Chapter 278: The Pupating Mighty Iron Armor Ants

Ah, what is this!

What on earth is going on here? The originally plump, white Mighty Iron Armor Ants and the verdant Summer Grass Ants have all pupated one after another.

Could this be an uncontrollable phenomenon?

The bodies of the Mighty Iron Armor Ants exhibit a black, glossy sheen, just like individual black pebbles.

As for the Summer Grass Ants, a large amount of white mold has sprouted on their bodies, wrapping them together into a white pupa.

It's just that the red mushroom on its back has grown even larger; Lan Fa is stunned, as this question is beyond the syllabus, exceeding the scope of Lan Fa's thinking.

Clearly, ant-type Exotic Beasts shouldn't undergo pupation, so where exactly did the problem arise?

Before Lan Fa could fully research and understand it, the pupated shell emitted a crisp "crack" sound.

Lan Fa took a closer look, and a crack had appeared on the back of this pupated shell.

Only a few "crack, crack" sounds were heard, the crack then expanded, and a sharp Zhua emerged from within.

This wet Exotic Beast struggled to emerge from the shell, crawling away slowly and leaving behind trails of water.

Its wings were pressed tightly against its back.

As time progressed, the mucus adhering to its body gradually dried, and a pair of crystal-clear wings, thin as cicada wings, gradually unfolded.

At this moment, a ripple in space appeared near the laboratory bench.

The black and white Space Pelican appeared, carrying Ye Bai.

Lan Fa was quite surprised by Ye Bai's appearance.

It turned out this was a warning issued by a paper doll left behind by Ye Bai, telling Ye Bai that an uncontrollable phenomenon had occurred in the Laboratory.

The paper doll puppet directly woke Ye Bai up, and he arrived in the Laboratory through Space Transfer.

"Ye Bai, what is this phenomenon?"

"Why have these Mighty Iron Armor Ants turned into this appearance, and grown a pair of wings out of thin air?"

Seeing Ye Bai had arrived, Lan Fa asked curiously.

"This is the eclosion phenomenon of ants; this is actually a good thing."

"Eclosion means they are not far from the mature stage."

"When the flying ants' wings fall off, that is when the reproductive organs of the Mighty Iron Armor Ants have matured."

Ye Bai had an unexpected joy; the cultivation period for these Pet Beasts had been shortened.

As long as one Mighty Iron Armor Ant among them evolves into an ant queen, Ye Bai's experiment will not be far from success.

Ant queen = a continuous stream of troops.

Contracted ant queen = control over a continuous stream of troops.

Of course, Ye Bai's Contract Slot will be reserved for more important Pet Beasts.

Once the Mighty Iron Armor Ant queen appears, it symbolizes that a tribe is about to be born.

Meanwhile, the Summer Grass Ants on the other side remained lying on the ground, motionless.

A large amount of white fungus appeared on their bodies, forming thick white pupae.

Spore cells are further infecting the entire bodies of the Summer Grass Ants.

Their minds have all been controlled by the Spores.

Ye Bai observed that the mushroom on its back was growing larger and larger, as if a red parasol were shading the Summer Grass Ant.

This indicates that this fellow is also undergoing further metamorphosis.

"Lan Fa, focus on observing the state of the Summer Grass Ants recently; tell me if there is even the slightest disturbance."

Ye Bai said solemnly to Lan Fa.

"I understand, Ye Bai. Then, how should we handle these metamorphosed Mighty Iron Armor Ants next?"

In Ye Bai's eyes, the name of the metamorphosed Mighty Iron Armor Ants has not changed, only a flight form suffix has appeared.

"Ye Bai, what should be done next?"

After all, this is a project led by Ye Bai, and Lan Fa needs to know Ye Bai's intentions.

The metamorphosed Mighty Iron Armor Ants' bodies radiated a metallic luster, and their wings, thin as cicada wings, sliced directly through the transparent display case.

A "clang" was heard, the transparent display case was split in two, and the eclosed Mighty Iron Armor Ants flew directly into the air.

"These guys, they want to run as soon as they evolve."

"Myriad Change Silkworm, use Thunder Light Butterfly Clone."

Facing these third-rank little guys, summoning Dahui would also work, but I'm afraid Dahui wouldn't know his own strength.

After all, Dahui, combined with the Thunder God Axe, has the strength to go head-to-head with a peak sixth-rank Pet Beast.

Killing a third-rank Mighty Iron Armor Ant is as simple as killing a mosquito.

Streams of Thunder Light surged from the Myriad Change Silkworm's body.

The Thunder Light formed a butterfly-shaped Exotic Beast flickering with Thunder Light in mid-air.

This is the Thunder Light Butterfly.

It was seen that the Thunder Light on its wings turned into tiny thunder needles, which bombarded the Mighty Iron Armor Ants.

The thunder needles sank into the bodies of the Mighty Iron Armor Ants.

Subsequently, streaks of golden Thunder Light spread across the bodies of the Mighty Iron Armor Ants.

They all trembled from the electric shock, and their bodies emitted metallic sounds.

The Mighty Iron Armor Ants fell to the ground, white smoke rising from their bodies.

"My goodness, Ye Bai, your strength is getting stronger and stronger. What kind of Pet Beast is this butterfly radiating Thunder Light?"

"The Myriad Change Silkworm can even split into such a Clone?"

Lan Fa increasingly feels that this unassuming Ye Bai is secretly very strong; if Ye Bai participated in the Phoenix Cup, he might even become the champion of the Phoenix Cup.

It is possible that even the Blood Saint was finished off by Ye Bai, but Lan Fa kept this secret hidden deep in his heart and did not dare to speak it out.

After all, this concerned a major power.

The Great Strength Iron Armor Ant after eclosion has large pincers on its head like a pair of giant scissors, and its entire body is covered in black, shiny armor.

Its appearance is like an unsheathed long blade, and its wings, thin as cicada wings, emit a cold, chilling light, like a sharp nine-ring broadsword.

Their mouthparts are like two large guillotines, which can easily bite a piece of iron ore into fragments.

The Great Strength Iron Armor Ant combines the Brute Force of the Great Strength Ant and the metal armor of the Iron Armor Ant; it is a very fierce Pet Beast.

If it can be cultivated vigorously, it is a good option for attacking cities and seizing territory.

However, Ye Bai then discovered an awkward situation.

The most important male ants, that is, the Ant King or Ant Emperor, had not been cultivated.

This could be considered a major characteristic of the ant family.

Queen ant, Ant King, male ant, Worker Ant.

The queen ant belongs to the head of the ant family that issues orders, and is also the brood nest for explosive troop production in the colony; it has no combat power, but is the highest leader in the colony.

The Ant King is the queen ant's mate and possesses the strongest combat power; usually, only the strongest among the male ants can become the Ant King.

The male ant possesses huge pincers and has decent attack and defense capabilities; it generally serves the role of a guard in the ant nest, and it is also called a soldier ant.

Sometimes they stand outside the nest like door gods, and once they discover an outside enemy invading, they will quickly emit a harsh, shrill scream.

This sound can quickly spread to the entire nest, summoning the male ants to come out and fight.

The Worker Ant is the beast of burden of the ant family; good things generally do not fall to them. Worker Ants are generally female; they do not have reproductive capabilities and are merely simple consumables.

Only when the queen ant is on the verge of death will the Worker Ant, under the stimulation of Signal Hormone, grow organs capable of reproduction.

Usually, it is the Worker Ants that serve the male ants; these male ants do nothing but guard the safety of the nest.

"Let's first store these Great Strength Iron Armor Ants after eclosion into the Beast Card."

"Later, we must first cultivate the male ants."

"The male ant with the strongest combat power among them will automatically become the Ant King." "After the Ant King pairs with the female ant after eclosion, it will stimulate the female ant's reproductive organs."

"Its belly will rapidly undergo Expansion, but among these ten Great Strength Iron Armor Ants, only one can become the queen ant."

"The other nine Great Strength Iron Armor Ants will become sacrifices."

The number of male ants is the smallest; basically, ninety-nine percent of ant eggs are female, all of them being pure-bred beasts of burden with the lowest status, the kind that works hard without complaint.

Ye Bai also had a hard time finding five male ants; only after the queen ant possesses reproductive capabilities can more combat troop types be bred.

The queen ant can create ant troop types according to its own needs, such as the Shield Armor Ant, which is a type of ant that only has defensive capabilities.

It usually acts as the queen ant's guard, blocking fatal attacks for the queen ant when she is attacked.

Due to the reckless operations of the Great Strength Iron Armor Ants, the glass display cabinets on both sides were already damaged.

Ye Bai signaled for Lan Fa to manufacture a dozen more glass display cabinets, and had the paper person of the Paper Puppet carefully use Space Transfer to move the Summer Grass Ants into the new glass display cabinets to avoid the Spore inside from leaking out.

However, the moment the paper person came into contact with the Summer Grass Ant, it was corroded by the white mold on its body, and finally gradually assimilated, turning into a pile of white mold.

Seeing this situation, Lan Fa could not help but pat his own chest.

"That was close. If I hadn't been wearing a protective suit just now, I might have been infected by the Spore and become a walking corpse."

At this time, Ye Bai was secretly thinking.

"The infectious ability of this Spore is very strong; I must think of a way to see what can restrain the Spore."

"Once the Spore breaks out on a large scale and spreads to every corner of the city with the wind."

"By that time, it will not be something that human power can control."

"I must think of a solution."

The Clone of the Myriad Change Silkworm, the Thunder Light Butterfly, emitted blue arcs of electricity, and wherever it passed, the arcs crackled.

The Laboratory's monitoring system was activated, and only after confirming that there were no floating Spore in the air did Ye Bai wave his hand to stop the monitoring system.

"Lan Fa, you must be careful while staying here."

"The protective suit must be worn at all times; the Spore on the Summer Grass Ant is infectious and can infect humans, turning them into walking corpses."

"I call these infected humans 'vegetables'."

"I have a vague premonition that this kind of Spore might break out on a large scale and spread rapidly."

"This is a hidden threat, and a crisis could descend at any time."

"Currently, I have not yet found a method that can restrain this kind of Spore."

This made Lan Fa reveal an expression of extreme horror.

He vaguely felt that what Ye Bai said was right; once this kind of Spore breeds on a large scale, I am afraid that many cities will be instantly swallowed by the Spore.

The infected people will also turn into living dead.

"If you are afraid, I will not force you; you can withdraw from the Laboratory at any time."

Lan Fa shook his head: "Ye Bai, I want to stay."

"This is my first time participating in such a major project, and it is also a critical moment for me to lay my foundation."

"So I want to stay and participate in this experiment."

Lan Fa cherished this opportunity given by Ye Bai very much.

"Alright then, if you have any problems, just tell me."

"Pay attention, your own safety is the most important."

"Do not put yourself in danger."

Ye Bai said with extreme solemnity.

Just at this time, Ye Bai received a call, and the person who called was none other than Jiang Dongsheng.

He was already prepared and hoped that Ye Bai could perform surgery on his Pet Beast as soon as possible.

Through his contract, Ye Bai could sense that the physical condition of some Pet Beasts was extremely unclear.

"Alright, I understand, I will head over now."

Ye Bai nodded with a grave expression.

"Ye Bai, what happened?"

This was the first time Lan Fa had seen Ye Bai show such an expression.

"Didn't our chief, Jiang Dongsheng, have an accident before?"

"I was the one who performed the surgery on him."

"And the Spore that infected Jiang Dongsheng is the same one currently possessed by the Summer Grass Ants."

"This kind of Spore can invade the body of a human or an Exotic Beast, multiply in large numbers, and cause them to be controlled by the Spore."

Ye Bai pointed to the white mold on the Summer Grass Ants and said.

Lan Fa shivered three times instantly; he decided to only use a clone if he were to approach these Summer Grass Ants.

He wanted to avoid being invaded by the Spore and becoming a vegetable, unable to live or die.

"Ye Bai, just go with peace of mind; I will watch the Laboratory and won't let anyone enter."

Lan Fa guaranteed.

"I am just afraid that someone who breaks into this place will be infected by the Spore."

Ye Bai frowned, so he specifically used a marker to write the eight large characters "Evil Spores Inside, Do Not Enter" and stuck them on the door of the Laboratory.

Yet these eight characters were like "there are no three hundred taels of silver here"; after being discovered by a researcher named Liu Dachui who happened to pass by, a glimmer of brilliance flashed in his eyes.

He knew this Laboratory belonged to Ye Bai, and he also knew Ye Bai was a genius researcher.

"Evil Spores Inside?"

"Could it be that Ye Bai is researching spore-type Exotic Beasts?"

"Extremely interesting."

The researcher Liu Dachui took a photo of this paper and sent it to a scientific research group.

Many researchers who had been lurking for a long time surfaced one after another.

"Evil Spores Inside, what kind of species is this, and was it developed by someone?"

"I remember mushroom-type Exotic Beasts are very fragrant; lightly pan-fry them in oil, and the charred aroma is pungent."

"Is this guy researching something delicious?"

"Dachui, what is this guy's background?"

A Doctor student tagged Dachui in the group.

"It is said he is the champion of the Young Qilin Cup."

"He is awesome, much more awesome than those of us who worked so hard to get into Imperial Capital University."

Dachui told everything he knew in the group.

"Dachui, send me the location; this old man will go take a look."

Liu Dachui also did not expect that the photo he casually sent would actually blow up so many big shots in scientific research.

Ye Bai arrived at the medical center, familiar with the road.

At this time, Jiang Dongsheng had already recovered quite a bit.

He was draped in a piece of clothing, sipping tea in small mouthfuls.

There was no color on his face, and he had an IV drip in his hand.

Recommending a book, "Spirit World, My Intelligence Refreshes Daily."

The author of this book is my classmate, so it also writes about Shenshan Middle School. Overtime is finally finished, sigh, I have been exhausted to death during this period.

(End of this chapter)