The nurse insect originally had 9 pairs of legs, totaling 18. After evolving once, 10 of these legs had grown longer and sharper. When walking, it typically used either 8 or 6 legs.
Wang Chong initially considered using 4 legs for standing and 6 for fighting, but the thought of being toppled over sent a chill down his spine. Given the unique terrain, he had already planned to use 4 legs for combat.
Regardless, stability was crucial. This position also allowed him to hide most of his body behind him, presenting a smaller target and reducing the number of simultaneous attacks from the queen insect larvae.
With a few soft sounds, the first few larvae leaped towards Wang Chong.
Timing it perfectly, Wang Chong impaled them mid-air. Without time to shake off the dying larvae skewered on his limbs, he swiftly stabbed several more.
In no time, Wang Chong had a string of larvae on his limbs, reminiscent of a kebab.
At that moment, the first larva bit hard into his "thorax," tearing off a chunk of flesh!
Simultaneously, two more latched onto his body!
This was bad!
Wang Chong grew anxious. He violently shook his four front claws to dislodge the larvae, then shuddered, trying to shake off the others. But the larvae's grip was astonishingly strong, making it impossible to shake them loose.
Frantically, he stabbed at the larvae on his body, but more climbed up, each delivering a fierce bite!
White fluid oozed from many of the bite wounds, and most alarmingly, several larvae had managed to crawl onto his back!
With an internal roar of rage, Wang Chong suddenly dropped to the ground, then rolled over several times, all 10 legs facing upward to fend off attackers.
He could feel two larvae on his back, biting relentlessly.
After his recent evolution, Wang Chong's back had developed a faint shell-like covering, which might hold out for a while longer. He focused on dealing with the majority of larvae in front of him first.
At this point, Wang Chong threw caution to the wind! His 10 legs stabbed wildly in the air, showing no concern even for those biting his body. He even pierced his own flesh multiple times!
The larvae were small, and a stab was almost always fatal. With only about a hundred of them, this chaotic stabbing quickly reduced their numbers.
After a short while, all the larvae were dead, except for the two still gnawing on his back.
These two had already chewed through the hard layer beneath his skin! Wang Chong knew he was in trouble. If they managed to bite through and enter his body, he would be doomed!
He quickly rolled over, and in his anxiety, delivered two quick, vicious stabs!
With two barely audible sounds, Wang Chong accurately killed the larvae. However, due to his excessive force, he also inflicted two large wounds on himself!
Wang Chong sighed in relief. His body was now covered in "blood" and white fluid – he decided to call the white fluid blood for now – with wounds everywhere.
Despite their small size relative to him, these hundred or so larvae had inflicted terrible damage.
Wang Chong frowned inwardly. He realized that not only would he be helpless against an army of thousands of larvae, but even a few hundred more would overwhelm him.
The recent fight had drained much of his energy. Now growing accustomed to his new form, Wang Chong began eating the dead larvae like kebabs.
"Still hungry..." Wang Chong lamented. The larvae were too small to satisfy his hunger, but he didn't dare venture out to find food.
After some thought, he retreated to the concave part of the cave wall, steadied himself, and began frantically stabbing at the wall with his four front limbs. Soil rained down, quickly burying him completely.
Like many insects, Wang Chong didn't breathe through his mouth. Instead, he had a row of spiracles on his lower abdomen for respiration. As the soil fell, he deliberately maintained a small space around himself to breathe.
Now buried, Wang Chong began to ponder the composition of queen insects.
It was clear that humans' understanding of queen insects was severely lacking.
Previously, he had believed that while queen insects came in several varieties, they all belonged to the order Coleoptera, commonly known as beetles. Their main characteristic was a hard outer shell, with wings hidden underneath, like dung beetles or June bugs.
But now, having discovered the nurse insect, Wang Chong recalled his crash courses in entomology from his time in the Insect Extermination Unit. Insects were broadly classified into three categories: complete metamorphosis, incomplete metamorphosis, and no metamorphosis. He vaguely remembered that they all had hard shells, but couldn't be certain.
Complete metamorphosis typically involved four stages: egg, larva (usually a fleshy, elongated form like caterpillars or silkworms), pupa (often in a cocoon-like state for transformation), and finally, the adult form (like butterflies or dragonflies).
Queen insect larvae already displayed terrifying predatory traits and a form close to adults, lacking only wings.
What shocked Wang Chong was the division of labor among queen insects. They even prepared a fat, large nurse insect for the larvae's birth. Who could say there weren't more specialized roles?
Moreover, regarding the nurse insect... it was clearly a nutritive form with no future, its life confined to this single state...
This meant the nurse insect belonged to the no metamorphosis category...
Was there any insect species with such diverse forms living together?
Previously, many entomologists had speculated that despite only encountering beetle-like forms of queen insects, their ability to rise from apparent defeat suggested the existence of special units. These mysterious forces might support the queen insects' resurgence when their "ground troops" were defeated.
Due to his profession, Wang Chong had heard such theories but never took them seriously. After all, in humanity's seven-year struggle against the queen insects, billions had been exterminated without any sign of these supposed underground units.
But now... looking at the situation...
The existence of special queen insect units seemed more plausible. The nurse insect, for instance, had never been mentioned before.
Wang Chong remained buried for about half an hour, during which the outside gradually quieted down.
Still cautious, he gently brushed away some soil and peered out.
The area was empty.
He was surprised.
Had the larvae, unable to find food, moved on to other areas? Perhaps seeking other nurse insects in the cave?
After much internal debate, Wang Chong decided not to worry about it for now. Encountering a large group of larvae would surely mean his demise.
About a day passed, and Wang Chong grew hungry.
Suddenly, a thought struck him. Insects are generally divided into three parts: the head, containing mouthparts and most sensory organs; the thorax, responsible for movement with six limbs and wings; and the abdomen, housing digestive and reproductive systems.
However... his current form didn't have these distinct sections. His head was even fused with his body.
Another half day passed, and the hunger became unbearable. Wang Chong cautiously ventured out.
He froze in astonishment.
The cave wall was densely covered with pupae!
"Damn! That explains it!"
Wang Chong had an idea. Like before, he planned to kill these insects while they were still in their pupal stage!
Testing his abilities, he found that his 10 legs were perfectly suited for climbing. He could move effortlessly on the nearly vertical cave wall and even felt he could traverse the ceiling upside down.
Insects are most vulnerable during their egg and pupal stages. Wang Chong showed no mercy, stabbing each pupa and twisting viciously. His hunger drove him to eat as he killed...
He continued this pattern of slaughter and feeding, sweeping through the area.
The pupae weren't as densely packed as the eggs had been, but unlike his time as a nurse insect, he could only kill them by eating them. After half a day, Wang Chong was full, so he switched to killing without eating. In a day, he had destroyed around 10,000 pupae, similar to his performance as a nurse insect.
Given the current situation, with no signs of pupae emerging, Wang Chong could continue this destruction for several more days.
Now, Wang Chong's stomach was round and full, somewhat resembling his nurse insect form. His exterior had darkened, and he now possessed 10 powerful "legs." His mouthparts had become more fearsome as well.
After another half day of destruction, Wang Chong suddenly felt intense abdominal pain. Surprised, he wondered if he was about to evolve again. Not daring to take chances, he forced himself to climb down.
As if bursting, a soft "pop" sound was heard as Wang Chong's body split open, white blood gushing out once more.
"Pop!"
"Pop!"
Wang Chong's entire body was wracked with pain, but he was elated. He knew he was about to evolve once again.