Pei Guang looked over his new traits and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad! These three are perfect for developing the Swarm. Alright! Let's use bugs to fight bugs in this world!"
The planet he had arrived on was inhabited and developed by humans. Wasting no time, Pei Guang began rapidly expanding his forces.
Although the memory world simulated people and events with great realism, for the sake of his experience, Pei Guang chose to fast-forward through many aspects.
His system had a log function, which he had previously used just to review story events. Now, it had become an invaluable tool for his expansion. With it, he could track all major events over time, skipping unnecessary details.
And so, time accelerated.
[Month 1: 10 drones are diligently gathering resources, spreading creep, and reproducing.]
[Month 2: Gathering resources, spreading creep, reproducing.]
…
[Month 10: Resources fully gathered. Drones have transformed into a Hatchery.]
For ten months, the drones continuously harvested resources. Thanks to the resource conversion trait, they could convert normal materials into what the Swarm needed. With the reproduction trait, their numbers multiplied exponentially.
The more drones, the more resources collected. And once enough resources were stockpiled, they began constructing a Hatchery—giving Pei Guang access to his first combat units.
As the Hatchery was being built, Pei Guang received some additional information.
[The emergence of the Hatchery has instilled fear in the local human population. This is a feudal monarchy, a fractured world where people struggle with hunger and poverty.]
Reading this, Pei Guang knew exactly what he had to do next.
Population. Pei Guang needed population. Fortunately, with his resource conversion trait, he had acquired a massive stockpile of resources. Using it, he made his way to a village that had been scouted by his drones.
It was a run-down settlement, home to only a few dozen families. The village had just suffered from a harsh tax collection, leaving most of the people with barely any food, nowhere near enough to survive.
Upon arriving, the first thing Pei Guang did was recruit.
"Everyone! I have a job that needs workers. No pay, but I guarantee that every single one of you will have enough to eat and drink!"
The villagers didn't believe him at first. But they were already on the brink of starvation. If all they had to do was work in exchange for food, then some of them figured it was worth a shot.
"I'm in!"
Pei Guang led a group of villagers back to his base.
[Through Efficient Resource Conversion, drones have gathered enough food to sustain 1,000 people for one month. Recruited the first batch of workers from a village using food.]
When the villagers arrived at Pei Guang's base, they were terrified. But that fear quickly vanished when he presented them with food—each person was given a big bowl of rice, topped with two thick slices of pork.
[Workers were frightened by the appearance of the insects. Many believed they were about to be eaten. Pei Guang personally explained the situation. The workers, realizing they would starve if they returned home, decided to stay.]
[Discovered a farming genius among the workers. Under their guidance, Pei Guang's faction's crop yield increased by 5%.]
Out in the fields, a farmer who had once been on the verge of starvation knelt before the bountiful crops. To him, Pei Guang was the one and only god.
He had been starving, abandoned by the world, but Pei Guang had brought him to this place filled with insects.
At first, he had found these creatures terrifying. But now, they seemed nothing short of adorable.
In daily life, the drones helped him with labor, while the zerglings accompanied him on hunts. He had also brought his family to live with him: there was food, there was shelter, and life was comfortable.
With his basic needs met, the farming genius was now determined to fulfill his dream: increasing crop yields.
And after relentless effort, with the support of the Swarm, he succeeded. At that moment, he broke down in tears.
This wretched world—where humans devoured each other—yet the insects had helped people survive.
At that moment, the farming genius realized something. Simply farming wasn't enough to save people. If more humans were to break free from this cannibalistic system, they needed to change their environment.
Humans and the Swarm had to develop together, to prosper together!
In the human settlement within the Swarm's territory, the former farming genius stood before a gathering crowd and shouted, "Everyone! It is the great deity who has given us food and warmth! They are the messengers of the divine! And Lord Pei Guang… He is our god! Fight for our god!"
"For our god!"
The people Pei Guang had taken in awakened to their own thoughts and began working to bring more people into Pei Guang's domain.
And so, Pei Guang's system log updated with new entries.
[The farming genius realized that simply growing crops could not save more people. He has begun recruiting more humans into the Swarm and has transformed into a Thinker.]
[The Thinker is rallying more humans to join the Swarm. Humans are voluntarily assisting the drones in their labor, and in return, the drones are providing food to sustain them. Peaceful coexistence has begun between humans and the Swarm in your domain.]
[More humans have joined the Swarm. Human aesthetic preferences have started to shift slightly.]
This development was somewhat unexpected for Pei Guang, but it wasn't a problem. Over the years of growth, his Swarm had already established its fundamental ground combat units. With their current power, they could easily dominate this world.
Unifying the planet was now Pei Guang's goal—humans and the Swarm would develop together.
Of course, he had considered simply wiping out all the humans and focusing purely on the insects. But after thinking it over, he realized that mass extermination wasn't the most efficient option.
Besides, if his Swarm simply exterminated all humans, wouldn't that make them no different from the Propagation Swarm?
And so, with a triumphant raise of his arm, Pei Guang marched forward—leading his well-fed, well-clothed followers, alongside a swarm of zerglings, roaches, banelings, and ravagers—happily conquering the planet.
Through constant expansion, assimilation, and overwhelming military force, the entire human population of the planet came under Pei Guang's control. Meanwhile, the Swarm continued to multiply at an accelerating pace.
As they did, a new log entry appeared in Pei Guang's system.
[As the Swarm continues to multiply, Pei Guang has stepped onto the path of true Propagation and has pioneered a new direction. Propagation is not just mindless replication and division: it is about refining the essence and eliminating the flaws, evolving toward a more advantageous path for the survival of the species, and prospering alongside other lifeforms.]
[The Vigilance Level of Aeon of Propagation Tayzzyronth has increased. Your Awarm has drawn the attention of Tayzzyronth.]
Reading this log entry, Pei Guang fell into deep thought.
For about one second total.
Then he decided to continue expanding his Swarm.
And when the Aeon of Propagation's Swarm arrived—he would show them what true propagation and breeding was, and who the real Swarm master was.