"So, what is our next move?"
Zhang Beihai asked after returning with a called car.
"No rush. We need to pick someone up first."
David waved at Kanter, who was waiting in the passenger seat of a Magotan parked in the shade, signaling him to wait a moment.
"Who?"
"Our Chief Fleet Scientist, Yang Dong."
"Regarding that fleet design blueprint you gave me last time."
Inside the faculty dormitory of Peking University, Yang Dong picked up the design for the Mars Fleet. It was a blueprint David had ordered the Electronic Demon to draw up by synthesizing Earth's existing technology and industrial capacity.
"Even though I believe a fleet that cannot even reach one-thousandth the speed of light is meaningless in a real war, I must say that the creator's macro-level grasp of Earth's industrial and technical power is terrifyingly precise."
Yang Dong truly was one of the first beings to grasp the Law of the Dark Forest. However, unlike Luo Ji, who was reminded by Ye Wenjie, Yang Dong had intuited it herself. Consequently, the Trisolarans had not issued a kill order for her yet. In fact, as Ye Wenjie's daughter, they might still harbor hopes of recruiting her as an asset within the human world.
Today, Yang Dong wore a set of white casual clothes—a white sweater and black trousers. David noticed a sense of awe-inspiring seriousness and focus about her, perhaps inherited from her father or her grandfather.
Due to her connection with Ye Wenjie, Yang Dong had been temporarily suspended by Peking University. Yet she still sat meticulously at her birch desk, which held only a lamp and a water cup, continuing her desperate research that had long since been blockaded by the Sophons.
Yang Dong looked at David with a calm gaze that hid a trace of reverence. David knew she had likely misunderstood something. After all, although he had been studying physics and aerospace knowledge diligently, he was still a long way from a professional scholar like her. However, he didn't expose the truth, as he couldn't explain the origin of the blueprints.
He surveyed the place where she usually rested after work. The dormitory wasn't as large as imagined—a room of less than thirty square meters with a bunk bed on the east side and a row of desks on the right. The only decoration was a potted plant on the south balcony; a few evergreens were struggling to absorb moisture from the dewdrops on their leaves.
"How long do you think it will take to build this fleet?" David asked Yang Dong, who sat in the chair closest to the balcony.
"If we can postpone the space cruisers carrying carrier-based aircraft mentioned in the blueprints... I think the work for the rest of the fleet—including six 'Battle Barges,' three 'Destroyers,' two 'Frigates,' and one 'Light Cruiser'—could be completed within two years."
Yang Dong pulled a stack of handwritten documents from a thick pile beside her. As she handed them to David, he noticed dark circles under her eyes, born from frequent late nights.
"I trust you," David replied.
He knew that with his current level, he probably couldn't fully understand her work, but Yang Dong was clearly moved by his trust.
"Thank you," she replied after a moment of silence. When she looked up again, her eyes were slightly red. "During this time that I've been dismissed, you are the first person who still believes in me."
"What about Ding Yi?" David asked, taking her hand.
"He resigned from the research institute voluntarily." Yang Dong shook her head. "Even though no one asked him to leave, we all know that from the moment the Sophons arrived on Earth, physics died. Ding Yi's primary focus is theoretical physics, the field hit hardest by Sophon interference... He doesn't want to become useless."
"This..." David took a deep breath.
He suddenly realized that because he had sent Shi Qiang to look after Luo Ji early, no one had comforted the great scientist Ding Yi. The classic "Bug Theory" that changed the fate of humanity had not yet appeared.
"I'll handle it. It's a massive waste for all of humanity if a man like Ding Yi gives up on himself... But putting that aside for now, Yang Dong, you've been dismissed, right?"
"To be precise, it's a near-permanent suspension. Although I still enjoy benefits like low-cost housing and the minimum salary subsidy for a first-tier national researcher... ultimately, my career is over," Yang Dong replied, sighing again.
"In that case, Yang Dong, would you be willing to do me a favor?"
"What?" Yang Dong looked at David.
"My Mars Fleet still needs a Chief Engineer." David handed over a recruitment contract along with her file. "Will you come and help me?"
"I would be more than happy to. But are you sure the higher-ups will allow me to join your team?"
"I am a Wallfacer, Yang Dong." David looked at the beautiful scientist. "I don't need to explain my plans to anyone."
"I will do my absolute best to fulfill my duties," Yang Dong nodded and spoke with great sincerity.
David nodded back. "Then pack your belongings. I'll take you to your new post today."
The UN had arranged for David's fleet assembly factory to be located in a small town in South Africa. Because of its proximity to the port, a large number of parts and modules could be shipped directly to South Africa for assembly, saving significant costs. Currently, experts from America, Europe, and the project lead from the East were beginning to gather at the South African base to discuss the design process for the Mars Fleet.
Of course, even though the project was still just a folder, many scholars were already complaining about David's strange warship naming conventions. David, of course, would never admit this was because he had forgotten to remind the Electronic Demon to reduce the influence of the Warhammer world when designing the ships. Although the fleets of both worlds found it difficult to break the speed of light in material space, the differences between them were still very large.
"May I offer a suggestion? As the fleet's Chief Engineer."
Yang Dong's mental state had improved significantly after signing her name on David's contract; she was no longer as despondent as before. After transcribing the data from her file, she returned the documents to David.
David nodded. He could roughly guess what her question was.
"Must the assembly be completed at the South African base? If we outsource production to domestic factories and merge some modules, I estimate efficiency could increase by at least twenty percent."
Yang Dong spoke, but to her disappointment, David shook his head slightly at her suggestion.
"That is also part of the plan."
After all, the goal of building this fleet was to literally go head-to-head with the Trisolarans. If they changed the designs too much, how was he supposed to quickly stuff Singer Civilization technology into the fleet later on?