Its three remaining companions reacted instantly, dropping the Fragrant Bait before them and flying over in unison.

But soon, a creature identical to the vanished Electric Fire Cannon Insect—just a slightly blood-red color—emerged from the tall grass. Acting as if nothing had happened, it rejoined the other three and began to eat the Fragrant Bait.

"BZZT?"

Short-lived insect species have another characteristic: low intelligence. Incredibly, the other three Electric Fire Cannon Insects didn’t notice anything amiss with their companion. Seeing it return, they simply resumed eating.

He waited patiently for them to finish eating. Then, all four Electric Fire Cannon Insects flew into the cave one after another.

Hiding in the tall grass, Han Ning closed his eyes. The Puppet’s blood-red vision filled his mind as it followed its companions through the pitch-black cave.

After passing through tunnel after tunnel, a mountainside nest of over 200 square meters came into view.

Han Ning had the Puppet meander about the nest. In a corner, it discovered a pile of unhatched Insect Eggs and some wriggling larvae.

The social structure of the Electric Fire Cannon Insects wasn’t like that of bees or ants. They had no Ant Queen to command them, and their movements were relatively independent.

While the other Electric Fire Cannon Insects weren’t paying attention, Han Ning had the Puppet slyly grab a pile of Insect Eggs and several plump larvae that looked like queen insects. Then, with a WHOOSH, it flew out of the cave.

Only after it had vanished did the other Electric Fire Cannon Insects belatedly realize what had happened. A dozen or so of them organized and gave chase.

Meanwhile, Han Ning’s eyes snapped open. "It worked!"

Immediately, he ordered Yin Yi and Egg Pancake to the mouth of the cave, where the Electric Fire Cannon Insects were likely to emerge.

After a few minutes, a blood-red Electric Fire Cannon Insect shot out of the cave.

Then, Yin Yi and Egg Pancake blocked the cave entrance with a huge boulder they had prepared earlier.

Teacher Lü’s Wood Demon also laid down a ring of hallucinogenic mist around the boulder.

Once that was done, they wasted no time, leaping onto Egg Pancake’s back and tearing down the mountain.

...

They didn’t stop until they reached the bottom of the mountain. Seeing that no Electric Fire Cannon Insects were charging after them, Han Ning finally let out a soft sigh of relief.

He examined the queen insects clutched in the Puppet’s limbs.

The Electric Fire Cannon Insect Puppet’s front two limbs each held four of the queen insects.

Its rear two limbs tightly gripped eight light-blue, egg-sized Insect Eggs.

The juvenile queen insects were plump, their bodies covered in segmented folds. They were nearly the length of an arm and pale blue in color. On their heads was a pair of slightly raised, blue-dotted bumps. Held in the Puppet’s grasp, they continuously emitted faint sparks of electricity as if struggling to resist.

It was a good thing the Puppet was over a meter tall. Otherwise, it never would have been able to hold them.

Lü Xiuning held up a photocopied notebook, carefully comparing its contents to the insects before nodding. "These are definitely the queen insects. A total of eight should be enough for breeding."

He then remarked with amazement, "I initially thought we’d have to fight a vicious battle to snatch the queen insects from the swarm. I never expected it to be so easy with the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm."

"See? I told you we’d catch them before dark."

Han Ning smiled and glanced at his watch, seeing it was only early afternoon. He took out a basket he’d prepared from woven vines, placed the queen insects and Insect Eggs inside, and had Yin Yi hang it from its waist. Then he said,

"Teacher Lü, it’s still early. How about we go check out the valley 30 kilometers from here? A patch of Soul Nourishing Grass grows there."

"Alright." Lü Xiuning nodded in agreement.

Thirty kilometers wasn’t far; it was only a small detour.

The Soul Nourishing Grass grew in a valley encircled by mountains. It was a remote location that, for now, only the Taman Insect Master had discovered.