Ye Wenjie, watch my moves closely.

Chapter 33 The Net Begins to Close

Ye Wenjie, who was stopped at the Hongan Post, was allowed to pass, but she didn't see many familiar old colleagues along the way.

Wandering aimlessly, Ye Wenjie once again approached the launch room of the Red Coast Base.

Two years ago, on that morning, she sat inside and sent a message back to the Trisolaran civilization.

The door to the launch room was locked, so she couldn't go in. She stood by the window, looking at the launch button whose paint had been worn away.

She wondered when she had started to assume that the level of civilization was equivalent to the bottom line of morality.

Perhaps it began when they received the warning from the Trisolaran civilization monitor: "Do not answer."

Such goodwill is certainly not an isolated case among the Trisolaran civilization, but...

After being reminded by Li Youyu, Ye Wenjie began to try to think.

But some unseen force suppressed her instinct to think, as if the answer was a terrifying beast lurking in an unseen abyss, waiting for her.

Until her husband's companionship, the birth of Xiao Yangdong, and the days in Qijiatun...

Ye Wenjie drew strength for life from these little things.

The power of these bonds between people constantly shone upon her, giving her the courage to explore the abyss of darkness.

She walked with trepidation, unable to sleep each night due to fear of what she was thinking. When Ye Wenjie's thoughts stood on the edge of the abyss, she glimpsed a corner of the answer—a chain of suspicion.

These are the words she summarized.

The first priority of civilization is survival, and civilization itself has developed a continuous expansion characteristic around survival.

However, the total amount of matter in the universe is finite.

Faced with limited resources, fighting becomes an instinct.

Upon considering this possibility, Ye Wenjie suddenly felt a sense of fear towards the sky. The beautiful moon and stars described by poets seemed to have turned into eyes, hanging in the sky and watching her all the time.

Ye Wenjie walked to the window of the launch room, from which she could see the dense northern forest.

If the sunlight were stronger, the light would filter through the gaps in the trees and into the forest.

But the sun is just an ordinary star in the Milky Way, while the Dark Forest is the entire universe. What could possibly illuminate the entire universe?

"I have never hated human civilization; I just hope it will become better."

Ye Wenjie smiled at the forest, a tear sliding down her cheek.

According to her hypothesis, any civilization, whether benevolent or malevolent, will only have one outcome once it enters a chain of suspicion.

Two years ago, in her final moments before leaving Red Coast, she broadcast the coordinates of Eridanus b, a star 20 light-years away, into space.

If this hypothesis holds true, she will be able to observe the destruction of Eridani b in another decade or so.

Ye Wenjie wasn't afraid to see this answer; she just didn't want to see it.

I do not wish to see a universe devoid of mercy.

Ye Wenjie continued walking into the launch room and arrived at the entrance of the original data room.

The door was ajar, and a large number of documents were laid out on the floor.

Ye Wenjie recognized these things almost instantly.

That was the waveform of Jupiter's radio burst that she had obtained from an observatory abroad years ago; she was very familiar with it.

Just as Ye Wenjie was about to push open the door and go in, she heard an English conversation coming from the archives. She paused and stopped.

The Red Coast Base is located in a remote and dangerous area, so why would foreigners come here for no reason?

Ye Wenjie peeked through the crack in the door and saw a tall, thin blond man and another man who was slightly shorter and older.

When Ye Wenjie saw the profile of the older foreigner, she immediately recognized him.

Harry Peterson.

In order to study the radio bursts of Jupiter, I read many of his articles, which all included his personal photos.

All that could be heard was the blond man saying to Peterson, "These laughable Orientals, what time is it, still having thoughts about nationality? Foolish, really too foolish!"

Doctor, do you know that both the sun's energy mirror effect and the Lord's story are acts of boasting? We cannot sit idly by and wait for death; we must also form an organization, find ways to connect with the Lord, and pave the way for His coming!

“I agree,” Peterson said. “Human civilization has existed alone in the Milky Way for millions of years, never encountering its own kind. You know, Mike, after I confirmed the possibility of the Lord’s existence, I was so excited I almost fainted. I desperately want to know about the Lord’s culture, the Lord’s world, the Lord’s knowledge. The Lord is like wildfire, burning the wasteland within my heart. I am willing to spend the rest of my days studying, understanding, and saving.”

The mere confirmation of the possibility of the Trisolaran civilization's existence was enough to completely convert Mike Evans and Harry Peterson, two humans with extensive education, into believers.

Ye Wenjie overheard their conversation from outside and realized something.

Even before the arrival of the Trisolaran civilization, Earth already faced the threat of Trisolarans.

Compared to the Trisolarans, who have not yet reached the solar system, the destructive power of these humans is probably the most terrifying.

But why?

Why would these two foreigners know about the Trisolaran civilization?

Could it be related to the 7 million yuan raised by the Institute of High Energy Physics to build a particle collider?

Ye Wenjie couldn't understand Li Youyu's actions.

However, she stopped questioning Li Youyu and kept telling herself to think more.

Ye Wenjie silently buried her thoughts in her heart and quietly turned and left the launch room.

On her way to the office building, she met Li Youyu and Yang Weining, who were walking side by side.

Yang Weining was somewhat surprised to see Ye Wenjie. "Wenjie, weren't you waiting for me in Qijiatun? Why did you come up here by yourself? Where's Yang Dong?"

Ye Wenjie put her hands in her pockets, took a deep breath to compose herself, and said, "Let Sister Dafeng take care of it first. I want to come up and take a look."

"Comrade Youyu," Ye Wenjie said, looking at Li Youyu with some dissatisfaction, "you've been gone for four months. When am I supposed to go back to work?"

"It'll be soon," Li Youyu said. "After the Red Shore matter is over and you return to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, you can come and work at the institute. Don't complain about being tired then."

"Since we're already here, and there are two foreign scholars visiting, shall we go and see them?"

Ye Wenjie shook her head and said, "I'm not interested. I'd rather walk around the base more. It's not easy to come back here."

Ye Wenjie walked away alone, her steps leisurely like someone on a spring outing, and no one could see the worry hidden in her eyes.

Li Youyu and Yang Weining watched Ye Wenjie leave before steer the conversation back on track.

Evans' emotions had reached a boiling point, and it was time for Yang Weining to step in and expedite the process.

The two arrived at the launch room door and suddenly a quarrel broke out.

The argument interrupted Evans and Peterson's conversation. As they walked out of the data room, they saw Li Youyu storming out of the launch room and Yang Weining sitting alone at the control panel.

As Li Youyu previously mentioned, the key to the second power switch in the launch room was in Yang Weining's hands.

The two men were arguing when Evans realized his opportunity had come. He stepped forward, trying to appear communicative, and asked in English, "Do you understand English?"