Chapter 78: A Powerful Civilization?

“Hear me out, everyone. Beyond the first two points, there are several other evolutionary hurdles to consider,” Arthur Lambert said, holding up a third finger.

“Third: the emergence of intelligent life. We still don’t know if sentience is a biological inevitability or a freak accident. After all, dinosaurs dominated the Old World for 150 million years without showing any signs of developing higher intelligence. For prehistoric creatures, brute strength and sharp teeth were far more critical for survival than a large brain.”

“Therefore, the dawn of intelligence could be a massive anomaly. Among the millions of species that have existed on our home planet, only humans ever achieved true sentience.”

Jason nodded from the audience. The logic was sound. There were an estimated thirty to fifty million species of life on Earth, and billions more throughout history, yet only one achieved higher intelligence. That strongly implied sentience was an incredibly low-probability event.

Arthur extended a fourth finger. “Fourth… the birth of modern science and the scientific method could be the Great Filter. Countless ancient empires collapsed before they could industrialize. The Mayans and other Mesoamerican societies succumbed to ecological collapse and ritualistic stagnation. Ancient Babylon fell to decadence. Ancient Eastern empires nearly drove themselves into extinction by locking themselves into ultra-stable, oppressive feudal structures. Medieval Europe was trapped in religious dogma and was almost entirely wiped out by the bubonic plague…”

“Sparking a true scientific revolution might be incredibly difficult for any civilization,” Arthur concluded, prompting a flurry of whispered discussions among the scientists.

If any of Arthur’s points were the true Great Filter, it meant humanity had already passed it, making them an incredibly rare species in the cosmos. Emotionally, everyone in the room desperately hoped this was the case.

If the odds of surviving the Great Filter were one in ten million, and humanity had already beaten those odds, their future was secure. They were already the cosmic elite. The worst was behind them.

Jason listened to the debate, deep in thought. Arthur’s hypotheses were highly plausible. Each evolutionary leap relied on an immense amount of luck, making it nearly impossible to map on a cosmic timescale.

Take the leap from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, for example. Primitive bacteria and cyanobacteria appeared on Earth roughly 3.5 billion years ago, but the first complex eukaryotic cells didn’t emerge until 1.5 billion years later!

A billion and a half years of stagnation! How many freak genetic accidents had to occur in that void? Without those miraculous mutations, humanity would still be single-celled sludge.

“Perhaps the Federation is already a rarity in the universe!” Arthur’s voice rose with excitement. “Perhaps we are already one of the most advanced species in existence!”

Arthur represented the optimistic faction. They believed humanity was already past the Great Filter. Their future was clear; all they had to do was continue advancing their technology and colonizing the stars.

Naturally, Jason loved this theory. As the leader of the Federation, despite his confidence, he absolutely refused to face a cosmic meat grinder with a one-in-a-hundred-million survival rate. He did not want humanity to be the universe’s next filtered statistic.

However, not everyone shared his optimism. The pessimistic faction, led by Professor Hazel, believed the true Great Filter still lay ahead and that humanity might have to face it very soon.

“Arthur, I have a few questions,” Hazel said slowly, taking a sip of water. “How can you be certain that only eukaryotic cells can evolve into multicellular organisms? Alien biology might have entirely different evolutionary pathways. We cannot project Earth’s biological history as a universal law. Using that as the Great Filter is highly presumptive.”

“True, but only one of those theories can be correct,” Arthur conceded with a nod. “Until we have conclusive evidence, we’re just arguing philosophy. Neither of us can prove the other wrong.”

Hazel nodded; she couldn’t prove him wrong, either. “Second, you claimed that humanity is already one of the most advanced species in the universe. I find that hard to accept. What about the civilization that built the Noah?”

“The Precursors who built the Noah?” Arthur stood up, his tone brimming with confidence. “They are god-like. We aren’t even qualified to stand in their shadow. But if the Precursor civilization is the absolute apex of the universe… couldn’t humanity be the runner-up?”

“Why else would they leave the Noah buried on our moon? Was it really just a random accident? If humanity was just a run-of-the-mill, doomed species, why would they gift us an ark?”

Despite Arthur’s obvious arrogance, his words carried a strange weight. If humanity hadn’t yet passed the Great Filter, why would a god-tier civilization leave a ship on their doorstep? Was it a coincidence, or destiny?

Their survival entirely depended on the Noah. Without it, the remnants of the Federation would have suffocated in the lunar dust.

If it was a coincidence, humanity possessed a terrifying amount of cosmic luck. But if it was inevitable, then humanity really might be a major player in the universe. The reigning Precursors had discovered a species that survived the Great Filter, and for their own inscrutable reasons, left a ship behind…

It was practically a conspiracy theory. Was humanity truly an advanced cosmic power?

It was far too absurd. Jason didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. If humanity, a species that hadn’t even mastered their own solar system was considered a universal powerhouse, then the rest of the universe must be incredibly pathetic.

The idea was utterly bizarre, yet he had zero evidence to refute it. Framed properly, it almost sounded plausible. It was a reckless train of thought that only a brilliant, impetuous young mind like Arthur’s could vocalize.

It echoed the hubris of the ancient Geocentric Model, where early astronomers believed the entire cosmos revolved around the Earth. Arthur’s theory had that exact same arrogant flavor, yet, strangely, it possessed a twisted logic of its own.

The scientists in the room broke into nervous chuckles. The laughter was layered with conflicting emotions, half amusement, half existential dread. None of them really knew what they were laughing at.

“Well,” Professor Hazel smiled faintly, letting out a heavy sigh. “Then tell me, Arthur… what destroyed the Old World?”

“Was it a freak natural disaster, or a hostile advanced civilization?”

“If humanity is already considered a ’powerful’ civilization, as you claim, then the only entity capable of destroying Earth would be the Precursors who built the Noah, correct?”

Arthur froze. He clearly hadn’t considered that angle.

His entire argument hinged on humanity being a rare, top-tier species. By his logic, there shouldn’t be another hostile civilization lurking in the dark, one stronger than humanity but weaker than the Precursors.

The contradiction hit him like a physical blow. He slowly nodded, trying to salvage his theory.

“If the Precursors destroyed Earth… then my theory still stands. But if a third, unknown civilization fired the shot…”

“…Then humanity is just an ordinary, weak civilization,” Hazel finished for him. “And the Noah being on our moon was nothing more than blind luck.”

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