General Masai mulled it over. Although the unauthorized deployment of nuclear weapons could escte into a serious issue, dealing with someone of Cross’s background through official channels was nearly impossible.


    Better to sell Major General Porter a favor instead. It would strengthen ties between their factions and provide a potential avenue for cooperation during future resource distributions.@@novelbin@@


    After a round of enthusiastic, business-like ttery with Porter, Masai smoothly brushed the matter aside.


    “Send a message to the other captains. Say it was a nuclear test to evaluate the damage yield against the nest.” Masai fabricated a reason, preemptively addressing any suspicions. If he didn’t exin, he’d soon be flooded with inquiries.


    Since the detonation site fell within Porter’s factional territory, Masai trusted that Porter’s people would corroborate the excuse.


    “General, we’re detecting a faint nuclear reaction in Area 39—it’s moving rapidly!” a crew member suddenly eximed from the monitoring station.


    Masai’s face darkened. He set his drink down, exasperated. Someone was clearly stirring up trouble.


    “Check who’s over there,” he ordered.


    The crew quickly essed the data and reported, “General, we don’t have any operational units in that area. It’s the shallow sea zone!”The Riken had only been on Great Dawn for about two months, including the time spent constructing bases, during which they had been preupied with fighting the Swarm. No effort had been allocated to exploring the oceans yet.


    For a nuclear reaction to appear in the sea out of nowhere… Masai fell into deep thought. Then he remembered: apart from the Swarm, they also had to watch out for alien creatures native to T853. He had almost forgotten the original cause of their mission.


    Back then, the Rikens hade here after detecting a nuclear reaction. Further investigation, ryed by their Cat’s Ear Spaceship, revealed the source to be a colossal super-beast.


    Now, the beast had reappeared—likely drawn by the two nuclear detonations. When the Cat’s Ear first discovered it, it had also been triggered by a single nuclear detonation.


    However, Masai’s expectations for this creature had dwindled since their initial encounter. While its bio-nuclear organs were fascinating, they weren’t transformative for the mechanically inclined Riken civilization.


    What the Rikens valued more was the beast’s longevity, hoping to study it for potential life extension breakthroughs. But now, with the emergence of the Swarm—also theorized by biologists to be ancient organisms—their focus had shifted.


    Initial research on the Swarm indicated no gic factors for extended lifespan. Even their Raiders lived no more than twenty years. The Swarm’s survival from ancient times might have been due to simple hibernation.


    If mere hibernation were the exnation, then the Riken’s space hibernation pods could achieve simr results. Yet to a sapient species, sleeping for 300 years without truly living held little meaning.


    Furthermore, the Swarm’s hibernation methods seemed inefficient. Likely, only a handful of eggs had survived from ancient times and reawakened under specific conditions.


    Comparative data collected since the Rikens’ arrival indicated that the’s biomass had significantly decreasedpared to earlier Cat’s Ear reports. At this rate, the Swarm could consume all surface life within a century.


    Perhaps the extinction of ancient species was tied to these bugs. Despite their rtively low individual strength, their insatiable consumption wreaked havoc on ecosystems. Without natural predators, they could rapidly destabilize the environment.


    This theory led scientists to suspect that Swarm eggs might hold secrets. Yet no eggs had been discovered. Beyond the food stores, nest tunnels descended sharply underground. If the Riken pushed further, the Swarm simply sealed the passages. The Rikens had no means to prate deeper for now.


    If this beast shared the Swarm’s characteristics and had survived solely through hibernation, its value was limited.


    Masai’s thoughts were interrupted when a crew member disyed live satellite footage on his screen.


    The sea surface revealed a massive shadow writhing beneath, interspersed with shes of blue light. The creature was moving swiftly toward the shore.


    “Based on calctions, the beast will makendfall in five minutes,” the crew member reported.


    “Which special operations teams are nearby?” Masai asked after a pause.


    “General, TZ131 and TZ084 are in the vicinity and ready to deploy. If they move now, they’ll intercept the beast as it reaches shore,” another crew member replied after some quick checks.


    TZ131 again—it made sense. They were the ones who hadunched the nukes and were already on standby. TZ084, likely a patrol unit, was also nearby. Together, they were the fastest response teams avable.


    Masai quickly issued orders: “Good. Notify them to move to the coastline and block the beast’s retreat. Additionally, mobilize all special operations teams within a 5,000-kilometer radius. They must reach the battlefield within 30 minutes.”


    The original Godzi had been dead for decades. This was a replica constructed by Luo Wen, created using the original’s temte without any alterations.


    The enormous resources invested in creating this Godzi were intended as a contingency n—if the Rikens proved unbeatable, the Swarm could retreat without leaving any ring inconsistencies.


    After all, if something so conspicuous vanished, suspicions would inevitably arise.


    Later, when the Rikens turned out to be less formidable than anticipated, Luo Wen had thought the creature was no longer necessary. But then it urred to him that it could still serve a purpose.


    Half an hourter, the nearby special operations teams had assembled, but Godzi didn’t behave as the Rikens expected. Instead ofnding, it lingered in the shallow waters, pacing.


    “It seems wary of the gunboats!”


    “Of course it is. The Cat’s Ear report mentioned this tactic being used against it before. Although it escaped, it must’ve retained some fear of them.”


    “Rubbish. I read the report too, and it didn’t say anything about injuring the beast.”


    “If it wasn’t hurt, why did it retreat into the sea? I’m telling you, if they hadn’t used nukes back then, our predecessors might’ve worn it down before it returned to the ocean.”


    “Ha! When did you grow a brain? I thought it was all muscle up there.”


    “Ha-ha…”


    “Ha-ha…”


    “Enough! Mana, you looking for a fight?”


    “Bring it on! Who’s afraid of who?”


    Within the regionalmunications channel, the banter between multiple special operations captains continued.


    “Orders received: all gunboats’ main cannons are to charge for a synchronized volley. Ensure the target is neutralized in one strike.”