I Am The Swarm

“Everyone, shut up! If you don’t want to keep moving, find a room to hide in and don’t drag the rest of us down!” Lieutenant Colonel Cross’s angry shout echoed through the corridor, her authority as the base commander instantly silencing the sniffling female Riken.

“Not good, the hatch won’t open.” Normally, the hatches within the base were controlled by the AI, but with the power cut, the AI had also shut down, rendering the doors inoperable.

However, the base’s design had accounted for power failures. Every hatch was equipped with a basic manual opening mechanism, known as the “hand crank.”

Under the illumination of flashlights, a few burly wounded soldiers stepped forward. Despite their weakened condition, they were still stronger than the administrative personnel.

Removing a panel on the door revealed an old-fashioned crank. The men each took hold of a section and began turning it with all their might. Slowly, the crank rotated, and the hatch gradually opened.

The group hurried through, but the process was so slow that their progress was now falling behind the Swarm’s advance.

By the time they had passed through ten hatches, the Swarm had breached fourteen.

This couldn’t continue. If they didn’t find a solution, the Swarm would catch up before they even reached the hangar.

“Turn left here,” Cross suddenly ordered after passing through two more hatches.

“Commander, turning left will take us off course,” Kaida urgently reminded her. He was determined to ensure Cross reached the hangar safely.

“There’s a storage room two hatches down to the left. It contains three sets of exoskeleton armor. With those, we can open the doors much faster,” Cross explained.

Reassured that the destination hadn’t changed, Kaida stopped objecting and moved to the front to clear the path.

A short while later, with the exoskeleton suits in use, their pace significantly increased. What previously required several strong men now only took two suits to accomplish with ease.

Though the exoskeletons were noisy, the group could no longer afford to prioritize stealth. It was clear that the Swarm had already locked onto their position. Their earlier efforts to reduce noise had done little to throw off the bugs.

With the power outage, personal terminals with battery packs were still functional, but the base’s surveillance systems were down, leaving them unable to pinpoint the Swarm’s current location.

In the dark corridors, tactical flashlight beams swept around, illuminating their path. Footsteps, breathing, and the occasional sob seemed amplified in the oppressive silence.

Cross couldn’t shake the feeling that the faint, scraping sound of insect limbs against steel walls was drawing closer. The noise, faint and intermittent, gnawed at her nerves.

Unable to resist, she turned her flashlight toward the rear, but all she saw was the dark wall and the faint outline of a hatch closing in the distance.

Her action, however, sparked panic among the group.

More flashlights joined hers in probing the darkness behind them. Though they found nothing, the collective fear grew, as if an invisible predator was stalking them from the shadows.

“Cross, hold on. Reinforcements will arrive in ten minutes,” Major General Porter’s voice crackled through her personal terminal.

Although the base’s power was out, the communication function of their personal devices remained operational. After the surveillance feed cut out, the live video from the meeting room had also gone dark. Porter had quickly established a direct line with Cross, offering encouragement and intelligence updates.

Initially, Cross had managed to respond with brief updates on her situation, but as the tension mounted, her nerves stretched thin. She focused solely on reaching the hangar, leaving Porter’s voice as the only one filling the airwaves.

Their legs grew weaker with each step, though it was unclear whether it was due to exhaustion or fear. Fortunately, despite the nerve-wracking journey, the Swarm had yet to appear. At last, the group reached the top-level hangar.

Most of the base’s personnel had been dispatched to support other areas, using transport ships to leave. Only three transport ships and two gunboats remained in the hangar.

With just five ships, evacuating several hundred people was an impossible dream.

The issue Cross had worried about earlier now presented itself as a grim reality. No matter how she allocated the ships, some people would have to be left behind.

Kaida stepped forward, taking on the role of the bad guy. “Anyone who can pilot a ship, get on board. The rest of you, find weapons and prepare to defend. Reinforcements will arrive in ten minutes. With any luck, we won’t even have to face the Swarm.”

His words seemed to calm the group, dispelling their selfish thoughts. They began searching the nearby equipment rooms for weapons and breathing masks.

The power outage had rendered the electronic locks on the equipment rooms useless, granting the group access to additional supplies.

Armed, their courage grew slightly.

Cross even felt a moment of inspiration. Perhaps this was her chance to shine—she could lead the defense and hold off the Swarm for a few minutes. A successful defense would make her record stand out.

Just as she was about to deliver a motivational speech, a sealed hatch dozens of meters away began to corrode, a large hole slowly forming in its surface. Moments later, several Raiders emerged.

This was Cross’s first close encounter with the Swarm. Previously, she had only seen video footage and hadn’t found the Raiders particularly terrifying, even noting a certain feral elegance to them.

At just a few dozen centimeters tall, Raiders seemed unimposing compared to the two-meter-tall Riken. Those who had never encountered the Swarm often couldn’t fathom the terror these small creatures could inspire.

Now, with their razor-sharp forelimbs and silent emergence from the hole, the Raiders exuded an oppressive menace that left the Riken trembling.

“Get the lieutenant colonel to safety!” Kaida barked at his team. His patrol unit, though captured, had mostly survived, retaining much of its cohesion.

Two of his subordinates instinctively obeyed, escorting Cross toward the nearest gunboat. Cross didn’t resist, following their lead, with her adjutant quickly joining them.

As they moved, the others’ courage faltered. A few Riken broke into hysterical cries and rushed toward the ships. Their panic spread, causing even more people to flee. The hastily formed defensive line crumbled before any confrontation with the Swarm.

Fortunately, the wounded soldiers displayed professionalism. Instead of retreating, they raised their weapons and aimed at the hatch.

“Shoot! Pin them down! Don’t let too many get through!” Kaida shouted. Crimson energy beams filled the air, striking down several Raiders as they emerged, reducing them to charred husks.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!