I Am The Swarm

Faced with the relentless advance of the Swarm, the Koya Alliance and the Locke Mutual Aid Society—long-time rivals—found themselves reluctantly joining forces.

However, even this alliance offered little practical benefit, as both sides were under simultaneous attack by the Swarm and unable to spare forces to aid one another. In essence, their cooperation was more symbolic, serving only to offer moral support and encouragement.

In practice, the animosity between these two factions was not easily dissolved. Their remote conference was rife with passive-aggressive compliments and thinly veiled provocations.

“The Locke Mutual Aid Society may be our competitor, but it has always been our role model. Your consistent achievements have been an inspiration, driving us to improve.”

“Haha, you’re too modest. You are the real role model. Throughout our many competitions, we’ve always found ourselves at a disadvantage. We’re unworthy of such high praise.”

“No, no, your strength is evident to all. We are confident you will annihilate the Swarm forces foolish enough to offend you, delivering them a harsh lesson while setting a benchmark for the rest of us.”

“No, no, we’ve always maintained a good relationship with the Swarm. This time, we’re unsure where the misunderstanding arose, but we are actively engaging them to resolve it. On the other hand, your longstanding conflicts with the Swarm—even prompting the Ji race to convene two separate Council of Elders meetings—make it unclear whether our current predicament stems from your entanglements. We sincerely hope you resolve the matter quickly to avoid collateral damage to innocent parties.”

The representatives of the Koya Alliance bristled at this insinuation. No one could predict the Swarm’s next moves, and the possibility of the Swarm temporarily reconciling with the Locke Mutual Aid Society to relieve pressure on their frontlines was a troubling scenario.

If the Swarm forces from the Sandstorm, Golden Horn, and White Grub Star Systems redirected their focus onto the Koya Alliance, it would spell disaster.

“That is none of your concern. What is concerning, however, is your treatment of your member civilizations. Many factions have already expressed dissatisfaction with your actions.”

“You’re hardly in a position to criticize us. Weren’t you the ones who sacrificed your members’ interests to avoid conflict with the Swarm not long ago?”

“Those star systems were unclaimed regions being developed by a few of our newer members. Their infrastructure was minimal, and the Swarm already had development rights there. Since the Swarm wanted them, we stepped back to preserve our friendship. That’s hardly comparable to your massive relocation of 50 billion citizens.”

“Hmph, that particular member of ours had some disputes with the Swarm. They’ve since recognized their mistake and decided to cede all their territory to the Swarm as compensation. This was their decision, not ours, and we had no choice but to assist in relocating their population. Fortunately, we’ve managed the situation quite well so far.”

“Haha, I’ve never seen someone as shameless as you.”

“You flatter me, truly!”

“Hmph, the truth is clear to all. If it were us, we wouldn’t allow ourselves to be humiliated to this extent and still choose to swallow our pride.”

“Talk is cheap. The Swarm is at your doorstep now—go ahead and challenge them if you dare.”

“Hmph, if we were in your situation, we wouldn’t cower like turtles.”

The two factions squabbled endlessly, each attempting to provoke the other into taking the first action against the Swarm, hoping to divert the Swarm’s attention and alleviate their own pressures.

Luo Wen, however, paid no mind to this feeble alliance between the Koya Alliance and the Locke Mutual Aid Society. Instead, he proceeded methodically with the Swarm’s established plan.

At the beginning of Year Eighteen of the New Era, the vanguard forces of the Primordial clusters from the Sandstorm, Golden Horn, and White Grub Star Systems arrived at star systems designated as LKDW286, 287, and 288.

The few alien forces stationed there had already withdrawn, leaving behind some infrastructure. Unlike the Daqi Empire, which had destroyed their facilities during their retreat, these factions left them intact, though their reasons were unclear.

The Swarm followed its standard procedure, first sweeping for hidden surveillance devices and planting fungal carpet seeds, along with mutated Brood Queens, as they awaited the arrival of the main forces.@@novelbin@@

Meanwhile, on the Daqi Empire front, the Swarm forces departing from the LKDW291 Star System—despite setting off earlier than the Sandstorm, Golden Horn, and White Grub clusters—had yet to arrive. They were significantly delayed.

This delay was due to the Koya Alliance’s efforts to buy more time for the Daqi civilization’s evacuation. As their border fleets withdrew, they scattered numerous hidden mines throughout the Swarm’s route.

One particular type of mine was specifically designed to disrupt warp bubbles. These technologically advanced, actively triggered mines could detect warp bubbles within a certain range and release a burst of specialized energy when a warp bubble approached. řâꞐɵΒƐ𝙨

This energy could instantly generate a high-level disturbance, destabilizing the internal structure of the warp bubble and causing parts of it to collapse. Such disturbances could severely damage the warships or biological weapons traveling within the bubble.

In milder cases, structural damage could eject the vessel from warp space; in more severe cases, the collapse energy could annihilate the target entirely, sending it to oblivion.

However, these mines had significant drawbacks. First, they were exorbitantly expensive. Just the warp-bubble detection radar alone was costly, not to mention the other components. Second, their effective range was extremely limited. The blast radius could only affect a few kilometers.

On a planetary surface, this range might be devastating, but in the vast expanse of space, it was almost negligible. Consider that these mines needed to be pre-positioned along routes the enemy might traverse. With warp engines operating at speeds well above the speed of light—covering hundreds of thousands of kilometers per second—the likelihood of colliding with a stationary mine with such a small effective range was infinitesimally small.

Additionally, the mines relied on advanced technology and the application of high-level energy, making them difficult to produce. Within the Koya Alliance, only the Koriato civilization, as its leader, had the capability to manufacture them.

The border fleets did not include Koriato warships. However, one alliance member had acquired some of these mines as part of a military procurement deal with the Koriato civilization. As a goodwill gesture, a few mines had been included as a bonus. By coincidence, the warships carrying these mines were among the first to arrive at the border’s gathering point.

During their retreat, these mines were jettisoned alongside other types of mines.