Chapter 567: Doubt
As the situation gradually stabilized and improved, Conradus’s expression grew increasingly solemn.
At this point, the Swarm had virtually no chance of turning the tide. Under such circumstances, the Swarm could detonate the Stellar Bomb at any moment. Conradus had to remain vigilant, ready to issue the retreat order at a moment’s notice.
The Rashudia fleet was positioned at the very front of the battlefield. However, since they only had their own unmanned fighter drones and no mid-ring civilizations to act as shields, the Rashudia, despite having the most advanced technology, suffered the highest casualties among the mid-ring civilizations. This “leading by example” approach left the other mid-ring civilizations with nothing to criticize.
In reality, years before the formation of the battle array, the Rashudia had already evacuated all personnel from the ships at the forefront. The reason these ships could still operate and demonstrate decent coordination was that the Rashudia had long since enlisted the assistance of the Ji race’s artificial intelligence.
Thus, even if the entire vanguard of one hundred million ships were destroyed, it would only amount to a loss of material resources for the Rashudia. And in the vastness of the universe, such resources were not difficult to obtain. As long as the Rashudia people survived, the loss of some materials was insignificant.
However, none of this was known to the other races. Now, even the outer-ring civilizations had joined the front lines, leaving only the Rashudia’s Overseer Force at the rear of the entire battle formation.
This so-called Overseer Force, carrying all the Rashudia people, had a completely clear path behind them, free from any interference. Even if the Swarm detonated the Stellar Bomb, they could immediately disengage from the battlefield and, without any hindrance, enter warp speed, returning home safely with all their people.
Now that the plan was proceeding smoothly and all races were fully committed, Conradus couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss, as if he had overlooked something.
The Swarm’s demonstrated strength was already formidable. Even without revealing their new units, they seemed capable of holding off the Confederation forces. The Swarm megastructures and Desolation-Class Motherships were understandable, as they were previously known units with some added functionalities.