Ethan swept his gaze across the cave, noticing the shattered eggshells scattered across the ground, reflecting a ghastly pale light under the dim illumination. Most of the eggs had already been smashed, leaving only a few intact ones clinging to the edge of the cave wall.
Suddenly, a shrill scream pierced the silence, echoing from nearby. Ethan jerked his head around, only to see the crowd scattering in all directions like startled beasts. One man was left behind, stumbling as he tried to flee, but he was a step too late.
A giant man-eating ant had pounced on his back. The creature, nearly half a meter long, looked like a chunk of black stone crushing its prey. Its thick forelimbs clamped tightly around the man, while its sharp mandibles tore wildly at his neck. Flesh and blood flew, a fountain of red erupting in the chaos.
The man moaned weakly, "Help... help me…"
In the next instant, a figure shot forward like an arrow—it was Sarah! She leapt up and delivered a fierce kick to the ant's side, sending it flying off the man's back and crashing onto the rocky ground nearby.
The man-eating ant flipped over and sprang back up. Its six legs dug into the ground, and the two antennae atop its head trembled violently, scanning the air like radar for scent and vibration.
Ethan now got a clear look at the creature: it was the size of a fully grown Bernese Mountain Dog. Most of its back was covered in a glossy black carapace, while its abdomen remained white. Its compound eyes, as large as fists, swept over the surroundings coldly, like the gaze of death itself.
The antennae twitched, and the ant lunged once more at the fallen man, swift and relentless.
Sarah kicked it again, sending it skidding further away, but the ant climbed back up, obsessively charging at the same target, as though driven by an invisible scent.
"No... we need to find its weak spot," Ethan muttered, eyes narrowing as his mind raced. Suddenly, he noticed the creature's white abdomen. He remembered the ant inside the egg he had once seen—it had been entirely white, unlike this fully developed one with its armored back. Only the abdomen remained vulnerable.
A flash of insight struck him. He shouted, "Sarah! Kick its belly!"
Sarah immediately adjusted her position and delivered a powerful kick to the ant's underside. There was a dull thud as the soft white surface tore open, and dark red viscera spilled out in a rush.
The ant shrieked, its movements growing erratic. Its antennae flailed wildly, and it spun in place, as if it had lost its sense of direction. It staggered about, its organs dragging on sharp rocks, tearing more with every step. Soon, its motions slowed, and it collapsed, twitching faintly as life left its body.
Ethan stepped forward and crouched beside the ant. He discovered a retractable proboscis hidden within its mandibles, needle-sharp—clearly used to extract bodily fluids. He quickly constructed a mental model of the creature: adult man-eating ant, about half a meter long, powerful jaws and forelimbs, armored back, poor eyesight, and a soft, vulnerable abdomen.
"Ethan, come take a look," Sarah called out.
He walked over and immediately saw that the man was beyond saving.
The victim appeared to be around forty, his white T-shirt soaked in blood. A savage bite on his neck had nearly severed his head. Ethan shook his head. "He's gone."
"I know," Sarah replied, staring at the corpse. "But don't you think it's strange? That ant only targeted him. Everyone else was fine."
Ethan was silent for a moment, then crouched down to search the man's body. He found keys, an ID card, and other items—but nothing unusual. Then he noticed a faint, sticky, translucent liquid on the man's shirt, emitting a strange odor.
He motioned to Sarah. "This slime might have attracted the ant."
Sarah nodded, her expression serious.
Ethan stood and looked at her. "What's your take on this mission?"
Sarah stared at the dead ant. "I just tested its strength. Without attacking the weak point, it's nearly impossible to break through its defense barehanded. So we'd better avoid fighting them head-on. If we can find a way around these ants, that would be ideal."
Ethan nodded in agreement.
Just then, a rustling came from a corner of the cave—something crawling over gravel.
Then came a chorus of terrified screams.
Ethan whipped around and saw over a dozen man-eating ants pouring in like a black tide from a nearby tunnel. Their six legs moved in unison, as fast as a sprinting adult human.
Panic erupted once again as people scattered in all directions.
Ethan's eyes scanned the chaos. A woman in a brown shirt was running while holding the hand of a little girl, no older than six or seven, weaving between the egg clusters as they tried to escape the pursuing ants.
Suddenly, the little girl tripped over an eggshell and fell hard, dragging her mother down with her.
Before they could get back up, one of the ants had already pounced. It drove its forelimbs into the woman's arm, pinning her to the ground. She cried out in pain but still clutched her daughter protectively, shielding the child's eyes with one hand.
The ant opened its mouthparts. Its proboscis shot out and pierced the woman's skull—and the little girl's chest. The mother's blood and brain matter sprayed like a fountain, drenching the child.
The girl, enduring the agony in her chest, whimpered, "Mommy…" But there was no response. Soon, the little girl stopped breathing as well.
Ethan's heart pounded violently at the brutal scene. He knew then: they couldn't fight these creatures head-on.
His eyes searched the surroundings until he spotted a large, broken eggshell. He quickly picked up the larger fragments and squeezed himself into the remaining half of the egg, sealing the opening with pieces of shell.
Sarah did the same, hiding nearby in another eggshell.
Outside, footsteps, screams, and the sound of bodies being torn apart echoed through the cave.
After about ten minutes, the nightmare subsided, and silence returned.
Ethan cautiously lifted the eggshell lid and peeked out—no sign of the ants. They had likely chased the others away.
He stepped out of the shell and scanned the scattered tunnels around him, pondering which way to go next.
Just then, he heard footsteps behind him. He spun around—only to see Sarah approaching.
"You didn't leave?" Ethan asked.
"No. There wasn't time. I did the same as you and hid in an egg," she replied, pointing to the one nearby.
"You weren't afraid I'd made the wrong call? If we were wrong, we'd be dead."
"I was afraid," she said, nodding. "But there was no better option. And if the ant had found me, I would've fought it again."
Ethan's lips twitched faintly, but he said nothing more.