Chapter 320: On the edge of a crisis

Words : 1558 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

Sobek was furious. Really very, very furious. He thought he knew everything about humans, but apparently he was wrong. The humans of that world seemed to have made very great advances in terms of technology. Apparently, they had studied dinosaurs and learned from them things Earth scientists could only dream of. This, added to the war tension, had made the enemy technology jump forward by centuries. "This time they really caught me off guard!" He was angry with himself. How could he not have taken that variable into account? Humans were extremely inventive and intelligent creatures, and wars were the most powerful engine of technology. It was absurd to think that the nuclear bomb could be the most dangerous adversary Sobek could face. "Apparently, they've found a way to replicate [Ambush], even if only partially. And given the low fatality rate on their front, I'd say they were able to replicate [Regeneration] as well. However, I doubt they went much further than that. I don't think they figured out how to replicate [Reinforced skin] or other powerful abilities. So for the time being we dinosaurs still have the edge in terms of strength and strategy. Should I take action?". He shook his head. "No... no, that's what I want. If they are showcasing this technology on the battlefield, then it means they have some efficient countermeasures in store. Otherwise, they wouldn't play such an ace up their sleeve in this way. However, this does mean that the enemies are potentially much stronger than they lead us to believe. Or is it all a bluff, and they aim to scare us and make us come to terms? It wouldn't be a bad move..." Sobek thought carefully. The logical thing to do would have been to start the war against the Empire now and destroy that nation before it was too late. However, the first rule of hunting was never to attack a prey unless you were sure it was prey. If the Empire had even more powerful technologies, they added to atomic bombs could make war very tiring and bloody. This without counting the consequences: attacking the Empire without a reason would undoubtedly have damaged the image of the dinosaurs, making future coexistence very difficult and tiring. Sobek rested his head on the ground. Only then did he remember that the person he was having the conversation with, namely Al, was still there. "Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought" he said embarrassed for having forgotten about him. Al shook his head. After Snock warned Sobek of what the Empire had done, Sobek ordered the Allosaurus to warn the Eden Union of the danger. After almost a day of discussions, Al had returned to him to report. "That's okay" he said in a melancholy voice. "So, what do you want to do?" "I don't know yet" Sobek replied. "What is Eden Union's response to this?" "For now, they want to stay neutral. After all, they are legally mandated not to go to war except in defense" Al said. "However, they are already preparing countermeasures. They have already condemned Satir's invasion and are putting pressure on the Empire. There are even proposals to support the defense of Satir by sending weapons and aid. Some heads of state would like to apply a tougher and more decisive approach, but most of them prefer not to threaten the Empire too much, not when it has nuclear missiles already aimed at us. However, they clearly want to know the opinion of the dinosaurs since we are their allies" Sobek nodded. "That's right" he said ruefully. "You can tell the Eden Union that the dinosaurs agree to remain neutral. This time I'm serious. No help. If they want to start espionage or sabotage operations, that's fine, but I don't intend to offer troops" Al swung his claws. "Really, pack leader? Don't we do anything?" "I don't like it as much as you don't" Sobek replied. "But it is clear that the Empire is a deliberate provocation. If I'm not mistaken, they're using Satir as a huge test. They want us to take sides so they can gather more data about us and assess whether their weapons are as effective as they believe" "I understand. Challenging them now would be risky" "Exactly. I will contact Snock and Rambo immediately and ask them to investigate this matter thoroughly. It would not hurt to also ask for the support of RE/SYST and the Eden Union spies. If we find out that the Empire is bluffing, then we will act. If he is not bluffing and there are more dangerous weapons in their arsenal... we will consider how to act" "So, are we going to use Satir as a test too?" "Stop that scolding tone, I already told you I don't like acting this way. But we have to do it" Sobek grumbled. "And in any case we will not leave those people to their fate. He'll ask Snock to arrange an evacuation plan for civilians so they don't get caught up, and I'll advise Pierce at the border to let refugees through. But I will not risk our people for a single nation that is not even our ally" Al looked a little more relaxed, but still Sobek noticed a certain reproach in his eyes. He couldn't blame him: he felt like a worm himself. He seemed to him to be like the Russians and Americans playing war in Vietnam territory, killing tens of thousands of innocent people. But he couldn't risk it on such a delicate subject. "I'll report your response immediately, pack leader" Al said. "Oh, by the way, president Jersey told me she apologizes to you. She says that all of this is her fault and that if she had not disclosed Wu's research, the Empire would never have achieved such technologies" Sobek snorted. In fact, the credit for that rapid technological advance was due to Wu's research revealed to the scientific community by Jocelyne, which had done a good deal of the work for enemy scientists. "Tell her it doesn't matter. I know he did his best to keep them safe. It was inevitable that sooner or later the enemies would steal them. There's no reason to blame her" "She should have kept them sealed in Hammond's vault" Al growled. "And then the enemies would have used the research of other scientists who are now busy studying the abilities of us dinosaurs and feeders. It is useless to feel sorry for ourselves, history is not made with 'ifs' and 'buts'." Sobek answered. "Just tell her I don't hold her responsible and that she shouldn't hold herself responsible either. That girl already has enough thoughts on her mind, I have no reason to add senseless guilt too " The allosaurus didn't look convinced, but nodded, then activated [Teleportation] and disappeared. Sobek let out a deep grunt and laid his head back on the ground. He had a horrible feeling. ********** The Eden Union's choice to remain neutral was received less negatively than previously thought. Even if Sinar had asked for help, not even they hoped that the new international organization would take the field. All people with a modicum of common sense knew that intervention by the Eden Union or the dinosaurs would have dramatic consequences. This time it wasn't about offering help to a nation in the midst of civil war; this time it was two nations fighting each other, one of which possessed nuclear weapons. Going to war with the Empire meant causing a global disaster. Some believed that the Eden Union should use a more violent approach, as they never thought anyone would actually drop the nukes, because it didn't suit either side. For many, nuclear weapons only served as a deterrent. But Sobek and many heads of state knew that was not the case. Saying 'neither of us will use atomic bombs' meant trusting your own adversary: who would ever have done that in a war? Even a single spark was enough to unleash a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions. On Earth, humans had come close to nuclear conflict many times. A striking example was the Cuba crisis of 1963. Humans on Earth had always done well, but these events demonstrated how easily it was for two superpowers to unleash the end of civilization in a tense situation. Therefore, for the moment the best choice was to avoid intervening too much in the conflict. After all, there were other ways to thwart the Empire: the Eden Union had enormous political and economic power with which it could make concrete threats. They could also provide Sinar with weapons and espionage support. However, that was the first time dinosaurs didn't actually show up. In other wars the dinosaurs had always intervened: even if not directly, everyone knew that they provided logistics, espionage and armaments to the more democratic side, and sometimes they even took part in conflicts in great secrecy. But this time, the dinosaurs truly remained neutral. Well... at least on battlefields. Behind the scenes, Sobek wasn't going to stand idly by.

Chapter 320: On the edge of a crisis

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