I Am The Swarm

The Daqi race was moving much slower than anticipated, and Luo Wen had already figured out the reason. An Intelligent Entity based on the prototype of a Daqi captain provided a crucial piece of information.

It turned out that among the three peculiar vessels destroyed by the Swarm in their ambush within the asteroid belt, one of them was a highly significant Communications Vessel. Without the equipment aboard that ship, Prince Diallo of the Daqi Empire had to resort to conventional communication methods to request assistance from their race.

However, conventional communication operates via directional broadcasting, which meant that even civilian devices could potentially intercept these signals. Although encrypted, should the encryption be cracked, the Daqi race would suffer a tremendous loss of face.

Thus, the Daqi were unwilling to use this method. Furthermore, their proud Prince Diallo was most likely still struggling with whether to admit failure, which further delayed their actions.

Luo Wen was quite pleased with this development. He even secretly leveraged his connections within the Riken network to discreetly supply the Daqi with food, helping them sustain themselves for a longer period.

Ultimately, after five years of enduring hardships, Diallo’s remaining fleet withdrew from the Riken star system under the watchful gaze of Observer Bugs. A small formation of ten warships separated from the main fleet, heading toward the Daqi Empire’s territory, while the remaining ships floated quietly in the void, waiting in silence.

Luo Wen deduced the situation immediately: Prince Diallo likely didn’t dare return home. If he did, he’d most likely become a scapegoat, with no chance of redemption. Staying behind might give him a slim opportunity to make amends for his failures.

Additionally, their supplies were insufficient to sustain the entire fleet’s journey home. Diallo had truly held out until the fleet was utterly drained before being forced to request aid from his race. Among the ships left behind, very few conscious Daqi individuals remained. Most of them had entered cryogenic sleep.

Although Luo Wen was aware of their location, he had no intention of launching an attack. The Daqi had set up numerous warning devices around their fleet, and their choice to remain in the void was to minimize interference. Even if a Primordial body stealth ship were launched toward them, it would be detected by their gravitational-wave radar.

Given this, it was better not to alert them. Luo Wen chose to focus on developing his forces instead.

According to standard calculations, a round trip for the Daqi fleet would take at least forty years. Theoretically, this was sufficient time, but Luo Wen wasn’t so optimistic. After all, without the Communications Vessel, Diallo couldn’t contact his race, and his race also had no way of reaching them. If a fleet remained silent for too long, it would inevitably provoke a response.

Moreover, this star system was still under the surveillance of the Ji. While it was unclear where their communication devices were hidden, Luo Wen was certain they existed. If the Ji were to stir up trouble, Luo Wen wouldn’t be surprised.

Reality indeed proved his concerns valid.

Twenty years later—

“Overlord, an alien fleet has been detected—a large one.”

Luo Wen closed his eyes slightly. At this juncture, the Daqi’s reporting fleet should have just reached their territory. The issue wasn’t with the Riken side.

The problem lay at the other end of the Swarm’s territory. A massive fleet was steadily approaching.

—

In the boundless universe, a massive spiral galaxy shimmered in the void, seemingly motionless, radiating brilliance—beautiful, magnificent, and awe-inspiring. Yet, if one could fast-forward millions or even billions of years at an immense speed, it would be evident that its three splendid spiral arms slowly revolved around the galactic center.

Billions upon billions of stars adorned these spiral arms, arranged with perfect order. Zooming into the second spiral arm’s outer edge, amidst countless twinkling stars, lay a particular one—the birthplace of the Swarm.

Surrounding it were a circle of celestial companions, each bearing its own name. At the 11 o’clock position were the bright twin stars of the Neighboring Star System; at 2 o’clock was the Earth River System; at 3 o’clock, the Black God System; at 5 o’clock, the Red Ant System; near 6 o’clock, the White Grub System; at 8 o’clock, the Golden Horn System; and between 9 and 10 o’clock, the Sandstorm System.

The naming conventions reflected Luo Wen’s distinctive style: simple, practical, and easy to understand.

The Earth River System was named in memory of the underground dark river Luo Wen had traversed over months when he was still the size of a fingernail. The Black God System commemorated the Black-Armored War God. The Red Ant System needed no further explanation, while the White Grub System honored the first creatures to work for Luo Wen.

The Golden Horn System was named after one of Luo Wen’s favorite insects, a magnificent beetle with a dazzling golden shell. Luo Wen had even planned to adopt a similarly handsome appearance, but for various reasons, the plan was shelved. Despite this, the thought had always lingered in Luo Wen’s mind.

The Sandstorm System memorialized Luo Wen’s first flight—a perilous and thrilling journey. Without his extraordinary origins, he might not have survived. Though trivial in light of his current achievements, it had left an indelible mark on his young heart at the time.

Since landing on the Yellow Moon, over two centuries had passed since the Swarm began their journey into the stars.

Although the Neighboring Star System, being closest to the Genesis System, was prioritized for development and later became embroiled in a conflict with the Rikens due to the discovery of Godzilla, much of the Swarm’s focus had been drawn there. Nevertheless, the Swarm had not abandoned exploration in other directions.

Over the years, the Swarm had already expanded to all nearby adjacent star systems. However, limited by the number of Brood Nests and primary bodies at the time, their development was modest. This persisted until the Swarm Network evolved again, lifting the constraints imposed by the Brood Nests and primary bodies. Afterward, any node unit could mutate into a Brood Queen as long as there was sufficient energy.

However, Luo Wen had already formed suspicions about the Watchers by then. Therefore, even though expansion was no longer restricted, most of the Swarm’s forces in these star systems remained hidden beneath the rocky layers of geological planets.

This approach continued until twenty years ago, when the Daqi Intelligent Entities appeared, bringing new revelations. These confirmed Luo Wen’s hypotheses about the Watchers’ identity. With careful consideration, numerous larval and small mature bodies were deployed and transported by the Primordial bodies to lie dormant near the inner orbits of nearby stars. Meanwhile, the already formidable Space Octopuses remained concealed.

Although Luo Wen did not have a complete star map, the Daqi Intelligent Entities, particularly those who were formerly captains, provided him with a clearer understanding of their neighboring systems.

The Swarm’s location was considered extremely remote relative to the Interstellar Technological Confederation.

Systems such as Earth River and Black God, located behind the Genesis System, were already beyond the Confederation’s sphere of influence. Further outward, the systems even fell into unclaimed starfields.

However, systems like Sandstorm, Golden Horn, White Grub, and the Neighboring and Riken Systems were positioned toward the Confederation and bordered territories belonging to other alien races.

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