Many ants were visibly excited.

The newcomer didn't understand the situation, but the workers were ranked according to seniority.

However, there were plenty of old workers to choose from, so who would become the next leader?

999 looked around before stepping forward. "While everyone here is experienced, during this whole process of overturning injustice, 1004 contributed the most. No one would object if he were to become the new leader, right?"

The surrounding ants murmured among themselves.

"I agree!" An ant raised its legs.

Others quickly followed suit, voicing their approval.

Ruan Xing showed a troubled expression. "But I am disabled. I am lacking few limbs, and I don’t even have antennae—”

999 stepped forward again. "I'll report the situation to the leadership!"

It began rubbing its antennae together, much longer than any other ant Ruan Xing had ever seen. Other ants' antennae twitched, and some also started rubbing and sending messages.

About seven or eight minutes later, 999 beamed. "The higher-ups agreed!"

The ants cheered as their thin, gaunt faces lit up with joy.

At the same moment 999 received the response, a map appeared in Ruan Xing's mind.

It was densely marked with various locations. The largest red area was the Queen’s Nest, and their current location was marked in orange—not far from the nest.

He had established a connection with the polluted zone and was able to send information like an email.

Ruan Xing greeted 999.

999 looked over in surprise. "The Queen has acknowledged you! Your antennae have been restored!"

Ruan Xing confirmed that nothing strange had grown on him. From the ants’ perspective, it seemed that his communication ability had returned.

Fu Gui pondered: [This must mean the rules have recognized you. In the world of pollutants, you are now considered normal. Within the ‘Overseer’ authority, your actions likely won’t trigger any anomalies in the rules.]

[But this is probably temporary. This ability will only work inside the nest. Once you leave, you’ll lose this ability.]

Ruan Xing didn’t expect too much. His current abilities were already more than enough. He raised his hands, signaling for silence. "Everyone, listen to me."

The ants, their eyes gleaming, gradually quieted down.

"Today is an important day. We personally executed the traitors who harbored ill intentions! Moreover, the Queen has rewarded us for our actions! Just now, my communication ability was restored."

To prove his words, Ruan Xing sent a message to each of them.

The ants erupted in astonishment—no one had ever heard of a crippled one recovering before.

"From now on, I can communicate like a normal companion. I will no longer suffer from cold stares. Though my body remains incomplete, my spirit is no less than anyone else's. And I believe that as long as we keep working hard, under the Queen’s protection, even the rest of my body can be restored."

Ruan Xing wiped his gloved hand over the eye section of his headgear as if wiping away nonexistent tears.

"All of you have had difficult days in the past—perhaps with barely enough clothes or food—but since you’ve chosen me as your Overseer, I will lead you toward a better future. No more hunger, no more suffering—we will all have food to eat and clothes to wear, all without living in fear!”

999 eyes were filled with tears, clearly overwhelmed with emotion.

He had waited too long for this day!

He wasn’t the only one. Many ants also had tears in their eyes, waving their antennae and legs to express their joy.

Their new overseer was truly incredible! No one had ever spoken to them like this before!

They were determined to work even harder in the future!

Fu Gui: [Wait, are you serious? You're not planning to be human anymore? You want to stay here forever?]

Ruan Xing: [Of course not.]

He immediately continued, "The remaining cubs are in stable condition. Those who haven’t eaten yet, go get some food. Those who’ve already eaten can take an hour-long break. We’ll regroup in an hour."

The ants cheered and scattered, leaving the breeding room empty.

Ruan Xing removed his stuffed gloves, revealing the communicator inside.

Comparing the half-drawn map in the public channel with the one in his mind, he carefully marked the important locations—especially the Aphid Room, Hatchery, and the Nest.

Then, he uploaded the completed map to the public channel.

Pei Ye: [Ok, this helps a lot.]

Each overseer could claim one aphid per week. After getting the news from 999, Ruan Xing decided to check it out.

The entire nest had only one storage chamber, making it heavily guarded. A massive soldier ant stood outside, its enormous head held high, radiating vigilance.

"Who goes there?!"

"The newly appointed Hatchery overseer, here to claim an aphid."

The soldier ant touched its antennae. "Alright, wait outside. Do you want it alive or dead?"

Ruan Xing: "What's the difference?"

“Alive ones are soft. Dead ones are chewy.”

"Alive."

Ruan Xing attempted to follow as the soldier ant turned and entered the tunnel.

However, when he stepped forward, another soldier ant emerged from inside, staring at him warily. "This is a restricted area. No snooping!"

Ruan Xing halted his steps.

The level of security here exceeded his expectations.

Ruan Xing: "Apologies, it's my first time here."

The soldier ant continued to eye him warily while standing guard outside of the storage chamber.

After a while, the first soldier ant returned—dragging a bald man.

Ruan Xing was stunned. It was someone he knew.

The very person had warned him and Qiao Zhi to be careful before entering the contamination zone.

But now, the man’s mascot costume was gone. His body was covered in red—his own blood and probably others as well.

The bald man was unconscious while being clamped tightly by the soldier ant’s pincers. The grip was strong, warping his waist to the point of near-severance.

The soldier ant tossed him to the ground. "Here."

The two soldier ants tapped their antennae. One returned inside the Storage Room while the other resumed its post outside.

Ruan Xing struggled to drag the bald man back to the hatchery.

By the time he returned, many ants had already gathered.

Seeing their room leader bring back an "Aphid," they immediately offered their congratulations.

Ruan Xing found an empty incubation pod, propped the bald man up against the side, and reached out to check under his nose—he was barely breathing.

With a pained expression, Ruan Xing placed his palm against the bald man’s chest and emitted a faint, barely perceptible green glow.

At the very least, he had to keep him alive for now.

[Healing Spell (Basic)]

The moment Ruan Xing cast the spell, the mycelium on Fu Gui’s chest suddenly became highly active. It detached itself from the crow's body and crawled along Ruan Xing’s arm, stopping just at the edge of his glove.

Several strands of mycelium stretched out from the glove’s seams and reached toward the area where the healing spell was being applied.

Then, Ruan Xing felt a portion of his magic energy being absorbed by the mycelium. The mycelium trembled as it absorbed the energy, shaking like a substance user getting a fix.

Fu Gui: [This thing just grew bigger!]

Previously, the mycelium had been small, like a fluffy cotton ball. But after absorbing just a bit of Ruan Xing’s healing magic, it had swelled to the size of a fist. His glove could no longer contain it, and much of it overflowed, making it look like he was wearing a fuzzy mitten.

Ruan Xing frowned. He didn’t mind sharing a little magic, but if this thing turned out to be useless or even tried to attack him later, it was better to get rid of it now.

As if sensing his thoughts, the mycelium trembled and rubbed against Ruan Xing’s wrist, gently wrapping around it in an attempt to curry favor.

[L-like... like...]

Fu Gui cried out, “This thing developed a consciousness after absorbing magic?!”

Ruan Xing’s eyes widened slightly as he stared at the mycelium on his wrist. For a moment, he wasn’t sure how to react.

He considered himself well-versed in strange phenomena, but this was the first time he had encountered a species that could grow so rapidly just from a little magic.

After thinking for a while, he said, “If you can understand me, curl yourself into a bracelet and stay on my wrist for now.”

The mycelium sensed Ruan Xing’s change in attitude and excitedly wiggled its strands before compressing itself into a thin band, wrapping itself neatly around his wrist. However, one strand was still mischievously touching his palm, continuing to absorb magic.

About three minutes later, the bald man’s fingers twitched slightly, and he let out a harsh cough. When he regained consciousness, he instinctively crossed his arms over his chest in a defensive posture.

“It’s me,” Ruan Xing said in a low voice.

“Ruan Xing?” Baldie looked shocked. “How did you—?”

He glanced around at the ants, who were completely indifferent to his presence as they diligently worked as usual.

“What’s going on?”

Ruan Xing replied, “It’s a long story. What’s the situation in the storage room?”

The bald man let out a bitter laugh and summarized the key points.

Inside the storage room, soldier ants patrolled constantly, so the security was tight.

The area was divided into two sections: one for the living and one for the dead. The latter was a massive pile of corpses, at least several hundred in number.

There were about thirty living "aphids," including the members of the second exploration team and some ordinary people. However, they were all in poor condition.

“Ordinary people? Doesn't the base have strict population checks? How did so many people go missing without anyone reporting it?” Ruan Xing touched the chip implanted in his arm.

The bald man shook his head. “It’s too difficult to track. Mercenaries traveling alone disappear all the time.”

His expression turned grim. “Now that we’ve found the people, the real problem is—how do we get out of here safely?”

Ruan Xing lowered his gaze to his wrist. “That’s something for the team leader to figure out.”

—

Chen Yihang stared at the communication channel displayed on his wrist. “Senior, Ruan Xing just reported that he found the storage chamber. There are survivors—including members of the second squad. We can start now.”

Chen Yihang was sitting on top of a massive silver machine. It resembled a large, sideways exhaust fan with a square top just big enough for one person to sit on. Inside, the blades spun rapidly, yet no wind could be felt.

On the battlefield, Pei Ye casually flicked his wrist, effortlessly slicing off a soldier ant’s head.

Transparent liquid splattered across his face. He hunched slightly and sighed, “So, can you get down here and help already?”

Chen Yihang shrugged. “Alright, but I doubt we can keep this under wraps for long.”

Pei Ye asked, “Did you send out the operation plan?”

Chen Yihang made an "OK" gesture.

“Good. Now put that thing away—it looks ridiculous.”

Chen Yihang pulled out a small green notebook and flipped to a random page. The strange machine folded like a piece of paper in mid-air and disappeared.

[Journal from Another World] (異世界手劄, yì shì jiè shǒu zhà)

An artifact from an unknown world. Enter a description, and it may summon the item you need most at the moment.

“The bio-signal jammer worked pretty well,” he remarked.

【Bio-Signal Jammer】

An invention of an unknown scientist. Blocks all biological signals within a 200-meter radius, regardless of environmental conditions.

Remaining summons for today: (2/3)

Chen Yihang tucked the notebook away. “Too bad it only works for twenty minutes per use.”

Pei Ye scoffed, “If your place is too cluttered, maybe you should stop hoarding all these weird things!”

Chen Yihang’s dimples appeared as he grinned. “I bought another house just to store my stuff.”

Pei Ye rolled his eyes. “Hoarder.”

When Chen Yihang deactivated the jammer, a piercing alarm blared inside Ruan Xing’s mind.

Countless ants rubbed their antennae together, frantically transmitting messages:

“Intruders detected! Requesting immediate backup!”