Conquest

Intergalactic troop deployment is not something that can be accomplished in a short time. The Koya Alliance spent ten years and only managed to gather a fleet of just over ten million warships at the border of the Duoqi Civilization.

These warships are the assets sent by several nearby civilizations, and more are still on their way. After all, the Outer-Ring Civilizations have a relatively short history of development and their technology is relatively backward, with a typical speed of two to three times the speed of light. The fact that they were able to assemble such a large fleet in ten years is already extremely efficient.

According to estimates from various Think Tank, mobilizing and dispatching troops for this war would take hundreds of years, and for forces located too far away, it would take hundreds or even thousands of years to reach the battlefield.

But it doesn't matter. It is predicted that this war will be protracted. Even if the Zerg are wiped out, the subsequent struggle will be difficult to determine a winner in a short period of time. If it becomes a stalemate and the war spreads throughout the Star Sea Alliance, affecting thousands of star systems and tens of thousands of light-years of territory, then the war may last for tens of thousands of years, or even longer.

Every participating faction was aware of this. And while they were still mobilizing their troops, the Zerg, who had always been considered more defensive than offensive, launched a surprise attack.

No one expected the Zerg to act this way, because in their view, the Zerg were always the weaker party, regardless of the circumstances. Shouldn't they have silently waited for them to gather their forces, then waited for them to find a reason to protest through the Alliance rules, and finally, if the protest failed, passively await punishment?

They had even come up with a reason: the star systems surrounding a new civilization also need to be protected and cannot be prematurely occupied. This was originally a rule of the Star Sea Alliance, only with a modified scope of application.

Just like the relationship between the Zerg and the Riken Race, the relationship before joining the Alliance does not apply after joining the Alliance. In that case, the Zerg would have to give up all the star systems around the Rat-folk Riken Race that they had occupied.

If the Zerg can refrain from attacking, that's fine; it weakens Zerg strength. Besides, another targeted rule is coming soon. If the Zerg don't act, it's like a slow death; if they do, it gives them a perfectly legitimate reason to act.

After all, these things need to be recorded in history. If future generations knew that the entire Star Sea Alliance had used guns to bully a civilization that had existed for less than a thousand years, it wouldn't sound good. They had to maintain a moral high ground.

But how dare the Zerg? How dare the Zerg?! Although this is what they expect the Zerg to do, it's definitely not now! Without these procedures, the meaning is completely different; the Zerg are provoking them!? Aren't they afraid of being wiped out by the Epoch Clan, by the Star Sea Alliance?

In an instant, all sorts of righteous indignation and condemnation poured in!

But do the Zerg care? Does Rowan care? Since they're destined to be enemies, destined to fight, then naturally he'll do whatever it takes to make things worse. What does it matter if he loses his moral high ground? As long as he wipes them all out and turns their entire race into production bases, then history will be written by Rowan however he pleases.

Besides, by then, those who have access to history will have become loyal allies. What's written in history then, will it still matter?

One hundred million Ancient Class set off from Proxima Star System, heading towards the Riken Star System at three times the speed of light. The Swarm was driven out of this place by the Star Sea Alliance, and now it's time to reclaim it.

At the same time, the Swarm's warp thrusters made their first appearance before the civilizations, slapping the faces of those who had been advocating the Zerg's speed disadvantage and insufficient offensive capabilities.

While three times the speed of light might not seem like much among established civilizations, it's among the very elite in the outer sphere. Besides, who knows if the Zerg are still hiding anything?

The Riken Star System is about five light-years away from Proxima Star System. In the past, this distance would have taken the Swarm or the Riken Race decades. But now, at three times the speed of light, the Ancient Cluster reached the outer reaches of the Riken Star System in less than two years.

With hundreds of millions of Ancient Cluster, such a large-scale operation could not be concealed. In just over a year, the Ji Epoch Clan and other races in the Riken Star System had almost all fled, leaving behind a large number of abandoned experimental pods that had not been recovered.

However, there are always a few exceptions.

"Zerg! How dare you violate the Alliance rules and attack your allies! Retreat now, and there's still a chance to salvage the situation. Otherwise, once the Alliance army arrives, you will be utterly destroyed!"

"You coward! Don't think you can hide behind these Biological Weapons and we won't find you!"

"Don't think that you can do whatever you want just because of quantity; quantity can never bridge the technological gap!"

"Don't put yourself in a position of injustice or immorality, or you'll regret it later."

"Give me some face and go back!"

Various insults and admonitions spread towards the Ancient Cluster through public broadcasts. It's unclear who gave these guys the confidence to speak to the Zerg in such a way.

Because the Swarm's attack was sudden and unexpected, the Star Sea Alliance had not yet had time to set up defenses in the Riken Star System. Therefore, at this time, the Riken Star System only had less than 10,000 Riken Race warships, plus some fixed defensive facilities.

However, the Riken Race had already been taught a lesson by the Swarm, and their own ranks were already riddled with holes by the Swarm. Therefore, after careful consideration, in order to be responsible for the lives of their people and to minimize unnecessary losses, the Riken Council decisively announced their surrender.

Thus, the Swarm effortlessly reclaimed the Riken Star System, and began rebuilding and reorganizing its Swarm on Laze Planet, Chuyun Planet, and near the stars.

As for those who shouted earlier, they weren't actually that stupid. They had already run off to who-knows-where. What remained in the Riken Star System were just a few cannon fodder, or simply remotely controlled robots playing pre-recorded audio.

But Rowan, who doesn't hold grudges, has already written down the names of these unknown characters who publicly provoke the Swarm and then boast about them later. He has also ordered the Intellect lurking in enemy territory to secretly mark the locations of these guys.

The universe is vast, but no matter where these guys hide, as long as Rowan doesn't give up, he will one day convey his heartfelt wish to forgive and forget. I believe that when that time comes, they will definitely receive a big surprise.

The Swarm that had reclaimed the Riken Star System has temporarily gone into hiding.

Proxima Star System's open Royal Court, the Swarm system is bound to be filled with hatred. Now, with the Riken Star System as a buffer, it is finally no longer directly exposed to the enemy's vision.