This Swarm Was Too Desperate

In space, a massive A-type star radiated dazzling, searing light as the space forces of two civilizations engaged in an exceptionally fierce battle here.

The Galactic Alliance fleet still maintained the formation it had used in the Battle of Kao Star.

Gravitational interdiction ships were positioned at the front. While blocking the enemy from entering superluminal travel, they could also serve as shields for the fleet's other vessels. The capital ships were stationed behind them, responsible for firepower output. Radar ships, supply ships, and other vessels formed the rearmost group, handling precise battlefield reconnaissance, logistics, and similar tasks.

On the Swarm's side, Nestworld futilely used its sublight-speed launching environment. As it continuously retreated, it proliferated vast numbers of Swarm creatures capable of surviving in space for a short time. Most of the Black-Hole-Induced Strikes released by the Galactic Alliance fleet were blocked by these living shields in space.

After using the shield Swarm individuals to confirm the formation of microscopic black holes, Nestworld immediately used psionic power to hurl those newly formed microscopic black holes away.

Originally, the Swarm had not known that it could use vast numbers of individuals as shields against Black-Hole-Induced Strikes. After all, they had not even understood what form the attacks took.

However, the mobile Nestworld bred by the Swarm in imitation of Lu Shang's side had suffered defeat on the space battlefield.

Facing the Galactic Alliance's terrifying military might, the Swarm under the Sovereign once again returned to its old path of expanding its numbers.

Thinking to use a tide of troops to compensate for their lack of quality, they had stumbled upon the fact that vast numbers of Swarm individuals could serve as triggers for Black-Hole-Induced Strikes. Once the black holes had been induced, they could use psionic power to throw the microscopic black holes away.

But that was all.

The vast numbers of Swarm individuals did not completely and impenetrably envelop the mobile Nestworld. As a result, some microscopic black holes were still induced near Nestworld, directly inflicting considerable casualties upon Nestworld and the Swarm creatures aboard it.

As time passed, the mobile Nestworld led by the Sovereign was utterly torn apart by the microscopic black holes that formed!

Within the Swarm network, news that yet another star system had fallen was swiftly delivered by the cerebral nodes to the Sovereign.

"Tilan Star has fallen. With that, the areas around the Kesan Nebula that the Galactic Alliance captured earlier will become connected."

"The fall of Tilan Star means that the obstacle to their advance has been removed. The enemy will break through the front lines in a larger formation. If we allow this to continue, the entire battlefront will collapse. We need to establish a new front line in the direction of Tilan Star."

Besides Tilan Star, there was much more news of similar defeats and lost territories.

"In the direction of Endpoint Star, the Galactic Alliance has taken Cisco Star and is now advancing toward Lanna Star, the last remaining defensive point there. If Lanna Star also falls, it will mean that we no longer have any forces capable of defending the Endpoint Star direction."

"In the direction of the Dida Black Hole, large-scale fleets belonging to the Galactic Alliance member powers, the Manfut Interstellar Corps and the Atlan Coalition, have been detected. The enemy is attempting to cut off all of the Swarm's escape routes."

"The front line in the direction of Barada Star has completely collapsed. The enemy has all entered superluminal travel, and their fleet positions cannot currently be determined. We can only confirm that they are roughly within the starfields around Berg Star, Mars Star, Karls Star, and Lixi Star."

The Galactic Alliance had launched a general offensive from four directions in separate waves. Of those four directions, only the Dida Black Hole direction had not launched a fierce offensive. In the other three directions, they advanced into the Swarm's interior with unstoppable momentum, leaving the corpses of Swarm creatures strewn throughout space wherever they passed.

The Sovereign carefully observed the current situation again and again before calmly asking the cerebral nodes, "Where has Cook's Swarm reached?"

"It has already arrived at Berg Star, where the capital planet of the Yinlun Sea Kingdom is located," one cerebral node reported.

Upon hearing this, the Sovereign's taut mind relaxed slightly.

"Good. As long as Cook's Swarm attacks the capital planet of the Yinlun Sea Kingdom, the Yinlun Sea Kingdom fleet in the Tilan Star direction will have no choice but to withdraw and defend its capital. The other Galactic Alliance fleets will also have to readjust to fill the gap left by the Yinlun Sea Kingdom fleet. Everything will get better."

"All we have left to do is wait for Lu Shang's reinforcements to arrive."

Upon hearing the Sovereign's response in the Swarm network, the cerebral nodes within the network suddenly fell into a collective, strange silence.

One cerebral node hesitantly reported to the Sovereign, "Sovereign... Cook... Cook's Swarm was defeated during its first attack. The defensive forces of the Yinlun Sea Kingdom's capital planet exceeded our expectations..."

The Sovereign immediately fell silent as well...

Another cerebral node hurriedly added, "Cook is already regrouping the defeated Swarm. We only need to wait a while longer before launching a second attack on the enemy capital planet."

The Sovereign could no longer remain silent. It furiously demanded, "Trash! Can the Swarm wait for it to begin a second attack? Why was the intelligence about its defeat not reported?"

"What exactly do you cerebral nodes of the old Sovereigns want? Do you think I, the new Sovereign, cannot lead the Swarm, so you want to imitate the past and flee en masse again?"

"I should never have given you any trust. I should have purged every last one of you first! You are useless, capable of nothing except fleeing!"

The Swarm's new Sovereign shrieked hysterically through the Swarm network.

Though it also knew that this was bound to happen.

With the situation collapsing, it was highly likely to follow in the old Sovereigns' footsteps. At such a time, the Swarm's cerebral nodes needed to choose between the race's continuation and loyalty to the Sovereign.

Without question, the cerebral nodes chosen by the old Sovereigns had no difficulty making such a choice. They had already done it once before; they only had to make the same choice again.

Understanding was one thing, but the Sovereign was still furious. These cerebral nodes were already subtly disobeying its commands. Clearly, the situation had not yet reached the point of no return. Clearly, the reinforcements it had summoned were already on their way...

"The previous flight was for the continuation of the Swarm, Sovereign."

"Survival and continuation are the Swarm's foremost needs."

The cerebral nodes answered one after another, while the Sovereign rebuked them. It had endured this for a long time, from the beginning of the war until now.

"Shut up! Do not make excuses for your incompetence! Your strategy has always been to lose territory, lose territory, and then lose even more territory! Of the four counterattacks, which one did not waste a vast number of Swarm individuals and prevent the Swarm from ever growing stronger? Why can't you do what that cerebral node called Lu Shang does—win the greatest victory with the smallest losses?"

"Tell me, why?"

None of the cerebral nodes answered. There was only prolonged silence.

It was not that the cerebral nodes were giving the Sovereign's questioning the cold shoulder. They simply could not understand it either. Their genes were clearly so superior, so why were they being beaten around by naturally evolved creatures wielding piles of metal?

By normal logic, their brains were clearly larger than those of the Galactic Alliance's intelligent lifeforms, and their ability to process matters was also stronger. Those intelligent lifeforms even needed to specially manufacture tools just to rival them.

Why were they always being beaten by the enemy until they kept losing territory?

Why exactly was that?

Seeing that it could get no answer, much of the Sovereign's pent-up anger dissipated.

"Enough..."

"If you want to leave, then leave quickly. Survival and continuation are the Swarm's foremost needs. I do not oppose that."

As the Sovereign of the Swarm, chosen by all Swarm creatures, it should bear responsibility for the continuation and survival of the entire civilization. That was the meaning of the Sovereign's existence.

Without that meaning, the Sovereign lost its value of existence. In the end, being abandoned by the Swarm was only natural...