Chapter 19: Ethan Vs Blood Ant Queen (1)
*Step*
*Step*
*Step*
The ghastly sound of footsteps echoed through the small tunnel. As the sound neared, the blood ant queen’s body tensed up, ready to move at any moment.
From the dark, a figure slowly emerged. His jade-green skin stood in stark contrast to the soft yellow hue of the light.
Casually waving his hands through the air, he treaded into the queen’s chamber confidently.
’The murder of my children... It was this mere zombie’s doing?!’ Upon seeing Ethan, the ant queen couldn’t help but display a disgusted expression.
All her life, she had always treated zombies as mindless and powerless beasts. However, now one such beast had not only invaded her home, but he had also killed most of her children and now confidently stood before her.
For a moment, the blood ant queen widened her eyes. Her gaze intensified, a soft red energy leaking from the corner of her eyes.
Ethan playfully stared right in her eyes, his lips curling as if he knew what she was trying to do.
Seeing her sudden move did not affect Ethan; the ant queen was stunned. Regaining her composure, she snarled.
"So a mutt like you can also become an E-rank?" She scoffed, her voice sharp.
"Why not?" Ethan replied teasingly.
The blood ant queen’s eyes twitched. Clearly, she was not expecting to receive a reply from a mindless beast.
"How amusing to see a mutt who can talk~" The queen seethed with a smile.
"I know, right? How amusing to see thousands of your children die at my hands too." Ethan’s eyes seemed to be smiling as he sneered almost immediately.
Hearing his response, the blood ant queen could no longer withhold her rage.
She stomped on the ground with one of her forelegs. Near her foot, deep cracks spiderwebbed.
"You... Why did you do it?" Her voice thundered throughout the entire nest, sending shockwaves towards Ethan.
Ethan’s grin disappeared, and his steps slowly came to a halt. He was not standing a few feet before the blood ant queen. Staring into her raging eyes expressionlessly, he spoke calmly.
"Why? To survive." Slowly placing his hand near his chin, he cracked his neck sideways as he continued. "After turning into a zombie, devouring countless lives, and finally regaining consciousness after an unknown amount of time, I only yearn to survive."
"Whether to treat this situation as a blessing or a curse, I’m still unsure of it. I cannot go back to humans because of my appearance, and monsters will still attack me regardless. What options do I have other than to reap more lives and increase my own strength?"
"You say you massacred my family for your survival, but you could’ve survived somewhere else." As the blood queen continued, her breathing grew ragged, and her voice gradually started to turn hoarse. "That damned survival of yours cost thousands of mine!"
"Hoh?" Ethan tilted his head slightly, the corners of his lips curling into a smile. "Is that why you decided to resort to such measly tricks against a talking mutt?"
The blood ant queen’s face whitened as her heart skipped a beat. A strange coldness began to pierce through her limbs, jolting her awake from the shock.
Until now, the queen had been intentionally stalling for time. Despite Ethan’s constant jabs at her open wounds, she kept engaging in conversations. It was a crucial part of her plan to prepare an ambush for the murderer.
Likewise, Ethan had sensed that something was wrong even before entering this cave. According to the system, fifty blood ants were still alive.
In times of emergency, the queen surely won’t send her soldiers out. Ever since he stepped into the ants’ nest, Ethan swarmed every corner with nearly a thousand ants.
But he did not find any survivors.
"Surely, they must be with the queen," Ethan concluded.
But even as he entered the queen’s chamber, he could not find the ants.
Thus, he intentionally poked at the queen’s wounds. Just as he thought, the queen could not hold her anger and immediately lashed out.
However, strangely enough, rather than attacking, she chose to engage in a conversation instead.
’To think you’ll hold onto your anger just for the sake of your plan; you truly are intelligent, blood ant queen. Unfortunately, you just gave your plan away. And you know what, I think I’m smarter than you too.’
Seeing that the time was right, he blatantly exposed her plan—hoping she would act recklessly.
"Attack!" The blood ant queen ordered, forcing her soldiers to reveal themselves.
Bingo.
Ethan’s eyes widened as he sensed several presences appear over his head. Rather than dodging, he pulled back his hands and folded his fingers into fists.
Veins bulged out of his arms as he looked up, grinning.
Ethan threw a few punches, aiming for the ants raining down at him.
*Squelch*
With a single contact, a part of the ants’ bodies was completely blown away, letting their crimson blood fall like a shallow downpour.
Most ants quickly changed their directions and barely survived his attack.
Several ants bit at Ethan’s legs, eating his flesh immediately. But he didn’t turn them into zombies.
The other ants quickly retreated and acted as a shield for the queen.
"Hey, Queen, do you really think you can survive?" Ethan asked, ignoring the ants continuously nibbling at his body.
"Your body is now damaged. So what if you’re E-rank? So what if you have great strength? What can you do now? In no time, you will be eaten by children. And even if you somehow survive against them, can you survive against me at last?" For the first time, the queen rejoiced.
’Even though he figured out my plan, a mutt simply remains a mutt. While he did somehow hypnotize some of my children, they must already be dead since he came in alone.’
The queen had become sure of her victory.
"Hmm?" The queen couldn’t help but notice Ethan’s reaction. Rather than falling into despair, he was instead smiling even more brightly.
At this moment, the ground began to rumble. Small pieces of stone danced on the floor as the ant’s body shook ferociously.
Ethan, on the other hand, giggled. With each breath, his voice came out louder and more confident, turning into heartfelt laughter.
From behind him, a figure emerged from the shadows, catching the blood ant queen’s eyes.
Then, dozens.
One after another, blood ants poured into the chamber.
Tens.
Hundreds.
Nearly a thousand.
The blood ant queen’s legs ran cold, her body trembling with a sense of fear.
Staring into Ethan’s cold eyes, she heard his voice echoing from a distance.
"...really?"