On the north bank of Qinghe River, there is a swamp.
Even though it is already a relatively dry autumn, this swamp still has a lot of water, covering a large area of the surrounding land. Even flying insects can take an hour to cross.
Judging from the large clumps of withered reeds and trees similar to mangroves growing in the water, it seems that this place was once green and full of vitality! But now, all that is left is desolation. It is the combined invasion of the autumn wind and the destroyer that has killed the vitality in it!
A relatively independent tree whose roots were submerged in the water was covered with nodules, and one could still vaguely make out the appearance of destroyed ant nests.
This is an ant nest that is mainly made of holes under the bark of tree trunks and branches, supplemented by a small number of open-air mud buildings. The passages under the bark extend in all directions and run through the whole tree, which is the core part of the nest. Most of the open-air structures outside the bark are the size of peanuts to walnuts, scattered on the trunks and branches. There are hundreds of such open-air structures on a tree, and they are densely packed everywhere.
This is a colony of hairy forest ants, with a population of tens of thousands at its peak. They mainly make a living by hunting aquatic insects and even fish in the swamp. At the same time, there are saline-alkali mines in the area. On the edge of the swamp, the water level rises and recedes repeatedly during the rainy season and the dry season, leaving patches of saline-alkali crystallized land. There is a lot of edible salt in it, and it does not cost too much. It takes effort to collect.
The hairy forest ants built a colonial nest here because they took a fancy to the local salt resources. The salt produced is not only traded among the civilized ants in the region, but also sold in other areas. It is an important source of wealth for the hairy forest ants.
However, this nest was destroyed by invaders not long ago!
At this time, most of these buildings made of dry clay were in dilapidated condition, like rotten walnuts that had been smashed by a hammer. Destroyers were emerging from the ruins one after another, holding corpses or ant eggs in their jaws, forming a long column, along the road they came from, passing through the criss-crossing branches of other trees, and finally landed ashore.
A few meters away from the destroyer, a male hairy wood ant with black and red body color and obvious ant characteristics was quietly hiding behind a leaf on the top of the tree, with its six limbs and mandibles firmly hooked. He held on to the leaves for fear of being blown down by the wind, and at the same time stared at the Destroyer with fear in his eyes.
The sun was shining brightly today, causing the temperature to briefly rise to more than 20 degrees in this late autumn season. The warm sunshine saved the life of this male hairy forest ant in time.
The Destroyer braved the cold wind to launch a surprise attack on the colony last night. It was as violent and unexpected as a cold wave!
The trees in the colony are connected to other trees by only three roads, all suspended bridges built by connecting the branches of different neighboring trees with ant silk ropes. There is a facility where hairy forest ant guards are stationed at the entrance of the bridge. Originally, once they were attacked and unable to defeat the enemy, they should give a timely warning and destroy the passage to ensure the safety of the colony.
However, the Destroyer's night attack was so fast and sudden that the ant guards guarding the road were wiped out almost off guard, leaving no time to warn and destroy the tree bridge.
Then thousands of Destroyers invaded the colony like demons at night under the moonlight, massacring the indigenous people inside one branch after another and building after building, taking away their bodies and destroying all facilities!
The hairy forest ants are not a race known for their fighting prowess. Although some hairy forest ant guards are well-equipped, with armor and jaw knives imported from the Ant Alliance, the proportion of warriors in the hairy forest ants is low, and most of the ants are engaged in Production and trade rarely experience the temper of war.
In particular, the nests of the hairy forest ants are built on trees in the water, which are difficult to pass through. They rely on air traffic or complex tree-mounted roads and bridges. They are easy to defend and difficult to attack. In the past, few ants were able to threaten the hairy forest ants. The nests of forest ants become more and more unprepared over time.
This makes it difficult for the forest ants to organize a resistance force in time once the Destroyer discovers and invades the nest!
This surviving hairy forest ant male didn't know if he was the last survivor. Anyway, after he was awakened by the abnormal vibration coming from the branches last night, he did not go deep into the dead end of the nest like those noisy idiots. Instead, he decisively fled from the nearest exit to the cold outside and hid nearby.
Only a few members of the same race have similar options. On the contrary, those of the same race who stayed in the lair have turned into corpses.
The male hairy forest ant hid in the cracks in the bark at first, but under the moonlight he saw a male ant also hiding in the cracks in the bark not far away being dragged out and beheaded by the Destroyer, so he hurriedly prepared to change his hiding place. Move slowly to a safe place.
Fortunately, the Destroyer was busy collecting the corpses and did not pursue him. The male hairy forest ant avoids the nests infested by destroyers, quietly climbs along the trunk to the high canopy, and hides behind the leaves. It is high enough and can block the sight, so it is theoretically safe.
However, there is no danger of the Destroyer taking the risk of climbing up here. But there are other dangers here. The cold wind at night is an invisible jaw, gradually cutting off the ants' body temperature and vitality.
Before losing consciousness due to the low temperature, this male hairy forest ant tried his best to hold himself in place until the heat of the sun woke him up again the next day. The male hairy forest ant was confused when he first woke up, and it took him a while to recover. If it was a cloudy day today, he might not be able to wake up.
After a while, the male hairy forest ant recalled what happened last night, and hurriedly climbed down a little, covering himself with leaves to observe the movements of the nest.
Not all the Destroyers have left yet, and from time to time there are groups of three or five Destroyers carrying corpses and loot toward the land. The male hairy forest ant also saw the body of the only queen in the colony.
When this queen ant was still a female ant, she was the "trophy" after defeating many competitors during the wedding flight ceremony. After a spring night, the female ant became the queen ant and lived in seclusion ever since. The male ant became the leader, but she was never seen again.
Unexpectedly, the next meeting would be in this way!
The male hairy forest ant couldn't bear to lament. Last night's nervous escape and a cold night left him in poor physical condition. He needed to find a safe place as soon as possible, replenish food and water, and preferably return to his companions.
But it’s easier said than done! The colony was destroyed. Although the destroyers did not take away the food, the hairy forest ants did not dare to risk sneaking back. The nearest colony is also 3 hours away by flight. It takes three or four days to walk, and you must pass through the tree bridge controlled by the Destroyer!
what to do! ?
