After checking into the hotel, David washed his face and opened a map to navigate to the location of Peking University.
He checked the app and saw his name on the list of students retaking courses for the next semester. His leave request had been approved, and the person who authorized it was indeed Ye Wenjie. David felt a sense of relief.
He had chosen to retake the courses instead of rushing the make-up exams for two reasons. First, he was short on time. As the Sophons blockaded Earth's technology, many scholars—according to his knowledge—had already begun to commit suicide. In his memory, Wang Miao's investigation wouldn't start until early 2006, and Yang Dong's suicide would happen at the start of that plot. It was now early October 2005, meaning Yang Dong's death was only a month or two away.
The second reason was that "Astrophysics" was the only way David could maintain normal contact with Ye Wenjie. Any other method would inevitably draw suspicion, not just from the Sophons, but also from official authorities. It wasn't that David didn't want to contact the government; it was that Sophon surveillance was terrifying. Whether it was the ETO or the authorities, his "cheat" would be discovered by Sophons in minutes if he were too closely associated with them. He didn't intend to take that risk until he was certain he could handle the "Droplet."
Unlike the Swordholders, whose power essentially came from humanity itself, the Trisolarans held the winning hand as long as human technology remained locked. The best result for humanity would be to broadcast coordinates to the universe and face mutual destruction.
David followed the navigation downstairs.
Skyscrapers stood in rows. The candlelight of old courtyards, perhaps dating back to the Republic era, intertwined with the unextinguished lights of high-rise offices, creating a picture that was both historically profound and full of hope for the future.
"Excuse me, how do I get to the Neutron Research Institute?"
According to the address on the business card Ye Wenjie had given him, the institute where Ding Yi and Yang Dong worked was right next to the East Campus of Peking University. Seeing his map display a distance of 1,200 kilometers, David silently closed the app and approached a young man.
The young man, dressed like a scholar in a blue casual suit, was lying on the clean grass in front of the university gate. He looked intoxicated by the sight of the desolate artificial lake, seemingly immersed in a dream.
"?"
David wondered if these academics all had something wrong with their heads. Some committed suicide, some became traitors, and some just daydreamed. Also, who in their right mind has a picnic by a lake in October when the leaves on the beech trees are almost gone?
David scanned the area and found that the only person wandering by the lake in the cold wind was this singular individual.
"How do I get to the Neutron Research Institute?"
David stood beside the youth and crouched down. His heavy shadow loomed over the young man like a mountain.
"Ah... oh..."
Feeling the sudden weight on his shoulder, the youth—who had been propped up on one hand—jolted awake. He didn't seem embarrassed by the interruption. Instead, he looked at David with a helpless gaze and pointed a finger toward the end of a small path to the east.
"There. Follow that path, swipe your ID, go east to the end, and when you see the sign for the School of Statistics, turn left. It's the third building."
"Thanks."
David nodded and prepared to leave.
"Wait, we're going the same way. Let's go together."
The youth stood up, brushed the grass seeds off his clothes, and picked up a book that was lying face down on the ground. David glanced at it: Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra. The cover was clean except for a bit of dirt, and the pages showed no signs of wear. The reader clearly hadn't been very diligent.
"Is the Neutron Research Institute actually inside the campus?" David asked, looking at the long queue of people swiping IDs to enter. He estimated it would take five or six minutes to reach the front.
"No choice. Peking University is the institute's biggest financier. It's not bad, though; the campus cafeteria is good and the prices are reasonable."
The youth seemed indifferent. He stood next to David, looking at the queue with an expression that gave David an uneasy feeling.
"Are you a student? Why are you going there? Are students today really that competitive?"
"Why, are you a teacher?" David asked abruptly as they moved with the crowd.
The youth, who was about to pull out his staff ID, froze. The failed attempt at showing off made him look awkward.
"Heh."
The youth gave a dry laugh. David looked at the thin red credential in his hand. Using his enhanced sight to read the small print that an ordinary person wouldn't notice, David's eyelids twitched.
Professor of Sociology: Luo Ji.
It was a familiar name.
"To be honest, I don't really know how I became a teacher," Luo Ji said, shaking his head. "I just sort of graduated, didn't want to find a job, so I stayed at the school..."
"I'm starting to feel worried for your students."
David stepped through the gates. There were fewer guards than expected. It seemed the authorities hadn't realized the Trisolaran threat yet, or perhaps they were still clinging to illusions and didn't want to make everything public. The birch forests on both sides were tall and stood solemnly in the winter cold.
Looking at the man beside him, David felt a sense of deflation.
"It's fine. At least my classes are interesting to them," Luo Ji replied.
Perhaps it was his training as a sociologist or his natural instincts, but Luo Ji felt there was something about the young man beside him that he couldn't understand. It wasn't just a "vibe." A voice in his mind kept telling him that the anomaly in this youth was different.
It was a quality that felt "non-human," or more accurately, "superhuman."
Luo Ji suppressed the sudden rise of eerie unease.
Is it possible that those legends and myths beyond human cognition actually exist?Demons of the East, evil spirits of the West, or the ghosts and gods spoken of worldwide?
The thought rose in Luo Ji's mind and refused to leave. But a moment later, he couldn't help but laugh at his own runaway imagination.
_______________
Note : Swordholders are a select group of individuals appointed to wield absolute authority over humanity's nuclear arsenal in the event of an alien threat. They are responsible for executing the "Dark Forest Deterrence" strategy, which can trigger a retaliatory strike capable of annihilating the Trisolarans if Earth itself is threatened. Swordholders symbolize the extreme burden of moral and existential responsibility, as they must balance the survival of humanity against the risk of total destruction.
Luo Ji is a key protagonist who becomes central to humanity's strategy against the Trisolarans. He is an astronomer and sociologist who initially appears unremarkable but is later chosen for his ability to think in unconventional, strategic ways. Luo Ji devises the "Dark Forest Deterrence" concept, recognizing that the universe is like a dark forest where any civilization revealing its location risks annihilation. Using this insight, he becomes a Swordholder, holding the authority to threaten the Trisolarans with mutual destruction, making him humanity's primary shield and a pivotal figure in interstellar diplomacy and survival.