I Am The Swarm

Chapter 452: Rejection

In the Genesis System, the long-secluded Genesis Planet, protected by the Swarm, finally opened its doors to the outside world. The legendary Rat Folk began to reveal their mysterious presence.

“So these are the Rat Folk? Haha, they’re even smaller than the records suggested.” In the Interstellar Technological Confederation, nearly all civilizations had dabbled in genetic technology.

With ongoing optimization of their species, the average height among most extraterrestrial races ranged between 1.8 to 2.3 meters. The Rat Folk, with their average height of less than 1.5 meters, were a rarity.

“A frail race,” scoffed a member of the Ji race. His ancestral lineage was from the Black Tower Race, known for their towering height of over 2 meters and muscular physiques. From a purely physical perspective, he could easily dominate the Rat Folk.

“Don’t underestimate them. They broke one of the Ji records,” another Ji member reminded him.

“Tch, without the Swarm’s help, they’re nothing!” retorted the Black Tower man, still disdainful. The situation with the Rat Folk was clear to anyone paying attention. Even those who had initially been oblivious figured out the truth after spending 20 years outside the Genesis System, where internal exchanges made the reality evident.

“True.” The other Ji member refrained from arguing further and instead nodded in agreement with the Black Tower man.

After such a prolonged and frustrating wait outside the Genesis System, coupled with the visibly weak appearance of the Rat Folk civilization, some grumbling was inevitable. Some Ji deliberately raised their voices loud enough for the Rat Folk delegation to hear.

However, the Rat Folk ministers who had come to welcome them remained completely unperturbed. Being disguised intelligent entities, they were unaffected by the Ji’s mockery of the Rat Folk.

With no reaction from the Rat Folk delegation, the Ji found themselves metaphorically punching cotton. Their attempts at provocation left them even more frustrated. The Rat Folk’s polite smiles only added to their annoyance. Yet they couldn’t lash out physically, leaving them simmering with unvented anger.

In this tense atmosphere, the Rat Folk held their first diplomatic meeting. However, the modest benefits offered by the Rat Folk were of little interest to anyone present, as their true objectives lay elsewhere. As a result, the Ji were not overly demanding in the negotiations, and their terms were even somewhat lenient.

Ultimately, a preliminary trade agreement was reached, pending Elder Humes’ arrival to formally sign it with the Rat Folk royalty. Some construction projects were also approved to begin ahead of schedule.

The Rat Folk’s domain was small, consisting only of one home planet and two satellite colonies. Therefore, the Trade City would have to be built on Genesis Planet. Securing land for construction wasn’t an issue, but the Rat Folk’s low technological capabilities meant they couldn’t even perform basic asteroid mining, let alone conduct space smelting.

As a result, all construction materials for the Trade City would have to be extracted from Genesis Planet, which was an inefficient process. The Ji requested the Swarm’s assistance, reasoning that since the Swarm was the Rat Folk’s “inviting civilization” and stood to benefit from the Rat Folk’s inclusion, it was only fair for them to lend a hand.

The Rat Folk responded by sending 200,000 re

“So, it seems their relationship isn’t as harmonious as it looks.”

“Of course not! You should’ve seen those Rat Folk ministers hopping mad when they heard the Swarm refused to help.”

“You saw that?”

“No, I heard about it.”

“Tch!”