Alien creatures destroy homes? Start by killing upright apes!

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Lu Cheng explained:

"You can't destroy them, you can't tame them, you can't control them. Any attack will trigger radicalization; the more you fight them, the smarter they become. Isolation is useless; they've already established a unified symbol system in ten countries, maintaining coordination across an entire ocean. Negotiation is even less useful; their language system is still in its infancy, but their intentions are already very clear..."

Lu Cheng placed the photo of Taro Tanuki, the "substitute," in the center of the circle.

"What they want is not coexistence, but replacement."

The cave was so quiet that you could hear the muffled sounds of the water dragon digging a hole next door.

After a long while, David spoke.

"So you said there's hope? Hope for what?"

"Save yourselves."

Lu Cheng stood up, walked to the cave wall, and patted the smooth surface of the wall with his hand.

"The evolutionary path of the Water Dragon Beast is digging claws. Digging downwards, away from the surface. In twenty-seven days, the Water Dragon Beasts helped the Winner Monkey Kingdom and the Mighty Dragon Kingdom dig an underground network, the total length of which exceeded the combined length of the two countries' railway lines. The mucus they secrete can be used to reinforce tunnels, prevent water and rust, and treat wounds. The yield of farmland they turn over doubles. They themselves pose no threat to humans—they don't attack, bite, eat crops, or pollute water sources."

He turned around.

"The Waterdramon wasn't luck, it was a choice. I chose the Waterdramon, so I possess the underground. President Kerry chose the Waterdramon, so the Mighty Dragon Kingdom also possesses the underground. You chose the Upright Ape, so your surface is being replaced. But beneath the surface, the Upright Ape hasn't yet learned how to descend."

Massa looked up: "You mean—"

"Underground. All of the upright apes' behaviors are based on the observation and imitation of human civilization. They observe factories, dismantle machines, and learn metallurgy, but their observation range is currently limited to the surface. They don't know what's underground. The water dragon's digging direction is always downward, never upward, which means that the underground is a realm that upright apes cannot observe, imitate, or learn."

Lu Cheng sat back down on the mound.

"You chose the upright apes, so the surface will eventually belong to them. But the underground can be ours."

George took the cigar out of his mouth—he finally realized he had been smoking a cigar for three days straight without lighting it.

"Rule Lu, how deep underground are you referring to?"

"The average digging depth of the Water Dragon Beasts is currently 15 meters, with the deepest reaching 37 meters, where they discovered an underground river. My engineers estimate that if properly guided, the Water Dragon Beasts could dig to over 100 meters. A 100-meter-deep underground network would be enough to accommodate cities, factories, farmland... an entire civilization."

Wood frowned:

"You want us to abandon the surface? To move all the cities and factories underground?"

"It's not about giving up, it's about making backups. The evolution of hominids will not stop, and their intelligence will only grow stronger. You can use your army to maneuver against them on the surface, but you must have a rear that they cannot reach. The surface is the front line, and the underground is the rear, which is our strategic depth."

Lu Cheng unfolded a drawing in the center of the circle.

The drawing depicts a cross-section of an underground city—spiraling downward passages connecting chambers at different depths.

The top layer is farmland, which relies on a mirror system to reflect sunlight.

The middle floor is the living area, with ventilation ducts connected to the ground.

The lower level was a factory that used groundwater to drive steam engines.

The deepest layer is the storage warehouse, where food, fuel, and munitions are stored.

"This is a concept drawing I had my engineers produce. The Water Dragon Beast has already dug the underground network between the Winner Monkey Kingdom and the Mighty Dragon Kingdom, proving that large-scale underground engineering is feasible. Your country chose the Upright Ape, and the surface is being demolished, replaced, and transformed every day. But you have one advantage—your industrial base is much stronger than that of the Winner Monkey Kingdom. If we introduce the Water Dragon Beast into your country, and combine your industrial capabilities with the Water Dragon Beast's digging abilities, we can build an underground network covering the entire country within six months."

David stared at the drawing for a long time.

"How do we introduce the Water Dragon Beast? We chose the upright ape, not the Water Dragon Beast."

"The Sky Curtain System only stipulates that each country must accept one exotic creature; it does not prohibit the introduction of other species. Water Dragon Beasts can reproduce, and the Water Dragon Beasts of the Winner Monkey Kingdom and the Mighty Dragon Kingdom have already given birth to their first batch of cubs. The cubs' digging claws begin to grow from birth, and they can reach the digging ability of an adult in three months. I can provide you with Water Dragon Beast cubs."

Vito's eyebrows twitched. "What are the conditions?"

"Three conditions. First, all countries that introduce the Water Dragon Beast must have standardized underground network designs. Depth, width, ventilation systems, and drainage systems must all conform to the standards of the Winner Monkey Country. Second, observational data on the upright apes must be shared unconditionally—not just from your seven countries, but from all countries worldwide that have selected upright apes; the data must be compiled and sent to me. Third—"

"If one day Homo erectus really starts disguising itself as human, every country that introduced the Lystrosaurus must issue a public warning to the world on the same day. Not to its own citizens, but to the entire world. A simultaneous announcement; no country can hide it."

Meeting room—if this underground cave can be called a meeting room.

Everyone at the senator's meeting in the underground cave fell silent.

Each of the three conditions crosses a sensitive line regarding national sovereignty.

Standardization means that the Winners set the rules.

Data sharing means intelligence transparency.

Simultaneous release means relinquishing the power to control information.

Massa was the first to speak: "Taro Tanuki Kingdom agrees."

The other six people all looked at him at the same time.

Massa's expression was calm, so calm that it didn't seem like that of the prime minister of a rogue state.

"Twenty-seven days ago, Taro Tanuki Kingdom won the right of first choice with its strength. I chose the upright ape because I felt it looked the safest." Massa's voice was not loud, but every word was clear.

"But I was wrong. The price Taro Tanuki paid for this mistake was the addition of the word 'substitute' in the dry landscape garden of Kyoto. My people have seen through it all. They know where the Prime Minister is, and they are waiting for me to bring back an answer."

He stood up and bowed slightly to Lu Cheng.

"Taro Tanuki Kingdom agrees to all three conditions: introduce the Water Dragon Beast, standardize data, share data, and release data synchronously."

The cave was quiet for a few seconds.

Then Vito stood up.

"The Kingdom of Zhu Sailang agrees." He gave a wry smile.

"The erect apes in the Colosseum and the erect apes in Kyoto have the same symbols, so we are no longer in a position to negotiate."

George tucked the unlit cigar behind his ear:

"Jacques Country agrees! That stone eye in the square of Notre Dame Cathedral in Licheng is staring at me. If I don't get an answer when I go back, that eye will stare at me for the rest of my life."

David was the last to stand up.

The leader of the four great rogue states, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of New York, and the first person to rob a bishop ape on Advent Day.

He looked at Lu Cheng and remained silent for a long time.

"John Bull agrees, but I have an additional question."

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