I Am The Swarm

The enemy troops within the hive were gradually lured out in waves, eventually numbering tens of thousands.

Two hours later, while the occasional ant still emerged from the tunnels, Luo Wen decided it was no longer worth his time. With a single command, Giant Fang Soldier Ants led the charge, supported by Small Soldier Ants, with Worker Ants providing ranged firepower. The massive army split into several units and surged into the hive’s tunnels.

After enduring several rounds of assaults, the hive’s remaining defenders were few. Disoriented by the Spy Bugs’ misinformation, they offered feeble resistance.

In contrast, Luo Wen’s forces advanced like a knife through butter. With well-coordinated troop formations, the swarm crushed all opposition, even in the tight, winding tunnels.

Two hours later, the hive was conquered. It would now be repurposed into a swarm base, with one of the accompanying Queen Ants stationed to oversee and develop it.

By the end of this campaign, over 700,000 enemy ants had been eradicated, at the cost of just over 10,000 of the swarm’s troops. Most of these casualties occurred during the final tunnel battles.

The small-bodied Red Ants excelled at using their stingers in the confined spaces, often achieving a one-to-one kill ratio. This resulted in notable losses for the swarm. However, for Luo Wen, who commanded 1,500 Queen Ants, such losses were negligible.

After the battlefield was cleared, relatively intact ant corpses were collected and buried to prevent decomposition. The remains were processed into protein to sustain the swarm’s troops.

After a day of rest, the army split into several groups. Two moved in different directions to hunt down the remaining enemy forces in the region, while a third stayed behind to deal with any foraging teams that evaded the sweeps.

Over the next few days, these groups eliminated over 30 foraging teams, amounting to around 400,000 ants. This secured Luo Wen’s control over the entire area.

Following this, 300 Queen Ants that had accompanied the army—with 2,000 bodyguards, 3,000 Worker Ants each, and ample provisions—departed to establish and develop their own territories. The remaining 900,000 Worker Ants were transported to other regions by Transport Bugs.

Of the 1,200 Queen Ants previously focused on production, 900 had settled into their designated territories. After a brief rest, they resumed mass-producing soldiers to support the front lines. With the war concluded, it was time to bolster their labor forces.

Around 150,000 Soldier Ants were redistributed. Of these, 50,000 were assigned to reinforce the central army (formerly the northwestern forces), as the expanding wedge-shaped area under their control required extensive exploration, leaving them severely understaffed.

The remaining 100,000 Soldier Ants, along with a small number of Worker Ants, Scout Bugs, and Transport Bugs—amounting to a force of 120,000—were reorganized into the northern army, which continued advancing along the riverbank.

As for Luo Wen, he had his own plans. He needed to rendezvous with the western army, which had reported a vaguely described anomaly requiring his personal attention.

With the battles here concluded, Luo Wen welcomed the distraction. Staying idle only tempted him to seek unnecessary risks.

As the largest individual in the swarm, Luo Wen’s size made it impossible to travel leisurely aboard a Transport Bug like the others. Instead, he relied on his long, powerful legs for locomotion. Fortunately, his size also granted him exceptional speed—faster than the Transport Bugs—and his eight strong legs allowed him to leap over obstacles such as small ravines or exposed tree roots with ease.

Setting out in the morning, Luo Wen maintained such a rapid pace that, despite stopping to inspect the development of several branch bases along the way, he reached the western army by nightfall.

After resting overnight, Luo Wen set out early the next morning with the western army to investigate the anomaly.

The anomaly had been encountered during the army’s advance. The Queen Ant overseeing the troops had ordered them to bypass the area and sent a team to notify Luo Wen.

Thus, Luo Wen’s route led him backtracking slightly.

Traveling about a kilometer southeast from the army’s position, he reached the marked area. It lay close to a cliff face, where numerous large boulders had tumbled down from the heights. The rocks were piled together, forming massive gaps between them.

From the outside, the area appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary pile of rocks. Although it covered a significant area, no obvious abnormalities were visible.

This was where cannon fodder came into play. Luo Wen flicked his antennae, signaling two Transport Bugs to step forward. They dashed toward the pile of rocks at incredible speed.

Like Luo Wen, their adhesive claw hairs allowed them to traverse the smooth rock surfaces with ease. Their strong leg muscles provided impressive speed and agility, allowing them to leap and twist through the rock gaps effortlessly. It seemed they were enjoying the rare opportunity to sprint unburdened, displaying an almost playful excitement.

But Luo Wen soon noticed something unusual. The frolicking Transport Bugs had disturbed the area’s hidden inhabitants.

From the shadows of the rock crevices, several creatures began to emerge. Their bodies, though slightly slender, were still powerfully built. Their heads, thoraxes, and abdomens were connected in a segmented but uniform manner, lacking the distinct separations characteristic of ants.

Their heads bore eight eyes: a slightly larger central pair and three smaller lateral eyes on each side. Their faces were flat, with no antennae.

On either side of their heads extended massive pincers, each shaped like a pair of menacing claws. Behind the pincers, large muscle groups emphasized their formidable strength, making them appear exceptionally dangerous. Four pairs of walking legs extended from their bodies, which were low to the ground. Despite their size, these creatures could easily pass through narrow gaps, unlike the similarly sized Transport Bugs.

Their bodies were covered in thick, jet-black chitinous armor, providing exceptional defense. The exoskeleton was densely coated with hairs, particularly on the pincers, which were more rugged and heavily furred than the rest of their bodies.

Most notably, a long, slender tail extended from the rear of each creature, curling over their bodies. At the tip of the tail gleamed a sharp, barbed hook that glistened ominously.

Luo Wen stared in shock. If it weren’t still daylight, he might have thought he was back on Blue Star. The creatures bore a striking resemblance to scorpions—so much so that even now, they seemed to confirm that “scorpions” existed here as well.

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