I Am The Swarm

The rear half of the ship, propelled by inertia, continued forward, colliding with and crushing the out-of-control vessel. The immense force twisted and deformed the ship, sending massive metal components and hull fragments flying in all directions.

As the crushing continued, explosions erupted inside the ship, spreading rapidly until they reached the main energy chamber. Finally, a massive explosion and fireball engulfed both ships. Moments later, another explosion erupted as the out-of-control ship also detonated.

The Primordial Body responsible for this chaos didn’t stop to admire its handiwork. While “flinging” the ship earlier, it had already used the centrifugal force to propel itself toward another vessel. At the same time, its storage sacs opened, releasing Mature bodies and Larval bodies that quickly scattered in all directions.

The ship’s close-defense cannons fired frantically, their energy projectiles so dense that they seemed to merge into a single beam. However, these close-defense cannons, likely due to their infrequent use or technological limitations, still relied on outdated energy projectile systems.

This meant that despite their sky-high firing rate, the projectiles were little more than an annoyance to the Primordial Body. The firepower was too weak to require evasive maneuvers. Bathed in the glow of the energy projectiles, the Primordial Body resembled an indescribable god from ancient myths. Its two longest tentacles latched onto the ship’s hull, and with a powerful pull, its entire body slammed onto the ship.

It used several smaller tentacles to anchor itself, freeing up its two thickest and longest tentacles. These tentacles swept across the ship’s surface, sending protruding close-defense cannons flying into nearby friendly ships, where they exploded moments later. The secondary cannons, still firing, were knocked askew. The tentacles coiled around one of the cannons, shaking it violently until the seams widened, and finally, the entire cannon cover was ripped off.

The cannon cover, still connected to the base by various cables, was yanked free by the Primordial Body. It then swung the cover and smashed it back into the base.

The cannon cover and base were reunited, but their connection was a tragic sight to behold. The Primordial Body didn’t waste any more time on this masterpiece, instead sliding along the ship’s hull toward the main cannon.

Along the way, several secondary cannon turrets were destroyed. The Primordial Body even flung a cannon cover toward the ship’s command tower, startling the already terrified Yuntu crew inside.

“Sir, the target is in the blind spot of all our high-powered weapons. To drive it away, we’ll need assistance from friendly forces!” a staff officer suggested.

“How? Have them fire their main cannons at us? With its agility, it could escape the moment they fire,” another staff officer retorted, clearly opposed to the idea. Friendly fire could easily result in the ship’s destruction while the Swarm unit remained unharmed.

“Maybe they could fire near us to scare it off.”

“Are you out of your mind? What do you think it is? A wild animal? Wake up! That thing is a ruthless killing machine, just in a biological body. Do you think firing cannons would scare off other ships?”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“There’s no way to save the ship. I recommend abandoning it immediately. At least then we’d have a chance to survive.”

“Is that really necessary? It doesn’t seem to be doing much to our ship. The secondary and close-defense cannons, even if lost, aren’t critical. The connected compartments are already sealed off, and the damage has been contained.”

“It’s not that simple. I think we should evacuate now.”

“What are you afraid of—”

Before he could finish, the ship shook violently. The Primordial Body had ripped off one of the main cannons and was now dragging it toward the ship’s stern.

“What’s it doing?”

“Run!” The staff officer who had suggested abandoning the ship earlier suddenly shouted, his eyes wide. Without waiting for a response, he bolted toward the escape pods.

But it was already too late. The four-thousand-meter-long ship and the five-hundred-meter-long Primordial Body were no match in size. With a few tugs of its tentacles, the Primordial Body reached the stern and swung the main cannon barrel toward the main thrusters.

The ship shook violently again, followed by an explosion that rapidly spread from the stern to the rest of the ship. Finally, the ship was engulfed in flames.

The Primordial Body, having delivered the final blow, used the momentum to launch itself toward another ship, enduring the close-defense cannon fire along the way.

As it passed by another ship, the Primordial Body’s main cannon fired a shot at its rear. This area was likely the weakest point of the ship, usually protected by maneuvering but utterly defenseless against point-blank fire.

Another explosion consumed the ship. While the main cannon recharged, the Primordial Body used close combat to eliminate yet another vessel. Its efficiency left all the Yuntu who witnessed it utterly stunned.

To put it in perspective, a volley from a fleet of over a hundred million main cannons typically destroyed only about a thousand ships. With the Primordial Body’s close-combat efficiency, just a few hundred of them could achieve the same results.

Moreover, the Mature bodies and Larval bodies released by the Primordial Body were causing significant trouble for the Yuntu fleet. As more and more ships were destroyed by the Primordial Bodies, the void filled with escape pods. However, the presence of Mature bodies and Larval bodies meant that nearby ships couldn’t open their hangars, leaving the Yuntu survivors in despair.

Fortunately, their biological armor was weaker and could still be destroyed by close-defense cannons, giving those cannons some purpose.

But what good did that do?

As the Yuntu abandoned their efforts to intercept the Primordial-class projectiles, a thousand Desolation-Class Motherships fired at full capacity, launching a Primordial Body every twenty seconds into the Yuntu fleet.

The increasingly rampant Primordial Bodies inflicted heavy losses on the Yuntu fleet. Yet, even in such dire circumstances, not a single Yuntu ship turned its main cannons away.

This was a testament to the Yuntu’s discipline. They understood that if they didn’t cut through the obstacles ahead, all their sacrifices would be in vain.

With this resolve, the Yuntu felt a sense of tragic determination, a do-or-die mentality.

To honor their comrades’ sacrifices, the Yuntu used their dark energy main cannons without restraint, unleashing saturation fire on the enemy ahead, regardless of friendly casualties. The Swarm forces blocking their path, even with the Knights’ assistance, were beginning to show signs of collapse.

Soon, the Yuntu would break through this encirclement.