Chapter 53
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Chapter 53: Mama!
『Mama…』
Hmm…
『Mama, wake up…』
Five more minutes…
『Mama…』
Who’s… calling for mama at dawn? Here of all places!
Lin Yu’s morning irritability peaked as she snapped her eyes open, glaring fiercely.
Two glossy black ants – one large, one small – skittered backward against the wall with clicking sounds.
『Mama angry? Wuwu…』
The sight instantly dissolved Lin Yu’s rage, jolting her fully awake.
…Mama?
Eh?!
Who are they calling mama? Me? Could it be…
Don’t tell me…!
Did yesterday’s eggs hatch already?
Wait – they can speak? Using Chinese? Without moving mouthparts?
If they can communicate verbally… does that mean independent intelligence?
Too much information! Too sudden!
Her gaze automatically shifted sideways.
Then I saw densely packed juvenile ant colonies quietly positioned behind me and on both sides.
My scalp instantly prickled with unease.
It wasn’t really about them being ants—even if they were humans, anyone would feel chills upon waking to find a crowd flanking them, staring intently with unblinking eyes, right?
Actually, last night before sleeping, she had laid two additional batches of eggs.
Combined with the previous three batches, she now had a total of 410 eggs.
Alongside the swarm of juvenile ant colonies, shattered eggshells littered the area.
…
It seemed they had all hatched.
Two new types of juvenile ant colonies had emerged.
The first resembled Juvenile Military Ants in size, with greenish-brown bodies that transitioned to emerald green on their six limbs.
The second type was over ten times larger than Juvenile Military Ants, even surpassing the mature Military Ants guarding nearby in height—these were pitch-black juveniles.
The former were likely Acid Ants, while the latter must be Iron Armored Ants.
*"Mom?"*
*Gasp!*
Don’t interrupt me while I’m thinking!
I haven’t figured out how to handle you yet! If you keep talking to me… I… I might just flee!
Even though they’re my daughters, they’re still unfamiliar ants. Casually conversing with strangers… is way too daunting for a socially anxious loner like me!
*"Did Mom get angry? Hic…"*
I’m not angry, really…
Though their voices—both speech and crying—are undeniably girlish and melodic.
*"Sniff…"*
They cry like little children, and the sobbing’s growing louder…
Wait, the smaller dark ant seems to be the one weeping. The larger one remains eerily quiet.
Are these two the only ones who can speak after hatching?
*"Waaah…"*
Alright, fine—priority is calming the crybaby.
But… what should I say?
What tone? Playful? Gentle? Or—ugh, whatever!
*"I’m not angry."*
Ugh… That came out icy.
Curses! Back in school, my cold tone and blank face earned me the "Ice Queen" nickname. Is history repeating?
Cold-faced *mom*? Nooo! I’m supposed to be a warm, loving mother!
*"R-really? Mom isn’t mad?"*
*"Mm."*
Apologies—no matter how hard I try to soften up, my voice defaults to frostiness around others.
*"Yay!"*
The Iron Armored Ant suddenly clattered toward me.
*"D-don’t come closer!"*
So scary! Charging at me out of nowhere—I’m not mentally prepared to bond yet!
The Iron Armored Ant halted obediently at Lin Yu’s command but tilted its head in confusion.
*"Mom?"*
*"Sigh… Hungry?"*
Time to deflect.
*"Starving! Big Sis is too!"*
They *are* hungry… The eggshells remain untouched despite being scattered everywhere.
Did they endure hunger waiting for me to wake?
*"Everyone, eat now. Hmm… Consume your birthshells."*
This command addressed all hatched ants.
Immediately, the colony stirred. Each ant located its own shell and began devouring it voraciously.
Crunch, crunch, crunch…
…
Ah, they’re eating so enthusiastically…
Though I’m somewhat tempted by their eggshells, I feel a bit awkward… After all, these two aren’t like the previous C Qualification Military Ants.
C Qualification Military Ants think more like animals, but these two… Leaving aside the quiet one, the crybaby can already be considered equivalent to a human child.
It’s hard to take action… Ah, "taking action" refers to the eggshells! Not them! Though the sounds do sound tempting…
These are two large black ants bigger than myself, not cute girls at all.
Eh? That’s not the issue?
Then what? Mother-daughter relationship problem? Forbidden love?
Hmph! Familial bonds aren’t so shallow! This maiden shall break through any so-called taboo walls!
Just kidding… Actually taking action is impossible.
I’m just timid, so what!
Back to business – I haven’t appraised them yet. Let’s start.
First appraise those green juvenile ants.
/(Acid Ant, appraisal results omitted)
Confirmed Acid Ant. Due to incomplete growth, only Health Value Limit of 25 visible – other attributes remain 0.
Now the dark-colored juvenile Iron Armored Ants.
/(Iron Armored Ant, appraisal results omitted)
Iron Armored Ants with astonishing Health Value Limit! 60 points! Even higher than mature Military Ants!
They’re truly strong!
If C Qualification juveniles have such stats, then…
Lin Yu shifted her gaze to the two talking Iron Armored Ants munching eggshells like others.
First appraising the tearful Iron Armored Ant:
B Qualification. Eh? With her chattiness, I thought she’d be A Qualification…
Health Value Limit…80 points. 20 higher than C Qualification juveniles.
Appraising the other one…
A Qualification confirmed! Health Value Limit…120 points? Twice the C Qualification juvenile’s!
During appraisal, the A Qualification Iron Armored Ant suddenly came clattering over with eggshell in mandibles.
Wh-what’s she doing?!
Lin Yu retreated instinctively.
The A Qualification ant stopped advancing, lifting her ant head with eggshell still in mouth.
"Mommy eat?"
