The alarm spread like wildfire.
Pheromones flooded every tunnel.
Workers abandoned their tasks.
Soldiers rushed toward defensive positions.
Above the chaos, one command drowned out every other.
"Protect the King!"
"Capture the intruders!"
"Seal every exit!"
Ethan didn't slow down.
"Left!"
Pip immediately turned left.
The worker ant followed.
The squirrel...
Ran straight ahead.
"...Wrong way!"
The squirrel skidded to a stop, looked back innocently, then sprinted after the group.
"...One day..."
Ethan panted.
"...You're going to kill me."
The squirrel chirped happily.
Stone Sense rippled through the colony.
Dozens...
No...
Hundreds of vibrations.
It was becoming difficult to distinguish one from another.
Then...
One vibration stood out.
Heavy.
Steady.
Each step made the tunnel floor tremble.
Not because it was fast.
Because it was powerful.
Stolen story; please report.
Ethan's smile disappeared.
"..."
"...He's moving."
Iris answered.
[Confirmed.]
[The colony leader has left the throne chamber.]
Back in the central chamber...
The crimson king walked through the sea of panicked ants.
No one dared meet his gaze.
An elite guard stepped forward.
"My King."
"Allow us to hunt the intruders."
The king didn't even look at him.
"They defeated trained scouts."
"They infiltrated our colony."
"They disrupted our food stores."
"If you were capable of stopping them..."
"...you already would have."
The guard lowered his head.
"...Forgive me."
The king continued walking.
Each step was slow.
Deliberate.
He wasn't angry.
He was interested.
For the first time in years...
Something unexpected had entered his territory.
Meanwhile...
Ethan reached another intersection.
Four tunnels.
"...Seriously?"
He knelt and pressed one foreleg against the ground.
Stone Sense spread outward.
Left...
Dozens of workers.
Right...
Dead end.
Forward...
Soldiers.
Behind...
The king.
"..."
"...Behind?"
His heart skipped a beat.
A faint voice echoed through the tunnels.
Not shouted.
Spoken.
Calmly.
"I know you're here."
Pip's ears flattened.
"...He can talk..."
The voice came again.
"You are intelligent."
"Far more intelligent than any young carpenter ant should be."
"You have my curiosity."
The worker ant bared her mandibles.
Hatred surged through Ant Instinct.
The king's footsteps stopped.
Only one tunnel away.
"You have one opportunity."
"Walk out."
"I promise..."
"...your death will be swift."
Ethan whispered,
"...That's very generous."
Iris replied immediately.
[Recommendation.]
[Decline the offer.]
"...Already planned to."
Ethan looked around desperately.
Think.
Think.
There had to be something.
His eyes landed on a narrow ventilation shaft running along the ceiling.
Too small for soldiers.
Too small for the king.
Just barely...
Big enough for him.
"...Pip."
The mole followed his gaze.
"...You want me to dig into that?"
"...Can you?"
Pip grinned.
"That's the first easy thing you've asked me all day."
Outside...
The king waited patiently.
No impatience.
No frustration.
Just confidence.
"They're cornered."
One elite guard approached.
"My King..."
"The western squads have failed."
"So has the eastern patrol."
The king nodded.
"As expected."
The guard hesitated.
"...Should we send more soldiers?"
"No."
"That would only create more confusion."
He slowly raised one foreleg.
"I will hunt them alone."
A ripple of excitement spread through the elite guards.
To witness the king hunt personally...
Was a rare honor.
Inside the tunnel...
Pip dug furiously.
Earth showered down.
The opening widened.
Almost...
Almost...
Then—
CRACK!
A section of wall exploded inward.
Chunks of stone flew across the tunnel.
The crimson king stepped through the dust.
He hadn't used the entrance.
He had walked straight through the wall.
Silence filled the chamber.
He was enormous.
Nearly three times Ethan's size.
His crimson armor was scarred from countless battles.
One chipped mandible.
One missing eye.
Every scar told a story.
He looked at Ethan...
And smiled.
"So."
"You're the black carpenter ant."
Ethan swallowed.
"..."
"...Hi."
The king chuckled.
"I expected fear."
"I got sarcasm."
"I like you."
He took another step forward.
"I wonder..."
"...how long that confidence will last."