I Am The Swarm

The novelty of having wings soon wore off, and Luo Wen’s initial excitement cooled as rationality reclaimed its position.

His plans for soaring the skies were temporarily shelved. The top priority now was nurturing the Brood Nest and rebuilding the structure of the Swarm.

Over the next few days, nothing noteworthy occurred except for the daily loss of varying numbers of Ultra Giant Soldier Ants from the Big-headed Ants.

The underground temporary base was completed yesterday. In addition to personal chambers for Luo Wen and the Brood Nest, it also included facilities like a hatchery and storage rooms, along with as many as five escape tunnels.

After several days of recovery, the Brood Nest had also largely regained its functionality.

Luo Wen immediately issued a production order for the first batch: fifty fully grown Worker Ants.

This method of production consumed a tremendous amount of energy. Fortunately, Worker Ants were relatively small compared to the current size of the Brood Nest, so there was no repeat of the situation from before when the Queen Ant produced Big Black and became debilitated for over a week.

Within half a day, fifty Worker Ants were ready.

Next, Luo Wen issued a daily order for ten thousand eggs, which would eventually hatch into Worker Ants, Burrower Ants, and Spy Bugs.

There was no need to produce combat units at this stage of the Swarm’s development; current resources simply couldn’t support them. For now, the focus was on replenishing labor and steadily growing.

The base gradually came into operation. Luo Wen personally handled the hunting tasks outside. With the nearby “granary” available, the risks were minimal. The base saw an increase of ten thousand eggs daily, and as they began hatching, the fifty Worker Ants struggled to manage them.

The Brood Nest paused egg production to prioritize a week of producing adult Worker Ants. The addition of hundreds of Worker Ants, though insufficient to meet the needs of the hatchery, provided some relief for now.

Thanks to several rounds of genetic optimization, the Worker Ants’ growth speed was significantly faster. If this pace could be maintained for a dozen more days, the first batch of insect pupae would hatch, alleviating the labor shortage.

In the meantime, the larvae were fed less frequently, but a little hunger wouldn’t harm them—it was manageable.

On this day, as Luo Wen emerged from his burrow to hunt, he noticed faint tremors from the ground.

Unlike the distant earth-shaking vibrations from earlier days, these were lighter, indicating the source was smaller in size and relatively close.

The dense jungle vegetation obstructed visibility, making it difficult to see far.

Luo Wen cautiously activated optical camouflage and climbed a nearby tree trunk to gain a height advantage for observing the source of the disturbance.

However, the view from above was also limited.

Unfurling his membranous wings from beneath the elytra, Luo Wen pushed off the tree trunk with his legs while spreading his wings. By flapping lightly, he glided silently to another nearby trunk.

This wasn’t true flight but a quiet gliding technique Luo Wen had recently discovered. While daydreaming in the treetops, he observed a creature far off in a taller tree. It had wing-like membranes under its arms, and despite its small size, it leapt from a height, spread its limbs, and glided out of sight.

From a distance, it seemed like some type of frog or lizard. Inspired, Luo Wen practiced this method repeatedly. Though his “equipment” was far from specialized, his membranous wings could suffice in a pinch.

Because of his weight, his gliding range was short, only effective for traveling between nearby trunks with the aid of jumps. While limited, this method provided a safe way to navigate situations like the current one.

After gliding around 20 meters, Luo Wen was surprised to discover that the unknown creature was heading straight for his position.

Remaining motionless, he soon got a clear look at the intruder.

It was a creature resembling a dog, but with an unusually elongated head that gave it a sinister appearance. Standing over a meter tall and nearly three meters long including its tail, it had short, sturdy limbs ending in three-toed, muscular paws. Its body was covered in coarse, grayish-brown bristle-like fur without any exoskeleton armor. ṟÅ𐌽ỐꞖĚs̈

The long-faced beast approached the tree beneath Luo Wen, sniffing the ground with its elongated snout, seemingly searching for something.

Carefully tracking it from tree to tree, Luo Wen observed the beast’s behavior. Its larger size and unknown abilities made it unwise to act recklessly.

The long-faced beast gradually closed in on the Big-headed Ants’ leaf-cutting convoy. It seemed to identify its target and joyfully bounded toward the ants.

As it neared, a half-meter-long, agile tongue shot out from its mouth. The tongue struck a Medium Soldier Ant, rolled it up in sticky saliva, and pulled it into the beast’s mouth. After chewing a few times, the ant disappeared into its stomach.

Luo Wen was taken aback. Who would have thought this dog-like creature had mastered the skills of a frog?

Then, Luo Wen felt a surge of irritation.

The Big-headed Ants’ nest near his base was already considered his personal granary. This beast was stealing food right under his nose!

Clearly an experienced predator of Big-headed Ants, the long-faced beast maintained an optimal distance, using its tongue to snatch one Worker Ant or Soldier Ant after another. Despite their once-dominant position, the Big-headed Ants were oblivious to the attacks.

Their vulnerabilities were glaring and easy to exploit.

After observing for a while, Luo Wen deduced that the long-faced beast had no other notable skills beyond its tongue. This made sense—if it were more capable, it wouldn’t be stuck preying on ants.

Moreover, the beast avoided Giant Soldier Ants and Ultra Giant Soldier Ants entirely, keeping a safe distance from them.

Luo Wen formulated his plan. A creature with such weak combat capabilities dared to steal his food?

While the long-faced beast was enjoying its meal, it suddenly felt a heavy weight on its back, nearly forcing it to the ground. As it struggled, a sharp pain shot through the back of its neck, followed by the weight lifting abruptly.

Luo Wen had made his move.

The beast’s eyes, located on the sides of its head, left its upper side a blind spot. Using gliding and optical camouflage, Luo Wen landed silently on its back.

Before the beast could react, Luo Wen’s venomous fangs pierced its neck. Beneath its bristly fur, its relatively tough skin offered little defense compared to exoskeleton armor, allowing the fangs to penetrate easily.

After injecting venom, Luo Wen swiftly retreated to a nearby tree trunk.

Death was now inevitable for the poisoned beast, and Luo Wen saw no need for further confrontation. He would simply wait and let time do the work.

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