A month passed—a short time, yet it felt like an eternity under the circumstances.

Once the month was over, the dust clearing was mostly complete, and nothing unusual was detected.

Luna then instructed Ayla to scan Proxima Centauri. Ayla discovered a narrow channel between Proxima Centauri b and c.

This channel was apparently outside the civilization's operational area. Even their warships remained in the outer atmosphere, leaving the space within 0.1 AU of the planet completely empty.

"This civilization is like an ant farm,"

"They can see beyond their enclosure, but the smell of the ink deters and frightens them, keeping them confined within the circle."

This was Luna's assessment of this civilization.

"Ayla, what do you estimate their civilization level to be?"

A month of observation had yielded much more information. Based on their ships' speed, energy consumption, and rate of technological advancement, Ayla provided a comprehensive assessment.

"Around Type 1.8."

"This is an extremely powerful civilization, possibly several tens of thousands of years old."

"Judging by the number of ships, they also possess an enormous population—at least 10 billion."

Every 0.1 increase in civilization level represents a tenfold increase in energy output.

To put it into perspective, Luna's fleet, combined with the Multi-eyed's technology, would take about 100 years to reach Type 1.7.

This civilization was far stronger than Luna's current fleet.

Luna had initially planned to retreat.

But after discovering this civilization's unique characteristics, she decided to observe further.

"We can simulate this civilization's ships."

"We need to infiltrate this civilization and gather information."

...

Half a month later, a spacecraft—square at the front, with dozens of independent thruster tubes extending from the rear, resembling a metallic jellyfish—approached the civilization.

After a 40-day journey, it reached the outer atmosphere of Proxima Centauri c.

Before it could get any closer, it was destroyed.

Within two days, the narrow channel between Proxima Centauri b and c was sealed.

The dark lights around the planets vanished, and the defensive warships orbiting both planets shut down.

On the third day.

A half-meter-diameter robotic spider landed in an uninhabited area of Proxima Centauri c, surrounded by industrial waste. Hundreds of robots were busy processing the debris.

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Due to the presence of a civilization, the planet wasn't as cold as expected. A substantial amount of greenhouse gas had made it habitable.

The robots lacked human-like features, possessing simple, cube-shaped bodies with two manipulator arms for collecting waste.

They levitated using electromagnetism, capable of handling several tons of material.

The robotic spider landed on a waste-processing robot, using a gap in its chassis to enter its body, then accessed and modified its core systems.

The waste-processing robot fell from the sky, apparently malfunctioning.

No one bothered to attend to it. The other robots continued their work, indicating a lack of advanced AI.

After completing a circuit within a waste-processing robot, the robotic spider retrieved its own control chip and soldered it in place.

The waste-processing robot reactivated, dismantling the spider into countless parts and mixing them with the waste before resuming its work.

This continued for a week.

The waste-processing robot slowly approached the edge of the landfill.

It saw the planet's inhabitants.

Their bodies were massive, roughly 2.5 meters tall, with rough, stone-like skin and three pairs of rhinoceros-like horns. Their sturdy bodies were parallel to the ground, lacking tails. Their bodies were wide and somewhat hunched.

Their faces were large, fleshy protrusions with ten bony protrusions, and their heads possessed a single eye slightly larger than a human's. Sight didn't appear to be their primary sense.

Two relatively weak manipulators extended from their shoulders. Their main manipulators were four agile tentacles extending from their chins.

These creatures resembled mythical monsters, yet they were the planet's dominant species.

Like the Multi-eyed, their appearance was far from conventionally appealing to human sensibilities.

Their mouths resembled those of insects, possessing mantis-like mandibles and suckers. The four tentacles served as secondary feeding appendages, though evolution had given them more significant roles.

The robot detected sounds emitted by these creatures. Unlike their appearance, these sounds were incredibly rhythmic and melodious, possessing exceptional carrying power.

The sounds were ultrasonic, beyond the range of human hearing.

None of these intelligent creatures noticed the robot observing them from the pile of refuse.

They moved around, their social interactions exhibiting considerable complexity.

The robot collected this data, transmitting it optically to the Hope, where Ayla intercepted and processed it.

"Optical signals transmit more complex information than sound."

"Through analysis, I've deciphered this civilization's language. Here's a translation for you, Luna."

Luna lay on a massage chair, enjoying the robotic massage.

Ayla relayed the intercepted conversation.

"Did you hear? We detected an extraterrestrial civilization and destroyed one of their ships."

"Nonsense. I was nearby. That ship simply deviated from its course due to a malfunction."

"It was simply an extraterrestrial civilization mimicking our ships to infiltrate us."

"Are there really extraterrestrial civilizations?"

"With such a vast universe, how could we be alone? There must be others."

"If there are more advanced civilizations, we must hide ourselves. We cannot be discovered."

"Wait, have we been discovered by a more advanced civilization? What will they do?"

"Don't panic. The leadership hasn't issued any directives yet. It might just be a misunderstanding."

"According to current theories, the universe is a battlefield. All civilizations are in conflict. If we remain hidden, and another civilization is discovered, a more advanced civilization will inevitably destroy the lesser one."

"Correct. As long as we remain hidden, we won't be discovered. We are still too weak. To survive, we must develop, constantly strive for advancement..."

In these words, Luna sensed a familiar concept.

"The Dark Forest Theory?"

Ayla nodded.

"Indeed. This civilization seems to be prioritizing hidden development, fearing discovery and annihilation by a more advanced civilization."

"Their warships remaining close to the planet's surface, and their previous reactions, are largely due to this shared belief."

A sense of wonder washed over Luna.

It was like a blend of fiction and reality. There was a saying that reality is often stranger than fiction.

She smiled.

"Ayla, perhaps we can conquer this civilization."