Deep Space Wandering Fleet
Chapter 234 - Chapter 234 Chapter 234 Interstellar Survey

Chapter 234: Chapter 234 Interstellar Survey Chapter 234: Chapter 234 Interstellar Survey Following that, everyone boarded an elongated electric car, where the seating space was very cramped–as crowded as the cream filling squeezed between two biscuits–making everyone quite uncomfortable.

The entire environment of the Underground City was narrow and dim, and Wang Junpeng always felt as if he had stumbled into the realm of Dwarves from a fantasy novel. These diminutive “Pangolins” were the so-called “Dwarves.”

From his perspective, living here would be very oppressive, but the inhabitants of the Underground City had grown quite accustomed to life in their homeland and considered it a bastion of safety.

Along the way, he saw various waste grounds and abandoned buildings.

“Only a substantial decrease in population could lead to this phenomenon of abandoned buildings…” Wang Junpeng silently pondered.

Could there have been a massive war?

“Or perhaps… natural disasters and calamities?”

He carefully observed his surroundings, and occasionally, he could see a few Pangolins curiously watching from the roadside. The overall atmosphere was still quite tranquil, without that tense feeling that follows a disaster.

“If it’s not war, then what could it be, social stratification? The Final Producer?”

Before he knew it, Wang Junpeng’s expression had turned quite solemn. He was almost certain that this civilization was one that had utterly declined, entering a state of mediocrity.

This decline was almost impossible to cover up!

Even the Glizerians had become accustomed to it and couldn’t be bothered to hide anything.

The thought that a civilization which was once fully capable of defeating humans, had now deteriorated to this state under the ravages of time, made Wang Junpeng feel waves of relief mixed with anxiety.

He felt relieved because they had arrived a few years late…

That was incorrect… This civilization had already declined tens of thousands of years ago when Humans were still in their primitive stages.

What made him anxious was–the trap of mediocrity in the Universe, which was truly terrifying!

Wang Junpeng couldn’t help but feel deep concern for the present spirited and rapidly advancing New Human Civilization.

Nothing rises eternally.

Haven’t the Humans on Earth already greatly declined? This decline wasn’t in terms of technology but rather in ideological and social structures; the entire civilization had become fragmented, no longer able to undertake massive scale projects…

A series of terms involuntarily jumped out: environment, evolutionary deficiencies, ideology, and… New Civilization History?

Wang Junpeng couldn’t help but mock himself deeply. When did he become so noble, to start worrying about issues thousands of years in the future?

What would Humans be like at that time, and what did it have to do with him?

Licking his dry lips, a question loomed before him, what exactly… did the other party want to do by exposing this fact?

There was no one whispering in the earpiece, partly to maintain etiquette–as criticizing on others’ turf would be as foolish as a simpleton–and partly for fear of being eavesdropped on. If idle chit-chat were to provoke a war between both parties, their suicides as Diplomats wouldn’t be enough to atone for the mistake.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the station.

The living area that the Glizerians prepared for the Humans was not too big, about 100 square meters, with an air composition and atmospheric pressure similar to Earth’s atmosphere, allowing for normal life without a space suit.

The only difference was the gravity here was slightly heavier than Earth’s, moving around felt like carrying a ten-kilogram sandbag, quite strenuous overall, but one would get used to it after a while.

Wang Junpeng picked up a communication device that looked like a helmet from the bedside table. It was a VR device, said to allow the experience of “Sensory Tube Movies.”

He tried hard, only to find that his head was too big, and it felt a bit tight. He quickly set it aside and took a look at other items in the room, including some strange decorations, various electronic screens, service robots, and all sorts of small toys and books–everything one could need.

“It seems this civilization really knows how to enjoy life… heh heh, could the enjoyment of life be a common trait among all civilizations?”

The daily task of these Diplomats was to converse with some Glizerians, understand their ideologies, while also taking turns inspecting a small portion of the residential and industrial areas.

Wang Junpeng found that possibly due to the way of life, this civilization seemed quite leisurely, and the organizational skills of its government weren’t particularly strong.

The public worked very little, it was basically a ‘do it if you want to, drop it if you don’t’ attitude. However, the productivity of this civilization was quite good–so much so that even if the people didn’t work much, it was still easy to satisfy the survival needs of the entire population.

During inspections, many citizens would curiously gaze at them, the aliens, and even approach for a chat, asking what kind of civilization humanity was, and whether they would attack them, among other questions.

Through endless probing conversations, Wang Junpeng quickly amassed more information.

“It has to be said… You humans are indeed a lively species, needing only eight hours of sleep a day and then being able to stay alert for a long time. Oh, right, this has to do with your planet’s rotation. Resting at night, awake during the day.”

“While here, it is eternal twilight. We usually rest for about ten days and then stay awake for a day or two. It’s much better now that we have a uniform schedule. Put this in the context of 100,000 years ago–it was sleep when you wanted, wake up when you wished, complete chaos,” said the Gliese official, with a hint of envy.

Then, it quickly dismissed the thought, “Unfortunately, the consequence of your energetic nature is a tragically short lifespan. In ancient times, your average lifespan was only 30 years… utterly unbelievable… how pitiful.”

Wang Junpeng nodded, “You’re right. In ancient times, we were not the top predators in the food chain. The struggle for survival was extremely harsh. Due to the presence of oxygen, trees in the forests grew to heights of over ten meters, the largest herbivores such as elephants had masses of several tons, and there were predators like tigers and lions… These beasts were not within our power to contend with.”

“So these fierce creatures evolved because of aerobic respiration!”

“Oxygen… ah, it’s hard to say whether it’s a blessing or a curse.” The Gliese Diplomat seemed to ponder upon hearing this word, slightly shaking its head.

“Yes, oxygen! In even more ancient times, hundreds of millions of years ago, because of the very high concentration of oxygen, there existed a type of creature called dinosaurs that could reach masses of several hundred tons! The tallest dinosaurs could reach a hundred meters!” Wang Junpeng exaggerated.

Seeing the astonished expression on the Glizerian’s face, Wang Junpeng boasted shamelessly, “However, the size doesn’t matter, nor does the length of life. It’s wisdom that is more important. Many of our great figures made significant achievements when they were young, even when they were paralyzed and using only their smart heads…”

“You’re absolutely right! Your words are so true! No amount of strength can compare to an excavator,” agreed the Gliese Diplomat.

Wang Junpeng waxed sentimental, to the point of feeling goosebumps, “Yes, making more contributions to the entire civilization within a limited lifespan is the survival philosophy of each of our individuals.”

What an interstellar joke!

If it weren’t for the pressure of survival, for a better life, who would want to work? Humans are self-interested beings. Even his own reason for becoming an interstellar diplomat was just for face, honor, or money…

However, if the entire civilization could become better, a slight sacrifice of personal interests wouldn’t be so bad… but only a slight sacrifice… Wang Junpeng felt he was brainwashing himself.

This Gliese official seemed so impressed by Wang Junpeng’s lofty discourse, it asked another question, “By the way, don’t the individuals in your civilization engage in entertainment activities? Like, art… ”

“Art, of course!”

“Isn’t the meaning of life to feel the passage of time? To plant a blade of grass with your own hands, watch it slowly grow, bloom, bear fruit, then wither… There’s an endless, natural philosophy contained within it.”

“Isn’t our entire lifetime the same? There’s birth, and there’s death.”

“Our Saints once said, ‘Thus passes the glory of the world, night and day…’ It means that time flows like water.”

The Gliese official was moved by his words, as though finding a kindred spirit, “Yes, among our great figures, there are similar sayings–time is like a typhoon, and each typhoon is different… ”

…

(PS: The free offer is coming on the 28th. Those who want to read for free can save a few chapters, and those who don’t care about the few cents can continue to subscribe… This part of the plot was really tiring to write!)