Chapter 240: Battle Damage
After a brief vote, the term for the unknown subterranean species was decided: Insectoid Swarm.
The discussion continued.
The biologist explained further, “We now know the Swarm has at least two forms. One is about 30 centimeters long, specialized for offense, and exists in large numbers. Let’s tentatively call them Raiders. The other specializes in digging, which we’ll call Burrowers.”
“There’s very little information on the Burrowers, other than their ability to dig quickly. As for the Raiders, take a look here.” He pointed to several images of Riken victims being attacked. “Notice the webbing on their limbs—it indicates they’re adept at ambushing prey from above. Our soldiers need to be cautious about what’s overhead.”
After some thought, he continued, “Additionally, observe these images here, here, and here.” He highlighted several scenes of Riken casualties. “From these freshly transmitted visuals, it’s clear that the Raiders are proficient at using their blade-like forelimbs to impale their prey! While this attack method is powerful and can easily penetrate our combat suits, there’s one thing to note.”
The biologist scanned the room, looking at the military officials watching the video. After a brief pause, he revealed, “Listen to the screams of our people. Notice anything?”
Seeing the thoughtful expressions, he stopped withholding: “Their attacks are anything but silent. This contradicts the earlier mission reports.”
The room was filled with a dawning realization. Indeed, the earlier reports described the attacks as silent. If it hadn’t been for a patrol squad inexplicably triggering an alert, the ambush wouldn’t have been discovered until the routine check-in revealed their absence.
“So, I speculate there’s a third form within the Swarm,” the biologist proposed. “This form functions like an assassin, capable of silently eliminating targets. I suspect they achieve this through some kind of potent venom.”