I Am The Swarm-Chapter 712: Mutual Struggle

The scales of victory began to tilt in favor of the Ji, but the Swarm quickly retaliated.

A Ji gunboat had just landed, and the soldiers and vehicles it carried were disembarking. Before they could disperse, the ground beneath them suddenly gave way.

A massive maw erupted from below, swallowing the gunboat, along with some soldiers and vehicles. The spiral arrangement of sharp teeth inside the maw acted like a grinder, crushing the Ji soldiers and small vehicles before consuming them.

Even the more heavily armored Ji gunboat only lasted a little longer. The corrosive fluid dripping from the monster’s maw softened the gunboat, making it easier to digest. Under this dual assault, the gunboat’s protective armor soon showed signs of wear and corrosion.

“It’s a Burrower!”

This was another Swarm unit documented in the Ji archives. Although Burrowers mostly operated underground, they were a key auxiliary unit for the Swarm in colonizing new planets. Their numbers were vast, and they appeared on nearly every planet the Swarm occupied, so the Ji couldn’t ignore them.

Moreover, the Burrower’s massive size even surpassed many of the Swarm’s space-based units. In biological terms, size often correlates with strength and defense.

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Thus, despite being classified as an auxiliary unit, the Burrower’s immense strength and thick hide gave it considerable offensive capabilities.

However, its attack methods were too limited and primitive. While it could handle smaller units with ease, it struggled against targets like the Ji gunboats, which required time to wear down.

Although the Ji gunboat was caught off guard and swallowed by the Burrower, and even suffered damage from the sharp teeth and corrosive fluid, this was only superficial damage. The gunboat’s core functions remained intact.

The gunboat’s crew, after the initial panic, quickly regained their composure. The anti-matter cannon began charging, and with a close-range shot, an explosion erupted. The recoil set off alarms on the gunboat. Firing at such close range was like detonating an anti-matter cannon right in front of it, and even the reactive armor near the cannon’s muzzle was mostly melted.

But this level of damage was nothing compared to what the Burrower suffered.

Even the Burrower’s thick hide was unlikely to withstand such a close-range blast, let alone the less resilient inner walls of its body.

However, Burrowers lacked pain receptors. Even if a portion of their inner walls was annihilated, leaving the edges of the wound a bloody mess, the damage was only moderate relative to their enormous size. The blast hadn’t even pierced through its body.

Fortunately, the Burrower’s data was on file, and the gunboat’s auxiliary AI retrieved it immediately after the attack. So, even though they were still trapped in the Burrower’s stomach, the gunboat’s crew remained calm.

But soon, they began to panic. As the anti-matter cannon charged, the Burrower began to shift its inner walls, moving the gunboat’s position. After a few squeezes, the wound from the earlier blast disappeared from the gunboat’s view.

The second anti-matter cannon shot blasted another hole in the Burrower’s inner walls, but soon this wound also vanished as the gunboat’s position shifted again.

“This isn’t working. We can’t pierce through the Burrower’s body in a short time. Based on the Burrower’s size in the records, it could withstand at least a hundred of our cannon shots using this method.”

“Given our cannon’s recharge time, that’s more than enough for the Burrower to turn us into mush.”

“We still have two high-explosive bombs on board. Their power should be enough to pierce through the Burrower’s body.”

“But, buddy, the Burrower’s inner walls are squeezing us so tightly that we can’t even deploy the bombs a meter away. I don’t want to watch the explosion up close.”

“Yeah, neither do I, but I’d rather not become mush.”

“Or ashes.”

“Alright, buddy, I know it’s a tough decision, but we have to choose between ashes and mush.”

“I don’t think we’re at that point yet. Maybe the Burrower can’t take many more shots. After all, no matter how strong or big it is, it’s still just a biological creature.”

“Let’s try it then. If there’s another option, that’s even better.”

What they didn’t know was that the Burrower had already retreated underground. Even if they blasted through its walls, they wouldn’t find blue skies and white clouds waiting for them.

However, such unlucky gunboats were few and far between. Burrowers were, after all, classified as auxiliary units. Their attack speed wasn’t fast, and with proper precautions, even gunboats landing on the ground could avoid being swallowed.

Moreover, after the initial wave of attacks, the gunboats had wisely hovered about fifty meters above the ground. For the Ji soldiers and anti-gravity vehicles, this was no different from being on the ground.

Additionally, while Burrowers were numerous, they were far outnumbered by the gunboats. Relying on Burrowers as the main offensive force was a joke, and the Swarm wasn’t that desperate.

The Burrowers retreated underground, making way for a swarm of other Swarm units to emerge. Spider Combat Bugs, Flying Artillery Bugs, Laser-Eye Bugs, and more poured out.

At the same time, new units joined the fray, such as a massive beast resembling a wild boar. Over twelve meters long and five meters tall at the shoulder, its most striking feature was the massive cannon mounted on its back. Judging by the deep footprints it left, its body density was extremely high, and it likely weighed over fifty tons.

Several of these boar-like beasts charged out of the dark underground tunnels, roaring to announce their arrival. Then, a deafening hum filled the air, accompanied by blue arcs of electricity. Dust began to float unnaturally around them.

“It’s an electromagnetic cannon!”

Indeed, while electromagnetic cannons had fallen behind in space combat, they remained timeless in planetary battles, especially in close-quarters combat within a hundred kilometers.

A projectile was fired, vanishing instantly. Moments later, the deafening sonic boom followed. By then, the projectile had already struck its target.

A Ji gunboat was unlucky enough to be chosen. Although they had noticed the electromagnetic cannon charging and attempted to evade, even the agile gunboats struggled to dodge such attacks at this range.