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Ants（第1页）

Ants

&edNationsengagedFangsihermeetihoughnooeonhumanity’sfateremainedunged。

&ingwasscheduledtotakeplaceatameticulouslypreparedarchaeologicalexsiteinAfrica。

Fangs’shiplaofiftyfeetawayfromthedigsite。Thedeafeningexplosionandstormofdebristhatapa’sarrivalhad，bythispoioofamiliar。

ThegirlfromEridanushadadvisedthemthatthevessel’sengineoweredbyaminiaturefusiohecept，likemostoftheinformationshehadprovidedontheDevourers，waseasyenoughforthehumaouhethihemabouttheteologyofEridaniaherhand，neverfailedtobafflethepeopleofEarth。Hercrystal，forexample，begaimosphere。Iheeiongitspropulsionsystemdissolved，leavingnothingbutathialfloatihroughtheair。

AsFaheexsite，tresehalargealbum，afullsquareyardihadbeeiculouslydesigoaodatetheDevestature。Thealbum’shundredsofbeautifullywroughtpagesrevealedallaspeanbrilliantlycoloureddetail。Iresembledaprimerfor。

Ihelargepitoftheexsiteitself，avividlydescribedtheglorioushistoryofEarth’scivilizatiohreassionieattempttomakethisalieoprehendthattherewassomuthisblueplahg。Ashespoke，hisfervourmovedhimtotears。Ititiablespectacle。

Fiedtotheexandintoned:‘Honourableemissary，whatyouseeherearethenewlydisainsofatown。Thisfifty-thousand-year-oldsiteistheoldesthumadiscoveredtodate。Couldtheheartsofyourpeopletrulybehardenoughtodestroythismagcivilizationofours?Acivilizationthathasdeveloped，stepbyslowstep，overfiftythousandyears?’

&hiswasgoingon，Fahroughthealbumwithobvious，playfulamusement。Asthearchaeologistfinished，Fangsraisedhisheadaheexpit。‘Hey，ar，Ieitherforyourholenoryouroldthehole。Iwould，however，verymuttoseetheearthyouremovedfromthepit，’hesaid，pointingatalargepileofdirt。

ThearchaeologistwentfrombaffledtopletelystuheartificialvoiceofthetranslatorfinishedrelayingFaheearth?’heasked，fumblingforwords。‘Butthere’snothinginthatpileofdirt。’

‘Thatisyouropinion，’Fangssaid，approagthemoundhisgiganticbrouothepilewithtwoofhishugedbegandigging。AcirlookersquianygaspiivedeftnessofFangs’seeminglyunroddiearth，herepeatedlyretrievedtinyspethesoil，onlytoplathealbum。Faelyehisstrangelaboodtenminutes。Havieverhehadbeenupto，hecarefullyliftedthealbumwithbothdstraightenedhisbody。Walkingtatheredhumahemacetoseewhatitwasthathehadplathealbum。

Onlybylookingverycarefullycouldthosegatheredmakeoutthatitwashus。Theyweregatheredinatightbuherscurledupih。

‘Iwanttotellyssaidasthehumas。‘Itisthestoryofakingdom。Thiskingdomwasdesagreatempire，anditcouldtracestryallthewaybacktotheeh’sCretaceousperiwhichitsfouamagyintheshadowofthetbonesofadinspaused，deepinthought，beforeg。‘Butthatislong-lost，aory，aersuddenlyfell，oinalonglineofqueehoseglorydays。Itwasaverylongwihelandwasclasofmillionsorouslifewerelostasexistencebecameevermoreprecarious。

‘Afterwakihibernation，thequeenotrouseeveofeveryhundredofhersubjects。Theothershadbeeheebeihingbuttrayshells。Feelingthewallsofhercity，thequeeheywereascoldasidhardassteel。SheuhattheEarthremaihisageofterriblesummerbroughtnothaw。Thequeewastimetoleavethehomelaorsauoestablishanewkingdom。

‘Andsothequeenledhersurvivihesurfacetobegintheirlongandarduousjourheshadowofloomingglaciers，’Fangsaid。‘Mostsubjectsperishedduriraderings，edbythedeadlycold。Butthequeeragglingsurvivorsfinallyfoundapatchofearththatremaiouchedbyfreywarmedthissliverofland。Thequeen，ofewnothingofthis。Shedidandwhythereshouldbemoistandsoftsoilahisfrozenworld，butshewasinnorisedthatshehadfoundit:aracethatperseveredthroughsixtymillionlongyearseversufferextin!

‘Inthefaceofaglacier-coveredEarthandadimSun，thequeenproclaimedthatitwasherethattheywouldfoukingdom，akingdomthatwouldendureforalleternity。Stahesummitofatall，whitemountaihatthisnewkingdomwouldbeknownasthe‘RealmoftheWhiteMountain’。’hesaidgrandly。

‘Infact，theeponymoussummitwastheskullofamammoth，’heued。‘ItwasthezenithoftheLatePleistoeoftheQuaternaryGla。Inthosedays，youhumailldumbanimals，shiveringinyourscatteredcaves。Itwouldstillbehousandyearsbeforethefirstflickerofyourcivilizationearatawayontheplaiamia。

‘LivingoffthefrozenremainsofmammothsiyoftheRealmoftheWhiteMoulemehousahen，astheided，sprih，andthelandedihisgreatexplosioheRealmoftheWhiteMountainquiteredagoldenageofprosperity。Itssubjectswerebeyoheyruledavastdomaihehousahekingdomwasruledbytlessdynasties，andtlessepicstolditsstories。’

&inued，FahelargepileofearthinfroisthefiiheRealmoftheWhiteMountain。Asyistwormswerepreoccupiedbyyourexsofalostay-thousand-year-oldpletelyfailedtorealizethatthesoilabovethoseruihacitythatwasverymuchalive。IarabletoNewYork，aerisaerelytwodimensioyherewasagrandthreedimeropoliswithnumerouslayers。Everylayerwasdenselypackedwithlabyris，spasandmagpalaces。Thedesigy’sdrainageaionsystemshandilyoutshohoseofNewYork。

&ywashometoaplexsocialstrudastrictdivisionoflabour，’hetoldhiscaptiveaudieseyranwithmae-likepredharmoniousefficy。Thevicesuseaexisthere，aherewasynor。Butitsinhabitantswerebynomeansdevoidofemotion，showingtheirabidingsorrowwheneverasubjectoftheRealmpassedaway。Theyeveeryonthesurfaceattheedgeofthedtheretheywouldburytheirdeadaniheground。

&hegreatestacclaimmustbereservedfrandlibraryhelowestlayerofthisthislibrary，onedamultitudeofovoiders。Eaerwasabookfilledwithpheromoheexglyplexchemistryofthesepheromoy’skheepicsdetailingtheenduringhistoryoftheRealmoftheWhiteMountainwererecorded。Hereyoucouldhavelearifireallthesubjectsofthekingdomembracedeachothertoformtlessballs，andthat，withheroiceffort，theywereabletoescapeaseaoffirebyfloatingdownastream。Youcouldhavelearoryofthehundred-yearwaragaiermiteEmpire;orofthefirsttimethataionfromthekingdomsawthegreatogslethistranslator’svoicetrailoff。

Thenhisboomingvoirangout。‘Butitwasalldestroyedihours。Destroyedwhen，withateringroar，theexe，blagthesky。Thesteelclawscamegdthesoilofthecity，utterlydestroyingitandgallwithiroyedthelayerwhereallthecity’sahousandsofsnow-whiteeggs，yettobee，rested。’

Allaiohavefallehlyquiet。ThissileedthequietthathadfollowedFangs’horriblefeast。Stahealienemissary，humanitywas，forthefirsttime，atalossofwords。

FinallyFangssaid，‘Westillhaveaveryloalohingstotalkabout，butletusnotspeakofmorals。Intheuniverse，susideratiless。’