I Am The Swarm

Northwest of the Riken Star System, approximately 9.6 light-years away, lies the border of the Daqi civilization’s territory. However, in between is an unclaimed star system with the designation LKDW291.

Although the Swarm operated without formal recognition, the Riken people were once registered with the Ji race and thus protected under their internal rules. These rules prohibited established powers from interfering in nearby star systems, such as the Neighboring Star System and LKDW291.

However, fifty years after the Rikens joined the Interstellar Technological Confederation, this protection expired automatically. Seizing the opportunity, the Daqi civilization, which bordered LKDW291, dispatched military and engineering teams to the system in an attempt to claim it and expand their territory.

Unfortunately, this fledgling star system, still in its early stages of development, soon faced a far more formidable colonizer.

When the Swarm began making moves, the Daqi forces stationed there immediately commenced an emergency evacuation. They took everything they could, destroyed what they couldn’t, and planted various hidden mines to try and create trouble for the Swarm.

At the end of Year Ten of the New Era, the Swarm’s vanguard arrived at the LKDW291 Star System, only to be greeted by a scene of utter desolation. Orbiting several planets were large amounts of wreckage and abandoned construction debris, among which lay concealed explosives of varying power.

The vanguard ignored the space debris and instead spread out across the star system to search for hidden surveillance devices. The Swarm, experienced in dealing with such concealed threats, employed specialized functional organisms capable of precisely capturing signals across relevant frequencies to locate these devices.

As follow-up forces gradually arrived, the Swarm increased the number of units dedicated to detection and began clearing the debris.

Primordial bodies opened their storage sacs, releasing a massive number of larval and mature bodies. These units deftly maneuvered through the wreckage, searching for suspicious explosives.

Flashes of explosions occasionally lit up space. For these mines, the Space Octopuses opted to destroy them from a distance using energy weapons. However, many of the mines were equipped with small radar systems and intelligent chips that enabled them to detonate autonomously upon detecting hostile forces. The more advanced mines often unleashed devastating explosions, causing some casualties among the Swarm.

Still, these losses were insignificant for the Swarm. Injured Space Octopuses were dragged to the star’s vicinity to recover, while the dead were recycled on the spot.

In this way, the mines left by the Daqi were swiftly neutralized. Certain Primordial bodies equipped with specialized functional structures sprayed enormous webs in planetary orbits.

These genetically optimized and specially modified webs possessed remarkable toughness and resistance to both radiation and energy shocks.

Each web, spanning three to four square kilometers, was deployed, layered, and interconnected to form an enormous interception net in space. Using orbital mechanics, these nets captured all passing space debris.

The Primordial bodies then tightened the nets, compressing them into massive metallic balls. These web balls, each with a diameter exceeding 10 kilometers, floated in planetary orbits like satellites.

Afterward, the Primordial bodies planted fungal carpet seeds within the web balls and dragged them out of planetary orbit to the star’s proximity. In due time, these web balls would grow into the Swarm’s megastructure prototypes.

While clearing space, the Swarm also began planetary development. Planets and moons of all sizes started to display gray purple patches. Large numbers of locally produced larval bodies began to converge near the star’s orbit, where they would mature to the appropriate levels and join the Swarm’s forces.

Everything proceeded in an orderly and methodical fashion, showcasing the Swarm’s extraordinary discipline in full measure.

—

“The Swarm has stopped advancing. This is good news for us.”

“They haven’t stopped; they’re just advancing cautiously. Their objective is crystal clear!”

“Even if they’re being cautious, it’s still good news for us—it gives us more time to prepare.”

“The problem now is, we don’t know how long the Swarm will hold back. For that reason, I oppose organizing a defensive line within the Daqi territory!”

“Rubbish! We must stop the Swarm at our borders. Otherwise, my race will suffer enormous losses.”

But the Koya Alliance’s member factions weren’t close enough to fight and sacrifice for one another. They were far from close to each other even if allied, so expecting more was unrealistic.

“How soon can we deploy forces to the Daqi front line?” one representative asked.

An adjutant strategist quickly provided the figures: “Within five years, we can deploy 35 million main warships at the fastest rate. Within ten years, the number could reach 60 million warships.”

“Based on calculations, during battles, each of our warships can match the combat power of 5 to 8 Space Octopuses of the 500-meter class. This means our 35 million main warships could fend off about 200 million Swarm units.”

The Daqi representative’s eyes lit up. “According to the information provided by the Ji race, the Swarm has only dispatched 200 million units to LKDW291. It’s impossible for them to use all of these forces for an assault. Therefore, setting up a defensive line at our borders should absolutely be sufficient to stop them.”

“Representative of Daqi, it’s not as simple as you think! Our forces need five years to be deployed, but can you guarantee the Swarm won’t launch an attack within three years? Even if they wait until five years from now, no one can predict how many units they’ll have deployed to LKDW291 by then. The latest intelligence shows that their reinforcements have been continuous. Those 200 million units might just be their vanguard.”

“Exactly! While 35 million warships could hold off 200 million Swarm units, the end result would likely be mutual annihilation—a pyrrhic victory. The Swarm has gone mad, and they’re clearly on a death march, aiming to drag others down with them. I, for one, don’t want our warships to be part of their collateral damage. Therefore, I suggest avoiding direct confrontation with the Swarm unless absolutely necessary.”

“Rubbish! Your territory is over a hundred light-years away, so of course you’re in no rush. Besides, your reinforcements will take decades to arrive, meaning you’ll have no part in the war for the foreseeable future. What right do you have to speak?”

“My race is a member of the Koya Alliance and has been for ten thousand years longer than yours. In terms of qualifications, seniority, and strength, we far surpass you Daqi. For the sake of the alliance’s future, I believe I absolutely have the right to speak. Besides, if it weren’t for your Daqi race’s propaganda and agitation back then, how would the Koya Alliance have incurred such deep enmity with the Swarm? I propose we expel the Daqi race from the alliance and let them fend for themselves. Perhaps if the Swarm annihilates them, their rage will dissipate, and they won’t target the rest of us.”

“You… you…!” The Daqi representative was so furious he couldn’t form words. His three eyes bulged, as if they were about to bleed.

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