Karon frowned as he looked at Durkan, who sat across from him. This fellow goblin chief and long-time rival, whom he hadn't seen in ages, only added to his growing irritation.
“So those humans ended up refusing in the end?”
The plan to form a coalition army, spearheaded by the goblins, had ultimately only been half-successful.
The goblin tribes directly competing with the ant colony for survival had naturally all joined the cause.
Additionally, some beastkin from the western plains, who had long observed the goblins' growth and occasionally aided them, joined the coalition as mercenaries.
But in the end, the most prosperous forces in the region—the human territories to the south—had overwhelmingly refused to join the fight.
Unaware of how powerful the goblins had become under the guidance of Venerable Night Moon, these human lords still dismissed them as mere low-level magical beasts and paid no heed to their warnings.
Even the few lords who felt the warning had merit were so bogged down by their own chaotic internal affairs that they could not spare a single soldier.
“Or perhaps they're just hoping we and those crazy monsters wipe each other out.”
Karon's brow furrowed even deeper.
He knew all too well how this felt. Not long ago, he had planned to let his rival, Bagis, clash with the ant colony so they would destroy each other.
The realization that his own clever scheme was now being used against him by the humans made his mood exceptionally sour.
“So in the end, we're the ones who have to carry the brunt of this...” Durkan clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath.
The beastkin mercenaries made up only a small fraction of their forces. This meant the impending war would be a true life-or-death trial for every goblin chief in the region.
Had the coalition army been formed according to Karon's original plan, Durkan might have found a way to minimize his own tribe's casualties. Now, however, that hope was entirely dashed.
Durkan looked at Karon and asked in a low voice, “Do you have a plan?”
“I have spared no effort to figure out exactly what those monsters are.”
Confronted with the question of how to fight the ant colony, Karon spoke with a grim, serious expression, emphasizing every word:
“What types of ants they have, what abilities they possess, and how they used them to conquer those human settlements—I have investigated all of it.”
Karon was cunning by nature and meticulous in his planning.
The goblin chiefs chosen by Venerable Night Moon possessed intelligence that far surpassed ordinary goblins, and Karon was easily the most brilliant among them.
He had spent weeks gathering every scrap of intelligence on the ant colony, carefully analyzing their characteristics and behavior.
“At first, only the small ones appeared in swarms. Then came the giant soldier ants. Now, they even have ones that spray venom. They are constantly growing stronger.”
Much like painting a mural on the tribe's great stone walls, Karon had meticulously detailed his findings on animal skin scrolls, sharing the information with Durkan and the other goblin chiefs.
To ordinary goblins, such a highly organized military briefing would be utterly inconceivable.
For a species that had spent generations living as savage, low-level magical beasts, this display of intellect was a monumental milestone. However, with an existential crisis looming, any sense of pride had to be cast aside.
Just then, another chief, Adon, spoke up in a low voice, cutting straight to the heart of the matter: “The most critical issue is the location of their nest. If we don't burn it to the ground, they will just keep spawning endlessly, won't they?”
“Exactly. We need to hit them where it hurts.”
With their plans set, the newly formed coalition army officially began its pre-war preparations.
They dispatched a massive wave of scouts, intensifying their reconnaissance missions.
Lin Miao stared at the screen, watching the constant skirmishes between the goblin scouts and his own scouting ants, lost in thought.
A handful of small ants stood little chance against goblin scouting parties that included elite warriors.
Recognizing this, the ant colony quickly adjusted its strategy, deploying stronger combat ants alongside the scouts and increasing the overall size of their reconnaissance teams to counter the goblins.
“Can we not produce winged ants yet? Their mobility would be on a completely different level.”
Lin Miao watched the screen, eagerly hoping the colony would soon breed winged flying ants.
While it required specific evolutionary conditions, it wasn't an impossible feat.
If flying ants were introduced, their scouting range and efficiency would experience a monumental leap.
Yet, for some unknown reason, the colony had not yet produced any winged variants.
【Your servants have discovered the enemy's main force. Prepare for battle.】
Instead, the scouting ants finally located the densely packed main army of the goblins, and the hive immediately began mobilizing its forces.
The hunting squads scattered across the region were recalled and assembled into a single massive army in record time.
The entire process was carried out with flawless precision, completely free of error. This efficiency was made possible by their hive mind, which allowed them to share information in real-time, far surpassing the limitations of physical pheromones.
“Exactly. The best defense is a good offense.”
Lin Miao had to admit that preemptive action was their best option.
While the goblins had gathered intelligence on the ant colony, Lin Miao and his ants were also in the dark about the goblins' hidden trump cards.
Furthermore, the goblins they were facing were mutated variants that even local human lords feared.
Lin Miao decided that rather than waiting, it was better to strike first.
Although his colony grew stronger by the day, giving the enemy too much time might allow them to devise a lethal countermeasure to exploit the ants' weaknesses.
“They're coming! The monsters are coming!”
Spotting the ant colony surging over the rugged mountain terrain like a massive black tide, the goblin scouts shrieked in absolute terror.
They scrambled to send word back, throwing Karon's main army into immediate panic.
“How can they move so fast?! Stick to the plan!”
Karon cursed inwardly at the colony's terrifying speed. Raising his voice to a roar, he began barking orders to rally his troops.
Although the colony's relentless, head-on charge caught them slightly off guard, the situation was still within Karon's calculations.
Karon turned to the helmeted beastkin mercenary captain preparing to deploy. “Tux, can I truly rely on you?” he asked in a low voice.
Tux, a massive beastkin riding a giant wolf that dwarfed any wolf the goblins had ever tamed, grinned savagely. “Of course. We always get the job done.”
Karon nodded. “The monsters' nest should be empty right now. Go and burn it to ashes.”
This beastkin mercenary band had cost Karon every last coin and treasure he had plundered from Bagis's castle.
The only reason Karon held back this elite force from the front lines was for a grander strategy: a flanking maneuver to strike directly at the heart of the ant colony's nest while their main forces were engaged.
“Prepare for battle!”
While the beastkin slipped away toward the nest, Karon directed his main forces to fortify their positions, preparing to hold the line against the oncoming tide.
【Your servants have surrounded the enemy's stronghold and are preparing to launch their offensive.】
Thousands of goblins had worked tirelessly, felling trees and digging up trenches to construct a massive temporary fort in record time.
The fort was large enough to house their entire army, protected by a thick, imposing wall of packed earth and heavy timber.
Yet, the ant colony charged toward the wooden wall without a moment's hesitation.
The experience of breaching human stone fortresses was deeply engraved in the colony's collective memory.
A crude barrier of dirt and logs was nothing to them; they could scale and dismantle it in a matter of seconds.
Watching the endless swarm advance with terrifying, mindless resolve, the defending goblins trembled with fear.
These giant insects required no communication, no emotional coordination, and no delay in transmitting orders. This perfect efficiency was the secret to their terrifying speed.
Their unnatural, mechanical, and completely emotionless advance struck primal dread into the hearts of any sentient being.
“Fire!”
Fear or no fear, the clash was inevitable.
Following the commands of their officers, the goblin archers unleashed a volley of crude arrows, fighting desperately for survival.
A rain of arrows, javelins, and the occasional burst of magic from the shamans pelted the advancing swarm.
Normally, the colony would have sent their heavily armored soldier ants to tank the damage and lead the charge. This time, however, they employed a different tactic.
The venomous ants—instantly recognizable by their menacing, dark-red exoskeletons—surged to the front, unleashing a torrential spray of highly concentrated acidic toxin.
“Argh!?”
The spray was a concentrated formic acid solution Lin Miao had introduced to the terrarium, which the colony had refined through countless experiments and infused with their own magic power.
For the goblins, even a single stray droplet touching their skin caused agonizing chemical burns and corrosion.
If it splashed into their eyes, it caused instant, permanent blindness. It was a terrifyingly lethal weapon.
This highly efficient toxin was the result of countless trials and sacrifices by the colony.
Delivered by a generation of venomous ants bred specifically to harbor and withstand it, the chemical attack dealt a devastating blow to the massed goblin ranks.
“Raise your shields! Cover your eyes!”
Fortunately, Karon had anticipated this based on his prior intelligence and had prepared accordingly.
Simple, wide wooden shields were distributed among the front ranks, proving highly effective at blocking the liquid spray.
Even so, the corrosive barrage severely disrupted the goblins' defensive rhythm.
Exploiting the chaos, the ant colony suffered minimal casualties as their main assault force reached the base of the dirt wall.
“Raise your spears!”
At last, the brutal close-quarters melee where the ants excelled began in earnest.
Goblins swung their weapons in a desperate bid to survive, clashing violently against the swarm of clicking mandibles that bit, tore, and dismembered them.
【The Queen Ant believes that the venomous ants can be further improved.】
Watching the battle unfold, Lin Miao read the prompt reflecting the Queen Ant's thoughts and nodded in agreement.
The colony had already amassed an immense wealth of combat experience.
To Lin Miao's loyal servants, every war was the most direct and efficient catalyst for evolution.
“Now, how will they deal with those flankers heading for the nest?”
In that regard, the beastkin mercenary band currently racing toward the nest would serve as the next test for his colony.
Through the eyes of hidden scouting ants, the colony clearly tracked the large group of beastkin rapidly approaching their home.
They would have to intercept and eliminate them using only the limited forces left behind to guard the nest.
【The Queen Ant is curious about the combat power of this new enemy.】
Unlike the goblins, who were generally smaller than human females, the beastkin were far taller and more muscular than even human males.
Unlike the goblins, who were universally dismissed as low-level pests, the beastkin were recognized across the continent as a formidable warrior race.
The colony had never faced beastkin before, making them an entirely unknown variable.
【The Queen Ant strongly advocates for a safer approach.】
“...That is indeed the wiser choice.”
As the one responsible for the genetic engineering and synthesis of the entire colony, the Queen Ant viewed these new enemies with a mix of deep curiosity and extreme caution.
Rather than risking a chaotic, unpredictable skirmish with their limited defenders, she decided it would be far safer to lure them into a prepared ambush and annihilate them all at once.
Though it carried some risk, it was undoubtedly the most logical strategy.
“Has the Queen Ant really grown this much?”
Reading the system prompts, Lin Miao understood the Queen's full intent and couldn't help but marvel.
It hadn't been long since the twice-evolved Queen Ant had first awakened the desire to override the base instincts hardwired into her genetics.
Yet, in such a short span of time, she had learned and grown at an exponential rate. Now, she possessed the cold, calculating rationality required to suppress the colony's natural urge to charge blindly, choosing instead to execute a tactical retreat.
This level of cognitive processing far exceeded the physical limits of her own brain.
Yet, the Queen Ant had found a brilliant workaround using the hive mind.
She had begun harnessing the idle processing power of the countless individuals in her colony. Since the individual ants possessed brains but acted purely on the instructions of the hive mind, their neural pathways were essentially free real estate.
By monopolizing this vast network of decentralized processing power, the Queen Ant was constantly shattering her own cognitive limits, evolving into an entity of terrifying, godlike intelligence.
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