Chapter 288: Stop!_1

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Humanity is extremely vulnerable in space, even with the grand Jupiter Civilization Circle constructed, humans can still feel their insignificance amidst the cosmos.

Now, what Jiang Yu and Number Three can see, those magnificent steel cities are nowhere in sight; even the massive moons of Jupiter dare not show off under the starry sky, honestly hiding in darkness, revealing themselves only occasionally.

It's eerily quiet all around, as if only Jiang Yu's breathing remains in his helmet, Number Three doesn't breathe, and there's not even another breathing sound over the communicator.

Jiang Yu sighed, "Humans, er, or rather I, am still not adapted to the environment of space.

"It's too vast, so vast that it makes my heart flutter."

Both of them had micro-jet thrusters on their backs, connected by a rope, with Number Three leading the way; they rapidly moved away from their fighter jet.

In space, there are paths everywhere, yet there has never been one.

They were merely approaching one direction and distancing from another.

Number Three said, "That is why humans need to rely on those tools to make themselves less thin-looking in space."

Jiang Yu watched the white mist expelled from the thruster on Number Three's back: "Damn it, damn it! Clearly, we are still not prepared to face space.

"Yet now we must use our fragile bodies to explore space."

In the distance, a brief flash of light appeared; Jiang Yu quickly checked his portable computer.

The position of the light was that of a plane he was operating.

The search for the Waterdrop by Number Three had already begun.

But the vastness of space had become Jiang Yu's best cover.

Without Sophon serving as the eyes of Number Three's Waterdrop, even this piece of art of killing that was a technological level higher than humanity was a bit at a loss for a while.

However, Jiang Yu estimated that the Waterdrop likely had other surveillance methods and would soon be able to locate him.

At this point, Jiang Yu was also a bit nervous, but he ultimately chose to trust Logic and concentrated on operating the micro-jet thrusters to flee.

Another red light came from the distance, the two planes Jiang Yu was controlling to attract the attention of Number Three's Waterdrop and act as decoys had been destroyed by the Waterdrop.

The efficiency of Number Three's Waterdrop was even higher than Jiang Yu had anticipated!

...

Logic dug earnestly and meticulously; he knew that Sophon must be quietly watching him.

This was a performance, but he had to act authentically, making the audience understand his resolve to die.

Logic felt he was fully into his role; if he couldn't deter the Trisolarans next, he would genuinely kill himself.

He was already tired from the years; he indeed wished to lie down in a grave and rest completely.

Finally, Logic exhausted all his strength, unable to dig any further.

He looked at the shallow pit he had dug; as a grave, it seemed too shallow, but that was all he could do.

Logic struggled to stand up straight; by now he was extremely weak, like a candle wick burned to its end, consuming itself.

He knew it was time.

Logic raised his right hand, tidied his disheveled hair, then took out a fully charged laser handgun from his pocket and pressed it against his heart.

Then, the showdown between Earth civilization and Trisolaran Civilization began!

"I want to speak to the Trisolaran World!"

Under the dim night sky, silence reigned.

The world was still asleep, unaware that it had been used as a stake in a high-stakes wager, placed upon the cosmic gambling table.

...

Jiang Yu watched as a streak of light, with the swiftness of lightning, collided with and destroyed the plane he and Number Three had just boarded.

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Neither of them could see the plane being struck... In fact, the plane was so small that it was already melted into liquid metal by the high-temperature halo at the tail of Waterdrop Number Three before it even collided with it.

What Jiang Yu and Number Three saw as a faint red glow was the light emitted from the melted plane.

Number Three was desperately trying to operate the micro thrusters, but this was the best speed it could get: "We should have escaped in the J75!"

"Have you forgotten?" Jiang Yu said with a bitter smile, "I tried half a month ago.

"I'm probably not cut out to be a pilot in this lifetime. Just one acceleration in the J75 almost made me vomit my bile."

Only then did Number Three remember this episode. Jiang Yu had been preparing for this day long ago, but: "Didn't you say you wanted to fight three hundred rounds with Waterdrop Number Three?

"Just fight like that?"

Jiang Yu smiled, "That was said for the Trisolarans to hear, you took it seriously!"

Like a streak of light, Waterdrop Number Three flashed by in their peripheral vision, and Jiang Yu clearly felt that it had discovered them.

This feeling was highly subjective, but Jiang Yu was absolutely sure about his sixth sense.

Without hesitation, Jiang Yu unfastened the rope between him and Number Three, and just as he was about to throw away the carabiner, Number Three had already grabbed Jiang Yu's arm first: "I knew it, you would push me away!"

Jiang Yu sighed helplessly, "There's no need for you to stay and be buried here with me, dying like this is meaningless."

Number Three smiled faintly, "I'm not as smart as Thirty-Six, nor as skillful as Jiang Shiliu, my only strength is my tough luck.

"You don't know, the pain of growing into a ball of flesh all over my body, and for a long time, that feeling was the main character of my nightmares.

"Until I was by your side, I felt like I was living like a person.

"Two hundred years, I've lived enough!"

Jiang Yu fell silent for a few seconds before saying, "Nonsense, who feels they've lived enough, I still want to fight all the way to the Three-Body Star System and wipe them out completely!

"There's still a way, even if Waterdrop Number Three is capable of sharp turns, it needs time to turn.

"In a moment, we'll try hard to push each other, and try to push the other out of the trajectory of Waterdrop Number Three!"

Number Three was slightly stunned, "Even if we could succeed, we'd at most live only a few more seconds, maybe even just a few seconds!"

"Heh heh!" Jiang Yu let out a sinister laugh, "Perhaps there's a way out in those few seconds!"

In his line of sight, Jiang Yu seemed to see the light that was rushing madly towards him, "Get ready! I'll count to three, then we push hard, three... two..."

...

Logic lifted his wrist, showing something the size of a wristwatch on his wrist, "You must remember the affair of Wallfacer Rediaz two centuries ago, so you definitely know what the Cradle System is.

"The signal emitted by this monitor can reach the 3,614 nuclear bombs deployed in the Solar System's orbit as part of the Snow Project, through the links of the Cradle System.

"These nuclear bombs are carefully positioned, and I've just completed the final deployment before leaving home.

"If I die, all the bombs will detonate, and the nuclear explosions will form around the Sun a cloud of 3,614 groups of interstellar dust, due to the action of the film material.

"From a distance, the Sun will flicker in visible light and other high-frequency bands behind the clouds of dust.

"The flickering will send out three simple patterns, similar to the three I sent two centuries ago.

"But unlike that time, what will be sent this time is the relative positions of the Trisolaran World and the thirty surrounding stars.

"Now, I will make my heart stop beating, and at the same time, I will become the greatest criminal in the history of both worlds.

"For the crimes I have committed, I deeply apologize to both civilizations, but I will not repent, as this is the only choice.

"I know Sophon is nearby, but you never respond to humanity's call; silence is the ultimate scorn, and we've endured this scorn for two centuries.

"Now, if you wish, you can keep your silence; I'm giving you thirty seconds."

Only a dozen seconds had passed when two letters appeared before Logic: Stop!