I Am The Swarm-Chapter 750: Retreat

The Swarm’s reaction exceeded the Ji race’s expectations. It was as if they hadn’t received the message at all—business as usual, with no response whatsoever.

“What’s going on?” The Ji side was genuinely baffled. Even if someone wanted to seize power, could they really be so brazen?

“Could it be that the Empress is unpopular within the Swarm? Have they suffered under her for so long?”

“Do you even believe what you’re saying?”

“Why wouldn’t I? Speculation is speculation—even the most absurd things are possible.”

“Maybe this Empress is a fake, which is why they’re not worried.” A staff officer proposed another theory.

“Your guess is logical and reasonable, but didn’t the higher-ups already verify the target’s authenticity?”

“Perhaps they made a mistake, and our spies were misled.”

“It’s also possible they know she’s a fake. After all, the reply only instructed us to bring the target to the designated area—no mention of authenticity.”

“Tch, I’ve been skeptical of this mission from the start. How could a figure like the Swarm Empress personally participate in such an obvious trap?”

“But if she’s a fake, what’s the point? Would they go through all this trouble for nothing?”

“Perhaps there’s some hidden secret.”

“Not perhaps—it’s certain there’s something we don’t know.”

“I’m not concerned about these things. Well, I am curious, but it’s not what we should focus on right now.”

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“True. So, what do we do now?”

“We can look at it from another angle. If this is indeed the real Empress, why hasn’t the Swarm reacted?”

“There’s only one possibility—this injury isn’t fatal or even severe for the Swarm.”

“If that’s the case, everything makes much more sense.”

“So, Your Majesty, do you have anything to say?” The commander suddenly turned his attention to Sarah Kerrigan, who was restrained by a containment field on a medical device. Despite appearing critically injured earlier, the Ji forces remained vigilant.

“…”

Silence filled the room…

“Can she hear our discussion?” The Swarm Empress’s lack of response left the self-assured Ji commander feeling awkward. Originally, a soundproof field surrounded her, but the commander had secretly instructed the ship’s AI to disable it. Now, he doubted whether the AI had malfunctioned—a near-impossible scenario.

“Commander, if she wished, she could hear us.” Receiving confirmation, the commander looked at Sarah, who remained motionless. He understood—an asleep person couldn’t be woken. Since the Swarm Empress refused to respond, his attempt ended in failure.

“Forget it. Place her in stasis. Our priority now is to get her back.”

The return journey was punctual. Unmanned fighter drones, expendable mobile forces, returned to their hangars last. The Primordial Bodies surrounding the planet were powerless to stop the Ji fleet, superior in both firepower and numbers, from departing.

Tens of thousands of warships formed a tight formation and advanced toward the main fleet. The Swarm fleet, still numbering nearly a hundred million Primordial Bodies, seemed capable of locating the Swarm Empress through unknown means. They charged furiously toward the retreating fleet.

The main fleet quickly calculated lead times and fired several volleys to block the Swarm fleet’s advance. However, the Swarm ignored the devastating bombardment, charging straight through.

“They’ve gone mad!” These two volleys alone eliminated tens of millions of Primordial Bodies—equivalent to half a day’s previous efforts—an impressive feat.

“Stop them! Dispatch reinforcements!” The evacuation fleet carrying the Swarm Empress numbered only tens of thousands of ships, facing over a hundred million Swarm Primordial Bodies. Fortunately, the main fleet sent timely reinforcements. After days of attrition, the Swarm fleet was already at a disadvantage, and this reckless charge would only hasten their destruction.

The Swarm seemed to realize this. Blind charges were suicide, so they changed tactics. Their clustered forces dispersed into smaller units, aiming not to harm but to delay as much as possible.

“They’re stalling!”

“The Swarm reinforcements will arrive in eight hours!”

“After linking up with the target, evacuate immediately.”

“With these guys entangling us, our retreat won’t be smooth.”

“Deploy all unmanned fighter drones to engage them! Inform all captains to fend for themselves. Anyone who falls behind must find their own way—the main fleet won’t return to rescue them.”

Each Ji warship carried over three thousand unmanned fighter drones. Deploying them all created a veritable horde. Relying on the Ji race’s advanced technology, these drones’ weapon systems were sufficient to damage Primordial Bodies. With overwhelming numbers, they provided ample cover for the main fleet’s retreat.

Massive propulsion engines emitted dark blue energy beams. From afar, it appeared as if the void was illuminated, adorned with shimmering stars—a spectacular and beautiful sight.

Under the protection of the main fleet and unmanned fighter drones, the evacuation fleet merged seamlessly with the main force. Ships regrouped quickly, placing the vessel carrying the Swarm Empress at the center. As the ultimate objective of this massive operation, she deserved such protection.

“Move out!”

At the commander’s order, preheated engines roared to life, and the fleet accelerated. Watching the fading dark blue starlight, the Swarm fleet attempted pursuit but was hindered by the sheer number of Ji unmanned fighter drones. Their defensive line was impenetrable.

Even if a few Primordial Bodies managed to breach the net, isolated as they were, they posed no threat to the Ji fleet.

The Ji fleet was fast. Combined with the main fleet’s position near the outer edge of the star system, they crossed the outermost asteroid belt without much time wasted.

“Activate it. Let the fireworks bloom!”

A star in the distance suddenly erupted with violent energy fluctuations. Though insignificant compared to the star’s energy, it triggered a special reaction, disrupting certain balances.

Thus, the star, which had silently observed the war as a bystander, suddenly turned violent.