Chapter 195 | The Apocalypse Landlady

Su Wan was in no hurry to leave.

Her gaze fell upon the ordinary Blood-Scythe Ants crawling in and out of the entrance to the ant nest, and another thought occurred to her.

She had already extracted the Queen’s ability.

But what about the ordinary Blood-Scythe Ants?

If she could also extract their toxin, which could cause instant paralysis—

Su Wan pulled up the system interface and locked her perception onto the strongest-looking Blood-Scythe Ant.

【Detected Aberrant for Research: Blood-Scythe Ant (Common Worker Ant, Level 1)】

【Special Ability: Paralysis Toxin — The mandibles of the Blood-Scythe Ant can secrete a neurotoxin that rapidly paralyzes the nervous system once injected into a prey’s body. It is highly effective against Level 1 targets and below (causing loss of mobility within seconds), less effective against Level 2 targets (lasting from several minutes to dozens of minutes), and has negligible effect on Level 3 targets and above.】

【Research Progress: 0%】

【Extractable Ability: Paralysis Toxin (Weakened Version)】

【Points Required for Extraction: 8,000】

【Extraction Success Rate: 95%】

【Post-Extraction Status: Death (Ordinary Blood-Scythe Ants cannot survive the ability extraction process)】

Looking at the ability description, Su Wan felt a bit disappointed. Since it was ineffective against high-level Ability Users, the ability was essentially a thankless task. Thus, she decisively gave up on the idea.

She withdrew her gaze and, under the cover of Shadow-Hide, silently departed from the bloody battlefield.

On the other side, Cold Wind stood beside the command vehicle, watching the surging crimson tide in the distance. His pupils contracted slightly.

“Blood-Scythe Ants…” His voice remained cold, but a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes.

Zhou Hu walked over to him, looking calmly at the approaching swarm. “Prepare for battle!”

Cold Wind nodded and turned to the team behind him, barking an order, “Everyone—prepare for combat!”

But it was already too late.

The remnants of Squad Two crashed into the main force, bringing an absolute catastrophe with them.

The blood-red ants surged forward like a tide, instantly overwhelming the rear of the formation.

“Argh—!!!”

Screams erupted one after another.

The soldiers fired desperately at the swarm, bullets pouring out like rain. They struck the blood-red carapaces, sending up showers of sparks.

But there were simply too many Blood-Scythe Ants.

Kill one, and ten more surged forward.

Kill ten, and a hundred took their place.

The swarm was like an endless tide, crashing in wave after wave, enveloping the entire City Defense Force team.

Cold Wind raised his hand, and an Ice Wall rose from the ground, blocking the frontal assault of the swarm.

The Ice Wall was crystal clear and half a meter thick, glinting with a frigid light under the dim sky.

The Blood-Scythe Ants slammed into the Ice Wall with a piercing cracking sound. They threw themselves at it relentlessly, and soon, a thick layer of ants covered its surface.

Iron Bone rushed back, his body instantly undergoing metalization, gleaming with a dull metallic luster.

He swung his fists, and with every strike, over a dozen Blood-Scythe Ants were crushed into pulp.

However, his movements were too large, and he was quickly targeted by the swarm. Dozens of Blood-Scythe Ants crawled up his arms, their scythe-like mandibles gnawing frantically.

“Hmph!” Iron Bone grunted, fine scratches appearing on his metalized skin.

Zhou Hu stood by the command vehicle, wielding a piece of rebar he had scavenged from the ruins. Every strike swept away a large swath of ants.

Yet, his movements were noticeably “clumsy.” He appeared to be fighting desperately, but in reality, he wasn’t using his full strength at all.

Shadow Blade moved along the edges of the formation, his figure flickering in and out of sight. He occasionally cut down a few ants that got too close, but spent most of his time dodging.

All four Level 3 experts were essentially going through the motions.

Under the onslaught of the Blood-Scythe Ants, the defense line of the ordinary soldiers was as flimsy as paper.

One soldier had just emptied a magazine and was frantically reloading when a dozen ants pounced from the side, instantly covering his body.

Scythe-like mandibles pierced the gaps in his alloy armor, and blood sprayed out. He didn't even have time to scream before he collapsed.

Another soldier turned to run but tripped, falling flat on his face.

He crawled forward desperately, his fingernails digging into the soil until his fingers were bloody, but the swarm was faster.

The blood-red tide spread upward from his ankles. He let out a heart-wrenching scream that was cut short after only a few seconds.

Under the pursuit of the Blood-Scythe Ants, the team struggled to retreat northward, leaving behind mangled corpses along the way.

The armored vehicles were at full throttle, grinding over humus and rubble, but the blood-red ants were like a shadow, clinging tightly behind them.

The tires of one armored vehicle were gnawed through by the swarm. The vehicle lurched violently, crashing into a nearby tree and coming to a halt.

“Abandon vehicle! Abandon vehicle!” The soldiers inside scrambled to get out.

But the swarm had already crawled onto the vehicle, burrowing into every crevice.

Screams echoed from inside the vehicle before quickly falling into silence.

The soldiers on the “Destroyer” fire-support vehicle tried to sweep the swarm with the six-barreled rotary cannon, but the cannon’s firing angle was too low to hit targets at close range.

The ants crawled up the wheels, onto the chassis, up the barrels, and into the firing ports.

“Argh—!!!”

A shrill scream came from inside the vehicle, and then everything went quiet.

The door of the fire-support vehicle was pushed open from the inside, but what poured out were not people, but countless blood-red ants.

Cold Wind’s gaze swept across the surroundings.

The ordinary soldiers were almost all dead, and the remaining dozen or so were on the verge of collapse.

Their ammunition was nearly exhausted, and their stamina was spent, yet the number of Blood-Scythe Ants showed no sign of decreasing.

That was enough.

“Prepare to evacuate!” Cold Wind ordered.

Zhou Hu, Iron Bone, and the others quickly broke free from the swarm’s encirclement.

Cold Wind cast one last look at the soldiers still struggling in their death throes, raised his hand to release an Ice Wall to block the ants' pursuit, and then turned to leap onto the command vehicle.

Four armored vehicles and the command vehicle started up simultaneously, crushing the ant carcasses and the remains of the soldiers as they sped toward the Ruin Zone.

Tires rolled over the wounded soldiers who were still struggling, the sound of snapping bones muffled by the roar of the engines.

The dozen or so surviving soldiers desperately chased after the convoy.

“Don’t leave us! Don’t leave us!” they roared, running with all their might, but two legs could never outrun four wheels.

The convoy drew further away, soon vanishing into the thick vegetation.

The pursuit of the Blood-Scythe Ants gradually ceased once the convoy drove out of the Green Abyss range.

The blood-red ants lingered at the edge of the Ruin Zone for a while before finally receding like an ebbing tide back into the depths of the Non-Safe Zone.

Su Wan had already returned to the command vehicle. After confirming through her mental power that the swarm had retreated, she turned to look at the corner of the cabin.