I Am The Swarm-Chapter 643: The Squad

Due to the nature of the war with the Swarm, which has been almost entirely fought in space, the races of the Confederation generally perceive the Swarm’s combat units as overwhelmingly large. Even the most basic unit, the Larval Body of the Space Octopus, is at least ten meters in size.

In contrast, the B-3 repair robots stand less than three meters tall. Compared to their size, the tentacle that could only be seen clearly at over 500x slow motion was roughly two meters long.

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Based on the proportional data calculated from the Swarm’s combat units, a two-meter-long tentacle suggests that the main body of the combat unit wouldn’t be particularly large either.

While the Swarm’s combat units have demonstrated formidable close-combat capabilities in the few recorded encounters, with proper preparation, it is possible to effectively counter such attacks.

For example, a 500-meter-long Space Octopus, once it closes the distance, can single-handedly defeat a three-to-four-kilometer-long warship, regardless of the technological level of the opposing civilization. So far, no civilization has managed to win in such a scenario.

Moreover, the Swarm has enhanced the deployment methods of these large Space Octopuses, using electromagnetic catapults to increase their flight speed. Once they close in, they can easily disrupt formations, create breakthroughs, and gradually erode the enemy’s forces. The Yuntu fleet was destroyed in this manner.

However, when one side has superior firepower, the surplus firepower is sufficient to eliminate these massive, balled-up units mid-flight. If the Swarm were to continue using this tactic under such conditions, it would amount to nothing more than sending troops to their deaths. In the early stages of the war, the Swarm did just that, sending many units to their doom, much to the delight of the confederation.

Early on, when the Confederation had not yet fully adapted to the Swarm’s tactics, they paid little attention to the Swarm’s smaller combat units, which were only ten to twenty meters in size. As a result, when these units closed in, the Confederation forces were caught off guard, often leaving their ship hangars and access points unsecured.

This allowed the Swarm’s smaller combat units to seize the opportunity. Their soft-bodied nature gave them a significant advantage, as even narrow ship corridors couldn’t hinder their movement.

Additionally, while their external biological armor was no match for the main and secondary cannons of warships, it proved excessively durable against small arms and handheld weapons inside the ships.

This was partly due to the Confederation’s lack of emphasis on internal ship defense. After all, before the Swarm, no one had anticipated encountering such a race. Nevertheless, this does not negate the fact that the Swarm’s smaller combat units demonstrated remarkable combat effectiveness in these specific environments.

However, no tactic is invincible. After the Swarm’s smaller combat units had their moment of glory in several battles, the Confederation races figured out their weaknesses and devised countermeasures.

The first step was to prevent these smaller units from getting close in the first place. In large-scale battles, this wasn’t difficult to achieve.

Since these smaller units lacked their own energy circulation systems, their operational range in space was extremely limited. As a result, they typically relied on larger combat units to carry them close to the Confederation fleet.

Dozens or even hundreds of smaller units would be packed inside a larger unit, which meant their numerical advantage couldn’t be fully utilized. Under the intense firepower of large-scale battles, they were either intercepted mid-flight or left stranded after their carrier was destroyed, unable to return to their main force or continue toward their target, left to drift helplessly in the battlefield.

At the same time, to prevent unexpected situations, the Confederation races reinforced certain compartments within their ships and equipped them with medium and heavy infantry weapons, capable of sustaining high-intensity combat.

While these infantry weapons were still insignificant in ship-to-ship battles, they were more than sufficient to deal with the Swarm’s smaller combat units.

Therefore, when the crew learned that a Swarm unit had infiltrated a part of the ship, they didn’t panic. The Swarm unit visible on the surveillance footage wasn’t large, and the ship’s internal defense systems were more than capable of eliminating it.

Even if the defense systems failed, panicking wouldn’t help. Their clearance levels didn’t allow them to take any action, so they could only wait silently for the outcome.

The ship’s captain was no incompetent figurehead. He had received and deduced this information much earlier and had already issued combat orders.

This time, the Z-series combat robots were deployed, forming a complete squad. Their configuration was comprehensive, consisting of four Z-1-16 units, four Z-2Q-15 units, and four Z-R-2 modified units.

The Z-1-16 resembled the in-cabin repair robots, also disc-shaped but much larger, with a diameter of two meters. They were equipped with various reconnaissance instruments to provide intelligence support for the squad.

Additionally, their undersides housed two small Vulcan cannons, and they were equipped with missile launchers and storage bays, capable of carrying and firing 30-centimeter-long small guided missiles, with a standard ammunition load of twelve missiles. Four Z-1-16 units could deliver several rounds of small-scale saturation fire, providing aerial support for the squad.

The Z-2Q-15 units were ground troops, resembling spiders in appearance. However, this design wasn’t inspired by the Swarm. Instead, it was based on the practical advantages of arthropod-like robots in terms of speed, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. Such designs had been used in various industries for a long time.

The Z-2Q-15’s main body was also slightly over two meters in diameter, with legs about three meters long. The bottoms of their mechanical limbs were fitted with biomimetic claws and electromagnetic absorption devices, allowing them to sprint through the ship’s corridors even in zero-gravity environments. Their flexible design, combined with mature algorithms, enabled them to navigate small-scale obstacle terrains with ease.

Their weapon configuration was similar to the Z-1-16, with a small Vulcan cannon mounted on the upper side of the main body and a missile rack and launcher hidden in the abdomen. Their internal magazine held six missiles, providing frontal fire support for the squad while allowing them to quickly penetrate enemy formations and disrupt their deployment.

Their functionality overlapped somewhat with the Z-1-16, but despite having a main body similar in size, they carried one less Vulcan cannon and half the ammunition. This was because their bodies housed a high-explosive bomb. In critical moments, their long mechanical limbs could latch onto enemies, allowing them to self-destruct and take the enemy with them.

Finally, the Z-R-2 modified units were the only humanoid mechs in the squad. Standing nearly four meters tall, they were about a meter taller than the B-3 repair robots. However, their four-meter frame still allowed them to fight at full capacity in most areas of the ship.

The standard Z-R-2 units were equipped with specialized energy rifles, custom high-explosive grenades, and advanced dynamic vision tracking systems. With intelligence support from the Z-1-16 units, they were more than capable of eliminating any enemy within the ship’s confines.