Chapter 4: Jiang Yu's Mission (Vote for Recommendation)_1

Jiang Yu couldn't help but make a guess in his heart, "The Poison Apple Project? Could it be a kind of poison that kills without a trace?"

Kong Xiang smiled and said, "I can't tell you the specific content of the plan now, but I have a task here that needs you to complete. If you can pass this test, you might qualify to participate in the Poison Apple Project."

"Tell me!"

Kong Xiang took out a photo. The photo showed a sixty-year-old woman with graying hair and a slender figure: "Her name is Ye Wenjie, a retired professor in astronomy and physics from our university."

"Ye... Wenjie!" Jiang Yu stared at the photo. It was this old lady who had sent out humanity's first cry into space.

But what awaited was not a benevolent response, but a catastrophe!

Kong Xiang introduced, "At the same time, she is the nominal commander of our organization, but gradually her womanly compassion went against the will of the Lord, leading to a split in the Trisolaran Organization into two factions."

Jiang Yu nodded, "Teacher Kong had said before that we are the Adventist faction, and there are also the Redemptionist and the Survivor factions that have gone against the original intent."

Kong Xiang laughed, "They are overestimating themselves. The wisdom of the Lord is far beyond that of humanity. Not even they have been able to solve the three-body problem, yet they absurdly think they can save the Lord!"

"What is my task?" Jiang Yu had mixed feelings about Ye Wenjie.

He thought Ye Wenjie's belief in the benevolence of an alien civilization was overly naive.

Yet he also felt that the hardships Ye Wenjie had endured, and the "evil" in human nature she had witnessed, were pains that others had not experienced and deserved sympathy.

It seemed no one had the right to criticize Ye Wenjie's actions, but her deeds were still extremely sinful. No matter what kind of hardships she had endured, she should not have condemned all of humanity with a single stroke.

"The greatest obstacle to the Poison Apple Project is not the human high-level, but the Redemptionist!" Kong Xiang explained, "Currently, the human high-level are still scrabbling over petty interests and are not paying attention to our organization.

"But the Redemptionists know all about us, and we are in a situation of 'you are in me, and I am in you' with them. They are most likely to see through our plans."

Kong Xiang's expression suddenly became serious, "To prevent the Redemptionists from interfering with our plan, I'm going to send you to monitor Ye Wenjie, and if possible, it would be best if you could infiltrate the Redemptionist!"

I, I'll go! Jiang Yu thought to himself: If I become a spy for the Adventists again, that will make me a 'triple agent'!

Then Jiang Yu thought that this seemed like Kong Xiang's preparation to make significant use of him, "Thank you, Teacher, for your recognition!"

Kong Xiang smiled and tapped Jiang Yu with his finger, "Sometimes I really doubt whether there's a soul with enough social experience living in your body. How else could you be so perceptive?"

Deception Points from Kong Xiang +1.

Sorry, you really hit the nail on the head!

Jiang Yu thought: Teacher, you're not just making wild guesses, but also my 'debit machine' for Deception Points! You've contributed three points to me in no time at all.

Kong Xiang continued, "I've prepared a method for you to get close to Ye Wenjie. Remember! You must be cautious, as this senior is not as kind as she seems on the surface!"

...

In the afternoon after school, Jiang Yu followed Kong Xiang's plan and was arranged to work and study in the staff dormitory.

Next to the school was a small district, the staff dormitory of Yanjing University. Although the buildings were somewhat old, Ye Wenjie still lived there.

The property management of the district was under Yanjing University, and most of the cleaning work was done by students willing to work and study.

Jiang Yu was responsible for the building where Ye Wenjie lived. He had to sweep and mop the corridor every day, as well as clean the small path and pavilion in front of the building.

Looking at the mop in his hand, Jiang Yu couldn't help but laugh and cry—this was far from the spy work he had imagined!

But then Jiang Yu thought that this job should earn him Deception Points, after all, he was under the cover of work-study, doing surveillance work.

If people believed he was there for work-study, then he would have accomplished a deception.

So he had to take his labor seriously and make it look convincing.

Feeling newly motivated, Jiang Yu meticulously mopped the floor while he reviewed his actions over the past couple of days, looking for any slip-ups.

Upon reflection, Jiang Yu realized he hadn't received any Deception Points from Shi Qiang so far, which meant that Da Shi still hadn't believed him.

Jiang Yu actually felt more at ease knowing Da Shi was so vigilant.

Next, Jiang Yu began planning his subsequent moves. He needed to prove himself quickly and hopefully gain access to the "Poison Apple Project" soon to see what it was all about and finally be at peace.

"Young man, are you new here?" A kind voice came from behind Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu turned around; it was Ye Wenjie: "Yes, Professor Ye."

"You know me?" Ye Wenjie reassessed Jiang Yu.

"I've heard about Professor Ye's legendary stories from friends in the physics department," Jiang Yu had already prepared his response. After all, the Red Coast Base was no longer a secret, and many people had heard of it, though they didn't know the details.

"Ah, those old stories aren't worth mentioning." Ye Wenjie kindly added, "Not in a hurry, working diligently—that's quite rare for a young man."

Why hadn't he received any Deception Points from Ye Wenjie? Jiang Yu felt a bit panicky inside. Could it be that she hadn't been fooled by his performance?

"You flatter me." Jiang Yu masked his anxiety with a smile and upon seeing Ye Wenjie carrying groceries, he offered: "Which floor does Professor Ye live on? Let me help you carry them up."

Ye Wenjie did not decline: "Thank you, young man. Yes, getting older, even climbing the stairs is becoming difficult."

"It's nothing at all," said Jiang Yu as he escorted Ye Wenjie upstairs.

Ye Wenjie invited him into her home, but Jiang Yu politely refused. Nonetheless, he never received any Deception Points from Ye Wenjie throughout the encounter, leaving him feeling uneasy.

He continued mopping and soon, he received Deception Points from two other residents, which greatly relieved him.

It then crossed Jiang Yu's mind that mopping couldn't possibly give anything away!

It seemed that Ye Wenjie had long stopped wishing to trust anyone, instinctively distrusting new faces like Jiang Yu!

This made Jiang Yu sigh; it was somewhat ironic how Professor Ye was so distrustful of her own people, yet willing to trust the Trisolarans from four light-years away.

Yet considering that Ye Wenjie didn't really know the Trisolarans and had lived on Earth long enough to understand humanity, Jiang Yu's sense of irony gradually faded away.

After several days of work-study labor, Jiang Yu may not have gained much else, but he did accumulate quite a number of Deception Points.

With a residential building of three units and thirty-six households, more than a hundred residents, getting one Dejection Point from each was significant.

Even though Jiang Yu hadn't met all of them, it was possible to receive multiple Deception Points from one person.

This shot Jiang Yu's Deception Points up over three hundred, still short of enough to "Invade Sophon Operating System," but enough to enter the lottery.