I Am The Swarm

Unfortunately, these “Pancake Bugs” could only bully ant colonies lacking massive combat units like the Ultra Giant Soldier Ants. Once the ant colony they parasitized was overrun by the swarm, they could only contribute their genes to the collective.

The original Pancake Bugs were only about 7–8 centimeters in length, but the ones appearing on the battlefield were results of Luo Wen’s genetic modifications.

In his free time, Luo Wen had used their genetic template and added genes for increased size, enlarging them to around 30 centimeters.

Due to their large appetites and refusal to perform any labor, only about a hundred of them were produced.

Originally, Luo Wen intended to use them as “flatbed carts” for strategic relocation of the Brood Nest if the battle with the Yellow Earth Ant Legion went poorly.

However, upon seeing the battlefield near the waterfall, Luo Wen had a sudden inspiration and dispatched fifty Pancake Bugs to the front.

Since the Brood Nest had only been relocated once, it was positioned quite close to the cliff, making it relatively near to the battlefield. Thankfully, despite their slow movement, the Pancake Bugs managed to crawl to the battlefield within a few hours.

Had the distance been greater, they would have arrived too late—long after the battle had ended.

Given their physical structure, the Pancake Bugs would never have reached the cliff on their own. Fortunately, they had allies. With their dense shields, each Pancake Bug was so heavy it required seven or eight Transport Bugs to haul it up the cliff.

Once on the battlefield, the fifty Pancake Bugs meandered across the battlefield, ignoring all attacks from the Yellow Earth Ants. After circling the enemy forces, they headed toward the lake above the cliff.

By this point, their shields were covered with Yellow Earth Ants futilely gnawing at them.

Reaching the edge of the cliff above the lake, the Pancake Bugs did not stop. They continued moving forward until they plunged over the edge, dragging their attackers with them.

“Thud!”

“Thud!”

“Thud!”

A series of heavy splashes sent water spraying into the air, creating ripples across the lake.

Neither the Pancake Bugs nor the Yellow Earth Ants had learned how to swim. After falling into the water, the lighter Yellow Earth Ants struggled at the surface, while the Pancake Bugs immediately sank toward the lakebed.

However, the Pancake Bugs had allies. Submersible Bugs lying in wait pulled them out of the water. With assistance from Raft Bugs, they were ferried back to shore.

As for the Yellow Earth Ants, they became a feast for the aquatic insects.

The Pancake Bugs were then hauled back up the cliff by Transport Bugs and reentered the battlefield to repeat their performance, dragging another batch of Yellow Earth Ants into the water.

Up the cliff, into the battlefield, down to the water…

Each cycle eliminated roughly 5,000 Yellow Earth Ants. While this number was insignificant compared to the billions on the battlefield, the method was low-cost. Pancake Bugs, with their tough hides, suffered little damage even after soaking in water. Moreover, the aquatic insects relished the opportunity to participate in the battle, making it a win-win strategy.

The battlefield became a massive grindstone, relentlessly pulverizing the soldiers of both sides.

Two days later, the battlefront had stretched nearly ten kilometers, with over 2 billion insects locked in relentless combat day and night.

On the Yellow Earth Ant Legion’s side, columns of reinforcements continued to flood the battlefield. On the swarm’s side, however, two days of continuous fighting had taken a toll.

The Soldier Ants had rotated through multiple waves, but the unending battles left the survivors utterly exhausted. Apart from the dead, the remaining ants were on the verge of collapse.

Fortunately, reinforcements were finally about to arrive.

Half a day later, fresh forces began to trickle in. Without time for rest, they were immediately deployed, replacing the exhausted units.

The arrival of new troops, combined with the replenished firepower of the Fart Bugs, gave the swarm a momentary resurgence. They pushed the battlefront several meters toward the Yellow Earth Ants.

Seizing the opportunity, Worker Ants rushed forward to clear the battlefield of corpses. These were valuable resources and supplies; whether the armies could sustain themselves depended on who claimed the most.

However, as both armies depleted their forces, the number of corpses grew so vast that they ceased to be contested. The abundance of food now exceeded the number of surviving soldiers.

During this phase, the Yellow Earth Ant Legion leveraged their superior numbers, maintaining pressure on the swarm. Even when the swarm launched counterattacks supported by the Fart Bugs, the Yellow Earth Ants quickly regained the upper hand.

Luo Wen realized he had underestimated the Yellow Earth Ant Legion’s potential for warfare and their sheer numbers. If given another chance, he would have chosen to wait out another cycle. By then, the swarm would have easily overwhelmed them.

But the path had been chosen, and the consequences were his to bear.

No matter how dire the situation, he resolved to persevere.

After nine days of battle, the situation was grim. Luo Wen ordered the evacuation of all Brood Nests and Queen Ants within five kilometers of the cliff.

By the thirteenth day, he began mobilizing Worker Ants from surrounding bases to the battlefield, even at the cost of abandoning thousands of bases.

On the fifteenth day of combat, the intensity of the battle reached its peak and began to wane.

The Yellow Earth Ant Legion showed signs of exhaustion. The number of Soldier Ants on the front line visibly decreased, replaced by large numbers of Worker Ants.

Luo Wen glimpsed a glimmer of victory.

Before the battle began, the swarm’s breeding bases had been operating at full capacity. Now, a steady flow of mature Soldier Ants bolstered the front line daily.

This was the longest and most grueling battle the swarm had fought since its inception. Many hidden shortcomings had been exposed, particularly in troop production. While the swarm could lay eggs rapidly, the time required for larvae to mature was still too long.

Currently, Luo Wen relied on his foresight to prepare for battles, ensuring ample production of Soldier Ants in advance.

But under normal circumstances, the swarm didn’t maintain such a high number of combat units, which were non-productive during peacetime.

Without solving the resource issue, this model couldn’t be sustained in the long term.

If a sudden enemy invasion struck the swarm, they might fail to hatch sufficient troops in time, risking the loss of key deployment points and creating a vicious cycle.

Thus, Luo Wen resolved that when the time came, he would find a way to shorten the maturation process for his insects.

For now, his sole focus was to win this battle.

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