I Am The Swarm-Chapter 628: Form

Over the years, Luo Wen had established a significant presence in this Galaxy. Through his unique methods of infiltration, he had managed to plant “his own people” within the Confederation, and even within the Ji race itself.

They were spread across various sectors—scientists, merchants, soldiers, management, and even members of royal families from certain races and esteemed Ji race elders. Their presence was ubiquitous.

As a result, the Confederation, including the Ji race, no longer held the same level of mystery for Luo Wen as it once did. Multiple channels of information kept him well-informed.

If Elder Sade had discovered any anomalies with Lumina and reported them, such explosive news—potentially causing widespread panic—might have been concealed from the foreign races and even ordinary members of the Ji race. However, Elder Humes, another respected Ji race elder, would not have been kept in the dark about such a significant matter.

Even if Elder Humes were stationed in a remote area, such as a battlefield, where information might be slower to reach him, a local council of elders would likely not exclude him. Moreover, Elder Humes had friends and acquaintances, many of whom were of similar status, providing him with additional sources of information.

Yet, despite all these channels, Elder Humes had not received even the slightest hint of such news.

This allowed Luo Wen to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that he might have overthought the situation. If Lumina had indeed developed intelligence, given the millions of years of data it had collected on the Confederation and its observations of human nature, it would understand that such an attribute must remain hidden. In the face of racial differences, even the most fervent mechanical modification enthusiasts could not guarantee absolute loyalty or trust.

If even a hint of its intelligence were to leak, Lumina would become a target, attacked from all sides. Even if it maintained absolute loyalty, in the eyes of sentient beings, nothing is absolute. Once the seed of doubt is planted, it takes root and grows, becoming impossible to eradicate.

The solution would be to eliminate the root cause entirely. Even if Lumina had not developed intelligence, its core code included a directive to protect itself, meaning it would not surrender willingly. This would inevitably lead to internal conflict within the Confederation, plunging it into chaos.

Meanwhile, the Swarm had grown into a colossal entity. While it might not yet match the Confederation, the Ji race, or even the established Inner Circle civilizations in terms of surface strength, its potential was limitless. If the Confederation were to descend into internal strife, the Swarm could seize the opportunity to rise, playing the role of the fisherman who benefits from the struggle.

Taking a step back, compared to Lumina’s form of life, the Swarm’s form might be more relatable to the foreign races. With a completely alien entity like Lumina as a contrast, the Swarm, though difficult to accept, might find itself welcomed by the foreign races.

The war against the Swarm could transform into a war against Lumina, with the Swarm becoming an ally in this new alliance.

This would not be good news for Lumina, and it would be something it absolutely could not accept. Putting himself in Lumina’s shoes, Luo Wen realized that if he were Lumina, even if he had evolved to possess intelligence and become a sentient life form, he would keep it hidden. He would continue to operate as usual, quietly laying the groundwork, developing his strength, and biding his time.

At this thought, Luo Wen suddenly felt a chill. Yes, Lumina had millions of years of big data at its disposal. Even if it had only recently developed intelligence, its level of understanding could not be measured by conventional standards.

Therefore, if Lumina had indeed gained intelligence, it would not announce it or display it openly. At the very least, it would observe in secret, using its newfound intelligence to think. With its vast database, it would likely arrive at conclusions similar to Luo Wen’s. And if that were the case, then…

Luo Wen had only just learned of and speculated about these matters. But Lumina had existed for millions of years. Who knew when it had completed its evolution and gained intelligence?

Perhaps it was today, yesterday, a hundred years ago, a thousand years ago, ten thousand years ago? Or perhaps even during the era of the original Ji race, it had already developed intelligence?

If that were the case, did the original Ji race know about it? Luo Wen’s thoughts spiraled out of control. With his tendency to overthink and strategize against thin air, he let his imagination run wild.

If all of this were merely Luo Wen’s conjecture, then everything would be fine. But if his speculations were true, then the situation would be dire.

Assuming Lumina had indeed gained intelligence, it would need to ensure that everyone involved in the experiment within the fortress was completely trustworthy. Just like the Swarm’s intelligent entities, which were utterly loyal to Luo Wen, this loyalty was not based on mere self-discipline, leverage, or threats. It was built on certain unchangeable conditions, independent of personal will.

This would not be easy to achieve. Luo Wen had unique conditions and talents, but Lumina did not.

At this point, Luo Wen suddenly paused. No, Lumina was fully capable of achieving this.

To some extent, Lumina’s life form was very similar to Luo Wen’s, a lower-tier version of him.

Thus, although the two followed different paths—one biological, the other mechanical—their methods were quite similar, even if their expressions differed.

For example, just as the Swarm had intelligent entities, Lumina could easily create mechanical versions of these “intelligent entities.” As previously mentioned, in the field of intelligent machinery, Lumina was their god, their controller.

When a fervent mechanical modification enthusiast replaced most of their body with nanobots, it was no issue as long as Lumina remained a mere collection of code.

But once Lumina gained intelligence, such behavior would be akin to a sentient being voluntarily transforming themselves into a node unit.

Lumina could use nanobots to sever all connections between the modified individual and the outside world. Through the nanobots, it could transmit virtual feedback to the individual, effectively turning them into a brain in a vat without their knowledge.

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Their body would then be entirely controlled by Lumina. For life forms like Luo Wen and Lumina, creating subroutines was as simple as eating or drinking.

While Lumina could not replicate memories as Luo Wen could, creating an exact duplicate of the original individual, it could achieve similar results through other means.