I Am The Swarm

Furthermore, this method also emitted odors. Back then, every time Luo Wen held a “private feast,” he would use the “Gatling Gun” to “sanitize” the surrounding area.

Most critically, only Luo Wen currently possessed the ability to produce compressed digestive enzyme toxins within the swarm. The older version of Transport Bugs once had this capability, but after being upgraded into Modified Spider Combat Bugs, their venom was replaced with neurotoxins.

Luo Wen’s toxin gland was small, with limited reserves, making it impossible for him to take on this task, even if he did nothing else.

But thinking about digestive fluids opened Luo Wen’s mind to new possibilities. He recalled encountering carnivorous plants before.

What if he could create a plant capable of quickly digesting prey while also being edible for the swarm? Such a solution would instantly resolve the problem.

With this idea in mind, Luo Wen immediately set to work. Although he had a concept, extensive experimentation was necessary to make it a reality.

Luo Wen had no prior experience manipulating plant genetics, so everything had to be explored from scratch. He began by combining the traits of several carnivorous plants to create prototypes, which he then instructed the Brood Nest to produce.

The Brood Nest, powerful as always, generated seeds that even came with their own nutrient packs, sufficient to support the seeds during their initial growth phase.

Finding a small patch of land near the base, Luo Wen planted the seeds. He had no idea how long they would take to sprout and could only wait patiently.

In the days that followed, Luo Wen, engrossed with his new “toys,” lost interest in venturing out. Moreover, every day brought new scavengers trying their luck at the base, effectively delivering themselves to the swarm.

The swarm now had an overabundance of food—so much that Luo Wen had to help consume some of it to avoid spoilage. He also took on the daily tasks of transporting, burying, cutting, cleaning up, and even “sanitizing and deodorizing” the leftovers.

Time passed, and Luo Wen continued experimenting with new seed prototypes every day. The earliest batch of seeds had long since sprouted. Though they grew at varying speeds and exhibited the ability to digest prey, none met Luo Wen’s expectations.

The main issue was that the plants were not palatable. They focused solely on their own growth, without considering taste or nutritional value.

Luo Wen speculated that his experimental approach might be flawed and decided to incorporate genes from edible plants.

The first candidate he thought of was the white fungal crop grown in the underground farms. Rich in protein and with a sweet flavor, this fungus was one of Luo Wen’s favorite foods.

Unfortunately, the high-yield and tasty mushroom had long since been lost, with no seeds left.

However, Luo Wen had recently gathered various mushroom samples from the forest. Many of these were toxic, but such poisons had little effect on Luo Wen, who would quickly evolve antibodies.

What Luo Wen possessed, the swarm also possessed.

Adding various fungal genes to the new seeds led to more diverse combinations. Taking it a step further, Luo Wen incorporated genes from various algae species.

Eventually, the genetic complexity of these seeds surpassed that of many animals.

Batch after batch of crops sprouted. Luo Wen carefully analyzed their traits, retaining beneficial qualities and discarding flaws, then used the insights to create new seed prototypes.

The Heavy-armored Soldier Ants and Scorpions had both been successfully produced a few days earlier. The Heavy-armored Soldier Ants, with a body length of one meter—nearly double Luo Wen’s size—boasted extremely thick exoskeleton armor from a single-cast molding process. Their robust and imposing appearance was undeniably striking.

Their arrival relieved Luo Wen of his transportation duties. Tasks like cutting were no longer his responsibility, giving him more time to refine the seeds.

As time passed, fewer and fewer invaders dared to approach the base. The steady disappearance of small predators in the area had turned it into an unspoken forbidden zone.

Luo Wen even went so far as to deliberately spread the scent of blood, but the arrivals were sparse.

During this time, the swarm thrived thanks to an ample food supply, steadily increasing in numbers. Between his experiments with plant genetics, Luo Wen also developed several new specialized soldier types designed to counter the apex predators of the area.

Thus, when Luo Wen bled the prey to lure predators, he wasn’t afraid of drawing these top-tier creatures.

Fortunately, the swarm had stockpiled plenty of food, and hunting parties, now led by newly produced Type I Queen Ants, regularly ventured out to hunt.

Freed from food-related duties, Luo Wen continued to immerse himself in the study of plant genetics.

Watching seeds born from various genetic combinations take root, sprout, and exhibit unique traits felt like an addictive game of “lottery” to Luo Wen.

As the swarm’s hunting range expanded, their food consumption increased. This eventually drew the attention of the area’s apex predators.

These top-tier creatures noticed the rise of a new, aggressive, and dominant force that consumed vast amounts of prey daily, putting pressure on their survival.

Although Luo Wen had anticipated that apex predators would eventually confront the swarm, he hadn’t expected the first visitor to be a giant python.

This enormous snake, far thicker than a barrel and over 30 meters long, arrogantly approached the swarm’s base. It raised its head high, flicking its forked tongue, its gaze filled with disdain.

While Luo Wen had never encountered this particular python, he had seen many around 10 meters long. These massive snakes were covered in dense, smooth scales that provided robust defense and deflected attacks.

The venomous stingers of the Modified Spider Combat Bugs were ineffective against these scales, unable to penetrate their defenses. Without penetration, even the strongest venom was useless.

Luo Wen had long considered these snakes obstacles to the swarm’s territorial expansion, using them as hypothetical enemies to develop countermeasures.

Recently, specialized weapons designed to combat these pythons had been completed. Luo Wen hadn’t yet gone looking for trouble, but the trouble had come to him instead.

Though the 30-meter python was unexpected, Luo Wen was confident it would appreciate the “gift” he had prepared.

Several Spider Combat Bugs with visibly swollen abdomens emerged from the base. They differed slightly from standard Spider Combat Bugs, featuring notably slender legs and thin exoskeleton armor that raised them slightly off the ground, giving them a more imposing appearance.

These special bugs had an exceptionally long name: Anti-python and other large reptile swallowing-type biological suicide explosion spiders, or simply “Self-destruct Spiders.”

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