Preparing for War

In the thirty-sixth year of the New Era, the Swarm once again assembled a force, beginning to stir.

Any movement by the Swarm affects the hearts of all civilizations bordering it. Therefore, as soon as the Swarm makes a move, large and small meetings are convened on the other side.

"How should we handle this? Has everyone taken note?"

"What else can we do? Of course, we continue the evacuation. The Locke Mutual Aid Society set a good example last time, and I believe this evacuation will be even smoother than before."

"That's not necessarily true. We haven't engaged the Swarm in battle several times in a row, and our current forces number in the hundreds of millions. Many people are calling on us to teach the Zerg a lesson."

"Those overconfident fools are nothing to worry about; they can't cause any trouble."

"Not necessarily. Those guys have the Locke Mutual Aid Society behind them. They want to put us in the spotlight."

"Hmph, if they keep causing trouble, arrest them all and give each of them a set of equipment. They want to teach the Zerg a lesson, right? We'll grant their request."

"This method is good, I like it."

Despite some dissenting voices within the Koya Alliance, a consensus was quickly reached. A new evacuation operation commenced, making their decision clear to all the observing foreign tribes.

Some praised this, while others scoffed, each holding their own viewpoint, which gradually escalated into a war of words. But none of this affected the decision-makers of the Koya Alliance. They were determined to trade space for time; without a bigwig coming to feast, they would not even have a bowl of soup.

On the other side of the border with the Swarm, Locke Mutual Aid Society.

They weren't as carefree as the Koya Alliance, perhaps valuing face more. Although they had already fled without a fight once before regarding the LKDW265 and 267 Star System, they were still very resistant to it.

"Gentlemen, it's time to make a decision."

"I think we should still send a letter to the Zerg to make our stance clear." One of the foreign representatives was still living in a dream.

"But the Zerg simply doesn't respond to this kind of information," a representative from another race stated, presenting the objective facts.

"The Zerg won't waste time arguing with idiots like you!" a representative from another race scoffed at the opinion of the person above.

"What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything, and I don't like arguing with idiots!"

"Hmph, you're taking the Zerg's side so seriously, are you having an affair with Zerg?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I called you an idiot. If I could really get in touch with the Zerg and have some kind of connection with them, I certainly wouldn't be sitting here. I would have a place at a higher-level meeting."

"Alright, shut up, all of you." Seeing that the topic had gone off track, the meeting moderator snapped and brought the conversation back on track.

"There's nothing to discuss. The Zerg didn't care about our attitude last time, and they certainly won't this time."

"Indeed, a defeated general cannot boast of bravery. Besides, we don't have many troops at the front. Trying to bluff our way through will only make us a laughingstock."

"But it can't just be the Koya Alliance, can it? They didn't even utter a sound before handing over their territory."

"So what do you want to do? If you want to fight the Zerg, we'll definitely agree. We'll take care of all the logistics, but don't even think about sending any people."

"Hmph, we are allies. If my clan acts alone, wouldn't that seem discordant?"

"Coward!"

"You!"

"Shut up." The host brought the topic back.

"There's no other way. We need to move our personnel as soon as possible. We don't have the resources to fight the Zerg right now."

"That's right. What we need most right now is to cut our losses. Learning from the Koya Alliance's approach is in our best interest at present."

"It's just tough on those ethnic groups that need to be relocated."

"If they're lucky, they might be able to return to their hometown in ten or twenty years. Besides, we'll compensate them."

"Let's discuss now what kind of assistance each of us can offer and how many people we can accommodate..."

Just over a month later Koya Alliance, the Locke Mutual Aid Society Association also began its actions.

At the end of the thirty-sixth year of the New Era, the Swarm its attack.

Around the 39th year of the New Era, the Swarm effortlessly conquered seven star systems, leaving a small gap in the once-smooth border of the Star Sea Alliance.

Forty-three years into the New Era, the Swarm army has regrouped.

Should we return it this time?

"Otherwise what?"

"But the fleet of the Mid-Ring Civilizations has already arrived."

"The quantity is too small to be of any use."

"Indeed, it's only a few million ships, and there hasn't been any significant technological change."

"It seems we have no choice but to back down again this time, but next time..."

In the 47th year of the New Era, the Swarm once again conquered nine star systems.

The two sides cooperated seamlessly, with one side relocating and the other occupying the territory. However, as more and more fleets arrived, this bizarre relationship came to an end.

Fifty years into the New Era, following the Swarm's past patterns, Swarm forces will typically begin to move about three years after conquering a new star system. The other races are already accustomed to this and will intensify their reconnaissance efforts during this period.

The Swarm did not disappoint; more and more troops began to assemble at several star systems on the front lines, and a new expedition seemed imminent.

Are you offering a refund this time?

"Refund my ass!"

"Heh, even if we wanted to back out, they wouldn't agree."

At this point on the front lines, neither the Locke Mutual Aid Society nor the Koya Alliance could make decisions on their own. The increasing number of arriving forces diluted their influence.

According to incomplete statistics, including the Locke Mutual Aid Society and the Koya Alliance, which together comprised 43 members, the front lines now had fleets from more than 80 civilized races.

This indicates that at least thirty-seven non-alliance members from other races joined the battle. Moreover, the number of people from the Mid-Ring Civilizations among them reached half, or even more than 60%.

This ratio exists because, although the Outer-Ring Civilizations is closer to the front lines, its fleets are not as fast as those of the Mid-Ring Civilizations. The warships of the Mid-Ring Civilizations have a faster warp drive, allowing them to reach the front lines more quickly.

The fleet, comprised of warships from as many as eighty civilizations, numbered over a billion ships. While this seemed like a large number, these warships were spread across the borders of nearly ten star systems, diluting their combat effectiveness.

But as time goes by, more and more fleets will arrive, and after decades of sailing, the fleets of many races are only a step away from the front lines.

"It's unclear which star systems the Zerg will choose to attack."

"Based on their past practices, they would push outwards in a circle, so all of these ten or so star systems are possibilities."

"That's quite an appetite."

"Indeed, but this time it will be much more difficult for them to eat this cake."