Chapter 51: Envisioning Future Life

"If we reached Primary civilization, would the global crime rate drop significantly?" Suddenly, I thought of a serious question.  

"It wouldn't just drop significantly—there would be no crime at all in a Primary civilization. Not a single case," Buweiro explained, seeing the confusion on my face. "As I mentioned before, when a species evolves into a primary stage, all administrative tasks are handed over to the highest intelligent system. Every individual's thoughts can be sensed through nano-chips embedded in their bodies, including negative emotions.  

For intelligent species, it's normal to have negative thoughts, as long as they don't act on them. If someone develops criminal intent, the system will detect it just before they act. Before any crime can be committed, the system remotely restrains the individual and sends them to a correctional facility. They can only be released once they have been rehabilitated."  

"Haha, that's actually brilliant!" I couldn't help but admire the idea and enviously exclaimed: "A world where no one commits crimes would truly be a peaceful one. If we Earthlings could achieve that, society would be fair and just, favoring no one."  

Buweiro added: "Actually, species at the Primary civilization stage rarely even have criminal motives. That's because virtual worlds can fulfill any desire. For example, if you want to climb a mountain, you can apply to have a virtual mountain created for you, identical to a real one. You can do whatever you like inside, and when you're done, simply request for it to be dismantled.  

Since any wish can be satisfied in the virtual world—even experiencing darker emotions—there's no reason to commit crimes in reality. Moreover, if someone is caught and sent to prison, they lose their freedom, all their rights, and access to technological aids. For a species accustomed to the comforts of Primary civilization, this is worse than death. No one would dare challenge the fairness and justice of the intelligent system."  

I nodded in agreement. Human nature finds it difficult to achieve fairness and often doesn't even aspire to it. Then another thought struck me: "How do Primary civilizations travel? Do they shuttle between planets?"  

"Yes. For example, if humans entered Primary civilization, you could develop bases on all the planets and moons in the Solar system, building habitats suitable for your species. You'd travel using spacecraft or by warping through wormholes. Your group vacations wouldn't be about visiting some place or country on the Earth. Instead, you'd go to Venus or Uranus this time, and next time you might visit planets in the Orion constellation or the Big Dipper, taking photos and posting them on social media, while bringing back local specialties to share."  

Buweiro's words had me lost in an exhilarating daydream. When I snapped out of it, I couldn't help but laugh and lament, "Haha, sorry, my mind wandered. I was imagining the fruits and delicacies on other planets. They must have flavors unlike anything on the Earth! It would be amazing to try them all. Although there are many kinds of creatures on the Earth, unfortunately many of them have become rare species or even extinct, due to humans' unfair treatment."  

"In theory, that's correct. But with advancing technology, extinct species can be resurrected by extracting their DNA from preserved specimens or fossils. For example, if humans approached primary level, you could not only bring back many ancient species but even resurrect and raise dinosaurs. You could easily buy dinosaur eggs or meat at a shop."  

I was shocked by what Buweiro said.

"If that really happens, one dinosaur egg would be too much for me to finish in one meal—I'd burst!" I exclaimed with a smile.  

"Ha-ha, you could eat it in multiple times or share it with your family. What's more, consuming dinosaur eggs or meat could make humans physically stronger. With advanced technology, humans could extract genes and clone any species they desire," Buweiro said playfully.  

"If many ancient species were resurrected, the Earth wouldn't have enough space for them!" I responded.  

"We could let them migrate to other planets. For example, There are no species on the surface of Mars. After humans develop Mars, they can put resurrected dinosaurs there to add vitality.  

In fact, in ancient times, some curious alien species brought a few dinosaurs to the Moon for research purposes. Some specimens were left behind and were later discovered by modern human probes. The news was leaked, but to avoid panic, humans turned it into another fabricated hoax." Buweiro continued, leaving me smiling bitterly again.  

"Those dinosaurs were lucky, at least they could openly see aliens. Unlike now, when people are so interested in aliens but are forcibly restricted from learning more—what a shame!" I sighed softly before asking another question. "By the way, does Primary civilization still generate waste?"  

"Not really. The intelligent system constantly monitors the entire planet. If any waste is detected, it's promptly handled, collected, and decomposed into atoms for reprocessing and recombination. For larger waste that's inconvenient to process on the home planet, a designated planet or a larger moon could be used to set up a waste station for treatment." Buweiro explained in detail.  

"Would my future job as a firefighter still exist in Primary civilization?" Suddenly, I thought about my future career prospects.  

"No, it wouldn't. If a fire broke out somewhere, the Universal Energy Field could immediately condense surrounding cold air into water vapor to extinguish it—just one of many methods. If someone was in danger, the Universal Energy Field would directly envelop them and transfer them to safety," Buweiro answered with a sly smile.  

"Ah, then I'm out of a job?" Looking at Buweiro's expression, I felt embarrassed and asked: "After the Primary civilization, do people still watch TV and watch short videos?"

"Those still exist, but very few people engage in them," Buweiro explained further. "In a Primary civilization, virtual technology renders professions like directors and movie companies obsolete. With virtual technology, anyone can customize movies or TV shows exactly as they envision, creating any type of video they want. At that point, everyone becomes their own director. However, most people only use this to gather ideas or inspiration; they don't indulge deeply or become addicted."  

"Oh, except saving time, so how can we humans start saving more resources now to reduce the Earth's burden?" I asked, raising an issue critical to humanity's development.  

"Quickly perfect wireless power transmission technology, which involves harnessing solar energy and refining it into usable power. Cease the exploitation of natural resources such as oil, coal, and natural gas, allowing the Earth to gradually heal itself. Once this technology is implemented globally, it could trigger positive chain reactions and significantly accelerate humanity's technological advancements." Buweiro earnestly added.  

"In fact, this technology could have been achieved during Tesla's era, but it was suppressed by capitalists for profit. If humanity solves wireless power transmission now, it would lead to an era of cheap energy, much like in the novel 'The Three-Body Problem'《三体》. This would free up immense resources for technological research."  

"I see. Got it. What about human transportation? Could we develop flying cars that would save a lot of time?" I asked.  

"For humanity to achieve the kind of global instant travel which I mentioned earlier, the technology is still far from ready. Without a miraculous breakthrough, it's unlikely to happen within a hundred years. However, I can suggest something achievable—combine maglev trains with magnetic field, gravity, and anti-gravity technologies to develop hovering cars.  

Inventing hovering cars would allow for simple, energy-efficient flight, ushering in an era of aerial transportation. This would eliminate many distance limitations and significantly transform your way of life. After that, you could move on to developing vehicles powered by positive and negative gravitational fields."  

Buweiro's suggestions painted a vivid picture in my mind of a bustling aerial traffic system and the profound changes it would bring to human civilization.

Quickly shifting my thoughts from land to sea, I posed another question: "There are many fascinating rivers, lakes, and even oceans on the Earth. Some seem to have distinct layers of water. For example, the top layer is freshwater, inhabited by freshwater fish, while the layer beneath is saltwater, home to saltwater species. It's amazing how these two layers blend yet maintain their distinct properties. Since water is a fluid, how are these layers separated? And why do the two types of fish never cross into each other's territories?"  

Buweiro smiled and replied: "Such occurrences are rare in nature —almost impossible. What you're describing is mostly the result of experiments conducted by aliens or the Interstellar Alliance, exploring dimensions, parallel worlds, and various spatial experiments. These two layers of water may appear to coexist but are actually separated by distinct spatial frequencies. Humanity will eventually experiment with such phenomena, too."  

At that moment, I thought of some trending short videos and seized the opportunity to verify authenticity: "I've also seen some short videos claiming that certain people, both in China and abroad, were taken by aliens to tour alien worlds and witness their advanced technologies. Afterward, these individuals were sent back to the Earth to write books about their experiences. Are those stories true?"  

"Only a few of them are real," Buweiro responded. "As I mentioned, kind-hearted or principled aliens sometimes return the humans they take, and occasionally, they don't erase their memories. But such cases are extremely rare." Buweiro's explanation left me with my own judgment on the matter.  

...... 

We talked about many things after that, including trivial, everyday topics—most of which I forgot once I left. I felt a bit guilty about not remembering everything but was glad to have retained some of the important insights.

Buweiro is an excellent listener and offered valuable advice on some of the personal and work-related trivialities I shared. Over the past few days of conversations, I’ve grown from feeling intimidated and unfamiliar with this Inner-Earth dweller to becoming close friends, even the kind you can truly confide in.