Chapter 193: The Bottom of the Disdain Chain

Although he didn't particularly like the scientific faction's views, as a military commander, the Giant He Xing wouldn't ignore facts; he silently estimated the combat power of those traitors—even accounting for their cowardice and likelihood of fleeing after battle—achieving such results was no easy feat.

Not to mention the patrol squads; even just the few mechs stationed at the entrance (Note ①) would require considerable effort for someone like him, a four-time evolved assault-type Giant He Xing, to destroy.

Seeing the Giant He Xing fall silent, a He Xing whose body was over ninety-five percent submerged in a tank, with only its breathing pores exposed and appearing like an opaque curtain of water, spoke through its device:

"Excluding all low-probability events, the only possible explanation for this situation is…"

"Hmph!" The Giant He Xing, instantly understanding the meaning of "jellyfish," let out a cold snort: "This is the consequence of your letting the decoy plan proceed!"

"But without this leniency, the decoy would remain merely a decoy." The Six-Headed He Xing shook its heads while operating, and the sandbox on the round table suddenly spread a murky hue—

"Studying the power called Divine is currently the top priority; even the highest executive officer cannot alter this policy. Only by deciphering the secrets of the Divine can we fully claim this miraculous planet."

"But the fact is you messed up! Not only did you lose the prey, you lost the bait too!" The feline-like He Xing spat a sharp taunt, "According to your plan, you should've been pulling the net in by now, right? But where are your test subjects? Where's the bait?"

"Undoubtedly, the decoy has hatched." The He Xing submerged in water seemed utterly unfazed by the sarcasm, stating matter-of-factly:

"Yesterday's storm violated rainfall patterns, exhibiting traits similar to those of the Divine 'Dragon King of the East Sea' during the Magu Blitz. It was precisely because of the storm that the defenders' laser weapons were restricted—this was one of the key factors in their crushing defeat."

"None of this matters now. The question is: what if this Divine grows? It's no longer twenty years ago—humans now fully understand the importance of the Divine. If a new Divine emerges, we'll find it nearly impossible to suppress it again."

The Giant He Xing irritably flicked its thick tail, speaking with solemn gravity:

"Before this turns into a full-blown disaster, activate the Spirit-Seeking System immediately and drag that thing out! A newborn Divine is exactly what you need for research!"

"Impossible!" The Six-Headed He Xing shot back instantly, "You know full well—we spent nearly twenty years guiding this seed of faith. If we retrieve it now, without faith to sustain it, it'll vanish quickly, just like the eight million Divine we eradicated!"

"Miss this one-of-a-kind specimen, and who knows how long before we find another? Human technological advancement far outpaces our research into the Divine. If we keep going like this, are you going to watch humans pilot Divine-powered ships and colonize us in return?"

"That's centuries away!" The Giant He Xing rose to his feet, his head nearly brushing the ceiling; his massive body loomed over the table, as if one open mouth could swallow the Six-Headed He Xing whole:

"The issue now is that this Divine is growing at an astonishing rate. Those little rodents are still hiding it, but what if they suddenly realize it and have their neighboring nation bestow a divine title, integrating it into their so-called Heavenly Court system? We'd be handing them a nail to drive into us! Then not only won't we get to study it—we'll be lucky if we aren't the ones studied!"

Facing the bloodied maw mere inches away, the Six-Headed He Xing showed no fear, maintaining its icy tone:

"Losing Sector Eleven—or even all the He Zujie on this planet—is irrelevant. We can always retreat to our homeworld; human technology can't possibly catch up. But miss this specimen, and we may never find another chance."

"You lunatics on the research ships always treat poison as pets!"

"You violent lunatics have no idea of the Divine's importance!"

As the two sides clashed, the gill-scaled He Xing—the nominal highest officer of He Zujie—finally clapped his hands:

"Both sides have valid points. The Divine cannot be left unchecked, but neither can we pass up such an opportunity. Whether to study or destroy it, we must find it first, correct?"

"Agreed." The feline He Xing placed its forepaws on the table, eyes narrowing into a malicious grin, "Aren't all those traitors eyeing the vacant seats on the Reconciliation Committee? Let them lead the charge. The Anti-He Front loves killing, right? Equip each with a tracker—perfect for collecting combat data."

"Good idea." The Six-Headed He Xing verbally agreed, but his gaze shifted to the jellyfish He Xing. As the tank's temperature slowly rose, the condensation units activated; the conference room's temperature surged over two degrees in moments. With a low thrumming sound, the jellyfish He Xing spoke through the device:

"The plan is feasible, but if we call it a sampling device, those traitors won't believe it. We need a new scheme—and we must account for the previously used frequencies being blocked; biological resonance sensing would be better…"

…

A black sedan pulled up outside the office building; an ordinary-looking old man, accompanied by his driver, entered the building, appearing like a director inspecting his own company.

Yet within mere minutes, several such elderly men arrived, prompting the uninformed to marvel: such a small advertising firm had so many diligent senior executives.

"Shiroku-kun, you're late!"

As the old man entered the conference room, a rebuke rang out—but the man called Shiroku showed no shame, only replying coldly:

"You scheduled this time. If you want me here earlier, change the time. Right now, every extra second is risk—I'm not ready to die yet!"

The old men, stung by Shiroku's blunt mockery, grew uneasy—but they knew this wasn't the time to argue. Facing opponents whose fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers had spent generations in conflict and cooperation, they controlled their emotions well.

"In any case, Lord Tokugawa, what's the situation?"

Sensing the tension, the lowest-ranking elder broke the silence. The man called Tokugawa took a deep breath and flipped his laptop screen toward the others:

【The Reconciliation Committee's subordinate forces in Uota City must collect new equipment within 48 hours.】

(End of Chapter)