Chapter 10: Work and Life of Intelligent Species

At that moment, the scene before me left me stunned. The armchair I had been sitting in with the alliance representatives began to shift—it was almost melting, changing rapidly. The chair and desk fused seamlessly with the transparent glass floor, leaving an empty space around me, and I felt a bit dizzy looking down.

"What's happening?" I asked Buweiro.

"A lot of the alliance's equipment is made from virtual energy that can transform into solid objects. It changes form as needed and returns to its original state or back to the main field when not in use," Buweiro explained. "The furniture here was formed from virtual energy in the Universal Energy Field. It combines virtual data, color, light sources, and space under the control of the Universal Energy Field. It's very practical for disposable or infrequently used items. When needed, they take shape; when not, they return to their source. No repairs, no cleaning, and each time it's fresh, clean, and ready to use."

"Wow, that's so amazing! If this Universal Energy Field were connected to my home, everything would be so convenient, and I'd save so much space."

While I was daydreaming about this, the scene suddenly shifted. Before I even felt anything, we were back on the metallic floor.

"Come on, let's go chat in the living room," Buweiro said, implying we would walk, which I was glad to do.

"Buweiro, with such advanced technology in your alliance, I noticed many of the different species still seem to have tasks to do. The five who left earlier also mentioned they had something to attend to—was it work?" I asked as we walked, curious if an advanced alien civilization really needed to work tirelessly like humans to make a living.

I noticed that, whether on the ground or in the air, the images filling the entire headquarters created no light pollution or interference; each functioned independently without any overlap. The images were also silent, likely transmitting information directly via nano-chips in the aliens' bodies. The entire headquarters was quiet, with even the footsteps of the aliens producing no sound.

"There's no need for work here like humans laboring for wages," Buweiro explained. "Not only is communal energy free for all in the alliance, but all species enjoy a life free of cost. They don't need food to sustain themselves either, so daily expenses are nonexistent. Humans toil daily primarily to earn money for food and survival, but here, the Universal Energy Field silently provides each species with what they need. So, do they need to work for money? Some do tasks out of personal interest or choice rather than necessity."

Buweiro's explanation made me admire the alliance's way of life even more. He continued, "The 'tasks' those five species mentioned earlier involve monitoring, learning, innovating, discovering, and advancing technology. They hold roles in the alliance similar to scientists in human terms. However, we're all equal here — there's no exploitation or oppression. Ordinary alien species act as support managers, and as you can see, the work is light. Tasks are done out of interest; there's no pay involved. Instead, every species competes for these roles, eager to learn and improve themselves."

The Alliance's way of working completely broadened my perspective.

"Don't you have supercomputers or advanced robots? Why not let them handle the work instead of the alliance members?" I asked, speaking my thoughts aloud.

"Supercomputers and advanced machines are indeed very fast at processing, designing, organizing, controlling, and transmitting information, so they handle a lot of the data analysis here. For complex data handling, their efficiency is unmatched, and they take care of tasks that biological minds cannot. But machines have their limitations—they lack true creativity and invention. The work done by the alliance and other species focuses on learning, innovation, invention, raising civilization levels, and then exploring the vastness of the universe."

"Wait—you mean the Alliance's civilization level doesn't allow for universal exploration yet?" I asked in surprise. "Why not build a massive spaceship or UFO for everyone to live in? Since you don't need food, drink, or rest, you could live, travel, and advance your technology simultaneously. If you encounter trouble, just avoid it. If energy runs low, you could easily refuel with fusion energy from any star along the way."

Buweiro glanced at me, smiling, and said, "The alliance's mission is to protect the solar system—we have our own mission, which I'll explain later. Otherwise, we'd have already left the solar system to explore the vast universe.

Besides, exploring the universe is far more dangerous than you might imagine. To roam freely through space, according to your human classification of civilizations, you need at least a Level-3 or 4 civilization. The Alliance's current civilization level is restricted by Super Civilization at the Galactic Center to stay below Level-3.

Let me explain something else. In our part of the universe, any planet that develops life and advances its own civilization eventually discovers the structure and applications of atoms. When they master atomic technology, they ultimately invent nuclear weapons, like your atomic bomb—followed by the hydrogen bomb, an upgraded version that also uses nuclear fusion.

But for interstellar travelling, nuclear fusion isn't the best option for spaceships; anti-gravity energy is. There are countless stars and planets made of hydrogen and helium in the universe, and once a civilization reaches Level-2, extracting nuclear energy in space becomes very convenient.

However, extracting anti-gravity particles and energy is much harder. Only Level-3 civilization can effectively harness anti-gravity technology for interstellar travelling. Anti-gravity weapons are also exponentially stronger. To put it in another word, an anti-gravity missile of equal mass has 10,000 times the power of an atomic bomb. Imagine that level of destruction."

Hearing Buweiro's explanation left me stunned. I used to hear about anti-gravity technology, but hadn't paid much attention to it. With that technology, a spaceship could travel through space for years. If it encountered any danger, just one anti-gravity missile would cause devastation. With enough power, it could even destroy entire planets—an incredible, terrifying force!

Suddenly, I thought of a rather serious issue and looked at Buweiro with concern. "Buweiro, from what you've explained, it seems that our human authorities refuse to acknowledge the existence of prehistoric and alien civilizations. Anyone who speaks out carelessly will be suppressed, even prominent experts or high-ranking officials. If I, as an ordinary person, go out and publish something, it might go unnoticed—but if it catches attention and reaches the ears of human authorities, wouldn't that put me in serious danger?"

"There's no need to worry about that, Brother Ji Wufan. Since we've chosen you, the Alliance will ensure your safety. If humanity chooses to ignore the messages from the Interstellar Alliance, they'll be left to their own conflicts and self-destruction. If they take it seriously but try to suppress it, that's their own doing, and we'll let things take their course. But if anyone targets you personally, the alliance will step in to protect you, and no matter who tries to harm you, we'll handle them effortlessly." Buweiro reassured me without hesitation, as if he'd anticipated this question all along.

"Oh, that's good then. With your assurance, I feel at ease. But if the alliance steps in, what method would it use? It wouldn't involve...killing, right? Please, don't use that approach." With this reassurance, I felt completely at peace; the alliance's reputation is strong and trustworthy, so I have no doubts. Still, I'd rather they avoid any violent methods.

"We are intelligent, civilized species, not evil ones, nor do we look down on weaker civilizations. Don't imagine us as bloodthirsty or ruthless. The alliance would never resort to such measures," Buweiro seemed exasperated by my question, his expression was so amusing that I almost laughed but held it in.

"Your deeply rooted ideas are based on outdated thinking. Advanced civilizations don't need such complicated methods to deal with weaker species. A single, invisible mental wave could effortlessly control a less advanced species without bloodshed. For instance, if the alliance wanted to influence someone, they could simply alter their thoughts through a chemical reaction in the Universal Energy Field. Exactly how they would change those thoughts depends on the Alliance's decision.

The Alliance and other non-member alien species have been experimenting with altering human thoughts throughout history, including in ancient times. Take three examples you know: Wang Mang from ancient China, Hitler, and Da Vinci. The Alliance's Universal Energy Field is still undetectable by current human technology."

"Wow," was all I could say, my limited vocabulary failing to capture my shock. 

Just then, my phone chimed with a WeChat message—it was from my work group. When the other alien species around saw me using my phone, they looked on with expressions of curious amusement.

After walking a bit further, we arrived at a glowing building. Buweiro told me it was a lounge prepared especially for me.

The interior of the lounge was amazing. From inside, I could see anything happening outside; even distant objects zoomed in at my mental command, appearing clearly before my eyes. If I happened to look at a beautiful alien girl—usually the girl from Atlantis—she would immediately sense it, glance back, and smile in greeting, leaving me captivated. As for the other alien girls, they didn't catch my interest.