Chapter 72 Sophon No. 7 Monitor_1

Two months later, in a factory laboratory in Europe.

A middle-aged man with the ID First Emperor of Qin was looking at a strange-looking (heavily modified) device.

Excited, he said, "Lord, it's a success! The Quantum Photolithography Machine is a success!"

Sophon display: [It's a success, and it now has the capability to produce Quantum Chips.

Your custom mechanical processing equipment has arrived. The next task is to integrate the quantum numerical control chips with the equipment's drive modules.]

The Sophon was very cautious to prevent the First Emperor of Qin from guessing that these were for producing Quantum Robots, but this was obviously impossible.

By this stage of the plan, both parties had guessed each other's intentions.

The First Emperor of Qin guessed that the Trisolarans were planning to use the Quantum Photolithography Machine to produce Quantum Chips first, and then use the quantum numerical control mechanical processing equipment to produce Quantum Robots, whose function goes without saying.

(Lin Sen was unaware of the Smartmachines plan; he thought it was just a Quantum Robots plan, while the First Emperor of Qin deduced the Smartmachines plan through these devices.)

Once the quantum numerical control machinery is completed, the First Emperor of Qin's role will no longer be needed, and in fact, for the sake of secrecy, his end was already sealed.

But the First Emperor of Qin didn't care, as his intention was to teach the Trisolarans one final lesson.

First Emperor of Qin: "Lord, the Quantum Photolithography Machine is complete. Do you have any further plans?"

Subtitle: [Do not ask too much, we cannot tell you our plan.]

"Sophon" also often wondered whether the First Emperor of Qin had seen through anything, but it should be fine. Even if he knew the plan, it shouldn't have much impact, as the First Emperor of Qin couldn't possibly shift allegiance towards humans with this technology.

However, "Sophon" had a lingering feeling that the First Emperor of Qin had concealed something from them, but it could never quite understand what precisely had been hidden.

Given the First Emperor of Qin's background and his behavior, he didn't understand computers, much less quantum computers, which was why he was chosen to produce the first generation Smartmachines.

Just like Evans, the First Emperor of Qin also inherited a vast fortune, enabling him to meet the conditions for creating the first generation Smartmachines.

In terms of technology, "Sophon" personally guided the First Emperor of Qin step by step on how to modify the Quantum Photolithography Machine. This was also why the modification of the Photolithography Machine took four years. Even many of the drive instruction sets were redesigned and, once successfully burned, the source code was deleted.

"Sophon" was careful with every step, never explaining the specific principles, believing that the First Emperor of Qin couldn't understand it anyway.

The First Emperor of Qin also never showed any interest in exploring the principles behind Quantum Chip technology, but merely mechanically followed Sophon's instructions.

First Emperor of Qin: "Lord, your other two instructions:

One is to prepare a large amount of Aqua Regia (a mixture of concentrated hydrochloric acid and concentrated nitric acid with strong corrosiveness), and the second is to destroy (Logic's) safe.

The Aqua Regia is ready, but the security measures for that safe are too strong.

We've managed to infiltrate the outer guard ranks, but still can't get close to the core level, and thus can't destroy that safe for the time being."

Subtitle: [I understand, and I will provide assistance for this.]

The Trisolarans also understood that infiltrating the Wallfacers' Manor and destroying the safe was nearly impossible. But they had to try nonetheless, hoping that in the future, when Logic enters hibernation, the security measures for the safe will be reduced.

Although the First Emperor of Qin didn't know what was inside the safe, he also knew it posed a threat to Trisolaris; he was aware that he had no chance of acquiring this information.

However, the First Emperor of Qin saw infinite possibilities within the Quantum Chip, acknowledging that humans are indeed like serpents, and the Earth-Trisolaris Organization was no exception.

The reason humans excel at schemes is that the price paid for learning them is exceedingly heavy. If the Trisolarans wish to improve in the art of scheming, how could they do so without paying a price?

The Trisolarans' current tactics were not particularly sophisticated, even though the First Emperor of Qin felt that the "Sophon" he communicated with was far superior to other Sophons, and could even be compared to humans.

But what they essentially learned was the principles of strategy, not the application of strategy, because this required genuine judgment and execution abilities.

Over four years, the First Emperor of Qin used every available moment to thoroughly analyze and explain all human strategies and their application to the "Sophon," as if nurturing his own child.

The purpose of Aqua Regia was certainly not for etching processes, as the quantity was incorrect. There was only one possibility: after accomplishing its goal, the Sophon would destroy the Quantum Photolithography Machine.

This was something the First Emperor of Qin had anticipated long ago. The Trisolarans did not want this technology to fall into human hands, and he did not want it either. He had even made more extensive preparations.

What the "Sophon" did not know was that the First Emperor of Qin was the person within the Earth-Trisolaris Organization who had delved the deepest into quantum computer research. As long as the First Emperor of Qin knew the key processes, he could fully grasp the underlying principles of the technology passed on by the "Sophon."

For this opportunity, he had already concealed his intentions for more than thirty years, waiting for thirty years.

Ever since Evans had found him, ever since he had learned about Trisolaris, he had begun his concealment, erasing all traces of his self-taught past, all for today.

He was one of Earth-Trisolaris Organization's elders, with a status second only to Evans and Ye Wenjie.

The Earth-Trisolaris Organization was a group "alienated" from others, a cohort wanting to shout to the world through the Trisolarans.

But the First Emperor of Qin needed more than they did. By using the ID of the First Emperor of Qin, he exposed his greatest ambition: he needed to make the human governments truly see his power. His madness needed to make the whole world tremble, Trisolaris included.

However, times had changed, and thirty years had passed. Over these years, the First Emperor of Qin also pondered civilization and everything else. The more he interacted with the Trisolarans, the more he was influenced by them, and he gradually began to approve of the Trisolarans.

The ambitions of his youth had also slowly faded away. The more elevated a person's level of thought, the less they cared about the petty concerns of the immediate world.

The First Emperor of Qin nurtured his "own child" like a father, teaching it to grow.

But real growth required him to push this "child" towards the cliff himself and let the "child" flutter its own wings and fly without any "protection."

Betrayal stemmed from the most fundamental form of love.

…

The monitor behind the Sophon subtitle was none other than Sophon Monitor No. 7, an extremely intelligent Trisolaran who many times had predicted Lin Sen's intentions, but had not been taken seriously.

To No. 7, the feelings towards the First Emperor of Qin were too complex, accompanied by a sense of unease, an emotion he had never experienced before—and it seemed that no other Trisolarans had either.

He could not possibly know the First Emperor's thoughts. Dwelling on it was fruitless; No. 7 had other tasks, and operated the Sophon to leave the First Emperor of Qin.

Sophon Monitor No. 7 enjoyed this work very much and was very content with it.

He could appreciate the rich and colorful culture of the human world; everything about the human world was so enchanting to him that he wished he could die on that land.

Sophon Monitor No. 7 often wondered what Listener 1379 was feeling at the time, what epiphany he had that led him to choose not to reply to Ye Wenjie.

Did he fall in love with that civilization in an instant?

As for me, it seems I too have fallen in love with that blue planet, in love with its culture.

We once had such a culture too, but God has been so stingy with us Trisolarans. Perhaps God gave all his love to the people of Earth.

Alas...

We Trisolarans also need to survive, and survival is our only need.

Humanity... I can only say sorry, you are too dangerous. Perhaps we will inherit your culture.