While the Jiang Ye Star forces were negotiating with multiple planetary powers, archaeological excavations continued in the rear.
The city had resumed construction, as the fossils beneath the urban areas had largely been cleared.
However, outside the city, beneath the vast plains, lay immense quantities of fossils.
All the fossils were of insectoid creatures, though their sizes varied dramatically. Some were so small they resembled fungi rather than insects, while others were so large they looked like monstrous beasts or birds of prey. Jiang Ye would regularly visit the laboratory to inspect the reconstructed models of Birong Star's prehistoric insects. When he saw an insect with a wingspan exceeding three meters, resembling a dragonfly, he felt despair. Such creatures were material for disaster films.
Laboratory staff informed Jiang Ye that not all insect fossils represented long-lived species; many were products of evolutionary mutations. Current experimental analysis indicated an unusually high mutation rate. On average, for every five normal insects of the same species, there was one severely mutated specimen. Even those that appeared normal were only so in terms of size and skeletal structure; their internal organs and the colors of their exoskeletons could still be mutated, requiring further experimental analysis.
Jiang Ye was perplexed. Naturally, the mutation rate in natural conditions shouldn't be this high.
He considered a possibility.
Perhaps the prehistoric insects of Birong Star had not invented and manufactured their own spacecraft.
Instead, a highly advanced alien race might have arrived on Birong Star millions of years ago, studied these insects, and even conducted large-scale captive breeding. The aliens captured numerous indigenous insects, subjected them to various laser beams, fused reproductive cells from different species, and sprayed them with a variety of biochemical agents. There were thousands of ways to easily create a large number of mutated species.
It was even possible that Birong Star had not originally produced so many indigenous insects. They might have been introduced by an alien race, much like releasing flocks of chickens to free-range on a mountain. Perhaps Birong Star was an insect ranch, where protein-rich insects of various kinds thrived and reproduced, only to be captured by aliens for food. If they were artificially bred, then the appearance of any strange varieties would not be surprising.
Jiang Ye hesitated for a long time before sharing his speculation with the researchers.
"I'm just casually mentioning this. I'm an outsider and don't understand these things. You don't need to take it seriously." Jiang Ye quickly added after speaking, not wanting his status to interfere with scientific research.
"No, no, no, what you're saying is entirely possible," the researcher replied seriously. "We humans have also established many livestock planets, planting suitable pastures on planets with appropriate climates, and then introducing special breeds of pigs, cattle, and sheep to free-range. By controlling cloud cover and regulating precipitation in different regions, we can regulate pasture growth, thereby macroscopically controlling livestock growth and reproduction. The entire planet becomes a super-sized farm. If we can do it, alien races can certainly do it. We eat pork, beef, and lamb, so alien races might eat insect meat."
"What you've described actually aligns with one of our dozens of hypotheses," another researcher added.
"May I see those dozens of hypotheses?" Jiang Ye asked.
The researcher handed him a top-secret document. Jiang Ye opened it to find densely packed tables filled with speculations about Birong Star's prehistoric insects. Jiang Ye had never heard of most of these speculations, and they were quite interesting. It was the first time he realized there were so many possible reasons for the appearance of large numbers of organisms on a planet.
The archaeological work continued.
In addition to more fossils, more metals began to be excavated from the ground.
Initially, they were just scattered metal pieces, but soon large, continuous metal structures appeared. The longest section of metal reached one kilometer.
Seeing the metals unearthed daily, Jiang Ye had a peculiar feeling. It truly seemed like a massive ranch, where insects were kept in metal cages, eating and growing, then captured for slaughter when they reached a certain weight. Their carapaces would be pried open, revealing tender, lobster-like meat.
However, further archaeological excavations overturned his perception.
An underground city had appeared!
A vast prehistoric city, buried a kilometer deep underground, was discovered, causing a huge sensation.
A large number of spherical buildings, comparable in size to stadiums, were found. Streets paved with metal were lined with spherical metal vehicles. Although all the buildings and objects were unrecognizable, the prosperity of the city in its prime could still be discerned, almost rivaling that of a coastal city.
Jiang Ye was dumbfounded.
Undoubtedly, these insects had established a civilization. Since there was one city, there must be others elsewhere on the planet. Perhaps Birong Star had been a very prosperous and developed planet millions of years ago, but its entire prosperity was now buried beneath the rolling yellow earth.
The military was also greatly shaken, dispatching an additional 200,000 troops to reinforce the archaeological excavations.
Ten thousand other relevant personnel, including archaeologists, university students, biologists, and civilization scholars from across the Galactic Empire, submitted applications to Jiang Ye to conduct surveys.
Such a massive project was beyond the capabilities of the Jiang Ye Star forces alone. After communicating with the military, Jiang Ye began approving the entry of a large number of alien personnel.
Li Nannan also visited Birong Star to congratulate Jiang Ye.
"Within a radius of several thousand planets, your project is the largest archaeological endeavor. It's not just digging up a few tombs or small ruins, nor excavating a small ancient city, but unearthing an entire prosperous insect civilization," Li Nannan said. "Don't you feel honored?"
"Indeed," Jiang Ye's reply was filled with the smell of money. "I think we can vigorously develop tourism on Birong Star. We should contact neighboring planets, offer some ticket quotas, and spend a few years building theme parks and museums. The tourists should be very numerous."
"Hey! Vulgar adult, your mind is only filled with money. Be careful, if you continue like this, the smell of money will be detectable from two streets away," Li Nannan said disdainfully.
"How can it be a smell? Money emits an intoxicating fragrance," Jiang Ye said calmly. "The richer one is, the more enchanting the fragrance. If my assets were to expand tenfold, wherever I went, that planet would collectively be intoxicated by the scent of money and become infatuated with me."
"So you just want to be the God of Wealth, right?" Li Nannan chuckled. "I'll help you inquire when I get back. If you want to develop Birong Star's archaeological tourism, I'll help you smooth out the procedures from above, ensuring a green light for you."
"Do I need procedures to set up an industry on my own planet?" Jiang Ye asked, puzzled.
"Other industries don't, but Birong Star has already been designated a key prehistoric cultural heritage protection planet. Furthermore, tourism involves numerous planets, so procedures are naturally required," Li Nannan explained.
"Then I'll trouble you, Commander!" Jiang Ye said.