Much like humans…
Ants are social creatures.
They live in a society filled to the brim with people like them, they eat, they share, they fight.
And they protect family over all else, if they died for their cause, other worker ants would respect their decision and let their bodies rot in the sun.
In fact…
"GET OUTTA HERE YA STINKIN ANT!!!"
...much like humans…
"Cough..."
...They completely ignore those who are dead and shun those who are useless.
—
"Heh...cough...I guess it's over..."
Kim Do-Hyeok age 20
Standing at an impressive 6'1, somewhat handsome features and with a lean build, strikingly black hair and vibrantly noticeable hazel eyes. An ordinary everyday human being who tries, or tried, to contribute to society.
But, being the orphan he was, he had no inkling of an idea how, or anyone to guide him.
Sure, he had the orphanage directors and caretakers. But they didn't really help much, always trying to deal with such a big place full of kids.
Not like he had many friends either, not for any particular reason, he simply chose to isolate himself instead of making friends.
'What's the point of having friends if I cant even think for myself.'
That was his motto, so he worked on himself, learning all he could, working out, living how someone with a bright future would.
Unfortunately, life wasn't as simple as ,"live well ,eat well". Upon turning 18, he finally left that rotting orphanage, but what now?
Well, if he wanted to thrive and live a smooth life, university was a must, right?
So he worked his butt off, taking as many entrance exams as possible, working multiple part-time jobs to 'someday' pay for tuition.
The result?
Every job he worked was either shut down, suspected for some kind of crime, or simply fired him.
And the exams?
'This is xxx university, unfortunately...' a recurring email blinking at his phone.
Well, it wasn't the end of the world yet, right?
He remained as optimistic as possible on the outside.
But…
'FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! SHIT! GODDAMNIT!!!!'
...As you can see, the stress was getting to him…
About a year passed.
It all kept repeating itself, not a single acceptance email, every job he worked at, tanked within a week, and to top it all off, he was slowly but surely running out of the money to even sustain himself.
So, like a desperate idiot, after careful deliberation, more than a little bit drove by the creeping dread.
Kim Do-Hyeok took out a loan. From who? Oh you know, the typical, 'give me your money in a week or I'll break ya legs' type.
And what did he do with this money?
Start a business?
Apply for a community college?
Actually pay tuition?
Nope, none of the above…
Gambling.
He decided to go to a casino to win it all back and more.
And guess what?
He actually pulled it off.
In his first couple of games, he felt like the king of the cards.
Like some kind of restless gambler, one who'd never lose…
Then about 4 months later, he started losing.
And losing…
And losing…
Until eventually he was down to his last lifeline and those damn loan sharks wanted his head.
What does one do in this situation?
1. Rethink your life choices.
(wont really solve much but its better than nothing)
2. Try and fight off those loan sharks.
(You are most definitely losing.)
3. Double down.
(What an idiot, right?)
If you picked any of these then you'd be wrong but if you picked 3 then hey you and Do-Hyeok would get along great...I think.
That's right, he went to a different loan shark, took out the cash, gave what was needed to the previous loan sharks and spent the rest on slot machines…
Fast forward to him a few moments ago from the present, he was doing the same thing.
At this point, it wasn't about the money anymore, the risk gave him a rush, an excitement so strong he didn't even care if he lost anymore.
Sigh... seriously, what a lost case.
The difference this time though... was that he was really out.
With no cash left, he's pissed off nearly every loan shark in Gangwon province. No way he's getting any more from this.
And after a little scuffle with the casino he was at, accusing them of cheating, he was beaten within nearly an inch of his life and sent packing.
And now... we're back to the start.
"Well...i'm outta cash now... no more thrill for me I guess...haha..."
For some reason, Do-Hyeok was mostly unbothered.
Or was he?
Through the rain in the dirty alley sat Do-Hyeok, despite trying to cover it up with the rain, anyone could clearly see,
He was crying.
"Kh..! D-Dammit... I'm such a dumbass...
...and I really wanted to go to university too."
Despite him convincing himself it was for the money, he really just wanted an ordinary university life.
So sat Do-Hyeok in the dirt and the rain, crying his heart out alone.
"Excuse me... you wouldn't happen to be Kim Do-Hyeok would you?"
Next to this crying mess, stood a man with white-lavender hair and distinctly purple eyes. That was all Do-Hyeok could really see, both the rain and his tears blurred out the man.
"Y-Yeah, the hell do you want with me?"
Though he was crying moments ago, he quickly composed himself and asked this firmly.
"Now, no need to be so feisty! I just wish to propose something to you, care to hear me out?"
The white-lavender haired man said with a relaxed smile.
"...what is it?"
Do-Hyeok, now a little more cautious, asked.
"A bet."
"A bet...?"
"That's what I said."
What the hell was with this guy, Do-Hyeok couldn't get a read on him at all.
"Y'see I'm a part of a massive project, were testing a new product but we have no human subjects to test it on."
A lie. Subtle, but couldn't escape Do-Hyeok's eyes. He practically lived in a casino, eventually you pick up a thing or two.
"...go on..."
But Do-Hyeok was curious. What was he hiding?
"This project is risky though there's a chance the human could die. Which is where you come in Mr. Do-Hyeok!"
He pointed at Do-Hyeok exaggeratedly.
"Me...?"
"Yup. Here's the bet. You let me use you as a human test subject. If you die, you lose, if you live, I'll pay off all your debts, and wire you 15 billion won. Do we have a bet? Of course, the second option only applies if you keep the experiment a secret."
Do-Hyeok looked at this suspicious man.
Then looked at himself, at what he's done so far.
'Pathetic. Better off dead anyway' he thought.
"Fine."
"Excellent choice!"
And Do-Hyeok's world went black.
—
Later, at an undisclosed location.
Breeder, with his white-lavender hair and gleaming purple eyes carried in his newest "test subject."
Bringing Do-Hyeok over to the cold operating table, Breeder set him down and said to the staff.
"Commence project: Colony on this one today, I'd love to be here and watch it myself but I've got a certain roach-wasp to meet."
"""Yessir!"""
At the command all the staff unanimously announced their response.
And with that, Breeder was gone.
The staff at this facility got to work, some grabbed syringes and other medical tools, some a distinct can of bug spray, and soon, about 5 large professional-grade formicaria (ant boxes) were moved into the room.
—
Outside the facility, around the same time.
The stray dogs have arrived.
Carly Davidson stood in front of 2 distinctly unique people.
One, a tall, decently handsome young man, tan skin, with shaggy black hair and red eyes. He was wearing a black vest, tie and a deep red dress shirt, underneath a black trench coat. His forearms are wrapped with bandages, covering some form of scars. And for whatever reason, he seemed to be smoking.
The other, smaller in stature, a lady who a person would look at and instinctively think, 'pretty...' she had blue, steel coloured hair tied into twin tails with two butterfly hairpins. Her eyes were a bright blue as if they shined. She dressed rather elegantly, a white lace dress shirt with lapels, long puffy sleeves, with the cuffs defined by thin black ribbons. The lace shirt seems to be intertwined with a gothic corset-like dress with a blue skirt with floral patterns on the covering lace. She also has translucent thigh-high stockings with floral patterns and a garter belt, along with black heels, clearly more intricate than the first.
These two were none other than Kwon Haemin and Nanami, of stray dogs.
Clap-!
"Alright you two, listen up."
Carly gained the two's attention with a clap.
""Yes captain.""
"This facility is one of pet shops' branch labs, specifically tasked in making insect humans of the Formicidae (Ant) family."
Carly began his debriefing.
"This means that you, Nanami, with your complex, are the star of the show."
"Naturally."
Nanami responded to Carly as if it was an inevitability.
"Your job, Nanami, is to go in, take out the variables, and retrieve as many innocents as you can."
"Got it~"
Despite such a task, Nanami seemed indifferent. As if she had done something like this before.
"Haemin. Once its in the clear and Nanami has cleared from the venue-"
"-Burn it down, right? Don't worry captain, I got it."
Haemin cut off Carly abruptly as if every second lost was another second wasted.
"I see. Alright then get ready to move in."
"Yessir~"
"You got it boss."
Soon after this, Nanami began to move.
—
Nanami approached the facility with relative calm, maybe this was because she was confident or something more than that.
In front of the door to the facility, two men stood side to side.
Nanami stared.
'Hmm. Yup they're ants. Lucky me~."
After this thought, Nanami's face lit up a little.
"Excuse me miss, this area is off limits, we'll have to ask you to leave."
"How did you even get in here?"
But instead of leaving, Nanami started to move in closer.
"Ma'am what're yo-"
"Wha-"
The guards were in a daze, as if in a trance.
"Would you be kind enough to move out of the way dear~" Nanami said with a smile.
Just like that, the two guards parted and left the door wide open for Nanami.
"Easy as pie! Hmhm~!"
"Alrighty then, c'mon you four, we're raiding the place."
As she spoke 4 hulkingly large men appeared from around the building. At first glance, they would seem to be regular looking men, but upon closer inspection, they were monstrous, antennae, mandibles, it looked straight out of a horror movie. But just like the guards, they looked dazed.
Nanami and the 4 monsters started to massacre the place, Nanami left them in a trance and her 4 'guards' squashed them to a pulp.
This continued until they made it to the cells.
Even more insectile looking people lined up in a bloody mess.
"Alrighty then people!"
Nanami got their attention. Tens of these 'things' gnashed and clawed at the bars.
"Now, now, relax. Anyone who hasn't eaten yet... or isn't behaving like that gets to come with me, good for you right?"
"Come on, I need a show of hands. Who hasn't fed yet?"
As she said this a few trembling figures raised their hands, maybe a dozen or so children and their mother's.
"Great!★"
Nanami said with a smile.
As soon as she did, the four hulking creatures killed everything that didn't have its hand up, or attacked.
"Now, let's go~!"
—
Meanwhile back with the scientist's and Do-Hyeok.
"We have an intruder."
"Tch! Dammit, well now what?"
"Well seeing as they've killed about 80% of us already, it's probably better we leave through the secret compartment after finishing project: colony."
The scientists were torn, shocked, and equally concerned by recent developments.
But that didn't matter at the moment, what did was finishing the project before the subject woke up.
Blocking the subject (Do-Hyeok) into a transparent coffin looking box, the scientists propped each of the five formicaria (ant boxes) on top and began running diagnostics.
"Condition: stable"
"Heart rate: normal"
"Blood flow: optimal"
'...wha...?'
Suddenly, Do-Hyeok began to stir.
'What is all this? Is this the thing that white haired guy was talking about?'
"Insect compatibility: incredibly high"
'Insect? The hell're they on about'
Hearing this, Do-Hyeok began to try to move but he was trapped, pinned down by metal latches and trapped in a glass box.
He began to panic, frantically swaying.
One of the scientists noticed this.
"SHIT...! HE'S AWAKE!"
"Quick! The jungle juice!"
'Jungle juice? The hell? Isn't that the 'kill all bug's' spray I saw about a while ago? When I still had an apartment?'
Do-Hyeok was confused, no words can describe what to Do-Hyeok's body after that.
The scientists opened all the boxes and one by one, thousands of ants were released.
'WHATTHEHELLWHATTHEHELLWHATTHEHELLWHATTHEHELLWHATTHEHELLWHATTHEHELL...'
Do-Hyeok was shaken, he didn't know what was happening.
"All accounted for?"
"One second... yes all 16,000 are in the box."
"Good, release the jungle juice"
Soon after those words were said, a murky green gas began to fill the box. Do-Hyeok's heart was pounding a mile a minute.
One by one these ants in the box with him died, and Do-Hyeok had a strange fear form in his mind.
'Oh god am I next?'
However, the ants started to miraculously disintegrate and fuse with the mist.
'What the fuck?!'
Without realising it, Do-Hyeok began to inhale the gas and it slowly began to dissipate.
'...is it over?'
"Alright our job here's done now let's-"
"My, oh my~ what do we have here?"
Nanami appeared through the door and immediately made her guards kill the scientists.
Do-Hyeok, watching this, confused and slowly faded in and out of consciousness. Like something else tried to control his body.
And then came the pain.
Indecipherable ear deafening screams came from the box.
Nanami rushed to the control console. She tried everything but she couldn't get the box to open, she wasn't a tech expert.
By the time she told her guards to break him out, the life in his eyes was gone.
He was dead. Nanami, after grieving for a minute said,
"It really is such a shame. He was quite handsome."
She was used to the scene of death. It was an unwelcome neighbour rather than a surprise bullet wound.
She left out the back door with the few people she managed to save and gave Haemin the signal once she was at a safe distance.
And just like that.
The entire facility was engulfed in flames.
—
Do-Hyeok suddenly jolted awake. He was alive. He didn't know how but it was good that he was, but he was still stuck in the damn box. To top it all off the entire building was in flames now.
He didn't know what was happening but he had to get out. Like, right now.
'Move move move!'
He pushed the constraints against him as hard as he could until they snapped.
Thankfully, the glass chamber he was in was shattered, thanks to that blue haired girl maybe? Do-Hyeok didn't have time to think over it.
He got up and prepared to gun it when he looked at the screen on his left. He looked different. Not massively, but enough to notice.
Instead of the black hair he had before, it was drowned in a dirt brown colour to accent it and it felt sharper than before.
His eyes, still hazel, but upon looking very closely the pupils seemed to be made up of hundreds, if not thousands of tiny hexagons.
And the biggest change, his teeth, before they were normal, about as average as can be, now they were sharp, jagged as if each one was a knife that could kill without even trying.
Do-Hyeok looked at himself and was shocked.
He really was different. He stopped and stared for a moment, but just for a moment, he had to get outta here.
Running through the halls, he didn't know where to go, he didn't know where the exit was so he scoured the area. Nothing. Until finally, he saw it.
Bruised and battered, he ran. Straight through the crumbling debris, right through the door.
He was out!
—
Meanwhile, the stray dogs were on the way back to their hideout when Nanami felt something.
"Hm? What is it, Nanami?" Asked Carly
"...nothing. Let's go."
Nanami replied indifferently but something intuitively felt off.
She rubbed it off for being on edge for now, she'd rather go home and take a shower before dealing with that.
'Whatever.'
—
Back to Do-Hyeok a while later,
'What the hell was that?'
'Nope, don't wanna deal with it. Lets just leave.'
'But what if I can get the name of that bastard who dragged me here and almost killed me.'
'Screw it.'
After a whirlwind of thoughts Do-Hyeok decides to enter the crumbling remains to find out more.
He explores the lab, looking for an office and luckily he didn't look long.
Entering the office, he looked for documents, something that would give him information and he found something.
A document titled: 'Breeder's feed training method.'
It detailed that jungle juice, the bug spray that turned him into whatever he was now, was key to human evolution. At first this seemed rather revolutionary.
'This is practically a super-serum.'
But then he ran into its problems. It made them grotesque creatures. Ugly monster looking humans.
Then came Breeder's feed training.
It was straight up cannibalism of other insect humans. It made Do-Hyeok sick.
Soon after learning all he wanted to know, Do-Hyeok went and looked for some clothes.
Thankfully, two guards outside the facility weren't burned up. They were dead though.
Putting on their clothes, Do-Hyeok left the scene.
Desert ants (Cataglyphis fortis) have an insane memory.
"Seriously..."
Unlike most other species, they pick up on at least 14 chemical trails across the span of their lifetime and at some point…
"...what the hell really happened to me..."
They can remember the exact amount of steps needed to walk from one location to their nest.
"...I swear I'll find that breeder guy..."
This doesn't just apply to trails however. What this means is…
"...And rip him to shreds."
Once one sets you as a target, holds a grudge, or interacts with its prey.
It never lets go of your memory until you die.
—
END OF CHAPTER.
A/N: ant supremacy🗣🔥🐜🐜🐜