I Am The Swarm

In the vastness of space battles spanning tens of thousands of kilometers, even a warship a kilometer long is incredibly difficult to hit precisely from such distances.

At this moment, the two fleets were less than 60,000 kilometers apart. Although the flight time of the Primordial-class electromagnetic artillery shells had been reduced to 12 minutes, this was still an extraordinarily long duration.

In 12 minutes, Riken warships could cover several thousand kilometers. This was akin to sniping a cheetah sprinting at full speed from tens of kilometers away—an almost inconceivable challenge.

However, the Riken energy weapons only required about a minute of flight time over this distance.

Thick, crimson energy beams streaked across the void. With over 800 warships, each equipped with 12 main cannons, the combined salvo unleashed nearly 10,000 energy beams—significantly surpassing the 8,000 projectiles of the Primordial-class in a single volley. Additionally, the beams’ vibrant hues made for a far more imposing visual display compared to the unremarkable electromagnetic projectiles.

One minute was sufficient for the Primordial-class bodies to travel several hundred kilometers, and the Riken fleet’s initial salvo yielded no results.

But this was merely a data-gathering trial. Soon, data on the Primordial-class bodies’ velocity, trajectory, and predictive targeting calculations were compiled. After adjusting the angles of their main cannons, the Riken fleet fired their second salvo.

A minute later, the energy beams streaked through space, passing within ten kilometers of the swarm’s forces.

Despite having no prior encounters with the swarm’s combat units, the Riken fleet had theoretically developed instruments capable of detecting the energy buildup of the swarm’s electromagnetic cannons. On the other hand, the swarm, having captured numerous Riken warships and equipment, possessed an even more advanced research team and biological organs designed to monitor Riken energy weaponry.

These biological detection organs were integrated into the Primordial-class bodies, transmitting data to their bio-intelligence systems whenever the Riken warship turrets shifted. The systems calculated their trajectories in real-time.

Since the swarm had captured a substantial number of Riken warships, they possessed comprehensive weapon parameters, allowing for highly accurate calculations.

When the Riken warships opened fire, the detection organs immediately raised the alarm. Under the Blade’s command, the Primordial-class bodies executed a minor deceleration maneuver, narrowly avoiding the incoming salvo.

But this was within the Riken calculations. Their warships’ main cannons recharged swiftly, and within minutes, a third salvo—further refined in trajectory—was unleashed upon the swarm’s forces.

At this point, the Primordial-class bodies had not yet regained their full velocity. Although the Blades ordered the temporary halt of electromagnetic cannon charging to divert all energy to engine output, they were still unable to entirely evade the Riken fleet’s third wave of fire.

Although the Riken energy weapons’ potency diminished over such vast distances and the Primordial-class bodies exhibited strong resistance to energy attacks, these advantages were limited in large-scale fleet combat.

In the lower-left flank of the swarm’s formation, more than 30 Primordial-class bodies were directly obliterated by concentrated energy beams. Some of their mature and juvenile bodies were also incapacitated, leaving the rest to transfer the atomic furnaces from the wreckage into surviving Primordial-class bodies.

After enduring several waves of bombardment, the swarm had consolidated the necessary data. Soon, the swarm retaliated.

This time, their projectiles were not aimed in a single unified direction but rather locked onto a region using a converging angle strategy.

Initially, the Riken fleet did not notice the difference in this salvo. By the time they realized, it was too late. Despite desperate evasive maneuvers, a small cluster of warships on the fleet’s lower flank was bombarded by the swarm’s projectiles.

Three warships were obliterated outright, while several others, though relatively intact, sustained critical damage. Their internal systems were compromised, and their navigation speeds visibly decreased.

Forced to retreat, these damaged warships withdrew from the battle under the cover of the fleet.

This round of bombardment was extraordinarily dazzling, leaving Riken First Space Fleet Commander Hamis momentarily stunned.

To be clear, the difficulty of calculations involving a 12-minute lead time versus a 1-minute lead time is on entirely different levels. The swarm’s ability to use data gathered from just a few salvos to strike the Riken fleet—though partly due to the fleet’s own carelessness—was still nothing short of astonishing. ṘᴀNổＢĚʂ

This realization made Hamis understand that their previous assumptions about the swarm’s lack of advanced computational technology were completely overturned, and they had already paid a price for this misjudgment.

If Third Fleet Commander Alcer had been here instead, he likely wouldn’t have cared about such details and would have continued executing the original battle plan.

But Hamis was naturally cautious. The swarm exceeding expectations in one area suggested that other assumptions about them might also be incorrect. He believed all operational plans needed to be reassessed.

After transmitting this information back to the command center, Hamis ordered the fleet to temporarily retreat.

However, in the midst of war, and with the Riken technology not holding an absolute advantage, there was no chance for a unilateral withdrawal.

As the Riken warships began pulling back, their intentions were immediately detected by Sarah and the other swarm intelligences. Although the increasing distance significantly raised the computational workload, the Riken fleet still had several “stragglers.”

The Primordial-class bodies ignored the intact warships and focused their firepower on the previously damaged ones. Despite their attempts to flee earlier, their slower speed meant they hadn’t gotten far.

Their reduced velocity also left them unable to execute intricate evasive maneuvers. Coupled with their retreat trajectory being confined to a narrow zone, calculating the predictive lead became much simpler.

Initially, Hamis was reluctant to abandon these ships under the swarm’s assault. However, calculations by the fleet’s AI indicated that saving them would require positioning the entire fleet behind them, effectively taking the full brunt of the swarm’s barrage.

While this approach might save the damaged warships, it would expose the rest of the fleet to significant damage and casualties. If this cycle repeated, the entire fleet could be decimated.

After 0.1 seconds of consideration, Hamis decisively abandoned the damaged ships and ordered the remaining warships to accelerate and retreat at full speed.

The crew aboard the damaged warships quickly received the commander’s decision. With no time to protest, all personnel immediately evacuated. A large number of escape pods were launched from the warships.

Unlike the neighboring star system, this was the Riken home system. As long as the escape pods weren’t directly hit by electromagnetic shells, their chances of survival remained relatively high.

The warships, now under AI control, continued forward, desperately attempting evasive maneuvers. However, the swarm’s 8,000 projectiles had already blanketed all possible escape routes.

After more than ten minutes, the projectiles descended with immense kinetic energy, colliding with the warships. Their armor, compressed to its limits, tore apart, and subsequent impacts destroyed them completely.

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