BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM-Chapter 1280: The bugs (6)

Shredded thoraxes leaked steaming fluids while severed abdomens revealed pulsing organs.

Erik didn't know what was that flowed inside the creature's bodies, if blood or something else, yet the scent of it was so strong and pungent that it was revolting. At least for him. For the flying thaids, that scent must have been the scent of a buffet, telling them it was time for dinner.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

<Good,> Erik thought. <The plan works exactly as wanted.>

Erik smiled as the aerial creatures descended. His plan worked—with so many prey laid before them, the flying thaids would focus on the easier meal rather than pursuing his group. At least in theory. One could never say what prompted thaids to take certain decisions. Sometimes they should have acted in one way but did another one, even if it was nonsensical.

The flying thaids landed among the carnage; their wingspans created powerful downdrafts that kicked up thick clouds of dust.

Their taloned feet crushed through scattered limbs and shell fragments as they touched down, their weight leaving deep impressions in the blood-soaked ground.

They tore into the fresh kills, but their feast didn't go unchallenged. The surviving bug-like thaids, hundreds of thousands of them, surged forward in waves.

While each individual bug was relatively weak, especially compared to the more imposing flying thaids, and posed little threat to them, their overwhelming numbers made them dangerous even for those titanic creatures. The bugs swarmed over the larger predators, snapping their mandibles.

The flying thaids screeched in rage as the puny creatures crawled over them. Thanks to Instability, Erik could clearly perceive the outrage they were feeling.

To them, the bug-like thaids were no better than humans. They were prey, and prey having this much audacity was something their primal minds could not tolerate.

They snapped their jaws and struck with their talons, each blow destroying dozens of bugs, but more kept coming.

The battle devolved into a chaotic mess of thrashing bodies and spraying fluids, with the flying thaids having a clear advantage, since they weren't even using their brain crystal powers, but with more and more bugs amassing around them.

The situation was turning complicated, even for them.

Erik watched the scuffle unfold, noting how even a single flying thaid could devastate scores of the bug-like thaids.

But he couldn't risk any of the flying thaids breaking away to pursue his group. With five hundred clones in their party, they would make a tempting target.

He gathered more mana, launching another volley of wind blades into the bugs' fray. The attacks carved through the swarm, making more carnage to keep the flying thaids occupied.

It looked like it was working. The severed bug bodies rained down as his blades struck, adding to the growing piles of meat and shell fragments littering the ground, which the flying thaids deeply appreciated.

The problem was that the scent of death grew stronger. Blood and ichor pooled between rocks, while torn flesh and exposed organs released their own pungent odors. The smell created a powerful lure that no thaid in the area could resist.

<It's too strong.>

[Yeah… It's going to attract all the thaids in the area…]

That was not what Erik intended to do. Every thaid within kilometers would soon reach this place, following the intoxicating scent of fresh meat.

The feeding frenzy Erik created to save his group would now draw newer threats.

[You didn't consider this, right?]

Erik remained silent. In truth, he considered it, in the sense that he knew such a possibility was real, but he didn't know how strong the smell would be. Inside the cave he burned the thaids, so the stench got quickly overwhelmed by that of charred meat. Regardless, it wasn't like he could afford to hold himself.

He turned toward the forest, relieved to see no sign of the clones. They disappeared among the trees. But the situation grew more dangerous by the second.

The sounds of approaching thaids intensified. It was the sound of snarls, heavy footsteps, and growls. Worse yet, these sounds came from the same direction the clones had taken.

Erik ran to the trees, escaping the battle he had started. As he left, the sounds of fighting and eating grew quieter, while the noises of the new predators got louder.

[The newcomers just arrived.] Erik was no longer inside that area and was indeed in the forest.

<Good, let them kill each other.>

The sound of rending flesh and shattering chitin increased as new fighters joined the fray. The bug swarm's numbers meant little now. The larger thaids would devastate their ranks while fighting over the bounty of dead and dying creatures.

That was, assuming the larger thaids didn't turn on each other—which was likely given their territorial and aggressive nature.

Thaids fought viciously over food sources, often ignoring smaller prey in favor of establishing dominance over their own kind.

<Let's hope things go as we want.>

Erik ran into the forest, keeping track of where his group had gone. His clones had been smart—they kept away from open paths and stuck to places where their shapeshifted bodies could easily hide. Amber and Emily were the only problem, since they were the only ones who could not shapeshift.