The Trap

For a brief moment, such a thought crossed Lin Miao's mind.

If he went ahead with his plan and put the fratricidal shield mantis into the terrarium, how would the ant colony, and especially the Queen Ant, perceive it?

Having undergone multiple evolutions, the ants were no longer at the level where they would mindlessly pounce on food the moment it appeared before them.

Because he had long been aware of this fact, Lin Miao had previously been using mealworms for his experiments.

They no longer acted purely on instinct. Instead, they had begun to seek meaning in events and behaviors, deducing cause and effect. At this moment, they would surely analyze his actions in their own way.

And they would do so with far greater precision and detail than ever before.

【The Queen Ant is absolutely convinced of her own judgment. At the same time, she declares to the colony that their actions are correct.】

And his speculation ultimately became reality.

After a moment of hesitation, Lin Miao went ahead and placed the fratricidal shield mantis into the terrarium.

When the ant colony discovered the presence of the fratricidal shield mantis, the Queen Ant grew excited as her judgment was validated.

She viewed Lin Miao's introduction of the fratricidal shield mantis—which could serve as evolution material—as a reward and a gift for their recent victory.

From a certain perspective, the Queen Ant's train of thought wasn't entirely wrong.

Lin Miao clearly wanted them to win.

He truly hoped they would triumph. If they were to lose the war, he would have to expend even more resources to feed the colony, and he might not have any left to introduce new materials.

This feeling made Lin Miao feel less like a victim accidentally dragged into this mess and more like an active driver behind the ant colony's development.

【The servants are hunting a giant enemy they have never seen before.】

Just like the other insects introduced before, the newly added fratricidal shield mantis was treated as a delicious feast by the ant colony and was gradually being dismantled.

The fratricidal shield mantis was originally an insect that excelled at ambushes.

In nature, a few ants would merely be a light snack for it. However, when facing mutated ants that didn't exist on Earth, its powerful, sharp forelegs and massive body had clear limitations.

【The Queen Ant preys upon the target, absorbing its new abilities. Having abundant resources, the servants can now produce the brand-new mutated variant created by the Queen Ant.】

The massive fratricidal shield mantis was completely dismantled by the worker ants and fed entirely to the Queen Ant.

Fortunately, the Queen Ant did not throw it up due to indigestion.

Even at this moment, the Queen Ant continued to feed, accumulating special power within her body.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before she could consume even heavy, massive insects like the rhinoceros beetle.

Staring at the screen, Lin Miao murmured, “...It probably won't take long.”

He shifted his gaze to another screen, which showed a towering wall flickering with firelight.

The Church of the Goddess of Light's forces had successfully defended against the ant colony's sudden assault on the wall's weak points.

But the next wave of attacks, following the total fall of the vanguard fortresses, would be entirely different.

Because the ant colony would also be going all out.

In their eyes, the high wall and the areas beyond it were filled with the special food they craved. There was absolutely no way they would give up.

Lin Miao shifted his gaze back to the screen displaying the Queen Ant.

Indiscriminate slaughter, incomprehensible rampages...

For creatures whose sole purpose of existence was endless devouring and voracious feeding, could they really achieve something more?

Although Lin Miao harbored doubts, he could only hope for the Queen Ant to grow as quickly as possible.

Within the Queen Ant's constantly evolving intellect, he saw a more tangible hope.

He hoped that one day, she would truly be able to understand his words.

But just how much food would that process require?

Deities were beings forged from countless sins and equally heavy destinies.

Even Lin Miao could not deny or erase this fundamental truth that could elevate one's Divine Status.

...

Near the high wall.

Baron Radion said to a general beside him, “It seems the vanguard fortresses have completely fallen. Whether they held their ground or tried to find an opportunity to retreat, they failed.”

Another general refuted with a look of utter disbelief, “How is that possible... The beacon tower is still emitting smoke. If they were wiped out, how could that fire still be burning now?”

The high wall still required more construction time before it could be fully completed.

In the distance, the beacon towers of the fortresses deployed in strategic locations could be seen burning with raging fires.

It was clear that even now, a full day after the ant colony's offensive had ended, thick smoke was still billowing from the beacon towers.

Without anyone tending to them, the beacon fires could not possibly burn for this long.

The general guessed in a trembling voice, “Could those monsters be deliberately keeping the beacon towers burning?”

Baron Radion said coldly, “We have no other choice but to think so. The communication crystals should have finished recharging by now, yet there has been no reply. Do you still not understand?”

Baron Radion, who was executing defensive duties at the high wall, recalled the ants he had personally witnessed in the north while following Inquisitor Daniel. A cold sneer curled the corner of his lips.

The ants appearing before them now were variants that absolutely could not be understood with common sense.

Unlike the local knights who found it incomprehensible, he believed that even if these ants suddenly stood up on two legs and started dancing, it wouldn't be impossible.

“The Goddess says that the protective beacon guarding us has turned into an evil flame. This is a warning for us not to be deceived by the beacon fires.”

In fact, Baron Radion's words quickly became reality.

The Goddess Hestia had delivered an oracle to key figures, revealing that this was a trick set by the ant colony.

However, even though this kept everyone from falling into the trap laid by the ant colony, delivering an oracle in itself placed an immense burden on a deity.

Having expended extra power on this region, the Goddess's mood was naturally extremely foul.

Hestia gritted her teeth in her mind, “Those bastards. Now that things have come to this, I must stop them no matter what. Even if I have to pay any price. Even if I can't wipe out these insects' nest, I just need to make them shift their target.”

The reason she had built the high wall and was fighting so desperately was not to eradicate the ant colony, but simply to survive.

As long as the ant colony couldn't breach the high wall and turned their sights elsewhere, she could seize the opportunity to recover her strength and grasp a chance to counterattack.

A sentry on the wall suddenly shouted a warning, “They're coming! They're charging at us again!”

Thus, around the high wall, a fierce and tragic war officially commenced.

The ants, making a comeback after wiping out the vanguard fortresses, surged forward in numbers far exceeding before, madly slamming into the high wall.

This was a life-and-death struggle between humans with no retreat fighting for survival, and creatures fighting solely to devour them.

【The Queen Ant realizes that the high wall is a trapping device that naturally gathers prey together.】

But there was a fundamental difference between the two warring sides.

The more they slaughtered each other and the more casualties there were, the more one side would continuously obtain exactly what it wanted.