I Am The Swarm-Chapter 708: Coordination

The Ji gunboats, having revealed their positions by opening fire, were immediately attacked by equally stealthy Swarm units. Sharp claws emerged from the void, striking fiercely at the Ji gunboats.

However, the smooth hulls of the Ji gunboats offered little for the claws to grip. Even their propulsion systems were hidden, utilizing concealed anti-gravity technology without exposed engines.

Similarly, their cannons were also hidden within the hulls, making the entire ship resemble a sleek, slippery metal box. This made it difficult for the Vulturehawks to find a foothold.

Moreover, while the Vulturehawks were known as sky dominators, their genetic makeup was still primitive compared to the Ji gunboats. Whether in terms of offensive or defensive capabilities, they were several generations behind.

However, Luo Wen had anticipated this from the start. To address this, he had made a slight enhancement to the Vulturehawks by adding a venom sac inside them.

The use of poison had been a constant throughout Luo Wen’s growth, from his early days playing in the mud with ants to the current era of space conquest. Even now, poison remained a viable tactic.

Thick, toxic fluid spewed from the Vulturehawks’ mouths, creating an indescribable scene. Unlike the final mutations of the airdrop pods, the Vulturehawks’ venom was slightly less potent due to being stored in biological bodies.

However, it had its own unique advantages: it was stickier and, upon contact with air, quickly solidified into a hard, amber-like substance.

Although the Ji gunboats were smooth and lacked external weaknesses, being encased in this amber-like substance would render most of their functions useless. Additionally, while their cannons were hidden, they still had firing ports that the Vulturehawks’ sticky venom could clog.

Furthermore, while the venom was slightly less toxic than that of the airdrop pods, it was still highly potent. If a gunboat were encased, it wouldn’t take long—perhaps half a day—for it to dissolve into nothingness.

The Ji hadn’t expected so many Vulturehawks to be hidden in the air. Without the support of orbital warships and Eagle-Eye squads, their ability to detect Swarm stealth units was proving inadequate.

“These creatures, do they not care about their Empress’s safety?” an officer in the rear command center exclaimed in frustration.

“It’s likely the Swarm Empress’s own orders.”

“Is she not afraid of death? The situation was already quite dangerous for her.”

Read lat𝙚st chapters at fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓ Only.

“That’s just our perception. To her, it might not have been that dangerous. It seems we need to reassess the Swarm Empress’s bio-armor.”

“We don’t have time. We have at most an hour. After that, even if we capture the Swarm Empress, we won’t be able to retreat.”

“Then send more troops!”

In space, although the Ji’s 200 warships in near-orbit had been destroyed, a massive fleet was rapidly approaching.

This fleet, which had initially consisted of 20,000 warships, had been relentlessly intercepted by Swarm units along the way. Despite this, it still numbered over 15,000 ships. Based on the current situation, it was estimated that around 12,000 ships would remain by the time they reached the planet’s near-orbit.

However, Swarm reinforcements had also arrived, and they had beaten the Ji to the punch. Dense clusters of Swarm units began docking in near-orbit, their numbers so vast that they literally blocked out the sunlight. The combatants on the ground could clearly see the sky darkening rapidly.

The Ji gunboats, harassed by the Vulturehawks, were growing increasingly frustrated. While these creatures couldn’t withstand a single shot from the gunboats, their numbers, agility, stealth capabilities, and the interference from their venom made them a significant nuisance.

At the same time, a new wave of airdrop pods, burning brightly as they entered the atmosphere, was about to reach the battlefield. Staying in the air to deal with these birds no longer seemed like a viable option.

“Open the hatches and deploy the troops!” Due to the Vulturehawks’ harassment, the Ji gunboats had avoided opening their hatches. While the hatches weren’t large enough for the Vulturehawks to enter, getting a few globs of venom inside would be a major headache. After all, the internal defenses of the ships were far weaker than their external alloy armor.

Although the Ji gunboats were still cloaked, most of their hulls were now partially covered in venom, with yellow-green fluid outlining their shapes.

Thus, when the hatches began to open, the Vulturehawks quickly noticed and swooped in, spitting venom at the openings.

However, two loud bangs erupted from the hatches. The airborne venom was struck by an invisible force, redirecting it back toward the Vulturehawks.

Since the venom sacs had been temporarily added to the Vulturehawks, their bodies lacked the same resistance as the sacs. Faced with their own venom, the Vulturehawks had to be cautious.

Before they could dodge, they were struck by an invisible blow, crying out as they were sent flying. Fortunately, this also helped them escape the venom’s range.

With the hatch threat neutralized, Ji soldiers began pouring out. They hovered around the gunboats, using weapons equipped with special modules to fend off the attacking Vulturehawks. Only after all the soldiers had exited and the hatches were closed did they begin descending to the ground.

During this time, not a single Vulturehawk or drop of venom breached the Ji soldiers’ defenses. Using their special modules, they transformed their guns into air cannons, compressing and firing air to create walls of force that pushed back everything in their path.

While these air cannons were highly dependent on the environment and lacked significant killing power in the current combat context, they excelled as repulsion weapons, proving more effective than direct attacks.

Combined with ultrasonic waves, these area-of-effect repulsion weapons allowed the Ji soldiers to hold their ground against the Swarm’s onslaught, keeping the enemy at bay over a hundred meters away.

Moreover, while these weapons weren’t particularly lethal on their own, when paired with high-explosive area weapons, their effectiveness multiplied.

By first using repulsion weapons to cluster the Swarm units and then following up with high-explosive bombs, the Ji seemed to have found the key to countering the Swarm’s tactics, based on their analysis of past battles.