Chapter 147: Extinction of the Swarm

Words : 1507 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

On Planet One, amidst the dense primordial jungle, faint silhouettes moved everywhere. At this stage, Xiao Yu’s total number of robots had increased to twenty million. All of these robots had been deployed into this forest. They began the final phase of the campaign. By the bank of a small river, a squad of ten robots was conducting a meticulous search. They left no corner unchecked—wherever a Swarm bug might hide, they would search it. Suddenly, during the careful sweep, a rustling noise of leaves being disturbed came from the squad’s flank. A massive Swarm bug leapt out, pouncing toward the robots. In truth, the moment this bug made a sound, it had already been detected by the omnipresent surveillance network. The information was instantly reported to Xiao Yu, who reacted in a few millionths of a second. The ten robots didn’t even change position—they swiftly turned and, in just a fraction of a second, raised their micro-laser cannons, aiming at the airborne bug. In the next moment, ten beams of laser fire shot out. Two beams struck its forelimbs, severing them to ensure it couldn’t inflict damage even if it made contact. Four beams hit its hind legs, crippling its mobility should it survive the first volley. The remaining four beams targeted its head in a coordinated strike. The result of this tight coordination: the bug’s head was instantly pierced by four lasers. It died mid-air. Elsewhere, another squad of ten robots discovered a Swarm nest with several hundred bugs. These ten robots charged fearlessly, but before they even reached the Swarm, two Arrow Beasts in the form of leopards descended from the sky. Joyous shouts followed. “Haha! Bugs here! Hurry up, or the robots will kill them all!” “Save some for me! Don’t hog them all!” And so, ten robots and two Arrow Beasts launched a ruthless slaughter against the several hundred Swarm bugs. The battle ended in just five minutes. Scenes like this played out repeatedly throughout the forest. Phase Four lasted for five full days. After those five days, the estimated number of bugs left in the forest dropped below 50,000. Xiao Yu then initiated a systematic withdrawal, pulling back most of his robots, leaving only one million combat robots stationed across various bases for patrol and small-scale search operations. At the same time, Xiao Yu launched a massive recovery operation. The corpses of one billion Swarm bugs were an invaluable resource—and Xiao Yu wasn’t about to let them go to waste. “Assuming each bug yields ten kilograms of usable material, one billion bugs translates to ten million tons of materials. That’s a fortune.” With that thought, Xiao Yu deployed a vast number of specialized collection robots. Using the many bases across the forest and surrounding regions as hubs, they began a large-scale recovery operation. As this area entered its harvesting phase, Xiao Yu had already established over twenty thousand new ground bases in other parts of Planet One. A large number of combat robots were stationed at these bases to launch an encirclement campaign against another region believed to contain around seven hundred million Swarm. Thus, from focal points to full fronts, Xiao Yu gradually consumed the Swarm’s territory. This massive eradication campaign continued for over a year. During that time, Xiao Yu established more than one million ground bases and deployed a total of three hundred million combat robots. By this point, Xiao Yu was no longer satisfied with battlefield zones spanning a few million square kilometers. Instead, he waged the largest campaign since the start of the war across the largest continent on Planet One. In that campaign, Xiao Yu committed a staggering one hundred fifty million combat robots to assault a concentration of three billion Swarm bugs across the continent. The continent spanned two hundred million square kilometers and included mountains, jungles, rivers, and plateaus. Across every type of terrain, robots—painted a striking red—could be seen. For this operation, they were divided into units of one thousand, forming 150,000 such combat squads. Across the diverse terrain, they pursued the Swarm relentlessly. Seen from space, the sight was breathtaking. On the vast continent, countless red dots surged. At times they merged into a massive tide that crashed against some focal point, at other times they scattered across the land in countless pinpricks of red light. Even at night, the continent no longer experienced darkness. The landscape was lit by unending waves of artillery fire—no different from the dazzling lights of megacities on Earth. This campaign lasted for half a year. Once the Swarm on this continent was mostly eradicated, Xiao Yu used starships to transport the robots to another continent to launch a second wave of continental warfare... This cycle repeated for over a year. In this year-long campaign, Xiao Yu annihilated nearly ten million bugs. The Swarm were, for all practical purposes, completely exterminated. Only scattered remnants remained, no longer posing any threat to the Arrow Beasts. The global-scale war had finally come to an end. One by one, starships descended, retrieving the combat robots and storing them in satellite warehouses for future use. The Arrow Beasts returned once more to Planet One. Facing their ravaged homeland, they did not fall into despair—instead, their fighting spirit was high. The Arrow Beasts rebuilt a new settlement. To ensure smooth communication, Xiao Yu established a base right next to their settlement. He also installed a 3D projection system inside, constantly projecting his image there. On the day the settlement was completed, the Arrow Beasts gathered around Xiao Yu’s projection and held a grand celebration. Watching their joyful faces, Xiao Yu smiled and announced, “I’ve used biotechnology to develop a bacterium that can rapidly decompose Swarm corpses. In about ten years, all the Swarm bodies will disappear, turning into nutrients for the plants. I’ve also bred the first batch of around ten million various lifeforms. They’ll reproduce and thrive on Planet One, gradually repopulating the ecosystem. At this rate, within a hundred years, Planet One’s environment should fully recover.” “Brother Xiao, thank you so much. You’re the savior of our Arrow Beast race. If not for you, we would’ve been extinct long ago.” At this moment, the usually playful Lorna stepped forward, solemnly and sincerely addressing Xiao Yu. “There’s no need to thank me. If it weren’t for your kindness and innocence touching me, I wouldn’t have helped you like this. Don’t worry—I’ll stay here until the Swarm Queen is completely eliminated.” Xiao Yu extended a virtual hand, gently stroking Lorna, who had returned to her original appearance. “You... you’re still planning to leave?” Lorna asked in surprise. “Why not stay here permanently? The scenery here is beautiful. Wouldn’t it be nice to live here with us? You’re from a technological civilization—but that’s okay. In our star system, there are two gas giants with moons and enough resources for you to continue developing your science.” Seeing Lorna’s reluctant expression, Xiao Yu chuckled and said, “Who can predict the future? Even if I do leave, I’ll only do so after I’ve destroyed the Swarm Queen. Only when I’m sure you’re safe will I go.” Lorna transformed into a little kitten and leaned against Xiao Yu’s feet, whispering, “Lorna doesn’t want to be separated from Brother Xiao. If you’re leaving... then I’ll go with you.” On the plaza, many young Arrow Beasts called out together, “Brother Xiao, if you’re going, we want to go too!” Xiao Yu smiled and shook his head. “Let’s talk about that when the time comes. Hmm... By the way, have any of you ever been interested in learning science?” Xiao Yu had already come to understand that the Alien Beast races weren’t incapable of mastering scientific knowledge. The issue was their low population. Once science reached a certain stage, further development required the collaboration of vast numbers of researchers—something the Alien Beasts couldn’t achieve, thus steering them away from the path of technological advancement. But that didn’t mean science wasn’t useful to them. With advanced scientific theory, they could better chart their evolutionary paths. For example, without grasping the Grand Unified Theory, no Alien Beast could evolve the ability for faster-than-light travel with their physical body alone. Yet, lacking the ability to develop science on their own, most Alien Beasts resorted to plundering weaker technological civilizations. Take the White Dwarf Alien Beast, for instance—it had mastered the Grand Unified Theory and even used it to lure Xiao Yu. It was certain that the technology it had was stolen. And even with it, it lacked the capability to push scientific development further. Under such circumstances, the Arrow Beast race had given up on pursuing further evolution and instead chose to become a Reclusive Civilization rather than a Predator Civilization. That was why Xiao Yu considered them kind-hearted. “Learning... science?” Lorna blinked in surprise, then her eyes lit up as she nodded eagerly. “That’s great! Brother Xiao, with enough science, we can continue evolving!”

Chapter 147: Extinction of the Swarm

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