I Am The Swarm-Chapter 801: Encirclement

But they had no good countermeasures.

Back when the Swarm had only just begun forming these gates, the Ji Race dispatched some of their garrison forces in an attempt to strike preemptively.

Yet while the Swarm’s Star Gates surrounded Ji Star Gates, they didn’t press directly against them—they always maintained some distance. And even when the gates were still incomplete, they were not unguarded. Swarm units from nearby systems poured in to form initial defensive lines.

Even if those defenses had not existed, the Ji fleets still needed time to mobilize. By the time they arrived, the Star Gates would already be complete—or nearly so. Even if they managed to destroy one, they’d never have time to hit a second.

Each Ji Race Star Gate had ten or more Swarm Star Gates under construction nearby, specifically to prevent raids.

The Ji Race attempted to launch a full-force strike, splitting their forces to attack. But not only did they fail to breach the Swarm defenses, the very act of overextending became their undoing. As soon as their fleets left position, the Swarm launched a surprise assault, teaching the Ji Race a hard lesson.

In the end, over ten thousand Star Gates were completed. Fewer than ten were destroyed by the Ji Race—and even those few came at a terrible cost.

New novel chapters are published on freewёbn૦νeɭ.com.

The Ji troops responsible for those attacks found their retreat paths cut off and would soon be hunted down and annihilated by surrounding Swarm forces.

Once the Swarm completed its initial deployments, an unprecedented massive-scale campaign began. Each Ji Race Star Gate was simultaneously assaulted by Swarm units from over a dozen directions. At the same time, dozens of new fronts opened along the borders between the Inner-circle powers and the Ji Race.

Although the Ji Race’s near-thousand Star Gates were connected to their homeland, they were now drawn into simultaneous warfare at all locations. They had no mobile forces left to reinforce any position.

The Swarm’s strategy was simple: use absolute numerical superiority to cut off all Ji connections across over a thousand fronts.

Ji external military bases and space factories had, over the years, mined countless resources and built numerous warships. Especially after deploying super nanobots, their production speed had increased severalfold.

But these warships had not been stationed at Star Gates—they were recalled to Ji territory. Now, with the Swarm launching a full-scale offensive, the Ji Race found themselves stretched thin.

And their homeland could not provide meaningful support—even more Swarm troops were now launching a direct assault on Ji territory. The overwhelming numbers left the Ji Race struggling to even breathe.

In desperation, the garrison forces at each Ji Star Gate took a final stand. They detonated the gates to prevent them from falling into Swarm hands. The remaining troops then attempted to break out before the encirclement closed fully.

The chaos spilled over to the Confederation races watching nearby—many were caught in the crossfire, realizing far too late that “spectating” such a war could be dangerous.

The Ji fleets fragmented, scattering like startled fish in all directions. But they weren’t merely fleeing—these were highly automated AI-controlled warships with no fear of death.

Their mission was to disperse the seeds of the Ji Race.

Yes—this behavior, eerily reminiscent of the Swarm’s reproductive strategy, had now been copied by the Ji Race.

But the Ji Race’s method was far more brutal than the Swarm’s subtle infiltration.

Missiles loaded with super nanobots were launched from several light-years away, targeting various Star Systems.

They had no fixed destination. Any matter they encountered en route—if intercepted—would release a flood of nanobots, which would devour the material, replicate, and assemble into new warships or craft, before carrying their “seeds” to the next destination.

The Ji Race no longer cared about preserving life-bearing planets. This horrified the Confederation races. Unlike the Swarm, which could survive by basking in sunlight around a star, the races lacked such adaptability. If their life planets were destroyed, only a small portion of their people—those able to flee in starships—might survive. The rest would be consumed by the Ji nanobots.

And the races understood all too clearly—they were not close enough to the Ji Race to die for them.

Now, they faced a terrible decision.