Passing the Buck

After confirming that the Swarm could monitor warp drive information in real time, Swarm image in the eyes of the outsiders improved dramatically, making them much more cautious in their subsequent actions.

The news that the reinforcements would not arrive as expected weighed heavily on the hearts of the Yuntu Clan and Sangqie Clan fleet commanders. Fortunately, the Zerg did not seem to intend to make any rash moves, but instead surrounded them in a fan formation.

"What does the Zerg mean?" The Zerg's actions were somewhat incomprehensible to the outsiders. The Yuntu Clan and Sangqie Clan tribes were now isolated and helpless, and the nearest reinforcements, using Sub-light Engine, would take about a year to arrive.

"Are there some other traps around? Are they planning to besiege us and ambush reinforcements?"

This was a perfect opportunity to attack, but the Swarm didn't seem inclined to take advantage of it. This gave the outsiders a sense of conspiracy, but they couldn't pinpoint the problem for the time being and could only respond with greater caution and conservatism.

In fact, the Swarm were eager to take advantage of this opportunity, but unfortunately, the surrounding forces were insufficient. Although the combined fleets of the Yuntu and Sangqie races numbered less than 100 million, the Swarm forces were not much larger.

Although the Swarm has deployed a total of two billion troops for this interception battle, the main force is still on its way, and some formations have not even set off yet due to the short time available and lack of shipping lanes.

Currently, the number of troops capable of reaching the battlefield and engaging in combat is only slightly over 200 million. While this seems like a large number, the Yuntu and Sangqie tribes are not Telo Race, much less like the Meto Race. If the Swarm, with less than three times the number of troops, were to force its way in, it would be difficult to predict who would win.

The situation is currently at a stalemate, with the Swarm's reinforcements steadily arriving. However, neither of the Coalition Army forces has received any reinforcements in the short term. If the disparity in troop strength widens further, the Swarm will certainly launch an attack if given the opportunity.

Three months later, the standoff lasted for a full three months. The fleets of the two Coalition Army races retreated hundreds of millions of kilometers while maintaining their formation, and the Swarm followed suit for hundreds of millions of kilometers.

But while this number seems large, in the vast expanse of space, it's just a matter of shifting one's heels; the battlefield location hasn't changed much.

Over the course of three months, the Coalition Army frantically deployed reconnaissance equipment to this area, moving almost all reconnaissance ships within a two-light-year radius of the battlefield in this direction.

Through observation, they seemed to have figured something out. The Swarm had been bluffing; there were no other traps, and all their forces were here. If the two Coalition Army races had turned and fled, the Swarm might not have pursued them.

However, they squandered this opportunity. In the past three months, the size of the Swarm army has nearly doubled, reaching almost 400 million.

The encirclement, initially fan-shaped, gradually closed in until only a small gap remained. This period of experience made the Coalition Army commanders acutely aware of the meaning of "boiling a frog in slowly heating water."

Time continued to pass, and a month went by in the blink of an eye. The encirclement grew thicker and thicker, but the Swarm failed to plug the small gap at the top.

"This is not hope, it's a trap!" a foreign commander said sternly.

"You don't need to tell me, everyone has seen it."

"Hindsight is 20/20. Why didn't you say that before?"

"It's too late to say anything now. The Zerg left an opening, intending for us to be unable to withstand the pressure and retreat."

"But such a small gap would inevitably cause chaos if we retreated."

"That's right, now is not a good time to retreat."

"The Yuntu and Sangqie clans are maintaining a defensive and vigilant formation, which is why the Zerg haven't attacked. Perhaps they're waiting for us to lose our composure so they can launch an attack."

"That's for sure, otherwise why would they leave such a loophole?"

"Staying put isn't a good option either. In three months, the Zerg army has nearly doubled in size. And according to intelligence, this is still not their entire force. If we continue to delay, their numbers will only increase."

"The Yuntu Clan and Sangqie Clan are the strongest among us; we must find a way to rescue them."

"The problem is that we can't figure out a solution. Unless some race is willing to risk sending their troops into warp space, they will have to rely on themselves for the next eight months."

Upon hearing this, the representatives of the various foreign races fell silent. No one was willing to take the risk until they discovered how the Zerg had tracked their forces' movements.

The scene became somewhat awkward. The once noisy conference room fell silent in an instant. The representatives of the Yuntu Clan and Sangqie Clan knew that their current situation was beyond their control, so they all looked at Humins, hoping that this elder of the Epoch Clan could use his privileges to force the other tribes to come to their aid.

As the main figures in the scene, their gazes quickly attracted the attention of the other foreign representatives. Following their gaze, the representatives saw Humins, who was seemingly "idling." Several representatives from powerful civilizations in the central circle instantly felt uneasy. They didn't know how to respond if Humins actually issued an order for them to provide support.

If they refuse, what are their reasons? Can they withstand the pressure from the Epoch Clan? If they agree, can they bear the blame should an attack occur?

Sensing the gazes of the crowd, Elder Humins, who had seemed somewhat drowsy, snapped out of it. After a moment's thought, he said, "Our Star Sea Alliance is a mutual aid organization; there is no absolute hierarchy. I have no right to demand anything of other races. How this matter should be handled is up to the Yuntu and Sangqie Clan to decide."

Upon hearing this, everyone cursed inwardly. If what Humins said was true, at least half of the civilized races present would not have participated in this matter.

When we incited everyone to fight the Zerg, it was to maintain the original order in this star system; protecting the Alliance was protecting ourselves. Now that problems have arisen, we're letting them solve them themselves.

Leaving aside other races, even among the few Mid-Ring Civilizations, while secretly relieved, they couldn't help but mutter a few words about how the Epoch Clan had acted unethically.

After the Epoch Clan elder spoke, the ball was passed back to the Yuntu Clan and Sangqie Clan. The representatives of the two clans had no choice but to communicate and consult with their clans, expand the number of people to take the blame, and dilute the risk of being blamed. Then they passed the ball back to the front-line combat command.

The explanation was that those in the rear couldn't truly grasp the ever-changing situation on the battlefield, so the frontline commanders were allowed to decide their fate based on the actual circumstances. Then came a string of encouraging words, concluding that reinforcements would arrive in eight months.

When the two former commanders received the news, they immediately cursed loudly. These guys had spent so much time discussing and came up with this, not only delaying the battle but also bringing trouble upon themselves. It was outrageous!