Babel Swarm's Slogan: Love and Dreams

However, this defense was not flawless. Occasionally, some Galactic Alliance fleets still managed to break into the heart of the starfields occupied by the swarm organisms and launch surprise attacks.

The reason was that some infected administrative planets were secretly sending the Galactic Alliance intelligence regarding the swarm's internal deployments.

The administrative planets obtained this intelligence by observing nearby starfields, then quietly mixed it into traded goods and sent it to the Galactic Alliance.

Once multiple reports on the swarm's internal deployments had been gathered, a rough map of the swarm's defenses could be compiled.

With the psionic network, the little schemes of these infected planets naturally could not be hidden from the swarm.

"Another infected administrative planet has betrayed its neutral position and is secretly reaching out to the Galactic Alliance. They deserve to die," a Cerebrate said angrily.

"Lu Shang, although the Dias Empire has completely fallen, there are still administrative planets within it that will restlessly choose to betray the trust the swarm has given them. We should deploy planetary organisms to destroy them," another Cerebrate suggested to Lu Shang.

Lu Shang was now in charge of the overall war effort. Without Lu Shang's orders, the swarm could not issue an order to attack.

"Deploy what?" Lu Shang dug at his ear and remarked with obvious disinterest, "You actually thought of using planetary organisms to destroy infected administrative planets. Do you even know the strategic importance of administrative planets?"

The Cerebrate being mocked answered, "The swarm's agreement with them was that as long as they behaved themselves and remained neutral, no form of attack would ever again be launched against infected planets. Clearly, they have no way of maintaining a neutral stance. Instead, they are harming the swarm."

Although these infected administrative planets provided the swarm with quite a bit of useful intelligence, they also brought trouble. Galactic Alliance fleets could penetrate the swarm's defensive lines and reach deep into its territory, launching surprise attacks every so often. They did not cause much damage, but this tactic was disgusting.

Lu Shang rolled his eyes and asked, "I made this agreement. Do you think I failed to consider this problem when I drafted it? Since I considered it, why do you think I still made it this way?"

The noisy arguing among the Cerebrates in the network suddenly fell silent.

All of this had been part of Lu Shang's plan?

They had not expected that. Had they known earlier, there would have been no need to suggest attacking the infected administrative planets.

But after thinking it over carefully, the Cerebrates could not understand the purpose behind Lu Shang's approach.

"...Why do this?" a Cerebrate asked curiously.

Lu Shang fell silent for a moment, then asked with a smile that did not reach his eyes, "I taught you before that my strategy is 'make enemies as few as possible, and friends as many as possible.' And now you are still asking me this?"

"Ah! That hurts! Stop hitting me! I'll check my notes right away! Stop hitting me!"

The Cerebrate who had asked was viciously lashed by a long, strip-like organism. Lu Shang even broadcast the entire beating through the psionic network, leaving the other Cerebrates trembling in fear and sympathy.

"Do you know why?" Lu Shang turned to ask the other Cerebrates.

"..."

The Cerebrates' attitudes were exactly like students in a classroom who did not dare raise their heads after being swept by a teacher's gaze, afraid of being called on to answer.

Unfortunately, this was not a classroom, and Lu Shang was not a schoolteacher.

Silent?

Silence earned them a beating too!

Did they think staying silent would make it over?

Thus began another round of educational lashing for the Cerebrates...

Lu Shang rubbed his temples with a headache and muttered, "I taught you all for nothing recently."

"Why can't you learn how to make use of organisms outside the swarm?"

The Cerebrates learned other strategic ideas quickly—for example, mutual support, or using swarm organisms to set traps and encircle enemies when they attacked.

But they found it difficult to learn how to directly use other biological individuals outside the swarm to achieve their own goals.

Was it because the Cerebrates were used to commanding the swarm, and since other organisms lacked a psionic network, they were not accustomed to making use of them?

As Lu Shang considered this, he generously explained it to the Cerebrates.

"The infected administrative planets secretly violating the agreement naturally means risking the destruction of their planets. While the intelligence network has not yet been exposed, do you think those administrative planets that violate the agreement can gain the Galactic Alliance's trust to a great extent?"

"Didn't you previously not know how to infiltrate the enemy's ranks? Wouldn't this allow the intelligence network to gain their trust and infiltrate the enemy from within?"

Lu Shang continued, "Then, when the Galactic Alliance species obtain real information about the infected planets through these infected administrative planets and learn how lively the planets infected by the swarm still are, and that they can even secretly provide assistance to the Alliance, do you think all the people making decisions in the Galactic Alliance can truly be consumed by a sense of crisis?"

"Finally, stop always acting so aggressive. Excessive aggression often cannot maximize the swarm's interests."

After listening to Lu Shang explain so much, the Cerebrates felt that the betrayal of certain administrative planets really did seem necessary.

Rather, the value of those administrative planets lay precisely in their violation of the agreement with the swarm.

"What are you all standing around for? Take notes!"

"I've taught you so much. If you don't take notes, how can you face me?"

Through the psionic network, Lu Shang saw that after hearing his explanation, the Cerebrates were merely staring blankly. He immediately became irritated.

"Oh! We're taking notes now!"

The Cerebrates shuddered in fright. Seeing the strip-like organisms beside them already beginning to swing, they hurriedly picked up notebooks and pens with their tentacles, terrified of another lashing.

Watching the studious Cerebrates, Lu Shang nodded in satisfaction. Teaching and educating others was quite fulfilling.

After thinking for a moment, he gave the swarm an order. "Starting today, the swarm's external propaganda slogan needs to change."

"Things like 'the swarm devours everything' sound too stupid."

"'Everything' includes far too many things—black holes, spacetime, neutron stars, strange quarks, and so on. The swarm currently cannot devour any of those. It serves no purpose other than making the swarm seem more aggressive."

"So the slogan must change. Starting today, it must be changed."

A Cerebrate still taking notes asked, "Then what slogan should the swarm choose?"

"Everything is for love and dreams," Lu Shang answered.

The psionic network fell silent again. One Cerebrate cautiously asked, "...What are love and dreams? You do not seem to have taught us."

Lu Shang said, "I indeed haven't. This is a rather philosophical question. Let me ask you instead: what do you think the Babel Swarm's love and dreams are?"

The swarm's love and dreams?

For a moment, the Cerebrates did not know how to answer.

The Sovereign asked, "What is the significance of changing the slogan? I do not understand."

Lu Shang said, "Its significance is that it will make aliens more willing to embrace the swarm without resistance."

"Something like 'devour everything' will only scare people away. 'For love and dreams' is different."