I Am The Swarm

The Yuntu fleet’s forward thrusters shut down one by one, while the rear thrusters began to operate. Simultaneously, the energy systems went into full operation, and the weapons started warming up and charging.

The energy gathered, and the fluctuations generated by fifty million warships were staggering. Even the Swarm from centuries ago would have sensed the impending danger, let alone the current Swarm.

Thus, as the Yuntu fleet made its move, the Swarm also began to adjust. The dim bioluminescent lights on the Primordial Bodies brightened, with occasional arcs of electricity flashing across their bodies. Their tentacles began to sway more frequently.

The battle was initiated by the Yuntu fleet. After all, without reinforcements, every moment of delay worked against them. Relying on their advanced energy systems and longer-range main cannons, they fired the first salvo.

However, the ever-vigilant Swarm was prepared. The units directly in the line of fire adjusted their formations slightly. The Primordial Bodies swung their tentacles, aligning themselves into straight lines.

This reduced the target area while allowing the frontmost Primordial Bodies to act as shields for those behind them. After the first volley, the leading dozen or so Primordial Bodies in each line were pierced and destroyed. But the units behind them, shielded by their fallen comrades, charged toward the Yuntu fleet.

Before the Yuntu fleet could fire their second salvo, some of the Primordial Bodies from other directions had already entered firing range. A barrage of red energy beams flew toward the Yuntu fleet. Since the Yuntu fleet was surrounded, they had little room to maneuver or evade. They could only rely on their thick reactive armor to withstand the attack.

Technological advancement is usually comprehensive. The Yuntu, leading in energy, engines, and weaponry, also excelled in materials science. The Swarm’s first salvo only scratched the outer layers of the Yuntu ships, with fewer than a thousand ships actually destroyed or exploding.

While this was partly due to the limited number of Primordial Bodies within range and the firepower not yet reaching its peak, it still highlighted the formidable defensive capabilities of the Yuntu ships.

Meanwhile, new, intact Yuntu ships filled the gaps left by the damaged ones, acting as the next wave of shields.

“Deploy the drones!” the Yuntu fleet commander shouted.

The side hatches of the Yuntu ships opened, and drones with gleaming metallic surfaces were ejected, igniting their thrusters and taking off. They formed squadrons, with some dispersing around the fleet’s perimeter to absorb and block part of the Swarm’s fire, while others charged directly at the Swarm, counter-attacking the Primordial Bodies.

In previous battles, coalition drones had typically played a defensive role, intercepting Swarm fire and fending off Mature and Larval bodies. The Yuntu were the first to deploy drones for an offensive charge right from the start of the battle.

The Yuntu fleet commanders understood their situation clearly. They were surrounded by the Swarm and needed to keep the battlefield as far out as possible to prevent the encirclement from tightening and eventually eliminating their room to maneuver.

The Primordial Bodies largely ignored the long-range attacks from the Yuntu drones. The ten Yuntu ships previously captured by the Swarm had also carried such drones.

While Yuntu technology was advanced, they couldn’t equip such small platforms with high-end energy systems or long-range dark energy weapons. Thus, these drones still used older energy cannon systems, albeit with superior parameters compared to other civilizations.

However, the size limitations meant that even with enhanced parameters, these small-caliber energy cannons couldn’t cause significant damage to the upgraded biological armor of the Primordial Bodies without a qualitative leap in power.

The Yuntu were aware of this. To compensate, they had equipped some drones with dark energy mines. Originally deployed in warp lanes, these mines, combined with drones, created a form of suicide-guided missiles.

This tactic wasn’t improvised. Advanced civilizations often designed their weapons with strong compatibility. These drones had even been cast with mine attachment points during manufacturing, specifically for situations like this.

While the small-caliber energy cannons on the drones could be ignored, the dark energy mines demanded respect. The Primordial Bodies were equipped with long-range weapons and close-combat capabilities but were weak in mid-range combat.

Using the Primordial-class main cannons to target these drones was impractical, and these explosive devices were a nightmare for close combat. Fortunately, to address the mid-range combat gap, each Primordial-class unit carried Mature and Larval bodies in their storage sacs. Now was their time to shine.

Some of the fastest-moving Primordial Bodies had already collided with the drone swarms, and the resulting explosions lit up the void. The instantaneous energy output was so high that even the biological armor of the Primordial Bodies couldn’t withstand it.

The Primordial-class charge was halted, but by then, a steady stream of Mature and Larval bodies had joined the fray, surging past the Primordial Bodies and charging toward the Yuntu drones.

The unmanned fighters and space octopuses each had their strengths and weaknesses. The space octopuses excelled in agility and maneuverability, making them formidable in confined spaces. However, in terms of speed, the unmanned fighters had the advantage, especially in the vastness of space. If a space octopus failed to intercept a drone during a close encounter, catching up would be nearly impossible.

If the Swarm’s strategic depth were greater, this wouldn’t be an issue. But in the current situation, the Primordial Bodies were still advancing at a steady pace. The drones only needed to breach a thin line of Mature and Larval bodies to reach the Primordial Bodies.

The Yuntu realized this and avoided engaging the Mature and Larval bodies directly. Instead, they fired their onboard energy cannons to drive them away or disrupt their defensive formations.

At that moment, the storage sacs on the Mature bodies opened, releasing swarms of space-adapted spider combat bugs, each about twenty centimeters long. Their numbers quickly filled the area.

These space-adapted spider combat bugs, due to their size, lacked any propulsion systems and were purely defensive units.

Most of their bodies were occupied by a special silk sac. Fine strands of silk sprayed from their limb joints and abdomens, quickly covering the surrounding area.

The silk strands, though thin and nearly invisible, were incredibly resilient. Even when they stuck to the Mature and Larval bodies, they didn’t break. Instead, they carried the spider combat bugs along as they moved.

Thus, the battlefield presented a peculiar scene. Some spider combat bugs floated in space, their silk strands drifting around them, while others clung to the space octopuses, riding them as they charged toward the Yuntu drone squadrons.