DipNovel Chapter 24 The Conference of Giants
Chapter 24 The Conference of Giants
The system's sorting logic is based on "danger level".
The fact that Homo erectus is listed alongside nine other species suggests that, in the system's view, Homo erectus is as dangerous as Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The Water Dragon Beast is listed alongside the other nine species.
Lu Cheng looked out the window at the water dragon beast that spat out the stone and continued digging, and suddenly chuckled.
"Carrie".
"Um?"
"The system puts the Lyosaurus on the same level as the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Homo erectus, which means that in the system's eyes, the Lyosaurus is just as dangerous as them."
Carrie paused for a moment: "But the Water Dragon only digs holes."
"Yes! But the system considers the fact that 'only digging holes' to be at the same level of danger as the Tyrannosaurus Rex's bite teeth and the Homo erectus's intelligent brain."
Carrie fell silent.
Looking out the window at the round, lazy water dragons with their large fangs pointing skyward, she couldn't associate them with the word "danger."
"Perhaps the system's judgment criteria aren't based on aggression," Lu Cheng said. "Maybe it's something else entirely."
"What is it?"
Lu Cheng did not answer.
But he already had a guess in his mind.
……
August, 5914 of the Blue Star Calendar, the twenty-fourth day since the arrival of alien creatures.
That morning, representatives from the seven countries arrived in the Kingdom of Winners.
The prime ministers of the four major powers were all present in person—David of the Bull Kingdom, George of the Chicken Kingdom, Vito of the Giuseppe Kingdom, and Massa of the Tanuki Kingdom.
Wood from the Eagle Nation of Sam also arrived.
King William of Hanscat Kingdom walked into the conference room wearing his tin-soled boots, the soles striking the marble floor with a metallic clanging sound.
Representatives from seven countries sat around the conference table of the government of the Winner Monkey Kingdom, the atmosphere resembling a funeral scene.
Lu Cheng sat in the main seat, with seven damage reports spread out in front of him. These were the second-stage damage reports from exotic creatures from various countries.
He wasn't looking at the report; he was looking at the seven faces.
David's beer belly had shrunk considerably, and his eye bags were almost drooping down to the corners of his mouth.
George had an unlit cigar dangling from his mouth and his fingers tapping on the table.
Vito crossed his hands and rested them on his chin, his knuckles turning white from gripping them so tightly.
Massa was the calmest, but that calmness was more like numbness.
Wood's shirt collar was unbuttoned by two buttons, and his tie was askew, which was completely unlike the dignified appearance expected of the president of the United States.
King William's tin boots occasionally tapped under the table, making a dull thud.
Louis of the Kingdom of Boulder huddled in a corner, not uttering a word from beginning to end.
"Everyone," Lu Cheng began.
"I've finished reading the report. To summarize—in the Kingdom of John Bull, the Thaws River has been chewed to pieces by the Tyrell fish, halting inland waterway shipping. In the Kingdom of Jacques Chicken, three hundred ships were sunk by the Anomalocaris in the port, paralyzing the fishing industry. In the Kingdom of Giuseppe Wolf, the waterways are blocked by giant nautiluses, preventing merchant ships from leaving the sea. In the Kingdom of Sam Eagle, the railways have been sliced into noodles by Tyrannosaurus Rex and Grimoire, severing all western transport lines. In the Kingdom of Hans Cat, the forests have been devoured by giant millipedes, and now insects are starting to gnaw on the cities. In the Kingdom of Bulbul, the upright apes have dismantled all the bronze statues in Golden City, and yesterday they began dismantling the steam mill. In the Kingdom of Taro Tanuki… Prime Minister Massa, you tell us yourself."
Massa raised his head, his voice sounding as if squeezed out from between his teeth:
"The upright apes established seventeen tribes in Kyoto, each with its own territory, symbol system, and tool reserve. They did not attack humans, but everything they did was telling humans—this will be their territory from now on."
The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.
"My country also chose the upright ape," Louis finally spoke, his voice bitter.
"I was tenth in line, and I got one of the last four chances for the upright apes. When I was trying to get it, I thought I was lucky, but now..." He gave a bitter laugh.
"Now the upright apes of the Bulgan Kingdom have finished dismantling the Golden City and are starting to dismantle the mines. They are breaking down the iron ore into ore, iron ingots, and iron slag, and sorting them out and stacking them at the foot of the mountains. I asked my Minister of Mining what they were doing, and he told me—they were learning ore dressing. The upright apes are learning ore dressing in my country."
After Louis finished speaking, no one responded.
Because every country that chose the hominid is experiencing the same thing.
It's not that we're being attacked, it's that we're being learned from.
Homo erectus doesn't steal food, attack humans, or destroy buildings—it simply observes, learns, imitates, and then surpasses them.
This silent replacement is more suffocating than any attack.
"Russia," David finally spoke, his voice hoarse, "Why didn't you choose the upright apes back then?"
Lu Cheng leaned back in his chair:
"On Advent Day, the Sky System gave me sixty seconds to choose. Within those sixty seconds, I did three things—looked at the label for Homo erectus, looked at the labels for the other nine species, and made comparisons. The label for Homo erectus was 'intelligent brain,' while the other nine species were all characterized by organ specialization. I thought to myself, how could a species that puts all its evolutionary points into its brain be weak?"
David fell silent.
"What's your logic in choosing the upright apes?" Lu Cheng asked.
"Is it because it looks harmless? Because it's only holding a twig? Because other creatures have fangs and claws?"
He stood up and walked to the window.
"Gentlemen, the most dangerous creature in nature is never the one with the longest fangs, but the one with the biggest brain. Even the wolves and sheep on Earth know this, don't you?"
The representatives of the four major thugs turned ashen-faced, but none of them refuted them.
Because it cannot be refuted.
On Advent Day, they used their strength to secure the right of first choice, and then unanimously chose the upright apes.
No one forced them; they chose it themselves.
Only Hans Cat Kingdom and Sam Eagle Kingdom managed to turn the tide due to a series of unfortunate events.
Lu Cheng looked around and then said something that silenced everyone.
"Gentlemen, your countries are being torn apart by alien creatures, but have you ever wondered—why is the system releasing ten different creatures at once?"
Nobody knows.
Lu Cheng walked to the front of the stage, pulled back the curtain, and revealed the blackboard behind it.
The blackboard was covered with the names of ten exotic creatures, nine of which were connected by dense lines, while the Water Dragon Beast was placed alone in a corner.
"The first nine species are responsible for destroying infrastructure, while the hominids are responsible for learning human civilization. They are a whole system, both destroyers and inheritors. The system is not deploying ten separate species, but executing a complete civilization replacement plan."
Lu Cheng's finger landed on the water dragon beast.
"Only the Waterdramon is not in this plan. The Waterdramon's evolutionary path is the Digging Claw, digging downwards, away from the surface, not participating in destruction or inheritance. It is the only exception among the ten creatures."
He turned around and looked at the representatives of the seven countries.
"On the day of the Advent, you all rushed to choose the upright ape because you thought it was the safest. But you chose the core of the system's civilization replacement plan, while the water dragon—"
Lu Cheng pointed to the ugly things on their backs, sunbathing in the square outside the window.
"Perhaps it's the only flaw in the system design."
The representatives of the seven countries perked up, their murky eyes brightening.
Just as someone was about to ask a question, Carrie pushed the door open and whispered a few words in Lu Cheng's ear.
Lu Cheng's expression changed slightly, but then he regained his composure.
"Ladies and gentlemen, there is something I need to inform you: your people are beginning to wake up."