The Method

Although the Epoch Clan is highly technologically advanced, with the increase in its own members, it is no longer as mysterious to Rowan as before.

Intelligent beings are often wary of what they do not understand; when mystery is gone, their wariness and fear will decrease.

After understanding the true nature of his ability, Rowan was quite confident in its encryption capabilities, regardless of its strength.

Although the Epoch Clan is very strong, they cannot possibly crack this ability to transcend dimensions. Moreover, they still haven't figured out the Zerg's patterns, so they couldn't possibly have set up such a targeted trap.

Therefore, Rowan was certain that the discovery of Cecil was entirely accidental. However, if the Swarm had been exposed while infiltrating the Castle, the Epoch Clan might have noticed something.

Rowan was now contemplating whether the secrets within the Castle were worth the risk of taking a more radical approach. Cecil, though a key figure, was uncertain whether he was even inside. If it was just a simple warehouse, then going to such lengths to enter might be counterproductive.

Looking at the beautiful, sunlit, and natural architecture of the Pot Spirit Race through the eyes of the insects, Rowan suddenly discovered a very serious problem.

That is, he fell into a kind of mental blind spot. He always thought that only animals and insects could do such a thing as infiltration.

Previously, the opponents he encountered were not strong, and the bugs could infiltrate well in well-constructed buildings. But now, facing a targeted situation, with the high-tech intelligent machinery providing a tight multi-layered defense, even the smallest Scout Bug would be detected and killed.

Furthermore, due to the need for secrecy, the insect's template must be the same as that of the local units, which renders many tactics ineffective and further increases the difficulty of the mission.

While some nanoscale insects can infiltrate and are difficult to detect, their size prevents them from acquiring various information-receiving organs. Therefore, even if they infiltrate the Castle, they would be of little use.

Rowan then realized that he didn't need to limit his infiltration to animals and insects. Perhaps due to his excessive pursuit of the Pot Spirit Race style, while the Castle was heavily guarded against various insects, it was much more lenient towards plants.

Not only is the Castle surrounded by a dense variety of vegetation, but some vines have even climbed onto the Castle and haven't been cleared away.

Although to Swarm, Biological Weapon are seen as animals and beasts, Rowan is also quite adept at using plant-based genetic templates.

Under the influence of the Epoch Clan, the Star Sea Alliance's technological path is mainly based on mechanical civilization, and they have developed various biomimetic reconnaissance units.

Because of production, there is a deep understanding of these issues, and therefore, the precautions taken are exceptionally strict. This is why areas with high alert levels adhere to the principle of "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free," defining any approaching insects as suspicious targets and eliminating them.

Plants, being highly dependent on their environment, are rarely studied due to cost-effectiveness considerations. After all, discovering a moving plant would seem unusual to anyone. Consequently, their awareness in this area is relatively low.

However, Rowan could remotely control its mutations, making it possible to scout plants. Although it would take some time, time was nothing to Rowan, and it was much better than being helpless like this.

A flock of birds flew from a distance high in the sky toward the Pot Spirit Race- style Castle. Because the birds were at a very high altitude, they did not trigger the Castle's alarm system.

Just as they passed over the Castle, the two blobs of poop landed precisely at the corner of the Castle, as if calculated with absolute precision.

Although the poop was quickly cleaned up by the Cleaning Robot, the Seed inside had already been buried in the soil. A few days later, several tender shoots emerged from the soil, looking exactly like the new vine seedlings next to them. Even with the advanced technology of the Epoch Clan, they could not tell whether the Seed came from the fallen vines or from the Seed carried by the bird poop.

Although Rowan was no longer subject to lifespan limitations, he still habitually preferred to save time. Therefore, he specifically selected a fast-growing plant from around the Castle as a genetic template for the infiltrated plant.

The seedlings grew unchecked in the insect-free environment created by intelligent machinery, and after a light rain, they soared to more than two meters tall.

A few days later, the Swarm- infested plants had climbed to a height of five meters, hiding among the more robust and larger normal plants, appearing so inconspicuous.

A month later, several plants had reached near the top of the Castle, but they could no longer grow. For some unknown reason, their "kind" next to them had stopped growing upwards and instead began to grow horizontally and thicken.

If the Swarm version of plants doesn't want to stand out too much, then it has to stop here. But for now, this is enough; with Rowan's intervention, these plants have begun to spread towards the Castle windows.

Windows are a key target of the Castle's security system. Even plants that pose no threat will be eliminated by intelligent machinery if they try to infiltrate through a window.

Therefore, after several attempts, Swarm found the closest distance to the window that wouldn't trigger the alarm system. A month later, under the cover of Rowan kind, several plants secretly took over a place around the Castle window.

Although he couldn't break through the Castle's security system and reach into the window, Rowan's methods didn't stop there. The plant had accumulated a large amount of energy during its long growth process.

With Rowan's authorization, some changes were quietly taking place within these plants. The greatest advantage of plants is their excellent concealment; even if they undergo changes in function openly, it is difficult to attract the attention of others.

Animals and insects are limited in size and have limited internal space. If they mutate and produce excess material, their appearance may change. Even if their appearance doesn't change, their weight will definitely change, which in turn will affect other attributes such as agility.

The Castle's intelligent machinery is managed by the Epoch Clan's artificial intelligence, which excels at analysis and comparison. Animals and insects are also key targets for defense. Any slight deviation from, or even close to, the theoretical boundaries of those prototype creatures would likely trigger the AI's alarm.

Once it sends out omnics to investigate, the Swarm- like creatures will inevitably have to avoid them. But if they can outrun the machines, then it will go from suspicious to confirmed. Even if they manage to escape, the Castle's security level will be raised, increasing the difficulty of infiltrating later.