Chapter 97: Receiving the Stamping Machine_1

Mr. Lin Sen watched Hines for a while and said, "Mr. Hines, you are a qualified Wallfacer, I cannot see through you."

Then, Lin Sen turned toward Keiko Yamasuki and, staring into her eyes, asked, "How many Thoughtcontrol machines have you made in total? Two, three, four, five, six... So it was five."

Lin Sen said to Hines, "Mr. Hines, I hope you can cooperate in handing over the five Thoughtcontrol machines."

Hines: "You're truly a devil, I will not hand them over to you."

Lin Sen: "Mr. Hines, I know the Thoughtcontrol machines are important to you, but their effect isn't necessarily limited to your possession. Trust me, my heart is with you, and they will serve their purpose just as well in my hands.

Perhaps you don't believe me, but I almost did the exact opposite of what you did."

Hines looked down at Lin Sen, who also nodded in affirmation. Hines understood, Lin Sen had guessed his plan—the inevitable defeat of humanity. Hines modified the Thoughtcontrol to change 'humanity is bound to win' to 'humanity is bound to lose', a positive to a negative in the code, undetected by the Sophons, yet discovered by Lin Sen.

"I almost did the exact opposite of what you did." meant to tell Hines, "I too believe that humanity should flee," the same words he had said to Wu Yue in the original timeline, a staunch defeatist.

Hines: "Fine, I'll hand over all five Thoughtcontrol machines to you, I hope you will make good use of them."

Lin Sen: "I will, I will place them where they ought to be, in line with your expectations. But what you need to consider now is your Wallfacer project, as you are the Wallfacer closest to the Wallbreakers."

Lin Sen once again assured Hines, while his last sentence outwardly seemed to question whether Keiko Yamasuki had influenced Hines's plans, it was really to inform Hines that he would take responsibility for the Thoughtcontrol, but Hines still remained a Wallfacer, and he needed to have a Wallfacer project, even if it was just a façade.

Keiko Yamasuki knew her fate was sealed and, in a last desperate attempt, said to Hines, "Can you answer one last question for me? This is my final request!"

Hines: "Go ahead."

Keiko Yamasuki: "You know better than anyone that, in the foreseeable future, it's impossible for human technology to evolve the human brain tens of thousands of years. As the discoverer of the quantum brain mechanisms, you're aware that research on the mind must enter the quantum level. You must know that with the Sophon lockdown, this is a dead end, so what was the purpose of your research?"

Lin Sen: "Mr. Hines, you know what your answer would mean? I advise you not to answer. She is too obsessed with her master, even to the end, trying to extract information from you for her master's sake. She's beyond redemption."

Hines looked at Keiko Yamasuki and suddenly his eyes filled with disappointment: "I'm sorry, I can't tell you. Sincerity is the most beautiful virtue, but it doesn't belong to a Wallfacer."

Keiko Yamasuki gave a wry smile: "You never truly believed in me, perhaps I've forgotten how to love you.

"At the end, I couldn't find anything worthy of your love in me anymore, never imagining that we would fall to such a ludicrous state."

After saying that, Keiko Yamasuki fell silent, no one could save her, everything was her own choice.

The Earth-Trisolaris Organization had collapsed, and among all Wallbreakers and the ETO's high ranks, Von Neumann's Wallbreaking was naturally successful, earning the respect of everyone.

The First Emperor of Qin had fallen after a sudden strike by Lin Sen, and his chief aspiration had been to enhance the cunning of the Trisolarans. He must have succeeded, for he cultivated No. 7.

Mozi's attempts to probe Lin Sen failed, and whether Lin Sen intended to flee remained undetected. But perhaps Mozi felt his mission wasn't over yet, that his master in the future might still need him. In the end, he was willing to go to the future, to wait for the day Lin Sen described, the day his master still required him.

Only Aristotle was a total failure, shattered by Lin Sen after just one meeting in the current timeline, and a failure in the original timeline as well. Her Wallbreaking was the last, perhaps even a part of Hines's plans.

Thus, only a few from the ETO remained—King Wen of Zhou, Newton, Einstein... They didn't stand out in ability and held no significant social status, posing no further threat. The key Trisolarans would not employ them anymore.

In the original timeline, Einstein was the last of the ETO, eradicated in the 105th year of the Crisis Era. Before his eradication, he developed the killer computer virus, aimed to assassinate Logic while lying in wait. The other members had almost no presence, and they barely impacted humanity at all.

Lin Sen took five Thoughtcontrol machines with him and discovered that Hines's wife was an ETO member, and moreover, Hines's Wallbreaker. This news, too, spread worldwide through the media, shocking the people of the world once again. Just after the incident with Mozi, another key ETO member was unearthed by Lin Sen. Hence, all the Wallbreakers were exposed, resulting in another failure for the Trisolarans.

Three days later...

The Wallfacer hearing was convened.

Lin Sen, Logic, and Hines were all invited to participate. The meeting's purpose was to discuss the implications of Hines's wife's identity within the ETO on the Wallfacer Project.

PDC Chairman: "Mr. Hines, our investigations have confirmed that your wife, Keiko Yamasuki, is indeed a high-ranking ETO official with the ID of Aristotle, as well as your Wallbreaker. We will not judge her here; we need to know whether this will affect your Wallfacer Plan."

Hines: "The plan hasn't reached its critical phase yet, and it's impossible for her to break my Wall. Please rest assured, she will not affect my plan."

PDC Chairman: "You and your wife have both advocated for using technological means to change human thought, which has caused much unease. Many places have seen protests and demonstrations; people are calling for a ban on this research, believing such things should not exist in a civilized world."

Hines: "This incident was quite perilous, as my wife almost destroyed the Wallfacer Plan, and I almost became humanity's greatest criminal. For that I am truly sorry.

"However, I personally programmed all the software in the Thoughtcontrol machines, without delegating to anyone, including my wife.

"Luckily, Mr. Lin Sen identified Keiko Yamasuki and saw through the ETO's scheme, saving everything. He is humanity's greatest hero. I trust him, and have handed over all the Thoughtcontrol machines to him. Whether there's an issue with the machines, I believe Mr. Lin Sen can determine that." As he spoke, an air of dejection appeared on his face.

PDC Chairman: "Mr. Hines, I hope you can pull yourself together; the Wallfacer Project still needs you. What are your plans moving forward?"

Hines: "I'll continue my research. The Thoughtcontrol was an accidental achievement, and I recognized its value and prepared to promote it to foster an unbeatable belief against defeatism in thought. But I also nearly caused a disaster. If the ETO had taken control of it, I dare not imagine the consequences.

"Currently, considering that the brain neuron analysis is complete, and we have acquired quantum chip technology, this has opened a window into the quantum room for us. Human thought operates at the quantum level—the Sophons previously welded this door shut, but now with a window open, we can reexamine it and thus find a way to stimulate the evolution of human thought."

Hines consciously linked the ETO's danger to the unethical manipulation of human thought as a persistent hidden intention.

At the same time, he was setting a goal for his future: to find a method of stimulating the evolution of human thought through Thoughtcontrol, which was also the apparent plan of Hines.