I Am The Swarm-Chapter 655: Attack

The strategist didn’t know whether the Swarm had anticipated this situation long ago when they devised this plan and intentionally designed those detestable tentacles to behave this way. But this design was indeed causing them significant trouble. At the very least, capturing live specimens was nearly impossible.

The discussion continued, but with several core issues unresolved, it gradually devolved into pointless bickering. Meanwhile, the Swarm wouldn’t slow their advance just because the Confederation’s meeting was making no progress.

While the Confederation’s meeting dragged on, the number of ships infiltrated by the Swarm continued to rise, rapidly increasing the overall percentage—50%, 60%, 70%…

The rapidly growing number of infected ships heightened the sense of crisis among the bickering representatives. The higher the percentage, the closer the Swarm was to launching their next phase of the plan.

Although no one knew what the Swarm had prepared, given their past behavior, it was likely something formidable. Even if they deployed just a few combat units, the Confederation would struggle to resist.

After all, the Swarm’s close-combat prowess was well-known. The current battlefield situation felt like everyone had been forced into an arena, anxiously waiting for the beasts to be unleashed.

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“We can’t wait any longer. My flagship has also detected signs of those things. We must make a decision,” a representative from a mid-ring civilization said urgently after receiving a message.

“There’s no other way. The research department can’t crack the Swarm’s mimicry system in such a short time. If we can’t detect them, all our efforts are pointless,” another representative said gloomily. His flagship had detected the Swarm’s presence much earlier.

Like the previous representative, he had been panicked when he first received the news. In a battle between two armies, he had many options. Even if they lost, with the flagship’s capabilities and the protection of his guards, escaping wouldn’t be a problem.

But now, even the safest place—his flagship—was no longer secure. Soon, it might become the enemy’s stronghold. To make matters worse, his escort ships had also begun showing signs of Swarm infiltration.

Now, stranded in space, without his flagship and escort ships, his safety was far from guaranteed. An escape pod wouldn’t get him very far.

However, seeing his fellow representatives facing the same predicament, he suddenly felt less anxious. After all, there was a difference between being alone and being part of a group.

“Can we use lightweight weapons to locate them?” This representative’s suggestion was highly constructive. Warships, as artificial constructs, were built from various metal modules. Unless they were designed to be overly unique, their interiors were likely made of metal as well.

Metal rooms, metal corridors, metal doors—while these structures weren’t as heavily armored as the ship’s exterior, they were still made of high-strength metal and had considerable defensive capabilities. Ordinary tools or small-caliber weapons would only leave superficial damage.

The representative’s idea was to use small-caliber weapons for blind, indiscriminate firing. By causing superficial damage to the ship’s interior, they might be able to locate the Swarm’s trap units.

But his idea had already been tested long ago, such as by Knox’s Z-series squad…

“Captain, this isn’t working. Should we use the Vulcan cannons to sweep the area?” Kari, frustrated after having his robot destroyed multiple times, was seething with anger. The enemy’s evasiveness left him with no outlet for his frustration. Suddenly, he had an idea that seemed promising.

In truth, he just wanted to vent his frustration. But his suggestion struck Knox and the others as feasible.

The Vulcan cannons mounted on the Z-series Z1 disk-shaped flyers and Z2 spider-shaped robots were rapid-fire weapons primarily used to clear hostile humanoid or mechanical targets. Their firepower wasn’t particularly high—only a few times more powerful than standard infantry rifles.

Using them for blind firing in the target area, while slightly more powerful, wouldn’t cause significant damage to the ship’s interior. The metal structures might sustain some damage, but they should hold up without compromising the ship’s integrity.

If this method worked, some internal damage would be a small price to pay. Eliminating these unstable factors would mean victory on the small battlefield level.

And on the larger battlefield, they already held an absolute advantage. Once the war was over, they could return for repairs. The internal damage would be handled by professionals.

Realizing the plan’s potential, Knox quickly drafted a message and sent it to his superiors. His superiors, recognizing the urgency, forwarded it up the chain. The message reached the ship’s captain at an astonishing speed. In fact, the captain had been keeping an eye on Knox’s squad.

However, with all squads deployed to search for Swarm units, his attention had been divided, so he hadn’t immediately noticed Knox’s actions. Otherwise, he would have directly ordered the plan’s execution without the need for such a convoluted chain of communication.

But the delay wasn’t significant. In a situation where everyone’s survival was at stake, no one dared to play games with a frontline squad’s combat proposal.

The feedback quickly reached Knox. The plan was approved, and the squad members, who had been frustrated for so long, finally had a chance to vent.

The Vulcan cannons extended from the robots, and almost without pause, the intense firing began. The Vulcan cannons were known for their rapid rate of fire, capable of unleashing a staggering amount of ammunition in a short time.

Thus, when all twelve Vulcan cannons opened fire simultaneously, energy rounds rained down like a storm.

Perhaps the ship’s interior walls weren’t as sturdy as the squad members had imagined. Or perhaps, after being pent up for so long, the members were too excited and made operational errors.

In any case, the barrage clearly exceeded the interior walls’ defensive capabilities. After a brief moment of resistance, the walls collapsed, and several large holes were blown through.

An energy pipeline hidden behind the wall was hit, causing an immediate short circuit. This not only caused a fire but also cut off power to the compartment’s lighting system.