Chapter 84 No. 7's analysis_1

Mozi, Confucius, King Wen of Zhou, Newton, and Einstein... high-ranking members of the ETO were at that moment gathered in the Three-Body game, where they still lingered in extreme shock and fear.

They had considered the possibility of the First Emperor of Qin being caught, but the most they expected was the exposure of his identity. With the help of Sophons, the First Emperor of Qin should certainly be able to evade human capture.

Last time Evans had been without notification from the main, but this time, even with assistance from the main, the First Emperor of Qin was still annihilated by the Wallfacer.

The annihilation came so swiftly, completely overturning their imaginations; they were unwilling to believe that someone could achieve this extent, and it also shook their perception of the Wallfacers.

Mozi was on the verge of a mental breakdown, "All-powerful Lord, how could this have happened!"

Confucius, King Wen of Zhou, and others were in deep gloom, dispirited, having been stricken twice in such fashion, with the methods still the same.

They thought that with the aid of Sophons they could see everything in this world, but they did not expect to be under surveillance themselves; this blow somewhat deflated all their confidence.

Perhaps from the moment the First Emperor of Qin was overthrown, the ETO had, in truth, ceased to exist; the myth of the Trisolarans within the ETO had been shattered, and sometimes a belief collapses in an instant.

...

Aristotle did not enter the game; he was with colleagues, and despite the great turmoil inside, his expression remained composed, and he even joined others in cheering for this success on the surface.

But once in a private place, Aristotle asked towards the air, "Lord, can you tell me what happened? Due to what was the First Emperor of Qin exposed?"

Soon, subtitles appeared: "We too find it unbelievable; in fact, Lin Sen had known the First Emperor of Qin's address long ago, which certainly exceeded our expectations.

He had been preparing all along, only 8 minutes before the strike did we realize Lin Sen's intention, but it was already too late to notify the First Emperor of Qin."

Aristotle: "Does the main also not know how the First Emperor of Qin was exposed?"

Subtitles: "Lin Sen is terrifying; up to this point, we have not been able to discern the true reason behind the First Emperor of Qin's exposure.

His strike clearly had a precise target, not only the hiding place of the First Emperor of Qin but also the technology we passed onto him, something only the First Emperor of Qin knew about. We also have no clue how Lin Sen came to know this."

Aristotle, incredulous: "This can't be possible, utterly impossible; he can't possibly outguess the main's predictions; there must be something we're overlooking, his strategy can't possibly be that brilliant."

Subtitles: "This might be the only explanation."

Aristotle, having calmed down, concerned about his safety, asked: "Are we, the remaining ones, exposed?"

Subtitles: "Several of you high-ranking members have not been exposed; actually, we aren't even certain about that anymore. The others are likely unable to evade human capture, as they had been in contact with the First Emperor of Qin.

The First Emperor of Qin's last piece of advice was that you should go into hiding; you are no match for Lin Sen."

Aristotle: "Having witnessed his might, how could I dare to be his opponent; I will hide, but I won't abandon the Wall-breaking efforts."

Subtitles: "For the time being, we won't be in contact anymore; take care!"

...

The subtitles were in fact from No. 7, a Sophon monitoring officer; although No. 7 had betrayed the First Emperor of Qin, No. 7 too had been frightened by Lin Sen's actions. Upon analysis afterwards, Lin Sen must have targeted the First Emperor of Qin from very early on, and here No. 7 had foolishly gone to notify him.

If one were to nominate the stupidest person in Trisolaran history, it would undoubtedly be No. 7; once No. 7 had believed its own intelligence far surpassed others, but looking back now, how ludicrous that thought was.

The timing of Lin Sen's strike was also too precise; just on the cusp of success for the Sophon robot, Lin Sen chose the most appropriate moment for an unexpected attack; this... was too coincidental, it's beyond the realm of strategy.

At the same time, No. 7 also thought of something it had overlooked: Trisolarans don't believe in coincidences, and although many things about Lin Sen couldn't be analyzed, it didn't mean Trisolarans had given up analyzing.

The Science Governor is a stubborn person; if he never gave up, it would only be a matter of time before he would inspect No. 7's Sophon records; No. 7 might still be discovered.

No Trisolaran has yet realized that there might be a traitor, but that may not be the case in the future.

No. 7 felt it must analyze the true reason behind the First Emperor of Qin's exposure; how exactly was the First Emperor of Qin exposed? The vague idea it had earlier needed to be fleshed out; otherwise, there could still be danger.

Given what was already known about Lin Sen, it was impossible for him to know about the First Emperor of Qin; what intelligence, then, had he grasped?

Wait... it can't be considered with Trisolaran logic; we lack imagination and do not have an adequate understanding of correlations between events.

But is there a way to enhance comprehension of correlations? If imagination falls short, technology must compensate; the most foolish method must suffice.

"Right, elimination: first we must eliminate all the impossibilities. Whatever remains, no matter how incredible or implausible, must be the indubitable truth.

All actions leave traces, everything must be connected.

Combining the thought patterns of Trisolarans and Earthlings, first list all surface information of the First Emperor of Qin in human society, then gather all information on Lin Sen's interactions with Logic, and finally identify the intersections."

0.5 Trisolaran hours later, a document appeared before No. 7.

Hm?... Is this it?"

A single sheet of paper, it was what Lin Sen whimsically decided to look for when he wanted information on photolithography machines, requesting Kent to compile all global data on photolithography machines and their locations, among which was a résumé from Habsburg.

Next, search for parts related to Habsburg in all of Lin Sen's investigations.

0.3 Trisolaran hours later.

[Hiss… There's so much, Lin Sen has "intentionally or unintentionally" investigated Habsburg this extensively.

Lin Sen is too terrifying!

But the key question arises, how did Lin Sen deduce that First Emperor of Qin would initiate the modification of the photolithography machine? Or rather, how did Lin Sen know that we would impart quantum computing technology to First Emperor of Qin?

How could he have predicted our prediction?

What's important is that the most critical part still isn't coming full circle, Lin Sen must still have a secret!

No matter what, with this report, at least I can prevent the leader from suspecting me.]

…

Trisolaran world, the Joint Council Hall of the highest Governors.

Leader: "Eight Trisolaran hours have passed, have you analyzed the reason for First Emperor of Qin's exposure?"

Science Governor: "Sorry, we still have not been able to figure it out. There are no intersections between First Emperor of Qin and Lin Sen, not even among secondary contacts.

"First Emperor of Qin has not engaged in any behavior that would expose himself. We have utilized all the computing power of our computers, and we still can't calculate how Lin Sen locked onto the true identity of First Emperor of Qin."

Leader: "Sophon Governor!

"This blow, you bear undeniable responsibility. Lin Sen's random exercises did not get your adequate attention, and that is the main reason for the failure.

"Even Kent's installation of a Flying Blade Net for the operation's troops didn't catch your notice. You do not possess the capability to confront Lin Sen."

Sophon Governor: "I bear undeniable responsibility for this failure.

"Our losses this time exceed those of any previous affair, not only giving Earth the technology they needed most desperately but also revealing our intentions to them, which is extremely detrimental for the future war situation. I am willing to accept punishment.

"Regarding Lin Sen's actions, No. 7 Sophon surveillance personnel has information to report, I hope the leader will listen."

Leader: "Regarding your crime, we will judge after we've clearly analyzed the actual threat posed by Lin Sen. Call the No. 7 Sophon surveillance personnel to report."

No. 7 Sophon surveillance personnel: "Leader, I am analyzing the problem from the perspective of humans, in which there might be some points that defy logic and are difficult to imagine and understand.

"I will now assume the role of Lin Sen for the analysis:

"From the moment I break the Wallfacer's Dark Forest, the Trisolarans will stop at nothing to eliminate me. However, with the existence of the safes, the Trisolarans dare not kill me.

"How can Trisolarans ensure that in the final battle, they can avoid the Wallfacer triggering the Dark Forest deterrence? The best method is to destroy Logic, Lin Sen, and the safes.

"ETO cannot serve as an aid, so what are Trisolarans left with? The only option left is Sophon robots, and the key here is quantum computing.

"To create quantum robots, quantum chips are needed, which require quantum photolithography. The Trisolarans need to provide all technology, and also need the assistance of ETO.

"Then through thoroughly checking all data related to photolithography machines and cross-referencing these data, especially all key instrument transaction records over the years. At last, through verification, the identity of First Emperor of Qin is confirmed, and a precise strike is executed.

"This is the entire process of Lin Sen's investigation of First Emperor of Qin."

Showing the leaders and all Governors the complete process of Lin Sen's investigation of First Emperor of Qin, everyone finally realized just how much critical information we had overlooked.

All Sophon systems need an upgrade; the interconnectedness of these things must be incorporated into the system even though it will greatly increase the computational load.

No. 7 continued: "From these records, Lin Sen began investigating First Emperor of Qin four years ago, and he paid special attention to information regarding photolithography machines and their critical parts.

"It was this information that pinpointed First Emperor of Qin.

"That is my deduction, even though there are still logical flaws. For instance, how did Lin Sen know we were going to execute the Smartmachines plan, especially timing it so precisely?

"It barely makes sense logically, as Lin Sen does have some scientific background, so guessing that Sophons could control quantum robots is possible.

"But the timing, I don't understand how Lin Sen managed to be so precise, here's my speculation:

"He predicted our prediction!

"That's the most terrifying thing about him, First Emperor of Qin might have realized this already, and in the end, told us not to be led around by Lin Sen anymore.

"My report is complete!"