Chapter 180 Decision-Making

"The form of war has changed, we must be clear about that. War is no longer conducted in the familiar situations and manners we know. What is this war now? It is a massacre of an advanced species against a backward one."

"The form of war has changed, but the essence of warfare remains the same. War is ultimately about the elimination of the enemy's living forces. And since the enemy's fundamental goal is to occupy the entire planet, we can determine that what we're really fighting over is national power and technology."

"We can now confirm that the enemy's technological capabilities are on a completely different level than ours. With this premise in mind, the strength of a nation's power also completely loses its significance. Even if the Serpent People only send two large spacecraft, the enormous technological disparity renders concepts like numerical advantage meaningless."

"I think that better hiding our strengths and better preserving ourselves is key to our ability to engage in a protracted conflict with the enemy. Our fundamental goal now is to survive. Survive first, then talk about making key breakthroughs in certain technologies. To talk about counterattacking, we must survive first. If we can't hide ourselves well and the Serpent People discover the existence of the Supreme Command, then we will lose our last chance of survival."

A genteel-looking general with glasses finished speaking, but another general immediately said, "I admit, what you're saying makes sense, but have you considered that Xinghe said the second wave of Serpent People will arrive in more than three hundred years? So we do have time. Since the invasion began, a very distinct character trait of the Serpent People has become apparent. You fight your war, and I fight mine, epitomizing asymmetric warfare."

"So far, the Serpent People have employed three methods of warfare. First, they released a virus. Second, they prevent any of our aircraft or missiles from taking off, so as not to pose a threat to their spacecraft. Third, in the Battle of Stonegate, the Aliens deployed the Armored Beast for the first time. We can assume that with these three tactics, the Serpent People are already able to achieve their goal."

"No, I completely disagree with your point of view. You just said that the Serpent People used three types of weapons, namely viruses, microwaves, and alien bioweapons. So why wouldn't the Serpent People use a fourth or a fifth weapon?"

"What I mean is, if after employing three types of weapons the Serpent People are sufficient to complete the occupation, then they won't pay too much attention to human activity on the ground. Xinghe said it: the Serpent People's usual practice is for the vanguard to finish preliminary work, and by the time the main body of the Serpent People arrives, the invaded planet is already unable to resist. They simply take over. Therefore, I believe we should take advantage of this precious breather to use every means possible to grow and expand our own strength."

"That's right, developing and strengthening our capabilities is essential, but precisely because of this, we cannot agree to let Gao Yuan leave the Supreme Command to go to Ji City to rescue survivors whose fate is unknown. I too hope to rescue all the survivors, but is that realistic? Moreover, since Gao Yuan is so valuable to us, he shouldn't be allowed to go to Ji City. His own safety and the risk of exposure – if we agree to let him go to Ji City, I think that would be utterly irresponsible, both to Gao Yuan and to our entire command."

This was a very small closed meeting to discuss a minor matter.

Gao Yuan wanted to go to Ji City to see if there were any survivors in the mall he discovered.

Once the base closes its doors, not even a mosquito can fly out. Since Gao Yuan has come in, he must apply to leave. Li Wen couldn't make a decision about Gao Yuan's request, so he simply took the opportunity to bring up whether to approve Gao Yuan's application during a discussion about how to retrieve a medical pod.

Opinions were now divided into two camps: one believed that Gao Yuan should not go out at all, while the other thought it was a trivial matter and that it was no big deal to let Gao Yuan make the trip.

Though it's a small matter, the issue carries great significance, so the discussion about whether Gao Yuan could enter the city escalated to the level of how to fight this war.

Because Gao Yuan's actions were endowed with more meaning.

"All of our actions are actually exposing our existence and our methods. Take our radio communications for example. Yes, our means of communication are primitive, but what if the Serpent People completely master it? Wouldn't it then be even easier for the Serpent People to attack us? Gentlemen, the issue now is not whether the Serpent People can take us down, but whether they want to!"

The general with opposing views continued to speak eloquently, and it was undeniable that he made sense. But at this moment, Li Wen coughed softly and then opened the lid of his teacup.

"Let me say something. You all have your points, but I'm considering this matter from a different angle. First, we are all aware of the special significance of Gao Yuan. The genetic research work on him is still in full swing. The scientist in charge of the project says that the mass transformation of our gene warriors is entirely hopeful. Although weakened compared to Gao Yuan, this is a crucial direction. So, if we truly can perform genetic modifications on most of our soldiers, then how should gene warriors be used? How should they fight? We should be preparing for this, right?

Secondly, the mission to seize the medical pods is imperative. The main disagreement now is whether to send a small contingent or a large army. If, and I mean if, we can send a squad of genetically modified super-soldiers, then shouldn't we start the preliminary research work right now?"

"Thirdly, Gao Yuan is a young man. It's definite that he acts impulsively, but he's not reckless. I trust that he can make rational judgments at critical moments. Shouldn't we focus on training this special young man? If we want to train him, is it necessary for him to engage in more actual combat?"

"Fourthly, I reaffirm that since the Serpent People have been lurking and hiding on the Moon for decades, they must be very clear about the development of humanity during these years. If they want to research us, they should have already done it thoroughly. Given this, my view is that we should take risks when necessary. There's no need to inhibit ourselves for the sake of concealment. Of course, hiding and protecting our final force for a counterattack is absolutely necessary, but we should not let this result in our being too afraid to act. That's all I have to say."

After Li Wen finished speaking, he rarely commented in military meetings, but now, for the first time, he had expressed his own ideas and philosophy.

Following a silence, a general spoke in a deep voice, "Let's vote by show of hands. I agree with Gao Yuan's operation to Ji City, and moreover, I propose establishing a reconnaissance squad to remotely observe and monitor Gao Yuan, obtaining valuable firsthand data."