I Am The Swarm

Although the coalition’s front forces had temporarily halted the Swarm’s attacks from the left, right, and rear, it didn’t mean they were out of danger. They still had to break through the Swarm forces blocking the path between the front and rear forces and reunite with the rear forces to achieve even a slight sense of security.

“Speed up! Speed up!” The front forces commander was nearly frantic. With over 50% of his forces lost, even if he escaped this disaster, his future military career would be bleak.

Moreover, he had just abandoned so many allies. Although it was the best choice under the circumstances, it still weighed heavily on his conscience.

“Commander, if we continue to accelerate, we’ll charge straight into the Swarm’s formation. Once we get too close, it’ll be hard to break free!” The adjutant, noticing the commander’s unstable mental state, quickly reminded him.

“I know. I’m fully aware. Just follow my orders!” the commander roared. Then, calming down slightly, he added, “If anyone doesn’t want to, that’s fine. I won’t force them. We’ve already lost so much; a few more losses won’t matter.”

“Yes, sir!” The adjutant felt conflicted but, after some thought, relayed the order.

In truth, the front forces commander hadn’t made any mistakes. The front forces were the closest to achieving their objectives, even though it was partly due to the Swarm holding back.

Because of this, the other subordinate commanders still trusted him. Some of the smarter ones quickly figured out what the front forces commander was planning.

The engines at the rear of the warships spewed energy streams hundreds of meters long, and their speed continued to increase. While a small portion of the fleet broke away, the majority followed the commander’s orders.

The Space Octopuses, capable of absorbing and converting various forms of radiation and skilled in electromagnetic manipulation, recovered from the nuclear explosions much faster than expected.

Once they regained their strength, they quickly gave chase. Some of the ships that had broken away from the formation were already caught, their situation precarious.

“Commander, the Swarm is catching up again!”

“I know! Fire strategic nuclear missiles at the Swarm formation ahead and shut down all electronic systems!” Another order was issued.

The subordinates, upon hearing this, understood that this was a desperate move, but it might be the only way to escape their current predicament.

The energy streams from the ships’ engines gradually weakened, and the colorful lights on the ships went out one by one. In an instant, they seemed lifeless, moving forward solely by inertia.

Fortunately, space offered almost no resistance, so their speed remained high. But with their propulsion systems shut down, they were like arrows shot into the void—unable to change direction or adjust their course mid-flight. They could only charge forward, forward, forward!

The ships’ main and secondary cannons, now without power, also fell silent. The once crisscrossing red energy beams in space became a one-sided barrage.

From time to time, projectiles hit the coalition ships, causing damage.

At the same time, a large number of strategic nuclear missiles were launched from the ships. These massive projectiles had independent engines and power systems, allowing them to attack without relying on the ships.

The Swarm immediately intercepted these missiles, but because the distance between the two sides was now very close, and the missiles had autonomous maneuvering systems, the interception efficiency was poor.

Even so, the Swarm’s sheer numbers made up for their lack of accuracy. In the end, less than 30% of the missiles reached their intended targets.

But that was enough. Brilliant flashes of light reappeared, clearing a small path ahead. The remaining missiles continued forward!

Due to the EMP fields generated by the nuclear explosions, only the first wave of missiles was actively detonated. The subsequent ones were set to explode on timers, making their detonations uncontrollable.

Many missiles, affected by the EMP fields, deviated from their intended paths or simply shut down. Some, due to malfunctioning guidance systems, even turned back toward the coalition fleet.

Nuclear missiles are a very safe form of attack. They require specific triggers to detonate. Otherwise, even if their casings are shattered, they would only cause nuclear leakage rather than explode.

Many intercepted missile bodies now floated in space, their propulsion and detonation systems damaged by energy beams, rendering them unresponsive to the coalition’s detonation commands.

Many of these missile bodies were already damaged, leaking highly concentrated nuclear material into the void.

Now, the large-scale nuclear explosions reignited these leaked nuclear materials, causing even more violent explosions. Some of these explosions occurred right next to the coalition fleet.

Although the ships’ armor provided strong protection, it was still difficult to withstand close-range nuclear explosions. Some ships were engulfed in flames.

Even worse, the shockwaves from the explosions now had a medium to propagate through. Some ships, severely damaged, veered off their intended paths.

Keep in mind that there were over a million ships moving in a dense formation, relying solely on inertia. They were like meteors, completely unable to change their trajectories on their own.

Some crew members from other races screamed as they watched the wreckage of allied ships hurtling toward them, powerless to do anything.

Fortunately, the continuous barrage of nuclear missiles also pushed the Swarm forces back. Soon, they could see the battlefield ahead, where red energy beams crisscrossed.

“Push harder! We’re almost there!”

Seeing this, the front forces, having endured so much to break through, were filled with excitement. The forces fighting ahead were the rear forces. As long as they could reunite with them, retreating to a safe zone shouldn’t be a problem.

—

However, the cost was enormous. The front forces that had made it this far had been reduced by another 20%. Now, their remaining strength was less than 30% of what it had been at the start of the battle.

In the process, millions of ships had been left behind in the Swarm’s encirclement. While most were destroyed on the spot, a small portion had fallen behind due to damaged propulsion systems, and the fate of their crews was unknown.

But these were no longer concerns they could afford. They still had one final hurdle to overcome.

“Cease nuclear missile attacks, restart power systems, and activate engines!” The front forces commander’s orders were quickly issued.

The front forces couldn’t reunite with their allies by crashing into them like a meteor shower. They had to regain control of their ships.

“Click! Click! Click!” The lights on the ships came back on row by row, and the engines at the rear slowly reignited, spewing energy streams once more.

The fleet was back under control, and they slightly adjusted their off-course trajectories. At the same time, the main and secondary cannons turned toward the Swarm forces ahead, unleashing a fierce barrage.

The Swarm forces that had inserted themselves between the coalition’s front and rear forces had already been thinned out by the nuclear missiles, either cleared or forced to retreat. Now, only a thin layer remained.

Under attack from both sides, their numbers dwindled even faster.

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