Gate

His Excellency Morgan, the Queen's tutor, a renowned scholar, and former president of the Academy of Sciences, tragically fell to his death while climbing a ladder in the library. He was 56 years old.

The Queen was devastated upon hearing the news. She gave Morgan a grand funeral and ordered a day of national mourning.

Although J. P. Morgan had long since retired from active work before his death, he was even more "unproductive" in his later years.

He had no children and devoted himself entirely to science. He not only had the Queen as his student, but many of those in the kingdom's scientific system today are his students and disciples.

His passing still had a significant impact, causing great grief not only to the Queen but also to many researchers, and impacting research progress.

Time can heal all wounds; no one is immortal. After the grief subsides, life and work will gradually return to normal.

But at that moment, the library maintenance staff discovered that the crack in the broken step of the escalator where old Morgan had fallen earlier showed signs of human intervention.

The news was like a powder keg thrown into a hornet's nest.

The entire scientific community of the kingdom was in an uproar!

Before the researchers could even form a petition, the equally furious Queen ordered the Kingdom's Security Bureau, Investigation Bureau, and Police Department to thoroughly investigate the matter.

With the three parties monitoring and vying for power, the truth gradually came to light.

It turns out that old Morgan was killed in what was believed to be an accident by an inside agent bribed by spies from the Merican Kingdom. In addition, this thorough investigation uncovered other secrets, revealing that many of the "accidents" were actually deliberate.

All of these actions have only one purpose: to slow down the scientific research progress of the Kerrigan Kingdom, so that the Merican Kingdom can win this lunar race.

The news caused an uproar not only in the scientific community but also throughout the entire Kingdom of Merican. While purging spies and internal traitors, they began deploying troops to the border, intending to demand an explanation.

Feeling guilty, Merican secretly sent troops to the border as early as when the Kerrigan Kingdom had just begun its investigation.

Thus, the two armies confronted each other at the border, and the long-standing peace was once again tense, with war imminent.

Over the years, Rowan had always sensed that the Swarm Network was undergoing some kind of change. Every now and then, something would try to infiltrate the network, but he easily kept these intrusions at bay.

That day, he encountered this intrusion again. However, this time the situation was slightly different. This time, the intruding entity conveyed some clearer information.

Rowan couldn't understand the information, but after the Swarm Network translated it, he understood somewhat. The other party was applying to join the Swarm Network.

This was the first time Rowan had encountered such a request. He had always assumed the Swarm Network was his own private entity, a local area network. How could there be an application to join?

For a moment, he was somewhat taken aback.

However, this matter could not be delayed; a decision had to be made as soon as possible. After much deliberation, he finally decided to approve the other party's application.

The opponent was lurking in the shadows, Rowan had been completely unaware of their existence. Even though the opponent kept infiltrating the Swarm Network, he was still powerless against it; the Swarm scattered throughout the world had not detected anything unusual. The Swarm Network also could not trace the opponent's origin.

Since they've applied to enter, and if I refuse, they'll definitely disappear again, I might as well let them in to see who they really are, what their purpose is, and whether they're friend or foe. At the very least, it will give me an opportunity to learn more about them.

Moreover, he was very confident within the Swarm Network. Even if the other party had any ill intentions, he could subdue them, or at the very least drive them away.

He made his decision and was about to approve the application. However, after thinking about it, he decided to summon all the Blade into the network.

There's strength in numbers.

With everything prepared, Rowan approved the application. A burst of unknown energy immediately squeezed in.

The moment the unknown energy entered, the Swarm Network completed an update and upgrade, simultaneously sending back a large amount of information to Rowan.

The sudden influx of information struck Rowan like a thunderbolt.

It took Rowan Wen a while to process all this information before he realized that the intrusion was actually a false alarm.

The story begins with the birth of the Swarm Network. It was his own talent, combined with the sacrificial energy of countless Zerg, that mutated and generated the Swarm Network.

The sacrificial energy contains everything—life, spirit, soul, and so on—which gives the Swarm Network some unique attributes and abilities.

Ultimately, the Swarm Network is a manifestation of Rowan's talents and abilities, which are naturally Rowan own. Furthermore, Rowan's relationship with the Mother Nest grants the Mother Nest these same attributes and abilities.

The current Rat-folk civilization's ancestors were all Rowan's experimental subjects. As a result, they all carry some of the Mother Nest's unique "marks" to varying degrees.

For example, Rowan was able to communicate directly with the Rat-folk and Dinosaur-folk through mental connection, but he couldn't establish connections with other creatures, partly because of this.

As the intelligence of the Rat-folk develops, some individuals within the vast Rat-folk population are exceptionally gifted. The mental strength of some Rat-folk begins to increase.

If the "marking" of the Mother Nest within them grants them a certain kind of identity, then mental power is the key to using that identity.

Having a key alone is useless; they also need to find the "door" to use the key.

Finding the "door" is quite simple; it only requires "resonating" with Rowan or the Swarm Network. This "resonance" is a complex expression of various emotions, blending longing, faith, yearning, and so on.

As long as certain standards are met, the existence of a "door" can be found.

To put it simply, when the Rat-folk dies, the physical demise allows for a brief burst of spiritual power. In the final moments of his life, a sublimation of certain emotions makes him aware of the existence of the "door."

The so-called "gate" is actually the outer defense and identification system of the Swarm Network.

The Rat-folk's "Mother Nest mark" granted them the right to knock on the "door" after finding it. This knocking was what Rowan had previously thought was an "invasion of unknown creatures."

Once they obtain the "gate's" owner's permission, they can enter the gate, which means merging into the Swarm Network.

The moment they are merged, their mental bodies are modified by the Swarm Network. While being given the identity of a "node," they are also given an "enemy identification system."

Their status as "nodes" within the Swarm will guarantee their absolute loyalty to Rowan. In other aspects, they remain unchanged from when they were alive.

Whether they are still themselves after such a transformation is a philosophical question.