I Am The Swarm

In the darkness, two-meter-tall grass swayed gently in the breeze, creating a soft rustling sound. The dense foliage was so thick that anyone more than three meters away would be nearly impossible to spot without guidance.

Earlier, as the patrol squad bantered among themselves, they felt no unease. But now, in the silence, the eerie darkness surrounding them sent a chill up their spines, filling them with inexplicable dread.

“Captain, Kendall is still alive. The monitor shows signs of life,” came Gade’s voice over the communicator.

The wristbands worn by the squad members allowed real-time monitoring of their pulse and transmitted the data to a control terminal. Each squad was equipped with an information scout who carried the terminal to track the team’s vital signs.

Under the drone’s guidance, the six-person squad finally reached Kendall, located over 300 meters away.

The combat suit was fully sealed, making it impossible to visually assess Kendall’s condition. The captain stepped forward, turned Kendall over, and pressed a button on the side of his helmet. A faint light illuminated Kendall’s face, revealing a visage twisted in terror.

“Kendall, what happened to you?” the captain asked.

But Kendall did not respond, his wide, terrified eyes staring unblinkingly.

Due to the Riken’s inability to be exposed to the environment of the Great Dawn Planet, the captain dared not remove Kendall’s helmet. He lightly tapped on the helmet and asked again several times but still received no reply.

“Gade, something’s wrong with Kendall. Call for transport support—we can’t carry him back ourselves.”

“Understood—ah!”

“What’s wrong, Gade?”

“Damn it, something stung me—it hurts like hell!” Gade muttered through the communicator.

“Don’t joke around! Check your combat suit for damage immediately!” the captain shouted, alarmed. The suits were supposed to be sealed—if Gade felt a sting, his suit might have been compromised.

“Huh? What’s wrong with you two?” Gade’s puzzled voice came through the communicator.

“What’s going on?”

“…” There was no response from Gade’s end.

“Gade? Bublen? Sig? Respond!” The captain called each name, but there was only silence in return.

“Damn it!” he cursed. “Pick up Kendall. Let’s head back and see what’s going on.” Exercising caution, he drew a flare gun from his belt and fired an illumination round into the sky. ＲÃＮO͍ᛒĚ𐌔

The scorching white light exploded above, turning the area as bright as day. It served both as illumination and a warning. Though the captain had yet to confirm what was happening, he preferred facing potential punishment later over taking risks in the ominous darkness.

If it turned out to be a prank by those brats, he’d shove the flare gun where the sun didn’t shine.

“Corporal Kaida, what’s going on over there?” The illumination flare quickly caught the attention of the regional command center, and an inquiry followed.

“Sir, one of my team members is in an unknown condition and immobile, while three others have gone silent. I’m heading back to investigate and issued a precautionary warning,” Captain Kaida replied while leading the remaining team members toward the others.

The distance of 300 meters was covered quickly. The captain pushed aside the grass to find three squad members lying on the ground, their expressions identical to Kendall’s—terrified, wide-eyed, and immobile.

This was not normal.

Still connected to the regional command center, the captain hastily reported, “Sir, four of my squad members are showing identical symptoms. They’re alive but completely paralyzed and unable to speak. One mentioned being stung by something before this happened—possible hostile action suspected.”

“Corporal Kaida, hold your position and maintain vigilance. Medical support will arrive in five minutes,” came the swift response.

Hearing that help was on the way, Captain Kaida exhaled in relief. With half his team incapacitated, he knew they’d be given time to recover once back at base. He regretted volunteering for this expedition—this godforsaken alien planet was no place for anyone to be.

“Captain, watch out!”

The sudden warning from one of his team members jolted Kaida from his thoughts. His honed combat instincts kicked in, and he began to execute an evasive maneuver.

But just as he started, his limbs went numb. His evasive motion faltered, and he collapsed face-first to the ground. His wide, terrified eyes mirrored those of his incapacitated comrades.

He couldn’t comprehend what had happened. Why had his body suddenly failed him?

Kaida tried to speak, to ask for help, but his mouth was paralyzed. Now he understood what his squad members had experienced, but he didn’t want to learn it this way.

The remaining team members stood in stunned silence. In the brief flash of the flare, they had glimpsed a transparent object landing on Kaida’s back. By the time they called out in warning, the captain had already collapsed.

These soldiers were inexperienced recruits who had never been in combat. Their reactions lagged, and those precious moments of hesitation sealed their fate. Before they could even approach to investigate, they too fell one by one.

The assailants were a new generation of Spider Combat Bugs. Over the years, Luo Wen had prepared meticulously for this war. These bugs were specifically engineered to exploit the weaknesses of Riken combat suits.

Although the Riken had made remarkable technological advances in the past century, their combat suit designs had seen little improvement. To counter these fully-enclosed protective suits, Luo Wen had modified the original Spider Combat Bugs, equipping their stingers with enhanced capabilities.

Using genes from a metallic snail species, the bugs were made to absorb a specialized mineral solution during incubation. This mineral formed a one-millimeter alloy tip on the stinger.

With this tip, the stingers could pierce up to two centimeters into the Cat’s Ear Spaceship’s steel hull, let alone Riken combat suits.

Additionally, the poison sacs of the Spider Combat Bugs were upgraded. Using experimental materials obtained from the captured Cat’s Ear Spaceship—similar to the experiments conducted on the Ratfolk—Luo Wen developed a neurotoxin specifically targeting the Riken nervous system.

This toxin rapidly spread throughout the victim’s body within seconds, paralyzing their central nervous system and preventing neural signals from reaching their limbs. By the time the Riken realized something was wrong, they were already fully aware but completely immobile.

The toxin wasn’t lethal. Luo Wen had noted the life-monitoring systems in Riken combat suits aboard the Cat’s Ear Spaceship. Killing the soldiers outright would trigger alarms, but paralyzing them would not.

However, exceptions existed among all species. Gade, a member of Kaida’s squad, was one such anomaly.

The stinger released its toxin immediately upon piercing the skin, cutting off surrounding nerve signals. Most Rikens wouldn’t even feel the sting. But Gade had an extreme sensitivity to pain, amplifying even a mosquito bite into an unbearable sensation.

Thus, when stung, Gade cried out, alerting Captain Kaida.

Despite the Spider Combat Bugs’ swift follow-up attack neutralizing the patrol squad, the ambush had been exposed.

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