Hunter of Mysterious Creature

Chapter 864 - 102: Black Spring

When the minute was up, thirty-five vehicles remained in place, with nearly a third opting to retreat.

"Follow." Nagano Souta uttered these two words and initiated the mecha.

The White Tiger Mecha’s feet were equipped with concealed wheels and jet-cushions, allowing it to easily reach a speed of 100 kilometers per hour on flat terrain without using its thrusters. Reaching 140 kilometers per hour required the mecha to maintain an aerodynamic posture, with two to four auxiliary thrusters providing minimal thrust.

But for the Hunters and mercenaries, a speed of 140 kilometers per hour was not the vehicle’s top speed. With the performance of their modified vehicles, they could typically reach over 200 kilometers per hour. At such speeds, whether or not the vehicle overturned was no longer decided by skill but by the passengers’ luck.

If a vehicle ran over a bigger stone, it would lose control and fly off the road. Passengers in such a vehicle were highly unlikely to survive unless they had high-level physical enhancement memes.

Nagano Souta seemed to have considered this problem, so he increased the output of the mecha’s foot cushions and combined it with the energy shield on the surface. As the White Tiger moved, it crushed rocks and clumps of soil into a perfectly flat path.

"Is this the territory of the carnivorous ants..." the accountant driving a heavy-duty truck said, trying to suppress his nervousness as he looked at the cracked, parched land around him.

The ground was full of holes that looked like they’d been poked by chopsticks. Every time the wheels rolled over these holes, faint rustling sounds emanated from within.

Initially, the sound was weak and easily drowned out by the vehicle’s engine, but gradually, the rustling became louder. It was not only a change in volume but was accompanied by slight tremors in the ground, as if an overwhelming swarm of carnivorous ants would emerge from these holes at any moment, like a tide ready to engulf the entire convoy.

A faint sense of fear slowly crept into everyone’s hearts.

"Hiss... Is this the sound of the carnivorous ants?" a Hunter grimaced as he spoke, "Damn, it gives me the creeps... I don’t dare to imagine how many carnivorous ants are lurking underground..."

"The meme monitoring devices are off the charts," said another Hunter sitting next to him, glancing at the erratic gauge, "There are too many of them... and each carnivorous ant is a separate meme segment, so the instrument can’t measure the exact number of carnivorous ants."

"Forget about the number; just think about when these bugs will come out!" the driver said without turning his head, "Damn, I just want to get out of this hellhole as fast as possible!"

"Is there an empty bottle? Hand me the gasoline can!" a Hunter in the back threw the meme monitoring device under the seat. "Whether it works or not, we’ll give it a shot!"

As the rustling grew loud enough, the air suddenly fell silent for a brief moment. Then, a wave of black "water" began gushing from the countless holes!

To be precise, it wasn’t water but a "swarm" composed of countless carnivorous ants, each less than a centimeter in diameter!

These ants were propelled into the air by tremendous pressure, reaching heights of more than ten meters, and then they fell like rain upon the terrified Hunters and mercenaries.

Sharp tapping noises continuously sounded from the vehicle roofs, as two Hunters holding gasoline-filled water bottles exchanged glances, seeing fear and confusion in each other’s eyes.

Information previously gathered about the carnivorous ants mentioned that they emerged through "vent holes" to attack humans and vehicles, but never said they could launch themselves using underground gas pressure to attack from above.

How could this be handled?!

More terrifying than the tapping was the sound of the ants’ mandibles cutting and burrowing through metal. While most of the ants on the roof were flung off or rolled away, a portion clung tightly using the barbs on their legs and started gnawing at the metal roof.

Almost every vehicle was covered in black carnivorous ants, looking as though they’d been rolled in black sesame seeds, except for the path-clearing White Tiger, which remained unscathed as its energy shield turned the ants that landed on it to ash.

"Boss!" the accountant on the heavy-duty truck saw the ants devouring the windshield and felt a wave of despair. Besides flesh and metal, glass too seemed part of their menu.

"I’m done for! Boss, forget about us. Before these bugs eat me alive, I’ll hand you the spare ammo and energy packs from the truck! Take them and flee fast!"

As he spoke, the accountant extended a hand to grasp a lever beneath the steering wheel. A folded mechanical arm on the truck’s rear extended, its claw reaching to hook two one-meter-square metal boxes.

But before the mechanical arm could deliver them, it, too, overwhelmed by the carnivorous ants, emitted a groan, then lost all strength, dropping heavily down.

With a loud "bang," the two metal boxes crashed onto the rack, deforming the steel beams that made up the rack.

"Shit!" the accountant couldn’t help but curse, "The mechanical arm’s hydraulic system’s been chewed through by these bugs!"

The White Tiger had slowed by this time, one of its hands resting on the side of the heavy-duty truck, its other hand’s fingertips spraying high-temperature flames to clear the swarm covering the truck cab. Nagano Souta seemingly refused to abandon his loyal subordinate.

"Boss, it’s no use... The underside is covered with carnivorous ants... They’re everywhere." The accountant gripped the steering wheel with one hand, his other hand holding a gun at his waist. "It won’t be long before they chew through the outer steel plates and crawl into the cab... I know what’s waiting for me... Boss, you should just save yourself!"

Through the rear-view mirror, the accountant noticed the situation was even worse for the vehicles behind them. Many had collided, overturned, and caught fire, with only a few remaining vehicles creeping behind them, each one infested with countless carnivorous ants.

The annihilation of the entire convoy was just a matter of time.

No one would have predicted the carnivorous ants would attack the convoy in such an unimaginable manner.

The communication channel buzzed with hysterical curses and intermittent screams, along with the unsettling sound of the swarm feasting on flesh faintly audible.

The accountant sighed, raised his gun, and aimed it at his temple.