Chapter 352: Assassin ants.

Snowy’s abode was practically alive. A huge black wave was moving in terrifyingly perfect synchronization. A thousand pitch-black ants, each the size of a tablet, were darting around like tiny ninja warriors. A group of fifty ants was currently building a four-tiered pyramid out of rocks just to flex their strength, while another group was practicing synchronized martial arts flips off the wooden branches. A few rogue ants were standing at the glass, staring directly at the workers while making sharp commanding sounds. Others were acting like spies, on the lookout.

Nobody had ever seen anything like it. People were taking pictures and recording videos. Hunter did the same, because he was excited deep down.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You now have 1,000 Assassin Ants!] the System’s robotic voice chimed in her head, sounding ridiculously cheerful. [Today must truly be your lucky day! Since you already bonded with the Queen Ant, these little guys come as a bonus package. Your total beast count has officially jumped to 1,498! Again, congratulations! You get 20,000 bonus points.]

Zyra froze, her breath catching in her throat. The shock lasted for a split second before a burst of pure, unadulterated joy erupted in her chest.

"Yes! Finally!" Zyra shrieked, jumping straight up in the air and punching the sky. "I waited so long for this day! Do you have any idea how many hatching serums I had to feed the eggs before these babies hatched?"

Hunter pulled her aside, his eyes wide in wonder. She had told him they were assassin ants, but he never thought they would be this many! "Zyra_ what exactly can they do?"

"Let me find out the details," she replied, accessing the virtual screen which was updating itself.

[The Assassin Ant swarm possesses:

A hive Mind_ Every ant shares information instantly. One ant discovering an enemy effectively means the entire colony knows.

Swarm Tactics _ Hundreds can attack simultaneously, targeting eyes, joints, throat, and other vulnerable areas.

Burrow Ambush _ They can travel underground and suddenly erupt beneath an enemy’s feet.

Death Grip _ Once their mandibles lock onto a target, they refuse to release even after being severely injured.

Paralyzing Venom _ A single bite causes violent pain, muscle paralysis, and eventually unconsciousness and death.

Razor Mandibles _ Their jaws can bite through flesh, leather, and even thin metal.]

Zyra’s eyes practically flew open, popping wide like two shiny light bulbs. Her face lit up as if a super-genius idea had just crashed into her brain.

"System!" she called out in her head. "Give me a camouflage skill they can learn instantly. Fast!"

[Ding!]

A book appeared in her hands. She opened it, a burst of light erupted from the book and wrapped around her army of assassin ants. A wave of collective gasps echoed through the room. It was like watching a magic trick! The ants standing on the glass suddenly turned transparent, looking like little drop-shaped ice cubes. The ones crawling on the wooden table turned a rustic dark brown. The ones hiding in the rug in the lounge turned into fluffy red ants, as if they were a part of it.

Zyra nodded like a satisfied gang leader. "Oh yeah. This fits you guys perfectly."

She turned to Hunter, putting her hands on her hips, her chest puffed up with absolute confidence. "I’m ready. Whatever or whoever tries to block me from finding my mother is getting trampled!"

Hunter grinned, "Have I told you how fierce you are my dear wife?"

Zyra laughed lightly. Hunter stepped away and called Achilles. He wanted to show off Zyra’s new invisible ant brigade.

The call connected, and Achilles’ face popped up on the screen. But he didn’t look like his usual smug self. His eyebrow was twitching, his lips were pressed into a thin line, and he looked like he had just swallowed a whole lemon.

"Whoa," Hunter paused, his smile dropping. "Why do you look like someone stole the supplies? What’s wrong?"

Zyra scrambled over, sticking her head into the screen view and waving like a cheerful neighbor. "Hey, Achilles!"

Achilles let out a long, dramatic sigh. "Ah, Sister-in-law... Great, you’re both here. I was actually just about to call you two."

Hunter’s heart skipped a beat. A bad feeling washed over him. "Achilles, stop looking like a ghost and speak! What happened?"

"Well,_" Achilles rubbed the back of his neck, looking deeply stressed. "Elliot went crazy. He killed the magistrate."

He then spewed out the whole messy story of what had just gone down.

Hunter’s face turned blacker than the bottom of a burnt pot. "You idiot!" Hunter cursed instantly. "Can you keep your guard up for even five minutes?! How could you not see them following you!?"

"Hey! Don’t blame me!" Achilles raised his hands in self-defense, whining loudly. "I was super careful, okay?! But these guys are assassins trained by the Sanctum! You know of them. They hide in shadows and move like ghosts."

Hunter nodded, "I am guessing that Elliot paid you a visit after your revenge."

"He did. He thinks you and I are hiding the secret big shot making all those black-market supplies because we want to be exclusive suppliers."

Zyra blinked, completely confused. She crossed her arms and chimed in, "Why are we even hiding? Selling stuff isn’t illegal! We’re doing honest business here!"

"No, no, no, my dear Sister-in-law, you don’t get it," Achilles shook his head so fast he looked like a bobblehead. "We have to pretend to be resellers for as long as possible! If they know we’re the original source, we’ll have a target painted on our backs 24/7!" Suddenly, Achilles went quiet. He stopped talking and began nervously biting the inside of his mouth, his eyes darting back and forth.

"Now what?" Hunter asked, his eyes narrowing. "Spill it."

"Okay, so_" Achilles swallowed hard. "Elliot mentioned a lot of things, but he didn’t mention Zyra. At all. And that worries me a little."

Hunter’s eyebrows locked together. "Why would that worry you? If he didn’t mention her, he doesn’t know about her. The magistrate probably didn’t say her name before he died."

"That’s the problem!" Achilles leaned closer to his camera, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Elliot’s guy Alvin, got injured really badly. He’s half-dead right now. My guess is that Alvin didn’t have enough breath left to tell Elliot the full story."

"So, Alvin may know about Zyra, but Elliot doesn’t_ yet," Hunter winced, realization hitting him like a cold bucket of water.

"Exactly," Achilles smirked, though he still looked a bit sweaty. "So, I took initiative. I already sent Arrow to track down Alvin in the hospital and_ click." Achilles made a sweeping motion across his neck. "Finish him off before his big mouth starts bubbling more secrets. I also hired someone in the magistrate’s office to erase the unregistered record of your marriage to Zyra. As long as her name is not out there, your mother, enemies and obsessed admirers will not go after her."

Hunter let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He gave a sharp nod. "Good. Clean it up."

"Got it." Achilles gave a quick thumb-up and ended the call quickly, before Hunter could curse him out for being careless.