ebookslot Chapter 60 Sand-Eating Ants
Chapter 60 Sand-Eating Ants
That afternoon, based on the messages transmitted back from high altitude by Baha and the comparison with the map, Rolin judged that he was approaching the edge of the Silent Gobi Desert.
The surrounding vegetation became noticeably sparse, the soil became dry and sandy, fine dust began to mix with the air, and the wind carried the dry cold characteristic of the Gobi Desert.
He climbed a high mound and looked out. Ahead lay an endless expanse of gray-yellow world, a stark contrast to the still verdant plains behind him.
That is the silent Gobi Desert.
Further away, a huge canyon fissure, as if cleaved by an invisible blade, was faintly visible; that was his destination—Wailing Canyon.
Even from such a distance, one could sense that the energy field emanating from the other side was somewhat disordered, and the activity of the elemental particles in the air was noticeably abnormal.
"Looks like that's the place."
"Rolin muttered to himself."
Baha on his shoulder also emitted a low, warning growl, its dark golden eyes fixed on the direction of the Howling Canyon, conveying a vague sense of danger.
Rowling did not venture further.
He found a sheltered rocky hollow on the edge of the Gobi Desert and decided to rest there for the night, get himself into top condition, and make final preparations.
He took out the three specially made glass bottles from his dimensional bag and examined the binding runes on their inner walls once again.
After confirming that everything was correct, he took out a few more materials that might be needed:
A small packet of pungent powder for repelling common insects, several parchment sheets documenting simple detection and protective spell arrays, and several vials of highly effective mana-restoring potions.
Next, he began to organize information about space dust and sand-eating ants.
According to ancient records, space dust is usually born in areas where the space structure is unstable or where violent space fluctuations have occurred.
They are invisible and intangible, difficult to discern with the naked eye, and can only be collected through specific energy sensing or special containers.
Although sand ants are low-level monsters, their colonies are large, and the queen ant usually possesses a certain level of intelligence and can command the ant colony to fight together.
Those individuals with silvery carapaces are likely mutants resulting from prolonged exposure to spatial energy.
"If space dust really exists, it is most likely to appear in two places."
Rowling pondered.
"Firstly, the interior of the Wailing Canyon is a relatively fragile space with disordered energy, making it easy for such substances to leach out."
"Secondly, deep within the nests of sand-eating ants, they may transport minerals or dust containing spatial energy back to their nests."
The former requires venturing deep into dangerous areas, directly confronting the environmental hazards of the Gobi Desert and canyons.
The latter, however, requires dealing with a massive ant colony.
Neither of them is easy.
As night falls, the temperature difference on the edge of the Gobi Desert is extreme; it is relatively warm during the day, but bitterly cold at night.
Luo Lin set up a simple windproof barrier and lit a small campfire.
As he roasted the dry rations, he mentally rehearsed his plans for tomorrow.
The primary objective is to confirm the existence of space dust.
He needs to reach the outer edge of the Wailing Canyon first, and use his mental perception and Baha's insight to try to detect the abnormal fluctuations in spatial energy.
If a valuable location is found, then consider how to collect the data safely.
If you encounter a swarm of sand-eating ants, try to avoid direct confrontation.
Although his acid spells can effectively kill them, the ant swarm is so large that once entangled, the consumption of energy will be enormous.
Unless he is certain that the nest contains the materials he needs, it is not advisable to force his way in.
Just as he was deep in thought, Baha suddenly raised his head from the rock where he was perched, his dark golden eyes gazing into the darkness deep in the Gobi Desert, and let out a very faint warning cry.
Luo Lin immediately became alert, and his mental energy spread outwards like a spider web.
He sensed an extremely faint, dense rustling sound coming from the sand about a mile away from where he was resting, as if countless tiny things were moving rapidly beneath the sand.
The direction was heading right in his direction.
"Sand-eating ants?"
Luo Lin frowned slightly.
He hadn't expected to encounter these creatures before even venturing deep into the Gobi Desert. Judging from the noise, there were probably quite a few of them.
He quickly got up, kicked the campfire away, and covered the traces with sand.
At the same time, the [Flowing Barrier] was instantly activated, and a light blue force field armor silently covered his entire body.
He cast a "Gentle Breeze Cleanses Dust" spell on himself to eliminate his own scent, then quietly retreated and hid in the shadow of a boulder, concealing all his presence.
Baha also folded its wings and landed on his shoulder, its three pairs of eyes fixed on the direction from which the sound came.
The rustling sound grew closer and closer, becoming exceptionally clear in the quiet night.
By the faint starlight, the sandy land seemed to come alive, undulating slightly.
Immediately afterwards, fist-sized, grayish-yellow ants with hard mandibles emerged from under the sand, densely packed and stretching as far as the eye could see.
It is indeed a sand-eating ant!
They seemed to have been attracted by the light or heat of the campfire.
Luo Lin held his breath and observed calmly.
These sand-devouring ants have weak individual energy and are indeed just low-level monsters.
But there were so many of them that the life force they created when they came together was like a moving, grayish-yellow tide.
He searched carefully and indeed found a few individuals with faint silver spots on their carapaces among the ant colony.
Although the light was faint, he could still vaguely discern the unusual spatial fluctuations in his mental perception.
"As expected, there are mutated individuals..."
Luo Lin thought to himself.
This further confirms the credibility of the caravan's intelligence.
The ant colony lingered around the spot where the campfire had been for a while, but finding nothing, it began to become restless.
Several soldier ants brandished their enormous mandibles and explored the surroundings.
Rowling had no intention of getting entangled with them.
He remained hidden, slowly retreating to avoid the area.
Dealing with such a large number of low-level monsters is pointless unless absolutely necessary; it only wastes mana.
However, the moment he moved, a nearby sand ant with a silvery carapace suddenly stopped moving, its antennae twitching rapidly as it turned toward the direction where Rolin was hiding.
It seemed to be particularly sensitive to energy fluctuations, detecting the faint force field emanating from the [Flow Barrier].
"hiss!"
The silver-spotted sand ant let out a sharp hiss.
In an instant, as if receiving a command, the entire ant colony surged toward the boulder where Rolin was hiding like a tidal wave.
"We've been discovered."
Luo Lin's eyes narrowed.
Since it cannot be avoided, let's resolve it quickly.
He no longer hid, his figure emerging from behind the boulder.
Faced with the surging swarm of ants, he raised his hands, and his magical power surged forth.
Acid splashing!
No longer a single shot at zero ring, the acid splash at one ring, under his precise control, transformed into dozens of dark green acid arrows, shooting towards the ant swarm at the forefront like a storm.
Chi Chi Chi!
A harsh, corrosive sound rang out.
The sand ants hit by the acid spray had their hard shells instantly corroded, emitting white smoke and letting out a mournful hiss, before losing their ability to move.
One attack cleared a small blank space at the front of the ant swarm.
But the sand-eating ants behind them showed no fear, surging forward over the corpses of their companions, their numbers seemingly endless.
Luo Lin's expression remained unchanged as he maintained the [Flow Barrier] while moving quickly to avoid being surrounded by the ant swarm.
He unleashed his acid splash once more, precisely eliminating the sand ants that were trying to flank him, especially the few silver-spotted individuals that were sensitive to energy and constantly hissed in command.
Baha wasn't idle either. It flew off Rolin's shoulder, hovering in the air, using its sharp claws and beak to precisely attack the sand ants that tried to leap up and attack Rolin.
Its dark insight can easily find the weaknesses of these low-level monsters, and often a single strike can render a sand-devouring ant incapable of fighting.
The battle lasted for about fifteen minutes.
A thick layer of sand-eating ant corpses had piled up beneath Rolin's feet, and the air was filled with a pungent, sour smell. He had used up nearly 30% of his magic power, but the ant swarm did not seem to have decreased much, and continued to advance wave after wave.
This is not the way to go.
Luo Lin's mind raced, and his gaze locked onto several holes in the sand in the distance from which sand-eating ants were constantly emerging.
That's the entrance to their nest!
"Baha, cover me!"
Rolin gave the order through a mental link.
Baha let out a clear cry and swooped down, its dark silver eyes locking onto the holes. It flapped its wings, creating a strong gust of air that sent the sand ants that had just emerged flying.
Seizing the opportunity, Luo Lin clenched his fists, and a [Corrosion Orb] the size of a fist, with its interior churning with dark green energy, quickly condensed into shape.
Without the slightest hesitation, he hurled it fiercely towards the entrance of one of the largest dens!
boom!