Qiao Zhi was promoted.

Surprisingly, he had somehow earned a reputation in the polluted zone workplace while his actual job remained stagnant.

Thanks to his exceptional performance, which brought an unexpected flavor to the otherwise monotonous life of the ant colony, both he and Ruan Xing were summoned by the supervisor for a discussion.

"There are now two available positions for you to choose from. I recommend 1005 to the Aphid Chamber and 1004 to the Hatchery. This way, you can both maximize your strengths and serve Her Majesty the Queen more effectively."

The supervisor’s tone had even become more refined, clearly unwilling to be outdone in sophistication.

The corner of Qiao Zhi's mouth twitched. "Thank you for your consideration."

1004, or rather, Ruan Xing, nodded his ant head. "I'll go to the Hatchery."

Just by the name alone, it was obviously an important place, meaning it would hold more clues.

Qiao Zhi immediately spoke up. "I'll go to the Hatchery too, Supervisor!"

The ant tilted its head. "But I feel like you're not very good at taking care of children..."

Qiao Zhi played the emotional card. "1004 is my brother! We hatched from the same egg—I don’t want to be separated from my brother!"

The supervisor's expression became serious. "How can you take work matters lightly? However, an outstanding employee’s feelings shouldn’t be ignored either. How about this—I’ll assign you to the Aphid Room closest to the Hatchery. That way, you can still see each other often."

Qiao Zhi made a bitter face: "Thank you…"

He didn’t dare challenge the rules of the Polluted Zone. Thinking back to the densely packed ants he saw when he first arrived, he couldn’t help but shiver.

The ant didn’t seem too reassured about leaving him on his own. Thus, while Ruan Xing was free to go, Qiao Zhi was personally escorted to the Aphid Room.

Qiao Zhi didn’t know much about ants—his only exposure was what he had learned in school.

In nature, ants and aphids share a symbiotic relationship. Ants love the honeydew that aphids secrete; in return, they protect and care for the aphids.

But who knew if that dynamic was still the same in the Polluted Zone? After all, even the hyphae in the nest had their own consciousness. It was hard to imagine what these so-called "aphids" actually were.

Qiao Zhi lost count of how many tunnels they passed as he followed the ant through a series of twists and turns. Along the way, he saw many familiar mycelium chambers that were used to feed the entire ant colony.

Of course, there was no way a single mycelium chamber could feed everyone. There were likely multiple aphid farms as well.

And when he thought about what was used to cultivate those mycelium, a surge of anger welled up inside him. Beneath each mycelium chamber lay a dense layer of severed limbs. The number of these rooms he had passed was far from just a few.

"1005! What are you daydreaming about?!"

The supervisor’s attitude toward him was nowhere near as friendly as it was with Ruan Xing.

Qiao Zhi sighed. Should've majored in liberal arts instead…

Along the way, his wristband diligently recorded the route, ensuring he wouldn’t get lost. He also mapped out the tunnels and uploaded the information to the public channel in real-time.

"We're here."

The supervisor appeared to be in a good mood. "With your promotions, my role as a supervisor will be recognized. I’ll definitely enjoy a hearty meal tonight when I receive the extra aphid as a reward!"

Qiao Zhi quickly congratulated him.

"By the way, the Aphid Room isn’t as quiet as the mycelium chambers. Several supervisors’ lackeys are stationed there. You'd better fight for my reputation and strive to become the chamber leader first."

Qiao Zhi felt a wave of despair wash over him. Workplace competition has even reached the Polluted Zone…

The arrival of a newcomer always causes a lot of noise, not to mention that this newcomer was sent by a supervisor-level ant himself.

The moment Qiao Zhi stepped inside, he was immediately surrounded. The ants here were noticeably smaller than the supervisor and chattered incessantly.

"Enough! Assign the work first!"

A slightly larger ant, likely the room leader, gave the order.

"1005, handle the newly arrived aphids over there. If you’re unsure about anything, ask the senior next to you."

Qiao Zhi was squeezed into a corner, looking like a rookie nobody wanted to deal with.

"Newbie, you’re in charge of extracting honeydew." One ant vacated its spot for him.

Qiao Zhi stepped forward and faced a wall made of mud.

There were two holes in the wall. From the smaller hole, a muscular arm stretched out, its veins bulging under the tight grip of vines. It was covered in scars and had turned pale from excessive blood loss.

The so-called "honeydew extraction" was actually the process of drawing blood from these "aphids."

And these "aphids" were humans.

Qiao Zhi looked up—right into the face of one of his own teammates.

The teammate smiled at him, his lips dry and cracked. "Hey, Qiao Zhi! Fancy meeting you here!"

—

The supervisor had no worries about Ruan Xing. A worker ant with such a high level of ideological awareness was rare, even across the entire colony.

He rubbed his antennae together a few times before turning to Ruan Xing. "The leaders agreed. Follow the route through Zone C3, pass through B2, and you’ll reach the Hatchery. The room leader is waiting for you there."

Ruan Xing stared at the two antennae.

Messages were transmitted within the nest without the need for any extra devices. If an invasion occurred, wouldn’t all the creatures inside know instantly?

Ruan Xing wasn’t familiar with the provided route, but since the supervisor had already left with Qiao Zhi, he had no one to ask.

[Which direction has the highest pollution level?]

[Seven o’clock from your position.]

After spending so much time in this damp, suffocating underground world, Ruan Xing’s vision had started to blur. His black hair was damp, clinging to his forehead, but his movements remained steady as he followed Fu Gui’s guidance.

[Ruan Xing, where are you?]

Pei Ye’s voice came through the communication channel, and the audio quality was also clearer than before. Ruan Xing mimicked Qiao Zhi and sent his real-time location.

Pei Ye clicked his tongue. "You’re pretty far… They assigned me to cut the corpses here." He cursed under his breath.

Ruan Xing thought of the fragmented limbs in the mycelium chambers.

There’s actually a designated job for cutting up bodies?

[Tell me where the highest pollution levels are. Ask your bird."]

Fu Gui's face darkened, but it didn’t dare to protest inside the mascot's head.

[What do you mean by 'your bird'? That sounds so dirty!]

"Around your eleven o’clock. Not sure of the exact distance."

Pei Ye: [Got it. You and Qiao Zhi stick together and follow the rules. From what I’ve seen so far, as long as we don’t make any aggressive moves, we’re still safe. Stay put and wait for further instructions.]

Ruan Xing agreed verbally, and after hanging up the phone, he continued to move towards his destination.

Fu Gui: [Are you out of your mind?! Didn’t you hear what Pei Ye said? Stay put! We’re safe here!]

Ruan Xing kept walking. [If I fail to report on time, does that count as breaking the rules?]

Fu Gui couldn’t stop him. He was so anxious that he was hopping in place, but there was nothing he could do. He used his little claws to ruffle Ruan Xing's hair: [This is way too dangerous! The closer we get to the center, the stronger those pollutants become. God knows if they can be fooled like that stupid supervisor. ]

The more dangerous a place was, the greater the rewards. But no one can guarantee that staying where you are will be safe either.

Suddenly, a massive figure appeared in their line of sight.

The tunnel was about three meters tall, barely enough to accommodate the ant’s enormous body. Instead of the usual large compound eyes, there were two bulging masses of flesh. Veins protruded across the surface, making them look unnervingly powerful. The ant's pincers were also larger and far more dangerous than those of a regular ant.

Ruan Xing had seen two kinds of ants before—one was humanoid and could fly, and the other was ground-dwelling worker ants, varying in size depending on their rank.

However, what he saw before him was different from anything he had seen before.

It reminded him of the most vital combat force in an ant colony—soldier ants.

"Worker Ant 1004, what are you doing here?" The soldier ant’s massive pincers clacked together as it spoke. The voice sounded young but was utterly rude. "Go to the Queen’s chambers immediately. This area is off-limits."

"I’m reporting to the hatchery."

The soldier ant gave him a once-over before speaking in disdain: "You defective worker ants sure have useful brains. But there are way too many spies around. I need to verify your identity."

Ruan Xing’s muscles tensed, expecting the soldier ant to tear off his disguise. But instead, it merely tapped him lightly with its antennae and then lowered its head.

"Alright, go. Turn left at the second tunnel entrance. Don’t come here again."

After Ruan Xing left, the soldier ant touched its antennae again and murmured to itself, "Why does he have the Queen’s scent on him?"

After many twists and turns, Ruan Xing finally came to the so-called Hatchery.

The space was vast, far larger than the mycelium chamber he had seen earlier. Rows upon rows of incubation pods were stacked densely across the entire chamber.

Nearby, dozens of worker ants were busily tending to their tasks. They would occasionally open the rectangular containers to inspect them before pouring something inside and sealing them shut.

There was a slightly larger ant supervising the work.

The moment it saw Ruan Xing, it shouted angrily: "Why are you late?!"

Ruan Xing remained calm. "Before starting my duties,  I went to pay my respects to the Queen from afar. Even if she cannot hear my faint prayers, she must still be watching over her children. Reporting my progress to the Great One is an honor."

He spoke without hesitation, leaving the overseer dumbfounded. The ant had already known that this particular worker had been assigned here due to his strong ideological devotion. Still, it hadn’t expected him to be this self-disciplined on a daily basis. A sense of strong unease welled up within the overseer.

I absolutely cannot let him get involved with anything important!

Especially not the Royal Eggs!

The overseer’s tone became harsher. "You’ll work with Worker 999. Your job is to transport mycelium threads to feed the hatchlings. Once they emerge from their incubation pods, they need mycelium nutrients and honeydew to grow."

It emphasized once more, "Do NOT go near the eggs! Absolutely no touching!"

Worker Ant 999 was a frail-looking ant, its cheeks sunken as if it hadn’t eaten in centuries.

Perhaps it was exploited so severely that it didn't even have the energy to say a word to Ruan Xing.

Holding a small metal bucket, it carried a shallow red liquid in which mycelium threads floated and swirled happily, completely unaware that they were about to be eaten.

Ruan Xing’s pupils shrank.

The bucket contained diluted human blood.

999 silently placed the bucket in front of an incubation pod, then turned and left—only to return moments later with another bucket.

The cycle repeated endlessly.

Ruan Xing carefully observed his surroundings.

There were many ants like 999—thin, malnourished, and utterly exhausted. Meanwhile, a select few, who barely did any labor and only opened incubation pods, were strong and well-fed, constantly urging the weaker ones to work faster.

The overseer rested idly in an open space. Every so often, a sturdy ant would pass him a cup of "drink" while flattering him with a few words.

It seemed Ruan Xing’s earlier performance had been too convincing. He had flattered the Queen too well, and now the overseer saw him as a threat, deliberately keeping him away from the important tasks.

If he worked obediently, he’d be exploited endlessly and become the next 999.

The surrounding worker ants buried themselves in their tasks. There was no opportunity to get close to the royal eggs.

Ruan Xing picked up a small bucket and planned to assess the situation first.

The moment his fingers touched the handle, the mycelium threads inside suddenly snuggled up to him, curling around his fingers and presenting their softest parts for him to stroke.

Their obedient behavior was exactly like the hyphae he had encountered in the previous mycelium chamber.

Fugui: [Damn, you’re so seductive.]

Ruan Xing frowned. He had noticed earlier that the mycelium threads were not friendly to all living things. There seemed to be something special about him that attracted these things.

He even felt that even if he ripped them apart right now, they would happily let him do it.

Yet, he sensed no intelligence within them.

They were extremely primitive organisms driven purely by instinct.

[Can you control it?] Ruan Xing asked Fu Gui abruptly.

At the same time, when the overseer wasn’t looking, he reached into the bucket and scooped out a handful of mycelium threads.

Before the crow could react, a lump of red mass was tossed straight into the mascot costume head.

The mycelium threads wriggled in delight, affectionately rubbing against Ruan Xing’s cheek. Inside the headpiece, they explored every corner, curiously prodding around.

After leaving the iron bucket, they absorbed the excess blood and returned to their original pure white color.

Finally, they curled up in a cozy corner inside the headpiece. Only a single delicate thread extended outward, lightly touching Ruan Xing’s cheek as if longing for his warmth.

A humble and cautious attempt to please, like a pet afraid of being abandoned—only daring to hold onto a single finger of the man, praying for even the slightest bit of affection.

Fu Gui opened his beak, almost blurting out: Simp!

He had seen shameless creatures before but had never seen anything this shameless!

He was the legitimate wife, bound with an actual contract! All these newcomers are just homewreckers!

Fu Gui jumped onto the tangle of mycelium, stomping on it furiously. But the other party remained docile, lying flat and allowing Fu Gui to bully it, even making an effort not to entangle its feet.

Ruan Xing: [Stop messing around.]

He was still working.

It was as if you were a wife, and one day, your husband brought home a fragile little white flower and asked you to take care of her. The flower never cried or made a fuss, always obedient—but you could see her ambition. You instinctively resisted her, yet your husband told you not to bully her.

In an instant, Fu Gui's mind constructed an entire drama.

[Scumbag! Pah!]

Ruan Xing had no idea what was going on and was completely bewildered.

"999! Why is there no mycelium in this bucket?! How are you doing your job?!" The overseer’s massive mandibles snapped furiously as he lashed out at 999.

His gaze fell upon the bucket that Ruan Xing had emptied earlier. Somehow, it had been brought back inside, and now the overseer had noticed it.

"No dinner for you tonight!"

999’s already sunken cheeks grew even more hollow. It did not defend itself, simply taking the empty bucket away and quietly replacing it with another.

Ruan Xing: "That bucket didn’t have mycelium to begin with."

The overseer already saw him as a threat, and now it disliked him even more. Seeing him defending the other party, it sneered: "1004, no dinner for you either."

Ruan Xing remained silent.

Fu Gui: [Ha! Karma.]

After the overseer left, 999 glanced at Ruan Xing. "Thank you, but it's okay. I'm used to it."

The time on their wristbands pointed to 6 PM—dinnertime.

"Ten minutes. Come back and keep working. Those staying behind, rest where you are."

The overseer and his cronies left first, followed by a group of exhausted workers who were exhausted and half-dead.

In the hatchery, nearly half of the dozens of ants weren’t allowed to eat.

Among them were the unlucky 999 and Ruan Xing. The former leaned against the wall, panting heavily with dull eyes. The remaining ants slumped over, seizing the moment to rest.

Fu Gui, now much calmer, surveyed the scene suspiciously: [Wait… You spoke up on purpose, didn’t you? So you’d also get left behind and take advantage of the situation?]

Ruan Xing: [Take a guess.]

Just then, Qiao Zhi sent a photo to the public channel—a panoramic shot of a cave. About a dozen ants were working hard, using the large pincers on their heads to deal with the wall in front of them.

Within the cave, faint human faces could be seen. Their exposed skin was covered in scars. Beside them sat something Ruan Xing recognized—a small metal bucket.

Qiao Zhi’s caption was brief, with a typo hinting at the situation's urgency: Aphids, humans, honeydew, visible blood.

Ruan Xing discreetly adjusted his gloves, then picked up the small bucket, pretending to continue working as he approached the edge of the incubation pods.

The pod emitted a faint glow. Somehow, it had a working power supply.

Ruan Xing put down the bucket carefully and leaned forward slightly. What he saw inside made him freeze.

Inside the horizontal incubation pod wasn’t an ant larva—but a corpse.

The chest cavity was open, and a basketball-sized, translucent egg nestled where the heart should have been. Through its clear membrane, he could see the body of a black ant larva rising and falling as if it were breathing, with its tiny legs twitching against the shell.

The so-called "incubation pod" was nothing more than a human flesh incubator.

Living humans had their blood drained in the aphid chamber. Their corpses were then delivered to the nursery to feed the young. Later, they were processed, turned into mycelium, and ultimately became food for the colony—nurturing the entire population in another form.

—A complete biological cycle.

Not a single part was wasted.

Ruan Xing narrowed his eyes and watched the larva that was about to hatch. At his fingertips, a faint purple mist began to gather.

Fu Gui was startled: [What are you doing?!]

Ruan Xing: [An experiment.]

He extended a finger, and the mist seeped into the incubation pod, gradually wrapping around the translucent egg and applying pressure.

The ant inside began to struggle violently. Its pincers pierced through its own shell, and a clear liquid flowed out.

But it was futile. It let out a soundless, agonized wail.

Eventually, the purple mist consumed the entire egg cavity. The once-yellow sac turned a deep shade, and the creature inside stopped moving.

After finishing its mission, the mist withdrew, slipping back to Ruan Xing’s fingertips.

The yellow cavity remained intact—but the larva was dead.

A faint smile formed on Ruan Xing’s lips.

Fu Gui swallowed hard: [It actually worked!]

Ruan Xing continued, destroying several more eggs in the same manner.

As he reached the largest chamber in the farthest corner, he encountered fierce resistance.

The purple mist was blocked by a thick, impenetrable membrane. Inside, the larva was on the verge of breaking free—clearly a different breed from the others.

Ruan Xing increased his output.

The larva let out a sharp shriek. Amidst the noise, he faintly heard: "Help!"

Outside, a commotion erupted.

"What’s going on?!"

The overseer scanned the room and spotted a row of ants sprawled against the wall.

"What do you think you’re doing?! Just because you didn’t get to eat doesn’t mean you can be lazy! A bunch of lowly wretches—do you still want to eat in the future?"

He had only intended to scold them. But when he noticed the incubation pods, his face twisted in horror.

Ruan Xing distinctly felt a wave of panic, anger, and fear from the overseer.

The ant frantically checked several incubation chambers. When he reached the farthest one and discovered that it was dead, he shrieked, "Why are the cubs dead?! Who did this?!"

The overseer yanked open the chamber door. The royal egg inside was untouched—but its life force was gone. Shocked and furious, he scanned the group of bewildered ants.

These ants were haggard, their cheekbones sunken, and their bodies frail.

They looked at each other. They had been resting and had no idea what was going on.

"I don't know, Overseer. We were just resting. Maybe there was an issue with the oxygen levels." Someone finally spoke.

The oxygen supply system was near the entrance, and the overseer managed the key. The statement subtly pointed fingers at his negligence.

"Bullshit! I went to eat and didn't touch the instrument at all."

More and more ants gathered around, and their chatter grew louder, turning the place into a raucous scene.

The overseer's anger spiked rapidly, and his head seemed to swell like a balloon. Every sound pumped more air into it while the gaunt, yellowish faces around him flickered like flammable materials near a hydrogen balloon.

Finally, the balloon was detonated by a mocking voice.

"Who knows if you are telling the truth?"