I Am The Swarm-Chapter 562: Arrangements

“Has the Swarm still not reacted?”

The massive military operation was underway, and such a large-scale movement in the open void of space couldn’t possibly be hidden. As the target of this operation, the Swarm’s response naturally drew everyone’s attention.

“There’s been some activity. Frontline intelligence reports that the Swarm’s smaller combat units have become more active, but units 500 meters or larger remain inactive.”

“Are they really not planning to resist at all?” Although the Rashudia Race’s temperament was eccentric, this was due to their genetic makeup and social structure, not a lack of intelligence.

If they were unintelligent, they wouldn’t have reached their current level of power. They knew exactly which forces they could provoke, which they could ignore, and which they couldn’t afford to mess with.

The races at the frontline were all mid and outer-ring civilizations. Only one of them shared a border with the Rashudia Race, while the others had no connection whatsoever.

In terms of hard power, these races couldn’t compare to the Rashudia Race. In terms of connections, the Rashudia Race had, under the threat of a stellar explosion, forcibly integrated the frontline Confederation forces, acting as the enforcers and scouts for the Ji Race and the inner-ring civilizations. This was a massive favor.

Even if all the outer and mid-ring civilizations united, could they possibly outweigh the Ji Race and the inner-ring civilizations combined? The recent protests and impeachment attempts were a clear example.

Moreover, this wasn’t the first time. In the eyes of other races, the Rashudia Race was a bunch of lunatics, rabid dogs that would bite anyone without hesitation. They were a sharp blade, doing the dirty work that the higher powers in the Confederation were unwilling to do themselves.

Thus, to the Ji Race and the inner-ring civilizations, the Rashudia Race was far more useful than the other outer-ring races. With the support of the Ji Race and the inner-ring civilizations, what use were the connections of the outer and mid-ring civilizations?

The Rashudia Race understood this very well, which was why, despite constant slander over hundreds of thousands of years, they not only survived but thrived and grew stronger.

As for their reputation as the strongest mid-ring civilization, their defiance of the inner-ring civilizations, and their ambition to become a new inner-ring civilization—these were all personas crafted by the earliest Rashudia leaders to ensure their race’s survival.

But after generations of inheritance, how many Rashudia still knew the truth behind these personas? Only the heavens knew.

Foll𝑜w current novels on fɾēewebnσveℓ.com.

At the very least, Conradus believed that over 99.9% of the Rashudia Race was unaware of these facts. They had long since become the characters they were meant to play.

Thus, while this attack on the Swarm was secretly directed by the Confederation’s higher-ups, securing this first victory was also crucial for the Rashudia Race.

Conradus, as the overall commander of the Rashudia forces at the frontline, was under immense pressure. The Swarm’s eerie calm had fueled rampant speculation, and Conradus initially dismissed it.

But as the possibilities narrowed, the theory of a stellar bomb—logically consistent and aligned with reality—gained more and more support. Conradus himself began to wonder: Was the Swarm really planning to blow up the star and take everyone down with them?

As support for this theory grew, it became accepted as fact. People began to firmly believe that the Swarm was preparing a stellar bomb, and this atmosphere subtly influenced Conradus. Gradually, he too came to believe it.

As the commander of this operation, he knew that too many races were waiting to see him fail. The current situation was extremely tricky, and whether he advanced or retreated, it would be awkward.

But by advancing, there was a chance of victory. If he retreated, there would be nothing. Thus, in Conradus’s view, there was only one option.

To counter the Swarm’s stellar bomb plan, Conradus racked his brains. With the help of his fellow Rashudia, Mowei, he finally came up with a solution.

While the stellar bomb’s power was immense, its flaws were equally obvious. The effects of the explosion couldn’t propagate faster than light. This meant that if they could move fast enough at the moment of the star’s explosion, no matter how powerful the blast, it wouldn’t reach them.

Moreover, a stellar explosion couldn’t happen instantaneously. There would be significant precursor activity, and by timing their movements correctly, they could minimize losses.

In theory, the fewer ships deployed for this mission, the better. More ships would cause interference, and the number of warp lanes in a given area was limited. Only a fixed number of ships could enter warp space at any given time, and too many ships would lead to queuing.

Conradus also understood that the Swarm’s decision to continuously reinforce the star system wasn’t just to deceive the Confederation forces. Another goal was to drag more of the Confederation forces into the fray.

If the Swarm’s forces were too small, even the Rashudia Race alone could force the Swarm to trigger the stellar bomb. With the Rashudia fleet’s performance and ample warp lanes, they could potentially secure this first victory without casualties, earning them immense honor.

But such a scenario was only a dream. The Swarm currently had over 4 billion units deployed in the First Star System. While the disparity in individual strength reduced the effective number, it was still far beyond what the Rashudia Race’s mere 200 million ships could handle.

To gain an advantage in battle and force the Swarm to trigger the stellar bomb, Conradus calculated that at least 80% of the mid-ring civilizations’ fleets at the frontline would need to join the fight.

Of course, if they were going to do this, why stop at 80%? That would be unfair. What would the excluded allies think? What would the outer-ring civilizations think? Thus, this had to be an inclusive effort, ensuring that every member of the Confederation forces felt fully involved.

However, in deploying the formation, Conradus, with the help of his fellow Rashudians, made some subtle adjustments. He positioned the Rashudia forces at the forefront, with the mid-ring civilizations’ fleets fanning out to the sides. The outer-ring civilizations’ forces were placed behind the mid-ring fleets, but the area behind the Rashudia forces was left empty.

Conradus justified this by claiming it would enhance their strength. As for why there were no forces behind the Rashudia? The Rashudia’s position was the most dangerous, and no outer-ring civilization had the strength to serve as their backup.

But this didn’t mean they were without support. The overseer fleet would act as their reinforcements. If the Rashudia vanguard encountered a crisis, the overseers would step in.

With ships of the same origin, there was no need to worry about coordination. The overseers were the best reinforcements.