Phone novel Chapter 222 222: The Cosmic Chill
Chapter 222 222: The Cosmic Chill
Lily thought for a long time before speaking. "This report is entirely conceptual. The content is novel, but it lacks key details. It's only good for its novelty factor. There's nothing particularly useful for us to reference."
"Before we achieve true interstellar travel, we are unlikely to encounter many primitive civilizations, so..."
Jason nodded in agreement. The concept of a "Spirit Level" sounded highly mysterious. It might fool a kid like Peter, but it wouldn't fool Jason and the rest of the leadership.
In reality, a "Spirit Level" wasn't much different from racial base stats in a video game. It offered little practical use for the development of human society. How could it possibly be used to categorize entire populations into different social classes? Furthermore, the report contained no mathematical formulas. It didn't clearly explain what constituted a high score or what actions would result in a deduction.
"But if we step back and look at the broader implications of this report, we can draw a few more conclusions," Lily added. "Assuming this rating system actually exists and its criteria are real, then... why would a highly advanced alien civilization create such a system to judge primitive ones?"
Why do they need a rating system at all?
Jason felt somewhat baffled by the question. As for the aliens, who knew what they were thinking? Maybe they were just bored and had nothing better to do. Could humans really comprehend the motives of an extraterrestrial mind?
However, he continued to listen patiently. Lily must have a good reason for bringing this up.
"I'm starting to wonder if low-level civilizations are actually quite common," Lily said. "If primitive civilizations are extremely rare, it seems completely unnecessary to go to such great lengths to design an entire standardized scoring system. Obviously, the logic behind this system is highly rigorous. It must have required a massive amount of effort to develop."
She paused, her voice dropping lower. "What I mean is... since the universal laws of biology likely apply throughout the cosmos, then... is the emergence of intelligent civilizations also a universal constant?"
"Isn't it highly probable that intelligent life will inevitably emerge on any planet capable of sustaining large, complex organisms?"
"If intelligent civilizations are indeed common, this scoring system becomes incredibly valuable. It acts as a standardized tool to rapidly assess the growth potential of lesser civilizations."
"But if intelligent civilizations are extremely rare, then this rating system is practically useless, right? Extreme rarity is valuable in and of itself!"
Jason hadn't expected her to say that. Hearing her theory, he frowned and fell into deep thought.
Lily's statements were entirely hypothetical. They had no solid empirical basis; it was purely abstract reasoning. But overall, her analysis was fascinating.
This scoring system... are intelligent civilizations really that common in the universe?
If civilizations were common, a standardized rating system made perfect sense. But if civilizations were rare, what was the point of creating one?
It wasn't a perfect analogy. Diamonds back on Earth were rare, but they were still graded on a scale. Precious gems, while scarce, came in various qualities.
But that wasn't quite right either. The rarity of precious stones was fundamentally different from "cosmic rarity."
Rarity on a cosmic scale meant a probability of one in a billion! And that ratio applied to entire star systems. It meant that out of a hundred million stars and their orbiting planets, only one might produce an intelligent civilization, regardless of whether it was primitive or advanced.
That was true rarity. It was incomparable to shiny rocks.
"Universality" in space didn't mean that every single star system was packed with civilizations. There were hundreds of billions of stars in the galaxy alone! The sheer volume was staggering. Even if only one civilization existed for every ten thousand star systems, the total number would still be massive. In a galactic context, they would be considered commonplace.
Thinking about it that way, Lily made an excellent point!
If primitive civilizations were incredibly rare, and an advanced Interstellar Civilization was lucky enough to stumble across one, they would likely study and observe it carefully. They wouldn't rely on a rigid, standardized rubric to judge its worth. Therefore, it was highly probable that primitive civilizations weren't actually that rare. In fact, they might be everywhere!
Jason felt a deep sense of unease. He wasn't sure if this theory was correct. In reality, it was just a wild guess based on a single alien document.
He had pondered this before, but he had always avoided thinking about it too deeply. To face this truth was to confront the greatest fear in existence.
This fear had nothing to do with personal mortality or physical danger. It was the existential dread born from the dead silence of the universe and the brilliant, empty night sky. It was the terrifying reality of Fermi's Paradox, a puzzle that haunted every logical mind. It stemmed from a deep, profound terror regarding the future of the entire Federation.
If the emergence of civilization was a universal constant, it was the worst possible outcome for humanity. Nothing could be more terrifying.
Because if primitive civilizations were everywhere, why were Interstellar Civilizations so utterly rare?
Humanity had just encountered the Viridian Civilization, a genuine Interstellar Civilization. But the two sides hadn't instantly engaged in a war of annihilation. This proved that the universe wasn't governed by absolute Dark Forest rules.
If the cosmic silence wasn't caused by predatory, hostile civilizations wiping each other out... then what was causing it?
The answer was terrifyingly obvious: The Great Filter.
Was there some insurmountable evolutionary or technological barrier standing in the way of countless primitive civilizations? Did it wipe out almost all of them before they could reach the stars?
Because of this Great Filter, the vast majority of lower-level civilizations were doomed to be trapped on their home planets, dying out in total isolation.
Was the Filter still lurking in their future, watching humanity intently, quietly waiting for them to approach? Once humanity crossed a certain threshold, would it strike them down with a single, devastating blow? Would it completely break their spine and wipe them from existence?
The dim starry sky was dead and silent. It offered no romantic fantasies, only cold, stark reality.
If this was indeed the case, what could humanity do?
It was a question Jason and the rest of the leadership desperately wanted to avoid, yet were forced to confront.
Humans liked to call themselves the "crown of creation," but they were merely the smartest apes on a single rock. On a cosmic scale, what were they? Nothing. Even the most arrogant fool wouldn't dare claim humans were the most intelligent species in the universe.
So... what made humanity think it could survive the Great Filter? What made them think they could cross the insurmountable barrier that had doomed countless alien races? How could they challenge a one-in-a-billion probability of survival?
Were humans really smarter, braver, or more united than every other extinct species out there?
It was a question posed by the unforgiving cosmos, and a heavy burden of self-reflection for Jason.
What exactly was the Great Filter? No one knew.
What fresh horrors would humanity face? No one knew.
Jason stared blankly at Lily, only to find her staring back at him, looking visibly shaken. It was rare to see the usually composed woman looking so bewildered and helpless.
Their shared glance was simply a primal, subconscious human instinct—the urge to huddle together for warmth in the dark.
A deep, endless chill radiated from the infinite void of the universe. It wasn't just the physical cold of deep space; it was a profound, existential dread regarding their doomed future.
Jason swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. He wanted to say, "This is all just a hypothesis. It might not be true."
But he couldn't bring himself to utter the words. It felt too much like running away from the truth.
"We will survive. We will become a true Interstellar Civilization..." he said with difficulty as he stood up, his voice hoarse. "We have to!"
It felt as if he had used up all his remaining strength just to say those words.