I Am The Swarm

Luo Wen’s body underwent slight structural changes, with a new air sac forming between his carapace and abdomen.

When he submerged in water, this air sac functioned like an oxygen tank, connected to a valve on his abdomen. Fine steel hairs grew around the valve, acting like a “filter” to allow air to pass through while removing impurities.

These impurities included water, enabling him to breathe underwater.

When the air in the “oxygen tank” was nearly depleted, Luo Wen could press the air sac out from between his carapace and abdomen.

Since water contained abundant dissolved oxygen and exerted significant pressure, the oxygen would naturally seep into the air bubble, allowing him to continue breathing.

If he needed to move underwater, he could retract the air sac, with the oxygen inside sustaining him for a while.

This was truly a fascinating ability.

Although it wasn’t the same as true aquatic respiration like fish, requiring periodic stops to replenish oxygen, this capability made underwater exploration feasible for Luo Wen.

It seemed the swarm’s aquatic forces were gaining a new unit. Previously, the Raft Bugs could only row across the water’s surface without any diving ability.

While underwater, his eyes secreted a liquid that formed a thin film covering them, allowing him to see normally beneath the water.

He climbed out of the pool and stepped into the lake, his body gradually sinking beneath the surface.

Looking at the pitch-black lakebed in the distance, Luo Wen hesitated. In the end, he decided against venturing too far.

The lakebed was an unknown risk, and diving alone without any support bugs nearby to assist if danger arose was overly reckless—contrary to his naturally cautious disposition.

After convincing himself, Luo Wen was satisfied with his decision. He climbed ashore and left without looking back.

Under Luo Wen’s deliberate planning, the upgraded Queen Ants were prioritized for deployment to build bases along the lakeshore after maturing in the main base.

In truth, Luo Wen wasn’t particularly eager to explore the underwater world. It was simply that recent days had been too monotonous, and he had entered one of those moods where he felt like seeking excitement, even at the risk of danger.

During this time, the swarm base population had nearly doubled, reaching close to 50,000 members. However, days earlier, the northern army regrouped an 800,000-strong force to resume its march, first eliminating the nearby Red Ant nests surrounding the Big-headed Ant colony.

The battles were completely one-sided, to the extent that Luo Wen didn’t even bother to watch. Although they lost nearly a million troops in direct frontal assaults, the casualties were replenished shortly after.

The northern army then divided into dozens of smaller units to push forward.

When encountering large ant colonies, they would regroup to annihilate the enemy and then disperse again after the battle. This tactic significantly increased the efficiency of their expansion.

The more than 2,000 Queen Ants originally stationed near the main base were gradually deployed to the front lines to establish and defend new territories. The swarm’s base count had approached 4,000.

Due to the rapid expansion, the average population of each base dropped from 50,000 to 40,000, yet the swarm’s total population exceeded 150 million.

Recently, Luo Wen had also bolstered the western and central armies, whose troop counts had previously been under 100,000—far too meager compared to the northern army.

Though the swarm was unwaveringly loyal and never questioned Luo Wen’s commands, even tolerating blatant favoritism, Luo Wen himself felt guilty and decided to treat them more equally.

With reinforcements gradually in place, these two armies also adopted the dispersed advance strategy, rapidly accelerating their progress.

While Luo Wen had previously stockpiled a batch of Queen Ants without assigned bases, their numbers were dwindling fast with the current pace of deployment.

Moreover, in the coming days, the newly formed aquatic swarm would ferry the eastern army across rivers and lakes to seize and develop new territories on the opposite shores.

However, for now, the eastern army existed only in name, with no troops in place. The once-abundant Queen Ant resources were now running low again.

As a result, the Brood Nest had ceased producing other soldier types and was focusing entirely on hatching Queen Ants.

Time passed, and the combined strength of the armies and the new advancement methods drastically accelerated the pace of expansion. The armies began outpacing the supply lines, creating logistical issues. Reluctantly, Luo Wen ordered them to slow their advance.

All the Queen Ants originally gathered at the main base had been deployed, each with its own base to manage. With the swarm’s resources stretched thin, even the retired Queen Ants were assigned full production tasks.

Yet, despite such resource constraints, Luo Wen still hatched a 100,000-strong Submersible Bug unit.

On a sunny, breezy day, the newly assembled underwater force gathered by the lake. At Luo Wen’s command, the Submersible Bugs lined up and plunged into the water, creating a spectacular sight.

Luo Wen followed them into the lake. Thanks to the pleasant weather, the lake—unspoiled by the dreaded upright apes—was crystal clear. The underwater visibility was excellent, easing Luo Wen’s tension.

Under his command, the Submersible Bugs surrounded him as they slowly descended to the lakebed.

As they ventured deeper, the diminishing light made their surroundings increasingly dark.

Soon, the swarm reached the bottom of the lake, approximately 20 meters below the surface.

After roaming for a while without encountering any danger, the Submersible Bugs dispersed to explore in all directions.

The lakebed was covered in black silt, with occasional smooth, patterned stones peeking through.

Unfortunately, Luo Wen wasn’t a fan of rare stones, so he paid them no mind.

Dark green aquatic plants grew within the silt, their leaves covered with algae. Some Submersible Bugs’ prototypes hid among the plants, but their glimmering air bubbles made them conspicuous underwater.

It turned out these creatures had always been lurking in the lake’s depths, which explained why Luo Wen hadn’t discovered them during his earlier investigations by the shore.

Luo Wen spent an entire day surveying the lakebed. The deepest point, directly beneath a waterfall, was only about 30 meters deep.

There were no hidden beasts, treasures, or even fish.

While this outcome might have been the best—a confirmation that the lake held no threats—Luo Wen couldn’t help feeling disappointed. Perhaps he had hoped to find something to break the monotony of his current life.

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