The Brood Lords joined the battle.
Their attack method was straightforward: they launched Broodlings from the maw at the front of their bodies, targeting the distant Imperial ships.
However...
Their attack range was almost absurdly long. Guardians already had impressive range, but Brood Lords outranged them significantly—so much so that Frank didn't initially spot these new Zerg aerial units.
The myriad attacks pounding his Void Shields left him no time to distinguish types. Acid projectiles, Glave Wurms, Scourge—the view outside was blinding chaos.
"Can't these bugs be killed? What's the ground forces' status?"
"Contact with the main force was lost three Terran hours ago. A few units are sporadically transmitting, requesting support."
"We can't assist. Dropships can't land now."
Scourge were everywhere outside. Any craft that launched would be chased down and destroyed within a minute.
"Instruct them to infiltrate the planet and locate enemy hives. We'll conduct orbital strikes."
What Frank didn't know was that no Imperial soldiers remained alive on the planet's surface. The transmissions came from Infested Imperial soldiers under Zerg control.
Those communications were merely a delaying tactic to prevent orbital bombardment.
The Swarm's hives would never be found. Frank waited for a reply that would never come.
Then, the fleet received dire news.
"What is this?!"
A Broodling had somehow breached the Void Shield, crawled inside the ship, and entered the crew's habitation sector.
This Broodling was far larger than a human, equipped with massive, sharp claws. The moment it spotted crewmen, it rapidly scuttled toward them.
"Run! RUN!!!"
The crewmen turned and fled. One, slower than the rest, was caught. Sharp claws instantly pierced his body.
"Pig!"
"Forget him!"
The remaining crewmen reached a bulkhead, slammed the button, and sealed the door.
The Broodling's claws hammered against the door. Only after a long while did the pounding cease.
Hearing silence, the crew waited long minutes before cautiously reopening the door. The formerly rampaging Broodling lay motionless on the floor—apparently dead.
They carefully examined the corpse, confirming its death. Their gaze fell upon the door: hundreds of scratches, varying depths, gouged into the thick steel. The deepest cuts exceeded ten centimeters.
Fortunately, Imperial ship bulkheads were never stingy with material. This door was thick enough; the Broodling couldn't cut through.
Armed crew finally arrived, belatedly. Upon surveying the scene, they immediately inspected the Broodling.
"Who killed this monster?"
"No one, sir. We did nothing. It just died."
Broodlings have extremely short natural lifespans. This one breached the Void Shield, but traversing the ship's interior evidently took too long, exhausting its brief life.
Under normal conditions, they could survive several hours.
"But how did it die?"
"We don't know, sir."
How could crewmen possibly know why a Broodling died? They weren't biologists.
"Never mind. Incinerate it on-site!"
The previous Infestation incident had traumatized the armed crew. Now, any Zerg unit encountered was immediately incinerated.
Unless specifically designated as a research specimen.
No sooner had the armed crew incinerated the corpse with flamethrowers than the comm channel erupted.
"Multiple creatures have breached the upper decks! Nearby crew, engage immediately!"
"Again?!"
More Broodlings infiltrated the ship. Some crew fled; others grabbed tools and fought desperately.
"Don't you DARE hurt my family!!!"
An elderly crewman wildly swung his cutter, trying to drive back a Broodling threatening the children of his 'tribe.' But Broodlings are swarm's creatures—they don't fear pain.
The Broodling pounced, ignoring the multiple cuts from the cutter, and shredded him.
"GRANDPA!"
A child hiding in the corner barely screamed before a second Broodling tore into them. Blood sprayed against a nearby boiler, sizzling with a foul stench.
"Captain Frank! Multiple creatures have breached the interior!"
"Hmph... Distribute weapons to the crew. Let them defend themselves!"
Typically, crew weren't issued weapons. A ship is a small Hive City; workers toiling in harsh conditions might rebel. But there was no time for such concerns now.
Without weapons, these crewmen would die pointlessly.
Frank's judgment was correct. Soon, over a hundred Broodlings infested this Emperor-class battleship, and the number kept rising.
One Broodling might kill only a few crew before being slain. But the endless stream steadily whittled down crew numbers. Even with over two hundred thousand crew and armed personnel, this attrition was unsustainable.
"FOR THE EMPEROR!!!"
Armed crew fought the incessant Broodlings in hangars, corridors, habitation blocks, engine sections. Automated weapon batteries rose from deck plates, pouring fire into the swarms.
Servitors, heavily augmented with machinery, trudged forward with heavy steps, engaging Broodlings in brutal melee. They lasted moments before being torn apart.
Promethium flamethrowers proved exceptionally effective, barely suppressing the Broodling rampage.
But this severely impacted macro-cannon loading efficiency. External fire frequency dwindled, straining the Void Shields and structural integrity fields.
The ship began shuddering violently. Frank gripped a railing to stay upright.
"Where are these intruders coming from?! The hull shows no significant damage!!!"
"Machine Spirit analyzing. Source identified. Distant creatures—they are... launching their own kind?!"
The Brood Lord's image appeared on Frank's auspex array. He ground his teeth.
"So far out of lance range... Damn it. Push forward. Eliminate those dangerous creatures first."
Internal casualties couldn't continue mounting. Before the ship was destroyed, the crew would be annihilated.
But charging into enemy formation proved a catastrophic mistake.
A Leviathan, lying in ambush, short-range warped directly behind Frank's fleet. Its massive tentacles lashed out, ensnaring the two nearest Cobra-class destroyers.
The sheer size disparity allowed the Leviathan to easily control these 1.5km vessels, dragging them toward itself.
The two destroyers were isolated from Frank's fleet.
"Captain! Ultra-massive bio-ship detected astern! Damn it, how did it appear behind us?! No detection whatsoever!"
"What?!"
Frank's first encounter with a Zerg Swarm capital ship. The Leviathan's scale utterly stunned him. So too did the Zerg Swarm's true power.
How had the enemy reached their rear? It defied logic.
As if emerging from the Warp—yet no Warp rift was sighted.
This implied special FTL capability, or full-ship cloaking.
If the enemy possessed bio-ships of this size and power, all five of his vessels would be lost today.
Ahead, smaller ships ceaselessly launched boarding creatures. Behind, an ultra-massive bio-ship with rapid insertion capability.
Choosing which enemy to engage first would normally trouble Frank.
But he needn't trouble himself.
From the Leviathan, more Scourge emerged—far surpassing the current battlefield count. A solid, pitch-black mass, almost tangible cloud, surged toward the fleet.
The two Cobra-class destroyers were instantly swarmed. Plasma detonation fire完全 consumed them. The explosion's magnitude told Frank their Void Shield generators had certainly failed.
"..."
Frank was utterly stunned.
Despite mental preparation, he had still underestimated the enemy.
"Next... will be us."
Frank inhaled deeply, then roared: "ALL SHIPS! MAXIMUM THRUST! FOLLOW THE FLAGSHIP! WE BREAK OUT!!!"