Chapter 61: After the Battle (1)
After systematically eliminating five splinter forces of the coalition army, Luo Wen’s forces had exterminated approximately 120,000 to 130,000 red and black ants. Although Luo Wen’s swarm lost around 10,000 troops, reinforcements arriving gradually from the mobile units more than compensated for the losses, increasing the swarm’s numbers by over 20,000.
The coalition army finally sensed something amiss and hurriedly regrouped their forces, merging their troops into a single large contingent. However, even in the span of just half a day, the reunited army seemed visibly smaller when viewed from above.
Luo Wen no longer felt any sense of crisis. His initial caution toward the red ants had stemmed from a lack of understanding of their capabilities. Now that they had laid all their cards on the table, dealing with an opponent as slow and limited in reconnaissance capabilities as them was simply too easy.
As the red-black ant coalition continued marching, they gradually realized they had entered a trap. Any scouting parties sent out would mysteriously vanish as soon as they strayed a short distance from the main army. Along their route, they encountered an overwhelming number of confusing pheromone markers, making it impossible to determine the proper direction to proceed. Too cautious to split their forces again, they could only trudge forward blindly.
Day turned to night, and an entire day passed quickly. To their dismay, the coalition army discovered they had come across their own tracks from the previous day. Indeed, they had spent the entire day wandering in circles under Luo Wen’s deliberate guidance.
Every time they dispatched scouts, the Scout Bugs in Luo Wen’s swarm would spot them. Ambush teams riding Transport Bugs would then lie in wait ahead and swiftly eliminate the enemy. Subsequently, the Spy Bugs accompanying the ambush teams would erase all traces of the engagement and replace the enemy’s pheromone markers with fake ones. The coalition had no way of distinguishing between genuine and fake signals, forcing them to blindly follow along.
Over the course of this day, the coalition lost over 10,000 scouts. The losses continued to pile up, and by the next day, another 10,000 scouts were gone, with the coalition army still trapped in its futile loops.
Days of marching without resupply were taking a toll. Exhausted and demoralized, the coalition army made camp to conserve energy and sent out small groups to forage for food. However, these groups, averaging about 10,000 each, were like throwing dumplings to the wolves—none returned.
By the end of the day, out of more than ten foraging teams, only two returned, bringing back little food. With another 100,000 troops lost, the coalition had no recourse. Stranded without supplies and blinded by their sealed-off surroundings, they could only send out more foraging parties the next day.