I Am The Swarm

Due to prior negotiations with the mid-ring civilizations, the outer-ring civilizations were positioned a considerable distance from the battlefield. Even at full thrust, it would take them some time to reach their designated positions.

The Confederation forces’ formation changes had no effect on the Swarm. In fact, the tighter formation led to increased losses. However, they had to make way for the outer-ring civilizations to enter the battlefield, so these losses had to be endured.

After several rounds of fire exchanges, the Confederation forces quickly identified the reason for the Swarm’s overwhelming firepower. Previously unseen or rare Swarm units had appeared in their battle formations.

For example, a unit resembling a pufferfish, with a slightly plump body similar in size to the Primordial Bodies, carried over a dozen main cannons on its flat back.

This was a new Swarm unit called the Puffer Cannonfish, a long-range support unit developed by Luo Wen to address specific tactical needs. Its streamlined body, more in line with mechanical principles, gave it greater speed and agility than the Space Octopus.

However, it lacked close-combat capabilities. The two dark energy furnaces inside its body could simultaneously power up to sixteen main cannons at full capacity. Thanks to its compatibility with the fungal carpet template, it could freely choose the number of main cannons to carry. Given its proximity to the base, most carried over ten main cannons.

Their numbers were staggering—500 million in total, accounting for one-eighth of the Swarm’s entire force. This significant proportion left Conradus cursing the Confederations’ intelligence-gathering department.

The intelligence department targeting the Swarm was led by the Ji Race, with contributions from all frontline races, including the Rashudia Race and even the outer-ring civilizations.

With such a setup, there was no possibility of collusion or betrayal. Therefore, the Swarm’s ability to conceal so many new units couldn’t be blamed on the intelligence personnel.

Each Puffer Cannonfish was equivalent to several times the firepower of a Primordial Body with only two cannons. With 500 million of them, the Swarm’s firepower had increased by more than half.

In addition, the Swarm’s megastructures, present in every star system they occupied, were also here. Although the Swarm had only controlled this star system for a few decades, the megastructures had already grown to over 2,000 kilometers in size.

Two colossal structures, resembling small planets, spanned the stellar orbit. After years of remote observation and research, the Confederation had figured out their purpose.

Unlike mechanical constructions, which required detailed blueprints and calculations for load-bearing and other factors, these Swarm megastructures were grown from small to large using the unique advantages of biotech. Their biological self-regulation allowed them to grow into massive entities.

This meant the Swarm didn’t need the high technological prowess required by Confederation civilizations to build such megastructures. Even when the Swarm was weak and early in their development, they could construct these.

Early monitoring data revealed that these megastructures had primitive functions. They essentially served as super electromagnetic cannons. Before the Swarm mastered advanced sub-light and warp engines, they used these structures to launch meteor-like projectiles into neighboring star systems for expansion.

This discovery prompted a wave of efforts within the Confederation to locate Swarm meteorites. Fortunately, the launch speed of these megastructures was far below light speed, only reaching weak sub-light velocities. Even after centuries of travel, they hadn’t gone far.

Moreover, they lacked the ability to change course mid-flight, so most had collided and been destroyed over time. Additionally, when the Swarm launched them, their technological level was still low, and their ability to shield signals and develop stealth technology was far from their current capabilities.

Using their technological advantage, the Confederation quickly developed specialized instruments to locate and eliminate the remaining Swarm meteorites in regions bordering the Swarm.

What puzzled Confederation researchers was that even back then, the Swarm’s genetic lock technology was beyond their current understanding. However, attributing this to the Swarm’s inherited legacy, they didn’t delve deeper. A few researchers became intrigued by how the legacy unlocked technology but, due to insufficient data, eventually dropped the matter.

While launching Swarm meteorites, these megastructures also served to accelerate Primordial Bodies to sub-light speeds. Historical records showed that during the Swarm’s war with the Riken Race, they used this method to rapidly deploy forces to the Riken star system.

However, by now, these megastructures had become largely obsolete. Logically, they should have been phased out long ago. Constructing such megastructures undoubtedly consumed vast resources, and even with biotech, some cost must have been involved.

The Swarm retaining already-built megastructures was understandable, but their presence in newly occupied star systems indicated that the Swarm still maintained the tradition of constructing these behemoths.

This was highly unscientific unless these megastructures held some spiritual or symbolic significance for the Swarm. However, few supported this view. The Swarm’s combat units were all biological weapons, and the true number of Swarm members was unknown. Why would they create such structures?

Therefore, these megastructures must serve another purpose. Opinions varied widely on what that purpose might be. Some believed they were biological incubation chambers, where the Swarm’s combat units were produced.

Others thought they were Swarm palaces, housing the true Swarm members. Capturing these megastructures might lead to the Swarm’s treasure.

Some suggested they were large-scale quantum transmitters. The Swarm had an efficient communication system, which they tried to conceal while displaying a multi-color communication system. However, researchers concluded that this system, while useful in small-scale battles, couldn’t support large-scale operations due to its reliance on visual signals, which were easily disrupted.

More knowledgeable individuals proposed that these megastructures were frameworks for Swarm Star Gates. While incomplete, once the Swarm unlocked the relevant technology, they could quickly construct Star Gates based on these structures.

Additionally, there were theories about them being prisons, experimental fields, and more. Support for each theory varied, but overall, everyone firmly believed that these megastructures were not mere spiritual symbols.