Chapter 338: The Trend of Naive Thinking

"I’ve got it!"

Just as the bridge crew was puzzling over the mystery, Dr. Arthur Lambert suddenly shouted from his station. "I have a theory, hear me out!"

"What if this primitive civilization accidentally triggered a massive leak while mining combustible ice—methane hydrate, from the ocean floor!"

"Or maybe it was a natural disaster, like a massive earthquake or an underwater volcanic eruption, that caused a huge release of seafloor methane..."

"That would explain it perfectly! Releasing that much methane into the air directly aligns with the atmospheric data and the severe greenhouse effect we’ve detected!"

Jason nodded in agreement; this closely mirrored his own suspicions.

"As we all know, molecule for molecule, methane has a greenhouse effect roughly 25 times stronger than carbon dioxide! And this planet’s atmosphere has vastly higher concentrations of both compared to old Earth."

Feeling he had uncovered the truth, Dr. Lambert spoke faster as his mind raced. "So, these greenhouse gases caused the polar ice caps to melt, rapidly raising global sea levels! And since this planet already had vast oceans with trenches nearly 20,000 meters deep, it started with much more water than Earth ever did."

"But what does rising sea levels have to do with a global war?" someone asked.

Dr. Lambert paused, then replied, "They are absolutely connected! A planetary greenhouse effect isn’t instantaneous; it takes years, even decades, to fully unfold."

"Initially, the sea-level rise wouldn’t have been too dramatic. It might have only flooded the coastal cities, like the first ruins we discovered. The natives could still evacuate in an orderly manner, and there was enough dry land left for other nations to take in the refugees."

"But as the greenhouse effect accelerated, the oceans began swallowing massive tracts of land! That would trigger a cascade of catastrophic problems."

"Imagine if half the world’s landmass suddenly vanished under the waves. Or 60%? Even 70%? The remaining dry land simply wouldn’t be able to support the surviving population. No nation would be willing or able to take in more refugees. And when food and land run out... war breaks out!"

He finished his explanation by mimicking a large explosion with his hands.

After he spoke, many of the senior staff nodded in agreement. Dr. Lambert’s logic was sound. The older generation, who had lived through the chaos of the Earth era, understood this perfectly well. Mishandling a global crisis like disappearing landmasses would inevitably spark a world war over the remaining resources.

However, several younger members of the crew looked completely confused. To them, this logic seemed incredibly flawed.

In their minds, the planet was huge; surely they could all just squeeze in together and share what was left? Why would a society facing a planetary crisis choose to fight a destructive internal war instead of working together to solve the problem? Slaughtering their own kind was a concept they simply couldn’t comprehend.

It took them several seconds to process the grim reality before they finally nodded thoughtfully.

Jason glanced at the bewildered young crew members and smiled bitterly to himself. Hadn’t they studied human history and the bloody fall of the Nyx Civilization? Why were they still so naive?

In truth, it wasn’t entirely their fault. Environment shapes the mind. Life aboard the Ark was simple, safe, and highly cooperative. Interactions were friendly, resources were shared evenly, and job roles were clearly defined. There were almost no brutal conflicts of interest.

As a result, the new generation thought in very simple, idealistic terms, much like sheltered children.

They are like academics living in an ivory tower... very polite, very sheltered scholars, Jason thought to himself.

He suddenly realized something crucial. This explained why he always felt a lingering unease about the Federation Marines under his command.

This was the core issue!

It was fine for the scientists and engineers to be idealistic; it suited their collaborative work environment. But the military personnel had also retreated into this same "ivory tower," which was highly problematic. These soldiers were far too naive and completely lacked the necessary ruthlessness for survival!

Jason finally understood why the Viridians, an advanced interstellar civilization, had been so easily fooled by humanity’s disguise tactics in the past.

Why? Because their society was too harmonious. They had no practice with deception. Their citizens thought in straight lines and harbored no ulterior motives.

When a civilization entered the interstellar age and achieved extreme resource abundance, its people no longer had to fight for basic survival. With no desperate conflicts of interest, deceit and treachery naturally faded away. Competition became purely academic, eliminating the need for backstabbing or political intrigue.

When a society reached this level, the old, cutthroat survival instincts deteriorated. The people simply became less cunning. It was an almost inevitable outcome of long-term peace!

Therefore, generations born into this utopia were like college freshmen stepping into the real world for the first time, they expected the universe to be fair, logical, and kind. To someone from a harsher era, this new generation’s straightforwardness bordered on fairytale naivety.

Back in old Earth societies, these overly trusting kids would have been eaten alive or starved to death. But in the current Federation, this innocence was the norm, fostering teamwork and mutual support.

Because the new generation hadn’t witnessed true evil or chaos, they naturally assumed all other alien life forms thought exactly the same way they did. They believed the universe was a beautiful place where problems should be solved through cooperation, not massacres.

Jason shook his head slightly.

Is this the fundamental difference between Level-1 and Level-4 civilizations? Level-1 civilizations are chaotic, desperate, and ruthless; Level-4 civilizations are orderly, affluent, and friendly. While managing a Level-4 society is infinitely easier, if you drop individuals from both into a complex, hostile environment, the cunning Level-1 natives are much more likely to survive...

However, as a collective force, a Level-1 civilization is completely outclassed by a united Level-4 civilization. It’s a classic Prisoner’s Dilemma.

This trend of naive thinking had its pros and cons. The main advantage was absolute unity. Without internal squabbling, technological advancement skyrocketed. Massive engineering projects could be completed rapidly without political gridlock, and citizens were perfectly willing to make personal sacrifices for the greater good.

The downside was that this trusting society was woefully unequipped to navigate the dark, treacherous environment of the interstellar community. Jason highly doubted the rest of the universe was this innocent. Ancient, established interstellar empires were undoubtedly far more cunning and ruthless than a civilization that had just left its cradle.

If the hardened, first-generation elders died out, the Federation might end up just like the Viridian Civilization, a powerful, yet foolishly naive society.

In fact, it was highly likely. Unless the Federation went through another brutal baptism of war and death, it wouldn’t mature fast enough to survive what was out there.

Maybe the Viridians are actually growing stronger right now because they are actively fighting a war? Jason mused. Perhaps the existence of The Annihilators is more complex than we thought... Maybe they serve a necessary evolutionary purpose, forcing civilizations to adapt and harden?

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, though a deep worry settled in his gut. This was an incredibly thorny issue. Is this the inevitable social entropy of a civilization? New problems will always naturally emerge... No social system is ever truly perfect.

As Jason pondered this, another scientist spoke up, steering the conversation back to the planet. "But even if a global nuclear war broke out, it wouldn’t kill absolutely everyone! Plus, there is no evidence of a nuclear winter here, so the fallout couldn’t have been completely apocalyptic..."

"Exactly. The old models of ’nuclear winter’ have some proven flaws," added a computational analysis expert, shaking his head. "This planet is incredibly hot, humid, and covered mostly in oceans with abundant rainfall. Even if a massive nuclear exchange occurred, the global climate should stabilize and return to normal within a year or two."

"Many modern simulations show that a nuclear war doesn’t guarantee a permanent nuclear winter. Even on Earth, temperatures would have recovered within a few years after a major exchange."

"Therefore, we can’t rule out a large-scale nuclear war... But I also firmly believe that a war wouldn’t completely wipe out the entire population. If we keep looking, we are bound to find survivors. There is no need to rush. If Dr. Lambert’s theory is correct, they have to be hiding somewhere!"

Seeing the growing support for his theory, Dr. Lambert stood up again.

"If a large-scale nuclear war was indeed inevitable... I’ve thought of a few possibilities regarding the survivors’ whereabouts."

"First: Midway through the apocalyptic war, the natives suddenly realized the error of their ways, declared global peace, united to become a true interstellar civilization, and abandoned the planet on massive colony ships..." He laughed as he said it, knowing the probability of a primitive society pulling off that miracle was virtually zero.

"Second: They were entirely wiped out by a hostile, advanced alien civilization! The nuclear craters we found were just their desperate, futile attempts to fight back."

"Third: The natives built massive survival bunkers deep underwater, deep underground, or hidden deep inland... and they are currently holding out inside them!"