Chapter 235 The True Intent of Shui Wa's Voyage

Lin Sen continued, "The fleeing fleet, we might not worry too much about them, as they are the most steadfast of humanity, who have seen through everything. Comprehending the Dark Forest is inevitable for them, and they will make every effort to hide themselves.

"By contrast, there is something we should be more concerned about. A long time ago, there was a starship that left the Solar System, headed for the distance after being retrofitted with a giant nanomembrane reflector.

"It uses a giant light sail for propulsion, and, even with the light sail retracted, it is still quite massive. Although it is no more noticeable than a speck of dust in the vast expanse of interstellar space, the possibility of it being discovered still exists.

"The key issue is that they do not understand the Dark Forest. In their hearts, the universe is still an undeveloped virgin land, and they may even explore and actively transmit information to the outside world, making their risk of exposure the greatest."

The structure of Shui Wa's starship is colossal; even with the light sail retracted, its supporting structure is still very large. There are several dozen people inside the starship, and their primary task is external detection, which dramatically increases their risk of exposure.

This information indeed made everyone present tense, as their nerves related to the Dark Forest were stretched tight at this moment.

The Co-Chairperson spoke urgently, "Science Advisory Board, what are the chances of sending a ship now to retrieve it?"

The Science Advisory Board replied, "It's basically impossible. We only know its intended direction. They have been traveling for nearly 170 years, and we estimate they are already about 5 light-years away.

"Going after it now would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, virtually impossible. Besides, the ships we send out could also potentially expose themselves."

The Co-Chairperson became somewhat anxious, "Mr. Lin Sen, this is no disrespect to you, I just want to understand the details of that time.

"We know that it was you who approved Shui Wa's voyage back then. You must have comprehended the Dark Forest at the time. What was the purpose of your approval?"

Lin Sen explained calmly, "Indeed, I approved it.

"At that time, it was different from now. Humanity was generally in a state of defeatism; no one expected humans would go on to achieve what we have today, myself included.

"The first purpose of Shui Wa's journey was to let humanity look into the deep space. Expanding our vision can be beneficial for the development of human technology.

"The second purpose.

"Even though humanity has made such great achievements, we are still no match for the Trisolaran invasion.

"The more one sees through everything, the more one understands the gap between us and the Trisolarans. I may have emerged victorious in the final battle, but everyone understands that our victory was very much down to luck.

"Especially at that time, humanity was going through a great low point, with defeatism lingering in everyone's heart.

"Any preparation was necessary, as no one dared to assume humanity would definitely win, me included.

"We also had to consider a scenario where humanity failed, deterrence measures failed, and the escape plans also did not succeed.

"Perhaps Shui Wa's voyage was also a kind of illusory retaliation.

"In the river of time, Shui Wa being exposed was inevitable; the Hunters might also come to the Solar System, and that would mark the doomsday for the Trisolarans.

"The third purpose.

"If humanity were to be victorious, we could not entertain the illusion of hiding in the Solar System forever.

"Perhaps I also had my own selfish motives; we are ultimately meant to venture out. Staying in the Solar System forever, we are bound to be discovered sooner or later.

"I often hear that the Solar System is in a remote area of the Milky Way Galaxy because we are located on the edge of the Orion Arm. In fact, such a location is uniquely advantageous.

"Firstly, we are fortunate that our Solar System is far from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, where the stellar density is very high. Triple and even multiple star systems make up a large proportion; it's hard for civilizations to emerge there. At the same time, those areas are rich in resources and are likely hunting grounds for advanced civilizations.

"Secondly, being on the edge of a spiral arm, our location is neither in the vacant space between the arms, which is the real backwater, nor in the center of the spiral arm. Although the center of the arm also has abundant resources, new stars are born there every day, indicating how harsh the environment is; the Trisolaran Star System is a paradise in comparison.

"So, our patch of space might be the cradle where civilizations are nurtured.

"Furthermore, the Solar System is a single-star system, accounting for about 20% of all stars; binary star systems account for 60% to 80%, and the rest are triple and cluster star systems.

"Hence, the Hunters might pay more attention to our space."

"To say that the Solar System is uniquely blessed is no exaggeration, and the 'Hunters' have not discovered us. Possible reasons include, first, that we've been extremely lucky; the number of 'Hunters' around us might still be small;

"Second, civilizations in this universe are so common that there is no need for conditions as good as those in the Solar System and on Earth.

"But we might eventually be discovered, and Shui Wa's journey is also for us to be able to make the decision to leave the Solar System in the future.

"There is one more point, and it's the most important one.

"To date, we have no concrete evidence to prove that the Dark Forest theory is correct; the biggest evidence still comes from the Trisolarans' fear of the Dark Forest.

"As for the two theorems that underpin the Dark Forest, this is self-evident. But the two premises, the chain of suspicion and the explosion of technology, make the process of deriving the Dark Forest less rigorous.

"It seems more like a summary by the Trisolarans themselves.

"The Trisolarans dared not communicate with others, so they believed in the chain of suspicion;

"Their technological development has always been a slow straight line, so they believe in the technological explosion theory.

"Without more corroborating information, we can't even be sure that the Dark Forest theory is correct.

"We originally planned to use a star for an experiment and we almost took action.

"Everyone should understand our mindset at that time—if the Dark Forest is real, it's undoubtedly our last lifeline.

"But in the end, we gave up the idea. If there were many Hunters around us, such behavior would be too risky.

"Although there are countless stars in the direction where the message is sent, just searching along this direction for a few dozen light-years, they would inevitably discover us; we must not underestimate their technology, anything is possible in this universe.

"It's not about considering why they would do it, but that they possibly could do it.

"Compared to that, the probability of Shui Wa being discovered during its interstellar journey is much lower.

"This is the choice we had to make when we had no other options; humanity must face what needs to be faced, and the issue with Shui Wa must also be squarely addressed."

The joint chairman said, "Mr. Lin Sen, your far-sightedness has once again astounded us.

"Your every decision, looking back, is nearly always the optimal choice.

"No one can match your vision; you are the sages who see through everything.

"The probability of Shui Wa being discovered is infinitesimally close to zero, but in the thousand years to come, we must also be prepared to leave the Solar System.

"It is like the Sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, ready to fall at any time.

"Perhaps in the dark forest of the universe, there is rebirth in departure."

At this moment, Lin Sen felt a profound sense of relief, as humanity had not succumbed to the Dark Forest paranoia.

In the 200 years of human warfare during the Crisis Era, Lin Sen had constantly simulated the environment of the Dark Forest for humanity, preparing them psychologically to endure the Dark Forest.

Which of his plans would he rate as the most successful?

Most people might think it is the resource exchange program, because with this plan, what was exchanged was not Trisolaran consumed resources, but the acquisition of Trisolaran Droplet Technology.

Indeed, the war that began with the Trisolarans, Lin Sen's real goal was the Droplet Technology, because Lin Sen understood that it might involve curvature technology, which was precisely what he most wanted.

But Lin Sen believes that his most successful endeavor is not this, but the Lagrange Project. This plan taught humanity how to face the Dark Forest, a treasure more valuable than any technology.

The main driver of civilization's development is always people, not technology.

Just like the escape plan, the hardest part is not whether the escape can be achieved, but choosing the people who will escape.