Brainstorming

"Perhaps our initial colonial actions were too aggressive?"

"But with Cat Ear Project in place before the expedition, a single research vessel can't really demonstrate any offensive capabilities."

"That's right. If they're willing to communicate with us, they should send a diplomatic message after capturing the Cat Ear Spaceship."

"I've come up with a new idea."

"What are your thoughts?"

"That's because of the advanced technology of the Cat Ear Spaceship, which led the enemy to misjudge the technological level of our Riken Race!" A senior Riken strategist continued, "They may have initially thought we were just a rudimentary civilization that had only recently entered space. In fact, without the help of the Ancient Spaceship, we would indeed be just as they suspected."

All of Ricken fell into thought.

Whether they support the first or the second theory, they all share a common understanding: Zerg technology did not completely overwhelm Riken technology.

The resources consumed in a major war between two civilizations with similar technological levels are staggering, as seen in the previous example of the Laze Planet defense line.

The Riken Race have stationed three fleets there, and have also deployed a large number of engineering, maintenance, and surveillance personnel on the planet. The daily expenses of these Riken are astronomical.

Near Laze Planet, the Riken Race had no colonies or large spaceships, so all their food, clothing, and supplies had to be transported from the rear.

This consumption is extremely staggering, representing the entire race's strength and depleting the foundation of their civilization. The Zerg's supply lines are even longer, and although the Riken Race don't know what the Zerg are consuming, their consumption should be even greater.

In this situation, a protracted war would be detrimental to both sides. For civilizations that have already ventured beyond their home Mother Planet and are able to utilize resources from other planets, resources are no longer of importance.

The various metals and raw materials that are scarce on their Mother Planet are not exactly ubiquitous in the universe, but they are not difficult to find either. The resources within the Riken Star System alone, including the ten planets, the asteroid belt, and stellar energy, are enough to allow the Riken Race to develop peacefully for thousands, or even tens of thousands of years.

Riken Race, then the Zerg should be in a similar situation.

Since resources aren't the most important thing, there must be some reason for this war between the two sides. It certainly can't have escalated to this point because of women or anything like that. Besides, the aesthetic standards of the two races should be quite different.

So, in this situation, what is the most important thing?

Technology! Or rather, knowledge!

Many of the Riken realized this and were filled with dread. Had the Zerg discovered the secret of Ancient Spaceship?

They were somewhat skeptical, because even among the high-ranking generals present in the conference room, only about 30% knew the specifics of the Ancient Spaceship. The rest roughly knew it existed, but nothing more.

In this situation, how could the secret be leaked?

Of course, this is still just a false proposition, a guess.

However, the Riken, upon examining themselves, found nothing that the Zerg could covet. The Zerg's technological level, at present, was even slightly higher than that of the Riken Race.

Looking back at what that senior staff officer said, perhaps the crux of the problem lies here.

Given the technological level of the Cat Ear Spaceship, the Riken Race should have been nothing more than a minor threat that the Zerg could easily eliminate. But the Riken Race, unfortunately, chose to send their fleet to provoke them. This wouldn't have been a problem in itself, but the Riken Race's behavior was just too bizarre.

Decades ago, it was just Light Sail engine; decades later, it has become a giant ship's cannon. The thrust of an interstellar engine can reach one-fifth of the speed of light.

To claim that this leap in technology was achieved through their own research is a rather fantastical notion, even to the Riken Race, let alone the Zerg.

If a minor character suddenly grows so much, it's obvious that either they have powerful backers or they've struck gold.

This also explains some previously incomprehensible Zerg tactical actions, such as their lack of aggressive pursuit of remnants, sometimes giving the impression that they were deliberately holding back.

Looking back now, these actions likely stemmed from the fact that the Swarm was unsure of the Riken Race's situation and feared they might have powerful backers, thus refraining from taking drastic measures.

Judging from their previous actions, the Zerg definitely possess highly intelligent command units, so it's not surprising that they could think of these things. Even their attack on Laze Planet was a test.

If the Riken Race had truly had powerful backers backing them, and had brought in some extraordinary reinforcements, perhaps the Zerg's hidden plans on Laze Planet would never have been implemented.

After several probing attacks, it is estimated that the Zerg have also discovered some of the weaknesses of the Riken Race, which is why they launched another attack, but with much less restraint.

For example, this time they directly destroyed 20% of the Riken Race's warships. If the Riken Race don't show something next, there might be a general offensive next time.

What powerful backers do the Kerickans have?

This led some Riken to lament their initial curiosity in venturing into the T85 Star System, but it was too late to say anything now; it was a dead end. Without demonstrating a corresponding level of technology, the Riken Race would be insignificant in the eyes of the Zerg, who might soon launch a massive invasion. The Riken couldn't risk annihilation by concealing their abilities; they would inevitably be exposed eventually.

This situation is becoming quite troublesome, and the Rickens in the conference room have all come to realize this.

If the Zerg are truly attacking the Riken Race because of a "treasure," then the conflict between the two sides is almost irreconcilable. The Zerg do not know what the Riken Race have obtained, nor do they know the extent of the "treasure," nor can they know the limits of the Riken Race.

In just a few decades, our technological level has advanced several notches. What about in another few decades? Or a hundred years?

By then, will the Riken Race's technology surpass that of the Zerg? Judging from some of the targeted weapons used in this war, this possibility is very high.

Some of the Rickons wanted to erase their own slaps; why did they have to show off for no reason? Wouldn't it have been better to just directly show weakness? What new weapon were they displaying?

Isn't this provoking the Zerg?

In this situation, will the Zerg give the Riken Race time to continue developing?

Putting myself in their shoes, what would they do if they were the Zerg?

The answers were almost identical: to ensure the continuation of the tribe, threats must be eliminated first, especially threats like the Riken Race that rely on external assistance and have made rapid technological leaps.

This gave Rickon and his team a real headache.

Given the current situation, it seems that only by sacrificing the Ancient Spaceship, this "treasure," can the war be ended. But wouldn't that mean handing over the fate of our race to others, leaving us vulnerable to being slaughtered from then on?

Regardless of what the other Ricken thinks, Antonio definitely disagrees with this approach. If he actually does it, he'll probably be written into Ricken's history and cursed to the point of genocide.

The only remaining option is to put up a fierce resistance.