Volume One: Lord of the Infernal World Chapter 63: The Enhancement of the Emerald Ants

Although he agreed to let Jade handle the poisonous gases, Chen Gu did not immediately withdraw his forces. The Sacred Light magma and fire elementals remained by the mound, ready to intervene and dispose of the toxic liquids should the Jade ants show any signs of distress.

With Chen Gu’s support, Jade was less anxious. She first directed the Jade ants to process the corpses of the walking dead, a request Chen Gu had made before the battle began. Jade herself was curious to see how much flesh and blood a single corpse of the walking dead could yield.

A swarm of Jade ants descended upon the corpse, and within less than a minute, it was reduced to fragments—nothing remained, not even the bones.

“From what I can see, an ordinary walking dead can sustain about fifteen hundred Jade ants—the standard kind. If you want a queen nest and brain bug, you’ll need at least three ordinary corpses. Furthermore, if the Jade ants’ bodies are enhanced, say with an additional attribute, the number they can sustain drops by five hundred. So, with three enhancements, a single corpse can only feed five hundred ants.”

“Enhancements?” Chen Gu queried.

“Yes,” Jade replied. “The Jade ants we’re using now have two enhancements: armor-piercing fangs and fire-poison attack.”

“Oh,” said Chen Gu, now understanding. So, the so-called enhancements were exactly that. He grew curious, “How many attributes can a single Jade ant be enhanced with?”

“Five—the maximum is five.”

“So, fully enhanced Jade ants, one walking dead corpse can support five hundred of them? Could five hundred Jade ants defeat a walking dead?”

Jade laughed softly, “My lord, you must be joking. If they’re fully enhanced with five attributes, a hundred Jade ants could kill a single walking dead. The rest is profit.”

Hearing this, Chen Gu felt reassured. It seemed these Jade ants would indeed be useful.

Yet another question lingered. “And what about the integration of poisonous gas you mentioned?”

“Oh, some attribute enhancements require conditions. For instance, this time, if I want to give the Jade ants a strong poison trait, their constitution must be improved first. These gases are greatly beneficial for them, granting them some resistance to toxins.”

As they spoke, the corpses of the walking dead on the ground had been completely dismantled. The Jade ants had hauled away the fragments, ground to powder, and even drained the blood from the earth. The remaining ants charged toward the nearby mound, preparing to deal with the poisonous gas.

The Jade ants rushed into the toxic cloud; most didn’t make it far before succumbing along the way. Yet those following seemed oblivious, pressing forward, dragging back the bodies of their fallen kin, while new ants surged ahead. Most could advance only a meter or two before dying on the path. Jade cared not for the casualties; as soon as one batch perished, another replaced it.

There weren’t many Jade ants here—though “not many” was relative. For the Jade ants, “not many” meant a mere hundred thousand or so. Previously, Jade had fretted over how to handle these surplus ants, but now she had found an excellent solution. She was quite pleased.

Chen Gu watched for ten minutes, growing somewhat impatient. The Jade ants kept charging to their deaths—what was the point of this?

“Are you strengthening their physical attributes?” he asked.

“Of course not. The key is the corpses of those killed by poison. Once dragged back, they’ll become nutrients for the next generation. The new Jade ants will possess greater toxin resistance. It’s how the Jade ants have been strengthened, generation after generation. But since following you, my lord, the process has been simplified. It used to take four or five generations to achieve this enhancement.”

Chen Gu now understood the situation and asked Jade about her thoughts on further strengthening the Jade ants.

“I’ve considered it. There are many Jade ants, but their combat power is limited. I personally believe it’s not suitable to make them all-purpose; all-purpose means none are specialized. Rather, it’s better to focus on one trait. I actually dislike the current Jade ants; if they’re meant for armor-piercing attacks, then enhance that. If for fire attacks, then enhance fire. Mixing them together means neither is effective.

So, once the Jade Kingdom is established, I’ll assign each city a single troop type, strengthened in one direction. For example, armor-piercing units will have strong acid effects, ensuring they can destroy enemy armor in one strike. Fire attack units might evolve to fire-breathing types, or, if not, other ranged or self-destruct attacks.”

As Jade explained her plan, her current focus was only on two enhancements, but even so, Chen Gu saw much hope.

“All right, proceed as you wish.”

“But, my lord, this will require significant resources.”

“I know. I’ll provide the initial resources. I’ve already sent the Fire Spirit Crow to scout nearby. If there are any other undead, I’ll help you deal with them. Is there anything else you need?”

“Seeds, my lord. We can’t always rely on flesh and blood to rear Jade ants. The Jade ant nest used to have its own farms, so we need a large supply of seeds. If we could get aphids, that would be even better.”

“Seeds and aphids?”

“Yes. We grow succulent plants ourselves, which serve as food for ordinary Jade ants. Aphids produce sugar, which helps the soldier ants replenish energy. Flesh and blood are used to raise larvae.”

Jade had planned everything thoroughly. Chen Gu saw how much she had thought through and decided to leave it to the professional.

“Very well, I’ll find a way to get these things for you. If I come across suitable magical items, I’ll send them to you immediately. But remember, I have a specific purpose for the Jade ants.”

“My lord, rest assured—I remember.”

Jade was well aware of what Chen Gu wanted from the Jade ants. The communication network was his true objective. Only by controlling this could he hope to command the whole situation.