Chapter Five: The Swarm of Ants

"Hang in there, brother! We’re heading back right now, you’ll be fine!” Captain Li comforted the wounded teammate as he carried him swiftly down the mountain.

As the guide, Long Yu naturally ran at the front, leading the way for everyone. It left him utterly exhausted. The armed police, after all, were used to regular training and in much better shape than he was. Before long, Long Yu’s face was flushed red, and he was gasping for breath.

But he was too embarrassed to stop and rest—lives were at stake!

As they ran, Professor Wang suddenly stumbled and fell. He was elderly to begin with, and simply couldn’t withstand such intense exertion.

“Go on without me! Hurry and get this comrade treated! This old man simply can’t run any farther…” Professor Wang gasped, barely able to get the words out.

“Professor!” Two students rushed to help him up.

It was only then that Captain Li realized there were several non-combatants in the group, and Professor Wang was already in his sixties or seventies. Should he leave Professor Wang and some of the armed police behind, taking only the injured ahead? But they didn’t know the way, so they’d have to take Long Yu the guide. If Long Yu left with them, would he be able to find his way back?

“Long Yu, if we take the wounded down first, can you find your way back here?”

“I’m afraid not. There are no clear paths here—I only know the general area. It’d be impossible to return precisely,” Long Yu replied quickly and truthfully.

Knowing that wouldn’t work, Captain Li decisively changed tactics. He ordered the soldiers to take turns carrying Professor Wang, and if Long Yu or anyone else couldn’t keep up, the others would drag them along. They pressed forward, though inevitably, their speed slowed.

They hadn’t gone more than a hundred paces when Captain Li suddenly halted. Long Yu, right beside him, braked hard and nearly collided with him. Those behind stopped in succession, and several who were a bit slow crashed into each other. The soldier carrying Professor Wang and the two students were at the rear, so they avoided the pileup.

“My god, that hurts!”

“It really does!”

The fallen soldiers muttered complaints, but since it was the captain who’d stopped, no one dared voice more than a whisper of dissatisfaction.

Soon, even those subdued murmurs died away.

After steadying himself, Long Yu looked ahead—and immediately forgot everything else.

Ahead of them, dozens of ants, each over one and a half meters long, stared intently at the group. These ants had been dragging animal carcasses when the humans burst upon them, startling both sides into a moment of indecision.

Their black carapaces gleamed, their scythe-like mandibles—each nearly half a meter long—clicked open and shut. The sharp, spear-like forelimbs waved menacingly in the air.

Long Yu had no doubt that if one of those things jabbed him, he’d be left with a gaping wound.

The only woman in the group fainted outright at the sight. Yet the rest, in their shock, didn’t react—no one moved to help her.

“Captain…” the other armed police looked to their leader, awaiting his decision: fight or flee.

But before Captain Li could give an order, the ants sprang into action. Their prey had come to them—why would they refuse? Clearly, these creatures weren’t inclined to hospitality. With a collective surge, the ants abandoned their quarry and charged.

“Fight! Hit them with everything you’ve got!” Captain Li barked, no longer hesitating.

Hesitation meant defeat—this, battle-hardened Captain Li knew well. Against the enemy, only the justice of gunfire mattered, whether the foe was human or ant.

Gunshots rang out as Captain Li himself set down the wounded and raised his weapon.

Bullets punched through the ants’ bodies, leaving bloody holes. The impact flipped the giant insects onto their backs.

Yet their vitality defied belief. Even mortally wounded, the ants struggled back to their feet and resumed their assault. Sometimes it took several bullets to bring down a single ant—unless, by luck, a shot struck the tiny portion of their massive heads that housed the brain. Most of the ants’ heads were dominated by mandibles and compound eyes; the brain itself was minuscule.

After more than a minute, seven or eight ants lay dead, but the survivors had drawn dangerously close.

What made ants truly terrifying was their utter disregard for death. They were true warriors, willing to challenge any creature, no matter how much larger, and the loss of countless comrades never slowed their relentless advance.

These enlarged ants had inherited that trait perfectly. The deaths of their fellows didn’t faze them; the survivors pressed forward with undiminished ferocity.

“Captain, I’m almost out of bullets…”

“So am I…”

One after another, the voices came, tightening Captain Li’s nerves. As the leader, he had to remain calm—if he panicked, the whole team would fall apart.

Looking at his dwindling ammunition, Captain Li felt a pang of regret—why hadn’t he brought more? But who could have predicted such danger? Bringing guns at all had already been considered prudent…

Someone always had to swallow the bitter fruit of fate. With a wry smile, Captain Li made a decision in his heart.

“Those willing to stay and buy time with me, stay. The rest, go now.”

The group fell silent for a moment.

Then the air exploded with protests. “Captain, I want to stay!”

“So do I!”

Four men volunteered; the others, faces full of anguish, hung their heads in silence.

Selecting two from the four, Captain Li addressed the rest: “Hurry on. There’s no shame in leaving. Don’t feel you’ve let us down. Just live well—and look after our parents and families in the days ahead.”

“Captain…” The tears flowed freely, and low sobs rippled through the group.

The two not chosen to stay were bewildered and protested, “Captain, why can’t we stay?”

“You two are only sons. If you die, what happens to your parents? Just take care of our families for us—that’s all I ask.”

Taking the leftover bullets from their comrades, the three who’d chosen to stay, knowing full well it meant certain death, offered their final farewells.

“Live well. We leave our loved ones in your care.”

Long Yu and the others couldn’t hold back their tears; they streamed down in silence.

“Brothers, rest assured—your families are our families; your parents, our parents…”

And so, fate moved inexorably forward.