I Am The Swarm

“Let’s start with a war of attrition—no rush,” Luo Wen commanded.

Under his will, the Swarm’s Primordial-class units, numbering less than 5,000 and accounting for less than 20% of the total deployed forces, began to stir and move toward the Riken Star System.

The Swarm’s movements were quickly detected by the Riken. After years of standoff, the sight of Swarm “warships” drifting brazenly in plain view was all too familiar.

The Riken’s initial cautious observation eventually evolved into overt study, with their ships coming perilously close to the Swarm fleet to investigate.

While the Riken had not developed many finished products from the ancient spaceship, they had accumulated substantial theoretical knowledge. Combining this with their research on Swarm ships, they managed to develop some innovations.

One such development was a detection device based on gravitational wave technology.

Given the Primordial-class’s immense size—exceeding 500 meters—the gravitational fluctuations it emitted were significant. This new device allowed the Riken to detect these fluctuations and pinpoint the location of the Primordial-class units.

Although the device was effective for large targets, its performance on smaller units was limited due to their weaker gravitational signatures. Nonetheless, this was a major breakthrough, ensuring that the Riken no longer feared a direct assault by the Primordial-class units.

Luo Wen viewed this advancement with approval.

The Riken’s combat power was limited and could not surpass the Swarm. Furthermore, the Riken were already infiltrated by the Swarm. Having such an opponent to help expose vulnerabilities was a rare advantage, one Luo Wen intended to exploit.

The Riken’s fears of a Primordial-class blitzkrieg were largely unfounded. The Primordial-class units only achieved full stealth in energy-silent mode, during which they relied on inertia and were essentially immobile.

Once the Primordial-class units engaged their engines, the resultant energy fluctuations rendered them detectable.

Moreover, as the first intelligent civilization encountered by the Swarm, the Riken were ideal for honing tactics and strategies. Luo Wen was determined not to annihilate them in a single blow.

The Swarm’s forces in the asteroid belt at the system’s edge encountered no resistance, as the Riken had long withdrawn from the area, leaving only monitoring devices behind.

The Swarm then passed the orbit of the Riken Star System’s tenth moon, which likely housed defensive facilities. However, as the moon was on the opposite side of the star at the time, no contact was made.

After over a hundred days of leisurely travel, the Primordial-class units reached the orbital path of the ninth planet in the system, named Raze. The planet was named after a Riken who first discovered it.

Since Raze was still several days away from reaching its current location, the Riken dispatched part of their fleet to intercept the Swarm. Their plan was to delay the Swarm until Raze arrived, allowing its ground-based defensive systems to aid in destroying the Primordial-class units.

Since the launch of the expeditionary fleet, the Riken had never ceased building warships. Though their efforts had been less aggressive initially, they managed to construct over a hundred ships over the past two decades.

When news of the expeditionary fleet’s defeat arrived, the Riken, facing existential threats, significantly ramped up warship production.

Over forty years, they expanded the number of space smelters and shipyards by more than fivefold.

This vast expansion in infrastructure dramatically increased their shipbuilding rate. To date, they had constructed over 2,000 warships.

Had they not also allocated resources to building even more extensive defensive installations, this number could have been several times higher.

In total, the Riken had constructed approximately 2,100 warships in 60 years. Including ships repaired and reintegrated from the expeditionary fleet, their current fleet numbered nearly 2,400 warships, supplemented by over 1,000 large auxiliary vessels.

These warships were divided into three fleets, each consisting of roughly 800 ships.

The First Space Fleet was tasked with intercepting the Swarm, though intelligence revealed that the Second and Third Space Fleets were stationed in geosynchronous orbit on Raze’s far side, using the planet as cover to approach the battlefield.

Opinions within the Riken were divided regarding this interception.

According to intelligence provided by Cross’s grandfather, the debate unfolded as follows:

“I still believe engaging the Swarm at Raze is a mistake. You can’t imagine how terrifying they are,” General Masai warned.

Although stripped of command following his defeat in the Neighboring Star System, Masai retained his honorary rank and served as a senior advisor, being the only high-ranking officer to have directly engaged the Swarm.

The term “Swarm,” initially used for the primitive species on T853, was later reassigned to the intelligent species on T855 after the discovery of the Space Octopus, deemed more fitting of the name.

They still had no idea of ​​the connection between the two species of T855 and T853.

“Hmph, you’ve just been scared out of your wits!” barked Alcer, commander of the Third Fleet and a hot-headed war hawk with the rank of lieutenant general.

“Who are you calling a coward? If it were you, the expeditionary fleet might’ve been completely wiped out!” Masai shot back. Despite losing favor among the Riken, he remained unyielding, harboring pent-up frustration from being scapegoated as the cause of their current predicament.

“Ridiculous! If I had been in command, we’d have conquered the T85 System by now,” Alcer retorted angrily. He had long believed Masai had underhandedly usurped his rightful command of the expeditionary fleet.

Having voluntarily withdrawn from the fleet out of spite, Alcer unknowingly spared himself from the disaster that befell it.

Even so, he maintained that under his leadership, the Swarm would have suffered a crushing defeat. This grudge fueled his disdain for Masai, and he never missed a chance to mock him.

“Talk is cheap! You don’t understand the cunning of this enemy.”

“Funny, I used to think you were cunning. Now I just think you’re a fool.”

“Damn it! Want to settle this with a fight?”

“Bring it on!”

“Enough, enough. Masai has experience, and his concerns surely hold some merit,” another official intervened to de-escalate the brewing confrontation.

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