essentially eagle-eyed compared to other insects.
From a safe distance, he observed the confrontation without alerting either side. As long as he avoided making too much noise, they wouldn’t notice him.
Among insects, poor eyesight often meant that other sensory systems were highly developed.
Neither side of this confrontation was something Luo Wen could afford to provoke. He had learned a painful lesson last time he tried to spectate a conflict—losing his self-made nest and being forced into exile for so long.
Despite swearing back then that he would never watch another fight, Luo Wen couldn’t help himself when presented with the opportunity. Fine, so he’d be a “dog” for watching—dogs were far stronger than this fingernail-sized bug he’d become.
Still, he had learned one thing: don’t get too close while spectating. Watch from a safe distance to avoid getting dragged into the fray.
The ants gradually tightened their encirclement, agitating the black beetle. It lost its calm demeanor, brandishing its massive mandibles in preparation for an attack.
The tension reached a breaking point. Unable to endure any longer, the black beetle charged forward, snapping its mandibles around one of the black ants. In an instant, the ant was decapitated.
Its body fell to the ground in two pieces. Even after its head and torso separated, its antennae and limb segments twitched reflexively.
The opening move was swift and deadly, clean and decisive. Luo Wen felt his blood pumping and couldn’t help but cheer internally.
The death of one of their kind enraged the black ants, prompting them to launch a full-scale assault.
The battle quickly turned fierce.
Although the black ants had overwhelming numbers, their slender limbs and small bodies gave them few advantages. Only their sharp mandibles were noteworthy, but these were of little use against the heavily armored beetle.
The black beetle, on the other hand, resembled an unstoppable war machine. Its massive mandibles were unstoppable; anything caught in their grip had no chance of survival. Leaving behind an intact corpse was a rarity.
However, its mandibles had a design flaw. Like two interlocking sevens, they could only deliver their devastating bite at the tips.
The ants’ small size and agile movements made it difficult for the beetle to land precise attacks.
As a result, while its attacks were lethal, the fight remained evenly matched.
Still, the occasional unlucky ant would fall victim, leaving scattered body parts around the battlefield.
Despite their numerical advantage, the ants were slowly losing ground. Without reinforcements, their complete defeat was only a matter of time.
Realizing this, the ants changed their tactics.
Instead of gnawing futilely on the beetle’s thick carapace, the ants climbed its back to target its eyes and antennae—key vulnerabilities that could render it blind and deaf.
Meanwhile, the ants on the ground focused their attacks on the beetle’s clawed limbs.
Though its heavy armor protected most of its joints, the exposed claw tips became the primary targets.
The tactical shift was immediately effective. The beetle’s once-dominant assault became restrained and defensive. It now devoted most of its energy to shaking off ants from its back and dodging attacks at its feet.
Watching from a distance, Luo Wen cursed the ants for their dishonorable, underhanded tactics.