I Am The Swarm

Once again, to the Rikens’ surprise, the Swarm had no additional demands beyond the two initial conditions. Measures like disarmament, parliamentary control, or technological restrictions were entirely absent.

The Rikens couldn’t help but think: if they had known it would be this easy, why did they even bother fighting? They could have shaken hands and called it a day much earlier.

Meanwhile, Luo Wen remarked that for “production bases,” the Swarm always offered generous treatment. After a few cycles, the Rikens would inevitably become the second Ratfolk Civilization.

All their middle and upper management would be replaced by Intelligent Entities, and the average Riken citizen would only see a harmonious coexistence between the two species.

Because the Swarm’s demands were so incredibly minimal and “reasonable,” the subsequent meeting essentially turned into a celebration—a celebration of the beginning of a friendship between the two civilizations.

This was also why Hamis and his two companions felt relaxed enough to joke around in a corner. With the heavy burdens lifted from their shoulders, they could finally enjoy themselves.

The “celebratory” meeting lasted several hours. The broad strokes had been decided, and the finer details were left to specialists to handle. Afterward, the Rikens began transferring war prisoners—specifically the Daqi people who had fled to the Rikens’ Twin Star Defensive Zone, much to the Rikens’ chagrin.

The Rikens found themselves caught in a dilemma, they couldn’t afford to provoke the Swarm, but the Daqi people weren’t exactly easy to deal with either. Both were forces beyond the Rikens’ capacity to handle.

During the previous battles, even before the fighting had ended, the Rikens had offered the Daqi their best hospitality—providing food and drink, despite the environmental differences between the two species, which meant the Daqi couldn’t consume the offerings.

At the very least, the Rikens ensured their efforts looked good on the surface. Even if the Daqi eventually won the war, they wouldn’t have grounds to criticize the Rikens. This was why Prince Diallo had felt comfortable relocating his crew to Riken territory in the first place.

However, since the Daqi had ultimately been defeated, it was only natural for these “prisoners” to be returned to their rightful owner.

The Rikens didn’t haggle over this issue—it wasn’t even considered a condition. In fact, they were eager for the Swarm to take away these troublesome “lords” they couldn’t afford to offend or discipline.

Of course, during their “detention” of the Daqi, the Rikens had tried probing for information about them. However, the language barrier proved a significant obstacle, as the Rikens didn’t understand the Daqi language.

Fortunately, the Daqi themselves were keen to reveal certain information, intending to intimidate the Rikens. Some Daqi who were fluent in the Riken language deliberately and casually disclosed a few details.

For instance, they boasted about their civilization’s immense power, its dominion over three Star Systems, and its affiliation with a vast Confederation containing countless powerful factions of terrifying strength.

The Rikens paid little attention to the first part of the message—after all, the Swarm surrounded their periphery now, leaving them relatively unconcerned about the Daqi. However, the latter revelation about the Daqi being part of a massive organization was alarming, prompting the Rikens to adjust their policies.

Given the Swarm’s remarkably lenient terms, the Rikens decided to adopt a diplomatic stance of maintaining independence rather than excessively flattering the Swarm. They aimed to prepare for potential crises in the future.

In simpler terms, they chose to remain neutral—a “fence-sitting” strategy to leave themselves a way out. Should the Swarm fall to the Confederation in the future, the Rikens could justify their actions and switch allegiances.

Nevertheless, when handing over the Daqi prisoners, the Rikens shared the intelligence they had gathered with the Swarm. They realized that withholding such information would be futile. If the Rikens kept secrets, the Daqi might still disclose them to sow discord between the two species.

Luo Wen was fully aware of the Rikens’ petty schemes but said nothing. When it came to “production bases,” he had always been magnanimous.

As for the Daqi prisoners, Luo Wen had already planned their fate.

A satellite of Planet Izumo had been hollowed out, with numerous rooms carved inside. The Daqi prisoners were promptly relocated to this satellite.

The Daqi people had complex feelings toward the Swarm. On the one hand, they harbored a sense of superiority, looking down on what they saw as rural primitives. On the other hand, there was the shame of having been utterly crushed by those same “primitives,” as well as a deep sense of shock and confusion over the Swarm’s combat prowess.

Outwardly, however, they showed a far more subdued attitude. The arrogance they had displayed while in Riken territory was significantly reined in.

A few Daqi individuals shouted loudly in Riken using the same rhetoric they had used on the Rikens, hoping to intimidate the Swarm. They didn’t know the Swarm’s language, so they could only use Riken. However, they were aware that the Swarm could understand them.

Yet, no Intelligent Entities from the Swarm responded. Only small Space Octopuses and several unfamiliar multi-legged bugs escorted them deeper into underground passages.

The surrounding tunnels were lined with purple-gray fleshy tissue. As the group moved forward, Daqi individuals at the back of the line began to disappear one by one. Fear started to spread among them, and the tunnels filled with angry curses and vile language in Daqi.

But these outbursts, regardless of whether they were understood, did nothing to disturb the bugs. The Swarm maintained an unshakable calm.

Their serenity stemmed from their single-minded obedience to Luo Wen. To the Swarm, nothing else mattered.

“Overlord, the Daqi themselves might not be of much concern, but how should we handle the forces backing them?” Sarah Kerrigan asked.

Luo Wen shook his head. “It’s too early to make any judgments. We need more intelligence. For now, let’s see what information these captives can provide.”

“But who knows how long that might take? This is an entirely new species,” Sarah said with some concern.

“Given our prior experience with the Rikens, it shouldn’t take too long. At most, two years, and we’ll have it under control.” Luo Wen spoke with confidence.

In matters like these, his input carried the most weight, as the experiments and operations required his personal involvement. Furthermore, as an Immortal Species, his perception of time had changed. Two years, to him, was merely a short period.

“Will that be enough time? Couldn’t the Confederation attack us in the interim?” Sarah pressed.

“Don’t worry. That escapee is far from resigned and is still looking for an opportunity to turn the tables. As long as he hasn’t lost all hope, he won’t seek external help.”

Indeed, after his retreat, Prince Diallo, staring at his remaining fleet of over a thousand warships, believed he still had a chance. He was already plotting a decisive counterattack against the Swarm. What he didn’t realize, however, was that his every move was being monitored by the Swarm.

During their advance into the Riken Star System, the Swarm had deployed countless Observer Bugs. Some disguised themselves as meteoroids, while others embedded themselves directly into asteroids.

A fleet of over a thousand warships presented too large a target to lose track of. While their ships were coated with stealth materials designed to evade radio detection radar, those measures were ineffective against the Swarm’s advanced optical technologies.

“I’m just worried those monitors might trigger alarms,” Sarah admitted, her concern still lingering. Luo Wen fell silent, recognizing the validity of her concern.

This was indeed a significant issue. The surveillance devices discovered near the battlefield were clearly not of Daqi origin, introducing a major variable into the equation.

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