I Am The Swarm

The Koya Alliance and the Locke Mutual Aid Society—two alliance organizations composed of Outer-ring civilizations—are the closest and bordering powers to the Swarm’s territory.

When the Swarm launched its comprehensive offensive in the past, these two organizations, despite their longstanding grudges, were forced to meet and form an alliance under the pressure.

However, the atmosphere at that time was far from amicable. Decades of animosity were not so easily dissolved. Unlike the Swarm’s direct attacks on the Qi 101 and Qi 102 Star Systems of the Daqi civilization, the Swarm targeted the LKDW 286, 287, and 288 Star Systems on the Locke Mutual Aid Society’s side.

Although numerically speaking, the Swarm attacked more star systems on the Locke Mutual Aid Society’s side, these three star systems strictly speaking did not belong to the Mutual Aid Society’s core territory. At that time, they chose to retreat, which was fundamentally different from the Koya Alliance’s act of relocating the Daqi civilization and ceding territory.

As a result, during the meetings, the Locke Mutual Aid Society frequently mocked the Koya Alliance for this matter. Over the years, they had consistently maintained the moral high ground, occasionally voicing opinions and jabs about it.

But as the tables turned, with the Swarm showing signs of renewed aggression, the Koya Alliance, even if forced to retreat again, had little to lose. Already tarnished in reputation, they had no lower to fall.

The Locke Mutual Aid Society, however, was in a different position. Their previously established image now rendered them more vulnerable. Should they choose to follow the Koya Alliance’s example, the criticism and ridicule they would face would far surpass what the Koya Alliance endured.

The leaders of the Locke Mutual Aid Society, concerned with their image, found this predicament particularly distressing. In inter-civilizational interactions, apart from strength, face and reputation are paramount.

“I agree to resist the Swarm. We must make our stance clear. We are completely different from those cowards in the Koya Alliance. We will not abandon any of our members.”

“Exactly. Let the Swarm be deterred and go teach our old friends a proper lesson.”

At this time, the most anxious parties at the meeting were the civilizations of Zeran and Moto. As newly joined members of the Interstellar Technological Confederation with only a few thousand years of history, they were on the same level as the Daqi civilization.

Previously, the LKDW 286, 287, and 288 Star Systems were developed by these two civilizations. Being relatively weak, they naturally had little say in matters. With the loss of these three star systems as a buffer, their territories now directly bordered the Swarm.

If the meeting concluded with the Locke Mutual Aid Society deciding to retreat, they would face the same fate as the Daqi civilization: abandoning their homeworlds, relocating their species, and being scattered across multiple regions, becoming vassal civilizations with little autonomy.

This was an outcome they were determined to avoid.

Fortunately, regardless of the reasons, the other members did not wish to abandon them. This allowed their heavily burdened hearts to finally settle, and they even felt a warmth from this rare display of genuine camaraderie.

The meeting lasted for two days. Ultimately, the majority voted in favor of resisting the Swarm at the Zeran and Moto civilizations’ borders.

With the strategic direction unified, the entire alliance’s machinery began mobilizing to achieve this goal.

First, the frontline forces, which were previously debating whether to retreat, settled down and began forming defensive positions, laying minefields, and constructing fortifications. ṘÄNỌBΕꞨ

Second, all space factories accelerated their production capacities, deploying stockpiled troops to the frontlines, while other reinforcements hastened their mobilization.

Recruitment efforts across various species intensified, with soldiers undergoing emergency training before being sent in waves to the frontlines.

The actions of the Locke Mutual Aid Society naturally could not escape the notice of other foreign factions. The Society’s behavior was met with widespread praise, and the growing media buzz eventually elevated the Locke Mutual Aid Society to an almost mythic status.

However, as the protagonists of these events, the praised Locke Mutual Aid Society was far from pleased.

Such high-profile commendations, if given after the Swarm was defeated, would undoubtedly be a boon. But doing so now carried the risk of “killing with flattery,” clearly driven by manipulative forces behind the scenes.

The actual strength of the Swarm remained a mystery to everyone. Up until now, the Swarm had distributed its aggression fairly evenly, targeting no one in particular. But now, by singling out the Locke Mutual Aid Society, they had effectively painted a target on their back.

Initially, the Locke Mutual Aid Society’s plan was merely to posture enough to discourage the Swarm. According to their calculations, as long as they increased their fleet size to over 150 million before the Swarm’s next offensive, the Swarm would likely avoid direct confrontation.

But now, with this kind of spectacle unfolding, even if the Swarm wanted to back off, could they still afford to lose face?

If the Swarm truly redirected its forces to concentrate on a head-to-head battle with the Locke Mutual Aid Society, other factions—especially the Koya Alliance—would be laughing uproariously.

It was not hard to deduce who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

While scheming against their rivals, the Locke Mutual Aid Society had been outmaneuvered, finding themselves in a deeply passive position. Internal dissent began to rise, with more members proposing a re-convening to re-vote on whether to temporarily retreat or resist outright.

Under mounting pressure, the meeting was reopened, and the Zeran and Moto civilizations—who had briefly felt relief—found themselves on edge once more.

Fortunately, after another round of deliberation, the decision to resist was upheld by a narrow margin, and the strategy proceeded as planned.@@novelbin@@

Although the plan appeared unchanged on the surface, there were now subtle flaws in its execution. Deliberate delays and procrastination occurred sporadically.

While external factions continued their power plays, the Swarm stirred once again in the 26th year of the New Era.

The phrase: “Though I may no longer be in the Jianghu, stories of me still echo through it,” perfectly captured the Swarm’s current state. After years of silence, even the smallest movement from the Swarm immediately made headlines, becoming the top news story.

Reports flooded in, and military analysts appeared on various programs to dissect the Swarm’s strategic intentions.

None of this concerned Luo Wen. The Swarm was already the sworn enemy of the Interstellar Technological Confederation, so there was no need to pay attention to the opinions or feelings of their adversaries.

In the 28th year of the New Era, the Swarm, having reorganized its forces, resumed its expansion. This time, the frontlines extended significantly, with nearly 1 billion Swarm troops advancing simultaneously in multiple directions.

From the Riken system, forces marched northward toward several star systems still under development by the Koya Alliance.

From the newly conquered LKDW 291, Qi 101, and Qi 102 Star Systems, troops pressed further into the Koya Alliance’s territory.

In the southwest, using LKDW 286, 287, and 288 as bases, the Swarm expanded toward the Locke Mutual Aid Society.