Chapter 10 Internal Debate Within ETO_1

"Cao Ge is an orphan," Chang Weisi suddenly looked up at Da Shi and said.

"Indeed he is," Da Shi nodded.

"Not only is he an orphan, but before this he had no form of contact with Shen Yufei from the Science Boundary organization. It's as if he suddenly sprang up out of nowhere. Logically speaking, he should have nothing to do with an academic group like Science Boundary, but now, inexplicably, he has become a distinguished guest of Science Boundary, and Shen Yufei has even personally invited him to join," Shi Qiang said.

"Now that you mention it, this Cao Ge is indeed not simple," Chang Weisi said thoughtfully.

While Chang Weisi was pondering, Da Shi took a cigarette case out of the pocket of his shirt, opened it, took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and was about to light it when his gaze met with Chang Weisi's, prompting him to put the lighter back away.

"What do you mean by that?" Chang Weisi didn't dwell on the matter of Da Shi smoking and continued to inquire.

"Investigate him. I have a feeling that this man definitely knows something. Maybe he could be another breakthrough for us," Da Shi said seriously, taking the cigarette out of his mouth and sitting up straight.

Hearing Da Shi's suggestion, Chang Weisi leaned back slowly, then gazed up at the ceiling as he pondered for a while before straightening up again and saying to Da Shi, "Alright, then you take a few people and go find out what you can about him. But I have a request, keep your temper in check. Remember, you're not interrogating a criminal, he isn't a criminal, you're seeking help, consulting."

"Got it, I guarantee to complete the mission," Da Shi gave a salute with a smile.

"Mhm," Chang Weisi frowned slightly.

"I promise to control my emotions," Da Shi immediately became serious.

Chang Weisi gave Da Shi a look, then paused a moment before finally saying, "Go."

..............

Outside the city, within a private temple.

Standing in the middle of the open space in front of the hall where the statue of Buddha was enshrined, Shen Yufei stood with her hands clasped together above her forehead, silently praying for something.

If Cao Ge were here, he would realize that Shen Yufei at this moment didn't appear at all like a scholar; she resembled more a devout religious devotee.

"You have gone against the will of the Lord."

While Shen Yufei was praying with her eyes closed, a man dressed in a light blue suit approached and stood by her side, speaking in a tone that was calm to the extreme.

Shen Yufei did not respond immediately, but continued her prayer. It was about seven or eight seconds later that she slowly lowered her hands and, opening her eyes, spoke to the Buddha statue within the temple, "May the Buddha bless my Lord."

After saying that, she then spoke without turning her head, "That is my affair."

"The Lord wanted you to stop his research, but not only did you not stop him, you actually suggested that he continue in this direction, and you even plan to invite him to join us. What are you trying to do?"

"His research is valuable. Continuing it might yield a solution to that problem," Shen Yufei replied.

"But you have contravened the will of the Lord."

"Have you not contravened things yourself?" Shen Yufei retorted with equal coldness.

"Does the commander know what you're doing?" the man asked coldly.

"Don't forget that the commander is on our side," Shen Yufei said without turning around.

"And don't you forget, we were recruited by the commander," the man countered, his words implying that the Adventist faction, like Wen Jie, had been brought in by the commander and hence it was not certain whether the commander still belonged to the Salvationist faction.

"I suggest you don't interfere with my affairs," Shen Yufei suddenly turned around with a deathly cold stare fixed on the man before her.

"All I know is that you are not acting according to the will of the Lord. I advise you to correct yourself immediately, or I will take action," the man scoffed coldly, then turned and walked away.

Shen Yufei watched Pan Han leave, silent for a long time, with a trace of chill in her eyes.

............

Back at home, Cao Ge sat in front of his computer typing up code, unaware that just recently, core members of two major factions within ETO had engaged in a fierce debate over his life and death.

If he knew, he certainly wouldn't be staying so comfortably inside his house.

The reason he could remain so calm in his rental home after receiving the invitation from Science Boundary was because he hadn't said or done anything; he had no capacity to threaten the Trisolarans, and the Trisolarans knew it.

Of course, this was just the surface. If there was someone on Earth now who could pose a threat to the Trisolarans, it was undoubtedly him. If he sought death, he could even mutter to himself and recite the Dark Forest Law; then no matter what faction, they would come after him.

To the Trisolarans, he was merely an ordinary scholar who might be able to develop artificial intelligence with a certain level of intelligence, and he could not directly harm the Trisolarans. So, all they needed to do was to make him stop his research; there was no necessity for him to die.

The reason the Trisolarans asked ETO to limit his research, he could roughly guess.

Humanity's fundamental Physics was blocked by Sophon, but Computer Science wasn't. Therefore, as long as the correct path was found and the development continued, they might be able to research artificial intelligence that could resolve the issue of Sophon interference. After systematic improvement, the path that Cao Ge took in researching artificial intelligence was correct.

The Trisolarans were still four hundred years away from Earth, which meant humankind had four hundred years. Even if it took two hundred years to develop an artificial intelligence that could break through Sophon's interference, there would still be two hundred years left for a technological explosion, allowing human technology to surpass that of the Trisolarans.

The Trisolarans, to prevent this exceedingly slim possibility, had ETO work on stopping his research.

The reason they didn't directly order him killed was because, unlike the later Logic, in the personality analysis of the Trisolarans, his deterrence was very low, and his artificial intelligence only had a one in a billion chance.

But if they issued a kill order outright, it would, on the contrary, alert the governments of Earth, promoting the development of Computer Science instead, increasing the probability.

Cao Ge was clear about his situation. As long as he didn't speak out of turn, there wouldn't be any danger, and that's why he could afford to be so leisurely.

Cao Ge was writing some plans on the computer, listing things he wanted to do after earning his first pot of gold.

He wanted to start a company, then invest, then open a tech company to research things like aircraft and rockets, preparing for the era of deterrence and research on spacecraft that could travel at the speed of light.

All in all, Cao Ge wrote many plans, some for pleasure and others for the development of the company.