I Am The Swarm

As more and more races arrived at the front lines, attacking the Swarm had become the most widely watched and discussed matter within the entire Confederation. This would likely remain the case for a long time into the future.

The first battle against the Swarm in years had drawn immense attention from various races and individuals. However, after a single round of dark energy cannon volleys from the Swarm, many were left in stunned silence. The only difference was that the Ketou Civilization, positioned at the forefront, suffered both financial and psychological blows, whereas other races only endured the psychological impact.

“We had long speculated that the Swarm inherited the legacy of a higher civilization. Isn’t it only natural for them to possess dark energy technology?” A race representative in the command center at the rear expressed his opinion.

“Then how do you explain their previous war? They had advanced technology but didn’t use it? Instead, they fought with outdated weapons?”

“Maybe they just preferred it?”

“Do you really believe that?”

“Not really…”

“Furthermore, in the battle five years ago, they recalled nearly all of their forces, numbering between seven to eight hundred million. Yet from the Swarm forces that have now entered battle, those troops are nowhere to be seen.”

“Maybe they’re being retrofitted in the rear? After all, they were an older generation of units.” One race representative shrugged, unconcerned since their own troops were not on the front lines.

“If that’s the case, then it’s terrifying. I don’t agree with your theory.”

“Indeed, no matter what, I don’t believe that in just five years, they could upgrade and refit hundreds of millions of combat units. Even the New Ji Race couldn’t accomplish that—it demands an industrial capability far beyond reason.”

“We know next to nothing about Swarm technology. Maybe they have some inexplicable ability that allows them to achieve such a feat?”

“According to our intelligence, there’s no evidence of any industrial structures in the Swarm’s Star System One that would enable such a boost in production capacity.”

“Are you an idiot? They follow a biological route! What need do they have for industry? They might have just sprawled out near a star and slept, and somehow completed their refit while doing so.”

“Sir, I must remind you that we are having a serious, science-based discussion, not engaging in some fantastical tale.”

“Who knows?” The rebutted representative remained indifferent. “The damn Swarm, unlike us noble beings, doesn’t even number their warships properly so we can identify them at a glance. Everything they produce looks the same—I can only tell them apart by size, nothing else.”

“Yes, sir, you are absolutely right. I suggest you formally request the Swarm to mark their grotesque creatures with proper identifiers, so we can tell them apart more easily.”

“I fully intend to! Who knows? Maybe they’ll accept the suggestion? As the saying goes, ‘Anything is possible,’ right?”

“You—!”

“Enough! Mowei, cut the sarcasm!” The speaker was none other than General Mid of the Yuntu Race. As an upper-tier power among mid-ring civilizations, his race had suffered a crushing defeat recently, yet it had done little to diminish their influence.

Mowei shrugged and said flippantly, “Alright, General Mid. While I don’t agree with your argument, considering you’ve just suffered a devastating defeat and must be in a terrible mood, I’ll let it slide.”

“MOWEI!!!” Enraged by having his wounds so publicly poked, Mid was nearly trembling with fury.

As the tension between Mid and Mowei escalated, most of the other representatives—except those directly involved in frontline warfare—adopted an expression of quiet amusement, as though watching a drama unfold.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to intervene. Well, perhaps that was part of it. But more importantly, anyone capable of confronting a Yuntu Race representative head-on must have a similarly powerful status and backing. Mere bystanders like them weren’t qualified to break up this fight.

“Both of you, calm down. My race is still engaged in battle with the Swarm. Can we first discuss a countermeasure?” The Ketou Race representative, despite having relatively lower standing, had no choice but to speak up. While these two bickered, the Swarm had already fired three more volleys, causing severe losses to the Ketou forces.

“Fine, fine. Actually, I quite like the Swarm. Their bio-armor is excellent, though it’s likely to become a rare commodity in the future.” Mowei spoke casually, subtly revealing a small, discolored bump on his shoulder.

Those with sharp eyes immediately recognized it—it was Swarm bio-armor. Unfortunately, the Swarm had gone to war just a few years after joining the Confederation. As Mowei had said, these were now collector’s items. Given their rarity, they might even become a symbol of status and prestige in the future.

Or perhaps they already had. Mowei was clearly flaunting his piece, and those from lower-tier mid-ring and outer-ring civilizations began speculating on its deeper significance.

But Mid, who operated at a similar level to Mowei, understood the truth—Mowei was simply showing off to spite him. That bio-armor was something Mid knew all too well. It had once appeared at an elite auction, and he had emptied his coffers to try and obtain it. Yet in the end, he had lost—to Mowei.

Now, seeing the flaunted bump on Mowei’s shoulder, Mid’s eyes burned with rage. However, he knew Mowei’s personality all too well—he was a master of provocation and shameless deflection. If he continued engaging, he would only suffer more.

If not for this lingering grudge over the bio-armor, Mid would never have initiated conflict with Mowei in the first place. But looking at that smug, gleeful expression, he couldn’t help but feel his temper flare once again.

Taking a deep breath, Mid forcibly turned his head away, shutting his eyes in an attempt to calm himself. Compared to his petty personal grudge, the Swarm was the true enemy. He had to focus on the bigger picture.

Mid’s mind worked rapidly, analyzing potential countermeasures. However, before he could formulate a solution, Mowei’s aggravating voice rang out once again:

“Representative of the Ketou Race, what do you think? After all, your civilization is currently the primary force engaging the Swarm.”

But the Ketou representative had no clear strategy in mind. Seeing his hesitation, Mowei continued:

“Right now, you have only two options—one is more aggressive, the other more cautious.”

“I’m listening,” the Ketou representative quickly responded.

“The aggressive approach is an all-out assault. While the Swarm’s dark energy cannons are a surprise, your own weapons are hardly inferior. In terms of sheer numbers, your main artillery actually holds the advantage.”

“But from what we’ve seen so far, the Swarm has superior range…”

“Hold on—that’s exactly what I was about to explain,” Mowei interrupted before continuing, “The Swarm forces are positioned directly in front of their Star System One. So in reality, range is not a factor. They don’t have much space to kite you.”

The Ketou representative thought for a moment before nodding in agreement with Mowei’s assessment.

“And what about the other option?” he asked.