Chapter 127 – The Pincer Maneuver

Chapter 127 – The Pincer Maneuver

Cheng Yang surveyed his surroundings. The Bone-devouring Ants showed no signs of moving in any particular direction, instead focusing on building their nest. The structure was already taking shape.

Seeing this, Cheng Yang’s frown deepened. Without a nest, demonic beasts could only increase their numbers through daily respawns. Once the population density reached a certain threshold, the respawn rate would drop drastically.

But with a nest established, the growth rate of the demonic beast population would depend more on their reproduction speed rather than respawn rates. The Bone-devouring Ants’ reproductive capabilities were undoubtedly terrifying.

Cheng Yang couldn’t allow his territory to face an assault of millions of these ants. The village walls would crumble like paper, and Phoenix Fall Village would stand no chance.

*Did such a demonic beast horde exist around Phoenix Fall Village in my previous life?* Cheng Yang wondered. He was certain that if there had been a Bone-devouring Ant nest nearby, the village wouldn’t have survived a year in the apocalypse.

*Could my presence have drawn divine attention to Phoenix Fall Village? If so, that’s anything but good news.* Cheng Yang thought bitterly. Despite his current strength among combatants, he was still an insignificant ant in the eyes of the gods.

One thing was clear – these ants had to be eradicated, and quickly.

Cheng Yang estimated there were about ten thousand ants, with two thousand at mid-tier level one. If left unchecked, Phoenix Fall Village would be in grave danger.

Frustration gnawed at him. He couldn’t defeat them head-on, but time wasn’t on his side either. Then, inspiration struck.

*Why fight them directly?* Cheng Yang realized. *I can kite them, whittling down their numbers with each attack.* With the ants’ density, he could easily kill nearly a hundred with each strike.

As long as none of the ants matched his speed, the risk would be minimal. Still, he needed to prepare thoroughly. First, he needed better potions.

Returning to Phoenix Fall Village, Cheng Yang purchased one hundred large health potions, spending two thousand spirit energy points. These potions could restore 60 health points instantly, followed by 16 points per second. Combined with his innate medicinal constitution, they could save his life from anything short of instant death.

He also borrowed a bronze greatsword from one of Wang Da Niu’s subordinates. While he couldn’t utilize its attack power as a non-warrior, its sharpness and durability would help clear paths through the underbrush.

Returning to the ant nest, Cheng Yang began hacking through the vines with the greatsword. The disturbance immediately alerted the ants, who surged toward him like a black tide.

“Retreat!” Cheng Yang mentally commanded, stowing the greatsword and summoning his mithril staff. A barrage of ice spikes rained down, instantly killing nearly a hundred ants, including many mid-tier level ones.

The ants’ formidable offensive capabilities came at the cost of weaker defenses, making them vulnerable to such attacks. Cheng Yang quickly retreated, knowing that in this battle, only area attacks and speed mattered.

The ants pursued relentlessly, their numbers undiminished by the losses. Cheng Yang maintained his rhythm, unleashing ice spikes every two seconds while retreating at a steady pace.

After several attacks, Cheng Yang noticed something strange. The leading ants slowed their pace, maintaining formation with the rest of the swarm.

“Clever,” Cheng Yang muttered with a wry smile. “But it only delays the inevitable.”

Continuing his strategy, Cheng Yang retreated nearly a kilometer when he noticed the pursuing ants’ numbers had significantly decreased. Despite killing nearly two thousand, only about five thousand remained.

Suddenly, a wolf’s howl echoed from his left, followed by a green-skinned creature’s scream from his right. A sense of foreboding gripped Cheng Yang.

The pursuing ants abruptly accelerated. Realization dawned on Cheng Yang, but it was too late. From both sides came the telltale rustling of countless ants moving through the underbrush.

*They’ve outmaneuvered me!* Cheng Yang thought in dismay. *They used the main group as a distraction while flanking me from both sides.*

This level of tactical thinking was unheard of among demonic beasts, especially for creatures as individually weak as Bone-devouring Ants. But Cheng Yang had no time to ponder this anomaly – he needed to escape the three-pronged assault immediately.

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