Above K-level civilizations are L-level civilizations, also known as "Interstellar Civilizations," which have successfully transcended the Great Filter.
Overcoming this barrier undoubtedly brings about a qualitative transformation for a civilization, a holistic evolution encompassing science, morality, society, and industry!
This had already been proven true within the Federation.
It must be said that the universe is truly wondrous. This qualitative leap felt like breaking through to a higher realm in a fantasy novel, achieving a complete sublimation of civilization. It seemed almost magical in a scientifically grounded world, yet it existed in a perfectly logical way.
Was it the universe’s twisted sense of humor?
Just as Jason was lost in thought, there was a knock on his door. "Captain Jason, did you want to see me?"
"Please come in!"
With a sudden thought from Jason, his Brain Chip emitted a series of encrypted signals, causing the cabin door to slide open.
A large, overweight man who looked somewhat like Peter walked in. He appeared to weigh around 100 kilograms.
His name was... "Blake"!
Aboard the Noah, a place filled with fit and attractive people thanks to highly advanced medicine, someone this overweight was incredibly rare.
However, Jason knew perfectly well that this fat man... was actually the alien life form formerly known as "Black"!
The initial terms of their negotiations had been clear: clone a new body from Peter’s DNA and transfer the alien’s consciousness into it. "Black"—now calling himself Blake, obtained the freedom he craved and agreed to join the Federation in exchange for an official government position.
Of course, in return, he was required to hand over fragments of his advanced "technology" to help humanity cross the Great Filter more efficiently.
It had to be said, this alien was quite intelligent and had a unique way of handling things. Over a long period, he had seamlessly integrated into human society. His everyday actions perfectly mimicked normal human behavior, allowing him to blend in without causing any trouble.
Jason frowned as he looked at him, then shook his head slightly.
After not seeing him for a while, the guy had actually gained even more weight.
He loved to eat so much that even with today’s advanced medical technology, he couldn’t control his rapidly expanding waistline.
As for his so-called "official position," he was naturally relegated to the Department of Diplomatic Affairs. Blake was somewhat self-aware; he knew his identity was highly sensitive and that humans couldn’t fully trust him, so he simply chose to enjoy his new, comfortable life to the fullest.
Blake plopped down into the chair opposite Jason and sat up straight. "Captain Jason, what do you need me for?"
Jason relaxed his furrowed brow and asked, "Let me ask you something. Do you know of any planets similar to Earth? Planets with similar gravity, atmospheric composition, and climate conditions, with an average annual temperature of around 20 degrees Celsius... You should know about our former home planet, right?"
Blake scratched his large head, his mind whirring as he tried to recall.
After thinking for a long time without success, he answered politely, "Captain, the galaxy is unimaginably vast. A planet like that must exist. We might even be able to find one with an environmental deviation of less than 0.1%. But I’m sorry, I don’t know exactly where one is located.
"I’m an old man from millions of years ago... You should know that the Milky Way is constantly in motion, and the stellar maps have changed drastically over that time! Besides, my core memory banks were never used to store such trivial information."
Upon hearing this negative answer, Jason sighed inwardly.
Since Blake currently existed in a human body, he was subject to the inherent limitations of human biology, and he hadn’t even been fitted with a Brain Chip. With a certain level of surveillance in place, he didn’t pose a security threat.
He lived a fulfilling life in human society; it seemed the physical pleasures of a human body provided him with immense satisfaction. He had even taken up the role of a cosmic sociologist, often writing academic papers in his spare time—some of which offered surprisingly insightful perspectives.
After pondering for a moment, Jason finally revealed their true intentions. "Our primary goal right now is to find a new home planet. We have a few promising candidate destinations. As our Deputy Minister of Diplomatic Affairs, could you offer some suggestions?"
Jason opened the astronomical data files he had just been reviewing and shared them on the screen.
"Digg 114, located 6.3 light-years from our current position. It sits right in the habitable zone of its star and is about 30% larger than Earth. This is our primary target.
"Kepler-186f is also in its star’s habitable zone, roughly 500 light-years away. It has about 10% more mass than Earth.
"Gliese 581g, about 20 light-years away, has a mass two to three times that of Earth and a rapid orbital period of 30 days. It orbits a bit too close to its star for comfort."
Although Blake’s position was mostly ceremonial, his knowledge of the universe far surpassed humanity’s. Of course, any information he provided would only be used as a reference; the Federation wouldn’t blindly trust him.
He seemed quite pleased by Jason’s consultation. After reviewing the data for a moment, he put on a look of sudden realization. "Are you looking for life-bearing planets to conduct experiments on?"
"Not bad, not bad," Blake chuckled. "You’ve shed the restrictive mindset of a primitive civilization so quickly and abandoned those meaningless morals... However, I suggest you head toward the galactic core as soon as possible. The star density and material abundance there are incredibly high, with stellar neighbors as close as one light-year apart. That’s where Interstellar Civilizations are most active.
"We are currently in a remote, desolate spiral arm of the galaxy where stars are scarce. The probability of encountering another Interstellar Civilization out here is extremely low... Communication and trade are essential for progress!"
Hearing Blake’s little speech, Jason instantly gleaned a lot of useful intelligence.
Communication... that means the likelihood of the ’Dark Forest Theory’ being an absolute rule has decreased again, which aligns with our internal sociological models. Since true Interstellar Civilizations are so rare, there’s no need for everyone to fight to the death on sight.
But conducting experiments? Do Interstellar Civilizations routinely experiment on lower-level civilizations?
Bound by the inherent moral principles of human society, the casual mention of "conducting experiments" made Jason feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
Although humanity had conducted a grand social experiment on the Saurian Natives, their intentions had been benevolent, ultimately accelerating the Saurians’ societal development.
So... what kind of dark experiments did advanced Interstellar Civilizations conduct on primitive worlds?
Social experiments? Biochemical testing?
Jason temporarily pushed those disturbing thoughts aside and replied calmly, "Communication and trade? That won’t work for us right now. Even if the universe is generally peaceful, there must still be wars, right? Our civilization isn’t strong enough yet to defend itself, especially while we possess a priceless treasure like the Noah. What if a superior power takes a fancy to it and decides to rob us?
"Do you really think you, as the Deputy Minister of Diplomatic Affairs, could handle a crisis like that? Do you still have the cosmic connections you had millions of years ago?"
Blake’s chubby face turned pale, and he stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence. If advanced Interstellar Civilizations really went to war with them, what use would his flimsy title of Deputy Minister be?
Ultimately, the universe still respected power above all else!
Besides... the ancient civilization he used to belong to was the infamous Annihilators. What kind of friendly connections could he possibly have left?