I Am The Swarm

Deep underground, a black insect lay motionless, its body severely damaged and over half of it crippled, appearing lifeless.

Suddenly, viscous liquid began seeping out of its body—through its eyes, mouthparts, and the base of the hairs covering its body.

Under the influence of these liquids, the insect’s black head, fragile eyes, delicate mouthparts, rotting abdomen, and even its sturdy shoulder plates and back armor underwent a miraculous chemical reaction, as if they were melting.

White foam appeared, expanded, and then slowly hardened, eventually forming a cocoon-like structure resembling the black insect, but significantly larger. The cocoon completely encased the insect.

Luo Wen’s consciousness floated in the darkness, fluctuating as if he were drowning, his body being churned into pulp. The discomfort was suffocating, and he struggled desperately to escape his plight.

Outside, the cocoon, shaped like a black insect, began to tremble as if something trapped inside was attempting to break free. The trembling intensified, growing faster and more vigorous until a crack appeared along the top of the cocoon.

From the crack emerged a head—smooth, tender, and translucent yellowish-white. It looked fragile, as if it would shatter at the slightest touch, with its internal organs faintly visible. The creature, through sheer effort, gradually forced its burrowing legs out.

With these legs anchoring it externally, the tender insect soon managed to pull its entire body free from the cocoon.

Exhausted from the struggle, the insect rested briefly on the cocoon.

In the blink of an eye, it reverted to its black insect form.

Luo Wen examined his body and found that he had shrunk significantly. The size he had nearly reached—a fingernail—had reverted to his original size at “birth.”

Though no new organs or limbs had appeared, the damage to his body had been fully repaired. Even the black spots that had marred his vision were gone, and his sight was clear once more.

His antennae waved, and the two identical-length appendages swayed in front of his eyes, soothing his compulsive tendencies.

This recovery was largely thanks to the white insect he had devoured. The newly activated cocooning ability drew much of its genetic material from it. Combined with some of Luo Wen’s inherent genetic fragments, the fusion and refinement triggered by a life-and-death crisis had led to his current state.

Simply patching together parts and organs from other insects would create an unsightly chimera. Only through fusion, refinement, and evolution could the abilities of Iphieash truly shine.

Unfortunately, Luo Wen was still a larva and could not actively select which genetic fragments to activate, let alone integrate and refine them. This time’s success was merely a lucky accident triggered by the instinct to survive as his life ebbed away.

Regardless of the benefits, Luo Wen did not wish to attempt such a process again. He had no pressing goals to achieve, and surviving to reach maturity naturally seemed the proper course. Risking his life recklessly in pursuit of power was not a choice he would make.

Though his body was fully healed, his energy reserves were critically low. The repairs had consumed not just his energy but even some of his bodily tissues, leaving him smaller overall.

Luo Wen now needed to find food urgently. Without replenishment, his survival strategy of cautious endurance would be nothing but empty talk.

He set his burrowing legs to work and chose a random direction to dig, as all paths seemed equally unfamiliar in this strange environment.

Luo Wen’s digging speed was impressive, though he felt he could go even faster.

However, his newly evolved 360-degree panoramic vision—provided by his large bulbous eyes—was more of a hindrance than a help underground. It allowed him to see farther, but being surrounded by earth, it was nearly useless. Moreover, he had to divert attention to protect his fragile eyes while digging, significantly slowing him down.

Upon reflection, he decided that slowing down wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. This wasn’t his familiar territory. He had no idea where he was or what dangers might lurk underground. Better to proceed cautiously.

He reduced his speed further, employing his antennae and body hairs at full capacity to scan for potential threats.

In the desert, resources were scarce. Luo Wen had been lucky to find suitable food near his “birthplace.” But that luck seemed to have run out. After burrowing for an indeterminate amount of time, his already dwindling energy reserves were nearing depletion, yet he had found no sign of food.@@novelbin@@

Desperate, he decided to dig straight downward. Gradually, large rocks appeared around him. Following the crevices between the stones, he continued digging until the scattered rocks fused into a solid layer of bedrock.

Suddenly, strong vibrations reverberated through the rock. His antennae detected dense moisture in the air, and the faint sound of running water reached his ears.

Luo Wen deduced that there might be an underground river beneath the rocks.

Guided by the moisture, he crawled toward the source. Before long, he found a small crack in the previously impenetrable rock layer, through which the sound of flowing water became clearer.

Taking advantage of his small size, Luo Wen wriggled through the crack. As he progressed, the surrounding rock walls darkened and became slick with moisture—condensed from the dense humidity in the air.

Black spots began to appear on the walls, resembling some kind of plant, perhaps moss. However, this wasn’t his old territory, and their unusual color left him uncertain about their identity.

In this environment, his burrowing legs were almost useless. Luo Wen used the hooked claws on his other six limbs to anchor himself to pits and grooves on the rock’s surface.

He extended his mouthparts, which formed a dish-like structure at the mushroom-shaped tip, and pressed them against the rock. Hidden fine hairs and a small tongue quickly scraped up the moisture.

The cold underground water flowed into his esophagus and then his body, its minerals and microorganisms rapidly digested to replenish his depleted energy reserves slightly.

Luo Wen drank until he could no longer stomach another drop, then rested nearby. Once he digested the water, he would resume drinking.

However, relying solely on water to replenish energy was excruciatingly slow. Luo Wen drank until he nearly vomited and, for the first time since his “birth,” urinated.

He had never urinated, even when he drank root fluids daily.

This first experience was novel, though it wasn’t his focus.

Drawing from his past human experiences—specifically as a man—he knew that urination required certain organs.

Naturally, as a newly insectile being, Luo Wen needed to examine his body after this unprecedented act.