I Am The Swarm-Chapter 702: Interception

The Eagle Eye team’s prior preparations allowed them to successfully detect the presence of the Blade Swallows. The unique structure of the Blade Swallows also gave the Eagle Eye team a crucial insight.

“The attacks aren’t coming from the ground!”

“Regardless of where they’re coming from, let’s focus on completing our mission!”

However, even with this discovery, there wasn’t much they could do. The mission couldn’t be halted, so they could only report their findings. Fortunately, before all their units were destroyed, they managed to identify several more locations with abnormal energy readings.

Powerful energy strikes rained down from orbit once again, blasting deep craters into the marked locations. Although not all of the Swarm’s field generators were destroyed, a significant portion had been eliminated. The shielding field enveloping the conference site began to dissipate, and the personal terminals of the trapped Ji forces finally regained functionality.

But by then, the second wave of Blade Swallows had already descended from higher altitudes. Even the Eagle Eye units that had gained altitude were mostly destroyed by the black beams. Those that had descended to conduct reconnaissance missions faced simultaneous attacks from both waves of Blade Swallows.

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“All teams, report your status!”

After a quick tally, it was revealed that only two Eagle Eye units remained operational out of hundreds.

“It’s fine. Our resupply is almost here!”

No sooner had the words been spoken than they saw the fiery explosions of the intercepted supply pods in the sky. Simultaneously, orbital strikes followed.

The Eagle Eye team suffered heavy losses, but they had excellently completed the first half of their mission. Communications were restored at the conference site, and the Ji forces’ attacks became more coordinated.

Rewinding to the start of the battle, Sarah’s situation.

As the Swarm Empress and the primary target of the Confederation, Sarah naturally received special attention. Although the first wave of attacks had been blocked by her guards, more assaults followed.

“Send the Breadworms to assist!” Due to the effects of the flash bombs, the multi-color communication system was temporarily disabled, forcing Tella to shout to nearby allies.

But her shout also exposed her intentions. While the Swarm had never publicly disclosed their language, the sheer size of the Confederation made it easy to assemble a team to decipher it.

Although the Swarm rarely used their language in public, the team discovered that it bore a striking resemblance to the Ratfolk language. Through comparative analysis, they quickly made breakthroughs. Thus, even though Tella’s shout was in the Swarm language, the prepared Ji soldiers immediately understood its meaning through instant translation devices.

“Watch out for the Swarm’s Mito! Don’t let them get close!”

After the Mito formation near the conference site was destroyed, the nearest Mito were several kilometers away. For a Mito in motion, this distance was just a few steps, but their bulky frames made them easy targets.

Several Mito had just taken off when they were marked and swiftly destroyed by follow-up attacks. Tella noticed this and, scooping up Sarah, shouted, “Cover me!”

Despite Sarah’s armored form weighing over 200 pounds, Tella, also armored, carried her effortlessly without losing any agility.

Several guards, hearing the command, silently formed a human shield around Tella, covering her retreat.

“Stop her!”

“All units, target marked. Intercept at all costs! Do not let her escape!”

Sarah had been marked, and the Ji were determined to capture her alive. Tella, however, was not part of that plan. Fierce attacks rained down on her, and several Swarm guards used their bodies to block the onslaught.

Despite their powerful exoskeletal armor and defensive shields, there were limits. The Confederation’s attacks now exceeded those limits. Even Sarah’s elite guards, skilled in both combat and strategy, couldn’t withstand such firepower. Two were killed instantly, and the rest were severely injured.

Tella also came under heavy attack, but thanks to the brief delay provided by the guards, two nearby Red Fang Breakers rushed to her aid.

The negative energy shields were nearly invincible on the battlefield—any attack that touched them would dissipate harmlessly, as long as the energy held out.

But under the relentless barrage, the Red Fang Breakers’ energy reserves plummeted. The dark matter furnaces powering the shields were already straining to maintain the high-level negative energy fields. Even without attacks, the shields couldn’t last long, and now they were pushed to their limits.

However, Tella was fast. In the time it took the two Red Fang Breakers to block one wave of attacks, she had already carried Sarah over a hundred meters, nearing the ranks of their armored bodies. Once she reached them, Sarah’s safety would be greatly improved. With more cannon fodder to absorb the attacks, retreating to the Mito’s location would be no issue.

But at that moment, another orbital strike descended. The Ji warships, disregarding the close-quarters combat between their soldiers and the Swarm, launched indiscriminate attacks.

Both the rugged, armored Swarm bodies and the sleek, futuristic Ji soldiers were obliterated by the powerful warship cannons.

The massive shockwave from the explosion not only sent Sarah and Tella flying but also affected the Confederation delegation, who hadn’t retreated far enough.

“Who gave that order? Are they insane?!” Ambros shouted in panic. Although he was farther from the explosion and appeared better off than Sarah, who had been thrown over ten meters and rolled dozens of times, the reality was different.

Sarah’s exoskeletal armor protected her from the physical impact, leaving her relatively unharmed. In contrast, Ambros and the others, still in their ornate ceremonial attire, were battered by flying debris.

Several outer-ring representatives at the rear, having absorbed most of the debris impact, were riddled with bloody holes. They were barely breathing, clearly on the verge of death.

“Take them with us! We need to retreat! *@#! When I get back, I’m going to have a serious talk with whoever gave that order!” The delegation was filled with high-ranking figures from various races, including the outer-ring civilizations.

For the sake of the Confederation’s unity and camaraderie, Ambros couldn’t abandon them. Despite their dire condition, with Ji technology, if they acted quickly, there was still a chance to save them.