I Am The Swarm

Chapter 441: Retreat

The replicated monster’s unknown organ began functioning, producing a peculiar energy that traveled through a network of previously overlooked specialized energy conduits. The energy circulated throughout the body and eventually formed an energy membrane on its surface.

The entire process was excruciatingly slow, taking several hours to complete and rendering it almost impractical for any immediate use.

This energy transmission system was incredibly intricate, composed of countless convoluted conduits linked together. Fortunately, Luo Wen had meticulously replicated the monster’s original anatomical structure. Otherwise, the experiment could easily have gone awry.

The cost of producing this bug-like replica was exorbitant, and with Swarm bases still in their early developmental stages, the expenditure was difficult to justify. Additionally, the time required for this experiment was a significant drawback.

As for the strange energy, Luo Wen quickly realized what it was.

It was the very negative energy used to neutralize power and stabilize the wormhole’s passage.

Where there’s positive energy, there’s also negative. While negative energy is not uncommon in the universe, it is notoriously difficult to detect and even harder to harness. Even identifying and observing it is a challenge.

At present, the Swarm could only conduct limited observation and collection of negative energy, utilizing it in a rudimentary fashion—primarily as a protective coating for wormhole traversal.

The Swarm’s understanding of negative energy was akin to that of Stone Age humans who could recognize stones and use them primitively but had no knowledge of their origins, manufacturing processes, or deeper applications.

The Ji civilization was more advanced in this respect, at least capable of gathering negative energy far more efficiently than the Swarm. If the Swarm’s methods were akin to picking stones by hand, the Ji were operating excavators. Yet, whether the Ji could independently produce negative energy remained uncertain.

Now, Luo Wen had confirmed the existence of a civilization capable of manufacturing negative energy, and their expertise was rooted in the biological domain—an area in which the Swarm excelled. Could it be that the other side of the wormhole harbored a bio-tech-based advanced civilization?

Previously, Luo Wen had entertained a sliver of doubt regarding the unnatural origin of the wormhole. Observing the Botian civilization’s primitive state and the amateurish battles between monsters and Mecha Warriors, he had wondered whether his perspective was limited.

The vastness of the universe defies comprehension—just because he had never encountered something didn’t mean it couldn’t exist. Perhaps this small wormhole was indeed a natural phenomenon.

But that thought was now firmly dismissed. All the evidence pointed to the likelihood that the other side of the wormhole was controlled by a force far more advanced than even the Ji civilization.

This place was far too dangerous.

Luo Wen was acutely aware of the eerie and formidable nature of bio-tech civilizations. It was entirely possible that the seemingly unremarkable insects on the Botian homeworld were embedded with the other side’s surveillance. This could explain why he had been unable to locate any traditional observation devices.

If Luo Wen’s suspicions were correct, many of the Swarm’s tactics—effective against mechanical civilizations—might prove ineffective here. Worse, the opposing force might even discover methods to counteract the Swarm entirely.

Learning how to manufacture negative energy was a tremendous breakthrough for Luo Wen, filling him with excitement. However, it was too advanced to be of immediate practical use given the Swarm’s current technological level.

Yet, it was a stepping stone—a foothold similar to what gravitational control had once been. That, too, had been shelved for a long time due to its complexity, but once the Swarm grasped its principles, progress had been explosive, catapulting them beyond many long-established powers.

Luo Wen delegated a portion of the Intelligent Entities to begin re

Little did they know that by the time he reemerged, he was no longer entirely human—he had become a member of the Swarm.

Benba’s ability to predict wormhole activation times with precision, based solely on patterns and parameters, was a testament to his intellect. With his expertise, the Swarm incorporated the variable introduced by the Flesh Pod into his formula, refining their predictions with each subsequent activation.

By the time the wormhole opened for the fourth time, the Swarm had already pinpointed its exact timing.