I Am The Swarm-Chapter 663: Explosion

Even the Rashudia, who had vowed to secure their first victory, had given up, which made it clear that the situation was truly hopeless. Therefore, when Conradus issued the retreat order, everyone scrambled to leave as quickly as possible, wishing they could instantly teleport back to the frontline base.

Conradus had intentionally refrained from detailing specific withdrawal procedures when issuing the retreat command, which only added to the chaos.

“These fools…” Watching the scene unfold, Conradus’s adjutant muttered under his breath. In truth, Conradus had done this deliberately. Earlier, allowing the outer-ring civilizations to retreat first was precisely to create this very situation.

But this wasn’t because Conradus was secretly aiding the Swarm—it was part of the Rashudia’s original plan.

This step was initially intended for use alongside the Swarm’s stellar bomb. The entanglement between the mid-ring and outer-ring fleets would clear the flight paths, facilitating the Rashudia fleet’s escape.

However, the current situation didn’t feel as urgent as a stellar bomb threat. Moreover, half of the Rashudia fleet had already split off to circle behind enemy lines, while the remaining ships required fewer routes to escape.

Thus, Conradus’s actions seemed somewhat redundant. For a joint forces commander to orchestrate a scenario where Confederation forces clashed was unwise and raised suspicions.

Yet, to the Rashudia, such abrupt and seemingly reckless behavior was perfectly normal. With their hopes for a decisive victory dashed, making other races suffer even more was the only way to offset their frustration.

While other races were still caught in the chaos, the Rashudia fleet, leveraging its advantageous position, had already completed its turn and began splitting into prearranged formations, heading toward their designated directions. Once they reached a safe distance, they would activate their warp drives to depart—and Conradus’s flagship was among them.

Truth be told, the other races weren’t blind to the Rashudia’s tactics; they saw through them clearly. But this was an overt strategy—an open ploy. In times of crisis, one’s options were limited.

“Take a step back, and the horizon broadens.” While this phrase sounded simple, putting it into practice was incredibly difficult. The other races all understood that the most important thing now was to escape this perilous zone as quickly as possible.

But who should go first? The mid-ring civilizations believed their advanced technology and faster ships made them the logical choice to lead the retreat.

This was indeed true. If the outer-ring fleets remained stationary and allowed the mid-ring fleets to disengage first, once the mid-ring ships began accelerating, the path ahead for the outer-ring fleets would be clear.

It was like a car traveling at 70 kilometers per hour versus one traveling at 60 kilometers per hour—without considering other factors, the slower car would never catch up to the faster one.

For the two slower cars, the road ahead would effectively be obstacle-free.

However, the outer-ring civilizations disagreed. They felt they had already sacrificed enough by serving as cannon fodder earlier. In this situation, it was only fair that they retreat first.

If the mid-ring fleets left first and the Swarm launched a pursuit, the outer-ring fleets, left at the rear, would inevitably become cannon fodder once again.

Moreover, they were deep within Swarm territory. Any delay could mean being stranded here forever. To avoid such a fate, they had to hold the mid-ring fleets hostage, forcing them to cooperate.

They adopted a desperate stance: either let us go first, or no one goes.

Faced with the outer-ring civilizations’ shameless tactics, the mid-ring civilizations found themselves in a bind. These fools were clearly trying to drag them down with them—how could they possibly comply?

Unfortunately, as time ticked away, the mid-ring civilizations began to crack under the pressure. Reflecting on their decision, they regretted not acting sooner. It wasn’t the decision itself they regretted but rather not making it earlier. If they had decided at the start, how much time could have been saved? By now, both fleets might already have separated cleanly.

The mid-ring fleets, except for those still turning around, had powered down their engines and ceased advancing further.

The outer-ring civilizations, having won this standoff, felt no excitement. They knew that forcing the mid-ring fleets to yield would later incur severe consequences. As the technologically weaker side, they would undoubtedly pay a heavy price.

But there was no time to dwell on that now. Being punished was still better than becoming captives of the Swarm. With the mid-ring fleets no longer aggressively vying for passage, the entangled groups quickly began separating.

However, suddenly, the instruments aboard both fleets detected an unexpected explosion.

On a battlefield, explosions were commonplace, and a single explosion wouldn’t normally draw attention. But the source of this explosion came from a direction they hadn’t anticipated.

While the two fleets were still entangled, the Rashudia fleet, having arranged their departure earlier, had already pulled back to a safe distance and begun entering warp states one after another.

It was at this moment that the explosion occurred—a catastrophic ship detonation. The data observed through their instruments made it easy for the outsiders to deduce this.

But why had that ship detonated without any apparent cause? Instrument readings showed no Swarm units nearby, ruling out an ambush.

Moreover, the location of the explosion was far from the Swarm forces, with numerous outer-ring and mid-ring fleets blocking the way. The Swarm’s sporadic firepower couldn’t possibly reach them.

Yet, the ship had undeniably exploded. Given the Rashudia’s technological prowess, unless external interference was involved, their operations shouldn’t have resulted in such a catastrophic explosion.

After analyzing the situation, the conclusion was clear: the ship had been attacked from within.

The outsiders didn’t take long to arrive at this conclusion. Many didn’t even consider other possibilities—the instant the explosion occurred, they immediately thought of the Swarm’s trap units.

After all, based on earlier analysis, the Swarm units occupying critical positions aboard the ships were fully capable of causing a catastrophic detonation, and the timing was just right.

Under normal circumstances, even if the Swarm’s trap units destroyed systems like energy generators or energy hubs, the Rashudia could mitigate the damage by shutting down the relevant equipment, preventing a full-scale explosion.

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

At worst, the ship would sustain damage and cease functioning but wouldn’t reach the point of catastrophic detonation. However, many ships were now preparing to enter warp travel, meaning these energy systems couldn’t be shut down and were operating under heavy load.

At this moment, if the Swarm sabotaged the energy systems, there was a high probability of triggering a massive explosion, potentially leading to a chain reaction and resulting in the ship’s total destruction.