I Am The Swarm

Elsewhere, Lieutenant Colonel Cross and her adjutant, escorted by two patrol officers, hurried to a nearby gunboat. Just as she was about to climb aboard, she heard cries from behind her.

It turned out that the ships were equipped with an access control system. Normally, these could be unlocked remotely via the base network, but with the energy system disabled, the administrative and medical staff lacked the required permissions to open the hatches.

Cross paused, withdrawing her foot from the ship’s steps. After a moment of deliberation, she gritted her teeth and turned to run toward the other ships, ignoring her adjutant’s calls to stop.

As the highest-ranking officer at the base, Cross had the authority to override all systems, but she needed to be physically close to the ships to do so.

Fortunately, the ships were not too far apart, and the Swarm was pinned down at the hatch by the intense firepower of the wounded patrol team. They had switched their weapons to explosive energy mode, which caused unstable energy beams to detonate on impact.

This mode, while less effective at penetrating the hatch, created a barrage that kept the Swarm at bay. The hatch held firm under the chaotic red energy blasts, buying Cross precious time to unlock the other ships.

Even so, the hole in the hatch was visibly expanding. Cross had to move faster.

Luckily, despite her status as a “connected” officer, she had genuine talent and was a graduate of an elite command academy. Her physical conditioning was impeccable.

Within two minutes, both the transport ships and gunboats began to lift off, and Cross returned to her original gunboat.

Though she initially intended to board any available ship, she changed her mind after seeing the pilots. Even if they were all novices, trained soldiers were undoubtedly more reliable than amateur enthusiasts.

The ships were overcrowded. When Cross finally reached the gunboat, it was already packed with people. She managed to squeeze into the cockpit just as the ship began to take off.

“Have the exoskeleton team open the dome. Everyone, put on your breathing masks,” Kaida shouted, noticing that Cross had safely boarded her gunboat.

Despite other officers present, no one challenged Kaida’s authority. The exoskeleton-equipped team, along with several other personnel, rushed to a hidden panel on the wall, exposing a hydraulic mechanism.

The mechanism, clearly not designed for frequent use, resisted even the combined strength of three exoskeleton suits. Slowly but steadily, the steel dome above the hangar began to split open.

Impatience proved costly. One transport ship attempted to fly out prematurely, scraping against the dome and losing control. It wobbled erratically before crashing into a wall on the western side of the hangar and falling to the ground.

Fortunately, the ship’s altitude had been low, and Riken ships were built tough. The impact didn’t cause significant damage to the vessel, but the pilot was likely incapacitated, as the ship remained grounded.

This mishap sobered the other pilots, who waited for the dome to fully open. Once the gap was wide enough, the remaining ships surged upward.

Unbeknownst to them, the Swarm had already surrounded the base, taking advantage of their ability to climb and cling to surfaces. The bugs had also stationed acid-spewing insects at the exits.

As soon as the ships emerged, they were greeted by a barrage of acidic spray.

This acid was highly effective against the ships’ metallic exteriors. Within moments, the hulls were riddled with pitted holes that continued to expand as the acid corroded the material.

However, the acid wasn’t meant to breach the entire hull but to target critical components—specifically, the engines.

The energy exhaust ports on the ships’ undersides and tails were particularly vulnerable. Although some of the acid vaporized in the exhaust’s heat, the engines weren’t operating at full power yet, allowing enough acid to reach and damage them.

Soon, the engines began to fail, with some even exploding. One by one, the ships were crippled, trailing smoke and plummeting to the ground.

The grassy plains surrounding the base were teeming with hidden Swarm forces, and the fates of the downed ships’ occupants were grim.

Cross’s gunboat fared slightly better due to its enhanced defensive features and more experienced crew. Though it lost three of its four engines, the remaining one managed to keep the ship airborne.

The pilots, fully aware of their peril, struggled to gain altitude and distance from the battlefield. Amid screams from the passengers, they maneuvered the ship over ten kilometers before it crashed to the ground.

The violent impact left Cross dazed. She vaguely heard the cockpit door being opened.

It must have been the pilot, she thought. With the engines damaged and the crash, the gunboat could explode at any moment. She needed to get out.

“I can’t die here,” she told herself. Her family, her sister, and her elders were waiting for her return.

Clinging to this thought, Cross forced her muddled mind to focus. Though her vision was blurred, she used her memory to feel her way out of the cockpit.

At the pilot’s seat, where she had heard movement earlier from the patrolman, she found her way forward. But as she crawled, her right hand slipped, and her head struck the edge of the console hard.

Her face pressed painfully against her breathing mask, tears and mucus streaming as her nose was crushed. She ignored the discomfort, using her arms to pull herself out of the cockpit and onto the soft grass outside.

She rested briefly, intending to crawl further away. Just then, she felt someone pushing her from behind. Too weak to resist, she allowed herself to be turned over.

Strong hands lifted her into a seated position, then slid under her arms to lock around her chest, dragging her away from the wreckage.

It must be the pilot returning to rescue me, she thought. Good job—I’ll make sure to reward you once we’re safe.

With this comforting realization, Cross’s strained nerves finally gave out. She passed out as the tension drained from her body.

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