I Am The Swarm

In the close stellar orbit of a star enveloped by a Dyson sphere, a beautiful metallic structure floated silently. It was ring-shaped, adorned with lights that sparkled like stars, making it resemble a coiled galaxy.

Though the ring appeared small compared to the Dyson sphere beside it, its inner diameter was actually five thousand kilometers, while its outer diameter approached seven thousand kilometers. It was a megastructure several times larger than even the Swarm’s own constructs.

And this was the smallest Star Gate. It was said that the largest Star Gates could have an inner diameter of twenty-five thousand kilometers and an outer diameter of thirty thousand kilometers—a monstrous structure larger than many planets.

Even the smallest Star Gate, however, was large enough to allow hundreds of warships to pass through simultaneously. In the habitable zone of the star, the Ji Race had also built a massive starport. Like the Star Gate, it was circular in structure, and its enormous size was comparable to that of the Star Gate. Unlike the Star Gate, however, it was solid.

The outer rim of the starport was lined with densely packed interstellar docks. Although thousands of ships of various types were docked here, the sheer size of the starport made it feel surprisingly spacious.

As the opening of the Star Gate approached, more and more ships arrived at the starport. Countless vessels flowed in and out of the docks, searching for their assigned berths. The scene was chaotic yet orderly.

The ship carrying the Swarm’s anchor unit was among those waiting for the Star Gate to open. It was an ordinary Ji Race transport ship, capable of reaching a maximum speed of six times the speed of light. While this speed was unimaginable for most other races, among the Ji Race, it was considered mid-to-low tier.

Although both the starport and the Star Gate were built by the Ji Race, they were public facilities of the Interstellar Confederation. As such, Ji Race ships made up only a small portion of the traffic here, with the rest belonging to various other races.

Unlike the warships on the front lines of the war against the Swarm, the ships here were mostly civilian vessels from different races, with the exception of the Ji Race fleet guarding the starport and Star Gate.

The total area of this starport exceeded that of many small planets, and since it was entirely artificial, its utilization rate was extremely high. As a result, it functioned like a small society, complete with hotels, restaurants, and a wide array of trading venues.

Thanks to its proximity to the Star Gate, the starport boasted an exceptionally diverse range of goods, with several large distribution centers located here. In addition, facilities for gambling, black markets, and even mercenary services were available.

Not only did the starport support light industries, but it also housed various heavy industries. Ship repair was a basic service, and it even had the capability to produce large ships.

Moreover, the starport cultivated vast areas of crops. Even without external supplies, it could sustain the needs of a significant population.

This starport had existed for over fifty thousand years. Many individuals from other races had settled here after conducting business or providing services, becoming permanent residents.

To date, the starport’s permanent population exceeded two hundred million. Composed of individuals from various races, many of them were born and died here without ever leaving. As a result, the residents identified themselves as “Starporters,” often feeling little connection to their original races. They had even established their own administrative bodies, living in a manner reminiscent of the Ji Race.

Luo Wen liked this place. Unlike naturally formed planets, this entirely artificial behemoth lacked a normal ecosystem. Moreover, it was equipped with detection instruments from top to bottom. If it were under strict military management, infiltrating it and establishing a Swarm base here would have been an extremely difficult task.

But now, with its civilian districts, plantations, and numerous hidden corners, concealing a Swarm base here shouldn’t be too difficult.

Taking advantage of the brief wait before the Star Gate opened, Luo Wen planted seeds throughout the starport. Under his special care, the seeds quickly took root, sprouted, and produced over a thousand basic node units.

From this point on, even if the anchor unit left, the starport would no longer disappear from the Swarm Network. With this transit hub in place, Luo Wen believed that civilian ships would not be subjected to the same strict inspections as military vessels. Packing some node units into various cargo shipments could accelerate the Swarm’s expansion. This was an unexpected bonus.

A few days later, the energy within the Dyson sphere began to grow restless. The massive energy buildup was so intense that even within the starport, one could feel the changes with the naked eye.

Ships preparing to pass through the Star Gate began to leave their docks, forming an orderly queue according to preassigned numbers. The ship carrying the anchor unit was positioned near the front of the line. Naturally, the Ji Race prioritized their own vessels when using their facilities, which was to be expected.

Although the habitable zone of the starport was closer to the star due to the Dyson sphere, the distance between the starport and the Star Gate was still considerable when traveling at sub-light speeds.

As the energy surged, the energy monitoring instruments on the ships went off the charts. Some ships even shut down their instruments to protect them.

Since many of the researchers on board were experiencing their first Star Gate traversal and had just left the starport, most chose not to enter hibernation immediately. Instead, they gathered at the observation windows to watch the Star Gate open.

Through the perspective of the node units, Luo Wen also witnessed this awe-inspiring spectacle.

The Star Gate’s ring, which had been adorned with star-like lights, began to glow brighter as the Dyson sphere’s energy poured into it. The lights gradually merged into a single, blazing ring of light.

As the energy continued to flow, it disrupted space itself. The once-clear view of the stars at the center of the ring became blurred, and ripples began to form.

Over time, the ripples subsided, but the view through the center of the ring had become highly distorted. The stars appeared stretched, as if viewed through a lens.

At this point, the Star Gate was successfully opened and stabilized. The fleet, which had been waiting patiently, began to pass through. The massive Star Gate could accommodate hundreds of ships simultaneously.

Through the node units’ perspective, Luo Wen could clearly see the ships ahead stretching as they approached the Star Gate. A three-kilometer-long ship appeared to elongate hundreds of times before gradually being swallowed by the Star Gate.