I Am The Swarm

When the Queen Ant detected the abnormality among the Soldier Ants, it became alert and released a pheromone signaling for protection. However, it was too late; the Queen was already surrounded by numerous assassins.

Almost at the exact moment the Queen realized something was wrong, seven Worker Ants disguised as feeders charged forward. Six of them latched onto the Queen’s six striding limbs, pulling them backward. The remaining one climbed onto the Queen’s back and ejected a retractable proboscis like a tape measure.

Despite its desperate struggles, the Queen—used to being fed and clearly lacking physical exercise—was unable to overcome the six Spy Bugs holding it down. Its large body was firmly restrained.

The nearby Worker Ants of the hive were momentarily stunned. These attackers bore legitimate identifiers, making it difficult for the hive ants to comprehend why their supposed companions would attack their Queen.

By the time they decided to help, it was too late. The two quickest responders were intercepted by Spy Bugs that had not yet joined the main attack.

The proboscis extended like a steel needle and pierced the Queen’s armor at its joints!

Within moments, the Queen, like the Soldier Ants earlier, curled into itself, writhing in pain.

In this primitive hive lacking effective medical treatment, the Queen’s muscles began dissolving internally.

Its fate was sealed!

The Spy Bugs didn’t wait for the Queen’s death. The Queen could still struggle for a long time, but their mission was complete, and they needed to retreat before the hive could fully react.

First, however, they had to deal with the few hive Worker Ants obstructing their path.

Several Spy Bugs advanced to entangle the Worker Ants, while others raised their abdomens, aiming their stingers.

With precision, acid sprays hit the hive Worker Ants directly.

The already outnumbered Worker Ants were further debilitated by this long-range bombardment. Their antennae and armor began to dissolve.

Without antennae, the Worker Ants became like blind and deaf soldiers, losing most of their combat capabilities. After a brief resistance, they were subdued by the Spy Bugs.

Taking advantage of the hive’s disorganized state, the Spy Bugs withdrew to the Hatchery, opened the smuggling tunnel, and scattered misleading pheromones.

Unaware of the true situation, the hive Worker Ants and Soldier Ants, driven by instinct, followed the unfamiliar pheromones. To them, this was a critical part of the hive, and any anomaly needed immediate attention.

Unfortunately, the moment they entered the smuggling tunnel, they were ambushed by the Brood Nest Troops waiting in the shadows.

A Worker Ant cautiously poked its head out of the tunnel’s exit, its antennae probing for danger, only to have its head pierced by the powerful mandibles of a Giant Mandible Soldier Ant, which dragged it out of the tunnel.

The Giant Mandible Soldier Ant turned, and two Worker Bugs stepped forward to grab the lifeless body hanging from its jaws, tearing it free and passing it to the rear to avoid clogging the tunnel.

The subsequent ants passing through the tunnel were treated similarly. The dead bodies were handed down the line like a grim relay until a Worker Bug at the back dragged them toward the Brood Nest.

The Giant Mandible Soldier Ant cleared the area of obstacles and resumed guarding the tunnel.

Another oblivious victim poked its head out of the tunnel…

One after another, the hive ants were slaughtered and their bodies transported to the rear. Some were Worker Ants, others Soldier Ants.

It wasn’t until the hive had lost over a hundred ants that no more heads emerged from the tunnel.

By this point, the strange behavior in the Queen’s chamber had finally been discovered. After prolonged agony, the Queen succumbed to its injuries.

The news of the Queen’s death spread through the hive as pheromones, causing chaos among the ants.

At this moment, they no longer cared about the strange scents in the Hatchery. After all, over a hundred of their companions had already pursued the trail; surely, everything would be fine.

Some ants attempted to rush out of the hive’s main entrance, but it had already been surrounded by the densely packed Brood Nest Troops. Dozens of Soldier Ants blocked the exit, while hundreds of Worker Bugs supported them at their feet.

Meanwhile, the outer perimeter forces of the Brood Nest were not idle. They had been tasked with eliminating all returning members of the hive.

One by one, the Worker Ants, some carrying resources and others returning empty-handed, were intercepted by Scout Bugs before they even realized the danger.

These bugs grabbed the Worker Ants’ limbs, pinning them in place, as the Giant Mandible Soldier Ants or Giant Fang Soldier Ants stepped forward to behead them with their sharp tools.

The bodies of these external hive members were then dragged by the Worker Bugs to a designated pile.

Once the battle concluded, these high-quality protein sources would be taken to the mound above the Brood Nest, where they would undergo preservation treatments before being buried as reserves.

At the hive’s entrance, ants poured out continuously, and the fighting intensified. After all, this was a hive with over five thousand members, hiding vast numbers of ants within its tunnels.

The increasing pile of severed limbs and bodies, belonging to both hive and Brood Nest forces, began clogging the tunnel. With less room to maneuver, the battle’s ferocity gradually diminished.

The Worker Bugs assisting the Brood Nest soldiers started dragging away the remains of both allies and enemies, clearing the field and retreating to rest.

The rear Worker Bugs quickly moved forward to fill in the vacated positions.

Exhausted Soldier Bugs also retreated, giving way to others while resting in a designated zone, where they consumed ant flesh to regain strength.

Insect wars were merciless. Losing more than two walking limbs meant losing balance and mobility, effectively a death sentence.

Such disabled individuals had no choice but to continue fighting to the death or be recycled as protein by their comrades post-battle.

Once the tunnel was cleared, the intensity of the battle surged once more.

More hive members, upon learning of the Queen’s death, rushed recklessly out of the tunnel.

The Brood Nest Troops blocking the exit could no longer intercept them all. Many Worker Ants, stepping over both comrades and enemies, tried to breach the line.

Reinforcements from the Brood Nest, both Soldier Bugs and Worker Bugs, surged forward, expanding the battlefield from the tunnel’s entrance outward.

As the density of hive members increased, a line of Worker Bugs advanced, forming a barrier and adopting a standard posture for spraying acid solution.

The resulting acidic rain drenched the battlefield, covering a large area.

While the Brood Nest Troops, equipped with acid-resistant armor, regarded this as little more than a shower, the hive ants were not so fortunate. Their delicate antennae suffered devastating damage, and their exoskeleton armor began to corrode.

Facing this blind and crippled enemy, the Brood Nest Troops, already stronger, crushed their foes with ease.

The battlefield was gradually pushed back toward the hive entrance.

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