I Am The Swarm-Chapter 657: News

Just as Knox was feeling lost, Gale’s voice suddenly came through: “Squad Leader, I think I know why it wasn’t detected.”

“What is it?” Knox asked urgently.

“I believe there’s a 90% chance that our attack intensity wasn’t strong enough.”

“Evidence?”

“Look at this!” A slowed-down, frame-by-frame video was uploaded to the shared screen. It showed the exact moment the Tentacle Trap launched its attack.

However, the squad had already seen the Tentacle Trap’s attack many times before. Although the location and angle were slightly different this time, there wasn’t much else noteworthy about it.

Gale understood what everyone was thinking, so she didn’t drag it out. She continued, “Look at where it sprang up from the ground and the color changes on its body.”

Everyone focused on the details and soon noticed something unusual. Before the Tentacle Trap attacked, the area where it had been lying was charred black, clearly indicating it had been hit.

When it sprang up, aside from leaving an irregular corroded pit, there was still a ring of black scorch marks remaining.

Seeing this, everyone was stunned. Nasstio couldn’t help but mutter, “How is this even possible? This is just ridiculous…”

Gale nodded in agreement. “Indeed, that thing can simulate an attack response that perfectly matches its surroundings in the moment it’s hit, seamlessly blending with the environment. That level of technology is truly impressive.”

“So, unless our attacks are strong enough to penetrate its defenses, we won’t be able to detect it at all?” Cassidiro asked, sounding incredulous.

“It seems so,” Knox sighed. This was an outcome none of them wanted to see. While the defensive strength of these Swarm units wasn’t particularly high, it was comparable to the strength of their ship’s interior components.

To breach their defenses would mean causing damage to the ship’s internal structure. But if the attack intensity wasn’t sufficient, it would all be for nothing. The Swarm units could continue to evade detection using their incredible mimicry technology.

Despite the frustration, Knox dutifully compiled the relevant data and reported it. In fact, the ship’s captain and other high-ranking officers had been closely monitoring their actions.

Read 𝓁atest chapters at fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm Only.

After all, if they succeeded, it would be a significant achievement from any perspective. But judging from the shared footage, the operation had clearly failed.

Similar speculations and plans had been considered by many other races, and they had also conducted experiments. However, the results were largely the same.

Lowering the attack intensity yielded no results, while increasing it allowed them to detect the Swarm traps but at the cost of damaging the ship.

Among all the races, only one mid-tier civilization had made some progress. While most races designed their ships to be lightweight and maximize internal space, this race, known as the Utoradi, took a different approach.

Their creations were renowned for their rugged, heavy-duty design. Bigger, thicker, and sturdier was their philosophy. Performance and internal space were secondary concerns.

This unconventional style had made them stand out among the races. And now, this seemingly outdated design philosophy was proving unexpectedly effective.

Although their material technology wasn’t more advanced than others, their ship’s interior walls were at least three meters thick, compared to the one-meter or even thinner walls of other races.

The thicker walls gave them more room to maneuver. What would be a devastating attack intensity for other races was only moderate damage for them, something their ships could withstand. As a result, they could use more aggressive firepower to uncover the hidden Swarm traps.

“Now you see? Using lightweight weapons to detect them is unfeasible,” one of the commanders said. The representative who had proposed the idea earlier must not have done their homework. While many races hadn’t reported their findings due to failed plans, the Utoradi had shared their results. Anyone who had looked into it would have known.

Unfortunately, while the Utoradi’s method could serve as a reference for future ship designs, it wasn’t something the currently deployed ships could replicate.

“Damn it, is there really no other way? Can’t we find them without damaging the ship’s interior?”

“Probably not… Wait, what?” A representative was about to answer when he noticed a new message had come in. Messages that came through during meetings were usually important and couldn’t be delayed.

He quickly skimmed through it, and as he read, his furrowed brow, tense from prolonged worry, gradually relaxed. A smile even appeared on his face.

This message couldn’t be delayed because its content was incredibly good news for the Confederation. The representative who had been speaking with him noticed his expression and grew curious. In the current situation, even a promotion or reward wouldn’t be worth smiling about unless one could survive to enjoy it.

“What’s the news? Can you share it?” His burning curiosity got the better of him.

The person reading the message looked up and nodded at the questioner, then smiled. “Good news.” He then raised his voice and called out, “Everyone, quiet down, please listen.”

His loud voice echoed through the virtual immersive meeting room, cutting off other discussions and drawing everyone’s attention.

Seeing the puzzled looks directed at him, he didn’t keep them in suspense. He continued loudly, “Everyone, my race has discovered a weakness in the Swarm traps. We can detect their presence without significantly damaging the ship’s interior walls.”

“Really? Representative Felinli, do you understand the implications of what you’re saying?”

“Of course, Commander Conradus. I swear on the name of my race, the Komok, that what I say is true.” Facing the Confederation’s supreme commander, Felinli, the representative from the Komok race, spoke with humility.

Conradus nodded. In times like these, anyone with half a brain knew this wasn’t the moment for grandstanding. It seemed the Komok had indeed found a way to counter the Swarm traps.

Pretending to be excited, he said, “Representative Felinli, please, don’t hold back…”