Chapter 343

Chapter 343: If We Push Just a Little Harder, It Might Be Like Crushing an Ant

The tiny ant egg quivered faintly, emitting soft crackling noises from within, as if the little creature inside was struggling desperately against its shell’s confinement…

So… so nervous…

Lin Yu unconsciously held her breath, her heartbeat synchronizing with the egg’s rhythmic tremors.

After several tense moments, she and her daughters witnessed fissures spreading across the egg’s surface. The cracks gradually widened with gentle cracking sounds, fragments of the shell detaching and falling away.

It’s emerging!

Lin Yu leaned forward with Red Pupil and Lvzi, their six eyes fixated on the container. The white-haired woman’s crimson eyes glistened faintly in anticipation.

As shell fragments cascaded downward, three pairs of eyes finally beheld a miniature ant emerging through the breach.

The creature’s entire length scarcely matched Lin Yu’s fingertip. Its pearlescent body gleamed snow-white, yet its ocular orbs and the distal segments of six limbs burned crimson.

Little Qiao’s exquisite daintiness instantly captivated Lin Yu’s heart.

…

The newborn ant appeared disoriented, shaking her head before lifting it tentatively toward the container’s rim.

This motion brought her face-to-face with three towering figures peering down through six enormous eyes.

“Squeak!!”

The tiny ant recoiled violently, scrambling to the container’s corner where she huddled with limbs drawn tight, trembling too violently to face her observers.

Compared to the creature’s diminutive form, the three females beside the vanity loomed like colossi.

Any newborn awakening to such gargantuan visages would panic – indeed, the overwhelmed ant failed to recognize these towering beings as her mother and elder sisters.

This reaction puzzled Lin Yu.

Previous hatchlings had immediately recognized their matriarch, often clamoring for affection…

Excepting Weak Sound, of course, whose shyness initially kept her distant.

Could this new offspring genuinely fear them?

A spirit as minuscule as her physical form.

Yet timidity might prove preferable! Some daughters grow too bold these days.

The white-haired matriarch flicked Lvzi’s forehead with practiced ease.

Thud～

“Ouch! Why’d you…”

“You startled your sister.”

Hmph, my daughter, I can discipline her as I please!

“But… was it me? Your strike hurt worse than thunder!”

I barely touched her.

Lin Yu suppressed an eye-roll, turning away pointedly.

Undeterred, Lvzi pressed on regardless.

“Hehe, if Mommy gives it a little rub, the pain will go away~”

She clung to Lin Yu’s arm while nestling her cheek against the girl’s shoulder.

Lin Yu remained unresponsive, continuing to observe the tiny ants in the box with the young girl beside her.

“The little sister is so petite and adorable.”

Red Pupil remarked admiringly.

“Mhm.”

You’re pretty small yourself.

The white-haired girl nodded in agreement, instinctively reaching to stroke the young girl’s head.

She noticed Ji Qiao remained huddled in the corner of the box even after her conversation with Lvzi and Red Pupil.

Even after hearing our discussion, she still won’t lift her head to glance our way…

Much more timid than I anticipated.

But that’s perfect!

I adore teasing…ahem, I mean playing with such a daughter!

Regarding size, she should still have room to grow.

After hatching, an ant colony member’s status shifts from “Egg” to “Growing.” This “Growing” status persists until sufficient feeding completes their physical development.

During this growth period…they typically expand three to fourfold?

Though even tripled in size, this little one would remain quite small.

Ah, right—post-hatching skills should become visible on the status panel now.

With this thought, Lin Yu activated Identification on the shivering Ji Qiao.

——

Name: Ji Qiao

Race: Parasitic Ant (Growing)

Qualification: S

Class: None

Level: LV.1

Health Value: 1/1

Magic Value: 2/2

Skills: “Parasitism”, “Bite”

Attributes: Strength 0

Agility 0

Intelligence 1

Physical Resistance Ability 0

Elemental Magic Resistance Ability 0

Abnormal State Resistance Ability 0

——

As expected, the status reads “Growing.”

But the Health Value remains alarmingly low! It stayed at 1 even after hatching—lower than even a Growing Weak Ant when considering health alone.

No wonder she’s so timid…

One might worry her Health Value could plummet to zero from the slightest touch, like crushing an ant beneath a finger.

Ah, though technically we _are_ ants.

Ahem. Back to the matter.

Now for the crucial skill!

“Parasitism”: Upon activation, the user can infest a deceased organism, taking control of its body. During parasitism, the host’s attributes and skills become accessible. The parasitic state may be terminated at will, returning the host to its lifeless condition.

The initial description matches the racial traits, but the latter part…

_Using the target’s attributes and skills!_

This means true parasitism of formidable Earth Dragons or even dragonkin like Flossie might be possible!

The white-haired girl’s pulse quickened at the thought.

After steadying her breath, Lin Yu patted Red Pupil’s and Lvzi’s heads, signaling them to withdraw.

“Eh? Why now?”

Lvzi pouted, clearly reluctant.

“Our sister’s nervous. We’ll visit later,” Red Pupil explained, tugging at her companion’s sleeve. “Besides, we should inform Sister Magic Rainbow about her hatching.”

Lvzi’s gaze drifted—first to Lin Yu’s impassive face, then to the parasitic ant trembling in the corner, finally settling on Red Pupil.

“If Elder Sister insists…”

She released Lin Yu’s arm with lingering hesitation, allowing herself to be led away. The youngest closed the door softly behind them.

As her daughters departed, the ice in Lin Yu’s demeanor thawed.

“They’re gone now.”

Perhaps disarmed by the ant’s vulnerability, the white-haired girl abandoned her usual aloof pretense, adopting the relaxed manner she reserved for the blonde companion.

The tiny ant shivered at Lin Yu’s voice, peeking upward before ducking back into hiding.

“Recognize me? I’m your mother.”

Amused by the continued timidity, Lin Yu extended a finger toward the box’s snowy inhabitant. Yet as she neared, unease prickled her skin—memories surfaced of a past life, of recoiling from a palm-sized white spider found while cleaning her villa. That time, the blonde had dealt with the arachnid…

Her hand didn’t waver. Years spent among ant daughters had long since replaced revulsion with fondness. And this pearlescent creature? Far more exquisite than any eight-legged horror.