"Your question is difficult to answer. Technological development doesn't have clear metrics, and various technologies are updated daily. Cen Yemeng shifted the topic, but I can explain a concept called regional technological disparity."
"Regional technological disparity?" Jiang Ye chewed on the words.
"Regional technological disparity refers to the vast gap in technological levels between planets of different developmental stages. The gap is so immense that they don't belong to the same era, and their modes of life have no similarities," Cen Yemeng said. "I've studied some ancient history; this term can be explained using phenomena from your era."
"I'm eager to hear it," Jiang Ye said.
"For example, in the early 21st century on Earth, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council possessed nuclear weapons, had advanced medical techniques and economic models, could perform heart transplants, and opened stock and futures markets. However, in small tribes in the South American rainforest, indigenous people were still hunting with bows and spears, relied on shamanic dances for healing, and used small shells as currency for trade. There was a severe regional technological disparity between the five permanent members and the South American rainforest. The people of these two groups did not live in the same era."
Jiang Ye nodded. "With your explanation, I understand completely. Technological levels have always had regional differences, but now that we've entered the interstellar era, this difference has been amplified across various planets, right?"
"Precisely," Cen Yemeng's delicate fingers gently caressed his face.
"Then I'd like to ask, to what extent has the technology of the planet with the highest known technological level developed?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Unknown."
"Unknown?"
"Yes, this brings up another term: information barrier. I can use an example from your era to explain it."
"Oh?"
"For instance, you are an Earthling from the 21st century, hailing from a poor and backward small village in East Africa, uneducated, and can only speak simple English," Cen Yemeng began her description.
"My name is Jiang Ye, nice to meet you! How are you?" Jiang Ye quickly adopted the role.
Cen Yemeng chuckled and continued, "You want to know how advanced the technologically advanced regions of Earth are. You plan to travel by plane, but you find there's no airport within hundreds of miles, making it impossible to go. That's how an information barrier arises."
"But now we have wormholes; traveling isn't difficult, is it?" Jiang Ye inquired.
"Wormholes require jump gates, and jump gates are extremely expensive to build. Not every region had airports and airlines in your era, did they?"
"What if there was an airport?"
"You are a poor, backward villager; you can't afford the airfare."
"What if our village collectively pleaded, everyone sold a kidney, and we pooled all our resources to buy me a ticket?" Jiang Ye pressed relentlessly. "This is entirely possible because if I brought back even a little technology, it could change our impoverished village."
"Alright, suppose you got a ticket and flew to China," Cen Yemeng said. "You get off the plane, unfamiliar with the place, and can't speak the language. You struggle at every step, and in the end, you can only become a beggar under a flyover. The information barrier arises again."
"I know Chinese, and I'm smart. I borrowed Chinese textbooks from the village library and taught myself!" Jiang Ye bluffed through gritted teeth.
"Fine, you know Chinese, and you have the travel expenses donated by your villagers who sold their kidneys. So, you search and search until you reach the entrance of the Chinese Academy of Sciences," Cen Yemeng said. "The guard stops you from entering; you don't have a pass. The information barrier arises again."
"What if I bribe the guard, and he warmly welcomes me?"
"You're really good at making things up, aren't you? Always cheating, right?" Cen Yemeng was amused again. "Then let's assume you bribe your way through and enter the archives. You find tens of thousands of boxes of files on the latest research projects. You couldn't finish reading them in a lifetime. Even if you wanted to read just a bit, you open a file box, and it's empty. Inside is the theory of spaceplanes, filled with dense mathematical symbols, and it's encrypted. It's dazzling, and you can't understand a single page. The information barrier is still there."
Jiang Ye was speechless. This time, he couldn't cheat. If he claimed he could understand it, then the East African village would become the technological apex.
"Therefore, knowledge and wisdom cannot be stolen, nor can they even be seen," Cen Yemeng concluded. "Different civilizations in the universe have different species, different modes of thinking, different information carriers, different technological tree directions, and military means deliberately conceal information. It's almost impossible for them to know each other's technological levels."
"Then, is there a Dark Forest?" Jiang Ye suddenly became spirited.
"Dark Forest?" Cen Yemeng was very confused.
"That is, the chain of suspicion and technological explosion. Do these things exist?" Jiang Ye stared at her intently.
Cen Yemeng was even more bewildered; she hadn't heard of these ancient terms.
Jiang Ye spent a few minutes explaining the Dark Forest theory to her.
Cen Yemeng's expression was subtle. "This is the first time I've heard of such a peculiar theory. It seems to make some sense, but it only applies to civilizations of equal standing."
"What do you mean?" Jiang Ye blinked.
"For example, we are currently at war with the Mir people, and it's due to the chain of suspicion. The Mir people, like humans, are a medium-level civilization. They are not members of the Galactic Empire, and they are very close to us, so we both want to eliminate the other as soon as possible to prevent future trouble. The war on the front lines is very intense," Cen Yemeng said.
"However, advanced civilizations do not develop a chain of suspicion towards lower-level civilizations. Your claim that observation is impossible or that they are wary due to distance does not exist," Cen Yemeng paused slightly and gave an example. "Are you worried about a technological explosion in the ant nest on the street corner?"
"No, no worries." Jiang Ye suddenly understood something.
"That's the principle. The vast gap between different species in the universe cannot be bridged by time. If you give ants ten thousand years, they still won't be able to build a rocket. If we strive for ten thousand years, we still can't pose a threat to some high-intelligence races in the universe," Cen Yemeng said. "This is why we joined the Galactic Empire. If we join, we can still benefit from higher civilizations. If we don't join, we are just an ant nest. This is somewhat like dogs relying on humans."
"Alas!" Jiang Ye sighed deeply.
He hadn't expected that after so many years, human civilization would become like dogs.
When he was young, before he had contact with aliens, Earthlings' cosmic mentality was basically one of supreme arrogance.
"You don't need to feel bad. Aren't dogs humanity's most loyal friends?" Cen Yemeng said, explaining gently. "The Galactic Empire has tens of thousands of member races, classified into super-civilizations, advanced civilizations, medium civilizations, and low-level civilizations based on their development and potential. We belong to the medium civilizations. This tier has the most races and is the core strength; wars and frontier expansion rely on us."
Jiang Ye stared at the ceiling, silent for a long time, then suddenly said, "I'm leaving the day after tomorrow."
Cen Yemeng was startled and reached out to cup his face. "Must you leave? I wish you would stay with me."
"I have to go. Hundreds of people on the colony depend on me for survival," Jiang Ye looked at her, his tone filled with melancholy. "If I leave this time, I don't know when I can come back to see you."
"Will it be ten years?" Cen Yemeng frowned, her face full of sadness.
"Ten years? That's damn too long! It won't be that long, I estimate at most a year or a half, maybe a few months if it's quick," Jiang Ye said.
Cen Yemeng chuckled. "You sound like we're parting forever, but it's just a long business trip."
"I'll wait for you. Come back and find me soon," she said suddenly, her expression serious.
Jiang Ye's heart stirred. They had only known each other for two days, yet it felt like they had been lovers for years.
Two days passed in a flash.
Cen Yemeng saw Jiang Ye off at the rocket launch site.
Li Nannan was waiting outside the launch site and witnessed Jiang Ye embracing a beautiful woman. The woman was in tears, and they bid a reluctant farewell.
Jiang Ye stood at the entrance, gazing at the beautiful woman's spaceship as it departed until it disappeared. Then, he turned to walk towards Li Nannan.
"Chief! I'm ready to go back," he said.
"Holy crap, you can do it!" Li Nannan was shocked as she handed him the rocket ticket, patting his shoulder vigorously. "You've only been here a few days, and you've already hooked up with such a stunner? I never thought you were such a talent!"
"Alas, don't mention it. I promised her I'd be back within half a year," Jiang Ye took the ticket, his face filled with sorrow. "After returning to the colony, I'll have to work my fingers to the bone to build a rocket launch site."
"Alright, I wish you success. The rocket launches in five minutes, run," Li Nannan smiled.
Jiang Ye froze, grabbed his suitcase, and sprinted like a madman.
Half a minute before launch, he finally reached his rocket cabin.
A few days later, he successfully returned and arrived at the base vehicle he had been away from for a long time.
Looking at the entire small town through the car window, it was the familiar scene from before he left. In a daze, he felt as if the week he spent on the nodal star was like a dream.