Within the Chimera Ant nest.
Pitou, having returned from her defeat, knelt before the Queen. In an extremely solemn tone, she recounted the entire process of her and Youpi's failure and the subsequent massacre of over half their elite forces. She placed particular emphasis on Allen's final declaration of vengeance: the vow to slaughter the entire ant race until not one remained.
The Queen sank into deep thought upon hearing this. Several minutes passed before she inquired via telepathy: "So, humans are not as fragile as we imagined. There are strong individuals among them, and they possess powerful weapons that we can neither understand nor manufacture. Is that correct?"
Pitou nodded hurriedly. "Yes! For the King's safety, I suggest you relocate immediately. Otherwise, if the enemy truly storms our gates and releases that horrific gas again, the poor ventilation here means we won't even be able to escape."
"But the problem is, this world is crawling with humans. Where could we possibly run?" the Queen asked, gently stroking her abdomen where the King had already finished developing.
As the sovereign of a race possessing telepathic abilities, she could sense the fear and anxiety within Pitou's heart. It was true, one of the Royal Guards, standing at the very pinnacle of Chimera Ant combat power, had begun to feel afraid. And the object of that fear was the very species they had previously regarded as mere food.
This sudden shift filled the Queen with bewilderment. She simply could not fathom what was so terrifying about a creature like a human, beings with no sharp teeth, no claws, no sturdy carapace, and no thick fur.
Pitou was clearly prepared. She immediately spread out a map and explained earnestly, "I have learned about the state of this world from the mouths of the slaves. Our current location is the Balsa Islands at the southernmost tip of the Yorbian Continent. There are five countries here in total. Our current range of activity is concentrated in the NGL Autonomous Region, a place where the human population is sparse and technology is backward."
She pointed to the east. "By taking a small number of Squadron Leaders, Officers, and soldiers across the sea to the other side of the islands, we can reach a nation called East Gorteau. Not only is it densely populated, but it also possesses relatively advanced knowledge and technology. Most importantly, that country is isolated from the outside world with almost no communication. We can directly seize the royal palace, control their supreme ruler, and use that puppet to provide the legion with ample food while learning to manufacture powerful weapons from the humans. If we move fast enough, those pursuing us won't even notice."
It had to be said that for the King's safety, Pitou had truly done her homework. Under the threat of the toxic gas, she had realized the importance of scientific knowledge and technology; she no longer placed blind faith in individual strength and now yearned for weapons of mass destruction.
"East Gorteau..." The Queen was visibly swayed. She heard that humans were more numerous there, and more humans meant more food and better nutrition.
"Your Majesty, please do not hesitate. Make your decision quickly. Otherwise, when that terrifying human strikes, we will all die," a Squadron Leader urged.
"Very well! Then we move! Prepare immediately! Take all the eggs!" After sensing the intense panic radiating from the increasing number of ants fleeing back to the nest, the Queen finally understood the gravity of the situation and agreed to Pitou's relocation plan.
About an hour later, a large number of Chimera Ants began leaving the nest, feigning a hunting expedition. In reality, these movements were a ruse to deceive the enemy. The true Queen, the Royal Guards, and the Squadron Leaders had already slipped away amidst the crowd, moving rapidly toward the east.
…
Meanwhile, camping several kilometers away, Allen sensed something was wrong. Specifically, the red dot on his Hunting Map belonging to Pokkle had vanished, and a new record had appeared within his Eyes of the Dead.
Eaten? No... that's not right. If the ants wanted to eat him, they would have done it long ago. They wouldn't have waited until now.
"What happened? You look a bit off," Knov noted. As a sensitive individual, he immediately caught the shift in Allen's mood.
"Something seems to have happened at the Chimera Ant nest. By the way, are you car-sick?" Allen suddenly pivoted, a mischievous, ill-intentioned expression crossing his face.
"Car-sick?" Knov was baffled by the non-sequitur and shook his head instinctively. "No, of course not."
"Is that so? Good. Come here, look into my eyes."
Without another word, Allen snatched the glasses off Knov's face and activated his Nen ability, Eyes of the Dead.
In an instant, a massive influx of visual data flooded into Knov's brain like a tidal wave. In just a few seconds, he witnessed everything that had transpired during Pokkle's final moments.
The moment the transmission ended, the poor man felt a violent wave of dizziness. His stomach lurched, and he couldn't stop the bile from rising. Before he could even process his thoughts, Knov lunged toward a large tree, clutching the trunk and vomiting violently.
Only after he had emptied his stomach did he ask, his face pale, "Dammit! What the hell did you just show me?"
Allen shrugged innocently. "Sorry, I wasn't sure myself. Actually, that was the final memory of a Hunter captured by the ants. Now, tell me, what did he experience before he died? The more detail, the better!"
"Things seen before death? I see!" Knov realized what had happened and quickly took out a tissue to wipe his mouth. "I saw a massive amount of ants in the nest moving eggs and meatballs. But soon, including the deceased, about seven or eight captive Hunters were brought directly before the Queen and eaten alive. They had some strange devices on their heads; they didn't even resist at the end."
"Eating seven or eight captive Hunters all at once?" Allen frowned.
"Yes! And especially the ants I saw at the beginning... their behavior looked like... like they were moving house!" Knov suddenly looked up, voicing his suspicion.
"Crap! The Queen is trying to escape!"
Now understanding the enemy's intent, Allen didn't waste another second. He summoned the Red Dragon into her physical form, leaped onto her back, and flew straight toward the Chimera Ant stronghold.
By the time he arrived, the place was a ghost town. Aside from a few pawns left behind to maintain the illusion, the rest of the ants had vanished without a trace. Deep within the nest, he found a massive pit filled with human remains, at least a million skeletons, many of them belonging to small children. Some still bore fresh blood, indicating they had been killed only recently.
Based on this pit of bones alone, the Chimera Ants had to be completely eradicated!