I Am The Swarm-Chapter 558: Arrival

Their eyes gleamed with ambition and desire, but they also grew wary of their companions. Wealth stirs greed, and the Swarm’s treasure was far more than mere wealth. It represented power, honor, and the potential to attain everything they had ever coveted.

But at the same time, another question arose in their minds: If the race that left this legacy was so powerful, what caused their extinction? Or perhaps… had they ascended to a higher plane of existence?

Civilizations, from the moment they first ventured beyond their home planets, have been filled with boundless imagination about higher technologies and higher dimensions. Even now, as each of their races reigns over hundreds of star systems, this imagination has not ceased.

If the civilization that left this legacy was so powerful, it would be difficult to completely exterminate them. At the very least, a civilization at the level of the Ji Race could withstand most natural disasters. Even if they couldn’t, they would surely detect the threat early and escape without issue.

To exterminate a civilization like the Ji Race, aside from their own self-destruction, only a war with a civilization of equal strength could achieve it.

However, if it were a war, most races wouldn’t be in the mood to leave behind a legacy. Even if they did, their opponents of equal strength would likely not allow this legacy to fall into the hands of outsiders.

Thinking this way, the only option left is self-destruction. Could it be that this race, while attempting to break through to a higher dimension, left behind a memento of their former home?

Did this race succeed or fail? If they succeeded, could they, now in a higher dimension, interfere here?

“Stop overthinking. Those are just things from science fiction. What it truly is, we’ll see once we defeat the Swarm.” The meeting room had been silent for a long time, each attendee lost in their own thoughts, until someone snapped back to reality and broke the silence.

“Regardless, we must take the Star Gate issue seriously. If they escape, the loss would be too great.”

“I think this matter still falls on the Ji Race. We can use our people to bring this up in the Council of Elders. Since we can’t act directly, only they can prevent the construction of the Star Gate.”

“Feasible, but we can’t rely entirely on the Ji Race. We should also send some scout ships to try and locate the true Swarm’s position.”

“Isn’t the Swarm’s royal court in that neighboring star system? I think we can send some people there to gather intelligence.”

“The Swarm is different from ordinary civilizations. We’ve never even seen their ordinary citizens. Infiltrating the Swarm is almost impossible. And without a legitimate identity, staying in Swarm territory for long…” The mysterious speaker shook his head, his meaning clear.

“According to the intelligence from the Ji Race, isn’t the Swarm actually the Rat Folk? I think this is highly likely. Think about it—their royal court is in that so-called neighboring star system. Every civilization, before venturing beyond their home star system, names one of the nearby star systems something like that. And the Swarm’s royal court is located in the star system closest to the Rat Folk’s star system.”

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“That makes sense. A group of Rat Folk obtained the legacy, moved, and changed their name to sever ties with their original race.”

“Haha, but such ties aren’t so easily severed.”

“The Rat Folk civilization has a complete social structure, countless Rat Folk citizens, and most importantly, they follow a technological path. To us, they’re practically a primitive society.”

“And infiltrating a primitive society is much easier.”

“Then we can try to find a way to infiltrate the Swarm or locate their position to prevent them from escaping.”

“Haha…”

One by one, they pieced together their plan.

“But the Rat Folk planet is deep within Swarm territory. Getting there won’t be easy.”

“Of course, the great Ji Race should take the lead in this.”

“Exactly. This covert confrontation might force both the Ji Race and the Swarm to reveal more.”

“Isn’t that our goal, after all?”

In the shadows, conspiracies continued to brew and churn, but on the surface, everything remained calm. Time, transcendent and indifferent, paid no heed to these trivial matters and continued to move forward according to its own laws.

Year after year, until…

In the vast emptiness of space, a massive warship, 4,500 meters long, suddenly emerged from the void. A total of 156 massive main cannons pointed forward, with hundreds of secondary cannons scattered across its surface. Its blade-like, elongated hull, combined with deliberately sharp protrusions and a crimson paint scheme, made it look exceptionally menacing.

As soon as this peculiar warship exited warp space, it demonstrated excellent military discipline. Over a hundred small, spherical probes were ejected from hidden launch tubes. At the same time, rows of lights on the ship lit up, and its radar systems activated fully…

“Welcome, esteemed Rashudians. The surrounding 0.01 light-year area has been cleared. You may land safely.” Suddenly, a message came through. Thanks to Mowei’s connections, the confederation forces had known the Rashudia fleet’s location and exact arrival time and had cleared a sector of space for their arrival.

Nearly eight years had passed since the Ketou Race’s withdrawal. Over these years, fleets from various races had continuously arrived at the frontlines.

The total number of ships stationed at the frontlines had now exceeded 3 billion. These ships were all stationed 1.5 light-years outside the Swarm’s First and Ninth Star Systems. Along with countless reconnaissance instruments and patrol ships, this vast expanse of space had become quite crowded.

As a result, this area was no longer suitable as an exit point for warp space. The unknown interference was too great, and forcibly exiting could be extremely dangerous. A collision with even the smallest debris could result in the destruction of the ship. For large fleets exiting en masse, the danger was even greater.

Other Confederation fleets, upon their initial arrival, would exit warp space far behind the frontlines, often in the rear of several star systems, to find a safe location to emerge. However, this meant it would take several more years to reach the frontlines using conventional propulsion.

To save time and to showcase their uniqueness, the Rashudia Race had, through Mowei, requested the confederation forces to assist with their exit operations.

The exit of over 200 million ships required a vast area, and the Rashudia Race’s demand for efficiency meant an even larger space was needed.

However, there was no other way. As a special existence outside the inner-ring civilizations, the Rashudia Race’s arrival was not only a significant reinforcement but also a morale boost for the frontline forces. Therefore, they indeed had the right to make additional demands.