I Am The Swarm

As the Ji squad leader shouted, he felt a headache brewing. Their mission was to capture the Swarm Empress alive. However, if the Swarm Empress persisted in resisting, they would have no choice but to take forceful measures. Yet, her armor was extraordinarily robust. To breach its defenses and restrain the Swarm Empress without causing harm was, frankly, a challenge they weren’t confident they could handle.

If they accidentally injured the Swarm Empress, that would still be manageable. But if she were killed by mistake, digging a hole here and burying themselves alive might just be their best option.

“Be careful. If it comes to a fight, avoid her vital areas and prioritize targeting her limbs,” the squad leader instructed his soldiers over the comms during a lull in his shouting.

“Understood.”

The Ji squad leader’s repeated calls for surrender, amplified by the loudspeaker system, echoed continuously through the enclosed tunnel. His incessant chatter began to irritate Sarah Kerrigan.

Tella, the Empress’s bodyguard, instantly sensed Sarah’s irritation. Gripping her blade, she charged toward the Ji squad leader who was shouting.

Facing the charging bodyguard, the Ji squad leader showed no panic; instead, he felt a flicker of joy. The orders emphasized capturing the Swarm Empress alive but said nothing about others. Clearly, this bodyguard was fair game.

Eliminating the only companion of the Swarm Empress on-site, according to the ‘Universal Psychology of the Interstellar Technological Confederation’, would exert immense psychological pressure and implications on the remaining individual. Under such circumstances, it might shake the Swarm Empress’s resolve, leading her to surrender. If that happened, promotion, a raise, and marrying a wealthy beauty would no longer just be dreams for him.

Though indulging in these fantasies, his body remained dutifully engaged in commanding the battle. With a wave of his hand, the other Ji soldiers immediately understood. The next moment, a dense barrage of energy projectiles shot toward the Empress’s bodyguard.

Despite Tella’s best efforts to dodge several shots, the proximity and overwhelming firepower from the numerous Ji soldiers meant she was instantly struck by over a hundred projectiles.

Even with Tella being the Empress’s bodyguard, equipped with the finest reinforced exoskeletal bio-armor, she was quickly riddled like a sieve under such intense fire.

No one paid attention to the bodyguard collapsing like a discarded rag. The Ji squad leader continued addressing Sarah: “Your Majesty, your bodyguard has been eliminated. To avoid further casualties, please surrender.”

In the Ji squad leader’s view, victory was certain. There were no records of the Swarm Empress engaging in combat in past accounts. Moreover, during her earlier escape, the Swarm Empress had even needed the bodyguard’s assistance to move—an image not associated with formidable strength.

Thus, the Ji squad leader decided not to prolong the engagement. Though they currently held the advantage, delays might bring Swarm reinforcements. Given the high likelihood of this scenario, if he were the Swarm Empress, he wouldn’t surrender either.

He waved his hand, and sent out some tactical hand gestures. The soldiers promptly responded. Most stayed put, readying their weapons, while two groups slowly advanced toward the Swarm Empress. Two members discreetly modified their weapon components and loaded special ammunition.

Facing the slowly approaching Ji squads, Sarah’s expression didn’t change. In fact, with her mask covering her face, the Ji couldn’t see her expression.

Perhaps due to the Swarm Empress’s unnerving calmness, the Ji squad leader started doubting internally. Not only could they not see her expression, but they couldn’t even confirm her identity. They assumed this was Sarah solely because of the beacon on her.

But what if the Empress transferred the beacon midway? Wouldn’t they have been chasing a decoy? Thinking along those lines, perhaps the fallen “bodyguard” wasn’t genuine either?

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The Ji squad leader shook his head, dismissing these unfounded thoughts. Even if this person turned out to be a fake, it would be the intelligence department’s fault. He already concocted several excuses to shift blame.

Unaware of their squad leader’s mental deliberations, the soldiers continued their tasks. By now, the two groups had closed within 50 meters of Sarah.

Several soldiers who had been hiding behind their teammates suddenly stepped forward. Their modified weapons, slightly deformed due to the special components, aimed skyward.

“Bang~ bang~ bang~” Several soft hisses sounded as huge cylindrical rounds launched toward the Swarm Empress. These rounds suddenly burst mid-air, releasing nets made of special synthetic material, descending onto Sarah.

“Got her!” Seeing Sarah still unmoving, the distant Ji squad leader thought inwardly. Regardless of other factors, capturing this intelligent Swarm member—whether or not she was the Swarm Empress—was an accomplishment. The size of the credit mattered less.

Once ensnared by these giant nets, most of the capture task would be complete. Though unassuming, these nets were part of the Ji race’s standard arsenal due to their versatility across environments.

Their design saw little room for upgrades, so improvements focused on materials. Continuously upgraded materials rendered these seemingly ordinary nets incredibly resilient. Each woven strand could pull two large transport vehicles without snapping.

Thus, in the squad leader’s eyes, once trapped by these nets, the mission was mostly accomplished—even if she turned out to be a decoy. However, just a second later, the Ji squad leader almost changed his mind.

When the net was merely ten meters above the Swarm Empress, the posing Swarm Empress finally moved. And when she did, many Ji soldiers’ jaws dropped.

Sarah, dual-wielding blades, moved as if teleporting, escaping the net’s reach under seemingly impossible circumstances. Before the approaching group could react, she descended mid-air, executing two soldiers.

“Fire! Don’t let her get close!” the frontline squad leader screamed hysterically. The once-pretending lamb revealed itself as a big bad wolf, drastically increasing the difficulty level.

However, Sarah’s speed far exceeded that of other intelligent Swarm members and combat units. Even with auxiliary systems aiding them, the Ji soldiers struggled to keep up with her pace. Moreover, Sarah skillfully used the soldiers’ cover, making the other soldiers hesitate to shoot.