I Am The Swarm-Chapter 720: Ambush

A wild boar-like beast appeared in front of the pursuing squad and fired an electromagnetic railgun round at point-blank range. The sheer terror of a hypersonic projectile, traveling at over ten times the speed of sound in such a confined space, became evident when one considered the fate of the pursuing squad.

Although they had detected the railgun’s energy buildup in advance and frantically fired forward in hopes of intercepting the projectile by sheer luck, their efforts proved futile. Whether due to bad luck or the extreme proximity, the moment the railgun round left the barrel, it had already reached the front of the pursuing squad. It pierced through the lead K2N9 and struck the second K2N9 fifty meters behind.

The robust K2N9 successfully intercepted the projectile but was itself torn apart and sent flying by the immense impact force. Shrapnel from the disintegrating projectile and the K2N9 scattered in all directions. Several Ji soldiers nearby were riddled with fragments before they could even react. Their supposedly powerful protective suits offered no resistance whatsoever.

By the time the rolling sonic boom arrived, it collapsed the tunnel walls entirely. The front team, which had narrowly avoided the direct hit from the railgun, was thrown into chaos by the hurricane-force winds and shockwave. A few seconds later, they were buried alive under the debris. Though better off than the second team, who had been instantly killed, without rescue, their fate wouldn’t be much better.

The collapsed section of the tunnel stretched nearly a kilometer. With their current capabilities, this squad was powerless to continue the pursuit. They could only report the situation and begin rescuing their comrades.

Fortunately, other teams had already entered the underground. Though they lacked ready-made tunnels and relied on K2N9s to burrow through, the plight of the vanguard served as a stark warning. Even if tunnels existed, they dared not enter them. While they had envied that team just seconds ago for not being confined inside metal boxes, they now felt only relief.

Though the vanguard hadn’t caught up to the Swarm Empress, they had remained close enough to provide continuous intelligence support to the following teams. Now that they were ambushed, the subsequent squads lost most of their real-time data. Thankfully, the beacon signal was still active, giving them guidance. Otherwise, finding the Swarm Empress in these enclosed underground spaces would have been nearly impossible.

“Approaching target, detecting a tunnel!”

“Pursue, but do not enter the tunnel!”

“Understood!” To be honest, aside from the discomfort of being cooped up, the K2N9s were fast enough. But safety came first. To avoid another taste of the railgun’s wrath at close range, the soldiers had no choice but to endure.

As multiple teams approached their designated positions, the encirclement gradually tightened.

“Prepare to breach, intercept the target first!”

“Received!”

With new orders issued, the K2N9s roared to life. Their massive drills spun rapidly, increasing speed by nearly half before bursting into the tunnel from various points.

The soldiers exited the K2N9s immediately and dispersed to avoid being wiped out by a single railgun shot. Given the tunnel’s seven-meter diameter, they stayed close to the walls to evade shrapnel from any impacts. However, overly focused on the railgun threat, they failed to notice the danger lurking right beside them.

In the pitch-black tunnel, advanced technology allowed the soldiers to see, though not as clearly as in open environments. Under the cover of darkness, the tunnel walls seemed to come alive.

What had appeared to be walls of sand and rock suddenly transformed into tentacles, lashing out at nearby Ji soldiers. The elite Ji soldier reacted quickly, but his proximity to the wall left him unable to evade the supersonic strike of the tentacle.

The tentacle slammed heavily into his helmet, its tremendous force akin to a slam dunk, driving him from a five-meter height straight into the ground with a loud thud.

Fortunately, the Ji combat suit excelled in defending against blunt force trauma. Special materials dissipated most of the impact, barely saving the soldier’s life.

However, his condition remained dire. The helmet he’d been directly struck with malfunctioned, its sensors damaged, leaving him effectively blind in the underground tunnel. The lack of information filled him with intense fear.

Simultaneously, the failure of the noise-filtering system flooded his ears with chaotic sounds from the confined space—explosions, screams, and other noises threatening to drive him mad.

He shouted for help, but his teammates seemed equally overwhelmed, leaving no one with the time to assist him. Forcing himself to calm down, he swiftly pulled a flare from his waist pouch, loaded it, and fired.

The faint glow illuminated the dark tunnel. Accustomed to helmet assistance, he had almost forgotten such tools existed.

The light, though soft and dim, caused temporary discomfort to his eyes after the complete darkness. After a brief adjustment, he turned to survey his surroundings.

His teammates’ conditions were grim. His team of ten now had three lying motionless nearby, their survival uncertain. Two others lay on the ground, firing upward, though their movements suggested significant injuries. Another three were bound to the tunnel walls by tentacles and mercilessly battered, their weapons stripped away, rendering them harmless. Only one soldier, their squad leader, remained airborne, dodging and weaving in, resisting stubbornly.

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But the sheer number of tentacles on the walls left little room for maneuver. The two injured soldiers on the ground were quickly subdued, and though the three bound soldiers continued struggling, they posed no threat without their weapons.

As for the last man—their squad leader—his combat skills were impressive, and he continued to resist. However, the cramped space left him with minimal room to evade. Defeat was inevitable.

Perhaps because he had been knocked to the ground and lay motionless for so long, the Swarm units deemed him non-threatening and ceased attacking him.

Unfortunately, his damaged helmet rendered its integrated communicator useless. Contacting his teammates required shouting, which would undoubtedly draw the attention of the Swarm units.

Unbeknownst to him, these trap units, known for their stealth and mimicry abilities, possessed unique targeting methods. His use of the flare had already drawn the tentacles’ attention.

The tentacle that had attacked him earlier suddenly elongated and thinned, its reach increasing dramatically while crackling with blue arcs of electricity. Accelerated by electromagnetic forces, it smashed down on the soldier with a thunderous explosion, eliminating the perceived threat. Meanwhile, the squad leader, who had valiantly resisted until the end, was also struck down.