Online Cluster: Great Tomb

Chapter 7: Target and Information

It had been about thirty minutes after our departure from the southeastern gate of S73. Along the way I tried to find information\-information about the giant ant in question.

But I immediately gave up after five minutes of searching for information on this giant ant. I mean, the quest doesn't tell you clearly what kind of ant this is. In addition, in the monster category index there are many monsters with ant types.

Coupled with the Shah who constantly sang indistinctly in the front seat.

“♪You are my friend~ aaa~ ano hi no koto~♪”

He sang one of the opening songs of the Naruto anime series and my patience began to thin. Not because of the song, but the sound that is not suitable for singing.

“Dim, can you kick him out of the car? Ngeselin from earlier sing mulu!”

Without giving an answer, Dimas immediately kicked Syah into the corner of the door and made her cry hysterically as the door suddenly opened. I think he forgot to lock it.

“AAA!!! YES YES! HOLY MAN!!! FORGIVE WOE!!!”

Right after Dimas stopped his action, Syah immediately closed the door of the moving car with a pitiful face.

Meanwhile, the two girls who were near me were talking about something that normal men should not listen to. Yup, they're talking about something like BL.

I feel uncomfortable, but I can't do anything either. I don't know why I'm starting to feel disappointed about choosing to sit between the two of them.

“Btw cuy, don't find information on this ant monster first?”

“Hm?”

Dimas gave me the real question I had done from here, just that it didn't produce results.

I chose to open the menu index with the word “antut” once again. Then threw the hologram of the menu that was in front of me at Dimas.

“This! I tried to run, but nothing. Quest\nya did not know the species of ants. While in the index there are so many ant-type monsters.”

After he received the hologram of the index menu I gave him, he took a look around. Well, even though all I gave you was a list of monster names with ant types.

“Aah... hard too if there is no info about the ants.”.

“Well, that's it! Dim, later if it starts close to the nest, if you can not get too close. After making the cabin, we look for more information.”

I forgot if this is a 4-star quest. It was certain that its creator would create a quest with very little information, and let the players search for information on their own, huh? If a 4-star quest was already like this, what about a 5-star quest?!

“Oya cuy, how about using that tool?”

Hearing that from Dimas, I somehow could only think of one tool he might have meant.

“That's…? Ah, you mean that one?”

“Iya the one!”

“That can open close it? The disposable ones?”

“Iya the one!”

“Aahhh... That one is... I forgot his name, Dim!”

“Same! Hahaha!”

I forgot the name of the tool he was referring to. But I know how it works and how to wear it. The tool if given an example of a monster will display complete information from the monster. Even so, this tool is only disposable.

The intent of this disposable was, after displaying the information from the monster samples, then he was unable to identify the examples from the other monsters and just continued to display the previous monster data.

“This one?”

Instantly we looked towards the object held by the Shah after he took it from the inventory.

The object looks like white gold, with a sky-blue outline, and can be widened to 90 degrees like a term measuring instrument.

““Nah, that one!!!””

I with Dimas simultaneously pointed at that thing while shouting.

“Get from where, Shah? Definitely misty yah!”

“Mana there! It's buy!”

“Ohh. Gini dong, useful little!”

“Job...”

I laughed after mocking him a little. Even so I thank you after taking the thing in his hand. For a while I confirmed it, and it was indeed the thing we needed.

“Oke, thanks! Fortunately you brought.”

I returned that thing to Shah. I let her hold it because it was hers from the beginning. At least, he took it from his inventory.

At the same time, the other humvee approached the humvee we were driving and Fadli asked from inside the window of the humvee he was controlling.

“Kok the door was open? What's up?”

“Not anything\-nothing! I just kicked Syah doang kok!”

Dimas answered him with a slightly raised voice due to the distance and speed.

“Do not be evil to Shah why? Direct push out aja, do not be kicked\-kick!”

Everyone laughed at Fadli. Maybe it's just the shah who doesn't laugh. Instead he just made a sour face that made us even more bitter.

***

We were at a considerable distance away from where the target requested by the quest, should be. It's been over 45 minutes since we travelled to get here. Or maybe more.

After Dimas and Fadli stopped each humvee, we all got out of the vehicle and noticed around. Well, there's nothing here but sand everywhere.

“Here?”

Bang Sema immediately asked after getting out of the vehicle

“Not yet. Should still be ahead there.”

I pointed in the direction we should still be moving. But I asked Dimas not to get too close to the ants.

“Dim, what distance are we from the nest?”

A moment after I asked about our distance from the nest, he immediately opened the menu of the quest selection. After receiving the quest, the menu will always appear on the player who receives the quest until completing or giving up on the quest.

“Less 512 meters to the nest.”

I don't know if it's far enough or close enough for the ants, but at least it's the best choice I can make.

“512 meters, yeah…? Fad, what is the optimal distance of the senses of ants?”

“Away.”

“…”

Far away, that's all he said. I was confused because he did not say the exact distance. I just shrugged both shoulders with a confused face.

“Away.”

“OK, don't tell me twice! If gini, as far as we can still be targeted, well.yasudah, Laz, make the cabin here only! Others help me ready! Dimas, borrow your optical binoculars dong.”

Without saying anything, Dimas immediately took out and loaned it to me. I tried to look in the direction where the nest should be behind those optical binoculars. But there was nothing even though I had changed his direction.

“Ada?”

“Well, that's the problem. There's nothing.”

I gave her the optical binoculars back and she immediately tried to look at them as well. The response is no different from me, which is confusion.

“Fad, try here!”

“Hm?”

“Shape the surface of the ant nest how is it?”

I asked Fadli because he knows more about ants. Because he studied biology and he told himself if he ever did research on ant colonies.

“Shortly..”.

After doing the thing we both just did, which was monitoring the distance using optical binoculars, he returned it to Dimas.

“It makes sense if not look at anything. You see that ant nest into the ground.”

“It's not a bit like a mountain kayak?”

“Ah, that's the time they dug the nest. So the soil or sand from the inside is removed until the pile looks like a mountain. If for example there is no, the possibility of the nest has existed from a long time.”

“Aah... understand!”

I understand what he explained. And so is Dimas. I thought every surface of the ant nest would be shaped like a mountain of earth or sand like I imagined. Apparently not, huh.

“Already, the important thing is already know its position in which direction.”

I turned around and saw Lazy had set up the cabin. Although it is still only visible hologram only because the materials needed have not been included. Zia along with Rei are seen entering the materials requested by the blueprint held by Lazy.

After the inclusion of the materials that the blueprint requested, the system will make it automatically in the blink of an eye and the cabin is finished with the inside. The cabin has two floors with a veranda on the second floor that can be seen from the outside.

“Other rest first no problem. Fad, Shah, same Haqqi, come with me!”

I told them to get in the car and had Fadli drive towards the nest.

“Ngapain nih we to the nest first, Rei?”

“To find out more information.”

I answered Fadli briefly. After that there was no question at all. It didn't take long we started to see some giant ants roaming around. Their size is quite large even though I do not know the exact size.

Without any warning, Fadli suddenly stopped the vehicle. After that we decided to get out of the vehicle simultaneously but I asked Fadli to stay inside.

“Fad, stay here! Shah, get out the stuff!”

“OK!”

Some ants looked towards us and one of them started to slowly walk closer to the humvee. After getting close enough, I realized that the ant was red with its outer body covered in something that looked like a thin, dark, spiked shell in every part of it.

“What kind of an ant is this?!”

I took out an HG weapon of the FN-57 type and Haqqi immediately pulled out the katana. I gave a sign that no one was moving after asking the Shah to back off a little with a hand signal.

And I don't know why the ant is coming towards me. It was so close that the antenna moved into my face. I thoughtfully pulled my head away from that slightly scary jaw and gave Haqqi a signal to attack him.

With just one swing, Haqqi chopped off his head. Even so, the antennae and jaws were still able to move, as well as his body was still able to stand on all six legs.

“Quick to kill! You see, a dying ant can call his friend!”

Hearing that from Fadli, I couldn't ignore it because it could have become even more troublesome.

I shot the head that had been separated from his body between his eyes. It's surprising that his skeleton can stop a bullet from the FN-57 I used. Even so, his body frame could not withstand the second shot that was fired into one of his eyes. After that he did not seem to move at all.

I don't think his eyes are as strong as his shell-like outer skeleton. Besides seeing Haqqi's position while decapitating his head, I think the sidelines of the body that are not covered are easier to cut.

“Syah.”

“Ah, yes!”

He understood what I meant after calling his name. Responding he used the tool he held and brought it closer to the head of the dead ant.

It looks like the head is gone like a broken system and the tool it holds displays a hologram of data. Without needing to look at it first, I told Haqqi and Syah to get in the car and we went back to the others.

“Rei, new!”

When the journey of the Shah gave me his tools. I immediately read the information from the ants. The writing that appears of course in English and at the same time displays a hologram example of an ant.

The ant we killed has the name Fire Ant of the genus Solenopsis. The length of the worker ants reaches 3 meters, while the length of the ant queen can reach 6 meters or more, with the number of colonies can reach 100,000.

Moreover, this giant fire ant, even if only its workers were to enter the level 3 category monsters out of a total of 5 category levels. In some cases, there are ants that can shoot acid from the stomach.

I only blinked a few times with a confused sour face.

“Owner, want to see dong!”

I gave the tool to Haqqi and let him read the information that appeared. While I only rubbed my face with a feeling that I myself do not know how to explain.

“Hmph..”

Haqqi himself could only sigh deeply and then taste his tongue a few times before finally returning the tool he held to the Shah.

Arriving at the cabin, I didn't know what to explain to them. So I asked Shah to lend me his tools and let them read the information we got while I sat on the couch that was available.

Instantly the entire member was unable to say anything after knowing the information. I did suspect that this quest would not be easy. But this was clearly impossible even if the gift offered was an Artifact.

“How is it, cuy?”

I asked Dimas.

“What?”

“Quest. Still want to go on? It's your quest, so you decide.”

“…”

Whatever the answer is, I will follow it. This is his quest anyway. The choice is in his hands. For a while Dimas kept thinking about it while the other members looked at him.

“Lanjut aja first. I guess we try first. If you can't, yasudah.”

“Next?”

I asked once more to confirm the answer. After he nodded, I stood up from my seat and took out all the weaponry I had and told them to gather.

“Here everything!”

I took out one of the bullets from the AR-15 magazine, as well as the FN-57. Then take the tool belonging to the Shah who was to see the information of the fire ants and put it on the table.

“The 9mm Parabellum can't penetrate her skeleton, but it can pierce her eyes. So I thought that using 5.56mm or 7.72mm bullets might be impenetrable. Then, if using sharp weapons, I suggest to target the sidelines\-sela body.”

I zoomed in on the hologram of an existing ant and tried to point out the sidelines that were easy to target.

“Neck should be the main target if you get the chance. But I suggest you go after his feet first.”

This time I narrowed down the hologram image of the ant and enlarged the hologram data.

“Their colony can reach a hundred thousand. But we don't have to kill them all.we just have to kill the queen, take her body, then run away. Well, I know it won't be as easy as I said. So we have to outsmart that problem.”

“Then we find a way to stop their breeding. Ideally, the eggs hatch within seven to fourteen days. The life span of the fire ant I know is thirty to sixty days. If the place is ideal. Whereas now their habitat is in a hot desert, which should be humid for their ideal habitat.”

Hearing Fadli's explanation that helped me, I felt grateful that it would be lacking. But it can be done at another time. After that I made up my mind after hearing what he explained.

“We would assume that their eggs hatch every two weeks, continuing the life span of each ant between a month. We break their breeding cycle to give time to kill as many as we can.”

“But Brother Rei, instead of the queen going to lay eggs again?”

Hearing the Princess' question, I nodded in agreement to that.

“Indeed, because the queen's job is only to multiply their colony. That's why we broke the egg room to give us time. How-to? That's what we should be looking for!”

The princess and the others nodded in agreement. And at the same time, Shah raised his hand and took out an item from his inventory.

“Rei, how about using this?”

I don't know what to say after seeing what he brought. But I think it could solve our problem of stopping their breeding cycle for a few days.

“Shyah!”

“Iya?”

“Bring how many?”

He smiled broadly as I asked the amount of items he was holding.