I Am The Swarm-Chapter 587: Hesitation

To be honest, this interception force was almost a joke. In seven or eight months, they might just barely reach the Swarm’s rear, and it was uncertain whether they could even deploy properly.

By then, the Swarm would be nearly wiped out. If there really was a Swarm commander, would he wait until then to retreat? Most of the foreign races didn’t think so.

The Kler, Wuju, and Motexi races had delayed for too long, causing them to miss the optimal window for action. Perhaps this had been their plan all along. Moreover, when the plan was first approved, the other races had used various methods to push for its implementation.

However, whether through connections, indirect hints, or direct advice, all these efforts ultimately funneled back to Conradus, the Confederation’s overall commander.

Conradus, while publicly agreeing to these requests and repeatedly urging the Kler, Wuju, and Motexi races to hurry, never took any substantive action. This kind of urging naturally lacked any real force, and the three races seemed to understand this, tacitly cooperating with the Rashudia to delay.

It wasn’t until further delays would make the war drag on too long, becoming an embarrassment, that the interception fleet finally set out. Otherwise, they could have delayed for another year or two without issue.

Watching the direction the fleet had departed in the void, Conradus silently gave himself a pat on the back. Unintentionally, he had bought another half a year. He hoped this would help the great Overmind.

However, he then frowned. Even with over 100 million ships diverted, while the Confederation’s firepower had decreased slightly, it hadn’t fundamentally alleviated the pressure on the Swarm.

If things continued this way, the Swarm would truly lose. Would the Swarm really give up this star system and suffer their first defeat?

Since Sarah hadn’t shared any intelligence with him, Conradus could only speculate. But no matter what, the Overmind was watching everything. With the Overmind’s capabilities, everything must have been planned long ago. All Conradus needed to do was wait and see how events unfolded.

In the blink of an eye, another half a year passed, bringing them to the beginning of the 89th year of the New Era. Over three years had passed since the war began.

The total forces of both sides, which had initially numbered over seven billion, had been whittled down through constant attrition. The Swarm’s forces now numbered just over 300 million, while the Confederation, even after losing over 100 million to the interception force, still had more than 1.5 billion troops.

Moreover, these 1.5 billion troops were of high quality, with nearly 80% coming from mid-ring civilizations. Although their numbers were half of what they had been at the start of the war, they still retained 60-70% of their combat strength.

At this stage of the war, if the Swarm had no reinforcements, the outcome was essentially decided. However, intelligence from the Confederation, including the Ji Race, showed no signs of large-scale Swarm troop movements within three light-years of Star System One.

With victory in sight, the Confederation was filled with both joy and tension. The first victory against the Swarm was within reach. But the Swarm might still have the stellar bomb as a last resort. They had to be extremely careful, ensuring they didn’t falter at the final hurdle.

—

“Overmind, what should we do next?” Sarah asked softly within the Swarm Network, watching Luo Wen, who was deep in thought.

“Let me think, Sarah.”

Within the Swarm Network, Luo Wen was omnipotent. Manifesting different forms was a trivial skill. To other Intelligent Entities, his appearance was ever-changing, reflecting the perfect image in their minds. If an Intelligent Entity envisioned Luo Wen as radiant, then in the Swarm Network, that’s how he appeared. If the Hive Queens and Brood Queens saw him as a towering insect god, then that’s what he became.

Most of the time, Luo Wen remained hidden within the Swarm Network. Only a few, like Sarah and Morgan, could see his avatar.

However, since ordering Sarah and others to establish the Swarm Court, Luo Wen had rarely appeared in the physical world. Even Sarah and the other Intelligent Entities had to enter the Swarm Network to see him.

In the Swarm Network, Luo Wen appeared to Sarah as he had when he first manifested before her. That was when Sarah had just joined the Swarm, and the Swarm was still weak. Luo Wen, then self-proclaimed as the “Planetary Governor,” was holed up on Genesis Planet, constantly fearing the arrival of advanced civilizations.

But everything had to progress step by step. Scientific theories and their applications couldn’t be rushed. With such a small territory and only a handful of Intelligent Entities, Luo Wen, who had already ascended to a higher dimension, could multitask effortlessly.

Back then, Luo Wen had been bored.

Sarah was one of the first non-research-oriented Intelligent Entities to be converted. Her previous identity as the Ratfolk Queen gave her a slight edge in closeness to Luo Wen, even though everyone was equal in the Swarm Network.

To pass the time, Luo Wen used the Swarm’s influence among the Rat folk to establish several gaming companies, hiring many Rats to develop games. At the time, the Swarm had too few Intelligent Entities, each too precious to waste on games. They were busy accumulating knowledge.

However, creating games wasn’t entirely for Luo Wen’s personal amusement. The Rat folk were on the verge of being technologically suppressed, with ordinary individuals kept in the dark about the true nature of the world. To ensure they could still grow healthily and produce more exceptional offspring under such conditions, mental nourishment was essential.

Thus, Luo Wen’s actions were also a form of strategic planning.

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Under Luo Wen’s guidance, these gaming companies produced high-quality games of various genres. At the time, Sarah, having chosen the command path, had no research duties.

But with the Rat folk unified and, under the Swarm’s covert influence, living in peace, there were no wars to fight. Thus, Sarah could only hone her command skills in games.

Out of boredom, Luo Wen also dabbled in these games. Since his abilities were still limited back then, he couldn’t manifest games within the Swarm Network. To use games to pass the time, he had to do so in the physical world.

As the games were developed by the Rat folk, they were designed for humanoid beings. For this, Luo Wen created a humanoid avatar. This avatar’s style later became the template for all Intelligent Entities’ avatars and was what the Interstellar Technological Confederation believed to be the true form of the Swarm.