I Am The Swarm

As elite soldiers, the squad was not typically so fragile. When Hasmu first ordered the rear guard to protect the communications officer, they had shown no hesitation, fully embodying a resolve to sacrifice themselves if needed.

However, even the toughest individuals have limits. The bugs’ seemingly playful torment wore them down. Despite having countless opportunities to annihilate the squad, the bugs always stopped just short, forcing the soldiers to repeatedly endure the terror of impending death.

It was like having a blade lowered to their necks, only to be lifted away again—a truly harrowing ordeal.

The creatures harassing the squad were indeed Swarm combat units, but this was not Luo Wen’s doing out of cruelty.

From the Swarm’s inception, they had never experienced a true war between civilizations. Even the Ratfolk’s civil wars were limited to melee combat; they had not developed large-scale battles involving advanced weaponry before their unification.

Thus, neither Luo Wen nor the intelligent entities had any real experience with modern warfare. All military strategies had only existed in theory.

Now, after investing significant effort to create the perfect battlefield deep underground—where retreat was impossible, signals were blocked, and the outside world would never know what transpired—the Swarm finally had a chance to conduct live trials.

Drawing in a fully equipped elite team was like recruiting expert trainers and whetstones. The Swarm could test the combat effectiveness of its units, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and refine their battle strategies and coordination.

Moreover, observing the Riken soldiers’ responses to ambushes provided valuable lessons in small-scale unit coordination, tactical leadership, and emergency measures.

It also offered insight into Riken weaponry. By collecting data and analyzing the technology’s strengths and limitations, the Swarm could expand its knowledge base.

Luo Wen even brought in linguists to study the Riken soldiers’ command phrases and interpret their language through context and gestures.

Linguistics was an underdeveloped field for the Swarm. Intelligent entities were created from Ratfolk souls, and Ratfolk history was short and simplistic. Their language had evolved from Luo Wen’s teachings, leaving them with no diverse linguistic foundation or multilingual specialists.

Fortunately, deciphering attack commands paired with corresponding actions was relatively straightforward.

Given the numerous advantages of keeping the soldiers alive, exterminating them outright was never an option. They were to be repeatedly, methodically exploited.

Of course, the Swarm never factored in the psychological impact on their “test subjects.”

The sealed tunnel suddenly stirred as sand and gravel trickled down. A bug emerged, briefly breaking the oppressive atmosphere.

This new type of Spider Combat Bug had been designed by Luo Wen after observing Riken physiology and equipment. The old Spider Combat Bugs’ short venomous fangs were ineffective against protective suits.

Moreover, the current adversaries were not wild beasts; injecting venom and waiting for the target to succumb was no longer viable. Soldiers equipped with firearms could unleash dozens of bullets during that waiting period.

The updated Spider Combat Bugs prioritized immediate lethality. Their segmented legs were reinforced for better piercing capabilities, while the venom sacs and stingers were removed to reduce production costs and lighten their bodies.

Additionally, like the earlier bat-like creatures, these bugs adopted a respiratory and circulatory system modeled on Great Dawn Planet’s native fauna. This adaptation allowed them to breathe the planet’s air directly. ℞ΆΝօΒËṨ

This approach saved significant resources and enabled the rapid formation of Swarm armies with limited supplies.

The Swarm currently employed two space-adapted templates.

The first, featuring an internal ecological chamber system, was Luo Wen’s earliest design. These organisms sustained themselves through a miniature ecosystem within their bodies, enabling survival in oxygen-free environments.

However, the energy conversion efficiency of this template was poor. While it supported basic life functions, combat exertion quickly outstripped its energy supply, limiting endurance and power. As a result, this template had been retired.

The second template was derived from atmospheric organisms. It boasted abundant energy reserves, powerful bursts of strength, and even the ability to overclock temporarily.

However, its drawbacks included limited operational range and high production costs. The specialized structures needed to generate and control electromagnetic fields or plasma required rare minerals and significant resources.

The Swarm could only afford to produce juvenile versions of these units, which then absorbed energy to grow. Producing a single electromagnetic Spider Combat Bug cost as much as fifty standard Spider Combat Bugs of the same size.

If, instead, they were hatched as fingernail-sized larvae and allowed to mature over time, costs would drop significantly—but at the expense of time.

To expedite production, the bugs’ exoskeletons were replaced with keratinous armor capable of growing with their bodies.

Building a full army using this method would take time, but it was cost-effective.

Upon landing on Great Dawn Planet, Luo Wen had immediately destroyed one of his avatars to establish a Brood Nest. Once it matured, it began producing Brood Queens en masse.

Alongside the dozens of Brood Queens that descended with Luo Wen, the Swarm’s presence on Great Dawn Planet grew substantially.

The ecological-chamber bugs were recalled, and all scouting units were replaced with those adapted to the planet’s native biology.

This transition allowed the Swarm to operate more openly. Even if captured by the Riken, dissections would reveal nothing out of the ordinary.

Reflecting on this upgrade, Luo Wen realized the local templates were far cheaper to produce, requiring no special minerals.

For example, the updated Spider Combat Bugs could be mass-produced as eggs and, with current Swarm technology, would hatch fully combat-ready in just seven days, provided resources were sufficient.

These bugs’ reliance on native energy systems eliminated supply concerns. Their combat effectiveness and endurance were more than adequate, and their one-piece exoskeleton armor matched the strength of their electromagnetic counterparts.

Field tests proved these updated Spider Combat Bugs to be exceptional, particularly in complex terrains.

Satisfied with their performance, Luo Wen found his conviction in these new strategies growing ever stronger.

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