Chapter 41: Revenge
After several days of post-battle recovery, the hive not only replenished its losses but also slightly increased its total population.
As the Brood Nest grew, its daily egg-laying capacity also improved. Depending on the complexity of the insects being bred, it could now produce anywhere from a few to dozens of eggs daily without overburdening itself.
Eggs that hatched into Soldier Ants were the least produced. Their complex genetics demanded significant resources, making them a costly but powerful asset. Even with the support of four ant nests, Luo Wen’s hive could only sustain fewer than a hundred Soldier Ants. On his own, such numbers would be entirely unfeasible.
Today, Luo Wen had a critical mission in mind. One that had been gnawing at him like a thorn in his side. Although he didn’t consider himself a vengeful insect, the matter of losing an appendage demanded retribution.
He set out with a formidable force of thirty Soldier Ants, one hundred Worker Ants, and all the Scout Bugs at his disposal. The group advanced in a grand procession.
The spider’s ambush had occurred five or six meters up the cliff. Though Luo Wen’s pheromone markings from that time had long since dissipated, he could still discern the general direction. His sharp, high-resolution vision compared the current landscape to the mental image he’d retained.
It didn’t take long for him to identify the area. Crawling along the base of the cliff, he soon found the rocky crevice where the spider had hidden.
With the location confirmed, the group began their ascent. As they neared the crevice, the formation spread out to encircle it.
While Luo Wen was sure of the location, he couldn’t guarantee the spider was still there. Cliff-climbing insects were rare, and with a spider of that size, waiting idly in one spot would likely lead to starvation.