I Am The Swarm-Chapter 705: Pursuit

The brief, dazzling flashes of light in outer space were easily recognizable as the explosions of warships. Under such circumstances, even if the ship originally scheduled to pick them up had arrived, Ambros wouldn’t dare to leave. The Swarm Empress was the most critical target of this operation. If she were captured, the ship sent to retrieve her would undoubtedly be the safest.

The Ji race would provide the best protection and the most secure evacuation route for her. Moreover, with the Swarm Empress on board, the Swarm would not dare to attack the ship recklessly. Therefore, Ambros had to hitch a ride on this ship to ensure his own safety.

Ambros’ concerns and thoughts were understood by the other Ji elders, inner-circle civilizations, and some veteran mid-ring civilization leaders present, who were more familiar with the way the Ji operated. Even if they hadn’t thought of it earlier, they quickly grasped the situation when Ambros made his choice.

As for the mid and outer-ring civilization leaders, whose understanding of the Ji race was limited to propaganda and surface-level knowledge, they didn’t fully comprehend why Ambros made this decision. However, as a Ji elder and the highest-ranking official responsible for the signing of the agreement, Ambros wouldn’t risk his own life. Thus, they chose to follow him blindly.

In the end, the entire group decided to follow Ambros’ lead.

Ambros wasn’t entirely pleased with this outcome. In the current situation, more people didn’t necessarily mean better. Sarah and her team were undoubtedly heading toward Swarm-controlled territory, and if they wanted to follow, they would have to move in that direction as well. A larger group meant a bigger target, making them more noticeable and vulnerable to attacks.

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Secondly, within the atmosphere of a life-bearing planet, large ships typically didn’t venture beyond near-orbit due to atmospheric interference and planetary gravity. This meant that the rescue ships would likely be smaller vessels like transports or gunboats, which had limited capacity. If the Ji special forces successfully captured the Swarm Empress, they would need a rescue ship large enough to accommodate everyone. Their group included at least one high-ranking official from each race, along with their adjutants, assistants, and Ji guards, totaling nearly a thousand people.

Smaller ships like gunboats and transports, which could land on the planet’s surface, usually didn’t have such a large carrying capacity. Moreover, for safety reasons, the operation’s leader would likely choose ships with superior speed. Within a planet’s atmosphere, ships needed streamlined designs to achieve higher speeds, which further reduced their carrying capacity.

Even if a ship capable of carrying everyone arrived, boarding nearly a thousand people would take an excruciatingly long time. The group also included many high-ranking officials who weren’t physically strong, which would further slow down the boarding process.

The rescue ship would have to land in Swarm-controlled territory. If the Swarm Empress were captured, the Swarm would become extremely aggressive. Every second spent in that area would increase the danger, and the rescue ship wouldn’t have time to wait for everyone to board.

However, after some thought, Ambros decided not to say anything. While a larger group had its disadvantages, it also had its advantages—more cannon fodder. If they encountered any danger, the Ji guards would prioritize protecting him, a Ji elder. The other leaders could serve as cannon fodder, and even if they died, the Swarm would take the blame.

The group changed course and continued moving. The dozen or so Ji elders naturally stuck together, with the inner-circle civilization leaders following closely behind. The group quickly headed in the direction Tella had fled.

Meanwhile, Tella didn’t stop for a moment. After the initial bombardment wiped out her first target, she bypassed the scorched battlefield ahead and ran in another direction.

The entire planet was Swarm territory. As long as she stayed away from the Ji forces, she could run in any direction without issue.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept through the area. A massive, invisible creature descended from the sky. Although its imposing figure and the awe-inspiring sight of its dive couldn’t be seen, the powerful wind pressure gave a sense of the creature’s immense strength.

Tella leaped into the air, and as she did, her and Sarah’s exoskeletons began to change. Like being erased by a rubber, their bodies gradually disappeared, blending into the void.

“They’ve gone invisible! Mark their positions quickly!”

“Don’t worry, they can’t escape!”

The Swarm’s early stealth technology, combined with their recently revealed mimicry technology, had long been a headache for the Confederation. There were even claims that the Swarm’s stealth technology was unmatched. However, the Confederation was one thing, and the Ji race was another. Technologies that stumped lower-tier outer and mid-ring civilizations didn’t necessarily pose the same challenge for the Ji.

The Swarm’s stealth technology was present in almost all their units, even in some advanced versions of the bio-armor they sold to outsiders. This meant that the Swarm Empress’s exoskeleton undoubtedly had this capability. Therefore, the Ji had prepared for this in advance.

During the time Ambros had stalled Sarah with conversation, the Ji had used advanced technology to place at least three different markers on her.

Thus, even though Sarah had turned invisible, she had only fooled optical observation devices. On other instruments, her position remained clearly visible.

“They’re ascending! Quickly—fifty meters, sixty meters…”

“It’s those damned giant birds! We were so focused on the Mito that we forgot those birds, while primarily attack units, can also carry small units.”

“Shoot them down!”

“Coordinates shared with snipers at positions three and five. Two meters above and below the target—fire!”

Two dazzling beams of energy flashed by. Sniper cannons, far exceeding the caliber of standard infantry weapons, fired from twenty kilometers away.

A piercing scream echoed as hot blood rained from the sky. The shot aimed two meters below Sarah missed because she and Tella were clinging to the Vulturehawk’s belly fur, crouching on its claws.

However, the shot aimed two meters above Sarah struck true, blasting a nearly one-meter-wide hole through the Vulturehawk’s body. As a planetary combat unit, the Vulturehawk’s defenses couldn’t withstand such firepower.

Moreover, its vitality wasn’t as robust as the space-based combat units modeled after the fungal carpet. A direct hit to its main body was fatal.

Although the Vulturehawk wasn’t dead yet, it had lost the strength to flap its wings. Carrying Sarah and Tella, it plummeted from hundreds of meters in the air.