I Am The Swarm

The battle between the Mecha Warriors and the monster was fierce, resembling a turn-based exchange of blows. The clash of flesh and metal, combined with the raw violence of hand-to-hand combat, created a brutal spectacle that even Luo Wen, as a bystander, found thrilling and adrenaline-inducing.

The fight lasted nearly five hours before the monster, outnumbered and outmatched, was slowly worn down and killed. The Mecha Warriors, though victorious, were all damaged. After surfacing, they were airlifted away by large helicopters for repairs.

The monster’s corpse, on the other hand, was hauled onto a massive ship to be transported to a designated burial site for special disposal.

During this time, the Swarm seized the opportunity to collect samples of the monster’s external skin tissue. As for its internal structure, Luo Wen was in no hurry.

A few “seabirds” shadowed the transport ship discreetly. Since Botians could not consume the monster’s flesh, the Swarm merely had to follow the ship to the burial site to acquire additional samples and data.

The initial skin samples revealed no extraordinary properties apart from their durability and thickness, which made them highly resistant to kinetic impacts. Other than that, there was nothing remarkable.

As for the internal structure, while it had not yet been analyzed, its performance during the battle suggested it would likely not offer anything impressive.

Luo Wen couldn’t understand why the force on the other side of the wormhole sent such a creature. If they were indeed the creators and operators of the wormhole, their technological level should allow them to send something far superior to this monster.

Could the Botians be hiding some kind of superweapon—one powerful enough to intimidate the other side?

However, the Swarm had already infiltrated Botian society and, after combing through various records, found nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps this secret was known only to a select few? Or could the other side be conducting some kind of experiment?

This line of thought brought Luo Wen back to his previous encounters. Having seen the technological superiority of the Rat Folk and the Rikens, Luo Wen couldn’t help but associate anomalies in lower civilizations with experiments conducted by advanced ones.

But what could they be experimenting with? Observing the development of Botian civilization? Studying how civilizations respond to large-scale threats? Or perhaps they simply enjoyed watching Mecha Warriors fight monsters?

Luo Wen was at a loss for answers, but one thing he knew for certain. If this was some kind of experiment, there had to be observation devices involved. After all, how could they observe without something to record or monitor the events?

Based on these speculations, Luo Wen planned several tasks for the next phase. First, he ordered a thorough investigation of Botian history in hopes of uncovering some clues. Second, the conversion of high-ranking Botian personnel into Swarm-controlled entities was added to the agenda.

Meanwhile, the Swarm’s flying units transported Brood Queen eggs to the highest peak on the planet.

Due to the smaller size of the Botian homeworld, its highest peak was only slightly over 4,000 meters tall. The air here was exceedingly thin, the weather harsh, and the mountain was perpetually covered in snow and ice. Even with full gear and the most advanced transportation, it was nearly impossible for Botians to reach this location.

But compared to the vacuum of space, this environment was trivial. The Swarm’s newest base was established atop the peak. There were no native creatures here, nor were they needed. This base’s primary purpose was the production of the Swarm’s standard space combat units—the Space Octopuses.

The template for the Space Octopus was derived from a combination of Fungal Carpet and Atmospheric Organism genetics. While it inherited the strengths of both, it also retained some of their “flaws.” Of course, the Fungal Carpet was one of Luo Wen’s masterpieces, and most of these “flaws” came from the Atmospheric Organism’s genetic fragments.

Atmospheric Organisms had bodies composed of aerogel-like materials, which were much lighter than air. The advantage was that they could float effortlessly in the clouds without requiring propulsion. The downside, however, was that the dense, high-pressure air near the surface acted like an invisible barrier, making it incredibly difficult for them to descend.

The Space Octopuses, although retaining a significant number of Fungal Carpet cells, had inherited some of the Atmospheric Organisms’ drawbacks. These limitations were not apparent on airless planets but could pose minor issues on planets with dense atmospheres.

However, such life-bearing planets were rare in the universe. A single star system might not even have one, so this limitation did not significantly affect the Space Octopuses’ practicality. Moreover, in these environments, the Swarm had more efficient alternatives, rendering the Space Octopuses unnecessary.

Luo Wen had not anticipated this specific scenario, but fortunately, the Swarm no longer relied on external forces to reach outer space, as it once did on the Genesis Planet.

While the Space Octopuses couldn’t hatch in high-density atmospheric regions, they faced no such restrictions at high altitudes. On any given planet, there were bound to be peaks meeting these conditions.

On the highest peak of the Botian homeworld, the Space Octopuses successfully hatched. Once they matured slightly, they used their “natural talents” to ascend higher into the atmosphere, where they activated their Plasma Propulsion Organs, propelling themselves into the skies.

During this process, the Botian observation devices proved entirely ineffective. The optical cloaking system inherent to the Space Octopuses rendered them invisible to optical tracking, while the field cloaking system, added by Luo Wen, redirected the plasma engine’s energy fluctuations away from their true path. As a result, the Botian radars couldn’t detect them at all.

This was a display of technological superiority, reminiscent of the Swarm’s encounters with the Ji civilization.

Unnoticed by the Botians, the Swarm quietly entered outer space. The gas giant that the Botian homeworld orbited was colossal, similar to A7 in the Genesis System.

Like A7, the gas giant was volatile and unpredictable, with high-energy storms raging across its surface. While the Botian homeworld was located far enough from the gas giant to remain unaffected, its existence as a life-bearing satellite defied conventional logic.

Despite the gas giant’s violent nature, there were tranquil and stable regions on its surface. Coincidentally, the Botian homeworld faced precisely one such peaceful zone. Even more coincidentally, the system exhibited a tidal lock between the Botian homeworld and the gas giant, ensuring that the planet always faced this serene area.

These coincidences combined to create a habitable environment conducive to the emergence of life. However, to Luo Wen, so many coincidences felt contrived. Coupled with the wormhole on the Botian homeworld, it was impossible not to suspect deliberate design.

For now, however, Luo Wen lacked sufficient information to draw any concrete conclusions.

After the Space Octopuses exited the atmosphere, they dispersed and headed toward the gas giant’s other satellites.

Due to their unique composition, gas giants typically had numerous moons. This one was no exception, boasting sixty-seven satellites in total, all of which became targets for the Swarm.

These satellites lacked dense atmospheres, allowing the Space Octopuses to freely land and take off. Upon landing, they transformed into Fungal Carpet Seeds, laying the foundation for the Swarm to take root and spread.

As these bases began their initial growth, more Space Octopuses were hatched. Alongside them, Observer Bugs were also produced in large numbers, further enhancing the Swarm’s surveillance and intelligence-gathering capabilities.

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