I Am The Swarm

What is the Swarm’s apparent style?

The Swarm’s infiltration technology is towering, eerily silent, and leaves no trace. Thus, most external civilizations perceive the Swarm as relying on brute force and sheer numbers.

This perception is not entirely inaccurate. With the Swarm Network functioning as a cheat code, the Swarm has not placed much emphasis on conventional network technologies. In a battle between two civilizations dominated by mechanical technology, information warfare, cyberattacks, and electronic interference usually begin long before entering artillery range.

However, Swarm warfare skips these steps entirely. In the end, it always comes down to relying on their unparalleled regenerative and production capabilities to grind their enemies to exhaustion. While this approach leverages the strengths of biotechnology to the fullest, it undeniably has its shortcomings.

For example, Luo Wen was now at a loss, staring at the two self-destructed supply ships and the strange functional vessel before him.

After fighting for so long, all they had gained was a heap of scrap metal. In the past, this would not have seemed problematic because there had been no treasures worth coveting. Take the Rikens, for instance—their research units had been infiltrated so thoroughly that their technological tree was essentially open to the Swarm. Even the head of their science department, Cleo, was a member of the Swarm, so there was no need to reverse-engineer anything from captured warships.

But now, with the Daqi Empire and potentially many other future adversaries, the Swarm lacked the time to prepare such thorough groundwork. Hence, gathering intelligence and technology from captured ships during the early stages of conflict had become an essential means of understanding enemies and refining their capabilities.

In this situation, watching treasures repeatedly being reduced to scrap metal was maddening. The two supply ships were still acceptable losses, containing, at most, some unique ecological recycling technologies. Luo Wen himself was an expert in this field. But the peculiar functional vessel—clearly valuable—was lost before they could even discern its purpose.

This loss brought Luo Wen a fleeting yet real pang of regret, despite him being a “digital being” without a physical need for breathing. The sensation, nonetheless, felt authentic.

Fortunately, the Swarm Overlord had noticed this issue. What the Overlord valued, the Swarm valued. Luo Wen believed this area of research would see increased investment in the future.

Meanwhile, on the Daqi side, Prince Diallo found himself in a dire predicament after losing both the supply ships and the communications vessel. Cut off from his homeworld and with supplies running critically low, he had no choice but to reveal their identity to the Swarm.

At a distance of 500,000 kilometers from the Swarm’s Izumo Base, the Daqi fleet broadcast a signal. The Swarm easily intercepted and extracted the information.

“A prince of the Daqi Empire? The Interstellar Technological Confederation?” Luo Wen furrowed his brow as he read the intercepted data. According to the information, the opposing civilization, the Daqi Empire, governed three star systems, with its borders located approximately 13.2 light-years from the Rikens’ system. These details aligned with intelligence previously gleaned from prisoners of war, leaving little doubt about their authenticity.

However, information that the war prisoners had previously been vague about was now detailed in this broadcast. First, the Daqi Empire belonged to an organization known as the Interstellar Technological Confederation, boasting over 200 member civilizations. Some of these civilizations commanded territories spanning over a hundred star systems.

The broadcast then transitioned into an extended eulogy of the organization, praising its possession of countless advanced technological theories, an invincible joint fleet, the unity and camaraderie of its members, and their mutual support and fiercely protective nature.

At the end of the broadcast, it was mentioned that if the Swarm was willing to pay a certain price, the organization could conditionally allow the Swarm to join and provide them with protection. Naturally, this would also require the Swarm to show its gratitude to the Daqi Empire, who acted as their guide and introducer, including gestures of tribute and compensation for the losses the Daqi Empire incurred in this war.

The words were filled with an implicit, almost tangible threat, making the message clear: the Swarm had best comply obediently and avoid any foolish resistance. Otherwise, the powerful joint fleet of the organization could invade the Swarm’s territory at any moment.

“What should we do, Overlord?” Sarah frowned and asked.

“Don’t panic!” Luo Wen chuckled. The information in the broadcast was riddled with inconsistencies, making its credibility questionable.

Firstly, the existence of the organization itself was likely true, as were the vast territories of powerful civilizations and advanced technologies. These were things that, if real, would inevitably be verified in time, so there was no need to fabricate them.

However, the subsequent claims became dubious. For instance, notions of unity, camaraderie, and mutual support—Luo Wen didn’t believe a single punctuation mark of it. Not to mention, if the Swarm were beaten to a pulp and then forced to join such an alliance, Luo Wen’s unforgiving nature would guarantee that he’d find an opportunity for revenge.

As for the tributes and reparations mentioned at the end, it was outright nonsense. If Luo Wen had a better understanding of the Interstellar Technological Confederation, he wouldn’t tolerate a mere Crown Prince of the Daqi Empire daring to threaten the Swarm in such a manner. He’d have already mobilized the Swarm’s forces to confront the Daqi leadership directly.

Under the Overlord’s will, the Swarm did not respond to the broadcast. However, the normally idle Primordial Bodies began to stir. They started forming groups, swaggering from the Izumo Base to the stellar orbital swarm base to absorb solar energy, then returning after a few days to draw planetary radiation.

Since Diallo’s message had been sent as an indiscriminate broadcast, the Riken near the Swarm base also received it.

“Everyone, you’ve seen the message. Please feel free to share your thoughts,” President Milton said, looking rather troubled.

Because of the precedent set by his predecessor, Antonio, measures had been taken to prevent excessive centralization of the president’s power when Milton took office. As a result, his authority had been significantly curtailed, leaving him unable to speak decisively and forcing him to convene meetings to hear the opinions of various leaders.

“With the Swarm outside as a shield, the Daqi Empire is hardly a concern,” said one Riken council member. “Moreover, the credibility of the broadcast remains questionable, but I believe there truly is a powerful force backing the Daqi Empire. This aligns with our previous speculation regarding the Treasure Starship.”

When the Daqi fleet first appeared, the Riken had noticed that, while formidable, the fleet did not seem advanced enough to have created the “Treasure Starship.”

“However, we still don’t know what this powerful force intends. If all of this is simply the Daqi Empire acting on its own initiative, then it’s easy enough to deal with. But if this is orchestrated by the force behind them, we must consider the possibility of them intervening directly.”

“Exactly. While the Swarm is indeed formidable, I estimate they may not be a match for this hidden power. If a conflict truly breaks out, we, caught in the middle, should prepare in advance.”

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