I Am The Swarm-Chapter 775: Mining

The situation had once again ground to a stalemate. Another year slipped by as both the Ji race and the Inner-circle Alliance frantically deployed more forces to their shared border. Though the Ji were well-equipped and numerous, they simply couldn’t match the sheer numbers of the Alliance. Nearly the entire Ji border was now considered an active front, and the pressure was immense.

And, just as expected, the Inner-circle Alliance began blowing up Star Gates.

They targeted lightly garrisoned Gates, launching coordinated uprisings to seize control. Then, before the Ji could react, they sent explosive “gift packages” through other Star Gates. These were precisely timed to detonate immediately upon arrival.

Only after more than fifty Star Gates had been destroyed did the Ji realize what was happening. Lumina was ordered to revoke authorization for all compromised Gates. But the damage was done—over 10% of the Ji’s total military force had been stranded, unable to return in the short term.

“Despicable! They’re utterly shameless!” one Ji commander roared, flushed with rage. The others shared in the sentiment, though they said little.

“We need a solution. If they keep doing this, we’ll suffer even more losses.”

“Replace the entire authorization system!”

“We still have infiltrators in our ranks. Changing passwords alone won’t prevent this from happening again.”

“I have a suggestion: shut down all civilian operations through the Star Gates, and completely drain their energy reserves. That way, each activation requires a full recharge cycle, which will take several days at least.”

“That’s a solid plan. Even if the Inner-circle Alliance captures a Gate using internal agents, they’ll only have time to destroy one before losing control.”

“But won’t suspending civilian traffic provoke protests? For many species, this is the only reliable way to travel.”

“Heh. A bunch of Outer and Mid-ring nobodies. Let them protest. What are they going to do—declare war on us?”

“Exactly. Might makes right. Once we crush the Inner-circle civilizations, I’d like to see those weaklings speak out while staring down the barrel of a railgun.”

“Agreed. Whether or not they side with us is irrelevant. Their opinions don’t matter.”

The Ji quickly implemented this new policy. The affected species were soon notified: all Star Gates were temporarily closed. The Outer-ring civilizations barely noticed—they were too far from the Gates to begin with, and lacked the technology or diplomatic need to travel.

For Mid-ring civilizations, the closure stung more—but just as the Ji commanders said, they had no real power in a war of this scale. All they could do was quietly endure and hope to align with the eventual victor.

Meanwhile, dissent was growing within the Inner-circle Alliance.

“The Ji have adjusted. We can’t replicate our earlier sabotage of the Star Gates.”

“Then blow them up one by one!”

“That’s not worth it. Each destroyed Gate comes at great cost to us—especially the deep-cover agents who’ve spent decades or centuries embedding themselves. Losing them is a heavy blow.”

“But every Gate we destroy reduces pressure on our front.”

“Don’t forget—the Ji’s distant reinforcements will take decades to return anyway. So even if we destroy more Gates, it won’t immediately help.”

“What’s the status of the Swarm? If they could dispatch troops during this window, it would negate the Ji’s long-range reinforcements entirely.”

“The Swarm Empress is still stuck near the XM768 Star Gate. The Ji’s deployment there is just too massive. We have no realistic hope of breaking through.”

“Damn it! Can’t she just call home?! Why does she have to physically return before the Swarm moves?”

“According to her, their quantum communication equipment has been dismantled. She has no way to reach the Swarm’s core.”

“Bullshit! That’s insulting. Even without quantum gear, she must have some method of contact. Otherwise, the Swarm wouldn’t be this quiet. We even have recon ships near their territory. If needed, let’s just send them another communication system and see what excuse she makes next.”

“I say we let it go for now. Things aren’t that desperate yet. If we push too hard and sour the alliance, it could backfire badly.”

“But we can’t just keep dragging this out. We need to plan ahead. She won’t be getting home anytime soon.”

“Maybe that’s what she’s worried about. If the Swarm deploys early, her personal leverage vanishes. And once her value drops, who’s to say we’ll still prioritize getting her home? Even we can’t guarantee it.”

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

“…I think that fear is unnecessary. We’ve made a promise—we’ll keep it.”

“Heh…”

Days passed. The situation remained tense. Shadows loomed, schemes brewed, but both sides showed restraint. A few skirmishes had occurred but none escalated into full-scale warfare.

Across Ji-controlled space, patrol fleets began moving closer to the nearest Star Gates. Some, already nearby, returned and bolstered local defenses—completely eliminating the Alliance’s ability to sabotage more Gates.

Even worse, with no immediate threats to their homeworlds, the Ji garrisons at various Gates didn’t rush back. Instead, they established space factories near the Star Gates, then hired Mid-ring civilizations to supply resources.

Since starports were already stationed near the Gates, and with civilian travel suspended, many merchant convoys found themselves stranded.

For traders, idle time means losses. The longer they sat still, the more money they hemorrhaged.

Just as they began gathering in bars, lamenting their bad luck and wondering when the war would end—an unexpected job offer came from the Ji. Resource procurement.

Sure, asteroid hauling wasn’t glamorous work for galaxy-spanning merchant fleets. But idle hands made no credits. So they modified their cargo ships and began mining and towing rocks.

Initially, the space factories could only produce low-grade components. But as infrastructure developed, more advanced weapons and munitions rolled off the lines.

At this pace, it wouldn’t be long before fully functional warships were coming off the assembly lines.