Chapter 454: Strategy
The Captain pondered for a moment. “If that’s the case, then they’re trying to focus our attention on the relationship between the Swarm and the Rat Folk. Could it be that they’re attempting to downplay the fact that ordinary Rat Folk don’t even know about the Swarm’s existence?”
“That’s very possible,” someone agreed.
“Everyone, keep discussing. I’ll take some time to visit Colonel Edres.”
Two hours later, the Captain returned.
“Well, Captain, did you find anything new?” Wright asked eagerly.
“I inquired with Colonel Edres about some details. According to his recollection, when we first proposed visiting Rat Folk cities, their high-ranking officials were very welcoming. They proactively arranged guides and were quite enthusiastic,” the Captain said, frowning. “But when our team suggested free exploration, their expressions changed immediately. They seemed caught off guard and extremely unwilling, offering some flimsy excuses to refuse.”
The Captain, recalling his conversation with Edres, continued, “But Colonel Edres and his team were firm and made it clear that refusal wasn’t an option. The Rat Folk leadership had no choice but to agree. However, they still insisted on limiting the visit to 15 days, claiming that their people were highly conservative and unaccustomed to interacting with alien species.”
“Heh, in hindsight, they weren’t lying about that. The Rat Folk really haven’t met any alien species,” the Captain concluded with a wry laugh.
“This is truly bizarre,” Amina remarked. “The Rat Folk have been living side by side with the Swarm for centuries. The leaders know about the Swarm, but the general population doesn’t. Is this the doing of the Rat Folk leadership? Or the Swarm?”