The termites currently seen by the protagonist outside the nest are numerous and distributed throughout the basin in search of food. Although these termites are slightly different in size and color, their body structure is the same, and they are all worker ants.
The protagonist has not seen other forms of termites, so he cannot judge whether this group of termites has developed civilization based on their organizational form.
The protagonist doesn't even know if there are any soldier ants in this group of termites.
Of course there are, but the protagonist cannot see them. The termite soldiers do not go out to forage like the big-headed ant soldiers. Both the mandibular soldiers and the elephant trunk soldiers stay in the nest for a long time and are responsible for guarding the ant mound. , does not participate in foraging.
The jaws of these termite soldiers are so special that they can only be used for fighting and cannot feed themselves. They have to be fed by worker ants, so they are naturally useless in foraging.
The protagonist watched the termite workers for a long time, but still couldn't see any clues. There were only countless worker ants busying around, which seemed to be no different from termites in the human world.
It wasn't until almost noon that he saw something interesting, although this scene was of no use to the civilization of the termite community.
A group of termite workers discovered another group of termites not far from where the protagonist stayed. These termites don't even have mounds. Their nests are placed under dead branches and leaves. Those who go out to forage are nymphs instead of adult termites. It seems to be a newly established new colony.
The termite workers in the large ant mound were very powerful. After some testing, they decisively entered the other side's nest. Not long after, they carried out the body of a huge, fat termite queen that had been bitten to death and headed towards the nest.
It is now the end of July, the season when ants and termites fly away. The protagonist speculates that this apparently new colony was built by the new queen ants who flew out of the big termite mound.
Unexpectedly, these termites would not even spare their own relatives. Perhaps a month ago, this dead new queen was still enjoying the service and worship of the worker ants in the ant mound, but now she was mercilessly bitten to death by the worker ants. He took the body back as a trophy.
But we cannot blame the termites for being cruel and ruthless. This new queen has established a new colony not far from the ant mound. When it develops in the future, it will definitely rob the headquarters of its resources.
This group of termites seems to have no intention of establishing a secondary nest. Only one ant mound can be seen in the small basin, and there may be some new colonies that have just been established and have not yet been discovered by the headquarters.
But this group of termites must have lived here for a long time, and they gradually built up huge mounds and leveled other termite colonies, leaving only one mound in the basin.
Perhaps only the new queens who leave the basin can build a new colony that will not be destroyed by the main base. Is this also a unique diffusion strategy evolved by termites?
In the afternoon, when there was no new harvest, the protagonist no longer continued to observe termites, but turned around and left the basin.
Although it is still unclear whether this termite colony is civilized or not, the protagonist has no intention of continuing to observe and has no intention of intervening. The territory between the Divine Envoy King Legion and the other party is not bordering, there is no conflict of interest, and there is no need to pay too much attention to the other party.
The protagonist's top priority now is to find food and move on.
There was only one last meal left in the luggage on "Xiao Hei"'s belly, and he was almost running out of ammunition and food.
Following the stream flowing out of the basin and along the valley, the protagonist soon reaches a fork in the road.
This is the intersection of three valleys. The valley is roughly "Y" shaped. Two streams flow from the east and northwest valleys respectively, meet here, and continue to flow to the southeast-south valley.
The protagonist came from the downstream of the merged stream. He just chose to go to the east valley, but ended up in the small basin where the termites were, and there was no way forward.
Now we turn back and can only continue on the other way.
In the valley, the protagonist's vision is restricted. Looking to both sides, there are layers of high and low mountains, covering the skyline.
And if you lower your gaze a little lower, the canopy of endless trees perfectly shields the view from prying eyes.
Many trees are so tall, their crowns are more than ten meters high. The protagonist and "Little Black", an ant and a fly, fly at a stable height of about three to five meters, sometimes left and right, sometimes high and sometimes low, constantly avoiding the front. The tree trunks are like flying between countless pillars connecting heaven and earth.
This height is relatively safe. It can avoid the many predators in the shrubs and grass on the ground, as well as the fierce insects that like to climb into the canopy to catch caterpillars.
It was safe, and the protagonist also thought that the fact that he could not find food might be due to the lack of life at this height.
Soon it was night again, and the protagonist and "Xiao Hei" made another leaf tent to sleep in. Before going to bed, they ate some unknown fruits they found.
This fruit grows on nearby trees. It has a rough and inconspicuous appearance. Its skin is similar in color to the bark of the tree, and its shape is similar to that of a jujube.
After peeling off the thin skin with an obsidian knife, the yellow-red flesh is revealed. This is not berry pulp, but soft and waxy. It tastes good in texture and sweetness, a bit like a sweet potato.
These fruits are about the same size as the protagonist. Only half of them were cut off, and both the protagonist and "Xiao Hei" were full.
Before nightfall, the protagonist cut some more fruit pulp. The red pulp was kneaded into a ball, wrapped in fresh leaves, and put in the bag.
There is enough pulp to last for a while. Although there is no protein, the preserved fruit is enough.
The next day, it was already August.
The sun has risen early in the morning, and as soon as the protagonist wakes up and gets out of the leaf tent, he can already feel the heat of midsummer.
All kinds of bugs have already started to move around. "Little Black" is tied by the reins and cannot leave the tent, but he is already restless.
The protagonist was awakened by the chirping of cicadas. The mournful chirping of the cicadas on the nearby trees interrupted the protagonist's clear dream.
Seeing that it was getting late, the protagonist ate some more fruit pulp and fed "Xiao Hei" some. He didn't eat the last meal of dry food he brought, so he had to wait until a critical moment to eat it.
After cleaning up, the ants and flies set out again.
After continuing along the mountain valley for a while, at dusk, the protagonist suddenly made a discovery.
A towering mountain appears in front of you on the right. The shape of the mountain is very recognizable. It is a very steep and sharp stone mountain, shaped like a miniature version of the Matterhorn.
The protagonist knows this mountain. He has seen this mountain before when fighting in the swamp area, and he will never admit it wrong.
This mountain is like a landmark, indicating the location of the destination. Based on the direction of going down the mountain, the protagonist knows that he should not be far from the swamp!
The destination is not far ahead. If the road goes well, maybe he can arrive tomorrow and the day after tomorrow!
