I Will Simply Shoot Her Out

Camilla skillfully covered their movements, ensuring their presence went undetected by the watchful eyes of the Pharaoh's ant patrols.

At every close call, when the patrols were on the brink of discovering them, Camilla would dig into the earth and have them hide there, concealing their location until the danger passed.

This tactic played out several times as they journeyed deeper into the cave.

The further they ventured, the more frequent these encounters became.

The cave itself seemed endless, with narrow passages and sharp turns, a perfect environment for the patrols to catch wind of any intruders.

There were moments when the patrols nearly sniffed them out, their antennae twitching as they neared the hidden group.

But thanks to Camilla's quick thinking, they always managed to avoid detection, just barely.

They moved with purpose, taking the most efficient route and conserving as much mana as possible.

Without an inkling of denial, Camilla was the one expending the most energy to shield them.

Ian had promised he would return the favour when the time came, though it was a promise Camilla was not entirely certain she could trust with her life.

Not after he had once left them behind back then, neglecting them for the sake of getting far away.

That was a selfish act from Ian. Camelia wouldn't want to gamble her life on such a person.

After a long, tense journey, they arrived at the heart of the Pharaoh's ant territory, the queen's lair.

The area was far more complex than any of them had anticipated.

The queen's nest resembled a massive, darkened hall, and countless holes dotted the walls, leading to various chambers and tunnels.

The ants constantly scurried in and out of these holes, patrolling their territory with relentless efficiency.

But the queen herself was still hidden.

Her cocoon hung suspended, shrouded in an eerie silence, leaving only the sound of scuttling ants in the air.

Despite their best efforts to locate her precisely, the inside cocoon remained an enigma, concealed by a guard of the queen's elite protectors from the outside.

These were no ordinary ants, each of them radiated a fierce, almost deadly aura.

Aldrich surveyed the scene, his mind already racing through possible strategies.

"How do we move forward?" he asked, his voice calm, though the tension in his posture betrayed his thoughts.

Ian took a deep breath before speaking, his eyes scanning the scene. "The plan is simple. You three, Aldrich, Camilla, and Fiona will act as distractions. Your goal is to draw the attention of the guards away from the queen's cocoon. Once they've moved, I'll slip past and take her out."

It was a simple plan, but a sound one.

They were vastly outnumbered, and attempting to fight their way through the throngs of ants would be nothing short of suicidal.

The key was to remain strategic, conserve energy, and eliminate the queen swiftly without drawing unnecessary attention.

Aldrich nodded.

Of course, it made sense coming from the oh-so-smart Ian.

Creating a distraction to lure the guards away seemed like the most efficient way to handle the situation.

Trying to fight their way through would be reckless.

"Sounds good," Aldrich said, his voice steady.

But as he mulled over Ian's plan, something began to gnaw at him.

A small, growing suspicion took root in his mind.

"But I have a better idea," Aldrich said suddenly, his voice more confident than he felt.

Ian, who had been prepared to move forward, turned sharply toward Aldrich, his brow furrowed. "What do you mean, a better idea?"

Aldrich hesitated for a moment, unsure how to present his thoughts.

He wasn't trying to criticize Ian's plan, but something about it didn't sit right with him.

"Don't get me wrong," Aldrich began, "I'm not saying there's anything wrong with your plan. But—" He paused, narrowing his eyes as he watched the movements of the ant guards.

"Your entire strategy hinges on all of the queen's personal guards leaving the cocoon at the same time. What if they don't?"

Ian stiffened, his gaze flicking to the dozen or so elite guards stationed around the cocoon. "You think they won't all respond?"

Aldrich's voice was calm but unwavering.

"There are more than ten of them guarding the queen. These aren't ordinary ants, they're prime walkers, close to the peak beta rank, almost nearing the predator rank. If even one of them stays behind to defend the cocoon while the others investigate the ruckus, it could spoil everything."

The group fell silent as they considered Aldrich's words.

The more Aldrich thought about it, the clearer it became that Ian's plan was built on a fragile assumption.

Even if the guards left in droves, there was still the possibility of one of them staying behind.

"And there's more," Aldrich continued. "If one guard stays behind, you alone will have to deal with a peak beta walker, and I doubt you can do so fast enough before alerting the other nine guards and inciting their return. It's a risk we can't afford."

Ian clenched his fists in frustration but said nothing.

Aldrich's logic was on point and he knew it.

The plan had seemed solid in theory.

The probability that all ten guards would leave the cocoon at once had seemed high enough to take the risk.

But Aldrich was right.

If one guard remained, it could unravel everything.

Ian isn't at the level where he can just one-shot a peak beta-ranked prime walker.

And with the queen's security as tight as it was, they couldn't afford any mistakes.

Aldrich went on. "Trying to create a ruckus with just the three of us might not be enough to draw all their attention, either. We'd need more firepower to convince them to leave their posts. And even then, what's to say the guards won't just send a handful of ants to handle the distraction while the rest stay put?"

Ian looked torn, his mind processing the weight of Aldrich's reasoning.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice a touch strained. "I presume you have a better plan, then?"

Aldrich met his gaze, a glimmer of determination in his eyes. "Actually, I do."

With a grin, he added, "I'll simply shoot the queen out of her cocoon." and spoken with pride.