The Iridium Star people had gone to great lengths, expending a tremendous amount of energy and resources to find the second Swarm's hiding place, yet they still had no clue. This was because the Swarm didn't truly exist within the physical space of the Galaxy, but rather in a Subspace world similar to the Pilgrims' illusory space.
Although this Subspace world was incomplete in itself, it was still capable of accommodating large numbers of Insectoids for survival. What was even more unexpected was that the space itself was an Insectoid, to be precise, a Swarm Duke.
The second Swarm's Duke of the Garden, in fact, was the third Duke to emerge within the Swarm, but this Duke had never directly communicated with other Insectoids since gaining self-awareness. Its physical form was extremely small, like a pebble, and even looked like an ordinary rock, drifting through the Universe, sticking to comets, hence its position was ever-changing.
Yet the Garden housed countless Insectoids, allowing them to survive without energy or food, preventing their early destruction by adversaries, and now becoming the greatest concern of the Iridium Star United Empire.
The Garden did not speak, but its significance to the Swarm needs no further explanation. Every time a Swarm Duke led an army into battle, they would inform the Garden of their desired destination. Though the Garden never responded, it would transport them to their destination without deviation.
At the center of the Garden stood the gate to this Subspace world, where a cane was inserted, topped with a huge golden gem. It was through this that the Swarm Dukes communicated with the Garden about where to send their troops or eggs. The Insectoids also called this place the "Garden Gate."
Duke Greenleaf now stood at the Garden Gate. This Swarm Duke, appearing somewhat feminine, might seem graceful in stature, but one look at her fierce and terrifying face would instill deep fear.
Lindong and Green Elder also appeared at the Garden Gate to see off Greenleaf, who was preparing for deployment. The previous harassing operations were mostly led by Lindong, Canxing, and another Duke named Resonant Thunder. This was Greenleaf's first battle.
With a seductiveness that seemed exclusive to Insectoids, Greenleaf said to Lindong, "My dear Duke Lindong, why such concern for me? Are you worried I won't be able to destroy the Iridium Star people's planet?"
Unfortunately, all self-aware Insectoids actually lacked reproductive capabilities, and had no need for or impulses related to sex. Lindong was completely indifferent to Greenleaf's flirtatious behavior. After all, Greenleaf's actions were purely hereditary—she had been born parasitic within a disreputable female Star Warrior, inheriting many of her host's memories and personality traits. Even before devouring captured human males, Greenleaf would use them to satisfy her seemingly non-existent desires.
Lindong said, "Your strength ranks among the top of the eight Dukes, I have no doubts about you. My visit is merely to offer early congratulations on your imminent victory."
Duke Greenleaf, whose appearance was remarkably hideous to humans, let out a grating giggle, "My sweet-talking Duke Lindong, would you like to try out those little human affairs with me when I return?"
A flicker of displeasure passed through Lindong's compound eyes, "Duke Greenleaf, do not bring the habits of lesser beings to our Insectoid kind."
"How boring," replied Greenleaf as her mouthparts moved slightly, completely out of sync with her seductive act. It was these very mouthparts that could almost bite through anything in this world.
"Target: Clinch Star. Garden, I'm entrusting this to you," Lindong said, with a respect for the silent but immensely contributive Garden that he withheld from others.
The golden gem flashed, and in an instant, Greenleaf and the million-strong army of full-bodied Insectoids she led were transported directly to Clinch Star, located in the Square Arm.
Although the galacticization progress of the Iridium Star United Empire had been expanding across the Galaxy, it hadn't been particularly swift. Aside from the Orion Arm, which was solely possessed by Iridium Star, the new territories of the United Empire mainly involved the Orion Arm, the Orion Arm, and the Three Thousand Second Differential Arm. In the Square Arm, only the High Level Civilization of Clinch had joined the United Empire.
The main reason why distant Clinch could join the United Empire was a Stargate within their territory that allowed them to journey to the Three Thousand Second Differential Arm. The Insectoids were also creating significant havoc in the Square Arm, prompting Clinch Star's leaders to join the United Empire in exchange for support, driven by their fear.
Should the Insectoids successfully defeat the Clinch civilization and destroy all planets of Clinch civilization in the Square Arm, the United Empire would lose all its footholds in that arm.
After a flash of golden light, all the Insectoids on the platform vanished, having been transported by the Garden.
Green Elder, looking at the now-empty platform, asked Lindong, "The Iridium Star people are clearly strengthening their defenses, and our recent attacks are facing greater pressure than at the beginning. Do you truly believe we can maintain this tactic until we completely dismantle the Iridium Star United Empire's planets?"
Lindong remained confidently unswayed, "Of course."
Lindong's strategy could not be said to be illogical; by constantly sabotaging the planets of the Iridium Star United Empire, Lindong was not necessarily destroying a planet entirely, perhaps only crippling it, but this their approach allowed them to exhaust the Iridium Star people and steadily deplete their national strength. Although an Insectoid, Lindong had a profound understanding of Interstellar Civilizations, knowing that the foundation of any civilization's existence was their planets, resources, technology, and productive capacity.
On the other hand, Lindong was having insect eggs disseminate across territories outside the United Empire's domain, generating new Insectoids and ensuring they had sufficient food. So far, the Insectoids had not entertained the notion of farming their own "livestock"; they merely killed, plundered, and obtained food, stripping a planet of life without any consideration to controlling their population or what they might do if the entire Galaxy were to be consumed.
Yet Green Elder was more concerned about the Swarm's future than Lindong, aspiring to forge a true Insectoid civilization that could sustain itself indefinitely. Still, deep down, Green Elder stubbornly believed Insectoids should dominate the Universe, considering other species of the Galaxy as mere food for Insectoids. The question was how to make the food supply more sustainable.
Head held high, Lindong strode away, while Green Elder pulled out a book to continue reading. The title of the book was quite prominent—The Slavery System of the Teizene Cannibal Civilization.