I Am The Swarm-Chapter 617: Unexpected Turn of Events

At first, Luo Wen’s attention was entirely focused on Cecil, trying to figure out why the carefully planned induction had gone awry and led to the current situation. However, as his emotions gradually settled, he began to notice something unusual about the location itself.

Despite this, he still had a few lingering doubts. First, there was the matter of Cecil. Second, why was a biological laboratory being guarded by a senior member of the Inheritor’s Faction, a group known for their strong preference for artificial intelligence and mechanical technology? This faction was also notorious for harboring members of the Mechanical God Cult.

If Sade, the elder in charge, was secretly a member of the Mechanical God Cult, his inherent bias against biological technology could pose a significant risk. As the highest authority here, he could easily sabotage the lab if he chose to.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, the overseeing elder should have been from the Exchange Faction or, at the very least, a more neutral member of the Loyalist Faction.

However, judging by Sade’s extensive use of artificial intelligence and mechanical servants, it seemed he was trying to demonstrate his integrity. After all, there were only a few elders, and while they might not know each other intimately, they were aware of each other’s reputations. Rather than hiding his affiliations, Sade chose to display them openly, inviting scrutiny and oversight.

Still, Luo Wen couldn’t understand why the Exchange Faction would allow a member of the Inheritor’s Faction to take charge here. Sade’s appointment to this position must have required significant effort from him or his backers. If Sade wasn’t planning to do something, why would he willingly put himself in such a challenging position? Wouldn’t it be easier to stay far away and avoid trouble?

This contradiction puzzled Luo Wen. He quietly instructed his agents within the Confederation to investigate the matter and find out what had really happened.

However, this wasn’t something that could be rushed. Most of Luo Wen’s agents were concentrated on the frontlines or in the border regions near the Swarm. He hadn’t infiltrated many of the mid-to-high-level civilizations within the Confederation, let alone the Ji Race.

This wasn’t due to a lack of ability but rather a matter of time. The Swarm had only been developing for less than a thousand years, a mere fraction of the history of even the oldest outer-ring civilizations, let alone the mid-ring and inner-ring civilizations or the Ji Race. Given the short timeframe, Luo Wen’s achievements were already remarkable.

Finally, what puzzled Luo Wen the most was that several days had passed since the biological armor had started moving, yet he hadn’t heard any news about it.

Although he had been certain that the Ji Race had no reason to target an inactive piece of biological armor in this location, the events of the past few days had shaken his confidence.

They say curiosity killed the cat. Luo Wen had thought he had outgrown such base instincts, becoming an immortal who could remain calm and composed in any situation.

Compared to his past, he had indeed grown a lot. Setting aside his early days on Genesis Planet, playing in the mud with ants, even after awakening and guiding the Swarm to its current state, Luo Wen had never entered hibernation.

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Thus, he had lived through nearly a thousand years of real time, surpassing everyone in the Confederation in terms of conscious experience.

Of course, this didn’t include those who had extended their lives through hibernation, betting on the future. Even someone like Elder Humes, born five thousand years ago, was a mere novice compared to Luo Wen.

But Luo Wen wasn’t one to boast about his age. He had slept for hundreds of millions of years, yet he had never flaunted it. If it came down to comparing ages, even the entire history of the Ji Race wouldn’t come close to his.

Now, however, he realized he had overestimated himself. He kept recalling his early days as a small insect, so fragile that words couldn’t describe it. Back then, driven by curiosity, he had experienced his first flight, which led to him being separated from the worker grubs and losing his comfortable, lazy life. Soon after, he was attacked by Yellow Earth Ants.

Although he later led an army to exterminate the Yellow Earth Ants, that was much later. The ant that had bitten him back then was probably long dead. Thinking about it now, he felt a tinge of regret… but he was getting off track.

Even as he reminisced about the misfortunes caused by his excessive curiosity, when a real problem arose, he couldn’t suppress his growing curiosity.

Unfortunately, Sade, despite his burly appearance, was a seasoned homebody who showed no intention of leaving his castle. Luo Wen couldn’t find an opportunity to act.

The biological armor was moved frequently, suggesting that Sade enjoyed observing it. He would take it out of the shadow-marked area in the castle almost daily, examine it for a few hours, and then return it.

Days passed, and during this time, the castle’s windows were opened several times for ventilation. However, the interior remained eerily quiet. The echo-location system detected no sounds at all, which was highly unusual.

Was it possible that Sade never spoke? Even if he lived alone, he would still need to give orders to his mechanical servants. Any sound at all would have been picked up by the echo-location system.

Moreover, Luo Wen couldn’t risk causing another explosion. If the first explosion had been a coincidence, a second one in the same location would be anything but. It would undoubtedly draw the attention of the artificial intelligence systems, increasing the risk of exposure.

In fact, rather than causing a second explosion, Luo Wen might as well launch a direct assault on the castle. If he was going to be exposed either way, it would be better to be straightforward.

With the echo-location system yielding no results, optical surveillance was equally fruitless. Whether it was the mid-range flying insects, the birds in the sky, or the distant tree-mounted cameras, none of them caught a glimpse of Sade throughout the day.

If it weren’t for the ultra-small starship, the symbol of a Ji Race elder’s status, still parked quietly on the landing pad, Luo Wen might have suspected that Sade had slipped away using some advanced technology without his notice.

However, as the leader of the Swarm, Luo Wen couldn’t devote all his attention to this matter. As time passed and other responsibilities diverted his focus, his once-restless curiosity gradually subsided.

Perhaps sensing that it was losing Luo Wen’s attention, the biological armor unexpectedly underwent another change, catching Luo Wen off guard.