The First Superhuman: Rebuilding Civilization from the Moon

Watching the beautiful scenery unfold, a wonderful feeling swelled in the people’s hearts. They yearned for the blue skies, the open seas, and a real sun shining down from above.

Many excitedly discussed where they should go hiking, where they could go swimming, and what they wanted to explore. The adventurous souls simply couldn’t wait!

Humanity had never lacked curiosity and a thirst for adventure, and this spirit had been passed down to the newer generations. During the later years on Nyx, as society progressed and regulations relaxed, groups of thrill-seekers frequently ventured into the dark underground caves to explore, euphemistically calling it... "geological surveys."

This even led to a fatal accident...

Following that incident, the Federation enacted strict laws to regulate extreme sports and risky behaviors.

But the scenery on planet Digg-114 was infinitely better than the dark, gloomy depths of Nyx. The vast green ocean with its rolling waves completely eclipsed the sunless Nyx in terms of biodiversity and sheer beauty.

Many were already excitedly discussing the prospect of deep-sea exploration. Should they design a massive submarine? A specialized vessel capable of diving 10,000 meters into the ocean depths!

"We haven’t done much research on submersibles... but theoretically, it shouldn’t be too hard. We can design one ourselves," an engineer mused. "If we want a nuclear propulsion system, we might need to apply for military clearance."

"Conventional power should be enough; we just need to use some high-grade superalloys for the hull."

The tech geeks aboard the Noah were just that brilliant; building a custom submarine from scratch didn’t seem like a big deal to them.

It wasn’t just the thrill-seekers talking; the food lovers were also having lively debates. For instance, that plump, three-eyed fish looked surprisingly appetizing, as did some of the bizarre birds and aquatic plants. Was a ten-year-old alien fish chewier and more nutritious than a one-year-old one? According to some old Earth folklore, older fish were supposed to be packed with more nutrients...

Of course, no matter how much they gossiped, security remained the top priority.

This was an alien world. The complex microbial environment alone could easily wipe out an unprepared human. Were these strange creatures aggressive, highly venomous, or contaminated by radiation? Humanity didn’t know yet; long-term studies were required.

For all they knew, one of those cute, rabbit-like critters might actually be an apex predator capable of devouring a person in seconds, leaving no bones behind. Anything was possible!

And... the most pressing question remained: Where were the native inhabitants?

The satellites only showed abandoned ruins, which was definitely not normal! The potential existence of hostile, intelligent life was too great a threat; humanity had to find them.

Therefore, while the frontline operators were mesmerized by the beautiful scenery, they never let their guard down as they remotely piloted the drones.

Jason also steadied his breathing, suppressing his initial excitement.

Soon, a massive swarm of drones crossed over from the oceans toward the coastlines. Intelligent life was much more likely to develop on solid ground, and most of the ruined cities spotted by the satellites were located on the continents.

Suddenly, Jason received a secure comms link from a senior biologist stationed on the Titan-Z.

"Captain, the ocean analysis results are in!"

"What did you find?"

The signal delay was significant; a single sentence took two or three seconds to relay. This was an unavoidable flaw of standard electromagnetic communication. Humanity still hadn’t discovered a way to transmit data faster than the speed of light. Whether using lasers or radio waves, they were all bound by light speed.

The only way to bypass it would be to use a warp drive as a courier to physically transport data drives... which was currently their only method of faster-than-light travel.

The biologist replied, "Based on the telemetry from the automated submersibles, we ran chemical tests on water samples from 120 different locations. We found trace amounts of heavy metal ions, as well as complex organic molecules. We strongly suspect these are industrial pollutants left behind by an intelligent species... It’s very similar to the chemical pesticides used during Earth’s industrial age. Obviously, we don’t use those kinds of toxins anymore."

Jason frowned. "Organic compounds? Like pesticides?"

From this perspective, intelligent life truly acted like a cancer on a planet’s ecosystem...

"Also... there is a bizarre type of microscopic plankton widely distributed throughout the water. We suspect it’s a form of algae," the biologist continued. "They reproduce incredibly fast, have a very high population density, and contain chloroplast-like structures. That’s actually what gives the ocean its light green color."

"...Could it be that the entire ocean is severely polluted?" Hearing the word ’algae’, Jason instinctively thought of massive algal blooms and dead zones.

Destruction was always easier than creation. If the entire ocean had been poisoned by a primitive civilization, it would be a massive headache for the Federation. He even doubted humanity possessed the technology to filter and clean an entire planetary ocean. A terraforming project of that scale would take centuries; it might be easier to just pack up and find a pristine world.

Sensing Jason’s concerns, the expert quickly clarified. "No, no, no! This algae bloom is a completely natural phenomenon, not the result of pollution. They are an essential cornerstone of the local ecosystem, acting as primary producers."

"However, we found that their cellular structure is incredibly complex—totally different from anything on Earth! Under an optical microscope, we noticed they actually display animalistic traits. Their flagella are highly reactive, allowing them to actively swim through the water to hunt for optimal sunlight. This is completely unlike passive Earth algae!"

"We don’t understand why they move so aggressively, like paramecia, because they can photosynthesize and don’t actually need to hunt for food..."

The expert’s voice rose with excitement. "A plant with animal-like mobility! It’s a groundbreaking discovery!"

Its cellular complexity shattered their current biological models. These cells were far more advanced than terrestrial single-celled organisms. At this point, if they found a tree that could run and jump, the scientists wouldn’t even be surprised!

"This discovery alone makes our journey to this planet totally worth it."

Jason nodded, his furrowed brow slowly relaxing.

The evolutionary paths on different planets were truly wonderfully diverse. Studying these unique alien lifeforms would massively advance humanity’s genetic sciences.

He suddenly thought of the Viridians. Humanity had never actually seen one in person, and he had no idea what they looked like.

However, there was no rush to harvest biological samples. If humanity decided to settle here, they would have centuries to study the local flora and fauna.

"By the way, have you detected any lingering nuclear radiation in the oceans?" Jason asked, suddenly remembering the orbital flashes.

The expert nodded seriously on the screen. "We’ve detected elevated radiation levels in 12 distinct oceanic zones. However, Captain, the ocean is so incredibly massive that the radioactive isotopes have been highly diluted, making the immediate threat relatively low. Besides, only older, dirtier atomic weapons would leave behind this much long-term radioactive fallout..."

Having grasped the situation, Jason nodded and ended the call.

"Could this really just be a dead, ruined rock? Even the vast oceans are laced with radiation... What a waste."

As the drones pushed further inland, new reports continuously flooded the network.

An hour later, a high-speed drone finally captured close-up footage of the native civilization!

Standing right on the coastline was a massive, heavily rusted bronze statue!

At first glance, it looked remarkably similar to the old Statue of Liberty back on Earth. According to the telemetry, the statue was originally over 110 meters tall, but right now, its lower half was completely submerged by the rising sea levels.

Having been battered by saltwater for who knows how long, its features were eroded beyond recognition, its surface heavily pitted and caked in a thick layer of oxidized copper green.

Schools of marine life swam playfully around its submerged base in the shallow, sunlit waters. The ruined monuments of an intelligent species had become an artificial reef for the planet’s wildlife.

Just a few kilometers inland from the rusted colossus lay the sprawling remains of a flooded metropolis.

It was a long-abandoned, dead city.

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