Chapter 9: The Redemption of Civilization_1

Tyler's arrival made Logic truly understand the essence of being a Wallfacer. For four years, he had been immersed in a sea of happiness, especially with the birth of his child, causing him to forget everything about the outside world.

Lin Sen's arrival made him begin his Wallfacer work, though he was unclear on what he should do.

Undoubtedly, Tyler's presence tightened the screws on him, he knew how ignorant he had been before.

Under the Trisolaran crisis, his flippant self-wanted to shirk responsibility, taking advantage of his Wallfacer status to enjoy life for the remaining time.

Only now did he realize he couldn't decide anything, everything came at a price, the PDC would not tolerate him forever.

Soon, Logic received a notice from the United Nations Planetary Defense Council, inviting him to attend the eighty-fourth Wallfacer Project hearing (originally scheduled for the eighty-ninth Wallfacer Project hearing, half a year later).

Logic and Lin Sen were organizing some documents, which were to be announced at the Wallfacer Project hearing, the plans they had discussed together.

The discussions were all about the surface level of the plan. Lin Sen was not afraid of Sophon's surveillance. What secrets were hidden inside the surface plan, only Lin Sen knew, and all Lin Sen required was Logic's absolute trust in him.

The longer they worked together, the deeper the tacit understanding between Lin Sen and Logic grew. Even a glance from Logic could immediately reveal Lin Sen's intention, and vice versa.

After they finished, Lin Sen pulled Logic into a room with a special safe.

Lin Sen said, "Before going to the Wallfacer hearing, there's one more thing, it's about your safety, this is... vital."

"Making it so secretive, is it that important?"

"Just listen to me. I've been thinking about one thing, why the ETO wants to assassinate you.

You're actually nothing special, the Trisolarans wouldn't arbitrarily assassinate you, so what the Trisolarans deem threatening about your existence.

You can't possibly have any superpowers, the PDC's think tank is far superior to us in all aspects. The only possible truth is that you have come into contact with something that makes them see you as a threat. Think carefully... have you come into contact with any special object or intelligence?"

"Actually, there is something, it's about Professor Ye. I had a conversation with her, and I often think about the connection, but I can't figure out what the connection is."

"Hmm... I guessed it had something to do with her, that you've had contact with her! You mentioned her the last time we talked about the chain of suspicion too, Ye Wenjie is the commander of the ETO, she was the first to come into contact with the Trisolarans. Given the transparency of Trisolaran thought, it is possible that she inadvertently revealed some intelligence during their communication.

It was this inadvertently leaked intelligence that the Trisolarans considered a threat. If I'm not mistaken, that conversation you had with Ye Wenjie contains this piece of intelligence."

"I've only met her once; you mean that conversation contained some intelligence that scared the Trisolarans, making them see me as a threat, and that's why they want to kill me."

"Yes, Professor Ye didn't tell you this piece of intelligence outright, the most likely scenario is that she gave you a task or a puzzle. If you continue with this task or pursue the answer to the puzzle, then you should be able to understand what exactly is threatening to the Trisolarans! This is also why I created this special safe."

"So, what do you need me to do?"

"I need you to recall every single word of your conversation with Professor Ye, not missing a single one, then write it down and lock it in this safe. Perhaps the fate of both you and me rests on this safe!"

Lin Sen continued, "This safe was custom-made by me. It's fitted with a large amount of high explosives inside. Unless it's unlocked, it is not possible to open it. Any attempt to force it open would detonate it.

The locking mechanism uses a countdown explosive setup; it needs to receive a signal from the control end at set intervals. The control is inside this wristwatch.

This wristwatch monitors your heartbeat, if your heartbeat stops, the secrets inside the safe will be sent directly to the PDC Chairman, and the safe will unlock. That is, if you are assassinated by the ETO again, the PDC Chairman will receive the contents of the safe."

"This way, if we encounter misfortune, let the PDC unravel the puzzle that threatens the Trisolarans! This is also a safety net for human civilization!"

"Not only that, but it's also a safety net for our own lives."

"Our safety?"

"Our wits are nothing in front of the PDC. If we can decipher the puzzle left by Ye Wenjie, the PDC might do so in a day.

It's our means to save our lives. The Trisolarans should know the consequences of it being known by the PDC, and from this moment on, they should be protecting us.

Of course, the secret of the safe also cannot be given to the PDC, as not only would we lose our value, but we also cannot foresee the consequences of the PDC solving the puzzle."

"I don't care if we lose our value, becoming valueless might even be good for me, allowing me to escape the Wallfacer identity."

"A Wallfacer can never rid themselves of that identity, not even in death. No one is sure whether your death would be part of the plan.

Besides, do you really think the puzzle left by Professor Ye is simple? Something that makes a civilization afraid, do you think we can bear its cost easily?"