Chapter 82 Assassination in the Gloom_1

Lin Sen pointed to another middle-aged reporter: "Fourth row, sixth seat."

The middle-aged reporter asked, "I would like to know, now that we have achieved a great victory, will there be other plans announced?"

Lin Sen replied, "Because the technology we've obtained is too important for humanity, we need to wait for our experts to carry out in-depth analysis and research, to fully master and apply it.

"Here are a few directions:

"First, speed up the development of quantum computers, which is the path that the Trisolarans have laid out for us. However, we must be wary, as Sophons can operate quantum computers, and their calculations may not always be reliable.

"Actually, we do not need to worry too much about this. The biggest advantage of quantum computers is their speed of calculation; we can simply perform multiple calculations. If Sophons interfere with the computations, it will be easy for us to detect, which would mean my direction is the right one.

"We can produce a million quantum computers at any time, which Sophons cannot possibly blockade. Given the schemes of the Trisolarans, they wouldn't dare interfere.

"But be aware that quantum computers should not be networked, nor used for mechanical control. Since they can operate quantum computers, they can infiltrate our networks at any time; our networks have no secrets from them.

"Next is to apply quantum computing, superconductivity, and other technologies as soon as possible to the manufacturing of space particle accelerators, with the goal of reducing the cost of particle accelerators as much as possible.

"Finally, we must immediately start the preparatory work for the research and development of the third generation of controlled nuclear fusion.

"As for the upcoming Wallfacer projects, I can only say that our advantage has increased, and we now have even more strategies to choose from."

A blonde female reporter couldn't help asking, "Could you reveal some of those strategies?"

Immediately after speaking, she regretted it and hastily added, "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked!"

Lin Sen hesitated for a moment, then replied, "I will say just a little bit.

"During the last Wallfacer hearing, I proposed a resource exchange due to technical and Wallfacer resource limitations.

"I suggested building ten spaceships, but now that construction costs have greatly reduced, we can build more with the originally allocated resources.

"The specific number will be discussed later with the PDC.

"Actually, there's another purpose for building particle accelerator spaceships, one that we've previously overlooked.

"Wallfacers may face a threat to their lives, based on a speculated possibility."

The previously surprised middle-aged reporter said, "As long as we take serious precautions, the ETO won't have the chance to threaten the Wallfacers. Their strength should be greatly diminished after this blow. Do they have other means?"

Lin Sen affirmed, "Yes, they still have forces on Earth, Sophons.

"Many experts here are from the Science Advisory Group. I want to ask, if ten Sophons were lined up in a row, could they strike and destroy key gene fragments and critical proteins in human cells?

"They could prevent key genes from expressing and critical proteins from functioning, possibly even turning them into highly toxic substances.

"It wouldn't have much impact in the short term, but over time, it would certainly destroy the human body and is thus an untraceable assassination method."

Upon hearing this, the entire room went into an uproar, and several scholars from the Science Advisory Group stood up.

A member of the Science Advisory Group responded, "If there are ten Sophons in a row continuously impacting the vital protein molecules in human cells, they could indeed cause irreversible damage to the body.

"It means they could kill us, and since Sophons travel at the speed of light, the estimated time to kill a human body would be only about half a month."

Lin Sen asked, "What about the destructive power of a single Sophon on a human body?"

The Science Advisory Group replied, "A single Sophon would have a difficult time killing a human since many cells in the body have self-repair and renewal capabilities. However, Sophons could also trigger mutations in some cells leading to cancer, which our immune system would then address.

"But in the long run, it will definitely cause significant harm to the body. We estimate that this could happen within eight to ten years."

Lin Sen continued, "The Trisolarans might use Sophons for assassination, but that is just a guess. However, we shouldn't exclude the possibility.

"Before, they did not use single Sophons for assassination because it was inefficient, and Sophons have a lot of monitoring duties. Earth doesn't have many Sophons yet, and wasting ten years of a Sophon's time to assassinate one person is not cost-effective.

"If they consider the threat of the Wallfacers significant enough, substantial enough to warrant them spending vast resources to build more Sophons to send to Earth, sparing no expense to kill the Wallfacers, we would have almost no way to prevent it."

A reporter asked, "Is there a way to ensure the safety of the Wallfacers?"

The Science Advisory Group answered, "There is no way to guarantee safety. A Sophon is merely a hydrogen atomic nucleus. The key is that it can enter any place from a higher dimension; current theory cannot deter or stop it."

Lin Sen said, "We have almost no way to stop such assassinations, but we still have ways to try and avoid them.

"Now that we have quantum computers and accompanying technologies, all the technology needed to build a particle accelerator should be able to make breakthroughs, a process that needs to be accelerated.

"Its construction speed will also be much faster, and we can use modular production for the components of the particle accelerator, transporting them to space through space elevators for assembly.

"The energy for the particle accelerator will be supplied by third-generation controlled nuclear fusion. I believe that with the quantum computer, Dr. Ding Yi will quickly complete the theoretical model, and at the same time, Rey Diaz needs to swiftly establish the Moon Base and the collection of lunar resources, as we need a large amount of helium-3 resources.

"We can assemble a particle accelerator spaceship and navigate to the outer edges of the Solar System. Their Sophons must follow, and a round trip for a Sophon to the Kuiper Belt takes eight hours, so they can only dispatch more Sophons from their home star.

"Although we don't know if this method can effectively curb Sophon assassinations, it's the most likely solution we currently have.

"Despite all this being conjecture, I ask that the PDC and the Science Advisory Board seriously consider the necessity of building an accelerator spaceship."

The Science Advisory Board responded, "Your analysis is correct, but this still can't prevent Sophons from assassinating the Wallfacers. We also cannot complete construction of the particle accelerator spaceship quickly, and even if we succeed, they can still assassinate the Wallfacers. No one knows how many Sophons are currently on Earth."

Lin Sen added, "Yes, but we also need to consider this logically. What we're actually lacking is intelligence.

"It's irrelevant whether Sophons intend to assassinate Wallfacers. The premise is that Sophons have the ability to assassinate Wallfacers.

"We know that a particle accelerator spaceship can't prevent Sophon assassinations—that is certain.

"What we don't know yet is how much the particle accelerator spaceship project will impact Trisolaris, or whether Trisolaris can build Sophons faster than we can build a particle accelerator spaceship.

"Logic's final plan is to build a particle accelerator spaceship to break the Sophon blockade. If Sophons assassinate the Wallfacer Logic, then we'll know that a particle accelerator spaceship is indeed a real threat to Trisolaris.

"If they don't assassinate, we won't be able to judge. Because as I speak to you, the plan has been made public, which is to say, we've informed the Trisolarans. Trisolaris might refrain from assassinating to prevent us from analyzing the intelligence. Not assassinating might also mean that the particle accelerator spaceship does not pose a threat to them."