This isn't just a hypothetical, it's the network's kill switch.

If miners stop, Bitcoin doesn't just get sick. It dies. Instantly.

The blockchain becomes a digital fossil. A perfect, unchangeable record of every transaction up to the exact second the last miner went offline. You could look at your wallet, but you could never spend, send, or receive a single satoshi ever again. It would be a museum piece.

So yes, it's 100% dependent on miners to live and breathe. Miners are the beating heart of the network. Without them, there's no pulse. The threat isn't bad transactions; it's the end of all transactions.