I Am The Swarm

Luo Wen was jolted awake by a cacophony of “Gua-Gua” sounds. The irritation of being disturbed from his long slumber left him seething with rage.

The extended period of hibernation had left his mind sluggish and blank, unable to recall anything immediately.

For now, his overwhelming hunger took precedence as his bodily functions slowly resumed. Instinctively, he tore at the cocoon encasing his body. Having been inactive for so long, his movements were stiff and clumsy, as if his body had rusted over.

When he finally managed to rip through the cocoon, he found the desiccated material devoid of any nutritional value.

To his despair, he discovered another, tougher wall beyond it.

“Which wretched soul had the nerve to glue this place shut?” Luo Wen cursed groggily.

The constant “Gua-Gua” noises from above only aggravated his mood further.

Gathering a modicum of strength, his massive claws—guided by his keen, high-refresh-rate compound eyes—began to chip away at a specific point on the wall.

At long last, a small hole was breached. With this initial crack, the task became much easier. Luo Wen used his claws to claw, pry, and dig, gradually widening the opening.

The hole grew larger until loose, unbonded soil started spilling into the chamber.

This soil offered no resistance to Luo Wen’s massive claws, unlike the solidified chunks. Luo Wen grabbed some of the loose dirt and stuffed it into his mouth, temporarily alleviating his gnawing hunger.

However, the nutrients he could extract from the dirt were minimal, a stopgap solution that couldn’t truly sate him.

Time was of the essence. After a brief respite, Luo Wen resumed digging. Fortunately, his claws were as effective at tunneling as any specialized burrower’s legs.

In a short time, he had carved out an upward path.

Luckily, the earthquake that had recently shaken the area had caused the earth’s crust to shift, bringing Luo Wen closer to the surface. The once-deep cavern was now only 20 or 30 meters underground.

Still, this short distance proved to be a grueling challenge. By the time Luo Wen broke through to the surface and inhaled his first breath of fresh air, he was on the verge of total exhaustion.

There, he finally found the source of the noise that had awakened him.

The sight of a frog with bulbous eyes greeted him. One glance was enough to confirm its exceptional vision.

His long-dormant camouflage abilities sprang to life. Instinctively, Luo Wen activated them.

Colors shifted and shimmered across his body, the once-black surface morphing into a dazzling array of hues. In moments, Luo Wen seemed to vanish, blending seamlessly into his surroundings.

He crept toward the dark green frog with deliberate care, nervous about his diminished state. This might be his only chance—success meant meat, failure meant dirt.

As his claws neared striking range, the frog appeared to sense something amiss but remained still.

Luo Wen exhaled in relief and activated a weakened version of his dual-curve attack system. Wind roared as his massive claw pierced the frog’s body and continued downward, pinning it deep into the soil.

It had been so long since Luo Wen hunted personally that his strength control was off, ruining a portion of the fresh prey.

But in his current state, he couldn’t afford to be picky. Even if two pounds of aphid dung were placed before him, he would have devoured it without hesitation.

After gorging himself, Luo Wen felt a small amount of energy return, and his intellect began to reawaken. Memories from before his hibernation trickled back into his mind.

Before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, a rhythmic vibration emanated from the ground, sending him into a panic.

“Another earthquake?” he wondered, alarmed.

Focusing carefully, he realized that the tremors felt like the movements of a massive creature stomping across the land.

Fortunately, the source of the disturbance was still some distance away. Luo Wen’s heightened senses—evident in his ability to hear a frog’s croak from deep underground—seemed even sharper than before.

With the immediate threat averted, Luo Wen took a moment to survey his surroundings.

Tall trees lay toppled in all directions, some even uprooted. Cracks riddled the ground, evidence of a seismic event.

Yet, the types of trees around him were unfamiliar.

Given that the swarm had once dominated most of the continental landmass, unfamiliar flora was a rarity.

Then his gaze landed on the spot where the frog had vanished, and realization dawned.

This species was something he had encountered during his human days. Since becoming an insect, he hadn’t seen anything like it.

The realization prompted three soul-piercing questions:

“How long was I asleep?”

“Where am I?”

“Have I crossed into another world again?”

The scant information available, coupled with the unknown conditions outside, made exploration too risky.

For now, Luo Wen prioritized regrowing the Brood Nest. After all, his path was that of the Collective. Without subordinates, he felt an unsettling emptiness.

The area was once home to a small stream, but the earthquake had altered the terrain. The stream now needed to carve a new path.

The region was scattered with small pools of water, and thin trickles flowed beneath the fallen trees and weeds.

Occasionally, the croaks of frogs echoed from the surroundings.

Luo Wen’s fine body scales began to work, cloaking him from sight. Avoiding the pools as much as possible, he crept toward the source of the sounds.

While frogs were natural predators of insects, perfectly equipped to catch them, the massive size difference between these frogs and Luo Wen rendered such predation irrelevant.

For example, if humans were the size of ants, they wouldn’t stand a chance unarmed. But with the size disparity in their favor, a single stomp could decimate an ant colony.

Here, the frogs were too small, their abilities countered by Luo Wen’s stealth. Their eyes, evolved to track swift-flying insects, were useless against his camouflage.

Robbed of their advantage, the frogs couldn’t even flee in time.

After skewering and devouring several frogs, Luo Wen’s hunger remained unappeased. His body was severely depleted, and the frogs were quickly metabolized into energy.

During his hunt, Luo Wen noticed several flying insects flitting about.

Flight had once been a coveted ability of his. Back when the swarm controlled vast territories, he had never seen a single flying insect. Yet here, they seemed ubiquitous.

This revelation sparked his three soul-piercing questions once again.

The small insects, due to their size, proved challenging for Luo Wen’s claws. Even with the weakened dual-curve system, his attacks were straightforward and inflexible, unsuited for such agile targets.

Fortunately, Luo Wen had more than just claws in his arsenal. Against these nimble, small targets, he had a far more effective weapon.

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