novelsite The True Face of Phase 2, Chapter 22
The True Face of Phase 2, Chapter 22
The last sentence of the letter is:
Under Lu's leadership, the Hanscat Kingdom didn't choose the giant millipede; the giant millipede chose us. Because we hesitated.
Lu Cheng put down the letter and remained silent for a long time.
The fact that Hanscat Kingdom was randomly assigned a giant millipede because of its timeout option has been a joke among other countries ever since.
Now the joke has turned into a tragedy.
"Help me compile all the information on the second stage of all the alien creatures." Lu Cheng stood up and walked to the map. "I need to know exactly what each alien creature has become."
The data was delivered over three days.
Lu Cheng spread the data out on the table and looked at it one by one.
Each one is a disaster.
Anomalocaris, spring claw stage 2.
The fishing industry in Jacques Chicken Country has been paralyzed.
Anomalocaris's spring-like claws have evolved a projectile ability—not a clamp, but a spring.
Two-meter-long shrimp leaps out of the water and crashes into the fishing boat like a cannonball; its spring-loaded claws can knock the steam turbine out of the hull with a single blow.
Fishermen in Jacques are no longer daring to go out to sea.
One-third of the ships that went out to sea returned, while the other two-thirds sank outside the harbor.
Giant Nautilus, second stage of coiled arms.
The Mediterranean shipping routes of the Kingdom of Jusso have been cut off.
The giant nautilus has evolved barbs on its tentacles, which are coated with paralyzing toxins.
They get tangled in the propellers of steamships, and once they're tangled, they won't let go.
The Kingdom of Zhu Sailang has lost more than forty merchant ships, which have sunk in the port channels, completely blocking them.
Thales, second stage of crushing and grinding.
The Thames River in the United States has become a restricted area.
The jaws of the Tyrrellus fish expanded by 300 percent in the second stage, enabling it to swallow an entire steam-powered fishing boat.
After swallowing it, the grinding mouth starts, and the fishing boat is chewed into pieces in its mouth, even the boiler is chewed up.
Inland waterway shipping in the United States has ceased.
Giant dragonfly, cage foot, second stage.
The western farms of Sam's Eagle Kingdom suffered.
The giant dragonfly's cage-like legs have evolved into a grasping structure. When it swoops down from the air, its six legs close together like a cage, allowing it to grab an adult bull.
They grab it, fly it into the air, then release it, let it fall to its death, and then fly it back down to eat it.
The ranchers in the United States look up at the sky every day until their necks ache.
Antiomon, Impact Bone Stage 2.
A group of Antiomon have set their sights on the mountain mines of Taro Tanuki Kingdom.
Antiomon's impact bone is harder than steel in the second stage.
They used the bone hammers on their foreheads to strike the mine, collapsing seventeen mine shafts.
Coal production in Taro Tanuki Country has decreased by 40%.
Grimog, Cutting Tooth Stage 2.
The Far East Railway of the Ivan Bear Kingdom was cut into pieces by the Grimony Beast.
In its second stage, the Grimog's cutting teeth evolved serrated edges, increasing its bite force fivefold.
They bite the rails like they bite into a biscuit, snapping the rails in two with a single bite.
The Far East supply line of the Ivan Bear Kingdom has been cut off.
Tyrannosaurus Rex, second stage of skeletal enhancement.
The Waiming Plains of Sam's Eagle Kingdom have become a restricted area.
The Tyrannosaurus Rex's size increased by 40 percent in the second stage, and its bone hardness tripled.
Wood deployed three heavy machine gun regiments to fight them. They fought for two days and two nights, but not a single Tyrannosaurus Rex died. The bullets left white marks on their bones before bouncing off.
In his report, Secretary of Defense Wood wrote:
Tyrannosaurus Rex is no longer a living creature, but a mobile armored fortress.
Waterdramon, Digging Claw Stage 2.
The length of the digging claw has increased by 30%, and the digging speed has doubled.
Apart from that, nothing has changed.
It doesn't attack people, eat crops, pollute water sources, or damage buildings. It just digs holes.
They dug faster and deeper.
The underground networks of the Kingdom of Winner Monkey and the Kingdom of Mighty Dragon have been connected, with a total length exceeding the combined length of the railway lines of the two countries.
Lu Cheng read through all the reports and drew a table on a piece of paper.
The second stage of evolution for all nine alien creatures is all about enhancing their offensive capabilities—stronger weapons, tougher armor, and more potent toxins.
Only the evolutionary path of the Waterdramon is functional.
Aggressive evolutionary creatures are frantically destroying the infrastructure of human civilization, while water dragons are helping humans dig tunnels.
"What did you notice?" Carrie stood behind him, holding a cup of hot tea.
"The system is categorizing," Lu Cheng said, pointing to the table.
"Ten alien creatures, divided into two categories. The first nine are the overt threats—they disrupt transportation, paralyze shipping, destroy factories, and pollute water sources; their mission is to bring the machines of human civilization to a standstill."
"What about the upright ape?"
"The upright ape is the tenth species, and its mission is not to destroy machines." Lu Cheng's finger moved to the upright ape column, where the words "unpredictable" were written in the blank space.
"The task of the upright apes is to learn how to operate machines. The first nine types are responsible for dismantling them, while the upright apes are responsible for learning. One destroys the old world, and the other learns the new world."
Carrie's fingers tightened slightly:
"You mean... the system deployed a whole set of creatures instead of ten separate species?"
"A complete system: destroyers and successors. The first nine are responsible for destroying human civilization, while the upright apes are responsible for building a new civilization on the ruins. It's not ten alien creatures, but a complete civilization replacement plan."
The sound of a water dragon digging a hole came from outside the window, muffled, like distant thunder.
Lu Cheng suddenly felt that this voice was more precious than ever before.
That evening, the skylight system lit up.
It wasn't the red or white light screen from before; it was golden.
[Interim Assessment of the Second Phase of Evolution of Alien Creatures - Infrastructure Damage Report]
[Anomalocaris: It has destroyed over 300 fishing boats from the country of Jakob-Khoto, and the port's shutdown rate is 67%.]
[The giant nautilus shell has blocked seventeen major shipping lanes in the Kingdom of Jusei, resulting in the loss of forty-two merchant ships.]
[Tyrell Fish: The Thames River in the United States has been shut down, resulting in a 91% drop in inland waterway traffic.]
[Giant Dragonfly: Has killed 12,000 head of livestock in the Sam Eagle National Farm, resulting in a 33% abandonment rate of pastures.]
[Giant millipede: It has caused the deaths of 217 people in the Hanscat Kingdom, and the damage to industrial raw materials is incalculable.]
[Anteomon: Has destroyed 39 mines in Taro Tanuki Kingdom, reducing coal production by 41%.]
[The Grimoire Beast: It has severed 400 kilometers of the Far East Railway in the Ivan Bear Kingdom, paralyzing the transportation line.]
[Tyrannosaurus Rex: Has destroyed 600 kilometers of the U.S. railway and 17 towns, resulting in the deaths of over 400 soldiers and civilians.]
[Water Dragon Beast: Underground network coverage increased by 300%. No casualties. No facility damage.]
The light screen paused for five seconds, then a new line of text popped up.
[Hip-Eyed Apes - Intelligent Brain: Phase II Mid-Term Assessment]
The following abilities have been confirmed: language system (basic vocabulary of approximately 300 words), social division of labor (specialized sentinels, tool makers, and infant caretakers have emerged), environmental modification (permanent habitats have been built, and drying, ventilation, and insulation technologies have been mastered), symbolic unification (the global symbolic system for Homo erectus is completely consistent, with no differences across regions), and rudimentary military capabilities (formation such as formations, alertness, and coordinated action have emerged).
The following capability is developing: metal smelting.