I Am The Swarm

After swatting away several mechs, the Primordial Body swung its massive tentacles a few more times, forcing the remaining mechs to retreat. Then, with a shudder, it opened its storage sacs, releasing a swarm of mature and larval bodies into the void.

Seeing the Primordial Body summon reinforcements, the mech pilots didn’t panic. Instead, they grew excited. Earlier, there had only been a few Primordial Bodies, but tens of thousands of mechs had been present, leaving many pilots without a chance to engage.

Now that the Primordial Body had released its mature and larval bodies, many of the onlookers could finally join the fight. These smaller Space Octopuses were far inferior to the Primordial Body in terms of parameters, making them much less dangerous overall.

The death of the first mech pilot had left a somber impression on these rookies, who had never seen real combat and had previously been nothing more than model enthusiasts. In the virtual world, they could restart endlessly, but in reality, they only had one life. Having weaker enemies to practice on was a welcome opportunity.

As soon as the mature and larval bodies dispersed, they were surrounded by the mech pilots, who eagerly competed for targets. However, while the mature and larval bodies were far inferior to the Primordial Body in most aspects, they were slightly more agile.

The second mech pilot to fall wasn’t killed by a Primordial Body or a mature body, but rather by what seemed to be the weakest of the bunch—a larval body.

These larval Space Octopuses, less than twenty meters in length and lacking any ranged attacks, appeared tiny compared to the sixty-meter-tall mechs. Yet, when faced with an oncoming mech, the larval body didn’t hesitate. It charged straight at its opponent.

As the two closed in, the mech’s point-defense cannons on its head and chest opened fire, unleashing a barrage of shots. While the Primordial Body’s tough biological armor could ignore such attacks, the larval body, with its much thinner armor, had to show some respect.

However, dodging was nearly impossible at such close range. The mech, with its red shield in one hand and a ship-cutting blade in the other, was already upon it. Dodging would mean losing the initiative.

In that split second, the larval body chose to use most of its tentacles to block the incoming fire while extending its remaining tentacles toward the mech’s shield. The suction cups on its tentacles proved highly effective, easily latching onto the shield.

With a quick pull, the larval body yanked itself toward the shield, narrowly avoiding the mech’s blade as it swung down.

From the mech pilot’s perspective, the larval body suddenly vanished. He quickly dodged, wary of a sneak attack, but after scanning his surroundings, he still couldn’t locate his target.

He replayed the last two seconds of footage, remaining alert for any signs of the enemy. The Swarm’s stealth technology was unparalleled, and the creature could be lurking nearby.

After a quick review of the footage, he still found nothing. Just as he was about to slow down the playback, a voice crackled over the comms: “Idiot, it’s on your shield!”

From his teammate’s perspective, the larval body had curled up and used its suction cups to cling to the shield, hiding in the mech’s blind spot.

In previous battles with the Interstellar Technological Confederation, larval bodies hadn’t stood out. Unable to breach ship hulls, they were often relegated to cannon fodder roles, tasked with taking out unmanned fighter drones or disabling point-defense cannons.

As a result, there was little data on them, and the Interstellar Technological Confederation’s understanding of larval bodies was limited. This lack of information meant that larval bodies hadn’t made much of an impression in the virtual simulations.

But in real combat, larval bodies were far more formidable. Most importantly, they knew Luo-style Combat Techniques.

The Luo-style Combat Techniques had once been Luo Wen’s signature skills, allowing him to dominate on Genesis Planet. However, he hadn’t kept them to himself, teaching them to all his subordinates.

One of these techniques, the “One Leaf Blocks The View,” made its debut here, thoroughly confusing an enemy.

After his teammate’s reminder, the mech pilot finally realized what had happened. He bent his left arm inward and caught a glimpse of the larval body’s distinctive coloration.

Frustrated and embarrassed by his teammate’s mockery, the pilot raised his ship-cutting blade and swung it at his own shield, hoping to dislodge the larval body.

But at that moment, a tentacle stiffened, its tip sharp and gleaming, wrapped in blue arcs of electricity. Like an unstoppable spear, it shot out from the mass of color, aiming straight for the mech’s distinctive red gem-like observation window.

Hardened and accelerated by electromagnetic force, the tentacle struck with devastating power. Before the pilot could react, the observation window was pierced.

Blood sprayed as shards of the window ricocheted like arrows, riddling the pilot’s body with holes. The attack was quick and painless, and the pilot died with a look of shock and anger, earning the title of the second mech pilot to fall in combat.

This pilot wasn’t alone. Perhaps because they had died so many times in the virtual simulations, some mech pilots hadn’t yet grasped the difference between virtual and real combat.

In the virtual world, a mistake could be corrected the next time, leading some pilots to treat life with a certain detachment. But in reality, there were no second chances. Death forced them to confront the harsh truth.

However, after over a decade of virtual training, changing their mindset wasn’t something that could happen overnight.

Soon, the third casualty was recorded, and before long, the top ten spots on the casualty list were filled.

These mechs were, after all, only the original models, and their flaws were becoming apparent. The saying “an inch longer, an inch stronger” didn’t quite apply here.

In these close encounters, if a mech pilot failed to land the first strike, the Space Octopus would close the distance. Despite their agility, the mechs couldn’t match the speed of the tentacles.

Once a Space Octopus latched onto a mech, it would quickly climb aboard, rendering the mech’s ranged weapons, ship-cutting blade, and even its shield useless.

A long blade was ineffective against a Space Octopus clinging to the mech. The pilots had encountered this scenario in virtual combat.

After some analysis, they concluded that the best course of action was to drop the blade and shield and rely on hand-to-hand combat. The mechs’ flexible hands were one of their greatest strengths, and techniques like grappling, throwing, shaking, and ramming were perfect for close-quarters combat.