I Am The Swarm

Luo Wen first targeted a lucky test subject—lucky because it didn’t get to witness the opening move of Luo-style insect combat techniques.

After observing the test subject, Luo Wen instinctively used his newly acquired ability. The pheromones emanating from his body began to subtly adjust.

Pheromones are compounds that facilitate chemical communication between organisms. They are further categorized into various types, and almost all flora and fauna produce them.

Examples include altruistic pheromones, selfish pheromones, synergistic pheromones, aggregation pheromones, trail pheromones, alarm pheromones, evacuation pheromones, and sex pheromones.

Ant pheromones, for instance, are a mixture of various compounds, including the unique scent that identifies their colony. This functions like an ID card, allowing them to communicate with their kin.

Luo Wen was now tweaking this specific pheromone. His new ability enabled him to hack into a neighboring colony’s “household registry” and fabricate an identity. After completing the forgery, he displayed this information.

As the distance to the scout ant shrank, it finally sensed an unfamiliar vibration approaching. Its antennae reached out inquisitively.

The scout’s antennae made contact with Luo Wen, sweeping back and forth across his body. Luo Wen waited tensely for the verdict. It was his first time using this ability, and he wasn’t sure if it might fail. He remained prepared to strike at any moment.

Fortunately, the scout’s inspection yielded no abnormalities. Since Luo Wen only presented the bare minimum—an ID card—the scout lost interest in him. It bypassed him and continued its search ahead.

This time, he didn’t just carry an ID card but also displayed the message, “There’s food over there; follow me.”

The scout’s antennae twitched for a moment before it actually decided to follow him.

Leading it a short distance away from the nest, Luo Wen then showcased a move from his Luo-style insect combat technique. The scout, confused as to why one of its own was attacking, failed to counter before being swiftly killed.

Luo Wen’s eyes lit up, as he seemed to have discovered a new hunting method.

Dragging the scout’s corpse to the transport team’s rendezvous point, Luo Wen left behind a pheromone signal indicating, “Take this back.” Of course, the signal was crafted with the forged identity from the brood nest.

This was a contingency plan in case he ventured too far and couldn’t return in time. If the transport team returned without clear instructions and wandered aimlessly, it could end in disaster since the nest was less than twenty meters away. A wrong turn could be fatal.

While Luo Wen’s followers had grown in number, resources remained tight. Every effort to save or prepare for potential problems mattered.

By sending the transport team on this extra trip, Luo Wen bought himself more time to explore his first infiltration mission.

Brandishing his forged ID card, Luo Wen boldly approached the neighbor’s front gate.

Black ants swarmed the path, but they either ignored him outright or briefly touched him with their antennae before losing interest.

Thus, Luo Wen breezed past multiple defensive layers, eventually arriving at the entrance of the ant nest.

Peering into the pitch-black tunnel, he refrained from rushing inside. The ant nest previously harbored giant mandible soldier ants—combat units. Who knew what other strange warriors might be lurking within?

Although Yellow Bugs had nonchalantly entered this place before, their lives weren’t as valuable as Luo Wen’s. So, he opted for caution—no, prudence.

He first burrowed to the area beneath the nest, his bristles sensing the dense network of hollow tunnels crisscrossing the underground.

Around the ant nest, Luo Wen dug several escape routes. These tunnels were narrow, just wide enough for him to traverse. Should danger arise, he could retreat to the closest passage. While small worker ants posed little threat to him now, larger soldier ants would struggle to navigate these narrow routes.

After preparing his escape routes, Luo Wen returned to the surface, heading back to the nest entrance.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he ventured inside.

The entrance was cluttered with chaotic pheromone signals. A large number of black ants moved in and out, making the seemingly spacious passage feel cramped.

Despite Luo Wen’s appearance—his coloration aside, there were no other similarities between him and the black ants—this colony only recognized IDs, not species or morphology.

As long as you carried their ID, you were kin. Simple and crude.

A massive soldier ant emerged from deeper within the tunnel, its bulky frame blocking most of the passageway. Its sheer size exerted an oppressive presence, reminding Luo Wen that fighting here would be less than ideal. Being discovered as an undocumented outsider would not end well.

Fortunately, the soldier ant showed no unusual behavior. Mimicking the other black ants, Luo Wen stepped over its head and body, continuing deeper into the nest.

The tunnels gradually branched into numerous paths, some wide, others narrow. Luo Wen’s current size made the narrower paths impassable. As it was his first visit, Luo Wen hesitated to widen the passages without permission—it might seem impolite. Thus, he stuck to the broader routes.

The internal structure of the nest was exceedingly complex. With no specific objective in mind—this was just a reconnaissance trip—Luo Wen meandered through the labyrinth.

The accessible paths were all main thoroughfares. After wandering for some time, he eventually entered a massive hollow cavity.

This was the neighbor’s hatchery. The ground was carpeted with eggs and pupae, interspersed with wriggling larvae.

Patrolling soldier ants moved about, surrounded by a swarm of worker ants. These workers busily transported food into the chamber, while others diligently processed the food, swallowing it before regurgitating it to feed the larvae.

Amidst them were several Yellow Bugs. Their yellowish-brown bodies, larger than the worker ants, stood out starkly against the sea of black.

But the ants didn’t consider them out of place. The Yellow Bugs acted just like worker ants, consuming the scattered food. However, they skipped the step of regurgitating it to feed the larvae.

Watching this, Luo Wen couldn’t help but silently applaud. “Impressive moves! These Yellow Bugs really have no shame! Infiltrating someone else’s nest and freeloading food and board? No wonder I’ve only ever seen them enter ant nests but never leave. I was worried this nest might have some secret weapon hidden inside.”

As it turned out, these freeloaders never intended to leave.

Picking up a piece of food from the ground, Luo Wen examined it—it appeared to be a chunk of insect flesh. After finishing it, he grabbed another piece, unfamiliar in appearance, possibly a secretion from some insect or plant. It tasted sweet.

Piece after piece, food was scattered everywhere—this was the accumulation of an ant nest with over a thousand members.

Luo Wen began to think he didn’t want to leave either.

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