Chapter 129: No Weaknesses

This statement is somewhat perplexing.

Gao Yuan couldn't quite pin down his feelings. He subconsciously glanced at Luo Xingyu and then saw an odd expression on Luo Xingyu's face.

In such a serious situation, at such a crucial moment, one of the questions Gao Yuan, representing humanity, had asked was whether the other party was male or female.

However, it seemed that this question was indeed quite important.

Gao Yuan decided to get to the bottom of things. He completely disregarded his own status. Since the Xinghe would only speak if he was present, he must hold a unique position. If so, he should ask whatever needed to be asked.

"So, are you physically male or female?"

Xinghe looked at Gao Yuan and said in a somewhat strange tone, "Is that important?"

"It is quite important."

Without any hesitation, Xinghe said, "Female."

"Oh..."

It was Gao Yuan who made a sound, but many others nodded slightly. It seemed they were just as curious about this question as Gao Yuan.

"Thank you, I have no further questions. Please, take a seat."

Xinghe immediately turned and sat on a sofa. Then, she looked towards Gao Yuan and, pointing to the sofa beside her, said, "Sit."

Does Xinghe truly not understand Earth's etiquette?

Gao Yuan felt a bit awkward because if he were to sit down, he would have to take Li Wen's place.

"No, no, no, you sit first. I'll sit here..."

Gao Yuan quickly plunked himself down onto a sofa, regardless of whether it was his designated seat; at that moment, who could really care about such distinctions?

Li Wen smiled helplessly and with a slight sense of resignation. Xinghe's comment had put him in a position where it was awkward to say anything. Perhaps this meeting might mean life or death for the Earthlings, but to Xinghe, it might be less important than spending a few more words with a friend.

"Gao Yuan, sit, everyone please sit."

Li Wen called out, and as a national leader, he appeared to have no airs at all.

Finally, everyone took their seats, including Xiang Weiguo and Luo Xingyu.

At this moment, Li Wen turned towards Xinghe and said warmly, "Xinghe..."

Li Wen encountered the same problem as Xu Manzhi; he didn't know what honorific to use when speaking to Xinghe.

So Li Wen decided to cut straight to the chase.

"May I ask what kind of assistance you can offer us?"

Without hesitation, Xinghe said, "Technology, and some intelligence. Beyond that, I cannot offer more assistance."

Li Wen couldn't hide his happiness and excitement. He immediately asked, "Then, what kind of intelligence do you mean?"

In a war, intelligence is obviously more important than technology, so Li Wen, without thinking, instinctively asked about the intelligence first.

"Uh, I've already said. If there's anything you want to know, you can ask me."

Li Wen immediately looked at the general closest to him, the one who was a high-ranking officer.

"What are the Serpent People's weaknesses?"

Once Xinghe exited the Mecha, he finally had facial expressions. Upon hearing the question, he said right away, "That's a good question. The Serpent People have many weaknesses. Firstly, their space speed is slower than ours, their genetic technology has many flaws, they lack powerful weaponry, but, relative to Earthlings, they have no weaknesses."

"No weaknesses at all?"

"None whatsoever. In the realm of science and technology, humans are completely behind. This is a comprehensive shortfall. If humans want to catch up to the Serpent People's level of technology, it isn't just a breakthrough in one area that is needed, but a comprehensive catch-up, and this gap won't be closed even in hundreds of years."

A silence filled with unspeakable helplessness.

Eventually, Li Wen was the first to break the silence. He turned to Xinghe with a forced smile and asked, "Then, could you tell us if there is any hope of victory?"

Xinghe was about to say there wasn't, but after looking at Gao Yuan, and after a moment of thought, she nodded and said, "There is hope."

"Oh?"

"It's slim, but there is hope."

"How can we achieve it?"

Xinghe hesitated for a moment, then said, "I've already discussed it with Gao Yuan."

Li Wen turned to look at Gao Yuan, who felt a bit nervous.

It would be strange if he wasn't nervous. Who was Li Wen? With Li Wen's gaze upon him, could Gao Yuan possibly feel relaxed?

"Xinghe, please say it again. About your previous visit to Earth, the origins of the Serpent People, and... just go through it all again, please."

Xinghe gave a very human shrug and then explained calmly, "Before me, our civilization had already visited Earth many times for inspections. We discovered three primitive agricultural civilizations; these are the seeds of a civilization. They include the civilizations of the Tigris-Euphrates, the Nile River, and a major river valley. We helped the Nile civilization build some structures that were beyond their level of development, an act of an Explorer. Such behavior is prohibited, but there are always those who will partake. They enjoy the sensation of being treated as gods. The civilization of the Tigris-Euphrates was also like this, impacted and contaminated by our civilization. Only your civilization received no such help, but we refer to this assistance as contamination."

Gao Yuan grimaced and said, "Let's not talk about these civilizational histories for now, okay? Stick to the main points, like what you've already told me. There's no need to go off on tangents."

Knowing it wasn't good to interrupt, but Gao Yuan couldn't help remind Xinghe. An exchange between two civilizations, alright, calling it an exchange was a bit shameless. An advanced interstellar civilization affecting a primitive agricultural civilization—if they were to get into the full story from the very beginning, how long would it take to tell?

So Gao Yuan's interjection wasn't found to be tactless by anyone.

After thinking for a moment, Xinghe said, "Where should I start?"

"Talk about the most important purpose of your coming to Earth, your spacecraft."

"Oh, alright. Around the time when several of Earth's primitive agricultural civilizations were emerging, one of our great scientists arrived here on Earth, aboard a spacecraft that represented the pinnacle of our technological achievement, a prototype. Then, this Explorer never returned. After our civilization experienced an interruption, that spacecraft became our hope."

This leap seemed to have confused Li Wen, who asked with a blank expression, "Civilization interruption?"

"Hmm, yes, a civil war."

"A civil war?"

Xinghe looked at Gao Yuan and spread his hands, saying, "See, we do need to start from the beginning."

Although it meant starting from the beginning, this time Xinghe began with the content he had already discussed with Gao Yuan. When Li Wen finally learned that Xinghe first went to Europa and then came to Shenzhou after failing to find the communication signals they were looking for, he was visibly moved.