I Am The Swarm

White smoke rose.

The fortifications were equipped with specialized exhaust and ventilation systems. The spreading smoke triggered an alarm, and the white fumes were quickly sucked away.

The visibility improved slightly, but as long as the toxins remained, the white smoke continued to pour out.

“Ah! My eyes!” Suddenly, a pained scream rang out. Among the resting Moto soldiers, one soldier’s helmet visor was almost entirely covered in the orange toxin, severely obstructing his vision.

During the earlier battle outside, he hadn’t dared to act recklessly. Now, feeling safe, he unclasped the fastener around his neck and removed his helmet.

But what he didn’t expect was that the white smoke rising from his protective suit was also highly corrosive. As soon as his facial skin was exposed, he felt a sharp sting.

Even worse, his eyes, far more fragile than his skin, suffered severe damage upon contact with the white smoke. Earlier, he had only lost some of his vision, but now he was completely blind.

Instinctively, he covered his eyes with his hands, forgetting that his gloves were still coated with the orange toxin. If the white smoke produced by the toxin was this dangerous, the toxin itself was even more so.

A sizzling sound, like pork being dropped into hot oil, filled the air, accompanied by even more agonized screams. The soldier’s face emitted more white smoke, mixed with yellow fumes, and a pungent, acrid smell.@@novelbin@@

The pain drove the soldier to lose all rationality. He scrambled to his feet, shouting aimlessly in all directions.

The corroded skin turned into toxic blood, dripping down his body. Soon, his screams turned hoarse, then into violent coughing, and finally, his throat dissolved, silencing him completely.

The relentless agony tormented the soldier. He flailed his arms wildly, as if trying to attack something or express something.

Biu!

A red beam flashed, precisely striking the soldier’s head. A charred hole appeared in his skull. The Moto soldier’s body stiffened, his movements halted, and then he slowly collapsed to the ground.

Not far away, the commander holstered his weapon, silent. The other soldiers said nothing. Perhaps, for the deceased soldier, this was the best outcome.

Maybe what he had been trying to express with his flailing arms was exactly this.

But there was no way to confirm it now.

And no one cared anymore. This soldier might have just left a little earlier than the rest. If he lingered on the path a bit, he could wait for more comrades to join him.

“Do not remove your protective suits! These toxins are extremely dangerous!” the commander’s hoarse voice rang out.

In truth, he didn’t need to remind them. After seeing their comrade’s gruesome fate, none of the soldiers would dare to tempt fate. Some quietly placed a grenade within easy reach.

If they were going to die, they’d at least choose a quick death.

Outside, the Swarm continued to charge relentlessly. In the most intense areas of combat, no one even noticed what had just happened. The atmosphere inside the fortifications grew increasingly oppressive. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

A few soldiers turned off their communicators, and faint sobs echoed inside their helmets. Outsiders could only guess what was happening by their slight trembling.

But in this situation, no one could do much for anyone else.

The white smoke continued to rise, being sucked into the exhaust pipes. However, when the Moto had built these fortifications, they likely never anticipated such a scenario. Otherwise, they would have spent several times the cost to upgrade the materials.

Although the white smoke was less corrosive than the orange toxin itself, it had its own advantage: it seeped into everything.

Weak points in the pipes gradually corroded, and the white smoke seeped through, amplifying the damage. Electronic equipment and wiring that hadn’t been sealed off were attacked by the smoke, and soon, malfunctions began to occur. ṛÅＮＯβĘṣ

A few faint explosions echoed, and the lights in the fortifications flickered before going out, plunging the room into darkness and startling everyone.

Before they could react, the backup system kicked in after a few seconds, and the lights came back on. But the Moto soldiers’ tension didn’t ease.

Sure enough, soon after, more explosions rang out. This time, the lights remained intact, but the ventilation fans slowly ground to a halt.

The ventilation system had no backup. Once the fans stopped, the concentration of white smoke in the hall visibly increased, quickly filling the room with a hazy fog.

Under the white smoke, everything in the room began to show signs of corrosion, including the weapons and explosives. If something went wrong, they were essentially sitting on a powder keg.

But the bad news didn’t stop there. A pained cry came through the communicator.

The commander glanced around. The visibility in the room was now very low. From his perspective, more than half of the soldiers were hidden in the white smoke.

“Everyone, stay alert! Report what’s happening!” With his vision obstructed, the commander could only shout, ordering the soldiers to report.

“Sir, my arm suddenly hur… Ahhhh!” Before the soldier could finish his report, an uncontrollable scream burst from his lips.

The commander quickly stood up. Although he couldn’t see the soldier’s location, other comrades nearby guided him, and he soon found the man with a team.

The soldier was clutching his left arm with his right hand, writhing on the ground in obvious agony.

“What happened?”

But the soldier seemed unable to hear the commander’s question, only letting out unconscious wails. At the same time, his right hand began clawing at his left arm, as if it were under some kind of attack.

The commander barked a few more questions, but when he received no response, he gestured to the soldiers nearby. Several soldiers moved forward, intending to restrain him.

But the injured soldier, as if stimulated by something, suddenly gained immense strength. His right hand’s fingers hooked onto something and yanked, tearing a large piece of the protective suit off his left arm.

Instantly, a piercing scream erupted. Without the protection of the suit, his left arm was directly exposed to the pervasive white smoke. The skin visibly bubbled, frothed, rotted, and festered…

The horrifying sight terrified the soldiers who had moved to restrain him. They stumbled back a few steps. Once they realized he posed no threat, they moved forward again to pin him down.

The commander drew a short dagger from his belt, stepped forward, and with a swift motion, severed the forearm that had already lost most of its flesh. The exposed bone flew out with the strike.

Thud. The severed limb fell to the ground. But the medic, staring at the scene, was at a loss for what to do next.