I Am The Swarm-Chapter 724: Attrition

“It seems this system places a significant burden on the Swarm Empress; she cannot sustain it for long.” After witnessing Sarah Kerrigan instantly toggle her Negative Energy Shield on and off, one of the advisors remarked thoughtfully.

“That’s certain. If she could maintain it for an extended period, it would be overwhelmingly powerful.”

“Indeed, if they could truly achieve that, this battle would drag on much longer.”

“They won’t get the chance. Now that we’ve discovered this weakness, we won’t give them time to reach that level.”

“We can’t afford to be complacent. Who knows what other tricks they might have hidden? It’s best to conclude this battle as soon as possible.”

“Order our forces to accelerate their efforts and continue sending reinforcements to intercept the Swarm’s reinforcements. I don’t want any surprises in the final stages.”

The Ji forces on the front lines faithfully carried out the orders, deploying a large number of ground troops who entered the underground tunnels from all directions. Their mission was no longer to pursue the Swarm Empress but to eliminate every Swarm unit they encountered, reducing their active forces.

As for Sarah, while her initial escape from the net array had shocked the Ji soldiers, her rapid activation and deactivation of the Negative Energy Shield not only alerted the staff officers watching the live feed but also gave many soldiers on-site a clue about her limitations.

“Again, launch the net array! Don’t stop, don’t let her escape!” After breaking free from the net trap, Sarah, perhaps realizing it would be nearly impossible to evade with her back exposed to nearly two hundred Ji soldiers’ guns, turned and charged directly at the Ji squad.

Sarah’s actions played right into the Ji team’s hands. They had brought plenty of ammunition for the net launchers, and it was clear that the Negative Energy Shield placed a heavy burden on the Swarm Empress.

If they could exhaust the Swarm Empress’s stamina and energy using mass-produced net rounds, it would be an ideal outcome for them.

Continuously, net rounds exploded around Sarah, blocking her advance and cutting off her retreat. Meanwhile, more Ji soldiers swapped their weapon components and began firing net rounds.

More small barrel-shaped canisters were fired at Sarah. To avoid being ensnared by the nets, she had no choice but to repeatedly toggle her Negative Energy Shield.

“Her movements are slowing!” Though subtle, the auxiliary systems quickly detected that Sarah’s movements had slowed compared to earlier, seemingly confirming their earlier suspicions.

“Keep going, she’s almost done!” The squad leader continuously encouraged his team, boosting morale. From the battlefield updates, it seemed the Swarm had sensed their Empress’s peril. Other teams intercepting Swarm reinforcements were already locked in fierce combat. Compared to those allied units, their small battlefield here was the most critical but felt almost like a game.

Although several soldiers had been killed earlier when the Swarm Empress suddenly burst into action, under the subsequent net barrage, she was now barely able to move. What remained was a contest of endurance—whether the Swarm reinforcements would arrive first or if they could exhaust the Empress before then.

However, they faced a slight predicament: the rate of net round consumption was too high. While the net rounds weren’t rare munitions, their size was relatively large compared to other special ammunition types. Before the mission, they hadn’t anticipated such a situation and thus hadn’t allocated extra weight capacity solely for these rounds.

As a result, the relentless firing mode had depleted their ammunition reserves. Fortunately, the Swarm couldn’t block the quantum communication network, so they quickly reported the situation.

These Ji squads were crucial to the overall battle’s outcome, and dedicated logistics personnel were coordinating with them. Their requests were processed with unimaginable speed, and new support teams carrying sufficient ammunition would arrive on the battlefield within minutes.

Though reinforcements were imminent, the Swarm Empress’s speed remained formidable. The frontline squads had to fire net rounds at a high frequency to counter her movements. At their current ammunition levels, they likely wouldn’t last until reinforcements arrived.

“Retrieve all freeze grenades. Each squad will designate one person to fire freeze grenades exclusively. Selina, coordinate their timing to ensure there are no gaps!” In response to the situation, the squad leader calmly issued orders.

While freeze grenades couldn’t directly harm the Swarm Empress, they could cause trouble by freezing the environment around her. Maintaining her current movements would require greater effort, accelerating her stamina and energy depletion.

Selina, the Ji race’s battlefield auxiliary AI, had infinite avatars and could serve every soldier simultaneously. Coordinating the soldiers’ firing sequence to create a seamless control chain was child’s play for her.

Freeze grenades were cumbersome to store, so the Ji squads hadn’t carried many. However, unlike the one-time-use net rounds, freeze grenades could affect an area for an extended period. Under Selina’s coordination, maintaining the freeze effect for several minutes was effortless, enough to hold out until reinforcements arrived.

“Her speed is even slower now!” The effect of the freeze grenades was striking. Sarah’s speed visibly decreased to the point where she could barely take a step. She had been struggling to move, and now she hadn’t budged in half a minute.

“Reduce the net’s round consumption. Selina, recalculate the firing frequency based on the estimated arrival time of reinforcements.”

The squad leader’s order was swiftly executed, and the new plan recalculated immediately. After implementing the revised firing chain, the consumption of net rounds noticeably decreased, though they still wouldn’t last until reinforcements arrived.

Thus, after a minute, as Sarah’s stamina and energy were further depleted, the Ji team reduced the firing rate of net rounds once again. After two recalibrations, the current firing frequency ensured they could hold out until reinforcements arrived.

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“Look, the target’s Negative Energy Shield can no longer activate!” Sure enough, a net round landed solidly on the Swarm Empress without being dissolved by the Negative Energy Shield.

This was the first time since the battle’s stalemate that a net had made contact with the Swarm Empress. With the big fish caught, the Ji soldiers erupted in excitement.

“Push harder! If we can end the battle before reinforcements arrive, we won’t have to share the credit!” Thus, the Ji soldiers stopped conserving net rounds, unleashing their remaining ammunition in a short burst toward the Swarm Empress.

In mere moments, at least fifty nets covered the Swarm Empress, and the number continued to rise rapidly, while the Ji soldiers’ remaining ammunition dwindled just as quickly.