I Am The Swarm

Through the fungal carpet and various Swarm units, simple reconnaissance and contact in the ocean revealed no signs of life in the waters.

It seemed that the only lifeforms on this planet existed in the sky.

Over the past five years, the Swarm’s repeated probes confirmed that these atmospheric organisms could only survive at high altitudes and were incapable of descending to lower elevations.

However, in the skies, these atmospheric organisms held several advantages. In terms of size, speed, strength, and attack methods, they surpassed the Swarm’s aerial units in every aspect.

As a result, over these years, the Swarm and the atmospheric organisms kept to their respective domains: the atmospheric organisms disguised themselves as clouds in the sky, while the Swarm focused on developing on the ground.

Before Luo Wen arrived, the Swarm had no need to engage in battles on an unfavorable battlefield.

That said, they weren’t entirely idle. Within the Swarm Network, a specialized Blade team was tasked with 24/7 surveillance using the insects and fungal carpets spread across A7B5.

Although atmospheric organisms could mimic clouds, remaining motionless for months or even years, the Swarm managed to track some of them through subtle clues.

This time, the spore capsule meteor carrying Luo Wen deliberately chose a route teeming with atmospheric organisms. If the meteor were to be “toyed with” again, leaving behind plenty of translucent bodily fluids as before, Luo Wen could simply lick his fill and easily complete his mission.

To attract the attention of the atmospheric organisms, the spore capsule meteor did not reduce its speed to a safe level. Instead, it streaked through the atmosphere at high speed, igniting a trail of fire.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. The spore capsule meteor carrying Luo Wen streaked brazenly through the sky, glowing red and passing by white clouds, more than half of which were camouflaged atmospheric organisms. Yet, even as the meteor hit the ground and Luo Wen climbed out of the capsule looking puzzled, no attack came.

Had the atmospheric organisms gone dormant?

Luo Wen and the intelligent entities pondered for a long time but couldn’t figure out a concrete reason due to insufficient information. It didn’t matter, though. If Plan A failed, there was always Plan B.

Over five years, the four Brood Queens, along with the energy accumulated by the fungal carpet sprawling across the entire continent, had been working on far more than just monitoring and identifying atmospheric organisms.

Suddenly, the boundless purple-gray fungal carpet split open, revealing hidden underground passages.

One by one, massive Storm Gods crawled out of the tunnels. Their numbers reached tens of thousands, packed densely together.

Once they emerged onto the surface, the Storm Gods stretched their long-dormant bodies, stiff from prolonged hibernation. With a powerful push of their forelimbs against the ground, their wings began to flap, propelling them toward Luo Wen’s location.

These tens of thousands of Storm Gods represented only a portion of the results achieved by the four Swarm bases over the past five years. Thanks to the lower gravity of A7B5 compared to the Genesis Planet, the same templates allowed for larger constructs on this planet.

Compared to their counterparts on the Genesis Planet, these Storm Gods were larger, with wingspans exceeding 20 meters. To avoid mid-flight conflicts with atmospheric organisms, the Storm Gods flew at extremely low altitudes.

Like a fleet of fighter jets, the Storm Gods converged from all directions. Their low-altitude flight cast vast shadows over the ground, their wingbeats whipping up fierce winds that stirred dust into massive clouds, creating an awe-inspiring scene.

Above Luo Wen, 75 atmospheric organisms were confirmed, with a possible total of no more than 80 based on the number of nearby clouds. Though they held a decisive edge in aerial combat capabilities, their numbers were drastically inferior.

Eighty versus over 10,000. Luo Wen didn’t even need a prolonged battle; he only needed to risk everything to obtain a new body. That alone would signify victory.

Half an hour later, the entire force was in place. These colossal creatures, each over ten meters tall when standing on the ground, surrounded a tiny insect just 30 centimeters in size.

After a brief preparation, Luo Wen gave the command. Thousands of Storm Gods took to the skies, charging toward the camouflaged atmospheric organisms.

The atmospheric organisms, possibly in a dormant state, were caught completely off guard. Nearly half of them were torn apart by the overwhelming numbers of Storm Gods before they could retaliate.

From the Swarm meteor’s previous encounters with atmospheric organisms, it was clear that while the composition of their bodies remained unknown, they were still destructible.

If they could be damaged, they could be injured; if they could be injured, they could be killed. Luo Wen was confident they didn’t possess the same backup “black tech” as he did—the Swarm Network. Even if his body were destroyed, he could simply switch to a new one.

Several Storm Gods opened their mouths to devour the shattered remains of the atmospheric organisms. These organisms’ bodies were extremely low in density and weight. If left alone, they would float in the air rather than fall to the ground.

The Storm Gods tasked with this were equipped with specialized storage stomachs to preserve the atmospheric organisms’ body tissues intact.

On the ground, the fungal carpet behind Luo Wen split apart, revealing a massive underground passage. Luo Wen entered it first, his mission accomplished and no longer interested in the ongoing battle.

Meanwhile, a group of hundreds of intelligent entities and Blades within the Swarm Network were observing the combat in detail. Even if Luo Wen didn’t watch, any new discoveries would be meticulously documented.

Subsequently, the Storm Gods that had consumed atmospheric organisms descended and entered the tunnels.

The battle in the sky grew increasingly intense. The awakened atmospheric organisms displayed formidable combat prowess. While they might not excel at moving rocks, they were highly effective against the flesh-and-blood Storm Gods.

Storm Gods relied on wingbeats and air currents for flight and maneuvering, making them significantly more agile than many mechanical constructs.

However, when facing atmospheric organisms, which operated on electromagnetic propulsion, they were utterly outclassed in agility.

It was akin to the difference between old-fashioned jet fighters and fifth-generation advanced combat aircraft—a massive disparity in combat effectiveness.

For instance, the Storm Gods’ gliding speed was barely over 100 kilometers per hour. With sustained acceleration over long distances, they could reach 500 kilometers per hour, but not for long.

In contrast, the atmospheric organisms could easily match the 2,000-kilometer-per-hour diving speed of the spore capsule meteor. The sheer difference in these figures alone highlighted the gap between them.

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