I Am The Swarm

Chapter 476: Escape

It was almost inevitable that the Swarm would eventually clash with the Ji. Any opportunity to learn more about their future adversary, even a small detail, was invaluable. The Ji’s emotionless artificial intelligence programs, in particular, always calculated and selected the optimal solutions for any given situation.

By carefully orchestrating certain scenarios, the Swarm could test and analyze the AI’s behavioral patterns, such as how many forces it would deploy in response to emergencies, the composition of those forces, and their operational range. Such data might seem trivial, but it could prove unexpectedly useful in future confrontations.

The spore pods dropped by the Swarm contained tens of thousands of Recon Bugs, high-grade units equipped with sealed internal circulation systems. Their independence from external air sources allowed them to adapt to nearly any planetary environment, making them ideal for gathering data during invasions of unfamiliar worlds.

Although Luo Wen had already acquired detailed environmental data on the Daqi planets, thanks to his innate ability to reverse-engineer a planet’s biosphere and atmosphere by analyzing the genetic sequences of any local lifeform, the Swarm still saw value in this exercise.

Luo Wen had already cataloged survival data for dozens of species from across the Interstellar Technological Confederation, all of which shared one common trait: members of their species had previously visited the Riken Star System.

The Recon Bugs deployed to the Daqi planets could have been tailored to the local environment, significantly reducing production costs. However, Luo Wen wanted to test the adaptability and reliability of the advanced Recon Bugs, simulating scenarios where local samples might not be available during future planetary invasions.

Accompanying the Recon Bugs were several Observer Bugs. Due to their small size, Recon Bugs lacked dedicated reconnaissance radar, necessitating external support.

Although the Swarm had already secured the planets’ low orbit, where the Observer Bugs could have easily provided support, a proper tactical drill demanded a full simulation of hostile conditions.

Observer Bugs, equipped with advanced stealth systems, as well as a suite of information-gathering and interception technologies, broke free from the spore pods upon landing and ascended to form an ad hoc satellite network at specific altitudes.

Within moments, their systems flagged over a thousand suspicious locations across the planet. Recon Bugs, receiving this data, immediately set out to investigate their assigned targets.

Meanwhile, the Swarm dropped additional spore pods, further increasing the number of Recon Bugs. The Ji AI, ever persistent, continued dispatching teams to investigate the crash sites. This time, their tactics changed slightly: Daqi personnel remained aboard the airships, while only all-terrain robots were deployed to the ground.

However, the crash sites yielded nothing. All that remained was a puddle of liquefied organic material, a result of genetic degradation, devoid of any actionable intelligence. The contents of the spore pods had long vanished.

The Swarm’s actions sparked yet another round of speculation among the observers. Once again, suspicion circled back to the first strike team and the few Daqi individuals who had been part of it. Elena, the Ji AI, even allocated computational resources to review the past decade’s worth of video footage of those individuals, hoping to uncover some clue.

While the observers debated the Swarm’s intentions and remained mired in their suspicions, Recon Bugs had already reached the perimeter of their base.

The bases housing the quantum communication equipment were all located deep underground, camouflaged by surface-level buildings repurposed for other uses. However, with the Daqi having evacuated, the massive energy consumption required to operate these facilities was hard to conceal. In the Observer Bugs’ vision, such locations stood out like beacons in the dark.

The Recon Bugs, with their distinct biology, were unlike any native creatures on the Daqi planets. A closer inspection would reveal their differences from local life forms.

At this moment, the Recon Bugs hovering near the buildings inevitably drew the attention of hidden surveillance systems. If Daqi sentinels had still been present, they might have dismissed the bugs as unimportant, not being entomologists capable of discerning whether such insects were native to their planet.

However, all surveillance systems were now connected to the Ji’s artificial intelligence, which maintained an exhaustive database. Any life form appearing in front of a camera was automatically cross-referenced with this database.

The instant a species absent from the database appeared, the AI raised an alert. Alarms blared, interrupting the ongoing debates among the observers.

On the main screen of the networked meeting room, footage from the external surveillance cameras showed clear images of the Recon Bugs.

“Insects? Seriously? AI systems are ridiculous. After so many years of environmental management on Daqi planets, countless species have emerged. We can’t just sound an alarm because bugs appear near a base. Our entire alert system would collapse.”

“Are you stupid? Have you forgotten who we’re up against?”

“Are you suggesting these are Swarm units? But such small combat units? That’s absurd.”

“How naïve. Just because they specialize in biotechnology doesn’t mean they’re animals. Do you think just because we focus on mechanical engineering, all our units have to be giant ships and cannons?” ???Ô?È?

While the observers bickered, Elena was already connected to the Ji’s database, performing a detailed analysis. Shortly thereafter, a match was displayed on-screen.

“These life forms’ biological structure bears a striking resemblance to a species previously discovered by the Rikens on Neighboring Planet.”

“Neighboring Planet? Isn’t that the Swarm’s home base? So, these bugs are indeed Swarm units.”

“Judging by their appearance, they seem to be reconnaissance units. But what are they searching for?”

“What else could they be looking for? They’re above one of our bases. You tell me.”

The realization struck all at once: “Be careful!”

“Wait a second, we’re not even there. Why are we getting worked up?” That comment immediately calmed the room, as they realized the warning had been a false alarm.

“If the Swarm knows this base isn’t manned, why would they come here? Even if they destroyed it, it wouldn’t change much.”

“Elena, analyze the available information and provide an explanation.”

The AI, after a brief pause, responded in its cold, mechanical tone: “Based on the Swarm’s activities within the Daqi star system over the past few days, it is likely they are conducting an experiment. This experiment requires a relatively intact ecological environment and high levels of secrecy. Thus, they are targeting quantum communication equipment to sever our connection with the Daqi planets. Confidence level for this hypothesis: 79.9%.”

As soon as Elena finished, a new alarm sounded: “Beep, beep, beep—Risk mitigation protocol activated. Conditions for withdrawal met. Elena is disconnecting from the Daqi planetary network. Disconnection complete.”

Following this announcement, the AI autonomously executed its protocol. The screens in the meeting room froze momentarily before resuming normal operation.