I Am The Swarm

All the firing ports of the underground bunkers were sealed, and a protective energy field was raised. The task of external defense was handed over entirely to mechanical soldiers and automated defense systems. However, with the Ji soldiers—the main source of firepower—ceasing fire, the density of the defensive fire net dropped significantly.

With nearly half of their offensive firepower reduced, the Ji defenses were powerless to stop the surging Swarm tide. Not long after the Ji soldiers stopped firing, the Swarm pushed forward using the corpses of their allies as cover, reaching the bunker walls.

The stationary automated defense systems were the first to be torn apart, while the mechanical soldiers, despite their impressive mobility, had not received retreat orders. Forced to hold their ground, they soon followed the automated systems into oblivion.

Soon, countless Swarm creatures swarmed over and engulfed the metal bunker. However, the bunker’s purpose was defense. Its primary construction materials, though unable to fully withstand the creatures’ biting and slashing, could endure for a considerable amount of time.

Yet, in the face of such overwhelming numbers—especially with the rare Red Fang Breakers making an appearance—it was clear the metal bunker would soon be breached.

Meanwhile, below this area, nearly two hundred Burrowing Worms, having traversed the minefield, were approaching the battlefield. A tunnel wide enough for the Swarm Empress to escape was forming.

But at this moment, a peculiar bomb detonated within the underground passage. There was no thunderous explosion, only an intense release of light, heat, and powerful radiation.

A special radioactive element began to spread through the tunnels as the bomb exploded. The Swarm forces swept by the radiation wave immediately showed signs of distress.

Most of these expendable units were created using gene samples from native species, granting them adaptability to the planet’s environment while keeping production costs low, allowing them to form overwhelming numbers easily.

Within just a few minutes, the once-massive tide of Swarm creatures—save for a small number of advanced units based on the fungal carpet template—had turned into heaps of decaying flesh and debris, all but annihilated.

Simultaneously, the radiation rays penetrated the soil, sweeping over the charging Burrowing Worms. These massive creatures, like the others, were cheap constructs using native genes. They soon began to exhibit adverse reactions.

However, their enormous size and lack of pain receptors allowed them to continue charging upward even as their bodies began to rot.

The Ji race, relying on detection instruments to monitor the battlefield, grew puzzled.

“The effective range of X-576 has already encompassed them. Why haven’t they slowed down?”

“Could X-576 be ineffective against the Swarm?”

“How could that be? Can’t you see how effective it is against the smaller Swarm units?”

“But I’ve noticed some of them are completely unaffected by X-576.”

“They might use technology similar to the spacefaring units, placing them beyond the realm of ordinary biology.”

“It’s hard to imagine what they truly are.”

“That’s not the key issue now. I’m concerned about those giant worms. We detonated X-576 not to clear out the smaller bugs, but its main targets are still threatening our plans.”

“Perhaps their massive size allows them to endure longer?”

“If that’s the case, then we’re lucky. But I’m worried they might also use the same tech as their spacefaring organisms.”

“There’s a reaction! They’re slowing down, and there are some strange signs!?”

“What?” Hearing this exclamation, everyone immediately reviewed the synchronized battlefield data.

“This is…?”

The Ji race’s detection instruments were highly advanced. Though they couldn’t accurately depict the shape or appearance of the Burrowing Worms, they could detect general size data.

On the data display, the enormous bodies of the Burrowing Worms appeared to be shrinking little by little. Sometimes small portions disappeared, other times large chunks vanished suddenly.

“I understand now. Those giant worms must be invertebrate soft-bodied creatures with extremely primitive body structures, lacking pain receptors—or perhaps the Swarm deliberately removed them.”

“Exactly. This allows them to appear unaffected by X-576 radiation even as they succumb to it. The parts disappearing are their rotting limbs.”

“Even with their massive size, they won’t last much longer. We must stop them from breaking through before they die.”

“Send in the K2N9s and K1KN10s!”

One characteristic of all Ji mechanical units was their high degree of automation. While they were usually controlled manually, critical moments allowed artificial intelligence to take full control.

Neither type of machine could fully resist X-576’s radiation attack. Therefore, before the bomb detonated, control of the machines was handed over to the AI Selina, while the operators retreated into the metal bunkers.

The radiation’s effects remained at dangerously high levels, preventing the drivers from returning to their posts, and time was short.

Fortunately, Selina could operate both types of machinery with greater skill than human operators. Upon receiving the new order, the nearby excavation equipment—K2N9s and K1KN10s—sprang into action.

They converged toward the bottom of the battlefield, intending to use their steel bodies to block the final charge of the Burrowing Worms. If the distance between the lower tunnel and the upper level could be maintained at ten meters, it would be an insurmountable chasm for the Swarm Empress—an uncrossable gap.

The Ji strategy proved highly effective. X-576’s impact on living organisms was immense. Even with their colossal bodies, the Burrowing Worms couldn’t delay death for long.

Facing them, the K2N9s and K1KN10s, which under normal circumstances would have been mere snacks—like sugar-coated candies and large sausages—for the Burrowing Worms’ multiple spirally arranged teeth, now posed an insurmountable challenge.

Their collapsing bodies, with loosened or missing teeth, could barely knock aside a K2N9, but the K1KN10s, being far larger, formed an impenetrable steel barrier for the weakened worms.

Finally, amidst the muffled thuds of flesh meeting metal, the Burrowing Worms ceased all movement, their life signs extinguished.

Seeing this, the Ji command center collectively exhaled in relief. In this round of confrontation, they had emerged victorious once again.