I Am The Swarm-Chapter 676: Cooperation

“It’s actually Marlene!”

“I never expected her to be so formidable. For a long time, I thought she was just an official in charge of diplomacy for the Swarm.”

“Did you forget her title? She’s a Swarm general!”

“Haha, before we engaged in combat, who knew how the Swarm’s military ranking system worked? Besides, who says a general has to be involved in combat? Our own race has generals in charge of cultural activities and logistics management.”

“That’s just your race!”

“Is there something wrong with viewing things from the perspective of my own race?”

“Stop arguing! The Swarm has sent Marlene. Based on the Confederation’s past records, she’s not someone easily fooled.”

“I think you’ve forgotten our current situation. We’re not in a position to negotiate with her on equal terms. Even if the Swarm sent someone else, would you dare to try and deceive them?”

“So, what are your thoughts on Marlene summoning us to the Yuntu race’s side?”

“What else can we do? Do we even have any other options?”

“Indeed, we don’t have many options.”

“I actually have another idea.”

“What is it?”

“Since the Swarm has sent Marlene, who is a very important figure, if we report this, could it be enough leverage to get the Confederation to send reinforcements here?”

“Unlikely, or rather, the possibility is almost zero. Have you forgotten? Our frontline camp is already running low on troops. Even if the Confederation wanted to, they don’t have the capacity. Besides, the Ji race is definitely monitoring this situation. Even if you don’t report it, the Confederation will still know what’s happening here.”

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“Maybe we could launch a volley at the Yuntu side and take down a high-ranking Swarm officer with us. It’s a losing trade, but at least we’d get some payback.”

“Abandon that dangerous thought. We’re not at the point of desperation yet. Even if you want to die, don’t gamble with the lives of others or cause trouble for your own race.”

“Alright, alright, I was just saying. But what if we could capture Marlene up close on Mid’s side? If we could kidnap a high-ranking Swarm officer, given the population numbers the Swarm has shown, we might still have a chance to escape. If we could bring Marlene back and extract more information about the Swarm, we’d make a huge contribution.” One of the representatives spoke with a fanatical expression, painting a grand picture.

“Don’t let immediate benefits and illusions cloud your judgment. Remember how we lost this battle. If Marlene dares to come, she must be confident in her safety.” Unfortunately, those present in this virtual meeting room weren’t easily swayed by grand promises, and someone immediately countered his point.

“Sigh, although your idea is tempting, I also think it’s unlikely to succeed.” Another representative rejected the risky proposal.

“Actually, I think we could give it a try. Our previous failure was due to a lack of understanding of the enemy. But now, Marlene is the person we know the most about in the Swarm. Moreover, she’s come out on her own and, in her arrogance, hasn’t taken control of Mid’s electronic systems, allowing us to gather more intel through surveillance. From what we can see, she’s only brought a small entourage, with just a few humanoid dogheads (the Confederation’s code name for the Red Fang Breakers) and some spider monsters as guards. Even if we add the Swarm units originally on that ship, if we’re armed, we still have a good chance of taking them down.” One representative supported the risky idea.

“Although we do have some weapons, they’re all small-caliber. And just because they haven’t been confiscated now doesn’t mean they won’t be taken when we get there.”

“I’ve already contacted Mid’s adjutant and learned that even if Marlene boards their ship, she won’t confiscate their weapons. Even if our weapons are taken, we can still acquire some equipment through Mid.”

This representative’s words caused the others to ponder, but after weighing the pros and cons, most of them shook their heads in refusal. “It’s too risky. Remember, we can’t bring many people with us. If a fight breaks out, we’ll have to personally engage. Although most of us are military officers by background, we’ve been away from the frontlines for years. How much combat ability do any of us still have?”

“Exactly, my old arms and legs can’t handle a fight anymore. Besides, even though Marlene hasn’t brought many guards onto the ship, we don’t know how many Swarm units are already hidden there. Without clear intel, I can’t support rash actions.”

“Think about what happened before. We were so confident at the start, but look where we are now. I don’t want to repeat that mistake. And the cost of failure this time is something I can’t bear.”

Having experienced one defeat, the representatives’ morale had taken a severe hit. Although capturing Marlene was tempting, and the chances of success seemed decent on the surface, the idea was still rejected.

“Since no one wants to resist, we’ll have to follow the Swarm’s orders. Gentlemen, I’ll see you on the Yuntu flagship.”

“…”

The discussion yielded no results, and the Swarm had already issued orders through both their own channels and Mid. If they continued to delay, given the Swarm’s style, the consequences would likely be unpleasant.

Moreover, since they had decided to cooperate, there was no need for petty maneuvers. After the Confederation commanders logged off, they boarded small transport ships and headed for the Yuntu flagship.

The small transport ships had limited hardware capabilities, and their targets were too conspicuous. Therefore, during the flight, the Confederation commanders avoided frequent use of the Confederation network. This was also why one of them had said they’d meet on the Yuntu flagship earlier.

Due to the extended frontline and the inability to increase the speed of the ships significantly, it took nearly a month for all the Confederation commanders to arrive at the Yuntu flagship.

During this time, Marlene occupied a living area on the Yuntu flagship and settled in. However, she did not interact with the Confederation commanders who arrived early, and she avoided meeting with them when they requested an audience. As a result, before the official meeting, the Confederation commanders were unable to extract any additional information.

“What does she mean by this?” After arriving on the Yuntu flagship, the Confederation commanders reconnected to the network. Having been repeatedly turned away, they were scratching their heads in confusion. In this situation, shouldn’t she be trying to win over some supporters to make things easier during the upcoming meeting?

“Maybe she just doesn’t care. You need to understand the situation. Summoning you here for a meeting is just a polite way of putting it. In reality, this isn’t a discussion—it’s a notification.”

“That’s true, but I still have some doubts. For now, though, all we can do is wait.”