Unfortunately, things rarely go as hoped. While the reinforced doors did slow the Swarm’s advance, it wasn’t by much. Surveince cameras continued to ck out, albeit at a slightly slower pace than before.


    Moreover, the Swarm seemed rmingly familiar with the base’s internalyout.


    By tracing the routes where cameras had gone offline, it became evident that the bugs were heading straight for themand center.


    Even when encountering base staff or scattered defensive personnel along the way, the Swarm paid them no heed. There were no deviations or detours in their march.


    Had this not been an interspecies war, Cross might have suspected an insider had leaked the base’s schematics to the enemy.


    At their current speed, it wasn’t a matter of holding out for thirty minutes. The bugs would reach her in ten minutes at most.


    The othermanders watching the surveince feed shared her grim expression. Though the Swarm’s actions weren’t beyond what they had disyed before, everything seemed unsettlingly deliberate.


    “Cross, you must leave themand center immediately,” Major General Porter advised. “Meanwhile, gather as many personnel as you can and organize a defense. Avoid the Swarm’s route and hold out until reinforcements arrive.”


    As her elder, Porter’s advice carried weight, and Cross took it seriously. After some consideration, she realized it was the best course of action for now.She granted full control of the base’s defense systems to the AI, then began evacuating with themand center staff.


    Using the guidance of their personal terminals to avoid the Swarm, the group advanced through the base. Along the way, more personnel joined them.


    The current situation was unprecedented; the base had few remainingbat personnel. Even injured sentries had been pressed into duty earlier, underscoring the dire shortage of armed defenders.


    When she previously inquired with the surveince team, Cross learned that contact with all sentry squads had been lost. Judging by the Swarm’s aggressive advance, their fates were likely sealed.


    Passing the medical bay, the group gained reinforcements. Aside from a few doctors and nurses, most were survivors rescued from the nests earlier.


    Some of them had been temporarily assigned to sentry duty, but many others were still recovering in the base due to slow physical recuperation.


    Though weakened from prolonged malnourishment and paralysis, andrgely consisting of raw recruits, these individuals had undergone basicbat training. Compared to the clerks and administrators apanying Cross, they were significantly more capable fighters.


    After stopping by an armory to pick up weapons, these reinforcements became the primarybat and security force for the group.


    Cross initially thought that using their superior knowledge of the base’syout to y a game of cat and mouse with the Swarm would suffice until reinforcements arrived.


    Reality once again proved her wrong.


    After the wounded survivors joined her group, and she felt a brief surge of relief at gaining additional manpower, the bugs inexplicably seemed to locate her position. They stopped advancing toward themand center and instead redirected their assault toward her current location.


    “Maybe it’s because therger group size made us easier to detect,” Cross spected. She had no idea how the Swarm had pinpointed her, but considering their means ofmunication through limb vibrations, it was likely their auditory systems were highly developed. The noise generated by so many people moving together could have given them away.@@novelbin@@


    It seemed the most usible exnation.


    With this in mind, she quickly instructed everyone to quiet their footsteps. Unfortunately, their location had already been exposed. Even though they reduced the noise, the Swarm continued advancing toward them.


    Cross’s mind froze momentarily under the pressure, unable toe up with any viable solutions. Thankfully, with so many people around, someone still had their wits about them.


    As they marched, Cross shared their predicament with the group, hoping someone might have an effective suggestion.


    One of the wounded stepped forward hesitantly. Her adjutant moved to stop him, but Cross waved him off. She recognized this soldier.


    His name was Kaida, the patrol team leader who first raised the rm. Later, he was also the first survivor found in the “granary.” Cross had always thought his luck was extraordinary—otherwise, he’d have been long dead.


    Since Kaida hade forward, he likely had something worthwhile to suggest. As an experienced veteran rather than a fresh recruit, his advice was worth considering, even if she didn’t necessarily have to follow it.


    “Commander, I rmend we head to the top-level hangar immediately,” Kaida suggested in a hushed tone. “If we’re cornered inside the base, we’ll be in grave danger. The hangar likely still has transport or gunboats parked there. We can use them to escape into the air, out of the Swarm’s reach.”


    Cross understood why Kaida spoke so quietly. With three to four hundred people in the group, there probably wouldn’t be enough ships to carry everyone. It was inevitable that some would have to be left behind.


    Though this thought pained her, she had no other options. She chose to ignore the potential fallout.


    “Do we have anyone who can pilot a ship?” she asked. Beyond the issue of capacity, finding someone to fly the ships was another concern. Clerks and medical staff weren’t trained for such tasks.


    “No problem,” Kaida replied confidently. “We may not be able to executeplex maneuvers, but we can at least take off.”


    Cross nodded subtly. Taking off was enough. While the bugs could glide, they couldn’t achieve sustained flight. Gaining altitude would mean safety.


    “Let’s head to the top-level hangar,” she ordered decisively, leading the group upward.


    They hadn’t gone far when a muffled explosion rumbled from the base’s lower levels. Momentster, the corridor lights flickered and went out, plunging them into darkness.


    Gasps and even some shrieks of panic erupted from the group, with a few female Riken sobbing softly in fear.


    “Damn it! The bugs have sabotaged the base’s power supply!” Cross eximed.


    She had already suspected this when she noticed one group of bugs diverting in a different direction earlier. Now, her fears were confirmed.


    Just as the lights diedpletely, they flickered back on, albeit dimmer. The base’s backup power supply had activated.


    Before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, another dull explosion echoed, and the corridor was once again plunged into darkness.


    This time, the ckout was total—the base only had a single backup generator, and it had been destroyed.


    The group, fully aware of this fact, descended into despair. Several of the more fragile-minded female Riken broke down into muffled sobbing.