Chapter 26: The Technological Shackles of Civilization_1

Lin Sen's voice echoed like a proclamation in the auditorium, stirring everyone present. They were emotionally charged, excited, eager...

They understood that even if the likelihood of success for this plan was a mere one percent, it was undoubtedly the greatest hope they could perceive, and worth fighting for with everything they had.

This was also the effect of Lin Sen as a Spirit Master, invisibly manipulating everyone's emotions. His tone seemed to possess a magic that unconsciously roused everyone's spirits.

Wu Yue also spoke up:

"Mr. Lin Sen is absolutely right. If the Trisolarans fear flight, we shall give them flight.

The essence of the Anti-Escape Act is indeed to maintain the stability of human society, and to concentrate all resources to build a true defensive system.

It is not to restrict all potential acts of flight, and the Deep Space Fleet included in the escape battle plan does not contravene the essence of the Anti-Escape Act.

I am willing to join the Deep Space Fleet."

Some of the military personnel below also expressed their willingness to join the Deep Space Fleet; it seemed they had stepped out of the shadow of despair, but Lin Sen would not agree just yet—they needed to stay calm for now.

Under the Trisolaran crisis, whether human civilization could survive had always been a dark cloud hanging over everyone's heart.

At this point, someone broke through the clouds to depict the scenario of the doomsday battle, seizing upon the smallest slip by the Trisolarans, delving deep, and deducing so much intelligence from the escape law.

They had even found a way to confront the Trisolarans. While it was not truly defeating them, it no longer felt like the previous perpetual state of panic.

What's there to fear about the Trisolarans, with their inferior schemes and slow development? They were born merely a few hundred million years before us, with just a slight edge in technology.

Ding Yi, Wang Miao, and the recently joined Elvan Marcus all glowed with a different light in their eyes—they were relieved now.

They were relieved that someone had opened this window of hope for them; mankind's hope was still alive. Before this, Sophons, like a heavy lock, had firmly fastened everyone's hearts, but now this lock seemed to have been opened.

The people of this era are admirable. In this desperate and forsaken world, they silently persevered and selflessly contributed. If they possessed the technology of 200 years later, they would definitely not be filled with such despair about the Trisolarans.

They would come up with countless plans to deal with the Trisolarans, but they would also never underestimate the Trisolarans' strength.

Weakness and ignorance are not obstacles to survival; arrogance is. The only exception to this saying is the people of the Common Era (those born in the era of the Common Era).

Within less than a century, Common Era People have experienced brutal wars, including two global wars, wars of independence, cold wars between superpowers, conflicts between small countries, and the international struggle for supremacy involving Ball Lightning. Their understanding of war is etched into their very marrow.

Lin Sen: "The future is sure to be full of hope, but the problems humanity currently faces are extremely grave."

Lin Sen's topic suddenly shifted, and everyone immediately realized that Lin Sen might have a new plan.

"Today is a mobilization meeting. Let's start with a lighter topic next.

When I was in college discussing the differences between Huaxia and Europe and America with friends, I jokingly said that Europe and America build barriers, while Huaxia breaks them down.

That's a joke, but it also reflects the hardships of the Huaxia nation.

We have been blocked in many technological fields. Even when we make breakthroughs in certain areas, we are restricted by the towering patent barriers.

This has made us constantly look for opportunities to overtake on the inside lane, hoping we can catch up with other countries.

Over the years, our gap with Europe and America has narrowed, and we, who grew up in weakness, have grown accustomed to these barriers.

Isn't this very similar to the situation we are facing now with the Trisolarans? The difference is the Trisolarans have set barriers for us in the microscopic domain, which seem insurmountable.

But we will not surrender. If technology isn't enough, we use design to compensate, fighting macroscopic battles with a microscopic lockdown.

Our nation has already walked this path for a hundred years. What's another 400 years?

The Trisolarans dream of locking down our technology, but that's impossible. Sophons only block our understanding of the microscopic world, just like preventing us from discovering 'Gunpowder' and stopping us from transitioning from cold weapons to firearms.

So what? We don't just have this one path. Perhaps we can make our 'swords' harder than their firearms? Our 'shields' might even be impenetrable by their 'bullets'?

Human research in macroscopic materials is far from over. Complex material systems, superconductors, polymers, and crystal microstructures… There are countless discoveries awaiting us.

The field of materials application can completely initiate the next industrial revolution. This is our chip in the fight against the Trisolaris. The absence of 'Gunpowder' won't stop us from entering the 'Steam' era, or even the 'Electric Steam' era.

There are many branches on the technology tree. As long as we're not misled by Sophons, our future holds unlimited possibilities.

Thank goodness we still have the resources of the entire Solar System. We have infinite opportunities for trial and error. In applied materials, we might even surpass the Trisolarans, with human strength within easy reach.

Maybe some wonder, even if we make unknown technological breakthroughs against the Trisolarans, won't they just learn them immediately?

As mentioned before, their resources have been depleted to the extreme. How could they use our technology? At most, they're aware of the shortcomings in our technology and adjust their combat strategies against these weaknesses.

If we managed to make them adjust for our technological weaknesses, that would be our incredible victory, showing that we're closing in on the Trisolarans' level of technology."

Lin Sen knew this was impossible. With the current level of Trisolaran technology, human technology wouldn't affect them in the slightest.

Without a breakthrough in basic theoretical physics, all achievements in applied materials are no match for real technology.

But we have infinite resources. How many 'Droplets' can the Trisolarans make? And now that there's someone who knows the attack method of The Waterdrop, is it really that threatening? In the end, will their fleet truly be stronger than our future fleet?

Everyone present understood this, but no matter what, this was still a possibility, even if it seemed more like a psychological victory.

Lin Sen wasn't speaking aimlessly about the Trisolarans' lack of resources, as it related to an important plan he had for the future.

Actually, many people misunderstand resources, thinking they can be reused. For example, steel. Once the mines are exhausted, society's scrap steel is still there. It can be reused; each cycle of Trisolaran civilization can make use of it.

That is true, but those are not real resources.

Resources take different forms in different technological ages. In the Agrarian Era, the main resource was land. In the industrial age, it was coal and oil.

In the Information Nuclear Energy Era, the main resources are U-235, Helium-3, etc. In the Interstellar Era, it might be necessary to collect various high-energy particles or antimatter in the universe.

Some say the Trisolarans can utilize solar energy, but that is the least efficient usage, barely enough for survival.

If Trisolaris weren't in the Chaotic Era, it could make use of solar energy, but surely the Trisolaran Interstellar Fleet setting out for long voyages can't use solar energy.

The resources of the Trisolaran Interstellar Fleet were determined at departure, and it's certain that Trisolaris wouldn't allocate many resources to the First Fleet.

In the original timeline where Logic established a deterrent in the negotiations, we can see that the Trisolaran First Fleet likely only retained the resources needed to reach the Solar System.

Once they divert course, they'd get lost in the stars, and in the end, Logic could only say, "Start working on it, and let the First Fleet await rescue from either the Trisolarans or the people of Earth."

After entering the industrial age, the resource requirements for different technological levels are also different. If a civilization uses up its resources without achieving a breakthrough to the next level, it will become locked in by itself, forever eliminating the possibility of a breakthrough. This is the shackle of civilization.

The development of technology in the Trisolaran world is very slow, and their resource scarcity is their thorniest problem. They count every penny they spend on resources and can't afford any waste at all.

Any plan that forces them to spend a little more resources is an effective support for the battle of doomsday.