I Am The Swarm

Although the original Ji Race had been extinct for a long time, and the New Ji Race had carried their legacy for hundreds of thousands of years, despite many innovations, they had yet to achieve a qualitative breakthrough in any field of technology.

This might be due to the fact that as technology approaches its fundamental limits, breakthroughs become increasingly difficult. However, it also speaks to the immense strength of the original Ji Race. Those rational beings, unburdened by emotions, were incredibly efficient in their work.

Moreover, while the original Ji Race had passed down everything, they hadn’t provided their successors with a detailed inventory. For example, the biological laboratory they had just discovered—who knows how many more such facilities are hidden in this vast star region.

If the New Ji Race could still claim some achievements in the field of mechanical technology, their progress in biological technology, though not insignificant, paled in comparison to the original Ji Race. In this context, if even they could easily improve the broad-spectrum applicability of the life-extension plant, there was no reason the original Ji Race couldn’t have done the same. If the plant was indeed their creation, they would have found it even easier.

“The original Ji Race wasn’t like us, composed of nearly two hundred vastly different races. Moreover, they didn’t concern themselves with foreign races. Therefore, anything they created only needed to suit themselves. Thus, it’s highly likely that the life-extension plant would have been effective for the original Ji Race.”

Elder Cecil nodded in agreement. Elder Humes was right. Suddenly, she thought of something and began operating the console in front of her.

However, as she worked, her expression shifted from confusion to seriousness.

“What’s wrong? What did you find?” Elder Humes couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s strange. I just checked some historical records. Although there’s no specific documentation, I found some data by applying a complex multi-layered filter over a long time span and then made a comparison.”

Elder Cecil didn’t mind the interruption. She nodded and said, “The original Ji Race had already extended their lifespan significantly through genetic modifications. If they had taken the life-extension plant, their lifespans should have shown a noticeable increase.”

“And the result…?”

“The result is that there was no such increase! If the original Ji Race didn’t record it, that’s one thing, but the foreign races also have no records of this.”

“Perhaps it’s because of hibernation? After all, with intermittent hibernation, it’s hard to calculate the actual lifespan. Take me, for example. Although I’ve only lived a few hundred years, I was born five thousand years ago,” Elder Humes offered after some thought.

“That’s possible. However, the original Ji Race had a large base lifespan and were deeply engrossed in research. Many of their members lived from birth to death without ever hibernating. The lifespan of the original Ji Race was something the foreign researchers paid close attention to. If there had been any anomalies, there would definitely be records. But in reality, there are none.”

“Could they have been deleted? After all, Lumina controls the Ji Race’s virtual network. It could easily retrieve and delete certain records.”

Elder Cecil thought for a moment and then shook her head. “Unlikely. Even if the original Ji Race did this while they were alive, after their extinction, the foreign races would have filled in the records. By then, if Lumina wanted to delete these records, it would have had to bypass the New Ji Race Council of Elders. I’ve already checked, and there’s no record of such an event in the council’s resolutions.”

“This still doesn’t completely rule out the possibility. Let’s both check the relevant paper archives later to see if we can find anything.”

“Agreed. Actually, I just thought of another possibility that might explain this situation.”

“What possibility?”

“The original Ji Race might not have taken the life-extension plant at all.” Seeing that Elder Humes didn’t immediately dismiss the idea but instead adopted a listening posture, Elder Cecil continued, “We all know that the original Ji Race’s genes had been modified countless times. They even experienced reproductive isolation from their earlier forms several times. Compared to their original selves, they were completely different beings. The differences between them might be greater than the differences between you and me.”

Elder Humes thought Elder Cecil was exaggerating. The two of them, one from the Scherian Race and the other from the Potling Race, had homeworlds nearly two thousand light-years apart. The differences between them were already vast. The original Ji Race, being of the same origin, couldn’t possibly have diverged more than the two of them, even with extensive genetic modifications and reproductive isolation.

Seeing Elder Humes’ expression, Elder Cecil knew what he was thinking. “Elder Humes, don’t dismiss it. This is entirely possible. But let’s not dwell on this issue. The point is, the changes were significant. Moreover, these changes weren’t the result of natural evolution. It made them more like…”

Elder Cecil thought for a long time but couldn’t find the right word.

“Machines?” Elder Humes tentatively suggested.

Elder Cecil nodded. “Although not entirely accurate, I think you understand what I mean. These changes might have made the life-extension plant unsuitable for them. If they wanted to use the plant, they would have had to revert their genes to a much earlier state. To them, this would have been a losing proposition.”

“That’s a possibility. The life-extension plant is excellent, but it might not have been suitable for them. No wonder something had been puzzling me earlier.”

“What was it?”

“The progress in improving the life-extension plant’s broad-spectrum applicability has been rapid, and its effectiveness has also been steadily increasing. While not as fast as the broad-spectrum improvements, it’s still not slow. I initially thought this was just the initial version, and the original Ji Race must have had something better. But after hearing your explanation, I realize that might not be the case.”

The two fell into silence again, pondering their earlier speculations.

“There’s something that’s been bothering me,” Elder Cecil suddenly murmured.

“What is it?” Elder Humes asked.

“The rational original Ji Race wouldn’t engage in useless research or operations. If the Swarm, the unknown creature, and the life-extension plant were all their creations, the purpose of the life-extension plant is clear. But what were the Swarm and that unknown creature for?” Elder Cecil voiced her confusion.

“Perhaps they were simply creating a biological weapon, and that creature might have been part of the Swarm,” Elder Humes speculated, then added, “Or it could have been the precursor to the Swarm, or a carrier for biological thermonuclear organs.”

Elder Cecil nodded. “That creature wasn’t very powerful, so it might have just been a carrier for special organs. But I can’t shake the feeling that the Swarm’s purpose goes beyond that.”