I Am The Swarm

Luo Wen found himself increasingly impressed with Morgan’s ingenuity. After careful consideration, he determined there were no issues with the elder’s proposal. Within the Rat Folk’s understanding, Luo Wen was already a mysterious and intangible figure. As long as he maintained his previous approach, the risk of exposure was minimal.

The two discussed and finalized various details of the plan.

Morgan then returned to the physical world, re-entering his insect body. The bug opposite him was no longer under Luo Wen’s control. After a brief moment of confusion, it found its place and scurried off to resume its tasks.

Morgan clicked his tongue twice in amusement before setting off to explore the underground brood nest. However, his unsteady gait made it clear he was still adapting to his insect body.

Two days later, a custom Rat Folk body emerged from its egg. It resembled Morgan’s original form with eight or nine parts similarity, though it appeared significantly younger. This rapid production process required the Brood Queen to gestate the experimental subject to near maturity within her body. While energy-intensive and unsuitable for mass production, it was feasible for occasional use.

By now, Morgan had become proficient at using his insect body, frolicking about the brood nest. Without warning, his consciousness was pulled out remotely, then unceremoniously thrust into the new Rat Folk body.

It took him a while to regain his senses. He stood, inspected his body, and muttered to himself, “Such means… how are they any different from the gods we know?”

Surveying his surroundings, he noted the deep mountain location, surrounded by towering trees. Nearby, a rock bore a neatly arranged set of clothes and a small stash of Rat Folk currency.

Luo Wen had upgraded Morgan’s Swarm Network permissions, enabling him to perceive the nearby lower-ranking Swarm units. Through this connection, he discerned a hidden brood nest underground, likely the origin of his new body.

Morgan dressed and attempted to navigate his way out but soon found himself lost. Using the Swarm Network, he inquired with Luo Wen, who advised him to wait patiently.

As dusk fell, a sudden gale swept through, and a pterosaur materialized before Morgan. This large airborne transport unit was something Morgan had only read about in the data Luo Wen had transmitted. Seeing it in person was an awe-inspiring experience.

The pterosaur opened its mouth and expelled a fleshy, meatball-like object. This was one of the byproducts of Luo Wen’s earlier fungal carpet research. When fully energized, it could proliferate rapidly, enveloping living beings or objects to shield them from harm.

Luo Wen had later fused it with certain large fungal strains to develop it into a functional node unit, naming it the Spore Capsule. In earlier times, it had been used to transport Brood Queen larvae, protecting them from cold and strong winds due to their weak defenses.

Morgan, with higher network permissions than the Spore Capsule, quickly understood its use. Activating it, he watched as the meatball rapidly proliferated, forming a layer of plant-like flesh around him.

Moments later, Morgan was entirely encased, leaving only a purple-gray capsule about a meter tall in his place.

The pterosaur grasped the capsule with its hind claws, spread its wings, and took off. Both it and the capsule quickly blended into the surroundings, vanishing from sight.

This was a new model of the pterosaur, equipped with an optical camouflage system.

While the Rat Folk’s technological tree was skewed—thanks to Luo Wen’s manipulations—leaving their radar technology severely underdeveloped, their reliance on visual observation could not be underestimated. The sudden appearance of a mythical creature like this could cause a significant uproar, potentially distracting scientists from their research.

The optical camouflage system had also been improved over the years. By integrating various related genes, the system’s response time was now faster, avoiding delays that previously created mosaic-like distortions at high speeds.

Morgan’s network permissions, slightly higher than the pterosaur’s, allowed him to borrow its perspective. After some fumbling, he successfully switched views. However, the pterosaur was already flying above the clouds in the pitch-black night, rendering visibility nearly zero.

A wild pterosaur would have been similarly blind in such conditions. But the Swarm’s mental network was far more sophisticated. To regard it merely as a video feed would grossly underestimate its capabilities.

Over the years, the Swarm had reconstructed a mental map of reality, meticulously populating it with global coordinates. Ground-level node units served as guides, ensuring no Swarm entity would ever lose its way.

The number of nodes across the planet? Luo Wen could only say that even the ants outside an ordinary Rat Folk household might host hidden nodes.

Did anyone truly believe that someone as cautious as Luo Wen would leave vast swathes of the continent freely available for Rat Folk development? Should they step out of line, they might very well vanish from history overnight.

Of course, Luo Wen wasn’t about to share this secret with anyone.

Guided by the nodes, the pterosaur swiftly reached the skies above the City of Glory. After consulting Morgan, it landed on a nearby hill to replenish the Spore Capsule’s energy and attach an airbag module.

The fungal carpet, a unique Swarm auxiliary unit, had produced countless byproducts during its development. Over the years, Luo Wen had tinkered with these, creating numerous small yet useful tools. The airbag module was one such innovation.

Thanks to the fungal carpet’s inherent adaptability, its byproducts could be modularized. This not only made their combinations more versatile but also reduced unnecessary energy waste.

Taking flight once more, the pterosaur carried the Spore Capsule high above the Kerrigan royal palace, hovering at 10,000 meters before releasing its payload.

The Spore Capsule descended silently. Equipped with an optical camouflage system and shrouded in darkness, it went unnoticed.

At 3,000 meters, the airbag module activated. Its algae-fused genes rapidly produced hydrogen, inflating the airbag. As the airbag expanded, the Spore Capsule’s descent slowed.

By the time it reached 1,000 meters, the descent halted completely, leaving the capsule to hover in mid-air.

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