What was going on? Was he exposed?
In an instant, a thousand possibilities flashed through David's mind.
Shen Yufei.
For David, who had been obsessed with science fiction novels for a period during his school years, this name was all too familiar. She was a key supporting character in the first Three-Body book and a central figure in the Adventists' rival faction—the Redemptionists.
She was highly educated, possessed a voice as sweet as it was cold, and most importantly, she was incredibly wealthy. Since she had come looking for him, could there be a problem with his "cheat"?
No, that's not right—
David looked at the [Psionic: Precognition] flickering on his panel and shook his head internally. If there were a problem with his cheat, the sudden palpitation he felt earlier wouldn't make sense. And if the Trisolarans had already discovered his anomaly, they would have sent Adventist assassins, not a Redemptionist who would eventually die in the organization's internal strife.
"Are you interested in mathematics?"
Noticing David's gaze, Shen Yufei spoke. Her ethereal tone made her difficult for David to read.
"Why do you ask?"
David scanned his panel, sharpening his vigilance while wondering why [Precognition] hadn't given him a more urgent warning.
"You are a physics student at Handong University. I've seen you at Professor Ye Wenjie's place," Shen Yufei said calmly. Her hands, as white as alabaster, gripped the steering wheel firmly. She watched David's eyes through the rearview mirror without blinking.
"You know Professor Ye?"
David's tone held a hint of surprise, though he felt a secret sense of relief. If Shen Yufei's appearance was connected to Ye Wenjie, then it was actually a good thing. At the very least, it meant the Sophons hadn't fully realized his abnormality yet.
"Of course." Shen Yufei's voice rose slightly at this. "Professor Ye Wenjie was once my university astrophysics teacher."
"So you're an alumni."
"No." Shen Yufei shook her head. "I didn't attend Handong. In fact, I'm a graduate of the Class of 2000 from Yan Jing University, Physics Department."
Yan Jing University—the best university in the country, bar none. The fact that she studied pure physics, a field of immense difficulty and prestige, meant she would be held in high regard wherever she went.
"Professor Ye taught at Yan Jing University for a long time. After she retired, she was rehired by Handong University to teach physics here."
David vaguely remembered that in the original story, Ye Wenjie was quickly exonerated after leaving Red Coast. Relying on the rich experience she had accumulated as a key researcher at the Red Coast base, she inherited her late father's position and taught at a university until retirement. However, he didn't recall anything about her being rehired by another university.
It seemed the real world was much more complex than the descriptions in the novel. At the very least, the hidden dangers in the universe wouldn't be limited to Trisolaris and the Singer civilization—there was also that super-civilization that appeared at the end, attempting to restart the universe.
"I don't have much interest in mathematics. To be honest, if it weren't for the living expenses, I wouldn't have chosen physics as a major at all."
The police station wasn't far from the apartment David rented near the university. Through the dark car window, he could already see the silhouette of the relocated housing unit standing lonely and somewhat pathetic amidst the prosperous city.
"More than that, I'd rather be a poet or a man of letters," David said.
He wasn't lying. In fact, that was exactly what the "pre-memory" David had thought.
"No matter how painful childhood experiences are, or how desperate the difficulties one faces," Shen Yufei said as she slowly drove into a parking spot, pulling the handbrake with deliberate intent, "people must actively deal with reality and try to do everything in their power to change it."
"Is that your life experience, Senior?" David asked before getting out of the car.
"It's just a necessary reflection after hitting many walls," Shen Yufei replied.
She opened a compartment in the passenger side and pulled out a small box.
"I heard from Professor Ye that your life has been quite tight lately. If you have time, you might want to try this."
The small wooden box Shen Yufei handed through the window looked high-end. It was made of red sandalwood with a bright golden lock. Just touching it, the cool, smooth texture made David realize the box itself was valuable.
"Call this number if you get any results." Shen Yufei scribbled something on a piece of paper. "The reward is generous."
After handing the note to David, she started the car and drove off quickly, as if she had urgent business.
"..."
David found this woman, who had appeared and disappeared so suddenly, difficult to grasp.
Did she really hear from Ye Wenjie that I'm short on cash, so she's testing to see if I'm fit to join ETO?
Standing at the entrance of the old stairwell, David shook his head. From Shen Yufei's performance just now, he could vaguely guess what was inside the box.
"David?"
On his way upstairs, a fashionably dressed woman with bright red lipstick, wearing a shirt and shorts—looking every bit the urban office worker—walked down and met David face-to-face.
"Zhao," David greeted her.
The woman was Zhao Xuan. She was David's landlord and an alumna who had provided him with a lot of help during his rental process.
"Why are you back so early? Isn't there still half a month before school starts?" Zhao Xuan asked curiously.
"I have a small matter to handle," David answered calmly. "I came back a few days early."
Indeed, David was going to be working "overtime" to handle the small matter of an alien invasion of Earth.
Zhao Xuan was a 2003 physics graduate from Handong. However, she hadn't continued her studies in pure physics. Instead, she had pursued a master's degree in nuclear engineering. Now she worked at the Atomic Energy Research Institute—specifically, at the model fast-neutron reactor near Handong University.
Her work involved slowing down the high-speed neutrons (fast neutrons) produced by fission into slower neutrons (thermal neutrons) to increase the efficiency of the nuclear fuel's chain reaction.
"Zhao, is something wrong?" David asked, noticing her eyeliner was noticeably crooked.
"Something happened at the institute." Zhao Xuan sighed. "I heard our supervisor had an accident. Now, not only are all the researchers in Handong being called back early, but even the police..."
She looked around and lowered her voice, leaning close to David's ear. "I heard even representatives from the military have arrived. Lately, many famous physicists have either gone missing or committed suicide—"
She didn't finish, but the implication was clear: The world is messy lately; stay indoors.
"I understand," David nodded.
Clearly, the Trisolarans had already begun their move. The authorities had noticed the unnaturally high suicide rate among scientists in frontline fields and had already dispatched specialists to investigate.