Chapter 272: Set a Trap for You - Part 1

It took Jiang Yu only a second or two to come up with a rough plan in his mind.

With a smile, he said to Bai Pingjun, "A plan to escape the Solar System, of course, I have one, but..."

Bai Pingjun immediately understood, "What are your conditions?"

Jiang Yu cleared his throat, "First, you will have to fully cooperate with my Wallfacer plan."

Bai Pingjun agreed readily, "Naturally!"

"Secondly, you have to follow my command."

"No problem."

"Third, the funding for building the spacecraft will have to come from you!"

"Alright, that can be arranged."

"Fourth, I'll have the designers modify the structure of the spacecraft to make them more suitable for interstellar travel. I estimate one spacecraft can carry two thousand people, for a total of twenty ships. You need to be clear about these slots."

Bai Pingjun and Ai Wei were both stunned, and Ai Wei hurriedly asked, "With the current production capabilities you have, building a hundred interstellar warships a year shouldn't be an issue. Why are there so few slots available?"

Jiang Yu laughed, "There is a huge secret involved here, which for now, only I know within the entire Solar System.

"You are not in a position to make a decision. Go back and report that there are only forty thousand slots, and not only do you need to pay for the construction of these twenty interstellar warships, you will also have to fund the entire plan.

"Oh, and yes, you will also need to pay for the spots to board."

Bai Pingjun, "These conditions..."

aren't they too harsh?

Jiang Yu, sitting with his legs crossed, said, "Go back and report! Only if the people behind you agree to the conditions I've set will I reveal that secret to you.

"Let me give you a bit of insight; this secret is crucial. If you don't trust me, I could just sell you the interstellar spacecraft and you can run on your own.

"Oh, and next time, send someone who can make decisions. My patience is limited; it's quite uninteresting to keep discussing with mere mouthpieces like you." After speaking, he gestured with his hand, indicating the two could leave.

After the two had left, Jiang Yu turned to the listening Ai Qi, "Capital must never be allowed to control human society!

"You've seen it, haven't you? In order to ensure their rule, they corral the people, consuming all their initiative.

"Now that they can't stay in the Solar System, they are ready to pack up and leave.

"Humph, they wish!

"I can't completely eradicate these people right now, but I will make them tremble at the mention of my name."

Ai Qi, standing on the side, didn't know what to say.

Jiang Yu glanced at the uncomfortable Ai Qi, "I didn't ask for your opinion, just saying it makes me feel more comfortable.

"Keep this confidential!"

Ai Qi nodded over and over.

Then Jiang Yu sat back down on the sofa, sipping tea while filling in the details of this plan.

The very next day, Bai Pingjun and Ai Wei came again.

After they were seated, Bai Pingjun began, "The two of us have been granted full authority to handle this matter.

"Everyone is willing to agree to your conditions, and now we are eager to hear your secret."

Jiang Yu had Ai Qi pass the two agreements over to them, "Sign the agreement, then I will talk."

After taking a look and finding the agreement consisted essentially of the conditions Jiang Yu set out the day before, Bai Pingjun and Ai Wei signed immediately.

Having checked the signatures, Jiang Yu then said to them, "Sophon has contacted me!"

Bai Pingjun and Ai Wei gasped, knowing that any secret involving Sophon must be significant.

Jiang Yu continued, "There are now seven 'Waterdrops' that have altered their original course to intercept the several Starship Fleets I dispatched.

"One 'Waterdrop' per two fleets, and they should catch up to them in about eighty to ninety years!"

"This..." Bai Pingjun had certainly not expected this; it was indeed a shocking secret, "Then can we get away?"

Jiang Yu said, "That's the key part of the plan! I've already started building the interstellar warships. I reckon the second closest 'Waterdrop' will turn back once it realizes that my new escape plan is set in stone.

"It should return in about three months. I've had it calculated: working overtime, we can build more than thirty ships. However, only twenty-five will be able to escape.

"I will first call on a group of people to board the ships and leave, drawing the 'Waterdrop' away. Then at the right moment, we'll launch our own ships.

"Only then can we escape! And that's why there are only twenty slots for the interstellar spacecraft; five of those ships are for my people."

Bai Pingjun clapped his hands, "Brilliant!"

Ai Wei, however, asked more cautiously, "I'm very curious, when the second Waterdrop arrived at Jupiter, why didn't it destroy our industrial system?"

Jiang Yu laughed, "I've said long ago, don't treat the Trisolarans like gods, they too have moments of arrogance.

"For instance, their not destroying our industrial base is because they believed that the Waterdrop had already terrified the Earthlings enough that no one would dare to board an interstellar spaceship again.

"And they were sure that out of ethical considerations for themselves, Earthlings would not have an escape plan.

"As it turned out, they were right, now besides us, no one dares to travel by spaceship anymore, let alone escape by one."

Bai Pingjun and Ai Wei felt somewhat ashamed; it wasn't that Trisolarans were arrogant—it was indeed true that no one had dared to venture into space during that period.

The reason Jiang Yu felt that the Trisolarans were being arrogant was because he was very aware of the Waterdrop's targets and the Trisolaran strategy.

He subconsciously knew that as long as he didn't board an interstellar spaceship, he would not be attacked by the Waterdrop.

But others didn't buy that reasoning, they always thought that boarding a space ship made them a target of the Waterdrop!

Now, Ai Wei didn't even dare to board a short-distance shuttle, and Bai Pingjun had broken out in cold sweats several times on his way to Jupiter City from the Asian Fleet.

Behind them, the consortia too had delegated all authority to them because they dare not travel to Jupiter City by ship.

Despite their fear, they believed that the chance of success would be high if they fled with a Wallfacer.

After all, Wallfacer Jiang Yu had never let everyone down in the past two hundred years.

So when life or death was at stake, many were willing to bet on it, steeling themselves for the gamble.

Jiang Yu added, "The Trisolarans' great victory also made them lose the ability to judge my personal actions. I was never frightened by the Waterdrop, and I also had the capacity to organize an escape operation."

He laughed and continued, "No offense, but this is not something you could organize. You are quite skilled at getting in each other's way, but when it comes to handling an emergency situation like this, you have no experience."

Ai Wei seemed not to have heard Jiang Yu's sarcasm and asked again, "How can you prove that everything you've said is true?"

Jiang Yu laughed, "Isn't there a telescope in low Earth orbit? Just search for the Waterdrop carefully, you will eventually find it.

"Same as before, if you don't believe it, I can just sell you the interstellar spaceship."

Ai Wei asked another question, "Aren't you afraid that the Trisolarans will find out we're discussing such plans?"

Jiang Yu grew a bit impatient, "To the Trisolarans, it doesn't matter whether those fleeing are men or women, rich or poor.

"They will kill whoever flees first! You all have never truly studied the Trisolarans!

"Also, whoever wants to leave better hurry; time waits for no one, and the second Waterdrop will return when it says it will!"

Bai Pingjun quickly played the peacemaker, "Yes, yes, yes, the Wallfacer has thought of everything, we naturally trust the Wallfacer!"

Although he said this, Bai Pingjun and Ai Wei still used every available telescope and radio telescope upon returning to search for the Waterdrop.

Just as Jiang Yu had said, only one Waterdrop remained in its original orbit; the whereabouts of the other seven were unknown.

The solitary Waterdrop on orbit seemed to have accelerated, with an estimated arrival in the Solar System in a little over two years.

If it hadn't accelerated, it would've been impossible to detect at all.

This indirectly corroborated what Jiang Yu had revealed as a secret.

And when Jiang Yu heard that the only normal Waterdrop had also accelerated, he knew that his plans to build an Interstellar Warship had once again provoked the Trisolarans, to the point where even the last remaining normal Waterdrop lost its patience.

...

After Jiang Shiliu and Thirty-Six arrived on Earth, they first went to visit Luo Ji.

And Luo Ji fulfilled the promise he had previously made with Jiang Yu, explaining to both of them the 'Dark Forest Law':

"All cosmic civilizations share two axioms: first, survival is the primary need of a civilization.

"Second, civilizations are constantly growing and expanding, but the total amount of matter in the universe remains constant.

"...Chain of suspicion...Technological explosion..."

He used the Dark Battle of Starship Earth as an example to illustrate these axioms and concepts.

After listening, Jiang Shiliu and Thirty-Six remained silent for a long time, until finally, Thirty-Six said, "I'd thought about the regulations among cosmic civilizations before, but I never imagined they would be so dark."

Jiang Shiliu lamented, "What a pity! If Teacher Luo Ji's 'Dark Forest Law' had been utilized by the PDC just a few days earlier, we wouldn't have been so passive."

Luo Ji lounged lazily on the sofa, "Even if we were to replay the scenario a hundred times, the PDC still wouldn't take my 'Dark Forest Law' seriously any earlier.

"Just as Jiang Yu stated, the PDC today is not to be trusted."

Suddenly, a clamor arose from outside, and Jiang Shiliu looked out the window to see many people outside praying towards the building where Luo Ji lived. Some were kneeling, some were chanting, moving and speaking in a manner that reminded him of the shamanistic dancing he had once seen long ago in the Northeast.

Jiang Shiliu reflected, "Often I wonder, are they worth saving?"