357: Intelligence exchange

In Bastion City, President Kane was anxiously awaiting Cole's arrival.

He looked out the window from time to time; the entire city was enveloped in a tense and oppressive atmosphere, like the calm before a storm.

"Mr. President, Cole, the representative of the Interstellar Peace Corporation, has arrived in the reception room," the secretary's voice came through the communicator, breaking the silence in the room.

Kane took a deep breath and straightened his uniform.

This meeting was crucial for the Nova People. Just half an hour ago, he had received an urgent communication from Military Base B-21, learning that the Corporation patrol boat led by Cole had rescued the base from crisis at the last moment.

Now, this Corporation representative had personally come to Bastion City, claiming to have important intelligence about the monster attacks and hoping to exchange information with the Nova People.

When Kane entered the conference room, Cole was already waiting there. He was wearing the standard uniform of the Interstellar Peace Corporation, and his epaulets indicated that he was a senior field executive.

Contrary to Kane's imagination, Cole looked more like a Scholar than a soldier.

"Mr. Cole, thank you for rescuing Base B-21, and thank you for personally coming to Bastion City," Kane extended his hand, his tone filled with sincere gratitude.

Cole stood up and shook Kane's hand: "President Kane, thank you for your reception. We only did what we could at Base B-21, and I think we need to cooperate to deal with this crisis."

"Time is of the essence, so let's save some time."

"Alright."

After the two sat down, Cole went straight to the point, "Do you know where these monsters really come from?"

Kane's expression was serious: "We firmly believe this is a biological weapon attack launched against us by the Trisolarans led by Erwin. Recently, the Trisolarans' military movements have been abnormal; they seem to be contracting their defenses, but the attacks on our borders have significantly increased."

"Moreover, the characteristics these monsters possess are clearly designed for war."

Kane signaled his assistant to play the video data collected by the Nova People, and the holographic projection showed footage of recorded monster attacks.

When those monsters were hit by conventional weapons, purple mucus would gush from their wounds and heal quickly. Mental influence drove soldiers into madness. And those massive self-propelled tanks were simply demolition machines specifically designed to destroy defensive fortifications.

"Furthermore, they possess a certain degree of tactical intelligence; many of our outlying bases have already been destroyed."

"We firmly believe this is a biological weapon attack launched against us by the Trisolarans led by Erwin."

Cole was silent for a moment, operating on his data pad: "President Kane, the intelligence I've brought might shock you."

He pushed the data pad forward, "According to Corporation records, as early as three and a half months ago, the Trisolarans began a large-scale population migration."

"And two and a half months ago, that is, one month after that population migration, only sporadic industrial towns on the surface showed signs of activity."

"Almost all Trisolarans returned to their largest underground city."

"And judging by the state of the entire evacuation process, they weren't trying to avoid anything. That orderly yet somewhat leisurely appearance wasn't like fleeing."

Kane fell into thought; this information completely overturned his understanding of the situation.

Originally, when launching an attack on the Trisolarans' underground city and the eerie town at its entrance, he had already noticed the Trisolarans' strange behavior of contracting their forces. At the time, it seemed this was to cope with possible retaliation from his side for the mining site attack. But now, it seemed the truth was probably not as simple as he had imagined.

Cole continued to explain: "The Corporation tried to investigate, but faced great difficulties."

"As you know, the Trisolarans' physiological structure and thought patterns are completely different from ours; we cannot disguise ourselves and infiltrate."

"Even if holographic disguise could be used, their telepathic abilities make it extremely difficult for external forces to infiltrate their society."

"But we weren't completely without gains."

"Based on our observations at Base B-21 and other locations, the behavior patterns of these monsters show a clear purpose."

"They are not destroying randomly; the ultimate goal of their various actions is not to destroy the strongholds or permanent facilities you have established in various places, but to systematically collect the bodies of the Nova People."

Kane's expression instantly froze: "Collecting... bodies? What does that mean?"

Cole took back the data pad and displayed the images they had collected: "After these monsters incapacitate soldiers, they prioritize transporting the bodies underground rather than continuing to attack other targets. This highly organized behavior indicates that collecting your Nova People's bodies is their primary mission."

The holographic projection showed a horrifying scene. Mechanical dogs dragged incapacitated soldiers towards cracks in the ground, while the remaining monsters patrolled the area, preventing any interference.

"These creatures indeed exhibit astonishing organization. However, their individual intelligence might be limited, more like puppets uniformly commanded by a central consciousness."

"Our analysts believe," Cole continued, "that these monsters might be collecting 'resources' for a larger entity. And the bodies of the Nova People might be this resource."

Kane's face turned pale: "Are you saying we're not dealing with a war, but being harvested?"

"That statement might be cruel, but it does align with the phenomena we've observed." Cole nodded heavily, "That's also why I came to meet with you."

Cole's heavy words echoed in the conference room, like a giant rock thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.

Kane's expression gradually shifted from shock to deep contemplation, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the smooth tabletop, making a faint clicking sound.

Combined with Cole's intelligence, Kane fell into deeper worry.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, "If what you say is true, that the primary goal of these monsters is to collect our bodies, then Erwin's true purpose is far more insidious and complex than we imagined."

He stood up and walked to the giant holographic map, his gaze sweeping over the marked information points.

"Mr. Cole, combining the intelligence you brought about the Trisolarans and the monsters' behavior specifically targeting the Nova People, I have an extremely ominous conjecture."

Cole slightly raised his hand, signaling Kane to continue: "Please speak, President Kane. Given the current situation, any conjecture is worth exploring in depth."

Kane took a deep breath, as if the words he was about to speak made even him feel a chill: "I believe we might be facing a meticulously planned 'scorched earth strategy.'"