Chapter 59: Attrition
The Swarm deployed its units in small groups of a few hundred, each consisting of Scout Bugs, Soldier Ants, Small Soldier Ants, and Worker Ants. Every squad was accompanied by a Transport Bug, tasked with patrolling around the enemy forces to intercept and annihilate their foraging teams.
A foraging team of approximately 500 ants had ventured less than 50 meters from their main force when they were intercepted by two mobile Swarm squads.
Five hundred versus one thousand, and with the smaller group possessing inferior individual combat power, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.
Each Red Ant had to face at least two Worker Ants. Although the Worker Ants relied on superior numbers and size, their primary tactic was to engage in prolonged skirmishes.
The Red Ants’ stinger attacks were indeed formidable, capable of defeating targets significantly larger than themselves.
However, stinger strikes had a critical weakness: to target an armored opponent, the Red Ants needed to climb onto the enemy, secure themselves, and find vulnerable spots like armor joints to pierce with their stingers.
The Worker Ants countered this by remaining highly mobile. Every time a Red Ant curled its abdomen in preparation for a stinger attack, the Worker Ants would dodge out of reach. Even if a Red Ant managed to grab hold of one, nearby Worker Ants would promptly intervene, pulling the Red Ant away.
Despite the effectiveness of these tactics, unexpected events still occurred. Some Worker Ants were caught and stung during the battle.
Nevertheless, the Red Ant coalition fell faster than the Swarm sustained losses. Combining the efforts of the Soldier Ants and Small Soldier Ants, the Swarm prioritized eliminating the weaker Black Ants.