Chapter 77: Clash with the Big-headed Ants (3)
Over the next two days, reinforcements from the rear steadily arrived, bringing the swarm’s numbers back above 2.2 million. Meanwhile, the Worker Ants’ acid reserves and the Soldier Ants’ venom sacs were fully replenished.
Thus, the swarm once again embarked on their grand march.
Although only two days had passed, the Big-headed Ants had resumed their orderly foraging activities. To Luo Wen’s surprise, he discovered another “green stream” flowing through the forest.
Marveling at the audacity of the Big-headed Ants, Luo Wen wasted no time intercepting the stream.
This time, however, the Big-headed Ants were prepared. They immediately launched an all-out response, mobilizing an advance force of over a million troops from their nest.
This advance force was twice the size of their previous vanguard. Luo Wen knew it would be wishful thinking to wipe out such a force in a short time. Engaging them head-on risked entanglement, leaving the swarm vulnerable to encirclement by the Big-headed Ants’ seemingly endless reinforcements.
Such a scenario would spell doom for the swarm, feeding the Big-headed Ants’ expansion. Luo Wen had no intention of aiding the enemy and had anticipated this situation before arriving.
He ordered the large combat units to retreat first, while the Soldier Ants pursued the leaf-carrying Worker Ants, hunting them down along the trail. Previously, these Worker Ants had been spared as bait to lure reinforcements. Now, with a change in tactics, they were fair game—every bit of attrition helped.
With tasks delegated, the respective units departed in an orderly fashion. Left behind were the Transport Bugs and the Worker Ants riding on their backs. Today, they would be the stars of the battlefield, showing the Big-headed Ants what mobile warfare and “cavalry tactics” looked like.