The evolution of insect swarms from XNUMX million years ago

Chapter 349 Superior Firepower
The echolocation system of the reconnaissance ancient web-winged flying insect is operating at full capacity. In the space behind it, the rough outlines of structures begin to emerge, and the specific types of structures are quickly determined based on the signal characteristics, preparing to respond.

As expected, the special structures that can spray plasma to kill account for the majority, as if they were well prepared. The rest, such as the Venus flytrap structure and the acid-spraying tentacle structure, only exist in a small number and are unlikely to pose a threat.

Large groups of suicide flies flapped their membranous wings and moved forward quickly - their appearance was far different from the ancient web-winged insects that originally served as their prototype. After all, their positioning today was far different from the camouflaged ancient web-winged insects that were once used for surveillance and reconnaissance.

The reason why the ancient web-winged insects are retained as the name of various small flying insect-shaped species in the nest version is that their average size is indeed similar to those of the huge ancient web-winged insects, and secondly, it is also a kind of commemoration.

After the last battle and a series of turmoil on the planet, the suicidal ancient web-winged flying insects have now also developed into a large category of appearance, and are also divided into multiple types according to different environmental needs.

In the narrow spaces of the underground world, the ancient web-winged flying insects used mainly pursue smaller turning radius, flexible change of direction ability, etc., so that they can also move and fly in narrow caves.

By the way, Lin Yi had already realized the mixed use of direct flight muscles and indirect flight muscles to form a hybrid flight muscle, and could change the wing flapping effect through structural changes.

For example, the ancient web-winged flying insects used in open environments have a developed muscle structure that is more similar to indirect flight muscles. At the same time, the membranous wing structure is also more slender, which can support long-distance cruising. At the same time, according to needs, they can be equipped with a jet boost system for acceleration after discovering the target.

But now, those underground do not have similar needs - the plasma balls ejected by those structures cannot compare with the improved structure of the Explosive Flame Armor, and it is difficult to hit the flexible ancient web-winged flying insects, allowing them to easily sneak into the blind spots of the opponent's attack range and cause casualties.

Due to the opponent's poor attack capability, this type of ancient web-winged flying insect adopted the traditional but effective sticky self-destruction method. Not to mention the various battle records in later generations, even the first "decisive weapon" that Lin Yi encountered, the "Kraken" of the straight-horned stone nest group, had suffered a great loss under such means.

These ancient web-winged flying insects have forelimbs similar to the catching feet of a mantis. Overall, they are similar to the later gorgeous golden mantis or the ancient web-winged cockroaches of the former terrestrial arthropod colony, but the purpose of this pair of forelimbs is not to kill, but to better hook the opponent's body surface.

The chemical substances and enzymes in the explosive are also composed of a special strong inner shell that can confine the shock wave downward as much as possible, so that the power of the explosion can be concentrated downward as much as possible to cause casualties.

At this time, dull explosions could be heard from time to time in the cave space. These were the explosions of the suicidal ancient web-winged flying insects, which repeatedly killed those strange plasma jet structures.

The explosions were not frequent but rather sporadic and intermittent. However, each explosion was inevitably accompanied by the complete destruction of a plasma emitting structure, with most of its body shattered by the shock wave and no longer able to function.

Perhaps the cost of these plasma-launching structures is still high for the other party, but the reality is that they can be easily destroyed with just one ancient web-winged flying insect, just like the small suicide drones that became popular in later generations.

Drones may still be fatally affected by electromagnetic interference, making them unable to cover everything, but for the nest, the amazing stability of spatial synaptic communication makes interference impossible, and they can be used more recklessly. The sporadic Venus flytrap-like structures are unlikely to pose a threat to the ancient web-winged flies. Even if they capture the ancient web-winged flies, the huge pair of insect-catching structures will be destroyed from the inside in the subsequent explosion.

On the contrary, the structure that sprays acid poses a slight threat to the ancient web-winged insects. Their exoskeleton is not as good as that of the crazy saw-toothed ants, and they have membrane wings as a weakness. Once they are touched, their flying ability will be affected to a certain extent.

However, these structures are not dense either. Perhaps they can still intercept scattered ancient web-winged flies, but when a large number of ancient web-winged flies approach at the same time, they seem to be powerless. After shooting down one or two ancient web-winged flies, they will be approached and destroyed by the remaining flies.

The whole process was completed very quickly. Even the large group of ground-grade individuals in the rear did not have to take any action. The large group of ancient web-winged flying insects cleared the road and quickly moved towards the depths, to the core nest chamber that must exist.

On the ground, the fungal carpet tissue extends all the way, and connected by the already formed pipes in the back, a steady stream of nutrients and spores are pushed forward, causing the nervous system and fungal carpet tumors containing spatial synapses to proliferate together, allowing these fungal carpet tissues to also serve as extensions of the nest's limbs.

A series of auxiliary functions may require these fungal mat organizations, or in other words, the ground after being covered by the fungal mat is truly and completely occupied by the colony, and various subsequent activities will be centered on this.

That layer of original fungal-like tissue has a certain resistance ability, but it is ultimately not an opponent of the fungal mat tissue that can launch attacks from both the microscopic and macroscopic levels. The special microscopic grades used for autolysis at the cellular level are injected into the opponent's body together with the fungal mat spores from the roots, quickly killing them.

Some microscopic objects composed of a small number of cells cooperate to attack the enemy's immune system, causing the opponent's cell tissue to quickly and completely collapse and become nutrients for the proliferation of fungal tissue.

Not to mention that under Lin Yi's active control, some fungal mat roots even penetrated and divided the opponent's tissues, dividing their tissues into small pieces that could not get nutrient support from the rear, and then defeated them one by one.

Everything made the progress this time much smoother than last time. Even the high-ranking dragon king no longer came to obstruct. I wonder what the other party has prepared inside the nest this time.

The most powerful feature of biotechnology like the Hive is not the output, but the production flexibility. This means that when facing an opponent with sufficient technological reserves, it is very likely that the quality of the enemy faced will be completely different in just two battles.

The other party would obviously do the same. After all, Lin Yi had already seen various variants based on the Raider Dragon and the changed defense structure ratio. According to the current situation analysis, they would most likely use any existing technology to build a defense line inside the nest again.

However, this time, Lin Yi was also fully prepared. After all, the army of tunnel worms was right behind him, and he didn't believe that the other side could produce an individual of a grade that could threaten the tunnel worms.

(End of this chapter)