The protagonist was very annoyed when he received the news that another mantis had attacked the drying yard where dried mealworms were dried.
Regardless of whether the attacker this time is the same mantis that attacked the hunting team in the northern depression, it has already exceeded the protagonist's bottom line of endurance.
What's more, the location of this attack is still very close to the entrance of "Dongyang City" with heavy traffic.
By the time the protagonist returns to the lair entrance, the attack is over.
According to the worker ants present, when they were busy drying the captured mealworm carcasses, a green mantis fell from the sky. Instead of attacking the worker ants, it picked up a mealworm carcass and flew away.
The protagonist compares the information packets of the witnesses of the two attacks. From the appearance, they are both Chinese mantises. The length and shape are also similar, so it is very likely that they are the same one. It is estimated that it did not have enough to eat after stealing the prey from the ant hunting team in the northern depression, and somehow came to "Dongyang City" to look for food again.
This mantis is so elusive that the protagonist and a group of ants that rely on six legs to maneuver cannot keep up with the opponent's rhythm. The protagonist has no choice but to passively give orders to all the ants leaving the nest: they must move in groups and must not actively attack the mantises, even if they give up the prey they have obtained. It is hoped that this method can reduce some losses, especially the losses of veterans of the Genshin Envoy King Corps.
There was no report of a mantis attack in the next two days, and everything in the main nest continued to operate as planned. The first mealworm larvae have emerged from their shells and are eating a mixture of chewed leaf pulp and berries provided by the ants.
But on the third day, when the protagonist was inspecting the mealworm farm, a panicked worker ant suddenly ran over and told the protagonist that the mantis was attacking the drying yard.
The protagonist immediately called the guards and climbed out of the lair entrance. He will catch up with the end of the mantis attack. A green mantis knife holds a mealworm corpse. He glances at the swarming ant army with interest, then spreads his wings and flies away. …
The protagonist watched helplessly as the mantis flapped its wings and flew into the air, then glided several meters away, then took off and glided again, and the process started over and over again. Each time, the mantis will try to land on a taller shrub or grass stem so that it can take off next time. Only then did the protagonist realize that this mantis’s flying ability was not very good!
The third attack of the mantis is over, and the ants have once again lost a mealworm. However, the second and third attacks did not cause any casualties to the ants, which was a blessing among misfortunes. It’s also thanks to the fact that this mantis is targeting the plump and tender mealworms instead of the ants with hard shells and little meat.
The protagonist is not sure how intelligent this mantis is, but even insects with low IQs will develop conditioned reflexes if they find that there is food in a place for a long time.
This is not good news for "Dongyang City". The drying ground is less than half a meter away from the nest entrance. If the mantis uses the drying ground as a canteen, then the ants will have to worry about whether there will be any danger when they climb on the ground every day. A god of death with a scythe suddenly fell from the sky.
It is also unrealistic to change the location for drying the dried mealworms. Only this small black stone slab near the entrance of the nest is suitable for drying. If the drying field is set too far away, worker ants will not be able to come and go conveniently. And what if the drying yard is moved away and the mantis suddenly cannot find food and becomes angry and kills the ants at the entrance of the nest?
This mantis must be destroyed! After the mantis came again the next day and snatched the corpse of a mealworm, the protagonist finally made up his mind. This time, after the mantis saw that the ants were ordered not to resist, he arrogantly finished his meal in the drying yard before leaving.
The protagonist has roughly summarized the behavior of this mantis. One mealworm is probably enough for him to eat for a day, which means that the mantis will go to the drying yard and snatch a mealworm body every day, and the attack time is basically around noon. .
Since Mantis's actions are traceable, there are ways to deal with him. No matter how cunning the fox is, he is no match for the hunter.
The protagonist decides to lead an army to ambush the mantis in the drying yard the next day.
But the weather went as planned. It started to rain the next day, and all of Ant's work outside was forced to be suspended. The protagonist also has to be busy moving the fire back into the nut shell, and then move it deep into the lair for protection. However, on such a rainy day, I believe the mantis will not go out rashly. Even if it comes to the drying ground, there will be no food.
The rain fell intermittently, and continued throughout the day and night, and did not stop until sunrise on the third day.
Before noon on the third day, the protagonist followed the original plan and took a hundred soldier ants to hide near the stones in the drying yard. Ants are small and hide under dead branches and leaves on the ground. They will not be discovered unless you search carefully. Except for the protagonist himself, none of the other thirty-one male ant protagonists were brought out. He did not want to lose any more of his commanders.
Other worker ants are busy as usual. Today, the workers will first clean up the little rainwater accumulated on the flat black stone slab, and then move the fresh mealworm carcasses to the stone slab to dry. During drying, turn the mealworms over from time to time so that they can dry evenly and dry.
The protagonist takes Hua Mulan and hides under a half-rotted poplar leaf, quietly watching the movement in the drying yard. According to the past rules, this praying mantis should appear around noon every day.
Time passed by minute by second, and it was almost noon. The protagonist stared until his eyes were almost sore, and he was about to take a rest. Suddenly, his intuition made him turn his attention to the east.
In the distance, a small green figure jumped into the air and fell to the ground. As it rises and falls, the green figure gets closer, bigger, and clearer.
The mantis is coming!
However, except for the protagonist with excellent eyesight, no other ants have seen this uninvited guest.
The protagonist did not act rashly. He watched as the mantis kept gliding closer, flying several meters each time until it landed on the drying yard.
Only then did the worker ants in the drying yard realize that there was an attacker. Following the protagonist's order, these worker ants did not try to resist, but fled into the surrounding humus layer.
The mantis watched with satisfaction as the weak ants fled away. It selected the freshest and fattest mealworm, picked it up with a big knife and started eating.
The protagonist issued the first "attack" signal. As a unique friction sound sounded, responses from everywhere also came and went, and all the soldier ants received the order one after another.
The soldier ants immediately followed the protagonist's previous plan, using the cover of fallen branches and leaves to hide under the humus layer and sneak towards the stones in the drying yard.
There was a rustling sound around the stones, the sound of the legs of swarms of ants scraping through dry leaves. The mantis stopped eating in alarm and looked up, but saw nothing unusual.
The leaves of the huge eastern poplar tree also made bursts of rustling and rubbing sounds when blown by the wind. The mantis did not distinguish the similarities and differences between the two sounds. It settled down and continued to deal with the food in front of it.
After the protagonist climbed to the edge of the stone, he hid under a branch. After waiting for a while, he heard the rustling of the ants crawling and stopped completely. It was estimated that all the soldier ants had arrived at the attack position.
So the protagonist sent out the "attack" signal for the second time, and then jumped out of the bunker and killed the giant mantis.
