In human understanding, Chira Ants were extrely brutal creatures, capable of easily exterminating other species.
But no human could have imagined that a brilliant maternal glow would manifest on the Chira Ant Queen.
Within the fluorescent, floating spherical egg, a blurry figure could be seen, curled up, occasionally moving slightly.
The Queen's hand gently stroked the surface of the egg, eagerly anticipating the King's birth.
She was the nurturer, and her mission was to give birth to the King.
Initially, she consud fifty-person portions of atballs daily. Now, she needed two hundred and fifty-person portions.
Up to now, as the King in her womb had taken shape, the Queen had developed a strong, intuitive premonition.
The King in her womb possessed the potential to rule the world.
[ruem, ruem...]
In her mind, the Queen tenderly whispered the na she had chosen for the King in her womb.
All her thoughts were devoted to the King… she paid no heed to the potential threats outside.
Regarding those threats, the three Royal Guards hadn't inford the Queen either.
The night passed quietly, and the morning sun rose.
Groups of Chira Ants left the nest… flying types, but more were ground-based. They dispersed, intending to travel far within a day to bring food for the Queen.
East Gorteau had a population of five million. Due to the Chira Ants' invasion, over a thousand humans suffered each day.
Since the nest was in the west, the affected areas spread from the west towards the east. East Gorteau's capital was far in the easternmost part of the territory.
The Chira Ants' existence spelled disaster for small villages.
The East Gorteau's leadership was well aware of this. However, after the V5 and Hunter Association intervened, the leadership, even the head of state, adopted a hands-off attitude.
Since others were willingly helping to solve the problem, there was no need to waste their own manpower and military funds.
With this selfish mindset, East Gorteau's stance was clear: fully delegate the matter to the V5 and Hunter Association.
Because of this, the Chira Ants' hunting during the early and middle stages proceeded without pressure.
Now, the Chira Ant Extermination Team had arrived.
While awaiting reinforcents, the initial hunting plan comnced.
First, Morel took out a massive pipe, continuously blowing small rabbit-shaped white smoke. Once a certain number of smoke rabbits were produced, they dispersed and hopped into the forest.
Using these smoke rabbits, Morel gradually grasped the numbers and movents of the Chira Ant squads.
Then, Morel intercepted the Chira Ant squads one by one, blowing out smoke to obstruct their vision. Coordinating with Knov, who set up Hide-and-Seek's entrances/exits, they sent the Chira Ant squads into Hide-and-Seek in turn.
Waiting for the Chira Ants there was Netero, in combat mode.
Originally, Law should have demonstrated his individual combat value, but Netero took on the entire task of eliminating enemies.
Knowing Netero was warming up and finding his rhythm, Law didn't compete.
Undoubtedly, the groups of Chira Ant cannon fodder sent to Hide-and-Seek only served as Netero's warm-up. By nightfall, the largest room in Hide-and-Seek was filled with Chira Ant corpses.
In a single day, the Extermination Team eliminated over two hundred Chira Ants, none of which were Squadron Leaders.
The disappearance of over two hundred Chira Ants naturally caught the Squadron Leaders' attention. They reported the news to the Royal Guards.
Hearing the Squadron Leaders' report, without needing any proof, the three Royal Guards were certain the culprits were the humans they saw yesterday.
"They're weakening our forces, and their thods are stealthy."
Pouf pinched his smooth chin, a cold light in his eyes.
"Send the Squadron Leaders with troops to eliminate them?" Youpi suggested.
"No. The Queen's food source is more important."
Pouf rejected Youpi's suggestion without hesitation, saying sinisterly, "The enemy's disadvantage is their small numbers. And..."
"And?" Youpi had a question mark over his head.
Pitou sat cross-legged on a rock, tilting her head as she looked at Pouf.
eting his colleagues' gazes, Pouf said coldly, "When hunting, we dispatch the vast majority of our forces. Common sense would suggest that's when our defense is weakest. So why don't the enemies seize that opportunity to attack directly?"
"Why?" Youpi cooperatively asked.
Pouf sneered. "Because they lack the confidence to breach our defenses."
Pitou's lips curved upwards. "Simply put, they think their strength is inferior to ours?"
"Who knows."
Pouf suppressed his smile, saying calmly, "If they want to weaken our forces, let them. That actually suits my intentions. As for cannon fodder, it doesn't matter how many die."
Pitou and Youpi had no objections.
Once the King was born, they would follow the King, directly severing the Chira Ant hierarchy and forming their own clan.
By then, not just these Chira Ants, but even the Queen would have no relation to them.
Therefore, to ensure the King's birth, they wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice all the Chira Ant soldiers in the nest.
Having decided, Pouf began countering the Extermination Team's encirclent and elimination plan.
He did two things.
One was ensuring the Queen's food source was reliable, safe, and sufficient. The other was having the hunting Chira Ant squads split into more groups to disperse the enemy's elimination efficiency.
Ensuring the food source and buying ti.
These two counterasures were arranged for the King's birth.
The next day, the Extermination Team noticed changes in the Chira Ant's hunting squads.
More squads, fewer mbers per squad.
Even noticing this change, the Extermination Team could only continue the encirclent plan.
As Pouf judged, even with Law's help, the Extermination Team lacked sufficient confidence to attack the nest.
Days passed. The number of eliminated Chira Ants piled up, yet the Chira Ant's side remained unmoved, still dispatching over a hundred squads to hunt daily.
From Netero and the others' perspective, as long as reinforcents hadn't arrived, continuing the plan wasn't problematic.
Moreover, Netero hadn't only had Law call for reinforcents. He also complied with the Association's initial conditions, having the Examination Departnt select suitable personnel for support.
However, Law's view differed from Netero and the others. He believed the King was likely about to be born, so he changed his mind, proposing a direct assault on the nest before reinforcents arrived.
Yet, Netero and the others didn't think the King would be born so soon. Although the nest's construction ti was uncertain, barring accidents, it should be less than two months.
Thus, compared to the experts' estimated two months, Netero and the others believed there was ample ti.
A divergence in opinion erged at this mont.
Law couldn't convince Netero and the others. Alone, he lacked full confidence to breach the nest and might just throw his life away.
Seven days passed in a blink.
Ging sent a ssage, saying he'd arrive in about two days.
Before Ging arrived, Tonpa arrived first.
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