I Am The Swarm-Chapter 644: The Search
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.
The modified Z-R-2 units, however, came with even more weapon options. First, two of the Z-R-2 modified units were equipped with massive shields measuring 3.5 meters in length, 2 meters in width, and half a meter in thickness, complete with support stands.
The material of these shields was similar to the reactive armor used on the exterior of warships. In the narrow confines of the ship, where large-caliber weapons couldn’t be used, these shields could block almost all frontal attacks. Two shields could cover an area of nearly 30 square meters, providing the squad with formidable defensive capabilities.
In addition, one of the modified Z-R-2 units was outfitted with a flamethrower that used highly concentrated oxidizers, capable of spewing high-temperature flames. Although its range was limited, it was a devastating area-of-effect weapon.
This weapon didn’t exist before; it was developed later based on the Swarm’s characteristics. According to data provided by the Ji race, the Swarm’s biological armor had the highest resistance to pure energy attacks and laser-type weapons. Physical attacks below a certain threshold also couldn’t harm them.
In the confined environment of a ship, facing smaller Swarm combat units, high-temperature flames became the most effective means of killing. While the Swarm had high resistance to flames, once a certain temperature threshold was reached, their defenses would collapse entirely.
This was somewhat similar to their resistance to physical attacks. Physical attacks that reached this threshold also posed a significant threat to warships. In comparison, flame attacks were much safer.
The final modified Z-R-2 unit was equipped with a massive four-meter-long Gauss rifle, capable of delivering powerful penetrating physical damage. Normally, the rifle was divided into two sections and carried on the robot’s back. Its quick-release design allowed it to be rapidly assembled when needed.
This Gauss rifle was originally intended for outdoor use. Its powerful attacks could even penetrate the reactive armor of certain warship models. In theory, it was prohibited from being used inside the ship, as each shot would undoubtedly blow a hole in the hull, causing damage.
However, it was still deployed as a last resort. In case of an emergency, a damaged ship was still preferable to a catastrophic explosion.
A Z-series robot tactical squad, with its comprehensive configuration for air, ground, long-range, and close-quarters combat, was more than capable of handling most invasion scenarios. Their operation mode primarily relied on remote control by pilots, with independent thinking modules that allowed for flexible tactical adjustments based on the situation. Artificial intelligence assistance provided powerful computational support for data retrieval and analysis. This combination of strengths made them highly effective.
Deploying such a fully equipped tactical squad against a Swarm combat unit with a tentacle length of just over two meters might have seemed like overkill to the ship’s commander. However, given that the opponent was the Swarm, he felt it was better to err on the side of caution.
The fully assembled Z-series tactical squad quickly arrived at the B5 Deck, the area invaded by the Swarm, after receiving their activation orders.
“Tell the squad to proceed with caution. I don’t want to see any casualties,” Captain Jesse instructed.
“Understood, Captain. The orders have been relayed to all team members.”
“Good. Patch into their first-person perspectives. Gwendolyn, pay attention to any anomalies. I want to know how these bugs got onto my ship!”
“As you command, Captain.”
Soon, the large screen in front of the captain was divided into dozens of small grids, displaying real-time footage from the cameras mounted on the Z-series squad.
Since the entire Z-series squad was remotely controlled by pilots using immersive virtual modules, some of the video feeds were first-person perspectives, providing a highly immersive experience.
“Patch into the squad’s audio feed,” Jesse ordered. Watching the footage without sound felt like watching a silent movie, missing something crucial. After his command, the audio was immediately transmitted.
“Gwendolyn, mark the location where the B-3 was attacked,” the squad leader ordered as they approached the target area but found no trace of the repair robot’s wreckage.
As soon as he spoke, a conspicuous red marker appeared on the green holographic screen in front of him. Unfortunately, the area was now empty; the wreckage of the B-3 had vanished.
“Elson, go in and take a look. Be careful. Everyone else, cover him!”
“Roger that!” Elson, a Z-1-16 pilot, maneuvered his disc-shaped drone slowly toward the red-marked area, activating all detection instruments to capture even the slightest anomalies.
“Cover him!” As Elson’s drone inched closer to the spot where the B-3 had been attacked, the squad leader emphasized again.
However, his reminder was unnecessary. The team had served together for years and had excellent teamwork. They knew exactly what to do in such situations. As soon as Elson moved forward, the others had already activated their weapon systems, ready to attack at any moment. The energy leakage from the flamethrower’s pre-heating even raised the temperature in the vicinity. Fortunately, since they were all remotely controlling the robotic units, this wasn’t a major concern.
Under the tense gaze of the squad members and the captain, the drone slowly reached the spot where the B-3 had been attacked. It circled the area twice but encountered no attacks.
“What’s going on? Did it run away?”
“The enemy isn’t some wild beast; they’re an intelligent race. Don’t underestimate them.”
“Exactly! Be careful. I don’t want to have to use my big gun.”
“Quiet! Stay focused! Elson, keep moving forward. Tully, Kari, follow him. Fan out and search! Gale, find a vantage point. I need a full view of the area! Everyone else, maintain formation and be ready to support!”
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“Roger that!” The three named pilots, also operating Z-1-16 units, detached from the main group and flew forward to join Elson. The three drones maintained their distance, conducting a full-scale sweep.
Meanwhile, the last drone, due to the electromagnetic pulse that had previously disabled all nearby monitoring probes, was tasked with providing an aerial overview for the team.
“Be careful. Check the pulse protection systems. I don’t want to see your machines fried because of negligence.”
“Roger that!”
Five minutes passed.
“Squad leader, nothing here!”
“Squad leader, nothing here either.”
“Squad leader, same here~”
“Z2 units, move forward and search the ground. Z1 units, keep providing visual coverage!” After a full sweep by the three Z1 units yielded no results, and for safety reasons, they weren’t allowed to get too close to the ground. However, this task wasn’t theirs to begin with.
