The video suddenly cut out, the screen going black.
This video was from ten days ago, when a probe observed whale nests on the seabed. As you saw, thousands of whales, curled up in their hives like little bees. Li Nannan's expression turned serious. According to the anatomists, whales' bodies were not built to create such nests.
"What do you mean?" Jiang Ye was startled again.
"Something is farming these whales, just like fishermen raise fish. If nothing unexpected happens, it's the water ghosts you saw. Water ghosts have hands similar to humans, and their grip is very strong. They are entirely capable of carving out these massive whale nests on the seabed," Li Nannan said.
"The whale nests are at a depth of 11,000 meters underwater, with a pressure of over a thousand atmospheres. If a person were to dive to that depth, they would withstand over 16,000 tons of force, equivalent to 2,500 adult elephants standing on you. That's why the video you just saw only transmitted this far before the probe was crushed by the water pressure. After the first observation of these whale nests, we dispatched three more probes to that location, enhanced versions with greater water pressure resistance. It took a day to scan the entire seabed in the vicinity."
"What were the results?" Jiang Ye asked.
"A total of 28,300 whale nest holes were found, with an average diameter of five meters. 27,100 of these holes contained sleeping whales; the rest were empty."
"Good heavens, so many!" Jiang Ye felt a chill run down his spine.
He had previously seen water ghosts sailing on whale ships. One whale could carry ten water ghosts. Twenty-seven thousand whales meant 270,000 water ghosts! That was comparable to an army!
And based on human experience, only a small portion of the total population could participate in combat. If water ghosts had a social structure similar to humans, it meant the number of water ghosts in the nearby waters could reach millions!
The total number of colonial governors across the entire planet was less than one hundred thousand.
Jiang Ye's small town had only a little over a hundred people.
The disparity in numbers was too vast.
"Don't turn pale just yet, there's more video," Li Nannan stepped forward and tapped the screen.
A room resembling an operating theater appeared on the screen. The ceiling was covered with bright, dazzling white lights, and the walls and floor were immaculately clean. Doctors in white coats and masks surrounded an iron slab bed. A flexible robotic arm extended from the side of the bed, holding a sharp surgical knife and automatically cutting into a water ghost lying on the bed!
The purplish-black water ghost corpse was peeled away layer by layer, first the outer skin, then various greenish tissues and organs.
The doctors whispered amongst themselves. Their conversations were processed, making their specific words unintelligible, replaced by rapid gibberish sounds similar to those of the Minions, which was strangely cute.
Finally, the robotic arm stopped.
A doctor lunged forward, reached out, and pried open the water ghost's head, lifting it closer to the camera.
Inside the water ghost's head, a yolk-like mass of flesh wobbled softly.
The doctor was very excited, beaming with a wide smile. He opened his mouth and began to explain:
"Military leaders! Please look at this large head in my hand! These things communicate with each other not by speaking with their mouths, but through this yolk-like body in their heads! This yolk-like body is incredibly amazing; it can generate alternating current. In other words, it can transmit radio waves at a certain frequency! It's truly miraculous, every water ghost is born a radio transmitter! We have analyzed the water ghosts' thinking organs. They do possess a certain level of intelligence, but their average IQ is only 60, about the same as a pig."
Jiang Ye was a little surprised. The doctor's speaking style was hardly that of a doctor, more like that of a drunkard or something similar.
However, the crucial information surprised him even more:
"Water ghosts communicating with each other via radio waves in their brains means it's very difficult to directly hear what they're saying."
"An IQ of 60 is already quite high."
"Wild boars can attack in herds, so water ghosts surely can too. If the water ghosts decide to attack the town en masse, it would be a huge problem!"
Li Nannan tapped the screen, and the video stopped.
"This is the current research progress. According to the military's meeting directives, your planet has been upgraded to a slightly dangerous planet and requires militarization," she announced seriously.
"Great! I support this with both hands and feet!" Jiang Ye became energized and shouted loudly, "Please, Commander, send troops with an iron fist to deal with these water ghosts! Suppress them bloodily! Leave none alive! Let the evil water ghosts bow before the might of our cannons!"
"Calm down. I don't have that authority. I'll take you to see the real commander. He can decide what military support you'll receive," Li Nannan smiled.
She opened the door and led Jiang Ye out.
They took the elevator straight to the top floor.
On the top floor was a spacious helipad, circular and gray, large enough to accommodate large spacecraft.
Many people were already standing in formation around the helipad, paired up, each pair consisting of an ordinary person in a black suit and a military officer. They were spaced several meters apart, not standing close to each other.
Everyone had a serious expression, waiting silently, the atmosphere as quiet as family members waiting for a hearse.
Li Nannan seemed to hold a high rank. As soon as she appeared, all the officers saluted her. Jiang Ye was very pleased to see this, feeling a sense of proud accomplishment, as if he had found a powerful ally.
She led Jiang Ye to the edge of the helipad and they began to wait, just like everyone else.
Jiang Ye looked around for a moment, then asked in a low voice, with a slight twist of his mouth, "Who are we waiting for, Commander?"
"The Divisional Commander, who is also my teacher. His name is classified; you can just call him Divisional Commander," Li Nannan said. "He is currently in charge of the entire M78 nebula and will be arriving in half an hour with members of the Military Committee. We are waiting here to welcome him as a sign of respect."
"Are everyone here colonial governors?" Jiang Ye sized up the others standing around the helipad.
He noticed the composition of the personnel was quite peculiar: men and women, old and young, but all of them were of Asian descent.
"That's right. They are the cream of the crop of colonial governors from various planets, just like you, here to apply for military assistance," Li Nannan whispered. "You are in a competitive relationship. The military has a limited number of aid slots, and only half of the people here will secure a slot at this meeting. We don't know when the next batch will be."
Jiang Ye nodded. No wonder everyone stood so far apart, their eyes hiding apprehension and hostility, like wild beasts encountering each other in an open field.
Half an hour passed quickly.
The sky was clear, without a single cloud, and no spacecraft appeared.
All the waiting individuals grew uneasy, exchanging glances.
Jiang Ye turned to look at Li Nannan.
Li Nannan frowned and glanced at her wristwatch. "That's not right, he should be here by now?"
"Why don't you call the Divisional Commander?" Jiang Ye suggested. "Ask if he's stuck in space traffic?"
"No," Li Nannan shook her head. "We'll wait. Rank dictates everything, especially someone of such high standing. No matter how late he is, we have to wait."
"Alright then," Jiang Ye shrugged and stretched his stiff legs.
Forty minutes.
Fifty minutes.
One hour.
"He's here!" Li Nannan finally smiled.
A small spacecraft flew in from a distance, at a leisurely pace. Its livery was the blue of an Air Force uniform, with a large yellow five-pointed star printed on it.
All the waiting individuals straightened their chests, took deep breaths. The important person on the spacecraft could decide their fate with a mere flick of his finger!
With a hissing sound, the spacecraft slowly descended.
Everyone crowded around, their eyes filled with anticipation and trepidation.
The side door of the spacecraft slowly opened with a click, and the military officers present collectively saluted!
No one emerged from the spacecraft; only a small white dog jumped out.
The little dog wagged its tail in front of everyone.
The spacecraft closed its door and immediately took off, returning the way it came.
Jiang Ye was stunned, and everyone present was stunned. They had been waiting here for an hour, the Divisional Commander hadn't shown up, and he had only sent his dog. What was the meaning of this?
Li Nannan stepped forward, picked up the little dog, and pulled out a folded letter from its collar.