"Is there no possibility of negotiation?
One of us primarily resides on land, and the other primarily dwells in the sea. We could coexist harmoniously without interfering with each other, so why must we engage in a struggle to the death, even to the point of mutual destruction?"
"But the crucial point is, we humans have not truly achieved a state of non-interference and harmonious coexistence."
"Whether in the past or present, many have continuously gone out to sea to fish, supplementing our insufficient meat supply. Many seafood dishes are also our favorites.
No race or civilization can coexist harmoniously with another that views them as food. Do you think if a race were currently preying on us humans, you could calmly allow that race to survive? That's simply impossible!"
"Why not? Tigers and the like also eat humans, yet we've protected them.
We haven't eradicated them, have we!"
"Heh, is that the same?
We protect tigers not to live in harmony with them, right? Isn't it because tigers no longer pose a threat to us, and their numbers have dwindled to the point where they require protection to avoid extinction?
Furthermore, during the initial stages of the spiritual energy revival, did you see any country specifically protect those mutated tigers? It's good enough that we didn't exterminate them before they mutated.
So-called protection is merely condescending charity bestowed upon them when we hold absolute superiority.
I imagine if humanity's population were so small that we required protection to avoid extinction, the civilization of marine life would also be willing to protect us.
But could we accept such an outcome?
Billions of people plummeting to thousands, then being caged and kept for sustenance, perhaps they'd even build a human zoo for us, charging admission.
A slightly better outcome would be a nature preserve.
And then they'd drive into the preserve to see us?"
"Alright, discussing harmonious coexistence now is simply wishful thinking. Let's not hold onto any more vain hopes. Prepare for war, we must prepare for war!"
"Exactly, those who are not of our kind are bound to have different intentions!"
"Even among humans, people fight to the death over matters of interest, let alone between different races.
Don't forget, every year in the past, how many octopuses we consumed. Those octopuses gained sentience and now rule the entire marine civilization. Anyone who puts themselves in their shoes would surely not abandon revenge, would they!"
"This matter can no longer be concealed.
And if we are to prepare for war, all forces must be mobilized. Therefore, I believe it's time to officially inform everyone of the existence of the marine civilization. What do you think?"
"It can be disclosed. Some cities in adjacent waters have long been aware, but it has always been speculation and rumors, never officially confirmed.
However, before announcing it, we should first mobilize more personnel to stabilize order, lest someone take advantage of the situation to stir up trouble, disrupt order, fish in troubled waters, or even commit crimes!"
...
After a period of heated discussion, the representatives of various countries all agreed to disclose the relevant information. During the closing ceremony of the World United Conference, the President of the World United Conference officially announced this matter to the public.
He stated that all countries must unite.
And formally establish the Human Strategic Alliance.
At the same time, all information regarding intelligent marine life was also made public online.
This included, but was not limited to, the types of intelligent marine life, their current discovered weaknesses, waters to be wary of in various regions, and edible parts.
Since the cards had been laid bare, there was no need to change their habits; they would continue to eat as usual.
Who could refuse takoyaki and grilled squid!
As the news spread, for the small minority who had already suspected something, a stone in their hearts finally landed, confirming their suspicions. For the majority, however, they were shocked by the revelation and found it utterly unbelievable. Some were passionately discussing it online, while others were frantically stocking up in private.
The timid and fearful even bought tickets.
Preparing to relocate to arid regions with less water.
They refused to believe that those octopuses, squids, and sharks could pursue them into the desert!
Meanwhile, Ding Yun was also a bit taken aback at this moment.
After receiving the original host's memories and learning that it had already been over a hundred years since the spiritual energy revival, she had completely relaxed. Because, to her knowledge, the most dangerous period in most spiritual energy revival worlds was at the very beginning. Therefore, she had absolutely no defenses when she saw this news.
Naturally, she immediately delved into researching and understanding it.
Fortunately, at this time, the authorities had already disclosed all the information they had gathered about the marine civilization, making it convenient for everyone to understand and to deal with the upcoming war. Thus, Ding Yun's research process went very smoothly. In a short period, she gained a general understanding of the marine biological civilization.
In summary, there was only one word: strong.
Currently, the intelligent life within the entire marine civilization could be broadly categorized into three levels: high-intelligence life, low-intelligence life, and micro-intelligence life. High-intelligence life, in this context, refers to beings whose intelligence is basically comparable to that of humans. This group is the smallest in number, with a combined population potentially less than one billion.
This is fewer than the human population.
Low-intelligence life, while not possessing high intellect, is capable of performing basic tasks and completing specific assignments delegated by those above.
They are perfectly suited to serve as foot soldiers in war or as assembly line workers. Furthermore, some of them possess special abilities, making their combat effectiveness quite formidable.
And their numbers are absolutely terrifying.
Official estimates place their population at least fifty billion.
As for micro-intelligence life, it essentially refers to ordinary mutated marine creatures whose intelligence has not evolved significantly.
The numbers of these creatures are counted in the trillions. Although they lack intelligence, they are extremely obedient. Regardless of the commands issued by higher-level low-intelligence or high-intelligence marine creatures, even if the command involves them serving as cannon fodder and charging to their deaths in waves, they will carry it out wholeheartedly.
They are arguably the best kind of soldiers.
In fact, if most marine creatures did not possess the ability to attack on land, humanity might not even dare to hope for any resistance against them. After all, their numbers are too terrifying, and coupled with their disregard for their own lives, they could simply overwhelm humanity through sheer attrition.
Fortunately, based on the information currently available to humans, most marine creatures cannot survive out of water for extended periods. And those that can survive out of water generally cannot endure dehydration for long. This is a major disadvantage for those marine creatures.
And it is the only potential avenue for humanity to resist them.