I Am The Swarm

Although the two flanking Swarm forces were quickly annihilated at the cost of sacrificing friendly warships, the overall situation on the battlefield remained grim for the Yuntu Race.

In the northwest direction, which served as the Yuntu Race’s breakthrough point, the Swarm had already broken through and began encircling the Yuntu forces. While the Yuntu forces managed to gain a slight advantage by turning the tide, the front and middle sections of the battlefield had become disjointed. The number of reinforcements arriving from the rear had decreased, leaving the front lines without sufficient support to expand their advantage, resulting in a stalemate.

From the middle to the rear of the battlefield, the prolonged front line had already seen the loss of over a billion unmanned drones due to their unique combat style. However, the sheer number of unmanned drones was staggering. With 50 million warships, each carrying 3,000 unmanned drones, their total number reached 150 billion. Even after the losses, they still numbered over 100 billion.

Thanks to their desperate resistance, the Yuntu fleet was still able to hold its ground against the Swarm forces. However, in some localized areas, the situation had deteriorated beyond repair.

Over a thousand Desolation-Class Motherships were steadily deploying Primordial Bodies at a consistent rate. These close-combat experts had caused significant trouble for the Yuntu Race.

Fortunately, with the encirclement in the northwest being broken and the Swarm forces there being wiped out, the Yuntu forces finally gained some autonomy in their attacks. The main cannons, which had been aimed forward, were now redirected to push back the advancing Swarm forces.

The pressure on the secondary cannons of the Yuntu fleet was also significantly reduced, allowing them to focus on defending against the pesky Primordial Body projectiles. Without the interference of other Swarm units, the relatively small number of Primordial Body projectiles alone could not break through the barrage of secondary cannons from the Yuntu fleet, which numbered in the tens of millions.

A fleet of this scale would likely only be overwhelmed if the number of Desolation-Class Motherships equipped with electromagnetic launch platforms reached millions or even tens of millions. But for now, the Swarm was far from achieving that.

Although the Swarm’s offensive had been pushed back, a large number of Primordial Bodies that had previously breached the Yuntu fleet’s defenses remained within the fleet. Their numbers reached over 20,000, and while some of the mature and larval bodies they released had been destroyed by point-defense cannons, many still remained.

The mature and larval bodies were somewhat manageable. While their biological armor was strong, it could still be damaged by concentrated fire. With an overwhelming number of point-defense cannons, their numbers were gradually being reduced.

However, the Primordial Bodies were a real headache for the Yuntu Race. Equipped with a complete energy supply system, these units could support heavier armor, and their biological armor had undergone a qualitative transformation. Not only were point-defense cannons ineffective, barely scratching their surface, but even secondary cannons could not inflict significant damage unless they scored continuous hits.

Their destructive efficiency had also improved through constant practice. The Luo-style Combat Technique made a reappearance: first, a sweeping strike to the left and right, followed by a powerful hammer swing, then a move to uproot a willow tree, and finally, using the turret to deliver a face-smashing blow to finish off a warship.

After that, they would leap onto another warship, fire the main cannons at point-blank range to destroy it, and then repeat the process while waiting for the main cannons to recharge. The efficiency was remarkable.

“We must eliminate them!” Although the 20,000 Primordial Bodies were fewer in number than the Swarm forces that had previously breached the Yuntu defenses, they were several times more troublesome.

These units had integrated themselves with the fleet and were adept at using the Yuntu warships as cover, making it difficult for the Yuntu forces to target them without risking friendly fire. Their agility and quick reflexes made them extremely hard to lock onto. Eliminating them without causing collateral damage was nearly impossible.

Once a line is crossed, it can no longer be considered a line. The Yuntu fleet’s commander had previously issued orders for indiscriminate attacks, the most severe of which had resulted in the destruction of two Swarm flanking forces and two Yuntu fleet formations. Therefore, issuing another order for indiscriminate attacks was no longer a burden for him.

The main cannons roared. To ensure the complete elimination of all Primordial Bodies that had breached their formation, the Yuntu Race even cleared a large area with a blanket attack that did not distinguish between friend and foe. The number of their own warships destroyed in the process even exceeded the number of Primordial Bodies eliminated.

However, those troublesome close-combat masters were finally wiped out.

The war seemed to have returned to its starting point, with both sides locked in a stalemate once again.

—

In the timeless void of space, three months quickly passed. During this time, more and more Yuntu warships managed to break out of the encirclement. The forces in the northwest had grown to a considerable size and began harassing the Swarm’s encirclement, gradually whittling down their numbers.

The Swarm, on the other hand, took advantage of the Yuntu forces’ disjointed movements to forcefully breach their formations multiple times. However, the Yuntu Race had grown accustomed to firing on their own forces, and with swift, decisive actions, they managed to repel each breach. But in terms of losses, the Swarm was still coming out ahead.

After all, at the start of the war, the numbers were 200 million Swarm units against 50 million Yuntu warships.

At the same time, the Swarm repeatedly attempted to break through the unmanned fighter drone blockade in certain areas to deliver Primordial Body projectiles into the Yuntu formations. However, with the Yuntu main cannons now focused on defense, their firepower had increased significantly. Although the Swarm’s attempts were unsuccessful, they still caused considerable anxiety for the Yuntu forces.

After losing several waves of forces, the Swarm quickly changed tactics and began focusing entirely on eliminating the unmanned drones. The hundred billion unmanned drones, some equipped with dark energy mines to enhance their offensive capabilities, also served as shields, each capable of withstanding at least one hit from a Primordial Body main cannon.

The defensive line formed by these drones was formidable. Without clearing them, it would be difficult to target the main Yuntu fleet. The Primordial Body cannons turned their fire, and mature bodies, larval bodies, space-modified spider combat bugs, and even EMP bugs were deployed. Under the Swarm’s full-scale assault, the number of unmanned drones was reduced to less than 5 billion within three months.

With more than half of the unmanned drones destroyed, their defensive line became much thinner. Another two months passed, and the number of unmanned drones dropped to less than 1 billion, most of which were no longer equipped with dark energy mines. These remaining drones were of little use.

Five months of space warfare had passed without a moment’s pause in the fighting. Such a high-intensity, prolonged war was a test for both sides. Although the Yuntu Race’s technology was advanced, their equipment was not indestructible. High-precision devices, in particular, suffered from severe wear and tear under such intense use.

Fortunately, they had prepared for this, with many spare parts on hand. However, after five months, most of the replaceable parts had been used up.

At this rate, if the war continued for another three months, a significant portion of their weapons would cease to function. After five more months, most of the warships would likely become massive, non-functional metal blocks.