199: Chapter 199 The Shadow of the Dark Forest: The Truth of the Universe?
The footage transmitted back by "pathfinder beta" has been playing on a loop for the third time.
Inside the main control hall of the "Ark" city's deep space monitoring center, the deathly silence was broken, replaced by an even heavier, almost suffocating oppression.
Everyone's expression was grim; even Elder Chen, who had seen his fair share of storms, was pressing his lips together tightly, his gaze locked firmly on the light points on the holographic star map representing unknown threats.
"Are they... killing each other?" The young analyst who posed the question still had a tremor of disbelief in his voice. "Why? This is illogical! If they are all creations of the "reaper" civilization and possess such advanced technology, why would they fight among themselves?"
"Logic?" A slightly hoarse but exceptionally calm voice rang out, drowning out the low murmurs in the hall.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice; it was Lin Mo. He had left the central console at some point and walked to the front of the holographic star map, standing so close to those flickering light points—representing danger and the unknown—that it felt as if he could sense the cold malice emanating from that dark star region.
"In our human logic, civilizations with advanced technology should perhaps be more rational and united." Lin Mo turned around to face all the core members gathered in the hall—military generals, scientists, strategic analysts, and Long Zhantian and others who had urgently connected via holographic projection from the bridge of the "soaring heavens". "But the "Fuxi" analysis has already provided a high-probability model: resource competition or conflicts over hunting rights."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over every face, whether bewildered, fearful, or deep in thought.
"This reminds me of... some scattered knowledge fragments about cosmic sociology that the "Fuxi" once provided." Lin Mo's voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly. "That knowledge was vague and unsystematic, but it repeatedly mentioned a concept—'screening' and 'competition'. At first, I thought this referred to the screening of lower civilizations by higher civilizations. But now it seems..."
He pointed to the chaotic area on the star map: "This kind of competition might permeate every level of cosmic civilization. Even among existences like the "reaper", the competition might be even more naked and cruel."
Elder Chen took a deep breath and asked slowly: "Lin Mo, what do you mean..."
"My hypothesis is," Lin Mo's tone was categorical, carrying a sharpness that pierced through the "mist", "what we are facing might not be a unified, monolithic 'reaper' civilization. The "the piercer", the "Ripper", and these units we are currently observing that are attacking each other—they might come from the same 'civilization type' or 'manufacturing system', but they may not necessarily obey the same command, and they might even... belong to different factions or individuals."
As soon as these words were spoken, a collective gasp echoed throughout the hall.
"Different factions?" An astrophysicist from Europa blurted out, "Could it be like the nations that once existed on our Earth? Do they also have borders and conflicts between them?"
"It might be more primitive and more direct than that." Lin Mo pulled up the energy characteristic comparison chart generated by the "Fuxi" based on observational data. "Look, although these units' energy spectra, movement patterns, and even attack methods all have the technological foundation of the "reaper", the differences are significant. This doesn't look like an army produced on a standardized assembly line; it looks more like... 'hunting tools' crafted by different workshops, in different periods, and even carrying different 'personalities'."
He magnified the simulated structure of the wreckage of one of the light points that had just extinguished: "This unit's defense is biased towards energy deflection, but its structure is fragile. And the other one," he pointed to another light point that was still moving, "it has extremely high mobility, but its attack methods are singular. They are more like 'tools' specialized for specific hunting environments or preferences. When these tools are deployed into the same hunting ground, and there is only one piece of prey..."
"They will fight each other first to compete for the prey." Long Zhantian's holographic projection replied in a deep voice. In the eyes of this iron-blooded general, there was no trace of luck, only an even colder fighting spirit. "Just like lions and hyenas on the savanna, sometimes the prey isn't even dead yet, and they are already tearing each other to shreds."
This metaphor was incredibly vivid and incredibly cruel, sending a chill through everyone's hearts.
"So, the Solar System... our human civilization, is that piece of meat thrown into the beast's cage?" A strategic analyst's face turned pale.
"Currently, it seems so." Lin Mo did not avoid this depressing metaphor. "The "the piercer" discovered us, and the signal it sent, that "beacon", is likely a kind of public 'prey mark' or 'bounty notice'. It is not necessarily designated for a specific master; it may have been broadcast on an... open, dark 'channel'. Consequently, the nearby 'hunters' who received the signal followed the scent."
He paused for a moment, letting this terrifying hypothesis settle in everyone's hearts.
"And this chaotic battle we are seeing now," Lin Mo pointed to the area on the star map that had gradually calmed down but still had lingering aftershocks, "is an encounter battle that occurred between the first batch of hunters to arrive before they could determine the ownership of the prey. The winner, or the one that survives in the end, will have the qualification to enjoy us."
You could hear a pin drop in the hall. This hypothesis, based on existing observations and logical reasoning, although desperate, perfectly explained why multiple "reaper" units appeared and why they were killing each other. This was even more hair-raising than facing a unified super-civilization—because you don't know how many enemies you will face, you don't know what means each of them has, and you don't know when they will temporarily stop fighting and unite against you.
"Dark Forest..." Elder Chen muttered, repeating the term that had appeared in the previous report. His aged voice was filled with complex emotions. "Old Liu (referring to a late science fiction writer) wrote about 'chains of suspicion' and 'technological explosions' back then... Now it seems that perhaps the true law of the universe is simpler and more barbaric than that: the law of the jungle, and the prey has no say."
"Moreover, this forest might be very 'crowded'." Lin Mo added, bringing up a background scan from further away by "pathfinder beta". "Look at these faint disturbance points; although it's impossible to confirm what they are, the probability of non-natural energy activity is very high. This means that within the observable universe, this kind of 'hunting' behavior might be very common. It's not that we were accidentally targeted by a passing hunter, but rather... we just happened to grow up inside a hunting ground."
This conclusion made everyone's heart sink to the bottom. Human civilization was like a young beast that had just learned to light a torch and walk out of its cave, fully believing it had discovered a new world, only to suddenly realize that in the entire forest outside the cave, there were green eyes and sharpened claws and teeth everywhere.
"Then... the 'Scavenger-Type 7' and the 'test' mentioned in that ancient database..." Su Xiaowan's voice rang out, carrying a glimmer of hope. "If the "reaper" is just a 'Scavenger' created by some higher civilization, does that mean there is still... order in the universe? Are there civilizations that set rules and conduct 'tests'?"
This question caused the heavy atmosphere to loosen slightly.
Lin Mo nodded and then shook his head: "The possibility of higher civilizations existing is very high. The creator of that ancient database, who could record information about 'Scavenger' and classify them, clearly has a level far higher than the "reaper". But the question is, what is the 'test'? What happens if you pass the test? What happens if you don't? The database is severely damaged, and we have no way of knowing."
He looked around at everyone, his eyes as sharp as knives: "But one thing is certain: regardless of whether there is a so-called 'test', and regardless of who created the 'Scavenger', at this stage, they are the most direct and deadly threat to us. Counting on an ethereal 'test' or some unknown advanced civilization to save us is naive. All we can rely on is our own united strength and the technology in our hands that is constantly improving!"
His words were like a shot of adrenaline, dispersing some of the haze of despair.
"Consultant Lin is right!" Long Zhantian's loud voice came through the communication channel. "Whether it's a lone wolf or a pack of hyenas coming, our response strategy is essentially the same: build the strongest shield and sharpen the sharpest spear! If they want to fight, let them fight each other first! We will seize the time and become stronger!"
"That's right!" Another general slammed the table and stood up. "The "North Heaven Gate" project must be accelerated! These new technologies like gravity simulators and gravitational shields must be put into practical use as soon as possible! Every bit stronger we become, our chances of survival increase by that much!"
The scientists were also encouraged: "Yes! The "shadow catcher" project needs more resources! We must jump from 'principle verification' to 'engineering implementation' as soon as possible!"
"The deep space monitoring network must be encrypted and expanded; we must act like sentries in the jungle, constantly monitoring movements in all directions!"
Watching everyone reignite their fighting spirit, Lin Mo felt slightly relieved. Fear is inevitable, but transforming fear into a sense of urgency and action is the key to a civilization's survival.
""Fuxi"," he ordered, "based on the 'multiple independent hunters' hypothesis, re-deduce all defense plans and emergency contingency plans. Focus on simulating the attack patterns that 'reaper' units of different natures and quantities might adopt, and how we can respond or take advantage when conflicts occur between them."
"Command received. Simulation task priority elevated to the highest." The "Fuxi"'s electronic voice responded.
"Elder Chen," Lin Mo turned to the old man, "we need to convene an emergency GDC plenary summit. This intelligence and our hypothesis must be made known to the leaders of all member regions. We need to build a greater consensus and mobilize every resource that can be mobilized. Time... might be more urgent than we imagine."
Elder Chen nodded heavily: "I will go arrange it immediately."
The meeting dispersed, and everyone went to their respective posts, carrying heavy pressure and a soaring fighting spirit. Only Lin Mo and Su Xiaowan remained in the hall, along with the holographic star map that was still silently telling the story of the universe's cruelty.
"Lin Mo," Su Xiaowan walked to his side and asked softly, "do you really believe... that the universe is just such a dark forest of only slaughter and plunder?"
Lin Mo was silent for a moment, looking at the faint light emitted by distant stars in the star map, which had taken countless years to arrive here.
"I don't know." He said honestly, "Based on the evidence we have seen so far, the 'Dark Forest' law seems to be locally applicable. But the universe is too big and has existed for tens of billions of years. Where there is darkness, perhaps there is also light. That ancient civilization that left the database might be a ray of light. And we humans..."
He turned his head to look at Su Xiaowan, his eyes reflecting the light points of the star map and also flickering with something firm.
"And we humans, while being forced to become prey and struggling to survive, can also choose... not to become new hunters. We develop technology and arm ourselves to protect our home and the spark of civilization, not to plunder others. This, perhaps, is where we differ from other 'hunters', and it is also the key to our potential future success in passing some kind of 'test'."
He gently clenched his fist, as if wanting to hold that conviction in his hand.
"First, survive, and then... see the full picture of this forest and find our own path."
Su Xiaowan looked at Lin Mo's firm profile, and the unease in her heart was gradually replaced by a firm trust. Yes, no matter how dark the universe is, humanity must always carry a glimmer of light and trudge forward.
The "gravitational pulse" signal, rhythmically beating from the edge of the Kuiper Belt, was still continuing. It was no longer just the echo of the "Ripper", but more like... a cold countdown clock hanging over the head of human civilization, ticking away, reminding everyone who looked up at the starry sky:
The shadow of the dark forest has already descended.