I Am The Swarm-Chapter 682: Speculation

“Huh? All of us? But I don’t feel like I’m included in this ‘all’?” Beladuka sneered, her tone laced with sarcasm. Through Humes’ perspective, Luo Wen understood what Ambros meant. When Ambros said “all,” he wasn’t just referring to Beladuka and Humes but to the factions they represented.

The three major factions of the Ji race had, in a rare display of efficiency, reached a unified decision. This, combined with all the other factors, was even more surreal than agreeing to the Swarm’s conditions.

“Why did the council make this decision? Why weren’t we informed?” Humes asked calmly, ignoring Beladuka’s emotional outburst.

“The council suspects that there are spies from the Swarm within the negotiation team, so the specific reasons were only disclosed to me, with instructions not to spread the information,” Ambros explained, nodding in approval of Humes’ composure, especially in contrast to Beladuka’s behavior.

“Oh, so you’re saying the two of us are the traitors?” Beladuka’s temper flared again upon hearing this.

“I didn’t say that. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure why the council made this decision. Aside from the reason for agreeing to the Swarm’s demands, I don’t know much more than you do.”

“Then why did we agree to the Swarm’s demands?”

“That, I can’t say.”

“Even though the Confederation is effectively ruled by the Ji race, we still need to maintain some semblance of decorum. Your explanation won’t satisfy the Confederation members,” Beladuka said coldly.

“That’s why I need your help, especially yours, Beladuka. You have good relations with several inner-circle civilizations. You’ll need to communicate with them. As for you, Humes, you’ve spent the most time on the frontlines and have good relations with many of the races that suffered defeats this time. You’ll need to handle them.”

“Why should I? I don’t even know the reason. How can I communicate with those inner-circle civilizations?”

“Because you’re a Ji elder, Beladuka. Don’t forget your position!” Ambros’ voice turned cold, his tone growing stern in response to Beladuka’s questioning.

“Hmph, so we both have our tasks. What about you?” Beladuka, though somewhat cowed by Ambros’ change in demeanor, continued to press, albeit shifting her line of questioning.

“I’ll handle the outer and mid-ring civilizations that aren’t as deeply involved.”

“Ha, your task sounds so easy.”

“Not at all. In terms of numbers, your task is the easiest, Beladuka, since there are only a dozen or so inner-circle civilizations. Humes and I will each have to deal with over a hundred races.”

“You! How about we switch, then?”

“Sure, if you’re comfortable with that.” Ambros responded to Beladuka’s constant provocations with a calm smile.

Ambros’ approach left Beladuka uncertain and hesitant. She began to suspect that Ambros was deliberately provoking her to achieve his own goals. Then she wondered if he was trying to make her think that way.

Although Beladuka was also very old, her powerful origin race backing had always ensured smooth sailing, and she had never faced any significant setbacks. As a result, her mental fortitude as a Ji elder paled in comparison to Ambros and Humes.

However, she realized that she had fallen into Ambros’ rhythm and couldn’t continue like this. Moreover, she was deeply curious about the reason behind the Ji race’s sudden agreement to the Swarm’s conditions.

Since Ambros wasn’t going to reveal anything, she needed to contact her origin race as soon as possible to see if she could obtain any useful information through their channels.

Though Beladuka’s mental acuity might be lacking, she had her strengths, which had allowed her to become a Ji elder. At the very least, her execution was impeccable.

Having made up her mind, Beladuka snorted and left without another word. Ambros and Humes simply shrugged at her rudeness, exchanging a wry smile.

If even Beladuka, with her powerful backing, couldn’t get any answers, Humes, a grassroots elder with no such connections, certainly wouldn’t be able to extract anything from Ambros. It was better to save his breath.

However, Ambros’ earlier words had already revealed some information.

“What did the Ji race discover?” Luo Wen wondered. The Swarm had always been able to anticipate its enemies’ moves, and while they had tried to conceal this, it wasn’t unimaginable that the Ji race had deduced their precautions.

But what had prompted the Ji race to suddenly make concessions? Had they discovered something? Luo Wen’s mind raced as he reviewed all the recent intelligence.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. “Could it be…?”

After a moment of contemplation, combined with the information he had just recalled, he began to form a rough idea of what might have happened. Whether he was right or not would depend on the Ji race’s subsequent actions.

The negotiation was suspended for three full days. The length of this pause was a testament to the difficulty Ambros and the others faced in pacifying the members of the Confederation.

At the very least, Luo Wen knew that Humes’ task was genuinely challenging. The races he was responsible for were all participants in the recent war, and they had felt the pain firsthand.

However, the task of pacifying and communicating with these races wasn’t as difficult as one might expect. After all, they were the ones within the Confederation who most desired an end to the war. Still, they were dissatisfied with the Ji race’s hasty agreement to the Swarm’s conditions, and their words were laced with resentment toward the Ji.

Fortunately, for Humes, who was physically in the Ji camp but mentally aligned with the Swarm, these barbs had no effect. He no longer felt any sense of loyalty to the Ji race.

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As long as he let them vent, Humes’ task was relatively easy to complete. What truly gave him a headache were the civilizations that had lost their territories.

For example, the Daqi race had been forced to abandon their home planet and were now scattered across dozens or even hundreds of star systems.

The Ji race and the Confederation had promised these displaced peoples that they would reclaim their planets as soon as possible. But now, it seemed things had changed.

If this agreement were signed, it would be at least a hundred years before they could reclaim their homes. And what would happen during those hundred years? Would it further delay their return? Everything was uncertain.

They pressed Humes for answers, but he was just as clueless as they were. In the end, he could only resort to crafting vague, non-committal responses to placate them.