Countering Moves

Fear can affect the rationality of intelligent beings, making them prone to blind obedience.

Soon, daily necessities in major shopping malls in the Riken Race were sold out. Those Ricken who had stockpiled goods felt slightly relieved, while those who were late in buying were even more fearful, but the latter had far more goods than the former, and riots gradually broke out.

Thanks again to the state of war, the military intervention, the timely and quantitative distribution of supplies, and the timely suppression of the nascent unrest.

Just as Antonio breathed a sigh of relief and was about to take the opportunity to eliminate the opposition, new information was leaked.

If he weren't afraid of causing even greater unrest and discontent, he really would have wanted to shut down the internet. However, although people like Ricken don't have the wise saying that water can carry a boat but also capsize it, they still understand the relevant principles.

Normally he is the most powerful person in the Riken Race, but if he truly believes he can command the world and no one dares to disobey him, and stands on the opposite side of the people, then the kind of treatment Delrin received would be a matter of minutes.

So, despite being extremely overwhelmed, he could only try his best to appease the situation. Unfortunately, the leaked information this time was far too damaging.

The Zerg are trying to persuade us to surrender!

Faced with the invincible Zerg, what should the Riken Race do? If the information hadn't been made public, there would have been much more room for maneuver. But now everything is under the spotlight and scrutiny of all the Riken Race, leaving almost no room for maneuver. One wrong move, and they'll be condemned for eternity.

However, Antonio had ruled the Riken Race for over fifty years, wielding far more power than any of his predecessors. Since the opposition wanted to bind him with public opinion and restrict his actions, he simply delegated the power of choice. In this way, while he would still be the one with the greater credit, he would be in accordance with public opinion.

The people of the Riken Race were stunned, never expecting to be involved in a matter that would determine the fate of their entire tribe. "Your Excellency Speaker Antonio, everyone has been given the right to choose: to surrender or not to surrender. All the Riken people will make this decision together."

A massive national referendum was launched.

This historic moment diverted most of the public's attention, and Antonio cleverly didn't set a timeframe for the referendum. As a result, the public, lacking any information, were confused. Fortunately, time wasn't of the essence; let's see how the other Rickens choose first.

While everyone was watching and waiting, the riots subsided again, and the furious Antonio finally had a moment to retaliate.

He decided to use swift and decisive action to destroy all opposition, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble these guys would cause in the future.

But his opponents also knew exactly what he was going to do next and wouldn't give him a chance to breathe.

A new rhythm has been set in motion.

If they don't surrender, what are their chances of winning? Soon, professional analyses emerged, concluding that the longer the conflict dragged on, the closer their chances of victory would get to zero. Parliament had to reach a decision on war or peace as soon as possible.

Trouble was once again thrust upon Antonio, leaving him no choice but to set a time limit for the voting: half a month.

But just as Antonio announced the decree, a new wave of events began.

If it's a compromise, what are the other party's conditions? Can the basic rights of the people be guaranteed? What restrictions or impacts will it have on the future development of civilization? The gap between these is huge. If the other party's conditions are not excessive, then it's worth considering. But if the conditions are too excessive, then it's better to fight to the death.

Antonio was also somewhat bewildered upon hearing this news. The Zerg had only flexed their muscles, but hadn't explained how to communicate. He didn't even know what conditions the Zerg had set.

However, he and his Think Tank speculated that it was most likely that Ancient Spaceship. Because if it were something else, they would only need to systematically eliminate the Riken Race.

Only the secret that enabled the Riken Race to advance so rapidly could warrant such a massive Zerg. However, they did not know exactly what this secret was, or whether it could be destroyed. They worried that if they pushed the Riken Race too far, they would completely bury this secret.

But if they surrender, regardless of how well the terms are negotiated, how can we guarantee that the Zerg will continue to abide by the agreement after receiving the benefits?

But if we don't give it to them, won't the Zerg, who possess absolute power, become enraged?

But how can these things be explained to the ordinary people of Rickon? Ancient Spaceship require a high degree of secrecy; even captains and other personnel know very little about them. Specific details can only be known by military personnel of at least the rank of general and the research departments in charge.

The unknown nature of the Ancient Spaceship is a crucial bargaining chip in future negotiations with the Zerg. If it were revealed so easily, more Rikens would know about it, compromising its secrecy. Although the Zerg appear wild, they are a truly high-tech civilization, and breaking into their network shouldn't be too difficult after defeating the Riken Race.

A meeting was held at a colony on the satellite Mother Planet Satellite 2. The attendees were all of high rank. In addition to some senior councilors and staff officers, even several generals from the Civil-Military Twin Star Defense Perimeter were recalled.

This meeting is very important; we must hear the opinions of the general public, especially those from the military, many of whom are currently gathered on the front lines.

Antonio admitted that there was an element of gambling involved, but he believed that since the Zerg had offered to surrender, they wouldn't attack them anytime soon. Therefore, it shouldn't be a big problem for the garrisoned general to sneak away for a while.

He wouldn't have taken this risk if it weren't for the long distance, high latency in video conferencing, and poor confidentiality.

"Your Excellency Speaker, time is of the essence, and we cannot leave for too long. Let's get straight to the point."

The meeting had just begun, and Antonio had only exchanged a few pleasantries and made his opening remarks when he was interrupted by an old general. He pursed his lips and cursed the uncouth man inwardly, knowing that news of the situation on their Mother Planet had reached the front lines. The many events of the past few days had diminished his prestige; otherwise, this general would never have interrupted him like this in the past.

However, he could not complain, nor dared to make any moves. At this time, these powerful generals were people he had to win over.

Antonio didn't waste any more words; he simply expressed some of his thoughts, concerns, and questions.

"No, we absolutely cannot reveal the matter of the Ancient Spaceship!" After listening to Antonio's explanation, the old general immediately spoke out firmly.

"Why? I think Your Excellency is being too cautious. Our defenses are so tight that the Zerg cannot access our network without breaking through the defenses of Wenwu and our Mother Planet. They shouldn't be attacking us so recklessly until they are certain of the secret. Until then, our network is secure."

The speaker was a senior legislator, one of the most powerful members of the legislature besides Antonio. He was also one of the most likely candidates to succeed Antonio as speaker should anything happen to Antonio.