"David."
Yang Dong looked up, her exquisite face appearing pale.
"I only want to say one thing. Regarding my previous refusal, it wasn't because you weren't good enough, but for reasons I cannot speak of. Our union would have been a massive burden for you."
Yang Dong's expression was serious as she stared at the young man. Even from the first moment they met this time, she had felt a subtle change in him.
It was a strange feeling. The young man before her was still the same person she remembered—the innocent boy who used to follow her around asking for candy and declaring he would marry her when he grew up. Yet, beyond that familiar part of him, there was now something she couldn't see through, something profound and unfathomable.
If my mother insists on her course and is destined to stand against all of humanity...At the very least, I don't want her sins to involve any more innocent people.
"Trust me, Yang Dong."
David stood up. Behind him, an orange ambient light from a nearby vlogger cast his shadow long, stretching out like a deep-sea behemoth enveloping Yang Dong, Luo Ji, and Ding Yi.
Yang Dong looked up slightly. For some reason, she felt an inexplicable sense of pressure from him. As a national researcher, she had met many high-ranking leaders, but none had ever made her feel so physically oppressed just by looking at them.
"I can bear the weight of your life. Likewise, I can bear the fate of everyone else."
David's solemn promise made Yang Dong smile. She didn't mock him. A strand of black hair fell across her cheek, hiding the slight curl of her lips so that her joy wouldn't seem too jarring in these dark times.
"Just wait and see."
David tossed his empty plastic cup into the trash. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried the weight of thunder.
"Well, I'm off then."
After taking a long look at Ding Yi, who left in a taxi, a preoccupied Luo Ji waved goodbye to David. Ding Yi's words had allowed Luo Ji to sniff an unusual scent beneath the surface of this seemingly calm life.
He didn't plan on returning to the lab with David and Yang Dong; he intended to head to Liangxiang first to see what was really going on with the "malfunctioning" particle collider Ding Yi had mentioned.
"See you if fate allows."
"Be seeing you," David replied.
Luo Ji nodded absently, not noticing the specific meaning in David's tone. Normally, he would have found some amusement in the complicated relationship between David, Yang Dong, and Ding Yi. But now, because of the anomalies in the physics world, he looked burdened. He quickened his pace and hurried away almost immediately after saying goodbye.
"Then I should get back to the lab too," Yang Dong said, shaking her access card. "I have a few projects I need to oversee tonight."
"Goodbye."
David waved his hand.
As Yang Dong entered the subway station, a light rain began to fall. David's phone rang with a number from across the ocean. After seeing Yang Dong's silhouette completely disappear, he pressed the answer button.
"I must remind you, according to the feedback from the early warning model, Sophon's surveillance of you has been upgraded by one level."
The Abominable Intelligence's voice was as calm as ever, but David could still hear the warning within it.
"It doesn't matter," David said flatly, watching the crowd flow past him. "This is part of the plan. What is my current rating in Sophon's monitoring system?"
"Grade D. Roughly equivalent to a technocrat or a potential researcher who might advance certain key technologies in the future. Monitoring at this level occurs once every three days." The Abominable Intelligence, currently across the ocean after signing an exclusive licensing deal with the largest domestic mobile game platform, replied.
"Then it's nothing."
David was surprised by the growth speed of the AI. It had actually managed to deduce Sophon's monitoring patterns in such a short amount of time.
"I must remind you, as more Sophons arrive in the solar system, the monitoring resources allocated to each individual will increase exponentially."
David was well aware of the threat. In the near future, as hundreds or thousands of Sophons reached Earth, every human would live under twenty-four-hour surveillance. This wasn't baseless worry. In reality, the reason there were only a handful of Sophons now was that the Trisolarans believed they were enough.
David always preferred to overestimate the enemy. If Trisolaris could mass-produce Sophons regardless of cost to block human technology, there was no reason not to assume the worst. If he were exposed and Trisolaris discovered Earth's mysteriously rising war potential, they wouldn't just increase the number of Droplets; they would send far more Sophons than in the original timeline to lock down the solar system.
"It won't take that long," David replied casually, walking toward his hotel.
If anyone had observed closely, they would have seen that despite the rain, not a single drop touched David's body. It was as if an invisible, transparent dome covered him, allowing the rain to splash freely around him.
Suddenly, amid the roar of engines behind him, David thought he saw a familiar figure in the black sedan at the center of a passing convoy.
Shi Qiang.
The specially made windows were designed to block outside sight, but that was no obstacle for David with his psionic protection.
Calculating the time, the plot is indeed about to begin.
Inside the car, Shi Qiang, a veteran investigator of twenty years, also noticed his "benefactor."
"What is it?" Chang Weisi, dressed in military uniform and sitting beside Shi Qiang, noticed the change.
"Saw someone I know," Shi Qiang replied.
On Shi Qiang's left, an old detective sent to "ensure Shi Qiang reaches the capital without causing trouble" barked out a reprimand. "Pay attention to where you are! Shi Qiang, your case hasn't even been settled yet!"
The two armed police officers in the front didn't dare blink. Their hands on the steering wheel and assault rifles were soaked in sweat, but they kept their bloodshot eyes on the surroundings, watching for any possible accidents.
"Heh."
Shi Qiang spat in disdain and pulled a half-pack of loose cigarettes from his pocket. He reached out to Chang Weisi.
"Got a light?"
Chang Weisi shook his head. "Our base has regulations. No addictive substances are allowed while on duty."
"Mhm," Shi Qiang grunted and put a cigarette in his mouth as if he were actually smoking.