I Am The Swarm

With the victory secured, the army dispatched several units to sweep up the remaining Red Ant hunting parties in the area.

Over the course of a week, the units returned one after another with spoils of war, officially marking the transfer of this Red Ant territory into the swarm’s possession.

From the 500 Queen Ants accompanying the main force, over 200 were dispatched with their designated guards to establish branch bases at their assigned locations. The remaining queens stayed at the main encampment—some as commanders, while most focused on providing reinforcements to the front lines as needed.

Afterward, the swarm rested for a day. Once they had feasted and stored half of the remaining spoils aboard the Transport Bugs, they set off again.

During this time, no Big-headed Ant scouts were encountered. It seemed that the Big-headed Ants practiced a form of “pastoralism”—essentially free-range farming. Once the Red Ant nests reached a certain population, the Big-headed Ants would harvest them.

From Luo Wen’s observations, there were at least eleven other ant nests surrounding the Big-headed Ant territory. If these nests were all part of their “livestock,” then their method was far easier than Luo Wen’s painstaking efforts to rear Aphids.

However, this approach only suited species like the Big-headed Ants, whose ambition for territorial expansion was relatively low. Luo Wen was slightly envious, but he knew this method wouldn’t work for him.

This time, the swarm avoided a forced march. The lack of information about the Big-headed Ants—such as their behavioral patterns and the strength of their forces—warranted caution.

Still, considering the Big-headed Ants could suppress over ten nearby nests, their strength was undoubtedly formidable.

Dealing with them required a different approach than the one used against the Red Ants. Luo Wen planned to leverage the swarm’s superior vision and gradually chip away at their forces while assessing their capabilities.

The first target in his mind? The leaf-cutting teams.

Using his superior speed, Luo Wen scouted ahead and quickly located a “green stream” northwest of the Big-headed Ant nest—a trail of ants carrying freshly cut leaves.

The swarm adjusted its course, heading west for a while before veering north.

The “green stream” of ants was happily ferrying leaves when a massive army suddenly intercepted them. The Worker Ants heading toward the Big-headed Ant nest panicked and fled in disarray.

Luo Wen did not pursue. After all, without anyone to report back, how could he lure the enemy out of their lair?

Similarly, he refrained from dispatching forces to eliminate the Worker Ants at the trees behind the line. Those workers would inevitably return to their nest, and as long as the swarm blocked their path, they would eventually deliver themselves.

The army formed a 20-meter-long line formation, with Scorpions, Ultra-Giant Soldier Ants, and Giant Soldier Ants leading the charge. Smaller Soldier Ants swarmed around and on top of them, bolstering their defense.

Behind them stood a row of Transport Bugs, which could utilize their long legs for medium-range piercing attacks to support the frontline. The remaining Transport Bugs positioned themselves on the flanks and at the rear to guard against ambushes.

At the center of the formation were mixed groups of Worker Ants and Soldier Ants. The Worker Ants provided ranged support while ensuring that the corpses of allies and enemies alike were swiftly carried to the rear, denying resources to the opponent.

As for Luo Wen, despite being the tallest and strongest in the swarm, he chose not to fight on the frontlines. The intensity of the upcoming battle was unpredictable, and if the Big-headed Ants fielded an unexpectedly large force, even a few Ultra-Giants surrounding him could put his life at risk.

Instead, Luo Wen stationed himself at the center of the formation, perched high on his eight long legs. This vantage point allowed him to command the swarm effectively.

Time passed slowly. The massive swarm army lay motionless, conserving energy in silence—a testament to their discipline. Luo Wen, however, grew impatient but understood from experience that pheromone communication took time. He resigned himself to wait.

Eventually, scattered Big-headed Ant units appeared in the distance. Their numbers were small—barely a thousand—and there were no Ultra-Giants in sight.

It seemed the Big-headed Ants had grown complacent in this region, unaware of the formidable foe now confronting them.

Though his chitin-armored black insect face made it hard to show expressions, Luo Wen deliberately posed with a stern demeanor. His antennae swayed as he issued commands.

As the Big-headed Ants approached the swarm’s formation, an Ultra-Giant Soldier Ant at the forefront let out a sharp screech and charged, followed by a small squadron.

The battle was over quickly. The Big-headed Ants left behind thousands of corpses before retreating in a panic under the swarm’s intentional leniency.

The Worker Ants swiftly cleaned the battlefield, and the swarm resumed its silent vigil.

This defeat finally alerted the Big-headed Ants to the reality of their opponent. They were no longer facing the familiar Red-Black Ant hybrids but an entirely new and more powerful force.

An emergency war mobilization began.

Thanks to their small territory, the Big-headed Ants could quickly concentrate their forces. Within a short time, they assembled an advance force of over 500,000 soldiers, with reinforcements pouring out of their nest toward the front line.

Luo Wen would not allow them time to consolidate. His strategy was to continuously draw out and annihilate their forces incrementally—1,000, 2,000, or 5,000 at a time.

However, the Big-headed Ants deviated from his script. After sending out a small wave, they immediately escalated the swarm’s threat level to the highest and mobilized their advance force en masse.

Though surprised by their aggressive reaction, Luo Wen did not waver. A head-on clash? Who was afraid? The swarm was more than prepared.

As the Big-headed Ants’ advance force reached the battlefield, still unprepared for combat, Luo Wen issued his orders. The line formation advanced, with the center clashing directly into the enemy while the flanks began to encircle them, exploiting their numerical advantage to create localized superiority.

Taking advantage of the delay in the Big-headed Ants’ reinforcements, Luo Wen aimed to eliminate their 500,000-strong advance force entirely.

There was no probing or hesitation—both sides plunged into a full-scale, heated battle instantly.

The Big-headed Ants relied on their usual tactics: giant units acting as tanks to break enemy lines, supported by smaller units on their backs and flanks.

Unfortunately for them, these tactics—effective against species like the Red-Black Ants, who lacked giant combat units—found their match against the swarm.

The swarm’s giant units engaged the Big-headed Ant giants head-on: Ultra-Giants versus Ultra-Giants, Giants versus Giants, and smaller units against their counterparts. Within moments, each side had found their opponent.

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