416 Chapter: The Trial of Cheng Xin_1

Bi Yunfeng and the city's self-defense forces are soldiers, and their eyes became eager again. If the Solar System State were willing to stand up for them, what was there to fear?

Weide didn't immediately agree, "I can't let the curvature drive technology just fall into your hands."

"To be honest, I didn't really care much about your technology," Jiang Yu said with a smile. "I can clearly tell you, the Solar System State already has its own lightspeed spaceship!"

Excitement and gasps filled the air around them. Weide's subordinates must be among those in all of humanity who most wanted to see what lay beyond the Solar System.

Most people in the Solar System State had a strong sense of mission, knowing that their generation was preparing for the great interstellar migration. Only a very small portion would have the chance to venture to other star systems.

They weren't discouraged by this but were instead willing to burn themselves to light up the future!

They knew their mission!

But the Solar System Federation was different, rife with a mentality of complacency after settling down in the sheltered world.

In such an environment, Weide and others longed even more for the worlds beyond the Solar System.

Jiang Yu then said to Weide and the others, "You must have guessed it by now! Yes, Lisbon City is our lightspeed spaceship test base and has now been transformed into the Solar System's only interstellar harbor city!"

Weide didn't say anything further, which was tantamount to acquiescing to Jiang Yu's takeover.

Jiang Yu also breathed a sigh of relief. The resolve in Weide's eyes remained, and he was really worried that Cheng Xin might have crushed Weide.

Then Jiang Yu said to Weide, "You're an excellent intelligence officer and a great team leader, but you're not a very professional speaker."

Jiang Yu raised his voice and said, "I heard you say just now that you insisted on building a lightspeed spaceship because it's in humanity's genes to explore the unknown!

"I have to tell you, you're thinking of the universe as too simple, too understanding!

"The strike from the Dark Forest isn't just a simple matter of light particle attacks!

"When I was exchanging information with Sophon earlier, I warned you, the universe is undergoing dimension reduction, my friends! Is that something Jupiter could stop?

"Yet, you didn't take it seriously!"

Cao Bin wore a look of surprise, "Dimension reduction is really due to a Dark Forest Strike? Not a natural phenomenon in the universe?"

Bi Yunfeng bit his teeth and said resentfully, "Those bastards in the Federal Government, they've been propagating the notion that the sheltered world can withstand the strikes; they're going to get humanity killed!"

Cheng Xin looked utterly surprised; she first questioned the rationale behind dimension reduction—it was a dimension, after all! How could it possibly just be reduced?

She had always believed that the dimension reduction referred to during the tea party years ago—the one Jiang Yu mentioned to the Trisolarans—implied some indecipherable and cryptic intelligence, never imagining it referred to spatial dimension reduction!

Then Cheng Xin thought of the Four-dimensional Fragment, wavering a bit. Could it be, could it be that she had made the wrong choice again?

But she then felt it wasn't a mistake, as at least she believed she had prevented a brutal internal war among humanity.

Now, with Jiang Yu stepping in, she felt a profound sense of powerlessness because she knew she couldn't stop Jiang Yu at all.

Recalling the battle on Earth half a century ago, her heart sank into darkness once more.

At that moment, Weide said coldly, "So, we have to build the lightspeed spaceship!"

"Exactly!" Jiang Yu clapped his hands and said, "The people of the Solar System Federation always think that with the sheltered world, a lightspeed spaceship is just an optional luxury!

"They're already satisfied with the life in the sheltered world; they have no ambition whatsoever!

"Don't they ever wonder why the Dark Forest Strike has to proceed the way they imagined?"

"And now, everyone from the Solar System State knows that without a Lightspeed Spaceship, when the time comes, we won't even have the chance to flee in panic!"

Jiang Yu suddenly asked Weide, "If I'm not mistaken, you'll honor your promise to Cheng Xin and give up the research on the Curvature Spaceship, right?"

Weide was slightly taken aback but still nodded: "Before, I thought Cheng Xin represented the choice of all of humanity, and that took away my motivation to move forward.

"I originally wanted to give humanity a hope, but humanity was scared by the cost and risks in front of that hope.

"If they don't want it, what's the point of that hope?"

His tone suddenly became resolute: "But now, it's different. There might be no hope, but we can't be without survival!"

Jiang Yu took over the conversation: "Exactly! You are now fighting for survival, not for your dreams, not for your freedom!

"Even if you leave the Solar System, you will still face threats from other civilizations!

"Space has never been your playground, all of you must be prepared to sacrifice your lives at any moment!"

Hearing Jiang Yu's speech, the members of the Self-Defense Force were rubbing their hands with eagerness, even more excited!

This was greater and more thrilling than what they had thought before, wasn't it?

Seeing everyone's reaction, Jiang Yu nodded with satisfaction and then said to Cheng Xin: "It seems my name doesn't need to be written backwards anymore."

Cheng Xin suddenly recalled Sophon's hint from years ago: "The situation is different now, we've already established a sheltered world, we've already..."

As she spoke, she became less confident. The words "dimensional reduction" kept swirling in her mind. Could Jupiter really stop a strike from the Dark Forest?

Actually, aside from people like Jiang Yu, who had God's View, or people like Weide, who had a broad vision, ordinary people had a hard time believing in the concept of dimensional reduction.

Because it again exceeded human cognition, similar to the situation when someone claimed that Earth orbits around the Sun.

Jiang Yu sneered at Cheng Xin: "I once promised Yun Tianming that I would protect you from the Dark Forest Strike, and I keep my word. I won't kill you, but you will forever be unwelcome by the Solar System State.

"In the future, you will become the first person to be exiled by the human world."

Cheng Xin covered her mouth: "Tianming..."

Jiang Yu's words were like a judgment: "A long time ago, I felt some sympathy for you, thinking you were carried away by the will of the majority, and that's why you made such a harmful choice at a critical moment.

"So, I gave you a second chance. Sadly, you continued to be just as disappointing!

"But I want to make it clear to you, your crime is not because you made the wrong choice, but because you lacked the ability to make the right one and yet insisted on holding onto the right to choose.

"Remember, I am not judging the goodness in your humanity but your lack of enough responsibility, always making the most irresponsible choices!"

In the end, Jiang Yu pronounced as if delivering a verdict: "Your crime is that you don't understand the responsibility you bear, you haven't thought of the entire human race, only caring to satisfy your own ideology!"

Cheng Xin retorted: "I, I haven't! I have always..."

Jiang Yu interrupted her: "You've always believed that your choice is beneficial for humanity, right?

"You only consider the immediate crisis, have you ever thought about the future of humanity?

"Your choice of humanity! While you might be noble, have you considered the future of the entire human race?"