Winter is coming soon.
As cold air passed over the river one after another, the plants on the land on the south bank of the river quickly withered.
The current temperature is no longer suitable for insect activities. The noisy insects in the past have disappeared. Most of the insects that live in summer and die in winter have completed their short lives. Even those relatively long-lived insects have retreated into the warm underground or deep in trees, struggling to survive the severe cold until the next spring.
Most of the ants have stopped moving on the ground. Like the big-headed ant kingdom, they have completed their winter defense mobilization and are now huddled in various nests waiting for an unknown fate.
According to the experience of previous years, the defenders of the secondary nests must face the two major threats of the harsh cold and the barbarian army of pavement ants at the same time. The kings who are far away from the main nest have to wait until the beginning of spring to send messengers from each undefended secondary nest to report the news. , to know the battle situation throughout the winter.
Compared with previous years, the preparations of the Big-headed Ant Kingdom Army this year appear to be very different from the past. This time, the kings led the main army to each sub-nest, and followed the advice of the Divine Envoy King to bring fire to the sub-nests to provide heat. They decided not to retreat but to fight the enemy to the death and attempt a counterattack the following year.
The "Linshui City" where the protagonist is located is the top priority of defense.
The protagonist has personally led three elite armies of the Envoy King to settle in this important sub-nest, and has carried out drastic reconstruction of the sub-nest.
The renovated auxiliary nest is large enough to accommodate thousands of defenders. It has good insulation measures and a combustion chamber to provide basic temperature protection. It stores enough fuel and food for a winter and can also make pottery in the combustion chamber. Ammo to replenish consumption. Everything is ready for the defense plan.
In the far south, as the protagonist's base camp, "Dongyang City" was handed over to Rambo Fei for management, and the "Stump Fortress" further south was guarded by Rambo Van. After arranging the rear, the protagonist can now lead the winter defense mission of "Linshui City" wholeheartedly.
Although winter has come, waiting for the river to completely freeze and turn into an invasion channel for the ant barbarian army will not wait for three or two days.
Today, the protagonist is still lying on the branches of the big banyan tree, looking northward at the starting base of the Pavement Ant Barbarian Army.
This time, there were no other ants around him. Now the sub-zero temperature is not something the ants can adapt to. They can only huddle in the relatively warm secondary nest. So the protagonist came here alone.
This time, he was wearing a large ball of thin and soft plant fibers, which was equivalent to wearing a thick cotton coat. But even so, he was shivering from the cold. If he hadn't been able to generate his own heat like a warm-blooded animal, he would have been frozen.
This is another difference between the protagonist and other ants, which the protagonist didn't realize until winter. I don’t know if it’s a prank by the God of Time Travel. Although the protagonist is an ant, apart from having the same appearance, there are many differences between him and ordinary ants. For example, he has vision that is comparable to humans and far better than that of ants; for example, his strength is much greater than that of ants, and he is even more powerful after entering the state of "gods descending to earth"; for example, he can breathe on his own and can also act like an ant. Warm-blooded animals generate their own heat.
You should know that warm-blooded animals generally only include advanced organisms such as birds and mammals. Their body temperature regulation mechanisms are relatively complete and can maintain a relatively stable body temperature despite changes in ambient temperature.
Endothermic animals are also called warm-blooded animals. Their mobility does not depend on the external temperature like cold-blooded animals (ectotherms). They will produce a stable body temperature through metabolism, which is reflected in the basal metabolic rate. The basal metabolic rate of warm-blooded animals is much higher than that of ectotherms.
Warm-blooded animals ensure a constant body temperature through the body's thermoregulation system, and can discharge heat when the external environment temperature rises. This is usually achieved through the evaporation of liquids, such as human sweat, dog panting, and cats in summer. licking.
In winter, in order to adapt to low-temperature environments, warm-blooded animals often have the following means: for example, increasing body fat content and evolving thick and warm hides and feathers. Animals in the cold zone are rounder (surface area smaller) and larger than their counterparts in warmer areas. (Average heat dissipation rate decreases). The largest bears on earth, the polar bear and the Alaskan Kodiak bear, both live in the polar regions, while the smaller black bears live in temperate areas.
The protagonist didn't notice any difference in his size compared to other male ants, nor did he grow thick fur and feathers. The only thing that makes him feel that he is different is that in winter, his food intake increases greatly, reaching more than ten times that of ordinary male ants. He is often hungry easily, and he is also fond of high-calorie foods such as honeydew fat. Perhaps this is the source of heat in his body and a manifestation of his high metabolic rate.
A constant body temperature allows animals to remain active in a very cold environment. Therefore, having a constant body temperature is not a bad thing for the protagonist. At least he can climb onto the ground in winter while taking measures to keep warm, and does not have to huddle in the nest like other ants.
His method of keeping warm, apart from eating a lot, was to make himself a piece of clothing.
Clothes are various styles of coverings made of cloth (such as cotton, silk, velvet, chemical fiber, etc.), fur and other materials that cover the body and carrier. A major function of clothing is to keep out the cold. Compared to other mammals, human ancestors had very little hair. This was very fatal after they left the tropics and encountered the Ice Age.
However, due to human beings' strong hunting ability, they were able to obtain a large amount of animal furs. The ancients used the furs to make clothing for themselves to keep out the cold. Technology continued to advance, and sewing tools such as needles appeared. Later, the raw materials for clothing were expanded to include plants.
The protagonist cannot get animal fur. Although ants are also good at hunting, insects do not have the thick fur and feathers that mammals or birds have to keep out the cold. But in terms of plant resources, the protagonist is no more scarce than humans can use.
In the granary of "Linshui City", the protagonist discovered that there were some grass seeds used for food wrapped in soft cotton-like fibers. These fibers were of little use to ants in the past and could at best be used as bedding material in nurseries instead of ant silk.
However, the protagonist feels like he has found a treasure. He compacts these fibers and wraps them around his body. They are breathable and do not affect the stomatal breathing, and can also play a good role in keeping warm.
As a result, the protagonist has his first piece of clothing after coming to this world.
