Retreat

The unknown organs inside the monster-like insect body quickly began to function, generating a peculiar energy that spread throughout the body via special energy channels that had not been previously noticed, forming an energy membrane on the body's surface.

The whole process was very slow, taking several hours, and had virtually no practical value.

The energy transmission system was very well concealed, consisting of countless interconnected pipes. Fortunately, Rowan had completely replicated the monster's body structure; otherwise, the experiment might have gone wrong.

This insect is expensive to produce, and it's still in the early stages of development at the Swarm base, so the burden is a bit heavy. Most importantly, it also takes time.

Although he wasn't very familiar with that peculiar energy, Rowan already knew what it was.

This is precisely the Negative Energy that can neutralize energy and stabilize the wormhole passage when traversing it.

Where there is positive, there is negative. Negative Energy is not uncommon in the universe, but it is extremely difficult to utilize because even discovering and observing it is not an easy task.

The Swarm can only observe and collect to a limited extent, and its only method of use is to wrap itself up and traverse wormholes. The Swarm's relationship with Negative Energy is like that of Stone Age people who can only discover stones and use them in a rudimentary way. They know nothing about where the stones come from, how they are produced, or their deeper uses.

The Epoch Clan is in a much better situation than the Swarm. At least they don't have to go through the same trouble to collect it as the Swarm. If the Zerg Swarm is picking it up by hand, the Epoch Clan is digging it up with an excavator. However, whether the Epoch Clan can produce this Negative Energy on its own is still unknown.

But now there's a civilization capable of generating Negative Energy, and in the very biological realm that the Swarm excels at. Could it be that the other side of the wormhole is an advanced civilization that follows a biological approach?

Rowan had previously witnessed the state of the Bodi Civilization, and the battle that resembled a fight between two weaklings, which had left him with a slight sense of doubt. He wondered if his knowledge was too limited, and whether he could fathom the vastness of the universe. Just because he hadn't seen it didn't mean it couldn't exist in the universe; perhaps that small wormhole was a natural phenomenon.

Now, Rowan has completely put this idea out of his mind. Based on all the signs, the other side of the wormhole is likely a force even more powerful than the Epoch Clan.

This place is way too damn dangerous!

Rowan deeply understood the strangeness and horror of biotechnology civilization. Perhaps those inconspicuous insects on Bodi Planet were the enemy's spies. This might explain why he hadn't discovered any unusual observation devices so far.

Moreover, if the other side is indeed as he guessed, then many of the tricks the Swarm used to play against the mechanical civilization might not work here, and the other side might even find a way to counter the Swarm.

Rowan was overjoyed to have discovered the method for generating Negative Energy, but it was far too advanced for the Swarm's current technological capabilities. However, it was a stepping stone, much like gravity control had been shelved for a long time due to its advanced nature. Once the method was found and the basics were mastered, progress would be rapid, and achievements would surpass those of many established powers.

Rowan diverted a portion of his Intellect to study Negative Energy, drawing his own energy away from it, as he now had more important things to do.

This place is too dangerous; we can't stay here any longer!

Such a satellite's territory, or even this gas giant and star system, is of little significance to the Swarm. With the benefits unable to outweigh the risks, Rowan has already decided to abandon this place for now.

The Bodi Planet Swarm base on Bodi expanded too rapidly, becoming somewhat reckless with its growing understanding of the Bodi Civilization. However, under Rowan's intervention, its pace slowed down, even nearly coming to a standstill.

Previously, in order to increase the expansion speed, each base used almost all the energy it harvested to hatch scout units and Insect Empress, resulting in bases that were not deeply hidden, usually only about 100 meters underground. Now, in order to reduce the risk of exposure, as the expansion of Bodi Planet stagnated, all the original Swarm bases began to move deeper underground.

The Intellect lurking among the Bodi People have also calmed down, and the various reconnaissance units have also become much more restrained.

Compared to their restraint on Bodi Planet, the Swarm's actions in space have become much bolder. There's no way around it; every second here is extremely dangerous. Rowan's will is constantly focused on the situation, and if he detects anything amiss, he's even prepared to annihilate all the Node Unit here to prevent information leaks.

But before that, he wanted to try one more time.

On the other side of the star, construction has begun on the Swarm 'Stellar Near-Orbit Base. The environment in space is not as complex as on Bodi Planet, and some things are hard to hide. Rowan has added a large number of Overseer of various types near the near-orbit base, with a density that is almost insane.

They monitor this area, making it virtually impossible for anything, not even space dust, to cross it, let alone meteorites.

In this challenging environment, the near-orbit base began to rapidly develop and expand, and subsequently, two more Megastructure were added to the construction list. Rowan planned to take advantage of the terrifying force's inability to react before attempting another long-distance warp-out escape.

He now understands that his Warp Skill belongs to high-dimensional interference, which is not the same as those wormholes. Even if that force can create small wormholes, it would be impossible for them to track his warp-time location if they did not conduct higher-level research on dimensions.

Rowan is now betting that they won't reach that level, and even if they do, it doesn't matter. At worst, they can just abandon this entire territory. The universe is so vast, surely they can find a place for the Swarm to live?

It was under these circumstances that the fourth wormhole opened after the Swarm arrived on Bodi Planet.

Bodi People. Dr. Benba's initial calculations were correct, but unfortunately, he encountered the Swarm, triggering a chain reaction. Dr. Benba, unable to accept the dramatic fall from grace, contemplated suicide, but the Swarm found him before he could make that decision.

No one cared about the plight of a down-on-his-luck clown. Even when he stayed in his room for days without leaving, it went unnoticed. Everyone assumed he had chosen to withdraw into himself because he couldn't accept reality, but little did they know that when he reappeared, he was already a member of the Swarm.

Dr. Benba was able to accurately calculate the time of the next wormhole opening based on the patterns and parameters of several wormhole openings, which makes him quite capable.

With his help, the variable of the Swarm Flesh Sac was added to the formula, and based on the three wormholes that opened afterward, the Swarm had precisely determined the opening time before the fourth wormhole opened.

Thank you Sun Moon Ru Shui for the 500 starting coin reward, and thank you book friend 20200516211623885 for the 100 starting coin reward.