I Am The Swarm

A7, a massive gas giant, boasts an unimaginably thick atmosphere. Its rapid rotation causes immense centrifugal forces to fling equatorial material outward, only to be held in place by the planet’s tremendous gravity. This results in A7’s unusual oblate shape, rarely seen among celestial bodies.

The planet emits an extraordinarily strong magnetic field, with its atmosphere perpetually roiled by enormous superstorms. On the Genesis Planet, such a storm would spell extinction for entire ecosystems, yet on A7, it is merely routine.

Due to limited understanding of gas giants, Luo Wen wasn’t even sure if A7 had water resources, let alone a rocky core. Thus, he was uncertain about the feasibility of landing on it.

The vanguard of the Swarm Meteor cluster, spore capsules, had begun interacting with A7. Originally decelerated to a speed of 1 km/s, they experienced a slight acceleration under the planet’s immense gravitational pull.

The leading spore capsule, equipped with cutting-edge propulsion, met disaster as soon as it entered A7’s atmosphere.

The atmosphere turned out to contain abundant hydrogen. Upon contact, the high-temperature energy emitted by the spore capsule ignited the hydrogen.

Fortunately, for reasons unknown, the explosion was not large. It left behind a puff of steam and slightly veered the spore capsule off course. However, the resulting blast significantly reduced the capsule’s speed, prompting Luo Wen to order its propulsion system to shut down and rely on inertia alone.

A team of intelligent entities swiftly analyzed the cause of the explosion. The experts gathered for this mission, though limited in data, pooled their insights to propose a plausible explanation.

A7’s atmosphere, while rich in hydrogen, contains no oxygen. However, the energy jets from the spore capsule carried trace amounts of unreacted oxygen from its reaction chamber. Upon release, this residual oxygen reacted with the surrounding hydrogen, causing an explosion.

The explosion consumed the available oxygen instantly, producing steam as the byproduct. This explained why, despite the hydrogen-rich environment, there was no large-scale detonation around the capsule.

The seemingly endless clouds swallowed the spore capsule, which descended over 200 kilometers within minutes. The environment grew increasingly hostile.

Despite facing the sun, the thick clouds blocked all light. The temperature plunged below -100°C. Without oxygen, no frost formed on the capsule’s surface.

Inside the spore capsule, the fungal carpet seeds and queen brood eggs endured the cold through dormancy. However, they were bombarded by unprecedented levels of intense radiation.

Even the radiation-resistant outer shell of the capsule began to degrade. Without a magnetic shielding system, the spore capsule’s integrity was rapidly failing. If the shell broke, the seeds and eggs inside would lose viability in no time.

Immediate action was necessary. The fungal carpet seeds needed to be planted to generate magnetic shielding, but the infinite cloud layers offered no place to take root. The fungal carpet couldn’t grow mid-air.

A7’s rapid rotation also meant extreme winds. Around the spore capsule, wind speeds exceeded 500 km/h, swirling with vortices.

The high-speed clouds clashed, creating awe-inspiring electrical storms. Lightning bolts, tens of meters thick, slashed through the atmosphere. Compared to this, the phrase “thin as lightning” became an ironic joke.

These flashes illuminated the dense clouds in eerie bursts, projecting a sense of cosmic dread that chilled the group sharing the capsule’s vision.

The storm drastically slowed the capsule’s descent but simultaneously tore at its outer shell.

Descending another 100 kilometers, the atmospheric pressure soared. The shell, already strained by the storm, began to crumble.

Fortunately, the spore capsule’s internal structure excelled at withstanding such pressures. As it continued to fall, the pressure eventually rivaled the depths of Genesis Planet’s deepest oceans.

Strangely, the temperature rose above freezing. However, this offered little comfort. The storm’s fleeting lightning revealed only more clouds, with no land in sight.

As time passed, the capsule descended further. Temperatures climbed rapidly, exceeding hundreds of degrees Celsius. The thickened atmosphere became almost viscous, resembling a turbulent liquid.

Under the dual effects of the superstorm and dense air, the spore capsule’s descent halted. The atmospheric pressure far surpassed that of Genesis Planet’s deep-sea depths. The dense air acted like a swamp, preventing further descent.

Finally, the capsule’s shell shattered and vanished. The spore capsule endured for another ten minutes before succumbing to intense radiation, its signals silenced.

The group fell into a stunned silence. Subsequently, the remaining fourteen spore capsules, arriving at similar altitudes, also lost contact.

Though this outcome was anticipated, its stark reality still stung.

The Swarm, as a novice in cosmic exploration, couldn’t expect smooth sailing every time. This failure marked gas giants as temporarily unviable for Swarm landings.

Luo Wen composed himself. This setback was insignificant in the grand scheme.

The teams, having labored tirelessly for days, took a brief respite while brainstorming solutions for conquering A7’s challenges.

Despite the pause, the group remained intact. Over the next year, dozens more meteors would reach A7’s moons, albeit at a slower pace.

The plan was to establish numerous observation posts on these moons, gathering comprehensive data—essential for knowing one’s enemy to secure victory.

If no viable solutions emerged, Luo Wen had a bold backup plan: launch a Brood Nest into orbit around A7. It would continually regenerate a new body and attempt endless descents onto A7 until the planet yielded.

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