I Am The Swarm-Chapter 753: Deliberation

Though the rescue teams from the rear couldn’t reach the star systems closest to the explosion in time, fortunately, there was still a forward base on the frontlines.

This star system, the closest to the explosion within the Confederation, had long been under constant threat from the Swarm. Its civilian population had already been evacuated.

Previously, this forward base had gathered a large number of Confederation fleets, but most were captured by the Swarm under the leadership of the Rashudia race.

They had originally planned to enter cryosleep for a hundred years before returning home, but now they had all turned to ash.

However, after that war, fleets from various Confederation races continued to arrive and station here. After all, they had set out decades ago and couldn’t simply abandon their mission due to a single defeat.

But now, they too had to evacuate. Even the Ji race’s fleet didn’t dare face the full force of a stellar explosion head-on—let alone them.

Fortunately, their presence allowed them to assist in rescue operations while evacuating, helping with the relocation efforts for the star systems nearest to the explosion.

Though these civilizations being relocated were considered Outer-Ring civilizations—lower-tier or emerging civilizations according to the Ji race and Inner-Ring civilizations—they only held this status because they resided in this monstrous star region.

If taken individually, each of these civilizations was a formidable power capable of interstellar travel and colonization—an unimaginable behemoth.

But now, these behemoths had to migrate en masse. Their homeworlds and colonized planets contained countless generations of accumulated wealth and heritage—things they couldn’t bear to leave behind.

Within the limited time available, they had to ensure the complete evacuation of their populations while taking as much as possible. Given the current conditions and situation of the Confederation, it was impossible to arrange uninhabited star systems for them to settle and rebuild.

They faced a fate similar to what the Daqi race had endured—being split up and sent to different civilizations and star systems, surviving on the charity of others.

In the harsh “dark forest,” there was no such thing as an easy life. No civilization would willingly allow an uncontrollable force to exist within its sphere of influence, especially one so weak. Thus, while relying on others for survival, their fate was to gradually lose dignity and self-respect.

Only by accumulating more resources and heritage could they hope to restore their civilization’s identity and regain independence in the future. But these matters concerned no one except themselves and those who coveted them.

The stellar explosion was an event with long-lasting and far-reaching effects. For centuries to come, it would continue to assert its existence through destruction.

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However, since the shockwave couldn’t exceed the speed of light, apart from the nearest civilizations, though terrifying, other civilizations didn’t feel an immediate sense of urgency.

What they were focused on was the war between the Ji race and the Swarm. According to the Ji race’s account, the Swarm had struck first during the signing of the agreement. While this seemed counterintuitive—the Swarm had ten thousand reasons not to act and no apparent reason to kill a few Ji elders they’d never met—it was still claimed to be true.

But the weak can’t defy the strong. Trying to provoke the Ji race just for the sake of stirring trouble was something even the Rashudia race wouldn’t do.

Though the Swarm had struck first, under the Ji race’s heroic resistance, they not only thwarted the Swarm’s plot but also captured the Swarm Empress.

After years of propaganda, the Swarm Empress’s image in the Confederation was firmly established as the ultimate demon—one capable of silencing crying children at night.

With such a figure captured, ordinary people rejoiced, but those who understood the situation better wanted to see what the Ji race could gain from all this effort—and how the Swarm would react.

As the protagonists of this incident, the Ji fleet carrying the Swarm Empress soon entered warp space after leaving the star system.

At this point, though not yet completely out of the Swarm’s territory, the Ji race finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“This route has been cleared previously, and reconnaissance devices have been left to ensure it remains passable.”

“Finally safe!”

“Where to next?”

“The original plan was to stop at the frontline base for repairs, but now it’s not safe there either. With the threat of the stellar explosion, everyone is evacuating, and it’ll be chaotic. To avoid unnecessary trouble, the higher-ups have rerouted us.”

“Directly to the star gate? That’s fine. No one wants to linger in this place.”

Under seven times the speed of light, they quickly bypassed the frontline base and headed straight for the star gate. The Ji race’s decision was correct—it indeed spared them from a major headache.

“They didn’t follow the original route and dock at the frontline base.” In a secret base, a black-robed figure spoke with some irritation.

“It’s for the best. Our preparations there were too rushed. Even if we managed to intercept the Swarm Empress, we likely wouldn’t escape subsequent pursuit.”

“True. The Ji race’s methods have become ruthless. If we acted at the frontline base, they might’ve directly blown up the entire star system.”

“A vivid picture, huh? And in the end, they could still pin it on the Swarm.”

“Do we know their next destination?”

One black-robed figure nodded and replied, “We don’t need to investigate; it’s easy to guess. If they’re not stopping for repairs, there’s only one place they could go.”

“I want facts, not guesses.”

“It’s not a guess. My sources have confirmed this information.”

“Good. We can start some of our preparations, but first, we must find a way to mark the ship carrying the Swarm Empress.”

“That’s easy. Though the Ji race has been cautious, transferring the Swarm Empress’s stasis pod midway and setting up several decoys, my intelligence channels are more reliable.”

“Let’s hope so. If the information turns out faulty, we won’t have the resources to set up again.”

“Let’s double-check. Try to confirm through multiple channels.”

“Agreed. We must approach this with the utmost rigor. There’s no turning back. Once we act, whether we succeed or fail, we’ll face retaliation from the Ji race.”

“Exactly. I don’t want to be hunted down by the Ji race after failing.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll confirm again. But you know, fleet information is strictly confidential, and in warp space, only quantum communication works. At this point, everyone should stop holding back and pitch in.”