Upon hearing this, Zhou Niannian also looked apologetic. After all, she hadn't considered so many problems just now, only thinking about seeing what these insects were up to.
She hadn't expected that merely provoking a single beetle would lead to such a great crisis.
Now she truly felt the terrifying nature of this world and dared not be so reckless anymore.
Even the viewers in the live stream found it incredibly unbelievable.
"What's going on with these insects? They've gotten so big. Imagine frying them up for skewers, the protein would be even richer."
"The one upstairs, don't be disgusting. These insects are so huge, they could probably fry us up for skewers to supplement their protein."
"Exactly! You saw that it took our three main fighters to defeat them just now. Think about it, if they came to the real world, wouldn't they just go on a rampage?"
"But seriously, how did these insects get so big? Did they take some kind of serum, or did they just mutate?"
"You have no common sense. Mutations don't happen to multiple species simultaneously, and in the same direction. Unless there was a massive prehistoric chemical disaster."
"Otherwise, it's more likely that some researchers tampered with them. If that's not it, ask Professor Li."
At this moment, Professor Li slowly took the stage and calmly stated in the live stream.
"The reason why dinosaurs in the prehistoric era were so gigantic was that the oxygen content in the air was excessively high, which led to lower atmospheric pressure. This allowed their bodies' blood to circulate better, hence their enormous size."
"To explain why they became so large, we must first address why these plants became so large."
"Only when plants grow larger will they produce more oxygen, consequently causing them to grow to such immense proportions."
"..."
Meanwhile, Jiang Fan was also pondering this question, but he was utterly baffled and could find no clues.
If only he had studied more biology back in the day.
Or even chemistry would have been helpful, so he wouldn't be in such an awkward situation now.
Just then, Jiang Fan suddenly felt a slight tremor in the ground.
Simultaneously, Jiang Fan turned his head and saw a rolling wave of dust approaching in the distance, like an advancing army. This spectacle momentarily left Jiang Fan bewildered.
"What's going on? Are those monsters chasing us? That shouldn't be right. For them to catch up, they'd have to pass through the sand worms and then the snow mountains to get here. Surely there aren't that many left."
After saying this, Zhou Niannian, her face full of fear, quickly hid behind Jiang Fan. Her body trembled so much that even Jiang Fan could feel it.
"What's happening, Jiang Fan?"
Jiang Fan didn't answer Zhou Niannian. He took out the binoculars from his backpack and peered into the distance. He discovered that the approaching horde was actually a swarm of ants.
Having been enhanced, these ants were now incredibly large, and their alliance was vast.
Tens of thousands of ants surged towards them simultaneously, making it difficult for Jiang Fan to cope.
"Quick, hide! These are ants. Ants have no mercy. If they see us, they'll surely bite us to death and carry us back to their nests as food."
Upon hearing this, not only Jiang Fan but also Dai Xiao Mei and the others began to flee, taking shelter in a nearby burrow.
It is well-known that while ants are very united, they are extremely cold-blooded towards foreign creatures.
They must have smelled the blood of the insects and were rushing over to claim the carcass as food.
Indeed, as Jiang Fan and the others hid beneath the ground, Jiang Fan slightly lowered his head and looked forward. He saw that, just as he had imagined, they were indeed here to snatch the insect carcass.
However, due to their immense numbers, they weren't thinking of carrying the entire insect back to their nest. Instead, they were dealing with it on the spot, only taking its organs back.
As the most nutritious parts of an insect's body, these ants had to transport the insect's internal organs back for their queen to consume.
After all, their survival was entirely dependent on the queen ant's strength.
At the same time, the queen ant's size made Jiang Fan's mind wander.
Jiang Fan raised his head slightly, imagining how enormous the queen must be to have given birth to so many ants.
But Jiang Fan quickly snapped back to reality. The best course of action was to avoid confronting these ants directly, and he certainly didn't want to see their queen, as that might mean they too would become nourishment for the queen.
"Damn it! If this continues, our chances of survival in this environment are slim to none."
"Although we have little recourse against those monsters, these are insects!"
Insects are one of the most formidable predators in the world. Compared to ordinary mammals and large land animals, their predatory capabilities are second to none.
Now, with their colossal size, capturing even an elephant would be as easy as pie for them.
A praying mantis, with its sharp claws, could probably tear a massive adult elephant to shreds and enjoy it leisurely.
Thinking of this, Jiang Fan couldn't help but shudder.
"We absolutely must not be seen by other insects, otherwise, we won't just be fighting them; we'll be killed and used as food."
"We are merely humans. Compared to insects, our strength is far too insignificant. Now that they possess a size far greater than ours, it's impossible for us to contend with them."
Recalling the leaping ability of fleas, the reversed movement of praying mantises, or the survival skills of other insects.
Humans were a joke in their presence.
Just as Jiang Fan was warning everyone to be cautious, he suddenly felt a sense of earth shifting beneath his feet.
"What's this earthquake? Are they back to haul away another animal carcass?"