The ants in the hatchery instantly panicked and whispered among themselves.

Ruan Xing: "Silence!"

His words now carried significant weight, so the ants quickly stopped talking.

Ruan Xing: "Everyone, our chance has come. There are intruders now—if we can capture them, promotions and salary raises are just around the corner."

999: "Can we go over to support?"

Ruan Xing: "Of course! Protecting the colony is every ant’s duty. Are we just going to let the soldier ants take all the credit? If you wait for your turn, when will you ever get a chance to shine?"

Many ants began to stir with excitement. They had just witnessed a newcomer who got promoted as an overseer. Now was the perfect opportunity for them to make a name for themselves.

Who wouldn't want an opportunity for promotion and raise?

"For the Queen!" an ant shouted, and the others echoed in unison.

The concerned 999 hesitated: "What about the cubs? Will they be in danger?”

Ruan Xing smiled reassuringly. "No, I've already taken care of it. Don’t worry."

Seeing 999 follow the large group eagerly—unaware they were running straight to their deaths—Fu Gui shook his head. [Idiots! The greatest danger is right beside you!]

The swarm of ants rushed out, leaving the nursery completely empty.

The bald man propped himself and stood up with difficulty: "I'll help you."

Ruan Xing pushed him back down. "Just rest. These little creatures are not that difficult to deal with."

He took out a key and unlocked the safe, revealing oxygen equipment.

Upon becoming an overseer, certain rules had been imprinted in his mind, including knowledge about the cultivation of cubs. If these cubs lost access to oxygen, they would die within ten minutes.

A faint red glow indicated that each machine was functioning normally.

His gaze landed on the main switch, and he pulled it down.

A long beep sounded as the nursery was plunged into darkness.

Ten minutes later, the eggs that had once pulsed rhythmically fell into lifeless silence.

Aside from a few royal eggs in the corner that struggled in vain—which were swiftly eliminated by the bald man—the hundreds of hatching cubs ceased all movement.

Ruan Xing: "Qiao Zhi will pick you up soon. Take this gun for protection."

The bald man was stunned. "Where are you going? It’s dangerous here. They’ll realize the larvae are dead soon.”

Ten minutes later, Ruan Xing had already dealt with the third wave of soldier ants.

Most of them were in a rush to reinforce Pei Ye's side, where the commotion was simply too overwhelming.

His "mailbox" was practically exploding with reports of outposts falling one after another.

A sharp voice called out: "1004, what are you doing here?!"

It was the supervisor who had previously escorted Ruan Xing and Qiao Zhi. The supervisor looked hurried—likely heading to the frontlines. Seeing a former subordinate sneaking around, he couldn't help but question him.

Ruan Xing stopped as he could not ignore a talk from a familiar face.

"I haven’t had the chance to congratulate you—your promotion was faster than a rocket!" The supervisor paused briefly, then muttered, "Rocket? What the hell is that? Ugh, my mind's been a mess lately."

Ruan Xing reached for the small of his back and nodded slightly. “It’s all thanks to your guidance.”

The supervisor was puzzled. "Why aren't you taking care of the cubs in the hatchery? What are you doing out here? It's chaotic outside—it's not safe. If anything happens to the cubs, can you take responsibility?"

Just as he finished speaking, his antennae twitched, and his expression changed dramatically.

"The cubs are all dead?!"

He immediately turned to Ruan Xing—only to be greeted by a bullet.

“You—you’re a traitor!” The ant was both shocked and furious, instinctively opening its mandibles to bite.

Ruan Xing took a step back and tossed a mini-bomb directly into its open mouth.

With a muffled explosion, the supervisor's head was blown to pieces.

By now, Ruan Xing had a clear understanding of the bomb’s power. One was just right enough to kill without collapsing the tunnel.

Fu Gui shook its head and muttered, "Sorry, I’m a policeman."

Ruan Xing shot it a glance. "What are you mumbling about?"

Fu Gui flapped its wings dismissively. "Nothing"

Ruan Xing was about to leave, but he felt a slight resistance on his wrist—the mycelium held him back.

[Hungry... food...]

Ruan Xing looked at the muddy pile of ant corpses on the ground and grimaced. "Don't eat that. It's disgusting."

The mycelium visibly wilted.

Before long, Ruan Xing reached the outskirts of the Queen’s chamber again.

"Who’s there?" A young male voice called out—it was the same soldier ant from before.

"It’s me. We've met before."

Ruan Xing replied as he stepped out of the shadows. It seemed like news of the cub's death hadn’t reached this area yet.

The soldier ant narrowed its eyes. "It’s you. What do you want?"

Ruan Xing: "I seek an audience with the Queen."

The soldier ant: “The Queen sees no one. Leave.”

Ruan Xing: "I have something important to offer her."

He pulled a Longevity Lock from his pocket, which was currently scorching hot, like a branding iron.

"I found this outside the tunnels."

The soldier ant narrowed its eyes and leaned in.

There's no doubt—the object bore the Queen’s scent. And it looked... familiar.

"Leave it here and go—"

Bang!

The soldier ant's exoskeleton was incredibly tough, and the bullet only left a faint mark.

But Ruan Xing’s target wasn’t its heart but its antennae.

The soldier ant’s expression twisted in shock as the massive muscles on its head tensed up. "Enemy attack! Protect the Queen!"

It rubbed its antennae together, trying to send out an alert. But the moment it realized one of its antennae had been shot off, its face contorted in rage.

Fu Gui: [Scream all you want! No one’s coming to save your Queen! Hahaha!]

The soldier ant let out a deafening roar and charged at Ruan Xing, shaking the ground beneath it.

Ants didn’t excel in individual strength—their advantage lay in sheer numbers.

That was why Ruan Xing always aimed for the antennae first.

If the antennae rub together and summon over a dozen reinforcements, what’s the point of fighting?

At the same time, black-purple mist began to gather around Ruan Xing.

His strength was never in a head-on confrontation. When he was outmatched, he knew when to lie low.

The soldier ant's movement faltered as it inhaled a significant amount of the toxic mist. But Ruan Xing didn’t let his guard down. He continued to kite the ant through the narrow tunnels, using the terrain to evade its attacks.

Frustrated by its inability to land a hit, the soldier ant became increasingly agitated. It charged recklessly, smashing the tunnel apart in its rage. Instead of weakening Ruan Xing, its wild attacks actually made it harder for him to maneuver.

He lacked powerful offensive attacks, and the soldier ant’s sheer size and speed far outmatched that of worker ants. Even if he threw a bomb, there was no guarantee it would hit a vital spot—it might just collapse the tunnel.

For now, he could only slowly wear it down.

The mycelium began stirring restlessly again.

A flash of inspiration hit Ruan Xing. “Can you entangle the soldier ant?”

The mycelium wavered before extending a single strand and tapping lightly.

Ruan Xing immediately threw the bracelet.

Mid-air, the mycelium unfurled completely, forming a white net several meters wide that lunged straight for the soldier ant’s legs.

If it had been an inanimate object, the soldier ant could have dodged it with ease. But the mycelium was sentient—it latched onto the ant’s limbs and tightened with all its might.

The soldier ant struggled fiercely, but it couldn't break free no matter how much it thrashed.

It frantically attacked the mycelium with its massive mandibles, but for some reason, its saliva had no effect on the fibrous strands. The soldier ant couldn’t even move, causing it to topple with a loud thud.

Ruan Xing aimed at the joint connections and fired. At the same time, the toxic mist condensed into a fine thread, seeping into the wounds, infiltrating its brain and heart, and grinding its insides to a pulp.

The soldier ant’s furious gaze gradually dulled, turning into a lifeless gray.

[Pain… pain…]

The mycelium wrapped around Ruan Xing’s wrist, whining in pain—it had been bitten by the ant earlier.

But Ruan Xing just observed it silently.

Ordinarily, ant saliva could dissolve these hyphae. But now, it had no effect.

This thing wasn’t as harmless as it seemed.

Ruan Xing pulled out a small bottle from his pocket and expressionlessly poured its contents onto the mycelium.

[Pain! Pain!!!]

The mycelium screamed as its once-white strands turned black. But unlike when Qiao Zhi had poured something on it before—causing it to dry up and carbonize—this time, the affected area merely turned black, causing only a slight decline in vitality rather than complete withering.

No wonder it had been clinging to him. Healing magic can make this thing evolve.

Fu Gui shot Ruan Xing a wary look. [I won’t lie, this thing is useful… but it’s dangerous. Who knows how much it can evolve? If it becomes uncontrollable in the future…]

The mycelium cautiously nuzzled Ruan Xing’s fingers. [Like... like...]

Ruan Xing chuckled. “You still like me even after I poured acid on you, huh?”

The mycelium trembled. [L-like… like… like…]

Fu Gui clicked its tongue. [Tsk!]

Ruan Xing watched it for a moment before speaking. “Let’s go.”

The mycelium obediently curled around his wrist, remaining silent.

—

The so-called Queen’s Nest wasn’t just an ordinary cave. The soldier ants weren’t even guarding the main entrance.

It also wasn’t marked on the map, so Ruan Xing could only proceed cautiously.

At the end of the passageway, a massive door stood before him.

Deep underground, apart from the hatchery, there were almost no traces of human civilization. Yet, an enormous European-style door, as grand as a castle’s, loomed over him. It was utterly confusing.

The door was tightly shut, and Ruan Xing didn't know how to get inside.

The mycelium extended a tiny tendril and poked his shoulder.

“You have an idea?”

Thin threads extended from his wrist, slipping into the cracks between the door. More and more strands emerged, weaving into a dense network. As they swelled, the threads were stretched taut.

The door opened.

A gust of air rushed from within. It was hot and humid and carried the unique smell of an insect nest.

Inside, the floor was lined with pink furniture—a luxurious European vanity, a massive wardrobe, ornate vases, and framed portraits of noblewomen hanging on the walls.

For a brief moment, Ruan Xing thought he had stepped into a princess’s castle.

At the center of the nest lay a massive bed spanning dozens of square meters, which dominated most of the space.

On the pink princess bed rested a softly glowing figure.

She lay still, her silver hair cascading over her bare upper body and covering her chest. Her delicate face appeared almost human.

Apart from her arms, which had transformed into white insect-like limbs that rested naturally at her sides, her upper body was entirely human in appearance.

But her waist connected to a massive, mountainous, milky-white worm-like body that pulsated faintly. Hundreds of eggs could be seen moving and shifting inside its translucent flesh.

At the sound of his approach, she slowly opened her eyes, revealing silver irises tinged with melancholy.

“…Did you see him?”

A faint buzzing sound echoed in the air.

Ruan Xing’s vision began to melt like wax dripping away—the pink vanity, the luxurious wardrobe, and the artistic vases all slowly dissolved.

The silver-haired girl’s face twisted and distorted until it was finally replaced by the stern visage of a middle-aged woman wearing a hairnet.

At this moment, she was glaring at him with an accusatory expression.

“I’m asking you one more time—have you seen your brother?!”