Chapter 37: King And Knight (2)
Editor: Atlas Studios
For some reason, Foolish, who System had sent away and was vigilant toward, returned here and attacked the intruder without hesitation.
Because of her continuous growth these few days, Foolish's rank seemed to have increased again. Her body length was close to 7cm, which was twice the size of a regular reddish-brown soldier ant.
System observed that the mouse's hind leg was injured due to Foolish's bite, and it started bleeding. Maybe it was because of the corrosive effect of the antacid on its wound.
The mouse huddled up and licked the wound, while Foolish moved right in front of System, shielding System behind her.
"Attack it, now!"
System knew this was a perfect opportunity as the mouse was licking its wound.
If he wanted to attack this mouse, it would be now or never.
Foolish received and obeyed System's orders without question!
Foolish opened and showed her six-centimeter-long mandibles. They were twice as large as the size of her head when they fully opened. She aimed at the mouse's head and rushed straight at it!
However, before she rushed to the mouse and tore its head…
The mouse sensed Foolish's movement and shook its body, which was even more agile, knocking down Foolish!
The mouse did not stop there. It scurried toward the direction where Foolish fell, and after biting twice, it flung Foolish again.
Insect hunters were proficient at instakill ambushes, but they were not suited for a direct, head-on attack.
Although Foolish had grown to 7cm and appeared to be very large, her body structure was very slender and light. The fifteen-centimeter-mouse's weight was dozens of times that of Foolish.
Naturally, Foolish suffered from the shortcoming of her body's weight and flexibility and was attacked by the mouse instead.
Kaka… Kaka…
The mouse held a black object and started chewing on it, producing an ear-splitting gnawing sound in the silent cave.
Foolish shook her head as she felt a little dizzy from the mouse's earlier attack.
System noticed that the last leg on Foolish's left side had disappeared—the mouse was chewing on that leg!
It might be doing that to intimidate or threaten Foolish. Perhaps the mouse was in a teasing mood.
Instead of giving Foolish a fatal attack just now, it was eating the leg in front of Foolish.
System did not feel any anxiety or fear through [Spirit Connection] coming from Foolish.
He only felt two emotions in Foolish's mind, one of which was her worry for System, and the other was her anger toward the mouse!
Foolish adjusted her body and charged at the mouse without waiting for System's command.
Unfortunately, the outcome was the same as before.
This time, the mouse easily tore off two more legs, the right front one and the left middle one, and then flung Foolish again.
Kaka… Kaka…
The mouse tossed aside the half-eaten leg, picked up one newly-torn leg, and gnawed on it.
System even heard the sound of the mouse sucking flesh and blood from the leg's exoskeleton.
Even if Foolish was not injured, she could not defeat this mouse, not to mention she only had three legs left now.
The mouse would eat Foolish's legs, one by one, in front of it, and then torture her to death.
"Foolish, come here."
System sent a telepathic message to Foolish, calling her to his side.
Foolish, who felt dizzy from the mouse's attack, shook her head. Some cracks had formed on her head due to the impact and murky white liquid was flowing out of them.
Insects could be very stubborn. Even after the loss of three legs and a shattered head, Foolish approached System at her usual speed.
Foolish transmitted a puzzled emotion to System as she did not know what he wanted to do.
System looked at the mouse. It finished eating one of Foolish's legs, so it picked up another one and continued enjoying its feast.
Finally, System made his decision. He sorted out his thoughts and tried to send a telepathic message to Foolish in a smooth and sincere tone.
"Foolish, hide behind me. When it attacks me later, run away and return to your original ant nest, where the real ant queen is. Actually, I'm not the queen, I'm a grasshopper."
System's emotional state was weird. Every time he looked at his lifespan countdown, he felt terrified, but now that he was facing death, System did not feel fearful anymore.
The ant larvae around him could hardly squirm, and it was almost impossible for them to escape. Foolish was the only one with any hope of escaping, and System wanted the soldier ant to survive.
Unexpectedly, Foolish did not respond to System's telepathic message and remained silent.
Ever since Foolish had encountered System, it was the first time that the soldier ant disobeyed his orders.
Suddenly, Foolish turned her body around and dashed at an extraordinary speed with her three remaining legs. She shook her huge mandibles violently and charged at the mouse again!!
Kaka… Kaka…
Soon, the mouse flung Foolish in the same manner and deprived her of two more legs, leaving her only with her foreleg.
Foolish used her foreleg, as well as her movable abdominal joint, to wriggle on the ground and attack the mouse again.
Unfortunately, Foolish was sluggish. By the time the mouse devoured the last leg, Foolish was still on her way to reach the mouse.
The mouse seemed to lose interest in Foolish as she could no longer fight back. Thus, it approached Foolish and used its front legs to flip Foolish's crippled body, throwing Foolish around like a sandbag.
When the mouse noticed that Foolish was exhausted from the torture, it grabbed Foolish's body. It seemed the mouse was ready to put an end on Foolish's life…
And that was when the miracle happened!
Thud—
A translucent liquid with tinges of red gushed out of the mouse's head!
Perhaps it was because of the mouse's negligence, or it was Foolish's long-planned attack, but the stinger in Foolish's abdomen had miraculously pierced the mouse's eye.
The mouse shrieked in misery and rolled and jumped in the cave continuously. The stinger and the overwhelming pain frightened the mouse to the point it fled, leaving behind the half-buried soldier ant!
…
The barely-alive Foolish struggled out of the soil with her foreleg and her movable abdomen and crawled toward System.
After a few minutes, Foolish finally reached System. Then, she turned her body and pointed her mandibles outward…
-- Gift
received