I Am The Swarm

So, how does one enrich their genetic library?

The method was surprisingly simple: pick a creature with desirable traits and eat it!

The prerequisite, of course, was that you could defeat it in the first place.

“That’s not simple at all!” Luo Wen muttered under his breath.

Fortunately, he had a creature on hand that he could easily handle.

He began considering what traits the white grub might offer him.

Its plump, white, soft body? Its sluggish movements? Its stubby, awkward limbs? So far, the only thing that had piqued his interest was its prominent mandibles—but he’d already grown his own pair.

With that thought, Luo Wen realized that the only creature he could currently defeat had no practical value to him. He felt a twinge of frustration.

But then he reconsidered—perhaps there was some value after all. Meat offered far more energy than sap or plant roots.

Luo Wen had long been curious about how the white grub tasted. Was it really like crispy chicken? Unfortunately, his previous mandibles had been too weak, and his claws too ineffective, to penetrate the grub’s tough hide.

Now that he had a pair of sharp mandibles, it was finally time to give it a try.

The body of the Iphieash was subtly altering his mind.

In his previous life as a human, he would never have dreamed of eating a grub, let alone raw. But now, he found the white grub’s tender flesh surprisingly enticing.

Looking at the grub before him, Luo Wen hesitated. This particular one was an old acquaintance—a trusty tool during his recovery.

After a moment of hesitation, Luo Wen decided to let it go. “I really am a kindhearted insect,” he sighed, quietly patting himself on the back.

Digging a bit further, he soon unearthed another white grub. This one hadn’t helped him at all. It wasn’t a familiar grub, so there was no need to feel bad about eating it!

Luo Wen’s sharp mandibles tasted their first battle and achieved resounding success. The grub’s previously impenetrable skin was easily pierced.

Ignoring its frantic writhing, Luo Wen extended his lapping and sucking mouthparts into its body.

He quickly discovered a problem: his mouthparts needed further evolution. Eating meat was still awkward.

These mouthparts were excellent for consuming soft substances, such as liquids or gels. However, when faced with anything tougher—like meat—they lacked the necessary strength.

The grub gradually stopped struggling as its body deflated.

Luo Wen withdrew his mouthparts and wiped his abdomen with his midlimbs before moving to a tree root nearby. He bit into it and drank some sap, finally sated.

The taste was decent overall, and Luo Wen nodded in satisfaction. From now on, he could officially consider himself a carnivorous insect.

Leaving behind the drained husk of the grub, Luo Wen burrowed back to his self-constructed home. It looked exactly as he had left it; no unexpected visitors had dropped by.

Lying in his chamber, Luo Wen began contemplating after his meal.

Enriching his genetic library was definitely a priority, but it wasn’t urgent.

During this latest evolution, he had learned more about his body. Beyond his genetic repository, there was information about his lifespan.

The Iphieash was, after all, an extraordinary species in this world. Even its larvae had a lifespan of at least a century, and as they matured, this lifespan would only increase.

How long he could ultimately live was unknown, especially since continuous evolution would accompany his growth. What a mature Iphieash might become was beyond even the imagination of its progenitor.

In this foreign land, any creature with a bizarre appearance or mysterious origin was often attributed to the Iphieash. Whether such claims were true or not was anyone’s guess.

Of course, the information Luo Wen had received made no such assertions. The insect that left these messages had no concept of time; it only knew it had lived for a very, very long time.

Its method of measurement was peculiar: “the rise and fall of three kingdoms.”

Luo Wen mulled over this for a while. A kingdom’s establishment and collapse could hardly occur in a short span. Based on his knowledge from his previous life, three kingdoms… That could be an unimaginable length of time! History wasn’t his strong suit, so he couldn’t calculate precisely.

Regardless, he now had an explanation for his lifespan, which eased his mind considerably. After all, he had always thought of insects as short-lived creatures.

As for how that ancient insect managed to end its own existence, Luo Wen couldn’t find any clues, even after repeatedly reviewing the information.

Well, so be it. Luo Wen wasn’t too concerned; he was only mildly curious.

With the pressure of time gone and an ample food supply secured, he felt relaxed.

The roots of the great tree spread over an unknown expanse, hosting countless white grubs. Given his current size, it would take a long time to consume them all.

Furthermore, these grubs were clearly larvae of some other insect. What did their adults look like? How often did they reproduce? How long did it take for new eggs to hatch or larvae to reach their current size?

Luo Wen realized he now had a long-term research goal. If these white grubs were a quickly regenerating resource, his food supply problem was effectively solved.

As for the Yellow Earth Ants, Luo Wen considered himself above holding grudges. However, now that he was an insect, vengeance was a given. He wasn’t in a hurry, though. He decided to bide his time and grow stronger first.

Even if he didn’t evolve new abilities for a while, he could continue enhancing his existing genetic fragments. He could become stronger, his exoskeleton thicker, and his defenses and resistances more formidable.

Those ants were the second species he had encountered in this unfamiliar world, and they represented an excellent source of genetic material.

Their spring-loaded movements, hook-like mandibles, and feces-spraying magic attacks—all of these would be his eventually.

Thinking about that last point made him annoyed. Everyone else was fighting hand-to-hand, and suddenly they pulled out a disgusting ranged attack. Who does that? Oh right, they weren’t human.

Still, if it weren’t for those surprise attacks, Luo Wen was confident he wouldn’t have fled so pathetically. He might have even taken a few of them down with him.

Immersed in his imagination, Luo Wen’s consciousness gradually drifted into darkness.

A strange noise and intense vibrations startled him awake. Luo Wen swiftly climbed to his feet.

His fine hairs bristled as the bizarre sound persisted. Something was happening on the surface.

Insects might not possess curiosity, but Luo Wen had the soul of a human—and humans were inherently curious, often dangerously so.

After pacing a few laps, he couldn’t resist his growing curiosity and decided to investigate.

As he climbed, Luo Wen’s thoughts wandered. Maybe two colossal beasts were battling it out above, and a few drops of their blood might accidentally fall on him, catapulting him to the pinnacle of insect life.

He chuckled to himself. That’s how these stories always go. The more he imagined, the more excited he became, quickening his pace.

But as the saying goes, curiosity kills the cat—or in this case, the insect.

When Luo Wen neared the surface, he realized the strange noise was merely howling wind. The vibrations were caused by sand whipping against the ground.

Feeling a bit deflated, he decided to retreat.

Suddenly, a sense of immense danger washed over him, causing his fine hairs to stand on end.

Before he could react, a powerful force lifted him into the air, along with the surrounding sand and stones.

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