I Am The Swarm

The stench of blood had drawn some keen-scented predators toward the swarm’s base. They lurked, observed, and edged closer.

But as soon as they crossed a certain perimeter, they were detected by the Type I Flying Bugs patrolling the skies. These bugs immediately relayed the situation through the Swarm Network to two Queen Ants stationed in nearby sub-bases.

The Queen Ants, having received prior authorization to access the vision of lower-ranking insects, assessed the situation. However, unsure of how to proceed, they promptly escalated the matter to Luo Wen.

The entire process happened swiftly. In fact, from the detection of the intruders to Luo Wen receiving the alert, less than thirty seconds had passed. Some of the cautious predators hadn’t even moved from their positions.

Switching to the perspective of an airborne Type I Flying Bug, Luo Wen observed the intruders. He quickly realized their caution stemmed from weakness.

Though the creatures were varied in type, they shared a common trait: small size. The largest among them measured barely over two meters in length. Most were beasts with sturdy limbs, whether bipedal or quadrupedal, optimized for running.

Their offensive and defensive capabilities were unimpressive. Based on Luo Wen’s observations of the local ecosystem, most of these creatures were scavengers, feeding on plant and animal remains—nature’s cleanup crew.

Among them were Tail Lard Rats, which lacked the strength to hunt but eagerly sought leftovers, and smaller dinosaur-like creatures that occasionally hunted but didn’t mind scraps.

After scanning the group, Luo Wen concluded that none of them posed a serious threat. He returned the handling authority to the Queen Ants, instructing them to properly “welcome” the visitors. Since they had come all this way, they might as well stay for a while.

The Queen Ants had proven adept at learning and mimicking. Although Luo Wen’s last commanded battle had ended quickly, dozens of Queen Ants had been observing and exchanging insights. This situation presented a perfect opportunity to hone their skills against weaker opponents. It would also help train future Queen Ants, sparing Luo Wen from having to personally demonstrate every time. It was akin to learning to drive: earlier learners would teach the newcomers.

Returning his consciousness to his body, Luo Wen set off toward the base. While the battle itself didn’t require his intervention, the subsequent task of transporting the spoils was his responsibility.

By the time Luo Wen reached the base, the battle had been over for quite some time. Corpses of various animals lay scattered around the perimeter.

This was despite the swarm’s limited manpower, which prevented them from attacking all at once, scaring off many of the intruders.

Even so, the resulting haul weighed over two tons. Luo Wen spent an entire day transporting it back to the base.

During this period, two more waves of “food delivery” arrived.

One group consisted of dog-like creatures with mottled black, white, and yellow fur that lacked any aesthetic appeal. Though small in stature, about a dozen of them arrived as a pack. They were muscular, fast, and had impressive stamina. Unfortunately for them, none of these traits mattered against the swarm’s new venom.

Interestingly, these mottled dogs had a unique jaw structure, boasting the strongest bite force Luo Wen had seen among beasts. Even leopards, slightly larger in size, paled in comparison. The leopards, however, excelled in short bursts of speed but lacked the endurance of these canines.

Moreover, leopards were solitary hunters, though their tree-climbing ability allowed them to catch birds. Without this skill, they might not even compete with the dogs on land.

Both species had genetic traits that complemented each other, offering potential as templates for creating a new combat organism.

The base’s surroundings were dotted with mounds of earth. Without large excavation units, construction of underground storage facilities progressed slowly.

At this rate, it would be some time before the storage chambers were completed. Meanwhile, the accumulating prey presented a logistical headache. The current wave consisted mostly of small-time scavengers, but who could say when one of the area’s apex predators might show up?

The amassed food alone was enough to lure those top-tier creatures.

Should he produce more Burrower Ants to speed up excavation?

Yet Burrower Ants required a lengthy growth period, taking at least several dozen days to mature. Too many variables could arise in that time. Nonetheless, Luo Wen reluctantly placed an order for a few Burrower Ants, which would likely be completed alongside the Heavy-armored Soldier Ants.

Even so, Luo Wen felt dissatisfied. This approach merely treated the symptoms, not the root cause. The current genetic reserves were no longer as scarce as they once were. With so many new genetic fragments recently collected and his capabilities enhanced severalfold, surely a better solution existed.

He calmed himself and began recalling all the creatures he had encountered, analyzing which abilities might prove useful.

The crux of the issue was the swarm’s small size. Back when the swarm spanned ten kilometers, they had managed to dispose of mountains of insect carcasses in no time.

Of course, back then, no other creatures dared to covet the swarm’s spoils.

Reflecting on the past held little value. Luo Wen first considered the saliva preservation method used by Worker Ants, who had once mixed their saliva with formic acid to coat and preserve food.

Though still effective, this method faced the same limitation: the swarm’s small scale. Millions of Worker Ants were insufficient to process over two tons of food quickly. Moreover, their processing methods inevitably released a lot of scent, compromising safety.

Luo Wen then contemplated other animal food storage methods. However, most creatures operated on a “meal-to-meal” basis, leaving them free of his current worries.

Others, like Tail Lard Rats, had evolved specialized organs to store food internally. Yet such strategies held little relevance for this situation.

Suddenly, Luo Wen thought of web-building spiders.

Some spiders wrapped their prey in silk for preservation, periodically injecting venom to keep them subdued but alive. Luo Wen glanced at the already-dead prey—this method was clearly impractical. Perhaps it could be tested in the future, but for now, none of the swarm’s insects possessed silk-producing glands.

Another spider type injected digestive enzymes into prey, turning their bodies into natural containers. Luo Wen had used this approach when processing the Long-Faced Beast, but the dissolved muscle tissue required immediate consumption to prevent rapid decay.

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