Chapter 12 - 12 Chapter 11: The Extraordinary Number 4_1 (1/2)
12 Chapter 11: The Extraordinary Number 4_1
Translator: 549690339
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The last juvenile Milky White Ant to undergo metamorphosis had also left the nest to forage.
Worker ants are incredibly industrious, venturing out to forage and feed the Ant Queen and young ants, as well as to expand and excavate the nest, store food, and clean up waste, among other things.
After being fed by three young worker ants, the Ant Queen’s energy recovered to 0.3.
There was no longer an immediate danger to her life.
However, danger was still lurking everywhere. These four young worker ants were all very small and lacked outdoor survival experience, making it easy for them to meet their demise.
Moreover, their lifespan was much shorter than that of ordinary termites.
The first batch of worker ants produced by the Ant Queen all had such defects.
For example, they were small in size and short-lived.
Because the Ant Queen needed them to hatch and metamorphose into adults quickly, and then go out to find food to nourish her, she had cut corners during the egg-laying preparation stage to reduce this time.
Qin Niu had been guarding the nest entrance all along, ready to come to their aid and eliminate any danger immediately.
The termite that had metamorphosed last, let’s just call it Fourth.
It was seen dragging a tender leaf back to the nest that was twenty to thirty times larger than itself.
Research shows that ants can lift food over 400 times their body weight and drag items more than 1700 times their weight.
Although termites are not ants, the strength exhibited in their object transport is still astonishing.
They are in no way inferior to ants, which are known as ‘strongmen’.
It’s no wonder they are a species that predates ants by over a hundred million years.
Dragging the ‘huge’ tender leaf, Fourth appeared as robust as an ox, moving swiftly and powerfully.
Its mandibles clamped firmly onto the leaf, as potent as a tiger’s clamps.
While the other three worker ants hastily returned to the nest after sucking a bit of juice, it managed to bring such a large leaf back to the nest.
Qin Niu subtly felt that this last-metamorphosed worker ant seemed smarter than the other three.
Of course, it could also be greedier by nature.
The other three worker ants, having fed the Ant Queen, quickly went out to forage again.
Since they had recently metamorphosed into adults, they were very small and could carry back only a small amount of food at a time. They could only add 0.1 energy to the Ant Queen.
When these three worker ants noticed Fourth moving ‘food’ into the nest, they rushed forward to help.
The four brothers, working together in harmony, were noticeably more efficient.
The leaf was quickly transported into the nest.
Fourth touched antennae with them, presumably communicating in ‘ant language’.
Two worker ants remained inside the nest to nibble on the tender leaf and then feed the Ant Queen. Fourth then went out to forage again with another worker ant.
Indeed, although it was the ‘youngest,’ it had now become the ‘leader’ among the four brothers.
It quickly found another piece of tender leaf on the ground, this one even larger than the previous one.
The two brothers worked together to drag it swiftly.
After some effort, they finally managed to bring it to the entrance of the nest. However, they couldn’t drag it inside as the leaf was too large to fit through the opening.
Qin Niu was curious to see how they would handle this situation?
Fourth climbed around the leaf, then directed the other worker ant to start nibbling on it. Working from both ends towards the middle, the two brothers gnawed at it.
At this point, it was clear that Fourth had superior nibbling capabilities and a faster cutting speed.
Qin Niu took an interest; Fourth appeared to be significantly stronger than the other three brothers!
It was not only intelligent and brainy, but also so strong.
It seemed to be a combination of a worker ant and a soldier ant.
It was a pity that its lifespan was only three months.
If only it could live a bit longer like the Ant Queen.
In fact, the lifespan of this Ant Queen was not long either, just 4.2 years. According to Qin Niu’s view, it should have a lifespan of at least twenty years.
However, he still felt satisfied seeing the Ant Queen successfully establishing an ant colony.
You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
Perfection is unattainable.
Assisting it in advancing might help increase its lifespan in the future.
It’s said that human cultivators can live for over a thousand years, though they are very rare.
Insects and beasts are the same; they too can continually practice cultivation, evolve, and extend their lifespan.
The two young worker ants cut the leaf much faster than expected.
Termites are known as the number one pest of buildings and trees; they handle plants as if playing with a ball. With powerful mandibles that go ‘click clack,’ they dealt with the tender leaf as easily as chopping vegetables.
In reality, although termites’ bodies appear soft, they are agile, and their speed is no less than that of fierce ants.
Moreover, they are very bellicose.
Three fierce ants of the same size may not necessarily defeat one termite.
So never assume that termites are weak; they may appear frail, but in fact, they hold a top-tier existence among ant species.
Even the so-called strongest fierce ants, army ants, killer ants, bullet ants, and big-jawed fierce ants, are no match for termites.
It’s much like how felines are invincible among predators of the same size.
The two young worker ants, after cutting the leaf, dragged it into the nest.
In this mere quarter of an hour, Qin Niu noticed that the Ant Queen’s energy had actually recovered to 1.2.
With Fourth in command, their foraging efficiency seemed to have increased by at least three times.
This speaks to the importance of having a wise leader in a group.
After dragging the second leaf into the nest, Fourth went out again with the other worker ant.
This time they brought back two pieces of rotten wood chips to the nest.
The termites’ diet is diverse, and since they harbor flagellates in their bodies, eating wood can be converted into the nutrients needed for their bodies.
Wood is equivalent to roughage, while tender leaves and tree sap are like ‘soup.’
They can obtain a large amount of water and some essential nutrients from these sources.