"Boss, the Insect Men and the Fishmen are fighting. Who should we help?"
Qin Ziwen shook his head. "We’re not helping either side. Let them fight their own battles. What does it have to do with us? All that matters is that we secure our own interests."
Jia Liangcai, standing to the side, stroked his long beard, the corners of his mouth turning up. "My lord, I must disagree. We *can* help."
Qin Ziwen turned his head and knitted his brows. "Then who do you suggest we help?"
Jia Liangcai tapped a finger on the map on the table. "We help whichever side is weaker."
"But what if we get caught?"
"Even if they find out, they won’t dare to call us out on it." Jia Liangcai’s face broke into a genial smile. "Because they need us. As long as we play dumb, they only have to face one enemy. If they expose us, they’ll have to face two stronger enemies."
Jia Liangcai continued, "Of course, this strategy wouldn’t work if we needed to establish a long-term presence here. But since we’re only here for a short time, we don’t need to worry too much about the future consequences."
Qin Ziwen felt that Jia Liangcai had a point.
But the specifics—how to help, and to what extent—required careful consideration.
Qin Ziwen said to Jia Liangcai, "Then I’ll leave the matter of providing assistance to you."
"Yes, my lord." Jia Liangcai bowed deeply.
In the days that followed, the battle between the Fishmen and the Ant-men raged like a wildfire.
Sometimes, teams out mining and hunting would stumble upon the two races locked in combat.
Perhaps the leaders of both sides had given orders, because both the Fishmen and the Ant-men chose to ignore any humans who passed by.
"Tsk, what a brutal fight." Wang Yun pushed up his glasses, gazing at two squads battling it out in a nearby cave.
Not far behind him was the Hunting Team he had led out.
"These Exotic Races are vicious when they fight. Every single blow aims for a vital spot."
A man behind Wang Yun, wearing a yellow sweater with a layer of chainmail over it, remarked with feeling, "It’s a good thing we have the Chairman. Otherwise, we’d have to fight these savage creatures ourselves."
Wei Yu said, "I hear there are quite a few people who were transported here like us. I wonder how the others are managing to survive."
"Haha, lucky for you your school got transported along with us."
Wei Yu sighed. "You’re right. I feel like my living conditions have improved so much since I joined the Gated Community. I never would have had the luxury to think about these things before."
Back then, he had gotten very lucky. He discovered traces of what he suspected was a Giant Rock Dragon in the Gobi Map and reported it to the Qin Alliance.
Chairman Qin had said at the time that he owed him a favor, but Wei Yu knew full well that a favor wasn’t like fine wine—it didn’t get better with age.
You had to cash it in while the other person still remembered.
So he’d applied to join the Qin Alliance’s Hunting Team. It had been several months now. The team’s atmosphere was great, and the captain, Wang Yun, was always impartial when distributing contribution points.
Compared to his other classmates who were transported at the same time, Wei Yu’s current living conditions were quite good.
"Brother Wang, if we’re counting the days, has it been almost two weeks since we got here?" Wei Yu asked, turning his head.
Wang Yun narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, then nodded. "I’m not sure. I guess so? It’s impossible to tell day from night in this underground world. We just get up when the gongs sound every day. Why do you ask?"
Wei Yu chuckled. "We went to the Gobi Map last week, right? I was just calculating the time. Doesn’t that mean we can go back to the other map soon?"
"I think so." Wang Yun couldn’t help but laugh. "You rascal, that’s all you think about all day, isn’t it?"
Wei Yu couldn’t help but wail, "How could I not be thinking about it! My god, I never imagined that just getting some sun could be such a luxury. I hear we have to stay here for another two months. If I stay any longer, I’m going to devolve!"
Wang Yun laughed, chiding him. "You’re exaggerating."
A teammate from the back chimed in, "Brother Wang, when the Chairman has spots available, you have to fight for a few more for us! The brothers are all counting on you for our sunshine!"
"The Chairman has his own plans for who gets sent. The most I can do is submit an application. Whether it gets approved is another story." After speaking, Wang Yun suddenly whipped his head around. "Wait. Everyone, get your weapons ready."
Before Wang Yun could finish, his teammates had also noticed something was wrong.
The routed party from the battle in the nearby cave was heading right for them.
It was a group of Ant-men, and huddled in their midst was a large, plump, white ant.
"Huh." Wang Yun’s gaze sharpened as he looked at the large ant.
Under the glow of the firelight, this large white ant’s appearance was somewhat different from the other Ant-men.
If the other Ant-men were humanoid, this large white ant looked more like a purely wild animal.
But the strangest feature was its enormous abdomen. It was shockingly bloated, like an overinflated balloon. Six Ant-men were carrying it as if they were carrying a small mountain of flesh.
’Ant Queen.’
He immediately averted his gaze. ’So what if it’s the Ant Queen? We haven’t received any orders from above, so it has nothing to do with us.’ He raised his weapon and shouted a warning, "Do not approach! Any closer and we will attack!"
The Ant-men slowed their pace.
The Ant Queen being carried by the Ant-men let out a soft cry. The sound was delicate and gentle, like a little girl’s voice.
Wang Yun shook his head violently, goosebumps breaking out all over his skin as he tried to dispel the horrifying thought.
’I must be fucking crazy,’ he thought. ’How could I possibly equate this Ant Queen with a little girl?’
"SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK~"
The Ant Queen cried out.
Everyone seemed to fall into a daze. Wei Yu muttered to himself, "Why do I feel like it has such delicate features?"
"Yeah, I think this Ant Queen is all white and plump... kind of cute, actually."
"They’re so pitiful, being chased by those Fishmen. Should we help them?"
Wang Yun bit his tongue hard and roared, "It’s trying to bewitch us! Fire, damn it!"
He raised the Arm Crossbow in his hand and fired an arrow straight ahead.
The arrow struck the Ant Queen’s body squarely, making it shriek in pain. Its voice distorted, "SQUEAK!"
The others around him snapped back to their senses. Recalling what had just happened, their faces flushed red with shame.
"Shit!"
"There’s something wrong with this Ant Queen! Its voice can charm people."
They weren’t novices. There were quite a few Extraordinary individuals in the Qin Alliance, so they were no strangers to such powers.
They immediately raised their Arm Crossbows and opened fire.
A large number of the Ant-men carrying the Ant Queen fell instantly. Vicious arrows tore through their ranks, and they toppled like wheat before a scythe.
The Ant Queen they had been carrying on their backs fell to the ground along with them.
The Fishmen in the rear took the opportunity to close in, surrounding the Ant-men. A few of the leaders stared warily at the Arm Crossbows in the humans’ hands.
They had just witnessed the power of the Arm Crossbows with their own eyes.
Carefully avoiding the humans, the Fishmen captured the Ant Queen on the ground and then cautiously retreated.
That afternoon, Qin Ziwen received a message from the Fishmen: they had captured an Ant Queen!
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