The knight in the big world of American TV series

Chapter 2333

Chapter 2333

Otherwise, do you think Kay and Thor could have escaped from Indiger so easily?

Yes, the Pantheon is indeed quite weak. Their gods have fallen to the extreme, but that doesn't mean the Pantheon is truly powerless. On the contrary, in this dark universe, without power, one simply cannot survive!

In Liu Cixin's Three-Body Problem, there is a description of the universe called the "Dark Forest".

Its basic premise is that the development of civilizations in the universe is a state of "dark forest" competition. In this competitive state, each civilization tries to protect itself while also trying to destroy other civilizations.

The Dark Forest theory originated from the science fiction novel *The Three-Body Problem*. In the novel's plot, the contact and conflict between Earth and the Trisolaran civilization are depicted as a competitive state within a dark forest in the universe. The Dark Forest is a fictional cosmological model, similar to a forest on Earth, composed of countless civilizations, each like a tree in the forest, constantly competing for its own survival and development. In this competitive state, each civilization is unaware of the strength and intentions of other civilizations, and therefore can only adopt cautious strategies to protect itself while simultaneously attempting to destroy other civilizations to avoid being threatened. Therefore, the Dark Forest theory posits that in this competitive state of civilizations in the universe, every civilization is a potential enemy, and any signal transmitted can be interpreted as a threat by other civilizations; thus, the development of civilizations in the universe is a "never-ending war."

Numerous unknown civilizations exist in the universe. In the Dark Forest Theory, the universe is an unknown world containing numerous planets and civilizations, potentially possessing diverse technologies and cultures. Each civilization is a potential enemy because they could pose a threat to others. In the universe, any signal transmission could be interpreted as a threat by other civilizations; therefore, each civilization needs to adopt cautious strategies to protect itself. Concealment is the best protection. This is a crucial principle in the Dark Forest Theory. The Dark Forest is a world without rules, beliefs, or culture, where people need to protect their own survival interests. In such a world, the best protection is to conceal oneself, not reveal one's existence, and avoid being detected by other civilizations' detectors, thus preventing unnecessary trouble.

People are willing to believe in the Dark Forest Theory for two main reasons. Firstly, it's based on a profound insight: other civilizations in the universe may be more powerful and advanced than us; we don't know if they exist or what their intentions are. This insight evokes a fear and unease about the unknown, and when unable to grasp this unknown factor, people tend to adopt a conservative and cautious strategy. This is a significant reason why the Dark Forest Theory has gained acceptance.

On the other hand, the Dark Forest Theory is also a simple and intuitive viewpoint. Through an interesting metaphor, it views civilizations in the universe as animals in a forest, each striving to protect itself while remaining vigilant against potential threats from other civilizations. This metaphor makes the logic of the Dark Forest Theory easier to understand and thus more readily disseminated and accepted. Furthermore, the Dark Forest Theory has been adopted by some science fiction novels and films, such as Liu Cixin's *The Three-Body Problem* series, which borrows its ideas when depicting humanity's encounter with extraterrestrial civilizations, further solidifying this viewpoint. In general, people are willing to believe in the Dark Forest Theory because it possesses both scientific basis and profound philosophical insight, while also being highly intuitive and easily understood, thus enabling its widespread acceptance and dissemination. Although there are no direct real-world examples of the Dark Forest Theory, certain historical events demonstrate that mutual suspicion, defensiveness, and aggression do indeed exist among humans.

Taking the relationship between Europeans and Native Americans as an example, Europeans often used deception, oppression, and massacres during their colonization and expansion to achieve control and occupation. In this context, the resistance of the Native Americans was also quite fierce; they had to resort to various means to protect their people and culture, such as hiding, evading, and fighting back.

Similarly, in modern society, mutual suspicion and confrontation exist between different countries. Intelligence warfare, economic warfare, and arms races between nations all embody the concept of the Dark Forest Theory. Furthermore, competition and conflicts of interest between individuals present similar situations; while not entirely a dark forest, they still involve information asymmetry, mutual suspicion, and behaviors of attack and defense. Therefore, although there are no direct real-world examples to prove the existence of the Dark Forest Theory, we can see from history and reality that mutual suspicion and defensiveness do indeed exist among humankind.

This universe isn't as bizarre as the Three-Body universe... Just look at those god-level civilizations in the Three-Body universe, each one more exaggerated than the last.

The Trisolaran civilization is actually a small calamity, just like the Earth civilization, only able to play the role of a child.

The next few are the heavyweights.

The Singer civilization, famous for its "dimensional reduction attack" meme, is a prime example of their prowess. However, the Singer civilization itself is facing an existential crisis. They are engaged in a fierce interstellar war with enemies known as the "Ring Worlds," and as the tide of battle turns, the initiative shifts to the defensive, with the situation increasingly unfavorable to the Singer's "mother world." Realizing that conventional warfare is no longer a viable path to victory, the "mother world" begins preparations for "complete two-dimensionalization"—essentially sending itself and all the three-dimensional universes it can reach into a two-dimensional universe to eliminate all enemies unable to survive there. The Singer's "mother world," being a virtual civilization, is capable of surviving in a two-dimensional universe after modification, while their enemies, the "Ring Worlds," may not be.

To be able to reduce oneself from three dimensions to two dimensions... This kind of thing is unheard of in this universe.

The two-dimensional foil, their signature weapon, served as a cleansing tool for the Singer civilization. It compressed three-dimensional space into a two-dimensional plane using an encapsulating force field. When it came into contact with the solar system, the entire galaxy began an irreversible two-dimensional transformation, flattening all matter into an exquisite "Van Gogh's Starry Night." The terrifying aspect of this weapon lies in its indiscriminate nature—regardless of civilization's level, once locked on, it faces certain annihilation. The misuse of the two-dimensional foil caused the entire universe to collapse into two dimensions, forcing some civilizations to voluntarily transform into two-dimensional life forms in order to survive.

As for those who have returned to zero, they are even more significant.

They believe that the eleven dimensions of the universe are cyclical, like the hands of a clock that turn 12 and then start again from 0. Therefore, in order to solve the problem of the collapse of the higher-dimensional universe caused by the frequent use of dimensional reduction weapons, their goal is to reduce the entire universe to zero dimensions (hence the name "Zero-Returners") and then reduce it to ten dimensions, so that the universe can rise back to a higher dimension, thereby restarting the universe.

That's right, they can reboot the universe!

And then there's that unnamed god-like civilization that can manipulate mathematical laws as weapons!

When mathematical laws are used as weapons, the mathematical laws of the universe will be altered, for example, rendering the Pythagorean theorem invalid or creating unpredictable chaotic systems. Such weapons directly attack the cognitive foundations of civilization, rendering any scientific calculations meaningless. If a civilization's spacetime is continuously disturbed by high-intensity gravitational waves, its measurement accuracy will be compromised, leading to failed spacecraft construction or stagnant technological development—essentially no different from a dark abyss.

Although this universe isn't as dark as the Three-Body Problem, it's not much better either.

As mentioned above, Europeans and Native Americans are the same.

When a highly developed civilization encounters a less developed civilization, its first reaction is usually not one of goodwill.

Plunder and aggression were the dominant practices.

Although there are all kinds of life forms and civilizations in the universe.

But the essence of life is the same for everyone.

Because of the need for survival and existence, desire becomes one of the most primal instincts of all animals in the world, an essential driving force for all. From a human perspective, desire arises from human nature; it is the desire to achieve a certain goal, a yearning that extends from the mind to the body, leading to satisfaction. Typically, a person's life is driven by sexual desire, eroticism, or lust between men and women. After sexual intercourse, a fertilized egg is created, develops, and is born, forming a human being, with some exceptions. Therefore, it can be said that humans are products driven by sexual desire, which accompanies them throughout their lives. New life is the development and continuation of this desire, one of humanity's innate instincts. As a fetus, a human lives carefree and without worries in the womb, with the mother being the provider of their entire life. In the womb, humans have an absolute sense of security and a strong sense of belonging to the mother. At the moment the umbilical cord is cut and the fetus is separated from the mother, the cold and unfamiliar environment instills deep fear in the fetus. A baby cries upon birth; the desire to return to the womb begins at this moment. The search for that sense of security and belonging found in the womb permeates the entirety of human life. In reality, some people work tirelessly to earn money, save money, buy houses, and buy land in search of security. Believers and supporters of various religions are obviously seeking a sense of belonging. More subtly, starting a family and building a career also seeks a sense of belonging, essentially a way to avoid feeling lonely and adrift in the world. Security and belonging are the primal driving forces behind all human behavior.

Once existing desires are satisfied, new desires immediately arise within the body. The phrase "insatiable greed" describes desires as being like a deep valley, difficult to fill. Human desires are diverse, with survival needs and enjoyment needs forming a complex structure of needs. Desires constantly proliferate as human living conditions and social environments change. The more developed the economy and the more advanced the society, the more numerous and varied desires emerge, making the desire pool perpetually insatiable.

Take food, for example.

The saying goes, "Food and sex are the greatest desires of humankind." Regarding "food," humanity's initial appetite was simply for survival. As society developed, the desire expanded beyond simply being full; it evolved to include exquisite cuisine, with meticulous attention to detail and refined preparation. In modern times, food not only demands refinement, excellent color, aroma, and taste, but also nutritional value and, ideally, medicinal benefits. The food we consume must not only provide novelty and stimulation but also satisfy personal vanity and even perverse tastes. When meats like chicken, fish, duck, and pork become commonplace, we eat beef, lamb, dog, and donkey meat. When these become tiresome, we crave rare delicacies and seek out exotic wild animals. We consume monkey brains, human fetuses, bats, civets, and pangolins—it seems there's nothing we can't eat.

Human desires will not decrease, nor will they disappear, and they will never be satisfied. Humans need to satisfy their basic needs for clothing, food, shelter, transportation, and sex, as well as enjoyment, respect, recognition, and the pursuit of happiness, joy, freedom, and so on.

Whether material or spiritual, needs are endless and ever-present. Greed makes people insatiable, like fueling a fire. Desire is the manifestation of vitality and the driving force of struggle.

Although life in the universe is diverse, the underlying logic of life does not change.

The essence of life is survival and reproduction.

All other desires are a continuation of these two. As long as life has the need to survive and reproduce, desires will inevitably arise!

Where there is desire, there will naturally be struggle.

Therefore, the Pantheon's ability to develop peacefully for ten thousand years must indicate that it possesses considerable strength. Otherwise, it would have been destroyed long ago!

However, they are rather timid when it doesn't involve their survival.

They are content with their current sphere of influence and have no desire to expand it.

Other civilizations have little interest in their peripheral worlds, after all, the Pantheon is still very powerful. Nobody is that stupid to go against the Pantheon for worlds that don't offer much benefit!

It's quite obvious that Thor and Caesar were able to escape; Zeus let them pass!

Zeus wanted Thor and Caesar to fight Gorgon to the death!

Fearing that the two might not be able to win, he lent his Thunderbolt to Thor in a rather bizarre way.

So when Zeus sensed that his thunderbolts had been disrupted, he immediately understood what was going on.

So he decisively drew upon the power of lightning and bestowed it upon Thor.

This was largely thanks to Thor being the god of thunder, whose compatibility with Zeus was extremely high; otherwise, an ordinary person might not have been able to withstand it.

As for the destruction of the thunderbolts, does Zeus feel any remorse?

Of course it hurts.

But it's not a big problem.

First of all, Zeus's thunderbolt is an object that exists between reality and illusion. It looks like a weapon shaped like a lightning bolt, but it is actually a real bolt of lightning!

Since it is not a real physical substance, it is naturally not afraid of so-called damage.

Secondly, Zeus's thunderbolts were forged for him by three Cyclopes, and those three are still alive today!

It's broken, but it can be fixed!

It's nothing serious!