He then saw the path ahead morph into a dark river. On closer inspection, it was a massive swarm of ants, each the size of a southern cockroach.

The vehicles cleared a pathway, everyone holding their breath, hoping the swarm would pass without taking notice.

As the ants neared, the sheer magnitude was intimidating. Everyone inside the vehicle closed their eyes, not daring to watch.

A collective sigh of relief was heard as the ants didn't veer towards them but moved in a straight line. However, just when they thought the danger had passed, an ant on the periphery suddenly turned its gaze towards the convoy.

"Stay silent!" Lee Hongxi whispered.

Over a hundred vehicles stretched out from our side, forming a lengthy procession. To our surprise, the ant swarm was just as extensive. If we can't avoid them, we might face substantial losses.

"Boss, I think those are King Kong ants — the ones the research institute just reported on. They can gnaw even through steel. Their evolved teeth are terrifying," someone remarked.

"Not good, they've noticed us," Lee Hongxi said as he saw an ant running towards their convoy. Its antennae emitted a blue glow, and soon, hundreds of ants followed.

Chapter 009: The Mad Ants

Zhou You also noticed the approaching ants. These creatures would be easy to handle in small numbers. Machine guns protruded from the armored vehicle ahead, shooting the ants with pinpoint accuracy, wasting not a single bullet. "Impressive shooting," Zhou You muttered.

But the gunfire drew the attention of a nearby ant swarm. Zhou You noticed the ants' first reaction was to gather towards the center, where a much larger ant once stood. It was now enveloped by the swarming ants, moving at a fast pace.

"Is that the queen ant?" Zhou You thought. To capture the leader is key. Seeing how protective the ants were of their queen, he figured if they could get her away, the ants might lose interest in attacking humans.

Just then, he heard Lee Hongxi's voice: "Armored vehicles 7 and 8, prepare to hold the rear. The rest, turn around and speed up. Remember, avoid a large-scale confrontation. If you get separated, rendezvous at the forest exit on Route 3."

"Number 7, acknowledged!"

"Number 8, acknowledged!"

Seizing a moment of inattention, Zhou You leapt from the vehicle's roof to a tree branch, concealing himself amongst the thick foliage. As the convoy moved away, the ants discovered the human group and started to chase madly.

Worried about running out of time, Zhou You hurled a large stone at the enveloped queen. The surrounding ants surged up, protecting their queen at the cost of thousands of their own.

Zhou You persisted with his attacks, each targeting the queen, causing chaos and information spread among the ants.

Despite the swarm's vast numbers, the outermost ants didn't receive the signal immediately and continued their relentless pursuit of the convoy.

Seeing the dwindling numbers, Zhou You focused on the queen.

Several of his attacks were repelled by the ants. Although many were killed, they were but a drop in the bucket, with the queen still shielded by a dense guard of ants.

Zhou You attempted to divert them, knowing their primary goal was to protect the queen, leaving them no time to attack others.

But Zhou You soon realized he had underestimated them. He might have been concealed and throwing stones from hiding, but the ants could accurately pinpoint the attacker's location.

"Are these things supernatural?" Zhou You exclaimed, jumping to another tree just as the one he'd been on was consumed and collapsed, stripped clean by the ants.

Zhou You dashed into the forest, causing a ruckus. Predators came, attracted by the noise, but turned tail when they saw the swarm chasing him.

"Don't run! I've brought you a feast," Zhou You said, quickly grabbing a prey animal and tossing it behind him. It was a mature antelope, its powerful legs crushing several ants, but it eventually became overwhelmed and devoured.

Witnessing the swarm's consuming power sent shivers down Zhou You's spine, driving him to further stir up the forest's wildlife.

The animals' escape attempts were futile, as Zhou You timed their encounters with the ant swarm perfectly. Both sides suffered losses. Seeing the ant numbers dwindle, Zhou You let out a sigh of relief.

The convoy sped up. Lee Hongxi grabbed the radio and asked, "Old Zhao, what's the status?"

Using a blue-light telescope, Old Zhao reported every detail from behind, "Captain, not many ants followed us. A few runs over by vehicles 7 and 8 killed most of them. But a few climbed onto regular trucks. Their current situation is unknown."

"Are there no ants chasing from behind?" Lee Hongxi asked in surprise. Ants usually move in colonies; it's rare to see them acting alone like this.

"Nope. It seems these ants got separated. The main swarm probably didn't fancy our pile of metal junk," Old Zhao joked.

"That's a relief. Let everyone know to hurry up and clear out the ants. We don't want them damaging the vehicle parts."

The scattered ants are easy to deal with but hard to spot. Every vehicle has been instructed to have its “passengers” clean the interiors. These little critters are incredibly resilient, almost as tough as cockroaches.

"Don't throw away the ants you kill. Collect and roast them; they make good snacks. While the exploration team might not be interested, they're a decent source of meat for ordinary folks."

Wu Yong just killed an ant that had crept into the vehicle when he heard over the earpiece, "Boss, a child on vehicle 4521 has been bitten by an ant!"

Wu Yong jumped up, anxiously asking, "Who got bitten? Did they catch the ant? That vehicle mostly carries women and children, all of whom are invaluable!"

"We caught it, but the child's thigh has swollen considerably. We need to stop for medicine," the other person said laughingly, "Don't worry, deputy leader, it's not your child."