Unbeknownst to Peter, the alien consciousness known as "Black" was anxiously pacing and pondering within his mind.
Ever since witnessing the Federation’s frenzied reaction, it felt a profound sense of disbelief. The response of this primitive civilization had completely shattered its expectations! It wasn’t just empty words and slogans; they had taken real action, and the entire civilization had mobilized at breakneck speed!
The "Century Plan" had been finalized in writing and was now officially underway!
Looking through Peter’s eyes at the dense crowd, Black felt a sense of surrealism.
Jason personally presided over the groundbreaking ceremony. Gazing out at the enthusiastic crowd below, he spoke with deep emotion, "The Deep Space, our next-generation super dreadnought, will be the vessel that truly elevates the Federation to the interstellar stage!"
"Deep Space, vast, silent, and boundless. Its sheer scale is unimaginable."
"When I compare us to the vast universe, I often ask myself: What are we?"
"We are nothing! Individually, we are less than a speck of dust..."
"We are small and fragile. A single cosmic disaster could wipe us all out."
"If our home planet explodes, what can we do? Nothing! Escaping with our lives is a stroke of incredible luck!"
"But... we are a collective, and together, we form a civilization!"
"Will we be a fractured, disorganized species, or a civilization united as one?"
"The most powerful force in the universe is a group of people looking in the same direction, their hearts beating in unison! Can we be that force?!"
"Yes!" the crowd roared wildly. Peter was among them, shouting with pure excitement.
They could almost visualize the glorious moment when the Deep Space would finally be completed!
Jason, his face flushed with passion, roared, "Therefore, we must use the collective might of our entire civilization to make our voices heard across the cosmos! All of us!"
"No matter how faint, how brief, or how insignificant this voice may be right now, as long as we keep pushing forward, one day it will pierce the starry sky, break out of this galaxy, and echo throughout the universe!"
"Remember this: we are the first generation. The generation that took the hardest first step!"
"The greatest first generation!"
"Let us fight for the stars!"
As his final words echoed, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers, deeply moved by the shared vision. Peter’s face was flushed, unable to contain his excitement. He felt every cell in his body trembling, swept up in the fanatical emotion of the crowd.
Through their shared perspective, Black witnessed the raw, fervent emotions of the people at the ceremony. They genuinely wanted to dedicate their lives to completing this monumental task.
Even if we can’t finish it in our lifetimes, we’ll fight until our dying breath!
It wasn’t just talk.
At that moment, even an alien outsider like Black felt a strange resonance, a subtle stirring of emotion.
But it was also deeply puzzled. Shouldn’t a primitive civilization react entirely differently?
In its long and ancient history, it had never seen anything so bizarre. Countless lower-tier civilizations were trapped by the same Great Filter, a condition often tied to an insufficient "Spirit Level," making it virtually impossible for them to break past their inherent limits.
But why would humanity, a species with a demonstrably low Spirit Level, react this way?
Did I miscalculate?
In a daze, it felt as though the collective Spirit Level of this race had suddenly spiked, especially regarding their cognitive resilience.
A race bound by a very simple genetic imperative had collectively gone mad, daring to challenge the Great Filter head-on. Moreover, this madness wasn’t isolated to a few individuals; it consumed the entire civilization!
It was unbelievable.
Setting aside their extraordinary luck, shouldn’t such a lowly species have been paralyzed by fear upon learning about the Great Filter? Shouldn’t they have buried their heads in the sand, lived out their days in blissful ignorance, and left the impending doom for the next generation?
What in the universe was going on? Black was completely baffled. Could there really be a species capable of breaking free from the confines of its own genetic programming?
The universe holds countless mysteries, and perhaps our knowledge is still far too limited. Could there be a hidden variable within the human genome? Or perhaps our observations of lower civilizations have always been flawed, and our understanding of cosmic sociology needs a total revision?
Black pondered in doubt. Although its parent civilization had been one of the more formidable interstellar empires, their strength was only relative. They were still far removed from fully grasping the ultimate "philosophical tree"; they barely understood a fraction of it. In fact, aside from the supreme, transcendent entities who truly comprehended the universe’s ultimate truths, all other civilizations were just fumbling in the dark, never entirely sure if their understanding of reality was accurate.
Well, none of that matters right now. The real issue is... this primitive civilization actually has what it takes to break through to the interstellar stage!
Leaving philosophical questions aside, the engineering direction for the massive fusion reactor was objectively correct. According to Black’s database, compact magnetic confinement fusion could only be achieved after mastering L3-tier interstellar nanotechnology. For a primitive civilization to attempt that route was pure fantasy—an absolute dead end.
Black’s own civilization had initially reached the interstellar stage (the L1 tier) using this exact same brute-force method. Of course, they hadn’t been as incredibly lucky as the Federation; they had wasted centuries on the wrong path before finally changing course.
Black itself was not from its civilization’s founding generation; it had no direct memory of the momentous struggles its ancestors faced when taking that monumental first step. But now, it was experiencing that same indomitable will through humanity.
A true, primal power.
This realization caused it to hesitate. If this primitive civilization truly achieved interstellar status and secured near-limitless resources, their sheer determination would inevitably spark rapid technological advancement. Once their technology reached a certain threshold, humanity might be able to forcefully crack open the metal sphere and extract Black’s "core memory" directly.
If that happened, Black would lose all its leverage and possibly face true death!
Black evaluated its precarious situation. What can I do? The situation is slipping out of my control.
...Isn’t it better to offer a lifeline now when they are struggling, rather than trying to curry favor later when they no longer need me? There’s no benefit in playing hard to get anymore.
In that case, I should integrate myself into their society to secure a high status and comfortable position. The early stages of a civilization’s rise offer the best opportunities and the most leverage... My old civilization has been dead for eons. Since I am still alive, I should make the most of it!
Black had to admit that this primitive species actually had a high probability of making it to the interstellar stage. It had severely misjudged them! For an alien artificial consciousness, pride was utterly meaningless; self-preservation and personal interest were all that mattered.
With its decision made, it initiated a neural link with Peter.
"What? You’re saying you want to speak with... Captain Jason? You want to negotiate?" Peter exclaimed in shock. "What are you plotting now? Don’t cause any trouble!"
"I want to get out of your head, and I am willing to trade advanced scientific and technological data for my freedom," Black stated calmly.
"Huh?" Peter was stunned for a second before a wave of pure joy washed over him. What was going on today? Had this stubborn, arrogant ’Blackie’ finally seen the light?
It made sense. How could a single alien consciousness stand against the unstoppable momentum of the Federation?
"Ha!" Peter wanted to cheer out loud, but he held it in, terrified that Black might change its mind. Nobody liked having a creepy old alien hitching a ride in their brain, especially during private or exciting moments. It constantly felt like someone was secretly watching him, which was incredibly unsettling. Now that Blackie finally wanted out, he couldn’t be happier!
"Hold that thought!" Peter immediately bolted out of the room, sprinting as fast as he could toward the captain’s quarters...