Chapter 343: Detection
The Riken soldier’s task was indeed complete. His role was merely that of an initial screener; upon discovering valuable information and triggering the alarm, all the equipment and instruments in his room were remotely commandeered by the intelligence department.
Before long, the two-minute video stirred up a storm among the Riken leadership. Optical observation stations on Planet Riven, Planet Riwu, and even the Riken homeworld redirected more than 60% of their large-scale instruments to focus on the location where the monitoring unit had been destroyed.
It didn’t take long for them to locate the fleet.
“I’ll bet anything—those warships aren’t part of the Swarm.”
“Alcer! This isn’t the time for jokes!” Hamis snapped, glaring at Alcer, who shrugged indifferently.
Surprisingly, after a brief panic, the Riken high command settled into an unusual calm upon discovering this new fleet. Some even seemed to relish the situation.
Although the Rikens were currently surrounded and pinned down by the Swarm, they realized this also meant they were somewhat shielded by the Swarm. Any new force looking to trouble the Rikens would first have to contend with the Swarm.
This ironic layer of “protection” led to a rather relaxed atmosphere in what should have been a tense meeting. The Rikens adopted the mindset of spectators, anticipating the Swarm’s clash with this new faction and hoping to see them mutually devastate each other.
After all, the Swarm was their oppressive captor, not a trusted guardian. If the newcomers managed to engage the Swarm in a bloody conflict, both sides weakening each other would be a win-win for the Rikens.