Chapter 509: The Attack
Because the Swarm’s ground combat experiments on the Daqi Planet had been conducted under the heavy cover and concealment of their space forces, the Interstellar Technological Confederation had been unable to uncover what had happened.
Despite their repeated attempts, they were always blocked. To this day, the details of those events remain unknown to the Confederation. Thus, the scene unfolding on the life planet of LKDW262 marked the first time the Swarm’s ground forces had been revealed to the world.
Night had fallen, and in response to the Swarm’s airdrops, the cities on the Moto life planet had heightened their defenses. Curfews were imposed, and the number and frequency of patrols were increased.
However, after several rounds of sweeps that eliminated many of the Swarm’s airdropped units, combined with over ten days of relative safety, the tension among the patrol personnel had begun to ease slightly.
The Moto were a race that valued environmental protection, and the night sky remained clear, cloudless, and offered excellent visibility. In the distant starscape, occasional bursts of light flared up—explosions from the coalition’s warship reactors. Through an ordinary telescope, one could even see dense red threads dancing across the stars.
The Moto on the surface understood that the battle in the distance was a matter of life and death for them. As a result, many had quickly adapted their habits, becoming nocturnal to take advantage of the better viewing conditions at night. Though they could do little to help, they hoped to send their blessings to the distant fleet.
The patrol personnel were no exception. They frequently looked up at the distant sky, silently praying for their comrades.
Suddenly, a shadow flickered at the corner of a patrolman’s eye. As he focused on it, a sharp pain pierced his left cheek, as if something had pricked him. He raised his hand to touch the spot, but before he could even complete the motion, his body uncontrollably tilted to one side.
The sound of his fall was startlingly clear in the quiet night. His eyes, now unable to move, could only hope that his sudden collapse would alert his comrades.