I Am The Swarm

When Luo Wen regained consciousness, he had no idea how much time had passed.

Though he remained motionless, the bristles on his body informed him that the white grub beside him was still tirelessly gnawing at the tree root.

“Still an insect, huh? How am I even alive after all this?”

He had harbored a sliver of hope, wishing that death might grant him a third life or return him to his previous one.

Unexpectedly, this seemingly impressive insect species turned out to have an astonishing vitality. Despite being gutted, with food passing straight through his body without nourishment, he had somehow survived.

It was truly unbelievable.

But there was no time for amazement. A quick inspection of his body revealed that the three abdominal segments dangling from his abdomen had shriveled and detached, lying discarded nearby.

The wound had healed, but no new body segments had grown to replace them, leaving his body visibly shorter.

He couldn’t see the injuries on his back, but they didn’t seem to be serious. The wound on his broken hind leg had also healed, although it hadn’t regrown.

Dragging his weakened body, Luo Wen forced himself back to the tree root. The white grub was still contentedly sipping sap. Without hesitation, he kicked it aside and moved in to feed.

After licking his fill, he grabbed the white grub and opened another sap wound. Repeating this cycle several times, Luo Wen finally felt full.

Having eaten his fill, fatigue overtook him once again. Ignoring everything else, Luo Wen dragged himself back to his hiding spot and passed out.

Thus began a routine of waking, kicking the white grub, feeding, and collapsing back into unconsciousness. After countless repetitions, Luo Wen’s spirit finally recovered. Around him lay scattered molts from his shedding.

By now, his appearance had drastically changed.

First, his eyes had grown significantly larger, taking up nearly half of his head. His field of vision had expanded dramatically, resembling a 360-degree wide-angle camera that allowed him to see even his own back.

For the first time, Luo Wen could observe his back. Although he didn’t know what it had looked like before, he noticed a small patch of hard armor there, while the rest of his long abdomen had been exposed. This vulnerability explained why the ants had been able to target his abdomen so easily.

Now, his neck area sported an expanded shoulder plate that stretched to cover his sides, greatly increasing his lateral defense.

That wasn’t all. Behind this shoulder plate, a semi-circular back plate had grown, shielding his shortened abdomen. His entire back now resembled a seven-spotted ladybug, except his back armor was solid black and covered with bristles.

His previously maimed hind leg had fallen off entirely, only to regrow, thicker and more robust than before, bristling with sharp spines.

In addition, he discovered two new hind legs capable of bending in reverse. If he were to flip onto his back, his now-rounder body might make flipping over even harder.@@novelbin@@

But on the contrary, these new hind legs could press against the ground and push him upright.

Lastly, his mouthparts had undergone a transformation. His previous lapping-sucking mouthparts had shrunk significantly, and now, as if driven by a subconscious desire to avoid relying on the white grub, he had grown the large mandibles he had longed for. He could finally drink sap independently.

The myriad problems he had encountered in his prior struggles had all been addressed during this evolution. Luo Wen couldn’t help but exclaim internally: Iphieash, you’re incredible!

Even with his comprehensive enhancements, Luo Wen had no intention of immediately seeking revenge on the ants. Two fists couldn’t fend off four hands, let alone the many hands the ants had.

Through this intensive, multi-faceted evolution, Luo Wen had gained a better understanding of his body.

Firstly, evolution adhered to the principle of energy conservation, which explained his repeated need to eat throughout the process.

Secondly, when faced with certain challenges, his body would instinctively activate the most suitable genes from its internal gene pool. Sufficient energy expedited this activation. For example, when he had trouble digging earlier, his recently replenished energy stores had quickly enabled him to grow digging limbs.

Luo Wen sensed that as he continued to grow and mature, he might eventually be able to actively choose which genes to activate.

The diversity of the gene pool, however, depended on the insect’s mother. If the egg had been laid under ideal conditions, it would be stocked with abundant resources. The opposite was also true.

Unfortunately, Luo Wen belonged to the latter group. Like most Iphieash offspring, he had been hastily laid as a last resort, leaving him with barely any genetic “inventory.” His pool only contained basic genes for digging, feeding, and minor resistances like fire and frost, just enough to survive the larval stage.

But even this was sufficient. After surviving the vulnerable early stage, larvae would inevitably encounter a vast array of organisms, witnessing their unique strengths and abilities, and then selecting the most suitable ones to arm themselves.

This realization led Luo Wen to reconsider. Perhaps his initial understanding had been wrong. The lack of advanced genetic material might not have been due to oversight but rather a deliberate, calculated decision.

Every Iphieash’s environment was unique, exposing them to wildly different organisms. Without firsthand experience, activating random genetic sequences would waste energy at best. At worst, it could result in maladaptive traits.

Perhaps long ago, some Iphieash had recklessly activated untested gene sequences in response to difficulties, only to exacerbate their problems or even lose their lives.

It was possible that leaving only basic genetic fragments was itself an evolutionary adaptation.

Reflecting on this, Luo Wen felt the decision made perfect sense.

It was as if someone had left a gene for self-destruction in the pool. If one day he desperately sought a quick way to boost power with minimal side effects, the gene pool, lacking wisdom, might instinctively suggest this extreme solution. Unaware of its function, he might activate it and wake up as a living bomb.

Luo Wen maliciously speculated that some predecessors might have encountered such a fate.

For now, Luo Wen could finally rest easy, no longer fearing that impulsive thoughts might lead to his doom.