I Am The Swarm

In truth, waiting for reinforcements to return to the hive would take a significant amount of time. Given the current state of the hive, it simply couldn’t hold out that long.

As expected, it wasn’t long before activity was seen on the collapsed mound of earth. The soil began to bulge and shift as sand was gradually pushed aside. Soon, the cautious head of a Red Ant peeked out.

Unfortunately for it, before it could gather any useful information, a spear-like limb pierced through its body, skewering it as it emerged from the soil. One of the Transport Bugs surrounding the collapsed entrance had acted swiftly. The bug flicked its leg, discarding the Red Ant’s lifeless body.

Beneath the Transport Bug’s feet crawled a swarm of Soldier Ants. The one closest to where the Red Ant had fallen stepped forward and ended its suffering.

More Red and Black Ants began to emerge from the dirt covering the buried entrance. The surrounding Transport Bugs treated it like a game of Whack-a-Mole, skewering each ant as it appeared.

However, this method of attack was physically exhausting. Under Luo Wen’s direction, the Transport Bugs adjusted their tactics. Instead of impaling the ants, they began using the sticky hairs on their claws to grab the emerging Red Ants and toss them aside, where Soldier Ants promptly turned them into rations for the swarm.

This reduced energy expenditure significantly, but the number of Red and Black Ants appearing only increased. Fortunately, there were plenty of Transport Bugs queued up for their turn at “Whack-a-Mole” and “Claw Crane.” Exhausted bugs simply relinquished their positions to fresh replacements.

Time slipped by, and after four or five hours, the Red Ants managed to dig another exit not far away. However, this new exit was still within the swarm’s encirclement.

This time, with plenty of Worker Ants on hand, Luo Wen did not hold back the acid. A torrent of corrosive liquid rained down on the new entrance—a deluge of acid.

A large group of ants attempting to break through the encirclement barely emerged before being doused in acid. The luckier ones, with only their antennae corroded and minor pitting on their armor, barely managed to escape. The less fortunate were immediately incapacitated, left to helplessly dissolve in the acid.

As time passed, the new entrance became clogged with a strange liquid composed of dissolved ants and other detritus. Severed limbs and fragmented bodies floated on the surface, releasing an acrid stench. No further ants attempted to emerge from the opening. Gradually, the liquid dried into a grotesque tableau, exuding an aura of despair and agony.

Luo Wen assigned 5,000 Burrower Ants to bury the hole with more soil, then stationed additional Transport Bugs and Soldier Ants to guard it. The horrific sight of the acid-soaked environment seemed to have left an impression on the Red Ants—they abandoned this exit entirely, and no more emerged.

Two days passed. During this time, two foraging teams returned to the hive, providing the swarm with a small boost in provisions.

The ants inside the hive had initially made several breakout attempts, but each was swiftly crushed. They had since been quiet for a considerable period.

Reflecting on his strategy, Luo Wen realized suffocating the ants in the hive was unrealistic. Even if he filled in their exits quickly, the brief periods of ventilation from digging would suffice to sustain them for quite some time.

In hindsight, he thought, perhaps he shouldn’t have been so heavy-handed in blocking their exits earlier. This had only scared them into complete inactivity. If they tried digging again, he resolved to let them come out.

Unfortunately, another day passed without any movement from the hive.

Growing impatient, Luo Wen focused his sensory hairs, probing for the positions of underground chambers and tunnels. He located a spot close to the surface, then used his massive digging limbs to pierce the ground. Repeating the motion several times, he unearthed a large pit, with round tunnels now visible on either side of the walls.

Inadvertently, he had dug too far, severing one of the hive’s passageways.

Ants moving through the tunnel sensed the fresh airflow and rushed over to investigate. Finding an unexpected exit and no long-legged creatures guarding it, a few Black Ants cautiously emerged, scouting the area. Detecting no danger, they quickly turned back. Moments later, swarms of Red and Black Ants began pouring out of the tunnel.

But their celebration was premature—the swarm’s encirclement had only moved back slightly.

Having been confined underground for so long, the ants streamed out in droves. Within moments, nearly 100,000 Red and Black Ants had emerged from the hive. The prey had left its den, and the swarm’s encirclement tightened swiftly.

Hundreds of Transport Bugs led the charge into battle, accompanied by Soldier Ants. They quickly cleared the area around the tunnel entrance, sealing it off once more.

This unit bore a heavy burden. They had to block ants still emerging from the tunnel while simultaneously fending off enemies attempting to retreat back into the hive, effectively fighting on two fronts.

Fortunately, they didn’t need to hold the line for long. After a single round of acid spraying, the enemy’s combat effectiveness plummeted, and the swarm’s army swiftly eradicated them.

It seemed some ants near the entrance reported back, as the tunnel quickly fell silent, and no more ants emerged.

No matter. After cleaning up the battlefield and replenishing their rations, Luo Wen simply dug another hole nearby.

The ants weren’t immune to repeating tactics. Each time the swarm surrounded, eradicated the enemy, cleared the battlefield, and dug a new hole.

After several rounds of this, six large pits now marred the ground.

Though the effectiveness of each successive attempt diminished, over 300,000 enemy troops had been converted into rations for the swarm.

Finally, the enemy realized it was a trap. Only a few ants emerged from the last pit.

But Luo Wen was already prepared with a new plan.

He deployed over a hundred Spy Bugs, dividing them into six groups and sending them into the hive through the six pits.

Their mission: infiltrate the hive and act as guides.

Ideally, Luo Wen would handle this task himself, but his large size made infiltration impossible. The Spy Bugs’ intellect and adaptability weren’t on par with his, but they would suffice. Besides, infiltration into the Red Ant hive was inherently dangerous—friendly fire was a real threat—but with enough Spy Bugs, losses were acceptable.

The Spy Bugs seemed to understand Luo Wen’s intent. Once inside, they crawled deeper into the hive, disseminating new pheromone messages as they went.

As a result, the tunnels, previously filled with messages like “Danger,” “Turn back,” and “Path blocked,” now also carried contradictory signals such as “Safe route” and “Exit here.”

These conflicting messages left the ants confused, unsure of the situation. Some believed the warnings and avoided the entrances, while others trusted the “safe” signals and ventured out.

Soon, Red and Black Ants began cautiously emerging from the pits one by one.

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