Chapter 27: The Observer, The Tower of Babel Project

The Dark Forest Theory is derived from the Fermi Paradox.

Its foundation is that survival is the primary goal of civilizations, and the universe's resources are limited, so civilizations must continuously expand and grow.

Therefore, to obtain more resources, civilizations must occupy other civilizations.

Additionally, communication between civilizations is extremely difficult, and the idea of 'us versus them' prevails, making it challenging for civilizations to express goodwill towards each other.

Based on Yan Xia's observations, the universe he has encountered aligns closely with the Dark Forest Theory.

Just like their conflict with the Hundred-Eyed Race.

The Hundred-Eyed Race immediately attacked them because they couldn't determine the purpose of the Hope's arrival in their star system.

They had no way of knowing whether Yan Xia had malicious intentions towards their civilization.

They also couldn't determine whether Yan Xia believed that they had malicious intentions towards him.

In a situation where nothing could be determined, it was best to strike first to avoid being attacked by the enemy.

The Hundred-Eyed Race's development speed was also significantly different from that of humans, which further proves another point of the Dark Forest Theory - technological explosion.

However, Yan Xia himself did not fully believe in the Dark Forest Theory.

One of the most critical points is that "once a coordinate is exposed, regardless of whether there is a civilization at that coordinate, it will inevitably be subjected to random attacks."

For example, if there are 1 million civilizations in the Milky Way, and 900,000 of them choose to remain neutral, 90,000 choose to investigate, there will also be civilizations that make choices different from the first two, such as randomly attacking in the direction of the coordinate.

Under these premises, the Dark Forest Theory holds, and all civilizations in the universe strive to hide themselves like hunters in the forest.

However, during development, a Level 1 civilization cannot detect whether the outside world is in a Dark Forest state. Just like the 10,000 civilizations that chose to attack, there must also be civilizations that choose to blindly and rapidly expand and grow. Such civilizations would not be few in number.

The fastest speed in the universe is the speed of light. If a civilization, after a thousand years of observation, does not discover any other civilizations within a hundred light-years, can it use that thousand years to expand to other star systems?

Furthermore, if there is an ultimate civilization in this universe that has already explored and found no higher civilizations than itself, would they need to integrate the energy of the entire universe to break through to the universe beyond? Would the Dark Forest still hold?

In this forest, there are not only hunters and prey but also bonfires, territorial tigers, eagles soaring above the forest, mice that believe they are undetected, and even civilizations like the Trisolarans that need to migrate due to their environmental conditions.

How can the Dark Forest maintain itself under these circumstances?

The Dark Forest Theory bypasses these points, forcing civilizations to be at one extreme, either as hidden hunters or as prey waiting to be discovered.

However, Yan Xia couldn't refute the Dark Forest Theory.

Because the Dark Forest Theory itself is derived from backward reasoning.

Just as he has observed, the universe he has encountered is not teeming with life; instead, it is silent and empty.

But during his four-light-year journey, he has already encountered two advanced civilizations.

Yan Xia doesn't care about the correctness of the Dark Forest Theory.

Because he has enough time to verify what the universe is truly like.

What Yan Xia finds amusing is a civilization that truly follows the Dark Forest Theory.

By hiding themselves, they inevitably reduce their ability to detect external threats. If there is a true disruptor, in a situation where information is not equal, such a civilization can only surrender.

Civilizations, like hunters, can also be hungry, tired, confused, and impatient.

They want to know if there is an enemy hiding behind the tree in front of them.

So hunters not only wait for their prey but also take the initiative to attack.

When a civilization is doing its best to hide, it should also pay attention to whether there is an eye in the forest that is always watching them.

Yan Xia calls such a civilization the Observer.

It may not be the ultimate civilization, but it could be one of the nine thousand civilizations that chose to investigate instead of attacking. Among these nine thousand, eight thousand nine hundred civilizations found nothing, but one thousand civilizations discovered the target civilization and are lurking, salivating, and watching with predatory eyes.

And now, Yan Xia is the Observer of the civilization on Proxima Centauri b.

Furthermore, this Observer has started preparing a feast to enjoy.

"Ella, is the construction complete?"

It has been 50 years since they began observing the civilization on Proxima Centauri b.

During this time, Yan Xia has been working on a project with Ella.

Collecting materials from the surrounding planets to create something.

"Yes, it's done, Yan Xia!"

Ella replied and showed him an image of the completed object.

It was a massive structure, making the Hope look minuscule in comparison.

It stood 27,300 meters tall and had a diameter of 5,439 meters, resembling a giant cylindrical tower, like the Tower of Babel from Babylonian mythology.

In fact, it was the Tower of Babel.

It was the pinnacle of Ella's current technology, with an external application of light civilization alloy and a combination of light technology, anti-matter technology, and the largest magnetic shield.

It also extensively used virtual reality and holographic projection technology.

It was a colossal challenge tower, and to reach the top, one would have to climb from the bottom to the 200th floor.

"Based on your observations, does the civilization on Proxima Centauri b have the capability to break through its defenses?"

Ella was confident.

"The energy of this civilization is similar to that of human civilization, and they do not possess photon or quark-level particle weapons."

"The Tower of Babel has been filled with 90% of the anti-matter we have accumulated over the years, and even if their weapons bombard it, it can withstand 7 to 10 Earth-years worth of attacks."

"Combined with the plan you came up with, it should be foolproof, and in my simulations, the success rate is as high as 84.25%."

Yan Xia frowned.

He felt that this probability was not high enough.

"Let's wait."

"We'll start when the probability reaches 90%."

"Another plan can be executed."

Ella nodded vigorously and saluted Yan Xia.

"Yes, Captain!"

Since leaving the virtual world, Ella has become more lively and occasionally acts in strange ways.

Yan Xia ignored her and focused on the information he had gathered.

The latest message received was that the robot had begun infiltrating the information network of the Proxima Centauri civilization, spreading messages about the invasion of a higher civilization and predicting the arrival of a tower.

These messages were not noticeable within the civilization and did not attract any special attention.

However, since they were widely spread, many of the Proxima Centauri b creatures had seen them, which was precisely the effect Yan Xia wanted to achieve.

"This will be a conquest without bloodshed."

After spending so much time in the virtual world, Yan Xia had grown and gained more experience, especially during his time as a king, which provided him with rich experiences.

He learned how to use information, psychology, and even violence to win battles.