I Am The Swarm

Luo Wen’s initial design was inspired by the survival mechanisms of animals and insects that shed limbs to escape danger. He planned to make the spiral horn of the Boar Insect Beast detachable.

However, this approach compromised the structural integrity of the horn. During an impact, if the enemy’s armor was too strong, the spiral horn could break off before penetrating the defense.

The sole combat purpose of the Boar Insect Beast was to drive its horn deep into the enemy’s body. Such flaws would hinder its effectiveness.

Moreover, even if the detachable design worked, the Boar Insect Beast would lose its horn after one collision. Regrowing the horn would take considerable time, during which the beast could not enter dormancy and would need constant food intake.

With all this in mind, Luo Wen decided to go with a unified structure. Even if the Boar Insect Beast died, as long as its flesh remained intact, the materials could be recycled to produce another one. Cost analysis revealed this approach was more economical than the detachable model.

Although the T-Rex managed to crush two Boar Insect Beasts, its fate was sealed the moment its body was pierced by a spiral horn. Lacking any resistance to poison, its powerful, rapid heartbeat only hastened its demise. The toxin quickly mixed with its blood and spread throughout its body at an astonishing rate.

Paralyzed by the venom disrupting its neural signals, the T-Rex collapsed to the ground. It could no longer perceive external stimuli, its consciousness trapped in a dark void as it awaited death.

Next to the T-Rex’s lair, a branch base of the swarm was established. This marked the swarm’s first terrestrial branch base since Luo Wen’s awakening.

With improved species, both the size and mobility of the swarm units had drastically increased. Their operational range expanded tens or even hundreds of times. The era when multiple swarm bases crowded a few hundred meters of territory was now a thing of the past.