Reborn as a tiger, he was chosen by the nation as its guardian beast.

While everyone in the command center was marveling at Wang Hu, in the other side, deep underground, in a huge, previously quiet space, a sudden, urgent alarm sounded.

On the same computer screen deep within the tumor tissue, text continued to be rapidly typed, picking up where it left off last time.

[The first-order light-absorbing organisms that opened the gene chain have all been destroyed...]

[Having suffered an aerial attack, the alert force is insufficient in combat capability, with losses exceeding 30%, and the remainder have all been recalled.]

[Enemy strength being assessed; current danger level: Level 3.]

[The conditions for the regional mastermind to recover have been met, and recovery is in progress...]

After these words were typed out, all the tumorous tissue in the entire space immediately began to emit a ghostly blue light.

And it's not just here.

These eerie blue lights began to spread in all directions at the same time, and soon, one after another, the sarcoma tissues underground lit up with light.

As these things glowed, the crisscrossing underground passages also began to collide with a constant stream of eerie blue light, as if countless pieces of information were colliding and understanding each other.

And it's not just this one city.

These underground passages are interconnected, like a spider web, spreading in all directions, while the eerie blue light is flashing and rapidly spreading towards the unknown lands further away.

Finally, after about half an hour.

All the tumor tissues beneath the city began to glow with a faint blue light, and then the screens deep within all the tumor tissues began to synchronously and continuously type text.

[The mainframes of Area 8 have fully recovered and are receiving information from the mainframes of Area 61. It has been confirmed that the enemy is suspected to be from another dimension, and the location of the interdimensional portal is being locked.]

[The alien realm is a multi-nation human federation, where local wars are currently taking place. Based on our experience fighting against the aliens, their humans have not unlocked their genetic potential, and their development of firearms is at an advanced stage. Our assessment is that we have an 83% chance of successfully conquering the region after initiating the war.]

[It can directly launch a war.]

[War mode is being activated, converting all Tier 1 Light-Absorbing Bodies in the current area. The conversion will be completed within twelve hours.]

[All alerted entities in the current area are being converted; the conversion will be completed within twelve hours.]

[Various types of level-two berserker entities are being bred...]

Just as these tumorous tissues were dripping incessantly deep underground, the commotion caused by Wang Hu had subsided in the command center on the surface.

A group of people were gathered around the newly erected sand table, discussing their next strategy.

The joy of an easy victory had faded, replaced by a somber atmosphere.

A bespectacled, scholarly-looking staff officer spoke first.

"Commander, I believe our understanding of this other world is still very limited. Now that we have successfully controlled the spatial passage and established a solid outpost, we should adopt a more prudent strategy."

"I suggest that we adopt a peaceful approach and first send out unmanned equipment to try to make contact with any intelligent life that may exist underground."

He paused for a moment and adjusted his glasses.

"If this interdimensional contact incident can be resolved peacefully, then peace should be the main theme. After all, according to the known information, the level of civilization in this other world was once comparable to that of our Earth. Although things have changed since then, it is uncertain whether it has become stronger or weaker."

"It is impossible for us, as a single nation, to confront an entire world."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a hot-blooded young special forces captain next to him immediately retorted.

"Peace? Peace with whom? With those monsters who turn people into walking corpses?"

"The fact that those zombies suddenly went berserk earlier already says it all; they harbored strong hostility towards us from the very beginning!"

"Moreover, these zombies are so weak and easily defeated by us, which means that the enemy's strength is nothing special! We should press on, reinforce our troops, and wipe out all the zombies in the city before the enemy can fully react!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, slamming his fist heavily on the edge of the sand table.

"First, wipe out the enemy's manpower! As for those so-called potentially intelligent life forms, what good can those guys who turn people into zombies be? Once we completely occupy this city, we can just pull them out from underground!"

"You're gambling!"

The staff officer raised his voice: "And you must understand, our enemy isn't just foreign lands. Now that we have the upper hand, we should first demonstrate the possibility of cooperation, rather than launching a direct war!"

"Hesitation and timidity will only lead to missed opportunities!"

The special forces captain responded loudly.

The discussion in the command center grew louder and louder, gradually threatening to escalate into an argument.

Wang Hu, who was digesting his energy in the corner, was getting annoyed by the noise.

He lifted his eyelids and lazily glanced at the group of guys arguing heatedly.

This is such a hassle.

In his opinion, what's the point of arguing about this?

If there's a threat, just kill it.

If we can't kill it, then we can talk about negotiations.

How can you talk about peace before even fighting? Do you even know what kind of people the other side is?

These guys don't understand such a simple principle, or are they just pretending not to?

"Knock knock knock!"

A dull thud sounded, not loud, but it instantly silenced the entire command center.

Everyone instinctively looked towards the person in the main seat.

Qin Tieshan put down his hand that had been tapping on the table.

He looked around and finally fixed his gaze on the two subordinates who were arguing most fiercely.

"Have you finished speaking?"

Both of them lowered their heads at the same time.

Qin Tieshan stood up, slowly walked to the sand table, and pointed to the red flag representing the Chinese army.

"To expect to get something at the negotiating table that you can't get on the battlefield is utter wishful thinking!"

His words were simple, yet they carried an undeniable weight, striking everyone's hearts heavily.

"Of course we want peace!"

"But peace is always a gift from the strong to the weak, not something begged for!"

"If we approach this with a negotiating mindset from the start, it will only make us appear weak and easily bullied. What we'll receive then won't be an olive branch of peace, but rather a larger, more brutal war!"

Qin Tieshan slammed his fist into the sand table, causing the models representing the buildings on it to jump.

"Therefore, before we start talking, we need to show the other side just how far our artillery can fire!"

"We need to make them understand that if they have ulterior motives, we have the ability and the determination to defend their homeland. We also need to make them understand that they have no other choice but to coexist peacefully with us."