I Am The Swarm

There was, however, one species that caused significant trouble for the Swarm.

This species resembled bats, with sturdy wing membranes spanning 2 to 5 meters. Their bald heads and ferocious, grotesque appearances were reminiscent of the mythical gargoyles.

They lacked vision and were strictly nocturnal. They detected prey through thermal sensors and used echolocation generated by ultrasonic vibrations in their bones during flight.

These capabilities effectively countered the Spider Combat Bugs’ optical stealth systems. Coupled with their size advantage, the bats inflicted substantial casualties on the Spider Combat Bugs.

Sarah Kerrigan ordered the Flying Bugs to locate their roosts, hoping to strike their nests during the day. However, the reconnaissance revealed that the bats sheltered in dark caves during daylight hours, where many remained active and alert.

The caves were so silent that even the faintest sounds made by Spider Combat Bugs walking along the cave walls would alert the bats. Thus, the plan for a daytime ambush was abandoned before it even began.

However, through further observation, the Intelligent Entities discovered a critical weakness in the bats: they struggled to differentiate friend from foe. Lacking vision, they relied solely on thermal sensors and echolocation for targeting, which proved problematic.

During their nighttime hunts, the bats secreted a unique toxin that numbed pain but made them exceedingly aggressive. When they encountered one another mid-hunt, they often couldn’t control their tempers, leading to frequent clashes even after realizing they were fighting their own kind.

By day, the bats adhered to a different pattern: only one or two would attack intruders entering their caves, while the rest remained still. A single Spider Combat Bug sent into the cave during an earlier reconnaissance had resisted briefly before being torn apart, which initially masked this behavior. Despite the delayed discovery, this information proved invaluable.

The next day, while the bats rested in their lair, a swarm of Flying Bugs invaded the cave. Mimicking the bats’ ultrasonic frequencies, they caused chaos.

Many bats awoke, confused and agitated. Those already awake grew increasingly irritable.

Instinct, however, does not equate to intelligence. When the ultrasonic signals reverberated wildly through the cave, disrupting their echolocation, the bats abandoned their typical rule of limited flight responses.

A massive swarm of bats took to the air, attacking the Flying Bugs. Some of the bugs were instantly shredded, but the survivors continued deeper into the cave, emitting more ultrasonic signals.

As more bats took flight, the confined cave space descended into chaos. Each bat’s flight triggered ultrasonic vibrations, which ricocheted throughout the cave. The overlapping waves rendered their echolocation systems useless, forcing them to rely solely on thermal detection.

But the Flying Bugs, small and emitting negligible heat, effectively became invisible. The bats instead detected their fellow creatures, and the incessant ultrasonic noise drove them into a frenzy.

Their toxin production accelerated, eroding what little rationality they had. Soon, one bat attacked another. Within moments, more joined the fray.

A few bats managed to escape the cave, but most remained trapped in a violent melee. Hours later, with the bats severely weakened or dead, the Spider Combat Bugs entered to finish the job.

The bats that escaped were intercepted by the Swarm, which had the capability to eliminate them but chose not to.

This decision wasn’t out of mercy. Luo Wen’s main body was still about 20 years away from arriving. Though these creatures’ genes held limited practical value for the Swarm, Luo Wen had a compulsive habit from his gaming days: an obsession with collecting.

Since the Swarm’s genetic database had no capacity limits and these genetic samples were easily obtainable, Luo Wen decided it was worth preserving them.

The will of Luo Wen was the will of the Swarm. Even if Sarah and the Intelligent Entities had reservations, they executed his orders without hesitation. As a result, the Swarm focused on driving off aggressive species rather than eradicating them.

Herbivores near the base were left alone as long as they didn’t consume the Fungal Carpet. After all, their carbohydrate-based bodies yielded less energy than the Fungal Carpet could extract from the ground through chemical synthesis.

After surviving its initial vulnerable phase, the base quickly established itself in the forest. As combat units increased, the Swarm’s territory expanded rapidly.

Under the army’s protection, the Fungal Carpet spread at an astonishing rate. After several encounters, the forest creatures recognized it as an invincible force. Reluctantly, they abandoned their ancestral homes and migrated elsewhere.

Though the Swarm had only explored a small part of Great Dawn Planet, the lack of formidable native species was evident. The Visit Team relaxed, no longer needing reinforcements.

The next two Swarm Meteors did not land on Great Dawn Planet for support. Instead, under Sarah’s guidance, they waited in orbit around neighboring planets.

The Neighboring Star System only had the Great Dawn Planet as a habitable world, where older-generation Swarm units still had a role. Other planets were barren, lacking atmospheres, and any bases built there would likely need to be dismantled and recycled once Luo Wen’s main body arrived. It was more efficient to wait.

On Great Dawn Planet, the red forest had been completely overtaken by the Swarm. The ground turned purplish-gray, and the native fauna vanished, forced to retreat far away. The fiery red trees, though still thriving, were immobile and became the Swarm’s reserve food supply, ready for harvest at any time.

With abundant resources, larger creatures began production. Months later, 200 Storm Gods took to the skies. This deployment was a precaution after witnessing large aerial creatures during the Swarm Meteor’s descent.

Having learned from the monkey debacle, Sarah approached aerial exploration cautiously. But with 200 Storm Gods, a top-tier species that had once dominated the skies of the Genesis Planet, she was confident they could handle any challenges posed by the planet’s native aerial species.

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