I Am The Swarm

Chapter 266: Reemergence

General Masai mulled it over. Although the unauthorized deployment of nuclear weapons could escalate into a serious issue, dealing with someone of Cross’s background through official channels was nearly impossible.

Better to sell Major General Porter a favor instead. It would strengthen ties between their factions and provide a potential avenue for cooperation during future resource distributions.

After a round of enthusiastic, business-like flattery with Porter, Masai smoothly brushed the matter aside.

“Send a message to the other captains. Say it was a nuclear test to evaluate the damage yield against the nest.” Masai fabricated a reason, preemptively addressing any suspicions. If he didn’t explain, he’d soon be flooded with inquiries.

Since the detonation site fell within Porter’s factional territory, Masai trusted that Porter’s people would corroborate the excuse.

“General, we’re detecting a faint nuclear reaction in Area 39—it’s moving rapidly!” a crew member suddenly exclaimed from the monitoring station.

Masai’s face darkened. He set his drink down, exasperated. Someone was clearly stirring up trouble.

“Check who’s over there,” he ordered.

The crew quickly accessed the data and reported, “General, we don’t have any operational units in that area. It’s the shallow sea zone!”

The Riken had only been on Great Dawn Planet for about two months, including the time spent constructing bases, during which they had been preoccupied with fighting the Swarm. No effort had been allocated to exploring the oceans yet.

For a nuclear reaction to appear in the sea out of nowhere… Masai fell into deep thought. Then he remembered: apart from the Swarm, they also had to watch out for alien creatures native to T853. He had almost forgotten the original cause of their mission.

Back then, the Rikens had come here after detecting a nuclear reaction. Further investigation, relayed by their Cat’s Ear Spaceship, revealed the source to be a colossal super-beast.

Now, the beast had reappeared—likely drawn by the two nuclear detonations. When the Cat’s Ear first discovered it, it had also been triggered by a single nuclear detonation.

However, Masai’s expectations for this creature had dwindled since their initial encounter. While its bio-nuclear organs were fascinating, they weren’t transformative for the mechanically inclined Riken civilization.

What the Rikens valued more was the beast’s longevity, hoping to study it for potential life extension breakthroughs. But now, with the emergence of the Swarm—also theorized by biologists to be ancient organisms—their focus had shifted.

Initial re

“Enough! Mana, you looking for a fight?”

“Bring it on! Who’s afraid of who?”

Within the regional communications channel, the banter between multiple special operations captains continued.

“Orders received: all gunboats’ main cannons are to charge for a synchronized volley. Ensure the target is neutralized in one strike.”