Tseng Chen’s diary (I/IV)

Location: Mutant ant and fungus research laboratory in Sichuan, China.

Monday, July 14th - Dormitories.

I'm exhausted.

The inauguration of this laboratory was long, tedious, and boring. Even being named leader only made me feel more uncomfortable.

I know they didn't do it based on my merits.

They believe I can follow the legacy of my deceased wife and guide these obstinate scientists to work in harmony. Well, that's a foolish idea. I can already see them rebelling as soon as I give my first research directive. The worst part is that I couldn't decline. My feelings overruled my reasoning. I wanted to experience what she lived through every day.

(...) At the end of the meeting, the usual photographs were taken. I will never understand politicians. How is it possible that gathering a group of aging men with academic titles in front of cameras could convey the message that everything will be resolved soon? We are far from solving anything, and wasting time like this led us to our current predicament…

Saturday, July 19th - Dormitories.

A necessary break. The experiments were ongoing, and we haven't been able to sleep well. Fortunately, they are routine procedures that anyone present could perform blindfolded. Still, we have to manage the schedules.

We can't afford mistakes due to fatigue. All these trivial complications accumulate, leading us to inefficiency.

Take the lab's corridors, for instance, designed like a maze. Several researchers have gotten lost at intersections for not paying attention. Even I, who was involved in the construction plans, was embarrassed when I had to ask for guidance from patrolling soldiers.

We are battling mutant ants, for God's sake. They are not so naïve as to follow our paths; we have only complicated things for ourselves.

Additionally, there's that pretentious youngster, Li Jun, with foreign degrees. He's the one who objects the most every time I give an order. He never stops questioning everything. Ultimately, I had to send him to another research group before losing the little patience I had left.

I asked around about him, and no one had anything good to say. Who would believe that behind his well-groomed appearance and polite mannerisms, he is just a professional sycophant? He flatters those whom he believes can advance his career. I can't stand his type. They believe their ideas are the cure-all. I hope Professor Wang can tolerate him and not send him back soon.

Wednesday, July 31st - Laboratory.

We hit our first roadblock.

A few hours ago, the latest results of the experiments we conducted on mutant ants came out, and it's worse than we anticipated.

No chemical agent, including conventional insecticides and genetically modified fungi, has proven effective against their robust immune system. What kind of environment did they evolve in to become so resilient? I don't know many insects with such robust antibodies. If it weren't for their ant-like characteristics, we might as well categorize them as cockroaches.

Nonetheless, tomorrow we will finish setting up the area where we will establish a mini colony, and we will be able to scrutinize them more thoroughly.

We took a little longer than expected, but I doubt anyone will complain. No one wants to relive Usu's tragedy in the laboratory; before retreating due to the attack on their nest, the ants managed to destroy half the city.

The incident served as a wake-up call for the scientific community, prompting them to cease disputes and focus on studying Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis (FUO). This type of ascomycete fungus holds the potential to control these mutant ants.

Saturday 10th August - Dormitories.

The rains have arrived in the area, a usual occurrence in this season. However, the total absence of other insects in the laboratory is unusual. Without the chorus of crickets, the night was so quiet that I could hear my thoughts; and with them, the thunderous echo of jaws clashing in my imagination.

I won't deny it. I felt great fear seeing the ants "Lasius Xinjiangensis" in their natural environment and not in a glass box for experimentation.

When we completed a mini colony, we didn't realize what a daunting effect it would have. Seeing these monsters daily strikes such fear in all researchers that many retreats to their experiment rooms to battle their nightmares by working.

The military personnel who reside in the laboratory are not immune to this insomnia. I have seen many patrollers with pronounced dark circles under their eyes, and they all tend to avoid the nests on their rounds.

I don't blame them.

When I first saw the ants, they reminded me of automated machines: tireless, highly efficient, each one fulfilling its function and pursuing it relentlessly.

Some collect the food that we discard, while others construct their nest with soil.

They are like soldiers, always ready for battle.

Measuring 12 to 18 cm in length, they are three times the size of the largest known ant, appearing more like small animals than insects.

These insects seem to exhibit a higher degree of cognition than anticipated. They have repeatedly observed us through the laboratory's glass, potentially assessing whether we pose a threat to their colony. This suggests a more complex and adaptive behavior.

Another characteristic is their ability to dig deep, which forced us to install a thick metal layer underground to prevent their escape. Although their primary food source is plant-based, like an ant, they can also consume meat. We, humans, are included in their potential diet.

If someone were to ask me, I would advise them to flee upon seeing these ants at night. Battling these monstrous ants would be a true nightmare. Their keen sense of smell, dark color, and large numbers make them lethal predators, especially in the dark.

Saturday, August 17th - Laboratory.

The observation results paid off.

Dr. Xue Tao and his wife, Dr. Ruan Yue, came to my work area excited and reported encouraging data. 'The Xinjiangensis don't look for more places with food if they have enough nearby', they said.

I was clueless about their expectations, I couldn't understand what they meant or why it was important until they explained it. It seems that we can use this to our advantage; by controlling the amount of food near them and replenishing it constantly. We could even lower the nutritional content to weaken them and slow down their reproduction.

I almost jumped for joy. It has been very frustrating lately. I have tried many modifications to the fungus and none were effective.

I was running out of ideas and this news eases the mood a bit, at least I was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Wednesday, August 28th - Mini colony area.

We had been testing the feeding method all week.

It felt strange to create a balanced diet for ants, but we managed to identify that sweetener works for this purpose.

Unfortunately, our attempts to mix their food with toxic substances have not paid off.

Any food containing sodium bicarbonate or boric acid, which is toxic to common ants, is ignored by them. Even small amounts of lemon or vinegar, their natural repellent, do not harm them and make them aggressive.

This dashed our idea of camouflaging ourselves with these substances to get closer to their nest.

After the disappointment of not achieving the optional objectives, we regained our spirits by completing our main task.

We mixed the sweetener with fatty foods, and voilà.

I can see Xinjiangensis ants whose excrement is much larger than before. In addition, their behavior is slower, and their reproduction rate is lower.

We even just introduced small animals into their environment and their lethality has decreased greatly. They are not so scary anymore.

Now, we just need to balance the amount of fat with the amount of nutrition so they don't become aggressive and keep eating from the same place.

Friday, September 5th - Laboratory.

We just finished the drill on how to act in confrontation mode, and the scientists will retreat to an underground bunker. Although due to lack of time for construction, it is not very large, however, it will be enough.

This happened because reports arrived that the Xinjiangensis are approaching us. The atmosphere is tense and we all prepare for battle. And, although we are far from annihilating them, we have the tools to stop them here.

The government has also asked for an immediate action plan and the clock is ticking against us. While we do our best to gather information and form something feasible, they get closer.

The damn rain doesn't help either, last night many places suffered power outages. Thank goodness the military reacted in time and turned on the generators, thus avoiding the loss of many experiments.

However, it is a bad time to have these problems.

For my part, I am still waiting for the results of the experiments, we must find a way to break through their immune system.

Monday, September 8th - Laboratory.

Damn it, am I a leader for a show?

Li Jun, who had been quiet and forgotten by me, filed a petition to take over the feeding in the mini colony. his proposal was supported by the geezers who oppose me.

And what causes me outrage is that the superiors approved it. Even against the objections of the base general and mine.

Don't they understand that any change in the hierarchy at critical moments can be fatal?

I can't seem to calm down. I've been incessantly calling everyone I know to gather more information, but all I've uncovered is that this guy has a powerful backer.

A military figure with considerable influence in the upper echelons watches over him and vouches for his actions.

I was the one who had to break the news to Dr. Xue Tao, who until now was the leader of the mini-colony.

And although he accepted the decision like an educated man, his wife, on the other hand, insulted me harshly.

'Stupid, stubborn, senile old man,' no one had been so rude to me in recent years. At least not so direct.

If I didn't know her well, as she was a close friend of my wife's and I understand her character, I would suspect she had something against me.

As a side note, I managed to find out why Li Jun doesn't like our approach. His doctoral research is on a very harmful toxin and I think he is trying to promote it.

I read a report about it a few months ago and I know that the toxin is very potent, too potent for the current situation.

With that compound, we could have wiped out the Xinjiangensis a long time ago. However, it would be like dropping a chemical bomb on the ground, no being would survive that.

I don't understand how he intends to use it, because even diluted and concentrated only in the bugs' nests, the whole surrounding area would be contaminated.

He's a mere child with no knowledge of proportionality, and I have a hunch he shouldn't be in charge of the project; he shouldn't be in charge of anything.

Monday, September 15th - Underground bunker.

Shit, we're under attack.

The idiot, stupid, son of a $#%&@!# screwed us all over.

I can still hear the shots outside, the soldiers are fighting against the Xinjiangensis. This shouldn't have happened like this, we shouldn't have lost the first defenses so quickly. Entering the bunker was only the last option. Being here means that they can't defend us above and that the vermin have infiltrated.

Li Jun, his idea bordered on madness, instead of continuing to gradually decrease the nutrition in the mini colony; he took away all the food at once and tried to add it day by day.

Damn madness, what did he think would be the result?

Of course, it was a colony of hungry and angry killer ants.

We were able to control them in the early stages because they were weak, but over time their savagery took over. Their attacks, when they tried to feed them, grew gradually in proportion. Any cornered animal would fight back, and he bet against mutant ants.

The last attack was half a day ago. Dr. Xue Tao, who was stripped of decision-making but retained the task of feeding the ants, noticed something strange about the colony.

There seemed to be a radical decrease in the number of insects.

Dr. Xue ran and informed Li Jun, who ordered him to enter the mini-colony and look for clues.

We all gathered to watch and thought they were cannibalizing each other, but they were not.

But they weren't.

The insects surprised both the onlookers and those who entered, coming out from under the ground below and attacking in fury.

Nearby soldiers rushed to the area to rescue the scientists and fought off the ants. Unfortunately, Dr. Tao lost a hand in the encounter and many soldiers were slightly injured.

I thank Heaven that the armor that is used when entering was able to save them from death or losing other limbs, but I doubt that Dr. Xue Tao feels the same.

In the chaos of this event, we didn't realize that a group of ants managed to escape. And although the soldiers managed to find and eliminate some of them, we know that a few crossed the defenses and went outside.

Hours after the escape, Xinjiangensis began to appear in the surroundings. They seemed to be watching us and exploring the lab.

We were all prepared for what was coming, we were bracing for a confrontation.

But we did not expect that their first move would be nothing like we had ever seen. They burrowed under the mini colony. They could not break the glass, but they managed to knock it down by digging up the foundations on which the transparent wall rested.

They obviously knew what was going on inside, and we clearly underestimated them.

From that moment on everything went downhill.

Although we managed to reach the bunker with few casualties among the scientists, we owed it to the sacrifice of dozens of soldiers.

The labyrinth also helped a lot, we were able to evade them thanks to the ingenious design. I swear I will not comment again on things I do not know. The military knows about defensive structures and the design saved many lives.

When we finally reached the bunker and took shelter inside, many began to tremble with fear. Those of us who were calmer tried to reassure the others, but I noticed that no one wanted to be near Li Jun.

With the death of some colleagues, there was fire in their eyes as they looked at him. Li Jun only met their hateful gazes with an expressionless face and remained quiet in a corner.

I had no lack of desire to confront him, my fists cracked at the sight of him calm and seated. It seemed like none of this was his fault.

But this is no time to settle scores, we're all waiting for news from outside; so I didn't take the first step to a fight that could make things worse.