I Am The Swarm

In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed, and the Ji fleet arrived on schedule. It was said they departed from another Ji outpost, though the exact distance from there to the Riken System remained unclear.

This was a small fleet with the distinctive style of “Treasure Starships,” consisting of two massive transport ships over 6,000 meters long and twenty 3,000-meter-class escort ships.

The Ji ships had undergone significant advancements in miniaturization and precision engineering, incorporating space-bending technologies to achieve their current scale. Even among 3,000-meter-class warships, the Ji’s vessels far outclassed those of the Troi civilization, which couldn’t even compare.

The fleet docked at the spaceport of the Twin Star Colony in the Riken System. Perhaps it was a trick of perception, but from afar, the imposing presence of the dozens of Ji warships seemed to overshadow the nearby thousand-ship Riken fleet.

Everything had been meticulously preplanned. Since this was the Riken civilization’s first formal appearance on the Confederation stage, their leadership had taken the matter seriously, assigning a specialized team to oversee the event.

With rehearsals completed many times beforehand, the entire process unfolded without delays. Orderly and efficient, the personnel in charge directed the researchers to begin boarding the Ji transport ships.

The transport ships, with their unprecedented 6,000-meter length, dwarfed the nearby 2,000-meter Riken fleet, making them appear even more massive. To Luo Wen, these were the largest vessels he had seen so far.

Rumor had it that the Ji also possessed super-transport ships exceeding 10,000 meters in length. However, to Luo Wen, these were mere curiosities; compared to the Swarm’s megastructures, they were nothing but scraps.

Apart from being faster, their size was truly unimpressive—child’s play compared to the Swarm’s titans.

Of course, the speed difference was nothing to scoff at. Comparing these ships to the Swarm’s vessels was akin to comparing a snail to a rocket—a stark gap, so vast it defied analogy.

While the Ji warships were tightly guarded, making it impossible for outsiders to learn much about their internal structures, the transport ships were a different story. Thanks to the perspective of the Swarm’s intelligent entities, Luo Wen was able to fully experience the Ji’s boarding procedures firsthand.

Because the researchers had already passed the Ji’s tests beforehand, there was no need for another round of evaluations. After boarding the transport ships, they were guided by a combination of Ji personnel and machines to form orderly lines, leading into individual rooms.

The rooms were spacious yet minimalistic, containing only essential detection equipment. Here, the researchers underwent a series of tests.

The first step was a comprehensive check of physical functions. Researchers destined for Ji territory needed to be healthy, physically robust, and free of latent illnesses. Following this was full-body sterilization to ensure no bacteria or viruses were carried aboard. This step also doubled as a scan for any concealed weapons.

In addition, body structure scans, external feature analyses, and genetic backups were all performed. Once these procedures were completed, each researcher was assigned a new identity along with a personal terminal.

They were then directed to enter hibernation pods. After all, the journey from the Riken System to Ji territory was no short trip—even at the Ji’s advanced ship speeds, it would take considerable time. Naturally, this time was not meant to be idly spent.

Luo Wen observed all of this. What lay ahead was crucial to the implementation of his long-term plans. For the first time in ages, he felt a twinge of nervousness—an emotion he had almost forgotten he could experience.

Thankfully, everything proceeded smoothly. No alarms sounded, no abnormalities were detected. The Swarm’s intelligent entities disguised as Riken researchers passed the inspections effortlessly. Apart from their minds, they were identical to their originals, and Ji technology clearly couldn’t penetrate into the soul. ɌãΝỖΒÈS

Luo Wen exhaled in relief. If the disguised Rikens passed so easily, then the Swarm researchers would pose even less of an issue. They didn’t even have “originals” to compare against; in a sense, they were the originals. Any peculiarities would simply be regarded as normal for them.

Since the inspections required participants to wear only basic clothing, an environment suitable for such conditions had to be provided. Thus, the Swarm researchers underwent their examinations separately from the Riken researchers. For the first time, they revealed their “true forms” to the world.

As non-combatants, their armor, while still adorned with horns and spikes, was more decorative than practical and far less intimidating. Before the Ji inspection personnel, this layer of armor slowly retracted, compacting into a solid mass and condensing at their chests.

“Wow, that’s so cool!” exclaimed one of the Ji inspectors, a 1.6-meter-tall figure with blue fur covering their face, resembling a monkey. The origins of their species were unclear.

“What is that?” another Ji member asked, eyes wide as they studied the exposed Swarm researcher.

This inspector had dark skin and stood over two meters tall. His muscular build was impressive but differed from the 300-pound Troi warriors; his musculature was more refined and proportional. However, next to the diminutive “blue-furred monkey,” he towered like a steel colossus.

The Swarm researcher, now without armor, appeared somewhat slender. They stood about 1.8 meters tall, with two eyes and a mouth—features common enough to seem unremarkable.

“This is our biological parasitic armor, which also serves as our protective suit. Apologies, but it is symbiotically linked to my bloodstream. I can retract it temporarily, but I cannot remove it,” the Swarm researcher explained calmly.

“Incredible! I have to document this and report it immediately!” declared the “towering muscleman,” who promptly began operating his recording device.

“Wow, this is way better than our armor. It’s hard to believe something this advanced could come from a place as remote as this,” the blue-furred Ji inspector exclaimed, continuing his string of amazement.

The room was designed to be suitable for the Swarm but not for the monkey-like Ji inspector’s species. To cope, he wore a simplified protective suit that shielded him from the room’s gravity and a face mask to filter out harmful gases.

These suits were standard equipment for the Ji, a necessity given their diverse composition as a race of immigrants. The Ji civilization was a melting pot of species, each with unique physiological needs and ecological preferences. For one race, breathable air might be a deadly poison to another.

This diversity drove the rapid evolution of the Ji’s protective suit technology, which had reached its current level of sophistication. The standard Ji suits were designed for use on habitable planets with atmospheres. They could adjust or counteract gravity within certain limits, and their face masks automatically filtered atmospheric elements harmful to the wearer’s species.

Although Ji suits were already lightweight and aesthetically pleasing, they still required some effort to wear. In comparison, the Swarm’s biological armor, which could be donned and retracted at will and even provided some exoskeletal support, was vastly superior.

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