I Am The Swarm

The swarm’s first batch of aerial units would use the flying insect template, divided into two versions: Type I and Type II. Type I closely adhered to the original template, with the only significant addition being an echolocation system.

Their primary roles on the battlefield included aerial reconnaissance, target acquisition, marking, and interception. With the swarm now equipped with a real-time communication system, it was crucial to fully leverage it to achieve true coordinated combat.

Type II flying insects, on the other hand, would incorporate some genes from the Fart Bug.

These were slightly larger than Type I, with their abdominal poison sacs replaced by storage sacs and their tail stingers swapped for small cannon-like appendages capable of firing viscous toxin projectiles.

The Fart Bug, due to its limited mobility and range, was no longer suitable for the current version of the swarm. Type II flying insects were designed as their replacements.

The role of Type II on the battlefield was to provide aerial fire support and precision strikes. Though their attacks targeted single units, their significantly lower production cost compared to Fart Bugs meant that their numbers could compensate for this limitation.

The original Fart Bugs would also cease production due to their mobility issues, susceptibility to terrain, high cost, and limited firing angles.

Additionally, their commander, the Type I Queen Ant, would undergo some modifications. A pair of membranous wings and an optical stealth system would be added to adapt to new combat scenarios.

Two days later, the swarm established its first tree-based sub-base, which was officially inaugurated on a nearby tree trunk. Two Type III Queen Ants were sent to develop the new base. Given their initial lack of available combat units, some Worker Ants were dispatched to handle their feeding, nest-building, and daily maintenance.

The quick establishment of the air force base was made possible by Luo Wen’s discovery of a new skill: updating the gene libraries of Queen Ants through direct physical contact. This meant the swarm no longer needed to produce a new batch of Queens every time it acquired new genes.

However, the drawback was the necessity of physical contact to perform these updates. For now, while the swarm’s territory remained small, this wasn’t a major issue. But if it expanded to its previous scale—spanning thousands of kilometers with tens of thousands of Queen Ants—Luo Wen would have little time for anything else.

Thus, Luo Wen began experimenting with the swarm network’s cloud storage functionality. If he could master its mechanisms, he could potentially update gene libraries remotely via the swarm network in the future.

If successful, this would make operations much more convenient.

With the base arrangements completed, Luo Wen found himself temporarily idle, prompting a desire to wander outside. Staying in the base all the time was a severe drain on the swarm’s resources, given his voracious appetite.

Over the next period, Luo Wen roamed the forest, steadily expanding his exploration range. While feeding himself, he wasn’t merely aimlessly wandering.

Ever since discovering his ability to absorb plant genes, he had started consciously observing unusual plant species. Though he hadn’t yet figured out how to harness this ability fully, he was already on the lookout for peculiar flora.

The forest, with its incredible biodiversity, offered plenty to discover. Luo Wen found many fascinating examples, such as carnivorous plants.

These plants created various traps with their bodies: some spread open like jaws, others formed pitcher-like structures, and still others utilized sticky secretions. They preyed on insects, while certain larger flower-like species could even capture small animals.

Some species digested their prey remarkably quickly. For instance, a certain flower-like plant could completely digest a small animal in just one night.

Fungi also became a collection focus for Luo Wen, as the swarm already had extensive experience cultivating them. Despite their strange appearances and diverse environmental requirements, fungi offered significant potential.

Some grew directly on tree trunks, others on the ground, underground, or even on rocks, opening Luo Wen’s eyes to previously overlooked possibilities.

Algae were also within the scope of his collection. As one of the most ancient plant types, their continued survival and prosperity over millennia demonstrated their considerable evolutionary advantages.

Beyond plants, Luo Wen encountered many novel creatures.

The vast forest was teeming with life, and the number of species was overwhelming.

Insects, naturally, were the most abundant. Though relegated to the bottom of the food chain, their sheer numbers ensured their survival.

Despite this abundance, most insects had only mundane traits, with only a few possessing abilities that caught Luo Wen’s attention.

For example, a large golden beetle boasted a highly durable, spike-covered exoskeleton and a long, conical spiraled horn on its head resembling a unicorn.

While its practicality was debatable, its striking and imposing appearance made it incredibly cool. Luo Wen decided that once the swarm developed enough for him to delegate manual tasks, he would fashion himself some golden armor as a showpiece.

Conversely, some insects were utterly unimpressive, with evolutionarily pointless traits.

One insect species, for instance, had elongated, twisted exoskeletal structures that neither provided defense nor attack capability and were extremely unsightly.

Initially assuming that such an abstract appearance must indicate some extraordinary ability, Luo Wen’s repeated experiments revealed that it had no practical use other than being an eyesore.

This challenged Luo Wen’s understanding, as he had always considered insects the epitome of functional evolution until encountering this useless species.

Besides insects, Luo Wen encountered numerous birds. Their sizes varied greatly, as did their coloration. Some had short, stubby beaks, others long and sharp, and some were both long and robust.

Their songs ranged from melodious and soothing, like a crystal-clear stream flowing through the soul, to outright obnoxious noise pollution. The latter invariably ended up in Luo Wen’s stomach, becoming sustenance for his wanderings.

He also encountered various snakes. Smaller ones with vibrant patterns were generally venomous, using heat sensing to hunt prey, rendering optical stealth ineffective.

Interestingly, Luo Wen discovered that while using his hibernation ability, his slightly stiffened and less flexible body could evade their heat sensing.

Consequently, snake species had become frequent additions to his diet during this period.

Some snakes, however, were massive—better described as pythons. Their enormous bodies and thick girths were astonishing. The largest one Luo Wen encountered measured over twenty meters in length, making it the second-largest creature he had seen, second only to the Diplodocus.

Covered in large, scaled armor, these creatures possessed immense strength, easily snapping tree trunks as thick as barrels. They posed a far greater threat to Luo Wen than the herbivorous Diplodocus.

After assessing his own limitations, Luo Wen wisely chose to keep his distance from these formidable serpents.

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