Jiang Ye held the analysis report written by the think tank and read it carefully for more than ten minutes.
A group of people waited silently, all quiet and not speaking.
Although the think tank had experts from various industries and fields, the final decision was still made by Jiang Ye. The task of the think tank was to persuade Jiang Ye to make the correct decision as much as possible, so no one disturbed him while he was reading the report.
"I feel like these are five hot potatoes," Jiang Ye smiled. "None of them are ideal planets... Compared to them, Pingdao Star is the best among the mediocre."
The think tank members all smiled.
"The trouble with Pingdao Star lies with the native species that survive there, the giant lizards," Jiang Ye said. "The giant lizards are too numerous, organized, and possess a certain military capability. My concern is getting bogged down in another war."
"A minor concern," Wei Hongyang said. "Just giant lizards. Develop some infectious diseases and release them, and they'll infect and die off on their own."
"It's been tried," Jiang Ye shook his head.
Wei Hongyang was taken aback.
"Commander Zhang Qiongshi's troops already tried it, releasing deadly pathogens to the giant lizards. But it had no effect," Jiang Ye said. "It's still unclear why it didn't work. Perhaps the giant lizards have some kind of potent medicine, or perhaps they have a consciousness that keeps them away from infected individuals. In any case, this tactic is useless."
"Then we can only resort to direct confrontation and physical destruction through firepower," Che Zhen said from the side. "According to the information provided by Governor Zhang Qiongshi, these giant lizards have a very skewed technological tree. They have powerful chemical explosives, but no intelligent weapons, no missiles that can lock onto targets, and no electronic equipment."
"How do they communicate?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Are you asking how the giant lizards communicate?" Che Zhen looked at a short-haired girl in the back row.
"Report, we don't know yet," the short-haired girl stood up.
She had been sitting quietly in the back, and when she stood up, people noticed she was quite pretty, with a clean appearance, wearing glasses, and looking a bit naive.
"Your face is unfamiliar, I haven't seen you before. May I ask who you are?" Jiang Ye frowned.
"Report, Commander, I am An Xiawen, the new chief secretary of Su Yueming's secretariat. My research focus is on alien languages and alien social structures," An Xiawen introduced herself quickly, almost biting her tongue in her nervousness.
"Can you guess possible ways the giant lizards communicate?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Written language, pheromone scents, sound waves, and organs within their bodies that transmit and receive signals. These are the four most common methods," An Xiawen said. "Actually, it would be easy to find out by dissecting some giant lizards, but they are difficult to capture."
Jiang Ye frowned slightly. How could a group of lizards be difficult to capture?
"Governor Zhang Qiongshi's exploration team encountered giant lizards locally that carried chemical bombs. If they attempted to arrest them forcefully, they would detonate," Che Zhen explained. "These giant lizards are incredibly fierce, all of them are walking bombs."
"What about tranquilizer drugs?" Jiang Ye said. "What about electric traps?"
"Electric traps would directly detonate the giant lizards, and tranquilizer drugs are ineffective, for reasons unknown," Che Zhen shook his head. "Governor Zhang Qiongshi tried many biochemical warfare methods, but none of them worked. These giant lizards seem to have a very strong resistance to toxins, so strong it's hard to comprehend."
"They sound very difficult to deal with," Jiang Ye said. "From what I recall from the data, these giant lizards are also skilled at burrowing and swimming?"
"That's right, they swim as flexibly as fish, and their burrowing speed is incredibly fast. All signs indicate that the giant lizards on Pingdao Star might have vast underground cities, all excavated by them," a biologist next to him chimed in.
Jiang Ye was troubled.
A group of giant lizards that could burrow underground and move around, swim across oceans, like oversized, enhanced earthworms. The critical point is that they can self-detonate and have a developed lizard society.
"I smell the scent of a counter-insurgency war," Jiang Ye shivered. "If our troops get bogged down in Pingdao Star fighting a protracted counter-insurgency war for many years, the consequences would be unimaginable."
"We have two solutions, both with very strong feasibility," Che Zhen said.
"Explain," Jiang Ye nodded.
Che Zhen reached back, and his waiting adjutant quickly stepped forward, handing him the files.
Che Zhen stood up and handed the files to Jiang Ye with both hands, his attitude extremely respectful. "Please review them first, then I will explain."
The think tank members watched quietly, but many of their gazes lingered on Che Zhen's face for a few moments.
Che Zhen was the top figure in Jiang Ye's army, having remained in that position for many years.
Normally, someone in such a high position, trusted so much by Jiang Ye, would be relatively relaxed and familiar.
However, Che Zhen was always deferential to Jiang Ye, like a common soldier loyal to his commander.
Some think tank members pondered whether Che Zhen's enduring position was related to his humble attitude.
Jiang Ye was unaware of what those around him were thinking and lowered his head to read the report seriously.
The first report was simple and crude: build fully automated mechanical soldier factories on Pingdao Star.
Send a batch of mechanical soldiers and equipment to Pingdao Star.
The mechanical soldiers would proactively search for mineral resources on Pingdao Star, refine metals, and use the equipment to manufacture more mechanical soldiers and more mechanical soldier factories.
When encountering giant lizards, the mechanical soldiers would gather and engage them.
Over time, the mechanical soldiers would reproduce themselves on Pingdao Star, becoming more numerous, and soon they would spread across the planet, eradicating giant lizards everywhere.
Once the giant lizards were extinct, with a single command, the mechanical soldiers would withdraw, and humans would occupy Pingdao Star, thus completing the transition to a dominant species.
The advantage of this plan was that it was cost-effective and labor-saving. As long as the initial stage was stable, the mechanical soldiers would survive and expand their territory on their own.
The disadvantage was also obvious: it would take too long.
The current estimate was that it would take at least thirty years to clear all the giant lizards on Pingdao Star.
Jiang Ye frowned deeply. Thirty years was truly too long. While they could afford to wait, Zhang Qiongshi was facing immense pressure from rebellion and certainly couldn't wait. This plan would never be accepted by Zhang Qiongshi.
Jiang Ye casually tossed aside Plan One and began to read Plan Two.
Plan Two: Smart Fungus + War AI + Jiang Ye Army
Jiang Ye was very familiar with the combination of War AI and the Jiang Ye Army; they had fought battles in this manner before. War AI was a comprehensive combat system for the entire army, highly efficient, saving a lot of calculation and manpower.
But what was this "Smart Fungus"?
The report analyzed it extensively with grand pronouncements, such as the strong cluster computing power of Smart Fungus, its powerful intelligent consciousness, and how it could be effectively integrated into War AI to provide faster...
"Why add Smart Fungus?" Jiang Ye asked impatiently, "Is it appropriate to let Smart Fungus command our troops? From what perspective was this plan conceived?"
"It's from a previous game," Che Zhen said.
"A game?"
"Last year, when we expanded our recruitment, we wanted to develop a war simulation game independently to train new recruits," Che Zhen said. "In the end, it was the Smart Fungus Game City that was responsible for its development."