I Am The Swarm

Faced with the onslaught of hundreds of Red Ants, Luo Wen swiftly dispatched a few of the vanguard attackers. However, the Red Ants showed no fear; the sight of their companions being killed did nothing to deter them. Instead, they seized the openings in Luo Wen’s attacks and quickly closed in on him.

Luo Wen’s eight legs moved rapidly, stabbing through one Red Ant after another. He flung their lifeless bodies away before thrusting down again.

But there were simply too many Red Ants. Despite killing a handful, the remainder quickly swarmed up his legs, crawling toward his body.

While the Red Ants’ small size and limited weaponry posed no real threat to Luo Wen’s armor, his head presented two glaring weak points that he couldn’t afford to leave exposed to their chaos.

Just as Luo Wen was preparing to act, a sharp pain flared from one of his leg joints. The sensation shocked him.

This was the first time Luo Wen had felt pain since transforming into an insect. Even during extreme injuries, like being gutted, he had felt nothing.

Yet now, he was in agony, and the pain only intensified. It was as if his tissue was melting, forcing a pained cry from him.

What in the world? When did I develop a nervous system capable of pain? Luo Wen thought angrily. The sharp pain severely hampered his combat ability. Is this evolution or regression? If it’s evolution, I’d rather do without it.

Unfortunately, there was no time to dwell on his misfortune. Glancing at the source of his pain, he saw a Red Ant clinging to his leg joint. Its stinger had penetrated the thinner part of his armor, causing the excruciating sensation.

A simple sting shouldn’t have caused such intense pain. Luo Wen realized with horror: These little bastards use venom! How underhanded!

Using another leg, he extended its adhesive tip, grabbed the offending Red Ant, ripped it away, and brought it to his mouth. Luo Wen crushed the ant into pulp with a furious bite.

But in the brief moment of distraction, more Red Ants had climbed onto his body. They were clearly targeting the weaker joints in his armor and seemed eager to showcase their collective talents.

Every hair on Luo Wen’s body stood on end in alarm. Without hesitation, he began thrashing his legs and rolling wildly on the ground.

Thankfully, his legs had a total of seven joints, so even if one or two were disabled, he could still function effectively. Additionally, the smooth surface of his armor offered little to grip, and the Red Ants lacked the fine hair-like structures that spiders use for climbing. Luo Wen’s chaotic rolling dislodged most of the ants clinging to his body.

When Luo Wen stopped, only three Red Ants remained stubbornly attached to his leg joints. Their end, however, was even grimmer—they were individually grabbed by his adhesive limbs, ripped away, and crushed to death.

The searing pain had cleared Luo Wen’s head. This isn’t a game, and I’m no invincible warrior mowing down hordes. A single mistake here could lead to my downfall.

Resolving not to linger in battle, Luo Wen began retreating, his eight legs moving swiftly as he ran and leaped toward the base entrance.

Victory in this fight was impossible with the forces at hand. The only sensible choice was to retreat.

Pheromones dispersed into the air, signaling his insects. Some climbed onto Luo Wen’s back to protect his vulnerable eyes, while others retreated into the tunnels. ᚱἁ𐌽ỐΒÈS

Switching tactics, Luo Wen abandoned the goal of killing as many ants as possible. Instead, his two front legs swung back and forth, knocking away any Red Ants that came close.

This defensive strategy allowed him to cover most directions on his own, leaving the remaining areas to the surviving Soldier and Worker Ants.

Before long, the Worker Ants inside the tunnels emerged, carrying the Queen Ant.

Luo Wen extended a leg, stuck the Queen Ant to its adhesive tip, and placed her on his back. The remaining Soldier and Worker Ants scrambled up after her, forming a small tower on his back.

As the insect defenders evacuated the perimeter, the Red Ants pushed closer.

Seeing the remaining dozens of ants struggling to climb aboard, Luo Wen sighed inwardly. He couldn’t save everyone. He issued a final retreat order, wishing them luck, and bolted out of the battlefield at full speed. Along the way, he scattered random pheromones to confuse any pursuers.

Some Red Ants followed his trail for a while but became disoriented by the mixed signals and eventually turned back.

Luo Wen wasn’t one to hold grudges, but being forced to flee like a whipped dog wasn’t his style either—unless his enemy was as formidable as the Yellow Earth Ant Legion.

After finding a safe spot, Luo Wen set down the survivors. They included one Queen Ant, three Soldier Ants, and a group of Worker Ants.

He assigned three Soldier Ants and ten Workers to escort the Queen Ant back to the rear. The rest were instructed to search for the northern army, ordering them to retreat and halt any advances to avoid clashing with the Red Ants without his leadership.

At this stage, Luo Wen still knew too little about the Red Ants. As the saying goes, “Know your enemy and know yourself.” He needed to gather more information about them before planning his next move.

For now, strategic avoidance was the best course of action.

The northern army should be nearby, but due to the lack of communication tools, Luo Wen had to rely on spreading Worker Ants across the area to locate them.

Once the army retreated, they would be redistributed among the branch bases.

If the army remained stationary instead of advancing, consuming prey and destroying nests to sustain themselves, they would face serious supply issues. The hive currently lacked an effective supply chain, so dispersing them across bases would allow them to be supported locally while also bolstering defenses.

With everything arranged, Luo Wen examined his injuries. The joint on his poisoned leg had mostly healed thanks to his remarkable regeneration ability.

The Red Ants’ venom was potent, akin to spider venom, capable of dissolving tissue. However, their small size meant that the quantity of venom they could deliver wasn’t enough to inflict serious damage on Luo Wen.

Still, he had no desire to experience such pain again. And if their numbers were large enough, they could indeed threaten his life.

During the battle, Luo Wen had devoured several Red Ants. If his genetic assimilation was successful, the next batch of eggs might yield insects equipped with stingers.

Satisfied that his injuries were manageable, Luo Wen returned to the previous base.

He needed to track the Red Ants to uncover their purpose in attacking his base, their origin, and the mystery behind the involvement of the Black Ants.

These questions demanded answers.

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