There are four types of ants in the desert army ant colony: the queen, the male ant, the worker ant, and the soldier ant. The queen is solely responsible for reproduction, while the male ant is responsible for mating. Worker ants take care of the queen and ant eggs, and the most numerous soldier ants are responsible for combat and predation. Despite frequent migrations, these ants are orderly and never cause any disturbances.
Upon witnessing this scene, Shen Feng couldn't help but marvel at the marching ants. Although they were tiny, their unified actions were incredibly powerful. Ordinary animals were no match for these mutated marching ants, and even massive beasts would be overwhelmed by the tide of ants.
"This is our chance. Quickly control the ants on the ground and see if you can direct their movements!" Shen Feng urged Long Qian.
Long Qian nodded eagerly, "No problem. I'll try it now. If I can control the marching ants, this crisis will be averted."
Meanwhile, the helicopter pilots were stunned by what they saw. They had never witnessed such a terrifying sight. The ground was covered in a dense mass of desert marching ants, forming a black, oppressive blanket within a circular area spanning several kilometers. Any animal that encountered the marching ants would be reduced to a pile of bones.
Long Qian began to attempt controlling the marching ants below. He had already witnessed their formidable combat power; a mutated rattlesnake had been reduced to a pile of bones in mere seconds, and even more formidable mutated beasts couldn't last much longer. If he could control such a vast number of mutated marching ants, he would undoubtedly possess even greater power in the future.
Long Qian diligently tried to control the marching ants. Initially, it went smoothly, but after successfully controlling several thousand ants, things took a turn for the worse. The controlled ants were immediately attacked by their companions.
Discovering this situation, Long Qian could only sigh helplessly and say, "I've tried to control these ants, but as soon as I control a portion of them, those controlled ants are attacked by the others. I don't understand why this is happening."
Shen Feng began to ponder, speaking as he thought, "Logically, these ants have no vision. Their actions are all controlled by pheromones. Your ability controls them through electromagnetic waves, which shouldn't cause a conflict."
Shen Feng's words suddenly reminded Long Qian of something crucial. He quickly exclaimed, "Right, I just remembered something. These ants are social animals, and they are controlled by the queen. If the queen isn't killed, it will be impossible to control the actions of these marching ants."
"Understood. If that's the case, I'll help you. First, we need to find the queen, and then I'll kill her. You can take over the rest of the marching ants." Shen Feng realized that the queen's presence was preventing him from controlling the ordinary ants. If the queen were eliminated, the remaining ants could be controlled.
Long Qian immediately ordered the pilots to maneuver the helicopter closer to the ground. Finding the queen wouldn't be easy. The ground, for kilometers, was covered in a dense mass of ants, making it incredibly difficult to locate the queen amidst such a multitude.
"Rustle..." The ants moved ceaselessly, emitting a soft, rustling sound.
Witnessing this scene, everyone felt their scalps tingle. If someone lost their grip on a secure object and fell, they would undoubtedly be reduced to mere bones within minutes. Most people clung tightly to whatever they could, but at that moment, a figure suddenly leaped downwards. By the time everyone noticed, it was too late to grab them.
When they saw someone leap from the helicopter, everyone immediately assumed the person would die. However, that was not the case. The falling individual hovered steadily in the air, a sight that utterly shocked everyone on the helicopter.
"If you all search slowly like this, it will take ages to find the queen. I'll go myself, so just watch," Shen Feng declared, hovering in the sky. He was the only one who could leap from such a height.
Shen Feng then instantly flew towards the ground. The ants seemed to sense something; they all raised their heads, their six legs rubbing together with a rustling sound, preparing to feast.
"Watch closely now. This is a sight you may never witness in your lifetime. Shen Feng is not only the world's number one, but he's also in the top three. Now, watch Shen Feng's performance!" Long Qian reminded everyone on the helicopter to pay attention to Shen Feng's battle. The world's number one ability user was about to fight, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The people on the helicopter watched Shen Feng below, eager to gauge his strength. They had heard of Shen Feng's earth-shattering deeds recently, but these were mere rumors. Now, they had the chance to witness his combat firsthand, an opportunity they wouldn't miss.
As Shen Feng descended, the ant tide shifted. Wherever Shen Feng flew, the ant tide there became denser.
Marching ants couldn't fly, so they were unable to harm Shen Feng in the air. However, they had their methods. Shen Feng was flying at a relatively low altitude, and the cactus forest was quite tall. Ants climbed the cacti, and when they reached a certain height, they leaped towards Shen Feng as he passed overhead.
Shen Feng flew at low altitudes, inevitably getting entangled with the ants. Countless ants swarmed him. If even one landed on him, it would begin to bite, and their saliva had anesthetic properties. While one or two ants wouldn't be a problem, being bitten multiple times would be unbearable.
Shen Feng had his own way of avoiding bites. He activated his ability, creating a swirling current of air around himself. No matter how many mutated ants tried to land on him, they were blown away by the airflow.
At Shen Feng's level, ability users had mastered their powers to an exceptional degree, achieving a level of proficiency where they could wield their abilities with ease. Even facing countless marching ants, Shen Feng was unconcerned, as sheer numbers were ineffective against him.
To quickly locate the queen, Shen Feng began using his ability to search for the target. Several small tornadoes appeared on the ground. Wherever these tornadoes passed, marching ants were swept up, clearing patches of ground. Shen Feng continuously observed the situation below.
The queen was solely responsible for reproduction, so her size was generally the largest. Ordinary mutated marching ants were easily swept into the air by the tornadoes, but the queen was significantly larger than the average marching ant, making it difficult for the tornadoes to lift her easily. Shen Feng used this method to search for the queen.
As Shen Feng's actions unfolded before their eyes, the people in the sky gasped in astonishment. They clearly hadn't expected Shen Feng to possess such immense power, capable of summoning tornadoes in an instant. Countless marching ants on the ground were being swept away, and these man-eating, mutated-beast-eating ants couldn't get close to Shen Feng.
Shen Feng continued to move above the marching ants, a sight that soon drew their attention. Although marching ants lacked eyes, they could communicate through pheromones. They could now sense that Shen Feng in the sky was an extremely powerful being and should not be underestimated.
The marching ants wanted to kill the enemies approaching them, just as they had killed other mutated beasts. If they could latch onto an enemy, they could inject substances like formic acid to paralyze them. Even an elephant would eventually succumb to the ants.
However, the marching ants ultimately couldn't get close to Shen Feng. Many ants were directly swept up by the tornadoes, flung into the high sky, and then violently thrown back down. It was as if it were raining ants.
Upon realizing they were no match for their opponent, the marching ants immediately began to clump together. This was literal clumping; ants gathered together, forming massive spheres. These spheres were enormous, each four to five meters in diameter, composed of countless layers of ants. Even the powerful winds of the tornadoes couldn't blow these colossal spheres into the sky.
Shen Feng was also surprised. Insects and other creatures lacked brains, yet they were incredibly united when facing danger, even devising a method like clumping to resist the wind, and remarkably, they succeeded. Despite their low intelligence, their unity was truly impressive, surpassing that of humans.
"It's quite rare for these marching ants to think of clumping as a method," Shen Feng mused silently.
At this point, Shen Feng needed to consider how to deal with the spheres formed by the marching ants. If these spheres couldn't be broken apart, the tornadoes would be useless. Furthermore, the queen was undoubtedly at the center of these spheres, being protected.
Shen Feng then condensed air cannons in his hands. He now had to resort to using "Ling Feng Cannon" for his attacks. Millions of mutated marching ants had formed spheres, ensuring the ants within were protected from harm, which was the marching ants' most direct response to danger.
"Boom..." Shen Feng unleashed a Ling Feng Cannon. This air cannon directly shattered a massive sphere of marching ants. The sphere exploded upon impact, and most of the ants within were killed.
"Not this one!" Shen Feng examined the shattered sphere, finding only dead ants. The queen was nowhere to be seen.
Within the cactus forest, marching ant spheres had formed, appearing like clusters of black grapes on the ground from a distance. Breaking these spheres apart one by one was clearly impossible.
Seeing this scenario, Shen Feng understood that if he had to break apart each marching ant sphere individually, it would take an unknown amount of time. Not to mention the sheer exertion required; Shen Feng would be exhausted by the time he finished, as condensing a Ling Feng Cannon consumed a significant amount of stamina.
As Shen Feng hesitated, a helicopter in the sky discovered an anomaly and immediately reported, "Report, King. We have located the queen. It's a giant insect! It's white all over but moves with difficulty. Many strong ants are carrying it."
Upon hearing this, Long Qian immediately instructed the pilots to lower the helicopter's altitude and shouted down, "Shen Feng, the queen has been found! Hurry towards the north."
Shen Feng heard Long Qian's call and immediately flew north. As long as the queen was found and decisively dealt with, this crisis could be resolved.