I Am The Swarm-Chapter 667: Communication

After the Rashudia crippled themselves and the Confederation’s supreme commander went missing, the Kemonge—who, despite being a lower-tier mid-ring civilization, had the largest remaining forces—quietly gained significant influence.

With their input, even if some people disagreed, they refrained from openly opposing them. After all, the Kemonge were authorities in primary color technology, so their statements carried considerable weight.

“It’s undeniable that the Swarm possesses some form of primary color interaction system, and we’re all willing to believe it. While this system is highly covert, it also has significant limitations.”

“Exactly. It’s overly reliant on optical transmission. Not only can it not receive effective information over long distances, but even at close range, strong light can severely disrupt their communication.”

“On the battlefield, explosions and energy projectiles emit various lights, yet I’ve never seen the Swarm exhibit any signs of confusion.”

“This suggests that while the Swarm didn’t lie initially, they didn’t disclose everything either.”

“That’s normal, isn’t it? If any of us here had something to hide, we wouldn’t reveal our trump cards either.”

“Yes, it’s perfectly reasonable,” one representative sighed.

“So, does anyone know what their primary means of communication is?”

“No idea. One thing’s for sure—it’s different from ours. Our intelligence units have never intercepted any of the Swarm’s communication signals.”

“Hmph, same here. To be honest, among the races represented here, some may have higher technology than us, but none are advanced by an entire generation. So, even if your communications aren’t quantum-based, though we might not decrypt them, we can still detect that you’re communicating. But interestingly, our detection instruments haven’t picked up any evidence of the Swarm transmitting anything for long-range communication.”

“They can’t possibly have equipped every single unit with quantum communication systems, can they?”

“How could they? Large units, maybe. But small units? Even if they wanted to equip them, their size wouldn’t allow it.”

“Who knows? We’re completely baffled by their level of biotechnology.”

“True. But I suspect their large units communicate via quantum systems, while smaller units deployed during battles use the primary color interaction system. Also, I reviewed the earliest records about the Swarm, which mentioned they use sound-based communication methods as well.”

“I’ve read that too, but it doesn’t explain their seamless cooperation on the battlefield despite interference. Explosions emit intense light capable of disrupting optical reception, and sound doesn’t travel in space.”

“Exactly. This proves the Swarm has another, highly covert method of interaction. But what is it?”

“This question might need to be directed to the Ji race.”

“I doubt even the Ji know. If they did, there’s no reason they wouldn’t share such critical intelligence with us on the frontlines.”

“Indeed. Through this incident, the Ji… Sigh… In my mind, they’re no longer the same Ji race as before.”

“They’re no longer invincible, are they?”

“…”

The room fell silent momentarily, perhaps due to the despair of isolation or because someone subtly steered the conversation. Either way, people grew bolder in their remarks, voicing thoughts they’d previously dared not express.

However, these discussions ultimately led nowhere. They couldn’t draw any useful conclusions, merely passing the time during this agonizing wait.

As everyone anxiously waited, time dragged on, and the battlefield fell into an eerie state. The two sides stared at each other from afar, with no shots fired. The side with numerical superiority had scattered formations—no offensive push, no retreat. Many ships even shut down most of their power systems, extinguishing their running lights.

Without propulsion, they loomed like dark metal cages in space, exuding a chilling, ominous aura.

After an interminable wait…

“It’s about time…”

“Is it? Do you think they’ve fully taken control of our fleet?”

“Maybe. Who knows? I’m just speculating.”

“Sigh…”

Several sighs echoed. Many people vaguely understood why the Swarm hadn’t responded yet. While the Swarm remnants on the main battlefield remained inactive, the Swarm units aboard their ships were far from idle.

The Rashudia’s earlier catastrophe was largely self-inflicted—they increased their energy output to enter warp travel. The Swarm units seized this moment to sabotage their energy systems, creating a situation beyond the Rashudia’s control.

However, if they hadn’t raised their energy output to such levels, the Swarm’s sabotage would have only caused minor explosions—not enough to trigger catastrophic detonations of the sturdy warships.

The Rashudia weren’t alone in this predicament; other races faced similar risks. But as time passed, the Confederation’s forces stagnated—or even declined—while the Swarm’s strength undoubtedly continued to grow.

“Think about it differently—the Swarm probably won’t exterminate us entirely. That might actually be good news,” one person forced a bitter laugh, his voice tinged with eerie sarcasm.

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Though his laughter was unpleasant, his words resonated with the others. If the Swarm intended total annihilation, they could simply destroy the energy systems. Without reaching maximum output, minor explosions wouldn’t obliterate the ships entirely but would render them powerless. Without power, the ships couldn’t fire weapons or activate their engines to escape, leaving them stranded.

Moreover, losing power would cause the ships’ gravity systems and internal life-support systems to collapse. Even without further action from the Swarm, the deteriorating conditions inside the ships would eventually kill them.

The fact that the Swarm had waited so long without doing this indicated they didn’t intend to wipe them out entirely. Their lack of response likely stemmed from the Swarm units aboard the ships having sufficient defensive capabilities but insufficient offensive capacity.

Once the number of Swarm units aboard reached a level where they could fully control the ship’s environment, the Swarm’s response would likely follow.

“I once visited the Riken trade city. Do you know the Riken? They’re the race closest to the Swarm—one of the weakest and most pitiful races,” one representative suddenly remarked. He hailed from an outer-ring civilization within the Koya Alliance, whose territory bordered the Swarm.

Though his race was considered weak even among mid-ring civilizations, his mysterious tone and promise of juicy gossip piqued everyone’s interest. Having ventured so close to Swarm territory, he might possess some insider information.