Chapter 87: Responsibilities_1

That evening, Jiang Yu bunked with Lao Chang in a tent at the campsite. After dinner, both of them lay on their beds, discussing "Dark Forest."

But it was just like today's meeting, without a hint of progress.

Lao Chang was a soldier, and after the lights-out bugle, he stopped talking.

Jiang Yu, however, couldn't sleep. With the turmoil provoked by the release of information about the Trisolarans as a lesson, the security level for "Dark Forest" was extremely high – even mobile phones had been confiscated.

Out of sheer boredom, Jiang Yu entered the "Wallfacer's Shop," which he hadn't visited for a long time.

In the past couple of years, Jiang Yu hadn't had a chance to use the "merchandise" from the shop, so he had accumulated a substantial amount of Deception Points.

However, the "price" of the goods in the shop had already gone up twice. Now, "invading Sophon's monitoring system for three minutes" had skyrocketed to 20,000 Deception Points.

And the cost of drawing a lottery had increased to 2,000 Deception Points as well.

Thankfully, Jiang Yu's nearly 100,000 Deception Points meant he could still afford the "shop's" unscrupulous price hikes.

Some of these Deception Points came from the Trisolarans. Sometimes Jiang Yu couldn't help but wonder; now if he were to say, "I am absolutely loyal to the main," he would actually receive Deception Points.

Jiang Yu speculated that no matter what he said, the Trisolaran monitors probably believed him but would no longer respond.

So whether they believed him or not, the Trisolarans wouldn't lose anything, and besides the Deception Points, Jiang Yu didn't get much benefit either.

Most of his Deception Points, though, came after Jiang Yu became a "hero." Being a public figure, he couldn't help but tell the occasional white lie, which then sent his Deception Points soaring.

As for the Sophon merchandise, he had no current need for it. However, the option to unlock new products hadn't gone up in price, which now seemed affordable.

Thus, Jiang Yu spent 5,000 Deception Points to light up the sphere, revealing the product: a Moon Resource Map.

Jiang Yu suddenly sat up: Big brother, you finally have the awareness of a golden finger!

This resource distribution map would be a trump card in the future space development!

Looking at the item's price tag of 150,000 below it, Jiang Yu felt reinvigorated to accrue more Deception Points.

"Can't sleep?" Lao Chang suddenly asked from the other side of the tent.

Jiang Yu suppressed his excitement: "Lao Chang, you can't sleep either?"

Lao Chang let out a long sigh: "Whenever I close my eyes, I see the shadows of the 'Dark Forest.'

"Let's go out for a smoke."

Outside the tent, the campsite was quiet except for the sentries.

The two silently watched the starry sky as they smoked; the desert was free of light pollution. With only a crescent moon tonight, the magnificent Milky Way was visible – a sight unseen in the cities.

After finishing a cigarette, Jiang Yu said, "I suddenly want to take another look at the 'Dark Forest.'

Lao Chang stamped out his cigarette butt with his foot: "Let's go!"

He borrowed a vehicle from the sentinel and drove Jiang Yu to a nearby construction site.

Because it was an open-air site, there were no lights around the "Dark Forest," just a few sentries on guard and a patrol of soldiers.

Parking at a higher part of the site and turning off the car lights, Jiang Yu could make out the full shape of the "Dark Forest" in the starlight.

The two just sat there silently watching "Dark Forest," lighting up another round of cigarettes.

Jiang Yu suddenly said, "Lao Chang, do you ever feel like the 'Dark Forest' might suddenly fly off or start moving at any second?"

Lao Chang took a drag on his cigarette: "I remember a fairy tale about a mountain being a giant beast that could be awakened if approached correctly."

Jiang Yu nodded: "I also remember some legends that mentioned mountains moving around the land like living things long ago."

He licked his lips with his tongue: "Could these legends and fairy tales be conveying some crucial information?"

"Don't know." Lao Chang laughed mockingly at himself, recalling how Chief Ji had also been saying "don't know" throughout the day.

In front of the unknown "Dark Forest," humanity's insignificance was laid bare.

Thinking this, Lao Chang couldn't help but puff out his chest – his self-esteem wouldn't allow him to show weakness in front of "Dark Forest."

He took a fierce drag on his cigarette, casting an envious glance at Jiang Yu: "To be honest, I wish I had your resolve.

"Like in today's meeting, your speech not only dispelled the researchers' fear and unease but also keenly detected their 'cultural inferiority,' laying a foundation for ideological work in the future."

Jiang Yu laughed: "Honestly, Lao Chang, seeing the 'Dark Forest' has my heart in a mess, too.

"Remember the ideological work you did for me more than a year ago, our conversation?

"Actually, our situation now isn't much better than it was then; we still cannot retreat because we're the last line of defense. No matter how uneasy I am inside, I can't show it.

"It's our duty!"

He paused, then continued: "Of course, the past two years' experiences, plus the teachings I received from Chief Ji and you, Lao Chang, have taught me a lot, and I've come to understand many things.

"If it was me just entering the operations center back then, dealing with today's matters, I most likely would have ended up arguing with Group Leader Xu.

"From you folks, I learned about many other ways, more effective ways to handle things."

Lao Chang tossed away his cigarette butt and smiled: "No need to glorify my old face; it was your own smarts. I don't remember teaching you anything."

The two facing "Dark Forest" chatted idly into the late night before returning to rest.

In the following days, Jiang Yu and Lao Chang stayed at the camp, either chatting idly by the "Dark Forest" at the construction site or participating in discussions with the scholars.

Jiang Yu's previous speech certainly had a significant effect.

The researchers began to free their imaginations, with some following Jiang Yu's line of thought and seeking traces of ancient civilizations in the legends.

And sure enough, digging into such resources, they found somewhat resembling "evidence" in books like the Classic of Mountains and Seas with their mix of truth and fiction.

Legend had it that there once existed a land of immortals right where the "Dark Forest" was located.

None of the group believed in "immortals," but this could very likely have been the image of an advanced civilization in the eyes of primitive humanity.

However, after seeing the so-called "evidence," Jiang Yu knew that most of it must have been the product of ancient humans' imaginations.

If there really had been such an advanced civilization, why had it suddenly vanished without a trace?

Another crucial piece of information was still missing: how long had the "Dark Forest" been around?

If it had only existed for a few hundred years or, at most, a couple of hundred thousand years, then this "evidence" was laughable.

Moreover, Jiang Yu knew that there were no "immortals" in the Trisolaran World – only a God-level Civilization!