The dark, cramped space was only about one square meter, and its height was no more than one meter.
She couldn't stand, nor could she lie down; she could only curl up with her knees to her chest.
There was no way to move freely at all.
The ground was cold and hard, and all she could see was darkness.
Even the passage of time became blurred.
Loneliness is a deadly poison.
When a person is in a lonely environment, they will unconsciously start to overthink.
This leads to mental fear.
The pain of mental torment far outweighs physical or other forms of suffering.
Alone in a confined space, the feeling of loneliness gathered, constantly assaulting her psychological defenses until they collapsed.
This training severely tested a person's inner resilience.
At first, Tsunade seemed calm, even finding it a bit childish. She was just in a dark space, with nothing there, so there was nothing to be afraid of.
But as time passed, Tsunade realized something was wrong.
How much time had passed?
It felt like a very long time, but there were no reference points in the enclosed space to judge by.
She couldn't determine the exact time at all.
Tsunade decided to take a nap, but her tense and suppressed mind had no desire to sleep.
She tossed and turned for a while but couldn't fall asleep.
At this point, Tsunade started to overthink.
Many thoughts rushed in, but none were concrete.
All she could hear was her own breathing, and a huge sense of loneliness silently gripped Tsunade.
Her breathing unconsciously quickened.
Her heart began to race, and she felt palpitations.
As her body showed various signs, another emotion silently approached.
Its name was fear.
Tsunade didn't know what she was afraid of. In this simple environment, there was nothing to be scared of; even monsters should be afraid of her.
But Tsunade didn't even realize she was scared; she just felt a simple panic.
She couldn't go on like this.
Tsunade wanted to talk to someone, but there was no one to talk to.
So, she could only talk to herself.
She mumbled softly, her voice gradually growing louder.
People walking alone at night do this; they talk loudly to bolster their courage and combat psychological fear.
Commonly known as scaring oneself.
The louder she got, the more scared she became.
"Miki!!!"
"Are you there!!! Miki!!!"
"Miki!!?"
No one answered.
But someone was there.
Sitting far away downwind, on a platform extending from a cliff, Miki was roasting frogs.
Hearing the sound, Miki didn't even look up, sprinkling chili powder.
Above her head was the cave where Tsunade was.
Her voice is trembling...
Even without listening to her voice, Miki could tell Tsunade's state.
"I need to pee!!! Miki!!!"
Pee however you want.
Miki didn't respond.
After a noisy while, Tsunade suddenly fell silent.
Within a few minutes, Tsunade started singing.
Miki paused her actions, not expecting her to pull off something like this.
Not bad.
The taste of frog.
Let's eat this for lunch.
And it's awfully off-key.
She sang until her voice was hoarse, which means after an afternoon, she gradually stopped.
The vicinity was quiet.
Miki sat cross-legged, propping her chin with one hand, overlooking the forest below.
She appeared to be in a daze, but in reality, she was observing the Eve Swarm.
Something interesting had happened recently.
Goliath Beetles.
These big guys had undergone an interesting change.
Namely, co-evolution.
Under the pressure of the environment and the Eve Swarm, these guys seemed unwilling to merely become meat worms in a farm.
Some adult beetles joined the ranks of the Eve Swarm and began assisting in the Eve Swarm's work.
They helped the Eve Swarm transport dung balls.
And the Eve Swarm accepted them.
Therefore, one could often see such a scene in the forest.
On the 'high-speed' tunnels built by the Eve Swarm, two Goliath Beetles, as a team, rolled dung balls forward, forming a long line of dung ball transporters in the earthen pits covered by leaves and branches.
On both sides of the tunnels were guards from the Eve Swarm, responsible for fending off intrusive creatures.
Among the Eve Swarm, there were no creatures with the massive size of the Goliath Beetle, so, as large transport insects, the efficiency of their work significantly increased.
This action brought positive feedback to the Goliath Beetles themselves.
Namely, the survival rate of their larvae began to significantly improve.
After weighing their options, the Eve Swarm chose to improve efficiency rather than eat meat.
Miki was now considering whether to incorporate the Goliath Beetles into her own swarm's dominion.
Aside from rolling dung balls, the adult forms of these beetles had no other special abilities.
However, their function as 'meat pigs' was not indispensable, as the Eve Swarm did not only raise this one type of meat worm.
Furthermore, the primary function of the Goliath Beetle farm was to cultivate fungal colonies.
The idea of dominating the Goliath Beetles stemmed from Miki's current need for more tool insects to expand her territory.
On land, the Eve Swarm had no problems.
The problem was the underwater environment.
And the underwater environment was divided into freshwater and saltwater environments.
Among them, saltwater environments were particularly rich in resources.
In addition, there was also the underground environment.
Digging deeper into the earth's layers for construction, with the capabilities of the Eve Swarm, would also be a massive project spanning decades.
The main issue lay in the lack of excavation capability.
Creatures like earthworms were good, but still too small.
Miki needed larger, ruthless digging machines to open up vast underground spaces.
For example, giant sand worms or death worms.
But the most ideal would be Tunneling Bugs.
After digging the tunnels, there would be no need to worry about subsequent tunnel collapses.
These bugs could infinitely extend their bodies through growth; while digging, they would also become part of the tunnel itself.
Their internal flesh tunnels could rely on muscle peristalsis and chemical substances for high-speed transportation.
Just like blood circulation in the heart and blood vessels.
Through blood circulation, various nutrients, oxygen, and so on are transported to all cells in the body.
By constructing a super-large underground tunnel network with Tunneling Bugs, the entire planet could be secretly occupied without destroying the surface ecosystem.
This would transform the entire planet into a Zerg-like world.
And it would mark an important step towards utilizing geothermal energy.
To reach this stage, many technologies would need to be unlocked and developed.
At the very least, a bug capable of absorbing geothermal energy would need to be created first.
The continuation of life depends on the acquisition and utilization of energy.
There are plants that sustain life through photosynthesis using chlorophyll, and there are thermophilic microorganisms that cling to seabed volcanoes, sustaining life by relying on heat.
For the former, Miki had a large number of plant-based prototypes, and progress was steadily advancing. For the latter, a prototype needed to be found.
And compared to developing on the surface through photosynthesis, Miki was more inclined to hide underground and rely on geothermal heat.
Miki pondered matters related to the bugs.
At this moment, accompanied by a loud bang, Tsunade broke through the makeshift isolation room and ran out.
Miki looked at the sky.
It was already deep into the night.
She brushed off the dust and stood up.
Tsunade looked around, spotted Miki, then swiftly dashed down the cliff, crashing into Miki's embrace.
She broke down and sobbed uncontrollably.
Crying like a little girl.
"It's alright, don't be scared..."
Miki gently stroked Tsunade's head and softly patted her back, comforting her in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, Tsunade cried even louder.
She was terrified.
Her body was gently trembling.
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