I Am The Swarm

Atmospheric organisms, with their extremely low density, truly became “clouds” upon death, slowly evaporating in the sky. Because they left no remains that would fall to the ground, such as fossils, there was no trace of their existence on other planets.

However, with the deployment of the Swarm’s version of atmospheric organisms, the Swarm now had units capable of regular interstellar navigation. Investigations of A7’s satellite clusters revealed signs of atmospheric organism activity on several satellites with discernible atmospheres.

Yet, because these planets had incomplete, extremely thin atmospheres unsuitable for atmospheric organisms, their populations were very sparse.

Simultaneously, the Swarm sent a large number of its atmospheric organisms to scout A7 itself, but they found no evidence of atmospheric organisms on the planet.

This was because A7’s atmosphere was constantly ravaged by high-energy storms, requiring atmospheric organisms to maintain their electromagnetic fields at all times to withstand the storms’ destructive forces.

Although A7’s atmosphere was rich in lightning and intense radiation, allowing for faster energy recharge, the rate of consumption still far exceeded replenishment.

If atmospheric organisms failed to leave A7 in time, they could survive at most ten days before running out of energy, losing their protective fields, and being torn apart by the storms.

Decades passed, and the Genesis Star System had become far busier. Between the Red Moon and Yellow Moon, small Swarm ships frequently shuttled back and forth. Larger ships also traveled between the system’s planets and satellites.

Through decades of research and with the assistance of the Intelligent Entities, Luo Wen upgraded the fungal carpet template. Using plant cells as a foundation and incorporating genes from deep-sea jellyfish, electric eels, and atmospheric organisms, he developed a highly efficient energy storage cell.

These cells not only stored energy but also directly absorbed it to sustain themselves. This eliminated the need for a separate energy production and conversion system.

By replacing non-functional components of the atmospheric organisms with these energy storage cells, their operational time at maximum output increased from just a few minutes to several hours—an enormous improvement.

Moreover, the modified atmospheric organisms, now denser, could take off and land on planetary surfaces. However, this came at the cost of their ability to float naturally within atmospheres.

While their performance in space remained unaffected, this limitation impacted their combat capabilities within atmospheric environments.

The Storm Gods, once the Swarm’s main force for aerial combat and long-range delivery as airborne motherships, had fallen behind in every performance metric. An upgrade was necessary.

Despite their modifications, the new atmospheric organisms could still rely on their plasma propulsion systems to achieve rapid flight within atmospheres. However, they had to keep moving and couldn’t hover, leading to increased energy consumption—a notable flaw.

To address this, Luo Wen revisited an earlier “black tech” that had enabled his first flight: the anti-gravity system of the beetle’s elytra.

Research revealed that the beetle’s anti-gravity mechanism was, in fact, a specialized application of magnetic fields. While it only lightened the body by partially countering gravity, it couldn’t achieve true anti-gravity lift.

Though innovative, it was less practical than simple wings at the time and was ultimately abandoned.

Now, however, this technology proved perfect for the upgraded atmospheric organisms.

With an added anti-gravity system, the revised atmospheric organisms could hover and float with minimal energy output, much like their predecessors. They could even charge themselves mid-air by absorbing solar radiation, though at a slower rate.

The upgraded atmospheric organisms were essentially a variant of the fungal carpet—a massive, flying collection of fungal colonies.

This redesign made them more versatile and compatible with additional features, such as optical camouflage, visual and radar systems, and more. These enhancements greatly expanded their functionality, allowing for modular upgrades to refine their template.

However, their nature as a non-autonomous organism limited their intelligence. To counter this, Luo Wen mass-produced Blades to manage them.

Blades had evolved from Type I Queen Ants.

In earlier Swarm development stages, the lack of command units posed a significant challenge. Queen Ants, naturally adept at managing and directing various ant species, provided an effective solution. Their intelligence and adaptability made them invaluable.

Based on these traits, Luo Wen specialized the Queen Ants, enhancing their mobility and reducing their reproductive ability, creating a new breed specialized for command and combat coordination.

When the Swarm Network emerged, Type I Queen Ants were renamed Blades, becoming a flexible unit type. Whether monitoring, directing, calculating, guarding, or overseeing fungal carpet conditions, Blades were omnipresent in the Swarm.

Their AI-like nature—devoid of emotions—made them ideal for monotonous tasks. From their inception, Blades became indispensable to Luo Wen.

As the Swarm expanded, the demand for Blades grew. Most now relinquished their physical bodies to join the Swarm Network, becoming virtual entities.

However, the increasing number of Blades made the term too generic and potentially confusing. Luo Wen introduced subdivisions for clarity.

For example:

Blades monitoring the Swarm Network were renamed Lookouts.

Those observing Ratfolk civilizations, colonies, surface bases, or fungal carpet conditions became Listeners.

Blades tracking celestial mechanics, Swarm meteor trajectories, and maintaining observation equipment were called Celestial Monitors.

Blades responsible for data collection, recording, and logistics in preparation for potential intelligent adversaries were renamed Adjutants.

Blades controlling low-intelligence fungal carpet warships and fighters via the Swarm Network were termed Knights.

The title “Blade” was retained by Swarm Intelligent Entities specializing in interstellar and legion warfare, led by Sarah Kerrigan.

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