I Am The Swarm

Before discovering the Interstellar Technological Confederation, Luo Wen had already detected signs of life forms and activities in this direction.

In earlier years, the Swarm launched countless Swarm Meteors in all directions. Even though most of them were destroyed on impact, advancements in launch technology and later the introduction of electromagnetic launch platforms significantly improved their survival rates.

Some of the earlier-launched meteors, after prolonged journeys, traveled beyond the companion systems surrounding the Genesis System and ventured further outward, extending the Swarm Network along the way.

Through observations, Luo Wen identified at least two different intelligent civilizations. However, as his main focus at the time was on the Neighboring and Riken Star Systems, and due to various limitations, the Swarm never made contact with these civilizations.

Now, with information obtained from the Intelligent Entities, Luo Wen learned that the civilizations in that direction all belonged to the Interstellar Technological Confederation.

The alien fleet discovered this time came from the outer regions of the White Grub System. They had just entered the Swarm Network’s surveillance range when they were promptly spotted by the Observer Bugs.

Judging from their battleship designs, it was clear that, like the Riken and Daqi civilizations, this fleet primarily followed a mechanical technology path, influenced by Ji ships. While the designs were broadly similar, their paint schemes displayed more distinct differences.

Based on images captured from multiple angles by the Observer Bugs and computations by the biocomputers, this fleet numbered around 200,000 ships. This was a massive force, even by the vast standards of the interstellar void, representing a truly colossal gathering. If a conflict broke out, the scale of war would far surpass any previous battle the Swarm had experienced.

“What an enormous undertaking!” Luo Wen exclaimed.

Forget the logistics of assembling a fleet of 200,000 ships and the manpower and resources required; the daily consumption of food and energy alone would be staggering. Even just constructing such a fleet would demand an unfathomable amount of time and resources.

When the Riken civilization, occupying an entire star system, spent decades building their fleet, they only managed to produce just over 2,000 ships. Although their relatively backward technology and the simultaneous construction of other defensive facilities contributed to this low number, it still offered a sense of perspective on what 200,000 ships represented.

According to information from the Daqi Intelligent Entities, the Daqi, who control three star systems, have taken thousands of years to build their fleet, which still falls short of 200,000 ships. After all, maintaining these mechanical constructs incurs enormous costs in later upkeep. Without significant resources, even maintaining a small number is a challenge.

Such comparisons underscored the staggering power of this newly revealed civilization.

However, Luo Wen was not entirely unfamiliar with this civilization. Interestingly, this civilization shared a historical connection with the Daqi Empire. When the Daqi first joined the Interstellar Technological Confederation, it was this civilization that extended the invitation.

At that time, the Daqi’s fleet was decimated by a single wave of attacks from the Crimson Kiss, after which many of their talents and resources were plundered—a significant loss for them.

Of course, this was the “proper” way to issue an invitation. Every civilization that later joined the Confederation underwent the same process.

Although that invitation ceremony occurred thousands of years ago and relations between the two civilizations seemed to have improved, the lingering animosity was evident, particularly from the words of the Daqi third prince, who harbored deep resentment. Such enmities, buried deep in the bones, are not easily resolved.

As for this civilization, known as Troi, its territory was located at a considerable distance from the Swarm, separated by at least one other species’ domain. Why had they taken the stage now? Clearly, something unknown to Luo Wen had transpired.

“Overlord, what should we do? The target of their fleet is unequivocally us.”

Indeed, the Troi fleet was now only separated from the Genesis System by the Golden Horn System, which lacked any habitable planets. For the Troi civilization, it was merely a mining system. Even if they planned to establish a colony, deploying 200,000 warships seemed entirely unnecessary.

According to information from the Daqi Intelligent Entities, the Troi civilization controlled nearly twenty star systems and had a civilization history approaching 100,000 years.

Among the Outer-ring civilizations, they were considered a true behemoth. Yet, their total fleet strength was approximately 500,000 warships, and committing 40% of that force at once was no trivial matter.

These warships were normally dispersed across more than ten star systems, guarding an extremely long frontier while also maintaining internal security. Despite the Troi civilization’s formidable power, over the years, they had committed numerous unscrupulous acts.

Take the Daqi Empire, for example—if given the opportunity, they would undoubtedly strike back without hesitation.

The New Ji Race understood that even ancient grudges could eventually fade with time. Only through occasional clashes could the memories of such grievances be reinforced and hatred solidified. Therefore, they amended several rules to allow for conflicts below a certain scale.

The Ji Race would not intervene in such cases, claiming to grant greater autonomy to other races to resolve disputes on their own.

Not only did they refrain from preventing such conflicts, but they also secretly incited and encouraged them. Over the last hundreds of thousands of years, more than 80% of the conflicts within the Interstellar Technological Confederation were fueled by their machinations.

For Troi, committing 40% of their military strength was already their upper limit. Any further mobilization could lead to vulnerabilities within their territories.

“They haven’t entered the Golden Horn System.”

“Are they planning to bypass the Golden Horn System and the White Grub System?”

“Do they intend to launch a direct attack on the Genesis System?” Several Intelligent Entities exclaimed in astonishment while reviewing the intelligence alongside Luo Wen.

Luo Wen shook his head. The fact that this civilization had managed to thrive in the Outer-ring, amidst a host of rival forces, was undoubtedly no stroke of luck. Furthermore, mobilizing nearly half of their fleet meant that the leader of this operation would certainly not be someone as flawed in character as the Daqi Crown Prince.

Given this, they must possess a certain level of understanding about the Swarm.

Much of the Swarm’s forces were currently stationed at solar orbital positions in a state of inactivity. With minimal effort, this could be scouted. If the Troi fleet were to brazenly traverse the space between the Golden Horn System and the White Grub System, they would effectively hand the initiative over to the Swarm.

Should they truly enter the Genesis System and a battle breaks out, they would find themselves surrounded by Swarm forces from the Sandstorm, Golden Horn, White Grub, and Genesis Systems. If pinned down, Swarm forces from the Neighboring and Red Ant Systems could also arrive to reinforce.

Although the Swarm’s development period was relatively short and the number of star systems they occupied was fewer than that of the Troi civilization, the Swarm’s population had no “non-combatants.”

To say every member was a combat unit would not be an exaggeration. Coupled with their rapid hatching speed and exceptional resource efficiency, their strength was formidable.

Currently, even the number of Primordial bodies exceeding 500 meters was astonishingly high. And within the Swarm’s liberally constructed strongholds, numerous megastructures had been established.

To be frank, the Troi civilization’s plan to challenge the Swarm’s stronghold with a fleet of 200,000 warships seemed insufficient by any measure.

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