Two Species

 Yang, the elder of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sighed and said: "The topic of level six civilization is too complicated and is not suitable for us to discuss now. Let's change the topic. If I let you understand the ultimate question of the universe and its answer, you will die instantly after knowing it. Drop it, are you willing?"

 Zhang Yuan said without much hesitation: "There will be some people who are willing, probably a large proportion... Anyway, I am definitely willing!"

 "I would like that too."

 "willing!"

 Everyone gave their files one after another.

 Li Zhendong was silent for a while, then suddenly smiled and said: "The ultimate question... I must be willing."

 The old friends at the party actually gave the same answer. Lao Yang couldn't react for a while. He didn't expect that this group of people had such the same idea, and they all showed strange smiles to him.

 After a few seconds, seeing Lao Yang's look of disbelief, Zhang Yuan explained: "Lao Yang, the temptation of the ultimate question of the universe is too great. It encompasses the meaning of existence and everything. If you know Its answer is that it knows everything, including when you will die."

 "Thinking about it this way, dying doesn't seem to be a big deal... I'm definitely willing to do it anyway."

 "The value of the ultimate problem of the universe is too high. In my opinion, it is much higher than the cost of personal life. You should narrow the scope a little, such as the solution to the black box problem, the real mystery of quantum consciousness, the breakthrough in predictive mathematics, and face the For these slightly smaller questions, if I die instantly after knowing the answer, at this cost... I may hesitate for a while."

 Many scientists present nodded and agreed with Zhang Yuan's point of view.

 There is a balance before gaining more knowledge and personal life.

 The value of human life is limited, and enough knowledge can indeed leverage life. This is a common thought among scientists here.

 "This should be a difference in values. For some civilizations, enough money can leverage life; but for us, enough knowledge can leverage life."

 "If you compare superiority and good and bad, I think the latter may be better, because advocating knowledge can promote the progress of civilization."

 Even a glib guy like Li Zhendong is seriously thinking about this question: How much is his life worth?

 In real life, does the so-called Tao, the ultimate truth of the universe, exist?

 Nobody knows.

 Zhang Yuan sighed and said: "How to choose between happiness and ideals in life? Which one is more important? Fish or bear's paw? I'm afraid there will never be a real answer to this question. The answer may vary from person to person. What we think What I hope is that anyone who makes any choice will be respected and understood by others."

 "The greatest success in life is to live your life in your own way. Now that these Lenino people have made their own choices and did not join the alliance for various reasons, then you can respect their choice. Sinker Civilization It's your choice, and we have no interest in interfering with it."

 Lao Yang spread his hands: "Okay, okay, you succeeded in convincing me. I finally know the difference between the Sinker civilization and ours. This gap is an irreparable change brought about by history, although it is not A real qualitative change, but it is already a very big change..."

 "It seems that we have been moving forward on this road for a long, long time."

 He took a sip of coffee and suddenly thought of something: "By the way, there is another very interesting thing to tell you. Our scientific expedition team discovered something on the Red Kan star, the companion star of Lenino star. Several suspected intelligent species...may even be hive intelligent species!"

 "oh?!"

 Zhang Yuan's expression suddenly changed and he became more interested, "A smart insect?"

 There are so many types of insects on Hongkan Star, conservatively estimated that there are 100 million species. Even if the Lenino people provide some of the biological specimens they have collected to humans, it is only a drop in the bucket.

 There are also a large number of species hidden in the forest and soil, waiting for people to discover.

 The investigative capabilities of the new humans are naturally not comparable to those of the Lenino civilization. Under the vigorous investigation of various reconnaissance robots, some very strange species that are suspected of intelligent life were actually discovered.

 "Hey, I know you are very interested. This is the first-hand information just sent over. It is not confidential anyway."

 Lao Yang pulled out a few photos from his personal terminal and showed them to everyone.

 "The first species, let's call it alien bees for now. They live in the forest, have wings, and can fly. The average mass of an individual is about one kilogram, which is slightly larger than a fist!"

 "Their survival model is somewhat similar to bees on Earth. They suck the juices of plants and process some food into shellac with a long shelf life. They have a certain social division of labor."

 The robot found each insect nest. The shellac inside was a very luxurious health product for the Lenino people. It was said that it could increase life span. This bee-like species hides deep in the forest and is not easy to find, and the production of shellac is very low.

 "Can it really increase lifespan?"

 "Of course it's fake...the so-called shellac is just some carbohydrates and some protein."

 "The second species, let's call it alien ants for the time being. They live in the soil and can dig holes. The average mass of an individual is 2.2 kilograms. They can be considered relatively large insects... The entire nest is a bit like ants on Earth. According to the division of labor model, some individuals can absorb humus in the soil and then process substances such as nutrient paste to supply the entire population."

 Zhang Yuan stared at the photo for a long time. These ferocious insects naturally didn't look very cute. He couldn't tell that these guys had intelligence.

 He asked with a skeptical tone: "There are so many hive-like colonial creatures like ants and bees, and they can be found on almost every living planet. Why do you think they have a certain degree of intelligence?"

 Lao Yang said with a smile: "Listen to me first, those groups similar to bees are very aggressive. As you know, the noble children of the Lenino civilization often go to this planet to fight bugs in order to pursue excitement. There are also some program groups that also hold bug-killing games... The hatred between the two sides may have lasted for thousands, or even tens of thousands of years."

 Zhang Yuan nodded.

 He knew this.

 "This bee species is very vengeful after being attacked by the Lenino people and will retaliate immediately. They have very hard and poisonous tail stingers. If they are stung, they will either die or be injured."

 "But in the face of steel and bullets, insect attacks are always powerless. Therefore, this species was once the main target of the Lenino people."

 "After being massacred, this alien bee mysteriously hid... It can't be said that it disappeared, but it deliberately avoided the pursuit of the Lenino people. They ran away when they saw the Lenino people. Isn't it strange? Usually Generally speaking, the formation of the concept of natural enemies requires a long period of cultivation, but this alien bee has changed very quickly, showing that they are very smart..."

 "They are even the main force in instigating the insect tide in the forest!"