I Am The Swarm

“Could it be partial renovations?” the Captain asked.

“Unlikely. Wright collected samples from a wide area, but the data is almost identical. Unless the entire colony was overhauled, this result wouldn’t make sense.”

“I see.” The Captain fell into contemplation.

The team member who had spoken earlier thought for a moment before continuing, “I’ve also discovered another issue. While the Rat Folk’s construction materials are average, the wear and tear on their colony floors is remarkably low. Particularly in the residential areas, which should see heavy foot traffic, the floors show almost the same level of wear as the sparsely used equipment zones. At first, I thought the residential areas had been refurbished, but testing revealed that the materials for all the floors came from the same batch.”

“So this means the colony is just for show? It’s barely been used?”

“That’s one way to look at it.”

“If the Rat Folk don’t use it, then…”

“Isn’t it obvious? This colony must have originally belonged to the Swarm. For some reason—maybe their impending alliance with the Confederation, or perhaps due to the Riken incident—they foresaw certain events and constructed this colony. It was built specifically to appease us. Their evasiveness is just a ploy to lure us in.”

“Then why go to such lengths? To declare themselves as the true owners?”

“Exactly. Looking back, the Rat Folk’s actions, along with the Swarm’s eagerness to abandon the Genesis System, all seem calculated to make their relationship appear less intimate.”

“So, if we think in reverse, their relationship…”

“Unfortunately, we realized the Genesis System’s anomalies too late. By the time we deployed surveillance systems, the Swarm had already developed the means to counter them, leaving us almost entirely blind to the past thousand years in the system.”

“No matter. I feel we’re close to the truth.”

“But the Rat Folk are guarding against us, and we haven’t uncovered anything significant in the data. What do we do now?”

“Perhaps we need to be more direct,” Blanca suddenly suggested.

“What do you mean?” The Captain was startled.

“Exactly what it sounds like! We’ve already shown our hand. Future opportunities to gather intelligence will only diminish unless the Confederation sends another team, which would mean we failed our mission. I don’t want a failure on my record.”

“But this could cause a diplomatic incident.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll be careful. This area is sparsely populated—perfect for covert action.”

After weighing the risks and benefits, the Captain finally agreed to Blanca’s proposal. “In that case, the sooner, the better. Warwick, can you infiltrate the colony’s management system?” 𝙧ã𝐍Ổ𝐁Èṩ

Warwick immediately pulled several portable devices from his bag. After scanning the room, he cut a small panel from a corner, revealing a data port and connecting a cable.

After a series of operations, Warwick gave a thumbs-up, signaling success.

The Captain nodded in satisfaction. Reliable teammates are the key to mission success. “Warwick, infiltrate their network backend, take control of the surveillance system, and pull up the distribution of all personnel within the base.”

Warwick nodded, his fingers deftly tapping away. Soon, he projected the surveillance feeds from his device onto a screen. The display split into countless small grids, each representing a surveillance camera feed from the Rat Folk base.

“Now hack into their personnel management system and let’s identify which of our little friends will be our target.”

The Rat Folk’s network defenses were no match for Ji technology. In no time, the individuals with the highest clearance within the base were flagged on the surveillance feeds.

After some comparison, the team settled on two targets. The first was the head of a laboratory, currently alone in a remote lab. With high status and no companions, he was an ideal target.

The second target was one of their guides from earlier: the base’s administrative officer, who was resting in the residential area. Though the residential zone was populated, the officer’s royal lineage granted him a spacious private room. With careful handling, the team could avoid alerting others.

“Warwick, map out the optimal route for us in real-time, disable surveillance along the way, and maintain communications,” the Captain instructed, eyeing the team readying themselves.

Warwick patted his chest in assurance and gave a confident thumbs-up.

After a round of mutual nods for confirmation, the team slipped out of their room silently when Warwick gave the signal.

“Activate your auxiliary devices,” the Captain reminded.

All Ji team members wore sealed helmets equipped with numerous integrated functions. Most importantly, the helmets allowed secure internal communication. Their auxiliary suits provided optical camouflage and noise-dampening, rendering the seven or eight individuals in the corridor invisible to the naked eye.

“Amina, monitor life signals and report any abnormalities.”

“Understood!” Amina replied. Since this was not only Rat Folk territory but also potentially contained Swarm assets, specialized scanners for biological threats were essential.

“Warwick, confirm comms.”

“Comms are clear, Captain. Five meters ahead, the laser alarm system has been disabled. Proceed immediately.”

Without wasting words, the Captain signaled the team with a hand gesture, and they moved through the path with precision.

“One hundred meters ahead, turn right. All alarms along the way have been neutralized. Be cautious—there are two Rat Folk in a room fifty meters to your left. There’s a blind spot in the surveillance, so I can’t track their movements. Proceed carefully.”

The Captain silently toggled his helmet’s vision mode to enhanced infrared. Two faint heat signatures appeared in the room ahead. Seeing that the individuals were far from the doors and windows, he signaled for the team to move swiftly past.

Step by step, they advanced without incident toward the laboratory. Its secluded location made it the easiest target for action.

“Captain, there’s been a change. Target A just left the lab,” Warwick reported.

“Hold position and stay hidden. Warwick, keep observing.”

“He’s meeting with several other Rat Folk. It looks like a meeting or some kind of discussion.”

“Damn it!” the Captain cursed under his breath. Meetings involving researchers were notoriously unpredictable, and the team couldn’t afford to waste time waiting. “Move to Target B. Warwick, map out the new route.”

The team quickly changed direction. This time, fortune favored them. Leveraging their technological and equipment advantages, they successfully reached the administrative officer’s quarters.

“Warwick, can you open the door?” the Captain asked.

“No problem,” Warwick chuckled. “Primitive civilizations never realize how unreliable electronic systems are. Ten seconds~” He began counting down with a grin.@@novelbin@@

“Ten.”

“Nine.”

…

“One.”