Research

However, the Raider are, after all, a low-tier, cannon fodder unit. Apart from catching the Riken Race soldiers off guard at the beginning, the disadvantage of their single unit type gradually became apparent.

Gunboat in the sky quickly locked onto the opening from which the Raider emerged, unleashing a concentrated barrage of fire. Thick, fiery beams of light bombarded the ground, blasting many of the Raider who hadn't yet rushed out into a pulp.

The Raider had already reached the ground lacked reinforcements and had limited escape routes. Although they achieved good results, as their numbers dwindled, they suffered increasingly rapid casualties under the soldiers' attacks.

For over a century, the Riken Race seem to have focused all their research and development efforts on spaceship engines and related areas. The firepower of energy guns hasn't increased much, but the rate of fire has improved considerably, and they also have aiming and locking systems. Small numbers of Raider facing this firepower couldn't withstand it for long and were completely wiped out.

In the aftermath of the battle, the land was ravaged. The vast quantities of spare parts and assembled machinery that had been transported there were destroyed. The Riken Race soldiers couldn't possibly have paid them any heed during the battle, especially since the Raider were adept at using cover, and what could be better than these metal structures to deflect bullets?

According to incomplete statistics afterward, approximately 500 tons of metal materials were destroyed and could not be repaired in this battle, and these materials could not be replenished in a short period of time. The number of casualties reached thousands, of which 80% died directly, indicating that the Raider had a high lethality rate.

To the relief of the Riken Race commanders, most of the casualties were ordinary recruits. The Special Operations Team, operating the Gunboat, suffered little damage. Moreover, the recruits who had fought this battle were gradually transforming into veterans, and their combat effectiveness had slightly improved.

More than 5,000 underground Zerg were killed in this operation, most of whom were blown up before they could even emerge. If all the underground Raider were allowed to emerge, the damage to the Riken Race would at least double.

Both sides revealed some skills in this battle, but overall, the Swarm suffered a slight loss.

Because the things the Riken Race revealed were basically Swarm already knew, the Raider lost their mystery and their deterrent effect was greatly reduced.

A video conference to summarize the post-war situation.

"Gentlemen, the Zerg autopsy reports have been distributed. Now, Dr. Bart will explain them to you," General Masai began.

"Hello everyone, based on the data, the internal circulation, digestive, and nervous systems of these Zerg are extremely similar to the structures of the surface organisms we have previously captured. Even if there are slight differences, it is most likely due to differences in the era of their existence or their environment. Therefore, we can rule out the possibility that they are alien organisms; these Zerg are truly native organisms."

Dr. Bart was the same rare Riken Race biologist from last time; he made some professional analyses based on the anatomical data.

The attendees nodded in agreement. Although they weren't professionals, none of them were incompetent; they could understand the general data.

"So, these creatures are not the same species as those that attacked the Cat Ear Spaceship?"

"Definitely not. The structure of these Zerg is simply not designed to support their survival in space."

"I don't think we can be sure yet. We still know too little about them. Last time we only analyzed that there are at least three species. Is it possible that there are species that can survive in the space environment?" a captain asked.

"Impossible. Evolution is not child's play. Such exaggerated mutations cannot occur within the same species. The structure of these Zerg is actually quite ordinary. Only the material of their forelimbs is somewhat unique, but this is not enough to enable them to survive in space. These are completely different concepts." Dr. Bart gave a very firm denial. In his opinion, this statement was simply a joke.

"Okay, I believe the expert's opinion." The captain, who had raised the question, was, after all, an outsider. Hearing the expert's confident answer, he realized that he might have asked a stupid question.

"Although this battle has taught us what they really are, our situation hasn't improved. They hide underground and have the ability to strike at any time, but we can't be on high alert every moment like this." A staff officer steered the conversation towards practical matters, no longer discussing the Zerg's structure.

"That's right, we don't know their exact numbers, and if we can't find a way to counter them, our ground bases will be seriously threatened."

"That's not a big problem. These creatures have very high requirements for their living environment. Just like we can't breathe directly on the surface of T853, when we modify the atmospheric environment here to be suitable for our Riken Race to breathe directly, those native creatures will also find it difficult to continue to survive in this environment," Dr. Bart replied.

"I see. So now our challenge is how to defend against these guys' attacks during the modification process."

"But this will take a very long time. First, we need to build the base, then the space city, and finally the environment. This will take decades or even centuries."

"Dr. Bart, is there any other solution?" a captain asked.

"Perhaps we can develop a highly effective toxin based on their respiratory and nervous systems. This will require a lot of experimentation, and the exact timeframe is unknown. But it should take no more than a few decades," Dr. Bart said after a moment's thought.

"Then I'll leave it to you. Until then, all we can do is increase our vigilance to defend against these Zerg."

"Does anyone have any further questions or comments?" General Masai asked.

A staff officer raised his hand. "General, I have another question, which is whether the Zerg possess intelligence."

"I've also thought about this issue. Their raids on patrols and their meticulous operational capabilities certainly suggest a high level of intelligence. But judging from today's battle, they seem no different from those wild beasts," a captain said.

"That's right, their previous actions might just be a biological instinct?" an advisor said uncertainly.

"It's possible. I never believed from the beginning that such primitive organisms could achieve global coordination," a captain echoed. He had raised his objections at the last meeting, but they hadn't been taken seriously.

"I want to add something here. These Zerg don't possess organs for long-distance communication, or even vocal organs. However, we captured a few alive this time, and through observation, I discovered that their limbs can produce a sound through rapid tapping and rubbing. Combined with a special pheromone they emit, they transmit information through this combination." Dr. Bart paused here, thought for a moment, and then continued:

"Perhaps we can take advantage of this characteristic. If we can figure out the meaning of these knocking sounds and pheromones, we might be able to interfere with their actions, or even make them kill each other."

"That's a good idea, but what you meant earlier is that they can't achieve remote collaboration, right?"

"That's right! Simply put, although Zerg in the world belong to the same species, they are not from the same colony."