In human understanding, Chimera Ants were extremely brutal creatures, capable of easily exterminating other species.
But no human could have imagined that a brilliant maternal glow would manifest on the Chimera Ant Queen.
Within the fluorescent, floating spherical egg, a blurry figure could be seen, curled up, occasionally moving slightly.
The Queen's hand gently stroked the surface of the egg, eagerly anticipating the King's birth.
She was the nurturer, and her mission was to give birth to the King.
Initially, she consumed fifty-person portions of meatballs daily. Now, she needed two hundred and fifty-person portions.
Up to now, as the King in her womb had taken shape, the Queen had developed a strong, intuitive premonition.
The King in her womb possessed the potential to rule the world.
[Meruem, Meruem...]
In her mind, the Queen tenderly whispered the name she had chosen for the King in her womb.
All her thoughts were devoted to the King… she paid no heed to the potential threats outside.
Regarding those threats, the three Royal Guards hadn't informed the Queen either.
The night passed quietly, and the morning sun rose.
Groups of Chimera Ants left the nest… flying types, but more were ground-based. They dispersed, intending to travel far within a day to bring food for the Queen.
East Gorteau had a population of five million. Due to the Chimera Ants' invasion, over a thousand humans suffered each day.
Since the nest was in the west, the affected areas spread from the west towards the east. East Gorteau's capital was far in the easternmost part of the territory.
The Chimera Ants' existence spelled disaster for small villages.
The East Gorteau's leadership was well aware of this. However, after the V5 and Hunter Association intervened, the leadership, even the head of state, adopted a hands-off attitude.
Since others were willingly helping to solve the problem, there was no need to waste their own manpower and military funds.
With this selfish mindset, East Gorteau's stance was clear: fully delegate the matter to the V5 and Hunter Association.
Because of this, the Chimera Ants' hunting during the early and middle stages proceeded without pressure.
Now, the Chimera Ant Extermination Team had arrived.
While awaiting reinforcements, the initial hunting plan commenced.
First, Morel took out a massive pipe, continuously blowing small rabbit-shaped white smoke. Once a certain number of smoke rabbits were produced, they dispersed and hopped into the forest.
Using these smoke rabbits, Morel gradually grasped the numbers and movements of the Chimera Ant squads.
Then, Morel intercepted the Chimera Ant squads one by one, blowing out smoke to obstruct their vision. Coordinating with Knov, who set up Hide-and-Seek's entrances/exits, they sent the Chimera Ant squads into Hide-and-Seek in turn.
Waiting for the Chimera Ants there was Netero, in combat mode.
Originally, Law should have demonstrated his individual combat value, but Netero took on the entire task of eliminating enemies.
Knowing Netero was warming up and finding his rhythm, Law didn't compete.
Undoubtedly, the groups of Chimera Ant cannon fodder sent to Hide-and-Seek only served as Netero's warm-up. By nightfall, the largest room in Hide-and-Seek was filled with Chimera Ant corpses.
In a single day, the Extermination Team eliminated over two hundred Chimera Ants, none of which were Squadron Leaders.
The disappearance of over two hundred Chimera Ants naturally caught the Squadron Leaders' attention. They reported the news to the Royal Guards.
Hearing the Squadron Leaders' report, without needing any proof, the three Royal Guards were certain the culprits were the humans they saw yesterday.
"They're weakening our forces, and their methods are stealthy."
Pouf pinched his smooth chin, a cold light in his eyes.
"Send the Squadron Leaders with troops to eliminate them?" Youpi suggested.
"No. The Queen's food source is more important."
Pouf rejected Youpi's suggestion without hesitation, saying sinisterly, "The enemy's disadvantage is their small numbers. And..."
"And?" Youpi had a question mark over his head.
Pitou sat cross-legged on a rock, tilting her head as she looked at Pouf.
Meeting his colleagues' gazes, Pouf said coldly, "When hunting, we dispatch the vast majority of our forces. Common sense would suggest that's when our defense is weakest. So why don't the enemies seize that opportunity to attack directly?"
"Why?" Youpi cooperatively asked.
Pouf sneered. "Because they lack the confidence to breach our defenses."
Pitou's lips curved upwards. "Simply put, they think their strength is inferior to ours?"
"Who knows."
Pouf suppressed his smile, saying calmly, "If they want to weaken our forces, let them. That actually suits my intentions. As for cannon fodder, it doesn't matter how many die."
Pitou and Youpi had no objections.
Once the King was born, they would follow the King, directly severing the Chimera Ant hierarchy and forming their own clan.
By then, not just these Chimera Ants, but even the Queen would have no relation to them.
Therefore, to ensure the King's birth, they wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice all the Chimera Ant soldiers in the nest.
Having decided, Pouf began countering the Extermination Team's encirclement and elimination plan.
He did two things.
One was ensuring the Queen's food source was reliable, safe, and sufficient. The other was having the hunting Chimera Ant squads split into more groups to disperse the enemy's elimination efficiency.
Ensuring the food source and buying time.
These two countermeasures were arranged for the King's birth.
The next day, the Extermination Team noticed changes in the Chimera Ant's hunting squads.
More squads, fewer members per squad.
Even noticing this change, the Extermination Team could only continue the encirclement plan.
As Pouf judged, even with Law's help, the Extermination Team lacked sufficient confidence to attack the nest.
Days passed. The number of eliminated Chimera Ants piled up, yet the Chimera Ant's side remained unmoved, still dispatching over a hundred squads to hunt daily.
From Netero and the others' perspective, as long as reinforcements hadn't arrived, continuing the plan wasn't problematic.
Moreover, Netero hadn't only had Law call for reinforcements. He also complied with the Association's initial conditions, having the Examination Department select suitable personnel for support.
However, Law's view differed from Netero and the others. He believed the King was likely about to be born, so he changed his mind, proposing a direct assault on the nest before reinforcements arrived.
Yet, Netero and the others didn't think the King would be born so soon. Although the nest's construction time was uncertain, barring accidents, it should be less than two months.
Thus, compared to the experts' estimated two months, Netero and the others believed there was ample time.
A divergence in opinion emerged at this moment.
Law couldn't convince Netero and the others. Alone, he lacked full confidence to breach the nest and might just throw his life away.
Seven days passed in a blink.
Ging sent a message, saying he'd arrive in about two days.
Before Ging arrived, Tonpa arrived first.