I Am The Swarm

Luo Wen made his way to Ant Nest One, carefully digging into the wall of the incubation chamber.

He didn’t rush to investigate but waited for a moment. A yellow earth ant, having heard the commotion, poked its head through the hole, only to be swiftly dealt with using a Luo-style opening strike.

After dragging the splattered corpse into the passage, another round yellow head eagerly poked out. Luo Wen was unceremonious, crushing it and pulling its remains aside.

Repeating the process, he took out five yellow earth ants that came to investigate. Then, after waiting a long while and seeing no more heads emerge, Luo Wen cautiously poked his own head inside.

Though he had suspected this might be the case after seeing the yellow earth ants earlier, the scene before him still made him inhale sharply.

The chamber was stripped bare. The soldier ants, worker ants, larvae, eggs, and even scraps of food had vanished, leaving the walls scraped clean, as if several layers had been peeled away.

Luo Wen didn’t venture further inside. Judging by the state of the incubation chamber, there was no need to inspect the rest of the nest. Even the queen ant had likely met a grim fate.

Returning to the brood nest, Luo Wen considered the situation. Ant Nests Two and Three could not be reached underground and required travel across the surface. After some deliberation, he decided to take the risk and investigate.

Encountering minor troubles along the way, Luo Wen resolved them with ease. He spent some time thoroughly exploring the two nests.

Although they were larger than Ant Nest One, with thousands of members each, the black ants couldn’t compare to the yellow earth ants in terms of individual combat strength. Even in numbers, they were utterly outclassed. Faced with the yellow earth ant legion numbering in the millions, resistance was futile.

Both nests had suffered the same fate as Ant Nest One.

After dispatching a few yellow earth ants lingering in the area, Luo Wen felt the weight of the situation. This was a significant problem.

His brood nest had developed rapidly, but it had done so by leeching resources from nearby ant nests. With the food supply destroyed, supporting such a large brood would no longer be easy.

The situation was dire. If the issue were only the loss of the food stores, the current number of mature insects could still scavenge for sustenance. By temporarily halting the brood nest’s egg production and practicing strict rationing, they might scrape through the crisis. Once the larvae matured, the brood nest could resume its expansion and development.

However, this plan relied on finding food in the wild. Considering the desolation left by the yellow earth ants’ passage, this was clearly not viable.

Luo Wen decided to survey the surrounding areas to determine the extent of the yellow earth ant legion’s destruction. If the situation proved untenable, relocating the brood nest might become necessary.

Dragging several yellow earth ant corpses back to the brood nest, Luo Wen carefully preserved them. Every bit of food was precious now and could not be wasted.

Reconnecting with the brood nest, Luo Wen issued commands to conserve energy and temporarily halt egg production. His size had grown rapidly due to the previously stable food supply, but the brood nest itself was now even larger than him.

Moving the brood nest was still feasible for Luo Wen, but it lacked legs or wheels. Prolonged dragging would inevitably cause abrasions to its underside. If relocation became necessary, Luo Wen would need to find something to cushion it during transport. Otherwise, the brood nest wouldn’t endure a long journey.

Issuing additional orders to cut the insects’ daily rations in half and prohibit any venturing outside, Luo Wen hurriedly left the brood nest to scout the surrounding areas.

Half a day later, Luo Wen realized he had vastly underestimated the yellow earth ant legion’s numbers. It far exceeded tens or even hundreds of millions.

The devastation left by their passage was stark and easy to distinguish from the previous landscape. Under such circumstances, many potential dangers hidden underground had already been eradicated.

For the first time, Luo Wen moved at full speed, sprinting with all his might. He avoided the few scattered yellow earth ants he encountered along the way, opting not to engage.

Using the brood nest as a center, Luo Wen expanded his search radius. After half a day of exploring roughly a one-kilometer radius, he still hadn’t reached the edge of the yellow earth ant legion’s ravaged territory.

By this point, dawn was breaking. Luo Wen returned to the brood nest, rested briefly, and organized his thoughts.

Several factors had enabled Luo Wen to cover a one-kilometer radius in half a day.

First, his exceptional vision. His compound eyes had continued to evolve, allowing him to see clearly up to 30 meters. This might not seem impressive to humans, but among insects, it was an unparalleled advantage.

Second, the terrain created by the yellow earth ants. Their habit of stripping everything bare had eliminated many underground risks. With little vegetation beyond tall trees, there were few obstructions, making long-range observation easy.

Third, Luo Wen’s large body and long stride enabled him to move quickly. His stamina was impressive, allowing him to cover distances that would take an ordinary ant weeks to traverse.

Finally, Luo Wen’s search had been cursory. His goal wasn’t to find anything within this territory but to gauge the extent of the yellow earth ants’ destruction. Any area they had ravaged would lack sufficient resources to sustain the brood nest.

These factors combined allowed Luo Wen to cover such a large area in a short time. The other insects in the brood nest could never replicate his efficiency.

This meant that at least a one-kilometer radius was devoid of food sources. Any farther was too distant for the other insects to access. Relocating the brood nest was inevitable.

Finding a new nesting site required further scouting. The primary issue was the unknown extent of the yellow earth ant legion’s destruction. The current circular search pattern was inefficient.

Luo Wen decided on a linear approach, heading in a single direction to escape the desolation as quickly as possible. This would also make relocating the brood nest easier.

After some thought, Luo Wen chose to follow the underground riverbed. It had guided him from the desert to his current location.

Water was the source of life. Following the water would lead him to the next prosperous area.

With a decision made, Luo Wen wasted no time. Though the brood nest still had some food reserves, rationing had only bought a few extra days.

Without resupply, the reserves were unsustainable. He could not return without results, regardless of how long the search took. If delayed, the insects might not survive until his return.

Determined not to waste a moment, Luo Wen sealed the brood nest, forbidding any insect from leaving. Resolute, he embarked on the journey to find a new home for life.

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