I Am The Swarm

A long, fur-covered leg darted out from the void like lightning. Guided by Luo Wen’s superior dynamic vision, it struck a flying green beetle with pinpoint accuracy.

The fine, adhesive hairs on the claw at the leg’s tip gripped the green beetle tightly, pulling it toward Luo Wen.

To Luo Wen, this beetle was akin to a miraculous little pill that could sprout wings. Without hesitation, he popped it into his mouth. Crunch.

After skewering a few more frogs, Luo Wen encountered yet another unfamiliar creature.

By now, he was growing numb to the bizarre sights and the idea of having traversed to another world filled his mind again.

This animal stood nearly half a meter tall, resembling a cross between a rat and a dog. Its muzzle wasn’t pronounced, leaning toward a flat shape, and a cluster of white whiskers sprouted from its chin, giving it a goofy expression.

Its smooth, light-yellow fur covered its entire body. This was the first furred creature Luo Wen had seen since becoming an insect—an apparent mammal.

The creature’s stocky, short limbs were folded beneath its body as it squatted on the ground, gnawing on an unknown plant fruit cradled in its forelimbs. Its round, beady eyes scanned its surroundings warily.

Behind it trailed a thick, unusual tail—common enough in concept, but this specific style was truly unique.

Luo Wen decided to invite it for dinner to discuss the mysteries of genetic evolution. Fearful it might decline, he activated his optical camouflage and cautiously approached.

His claws gradually entered attack range, but the creature’s keen vigilance became evident.

Though Luo Wen’s optical camouflage rendered him invisible, unavoidable sounds betrayed his movements.

The peculiar animal froze mid-bite, its hidden ears pricking through its fur.

Although it detected nothing specific, its cautious instincts prompted it to retreat. Grabbing the fruit in its mouth, it lowered itself onto all fours and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, a massive beetle burst from behind it.

The speed of the ambush caused a brief disruption in Luo Wen’s optical camouflage, rendering him momentarily iridescent.

One claw struck the strange creature’s body first. While its dense fur provided decent defense against piercing attacks, the immense force accompanying the strike sent it flying and inflicted significant damage.

Luo Wen leaped forward in a burst, closing the gap as the creature struggled to rise. Seizing the moment, he lunged, wrapping his entire body around it. His eight legs locked it in place.

Although not his primary weapons, Luo Wen’s legs were lined with spines and bristles, adding formidable offensive capability that had seen little use until now.

He also possessed another underutilized weapon: venom. The spider-derived fangs he had gained from his genetic template had rarely seen action.

Until now, Luo Wen had faced few opponents of similar size. Most battles were decided by sheer physical dominance, and his growing swarm had all but eliminated the need for personal combat.

This creature, measuring half a meter long, was smaller and weaker than Luo Wen, but it finally allowed him to put his full arsenal to use.

His fangs pierced through the creature’s fur and into its body. Venom glands emptied their contents swiftly through the hollow channels in his fangs.

Inexperienced with venom use, Luo Wen erred on the side of caution and injected the entire dose.

Sensing the imminent threat to its life, the strange creature struggled violently.

Unfortunately, its stout, sharp-looking claws couldn’t penetrate Luo Wen’s armor.

Realizing its futile struggle, the creature launched a desperate counterattack. Seizing an opportunity, it bit down on the joint of Luo Wen’s claw.

Although the joint was armored, the inner curve had thinner plating for mobility. The creature’s two sharp incisors punctured the joint membrane with ease.

The injury was minor, but the incisors became stuck, rendering them immovable.

For a moment, an awkward silence settled between predator and prey.

Then, a bizarre cry echoed from above, rapidly growing closer.

In all his past battles, Luo Wen had never been attacked from the sky. While his nearly 360-degree field of vision covered most threats, he instinctively overlooked aerial dangers.

Moreover, while his compound eyes excelled in detail and refresh rate, their range was limited—despite constant improvements, his maximum field of view was only around 300 meters.

Previously, when his enemies were either blind or near-sighted, 300 meters felt like an expansive range. Now, it fell short.

The source of the cry finally appeared in Luo Wen’s sight, and what he saw left him dumbstruck.

It was a pterodactyl.

“What kind of crazy place is this?” Luo Wen wondered, as his mind reeled with the three soul-piercing questions once again.

But this wasn’t the time for deep reflection.

The pterodactyl folded its wings and dove, its massive body accelerating rapidly under gravity’s pull. It closed the 300-meter distance in an instant.

For the first time, Luo Wen faced such a predicament. Entangled with the strange creature, his mobility was severely limited. The venom had subdued his prey, leaving its full weight dangling from its incisors locked into Luo Wen’s claw joint.

If Luo Wen had been alone, he could have easily escaped using his powerful leap or optical camouflage.

But what had been a promising meal just moments ago had now become a deadly burden.

Despite his frantic attempts to free himself, his claws lacked the dexterity of fingers, and his panic only caused the incisors to lodge more firmly.

Left with no choice, Luo Wen activated his optical camouflage, hoping against hope that the pterodactyl wouldn’t see him. It was a self-deceptive comfort at best.

As the pterodactyl neared the ground, its folded wings spread wide, transforming its dive into a glide as it passed just above Luo Wen.

Relieved, Luo Wen exhaled—until the pterodactyl banked sharply, adjusted its posture, and flew straight at him again.

This time, the pterodactyl extended its massive talons.

It was enormous, its wings casting a dark shadow over the ground as it passed. Luo Wen estimated its wingspan to be at least seven or eight meters.

If they could communicate, Luo Wen might have tried to reason with it, pointing out the absurdity of attacking two measly creatures barely half a meter long.

The pterodactyl dove again, its talons grasping the furred creature.

Unfortunately for Luo Wen, he was tangled with his prey and was swept up along with it into the pterodactyl’s grip.

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