The luminescent glow of the scarab colony was dwindling, and Mikhailis could feel the thrill building up inside him. The chimera ants, enhanced by their queen's strange magic, were overpowering the luminous scarabs with ferocious efficiency. The tunnel was filled with the sound of snapping mandibles, the hum of activity, and the occasional echo of the queen's water bullets striking home.
But something shifted. As the scarab numbers began to dwindle to a critical level, Mikhailis noticed a change in the behavior of the chimera ants, particularly the workers. Instead of indiscriminately attacking, they began to corral the remaining scarabs, herding them into a smaller section of the tunnel. The scarabs, though cornered, didn't seem entirely broken. They moved defensively, their lights dimming but not completely extinguished.
