Chapter 5
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
This chapter is edited by Rain. Thank you for your contribution!
Chapter 5: What Is Outside the Ant Nest?
The [Weak Ants] truly lived up to their species—they were natural diggers. Within minutes, they had broken through the tunnel.
The moment it was breached, a faint light filtered through the opening.
Light?
Have we reached the surface?
Lin Yu’s heart pounded.
She felt a mix of excitement and anticipation, but more than anything, she was nervous.
While she was still in a daze, the [Weak Ants] pushed down the last wall of dirt, opening a hole large enough for four of them to pass through at once. The dim light illuminated the passage.
Looking out from the opening, she didn’t see a bright blue sky, but rather a rocky “ceiling.”
Moreover, now that the passage was open, she could hear faint slurping sounds from above. At the same time, a faint scent of blood reached her.
A person? Or an animal?
She didn’t rush out. Instead, she listened carefully.
Between the slurping sounds, she caught the occasional tearing noise and heavy breathing.
Doesn’t sound human…
It was probably some kind of animal eating its prey. Judging by the sound, it was a fair distance away.
If it’s eating, it shouldn’t notice us, right?
Also, it smells delicious… I kinda want some…
Just one quick peek shouldn’t be a problem!
Lin Yu ordered the [Weak Ants] to remain still while she cautiously controlled one of the D-Aptitude [Weak Ants] and poked its head out of the tunnel.
Rocks, stone walls—so this is some kind of rocky cave?
No, wait, that’s not important.
She quickly shifted her gaze toward the source of the slurping sounds.
A bear?
In the center of the stone cave, a massive bear-like creature with long, sharp fangs and thick brown fur was feasting on a bloody carcass.
From what Lin Yu could see, the bear was at least three or four times the size of her mother’s corpse. Compared to her ant colony, it was an absolute giant.
The beast’s blood-stained jaws tore into its prey with practiced ease, utterly focused on its meal, seemingly unaware of Lin Yu’s observation.
Looking at the mangled, unrecognizable creature beneath the bear, Lin Yu’s appetite quickly vanished.
While the bear ate, she took the opportunity to survey the cave.
Scattered bones littered the area, but there wasn’t much else of note.
The cave was massive compared to the [Weak Ants] but was only about four or five bear-lengths wide.
However, it stretched much farther in length—perhaps ten times its width.
Sunlight streamed in from a towering entrance in the distance, making the cave much brighter than their underground nest.
Even though she had only been underground for a few hours, she already preferred the light.
Not because I’m afraid of the dark! I said I’m not, so I’m not!
***
After another wary glance at the feasting bear, Lin Yu pulled the ant’s head back into the tunnel.
Just one peek had provided a wealth of information.
First, it confirmed once again that this was another world, not modern Earth.
Second, her current location:
She decided to refer to her dwelling as an anthill. The tunnel’s entrance was located at the bottom corner of the cave wall. While small by human standards, it was still large enough for a few ants to pass through at once.
The massive bear was the apparent ruler of the cave. Though she couldn’t check its status panel, there was no doubt it was far beyond their ability to challenge.
Even with all her ants combined, it would probably take only a few swipes of its claws to wipe them out.
The bear must never discover the anthill. The entrance needs to be sealed back up.
That led to another problem—food.
The remaining eggshells wouldn’t sustain 30 [Weak Ants] and herself for long.
Also… now that the ants were nearly as large as her, their appetites had likely grown as well.
But there was still her mother’s corpse. It was fresh.
I can let the kids eat it. She was my mother, not theirs, so it’s fine. Yep, that makes sense.
What? Why won’t I eat it?
Because I can’t! Absolutely not!
She was still my mother, after all… even if she did try to eat me before she died… But!
No means no!
I am a filial daughter!
…Okay, maybe I just don’t want to eat an insect’s corpse.
Why?
Because I don’t want to! It looks unappetizing, and it probably tastes awful. What if it bursts in my mouth?
Ew… Why am I thinking about this? Back to the main issue.
Food was a big problem, but maybe they could explore while the bear was out hunting.
That seemed like the only option.
Finally, there was the issue of their size.
Though they were “[Weak Ants],” they weren’t very small. To the bear, they were probably the size of a paw each.
If this were my old world, an ant wouldn’t even be the size of one of its hairs.
Still, I have no way of knowing how big that bear is compared to other creatures in this world.
Lin Yu ordered the [Weak Ants] to bury the anthill entrance until only one ant could pass through at a time.
Then, she assigned some to take turns watching the bear while the rest returned inside.
The [Weak Ants]’ thoughts remained blank.
That meant they weren’t hungry yet.
I’m not hungry either…
If I can’t explore, what should I do next?
I want to use a computer! I want to play on my phone! I want to watch TV!
I want to snack while binge-watching anime!
That’s all I need to be happy! Friends? Who needs them?!
Ugh, I miss the internet…
***
After a while, the bear seemed to have finished eating. The ants keeping watch reported that it was simply lazing around in the cave.
As time passed, the light from the entrance dimmed, and the cave became as dark as the anthill.
Lin Yu felt drowsy.
She couldn’t help but feel tired, though she wished there was a soft bed in the anthill.
But she could only wish. This wasn’t a game world after all.
Reminiscing about the bed in her old bedroom, Lin Yu curled up on the ground and closed her eyes.
Of course, she hadn’t forgotten about her children.
She divided the 30 [Weak Ants] into two groups—one to take turns watching the bear and the other to guard her as she slept.
Unlike the noisy modern world, this place was utterly silent at night, especially underground.
Within moments, Lin Yu drifted off to sleep.
