Chapter 216: The Final Battle, Destroying The Waterdrop and Sophon_1

Deprived of external Sophon observation, The Waterdrop was blind and met the oncoming barrage of antimatter streams head-on.

The surface material of The Waterdrop was likely also capable of weak self-repair, having traversed 4 light-years, it would have inevitably encountered small amounts of antimatter particles in interstellar space, leaving some damage to its surface.

However, The Waterdrop showed no signs of damage, indicating its surface material also had a faint capacity for repair.

The Waterdrop's surface, made of exceedingly durable Strong Interaction material, being regular matter, encountered the vast antimatter streams leading to an intense annihilation reaction.

The surface of The Waterdrop was instantly disintegrated over a large area, as its Strong Interaction material was compromised, the energy from the antimatter annihilation exploded into The Waterdrop's interior.

The generator that maintained the Strong Interaction Force within The Waterdrop was also destroyed under this massive energy impact. Only the remnants of its propulsion system were blasted out to the exterior of the battleship.

The material of The Waterdrop's surface was in a field generated by an internal device, a field that could counteract the electromagnetic force between particles, allowing the Strong Interaction Force to emerge, such a device being the generator maintaining the Strong Interaction.

If such a generator were to fail, the Strong Interaction material would become just an ordinary block of metal, easily destroyed in an instant.

The Waterdrop, the pride of the Trisolaran civilization and viewed as invincible, was destroyed by humanity within minutes of officially engaging in battle.

This was humanity's first truly meaningful counterattack against the Trisolarans.

It wasn't just a fatal blow to The Waterdrop, but also reiterated that in matters of strategy, the Trisolarans will always be the inferior.

The Trisolarans knew that Lin Sen had a lot of antimatter, hence they needed a Sophon to accompany The Waterdrop, aiming to detect in advance from a higher dimension if the battleship had antimatter.

But the Trisolarans overlooked that strategies never exist in isolation, high-end strategies often just need a plain cooking method, sorry for punning, they just need a simple strategic combination.

The ability to move the Sophon-Blocked Zone, stimulated by the annihilation of matter and antimatter, was known to mankind during the Great Ravine, and was naturally well understood by the Trisolarans.

Lin Sen, possessing vast amounts of antimatter, was definitely going to use it to set up an ambush for The Waterdrop, which was also known to the Trisolarans from the start.

The only thing the Trisolarans did not know was how Lin Sen determined that The Waterdrop would employ a ramming attack strategy.

Without opting for ramming tactics, such a trap would almost certainly be ineffective. How Lin Sen guessed this was beyond the comprehension of No. 7 and was also why the Trisolarans felt confident enough to attack boldly.

At the core was Lin Sen's thorough understanding of the Trisolaran psyche. He had purposely feigned a look of imminent defeat, reassuring the Trisolarans completely.

At their most triumphant moment, the Trisolarans would use the most efficient way to resolve the battle, highly likely advancing into the outer layers of the Thick Fog Zone and destroying human battleships on a grand scale.

The Trisolarans, by nature cautious, would not usually approach the inner edge; it was just that Lin Sen's acting was too convincing, duping the Trisolarans into making the wrong choice.

If all of this were within Lin Sen's calculations, then he was truly terrifying!

Lin Sen stated, "In terms of acting, I rate myself second to none, as no one dares claim to be the first."

You think I have a fifty-five percent chance of victory against the Trisolarans, but in fact, I have sixty percent.

The last half-percent was Lin Sen's performance; Lin Sen was just an Oscar-winning actor delayed by a wall.

This trap not only destroyed one of the Trisolaran's waterdrops but also cost them a Sophon.

The Sophon, reduced to the 6th dimension within the Sophon-Blocked Zone, became increasingly unstable as if it were a compressed spring accumulating internal tension and instability.

This instability ultimately reached a critical point, and the Sophon could no longer maintain its current form. It burst apart, turning into a one-dimensional filament, akin to willow catkins dancing in the sky.

The one-dimensional fluff sprayed out like snow that never falls in the universe, filling the area tens of thousands of kilometers wide, and quietly adorning this region.

Humanity also witnessed firsthand the one-dimensional form of the Sophon, sending shockwaves through everyone's soul.

...

"Your Excellency, I request that the damaged 'The Waterdrop' self-destruct," No. 7 hastily said.

"The leakage of the secret of the Strong Interaction Force materials to humans is immaterial, but the propulsion system of 'The Waterdrop' absolutely cannot be disclosed to humanity."

This was a decision made out of necessity since if humans were to obtain the wreckage of 'The Waterdrop,' especially its propulsion system, then human technology would surely soar into the skies, and the Trisolarans would no longer be able to compete with humanity.

The most critical part was that within 'The Waterdrop' lay the Trisolarans' greatest secret.

The Military Governor said, "Let it self-destruct; we cannot allow humans to obtain it."

As the order was issued by the Military Governor, the destroyed propulsion system at the rear of 'The Waterdrop' suddenly burst forth with a deep purple-black glow. This light gradually intensified, as if swallowing all surrounding brightness, creating a mysterious and solemn atmosphere.

Suddenly a blazing white light tore through the darkness, followed by the appearance of a white fireball thousands of kilometers in diameter in space. Its radiance illuminated the entire starry expanse, like the birth of a new star.

In this dazzling brilliance, all traces of 'The Waterdrop' in this world were completely erased, as if it had never existed.

This heart-stirring and spectacular sight undoubtedly marked the end of 'The Waterdrop's' journey.

The human warriors witnessed this scene with their own eyes, the shock in their hearts beyond words.

This... could this be the technology of the Trisolarans? Even as a wreck, its power could be so devastating.

The Military Governor continued, "Fortunately, the propulsion system of 'The Waterdrop' was sturdy enough to still possess the capability to self-destruct after the antimatter explosion.

"Fortunately, the Strategy Governor saw through Lin Sen's plan in time and saved one 'The Waterdrop'; otherwise, if both 'The Waterdrop's had been destroyed, Lin Sen would have been able to safely broadcast the all-domain message.

"It was terribly risky; a single mistake nearly cost us our future.

"Who would have thought that all of this was Lin Sen's strategy; he has outwitted us once again in tactics; we can never let our guard down at any time.

"However, we need not be discouraged, this victory for Lin Sen is meaningless for the remaining 'The Waterdrop' can still complete the mission.

"The advantage is still with me."

No. 7 felt alarm bells ringing in his heart: Old Master Military Governor, you really shouldn't say that; every time we say this, we're either being calculated by Lin Sen or we're on the path to being calculated by him.

Looking at the Military Governor's head, as reflective as a mirror, reminded him so much of a certain leader on Earth, but he hoped their fates wouldn't be similar.

The Military Governor said, "This is my fault.

"The two Sophons that were just destroyed by the Sixth Battle Zone in their attempt to broadcast an all-domain message are now heading toward the Thick Fog Zone at 600 times the Third Cosmic Velocity; they are expected to arrive in 28 hours.

"It's not that we can't go faster, but we need to conserve resources, we won't have much left after this voyage.

"'The Waterdrop' at the edge of the Thick Fog can no longer pursue the other warships; it can only watch the all-domain broadcast. Once it appears, we will destroy it."

Clearly, the loss of a 'The Waterdrop' has made the Trisolarans a bit emotionally unstable, especially having just had the upper hand one moment and then faced with conspiracy the next, which was difficult for the Trisolarans to accept.

In such a severe emotional upheaval, many judgments could become flawed.

PS: No. 7: Surrounded by pig teammates, I can't carry this, I will eventually kill that damn Military Governor.

And Lin Sen has no shame, seeing how he has made my good old Military Governor suffer.

Lin Sen: Don't worry, No. 7, just endure it and it will pass.