Those who reincarnate must die.

Zhang Lang and the scout captain had already walked about ten miles.

"Another one?" Zhang Lang frowned and looked at a small hill not far away. On the bare hill, there was a strange tree growing!

At first glance, this strange tree looks no different from ordinary trees, standing three to five meters tall with a lush green canopy and palm-sized leaves swaying in the wind… But in a barren wasteland of red soil and yellow sand, where not a blade of grass grows, the sudden appearance of such a large tree is truly eerie. (Google search reading)

I think I've seen a few similar large trees along the way, but I didn't pay much attention to them before. Now, they really do look rather strange...

"That's not a tree!" the scout captain explained. "It's a strange insect too!"

"A strange insect?" Zhang Lang was taken aback. "How could an insect turn into this?"

"We don't know either!" The scout captain shook his head. "We investigated it before, but this thing makes a deafening scream when you touch it, and it attracts insects. We haven't dared to go near it since..."

"Making a strange noise?" Zhang Lang frowned. "Let's go up and take a look; maybe we can find the insect's weakness!"

Upon reaching the foot of the hill, Zhang Lang gestured for the scout captain to wait at a distance, then leaped up the small hillside and arrived in front of the strange tree.

"As expected!" Zhang Lang's eyes widened as he looked closer, and it was indeed a strange insect shaped like a large tree!

This insect resembles a centipede, with a body length of several meters. Its tail branches out with countless tentacles that stick into the ground, while its front end grows countless flat green tissues that look very similar to leaves. These tissues spread towards the sky and appear no different from a tree crown from a distance.

Zhang Lang frowned, drew his long sword, and plunged it into the insect's body with a soft thud. It was unexpectedly fragile. Wounded, the insect suddenly trembled violently, and a strange, blood-red, wrinkled organ quickly emerged from the tree canopy. It then shuddered violently and emitted a piercing scream!

The screams vibrated Zhang Lang's eardrums; though not enough to cause injury, they still made him frown. As for the scout captain, although he was prepared and had retreated far away, the screams still disturbed him, forcing him to cover his ears.

Zhang Lang once again raised his knife and plunged it into the organ that produced sound!

*Pfft* The noise stopped abruptly, and a thick, sticky liquid sprayed out. The bright red organ immediately shriveled up. Then, the entire tree worm went limp and died.

Huff... The scout captain finally released his grip, panting heavily, looking extremely pained. If he had gotten any closer, he probably would have been killed on the spot!

Only after confirming that the tree worms were completely dead did the scout captain dare to approach and climb the hill: "This thing... it once injured one of my comrades... I wonder what kind of monster it is!"

Zhang Lang frowned as he looked at the insect carcass: "Green leaves, making noise... I know what this is!"

"This thing is the insect's messenger!"

"A messenger?" the scout captain asked, puzzled. Zhang Lang explained, "When we dissected the insect corpses, we found they had organs that could receive sound waves. We suspect the insect king uses sounds inaudible to humans to remotely control the swarm. But the insect king is too far away for the sound to travel. These tree insects that make noise are the messengers connecting the insect king and the swarm!"

"You mean, the Insect King's orders are transmitted to the front lines through each tree?" The scout captain understood.

Zhang Lang nodded. Actually, he felt that the Insect King must be using other methods to communicate with these tree insects, who would then translate its commands into sound signals. However, explaining this to these ancient people was too troublesome; it was enough that they could understand.

"This also explains why insects retreat at night!" Zhang Lang plucked a leaf:

"These tree insects are semi-plant insects, and they probably obtain nutrients through photosynthesis, so they hibernate at night. Without their messenger, the insect swarm would become chaotic and violent, which is why they retreat and hibernate."

"Photosynthesis?" This was still a new term for the ancients.

Zhang Lang thought for a moment: "In other words, when the sun sets, these big trees will go into hibernation, so the insects will also have to retreat."

The scout captain's eyes lit up: "Then let's find these big trees, cut them all down, and the insects won't be able to attack tomorrow."

This suggestion was very appealing to Zhang Lang. Indeed, as long as the insects didn't attack tomorrow and they survived until the sixth day, their mission would be complete, and they wouldn't have to venture into the insect nest, which was so dangerous.

But then he thought again, this was just his guess. What if it didn't work? And who knew how many tree worms were in the insects? What if another batch was deployed tomorrow morning? Wouldn't all his previous efforts be wasted?

"That's a solution..." Zhang Lang nodded.

"Shall we go and deal with the tree insects now?" the scout captain asked cautiously. Facing Zhang Lang, the infamous insect-killing demon, alone, he was genuinely a little afraid…

"No!" Zhang Lang gazed northwards. "We must continue searching for the insect nest!"

"Huh?" The scout captain hesitated. Zhang Lang glanced at him. "Scared? If you don't dare to walk, I can carry you." As he spoke, he placed his hand on the scout captain's horse's belly and, with a slight effort, lifted the horse up. The warhorse was so frightened that its hooves stiffened, and it dared not move...

"I can walk by myself!" The scout captain knew he had no choice but to lead the way.

After another hour of trekking, about a hundred miles north of the fortress, they finally saw the edge of the insect swarm.

The two climbed to a high point and looked out. They saw millions of insects, densely packed on the ground, all curled up and in hibernation. At intervals among these insect swarms, there were huge, clay-like nests, nearly a hundred meters high, covered with holes, which were probably the insects' entrances and exits.

"So many..." Although he had seen swarms of insects before, the scale and imposing presence of the insect hive still shocked the scout captain.

"With so many, where exactly is the Insect King?"

"It should be the biggest one!" Zhang Lang pointed to the enormous insect nest in the very center of the swarm, which was several times taller than an ordinary insect nest.

"Alright, you can go back now!" Zhang Lang glanced at the scout captain.

"Huh?" The scout captain was taken aback. "You're going in by yourself?"

"Then you'll come with me?"

Zhang Lang glanced at him, and the scout captain hesitated. He wasn't afraid of death, but this kind of suicide was pointless! Besides, given Zhang Lang's combat strength, it seemed that whether he was taken along or not made little difference, and he would even be a bit of a burden.

The scout captain took a small bag and handed it to Zhang Lang: "The powder inside will make you less likely to be detected by insects when applied to your body!"

These are secretions collected from the insects. After years of struggle, humans have discovered that insects often rely on scent to distinguish their own kind. Therefore, when performing special tasks, humans often apply these secretions to mask their scent. But this only masks the scent; the insects are neither blind nor deaf. If they are seen or heard, they will still be attacked.

Zhang Lang glanced at him, then at the warhorse he was leading, its body drenched in sweat, and took out a military ration pill, handing it to him: "There's not much grass along the way, the warhorse must be exhausted. Give it half of this to replenish its strength! Save the rest, you can eat it too!"

"Once we get back, tell the marshal to send men to get rid of those tree-worm monsters!"

The scout captain took it, nodded, led his warhorse down the hillside, and quietly left, leaving Zhang Lang alone to sneak into the swarm of insects.

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