r18novel Chapter 5: It was your stupidity that helped Luo Ji.
Chapter 5: It was your stupidity that helped Luo Ji.
"You might disagree and think I'm wrong to call you stupid, so let me use Luo Ji's case as an example again. Why did you let ETO assassinate Luo Ji?"
The science official replied, "Because Luo Ji has been in contact with Ye Wenjie, there is a possibility that he has discovered the 'Dark Forest Theory'."
Cheng Yuan said, "Leaving aside whether the 'Dark Forest Theory' is right or wrong, you made a big mistake by ordering ETO to assassinate Luo Ji because he had contact with Ye Wenjie."
"Because your assassination attempt actually helped Luo Ji comprehend the 'Dark Forest Theory,' and if it weren't for your intervention, Luo Ji probably wouldn't have become a Wallfacer, let alone comprehend the 'Dark Forest Theory.'"
"It's your stupidity that helped Luo Ji!"
The Trisolarans' brainwaves vibrated in the meeting room. This human claimed that they helped Luo Ji become a Wallfacer and helped him comprehend the Dark Forest Theory.
Cheng Yuan continued, "Given Luo Ji's original status and position, if you hadn't had ETO assassinate him, and if the Earth's higher-ups hadn't noticed him, the probability of him becoming a Wallfacer would have been very small."
"But what about you?"
"Having ETO assassinate him is practically telling Earth's leadership that Luo Ji possesses something the Trisolarans fear and dread. No wonder he was chosen as a Wallfacer!"
What this human said makes a lot of sense; they really were the ones who turned Luo Ji into a Wallfacer.
"Luo Ji did not become a Wallfacer willingly, so after becoming a Wallfacer, he became self-destructive and used his Wallfacer power to find himself a place to live and a wife."
"At times like these, the more afraid you are of Luo Ji, the less you should show it, and even less should you attempt to assassinate him."
"Because if we were to assassinate him, it would make everyone, including Luo Ji, realize that there is something about him that you fear and are wary of."
"The logic is simple: if you weren't afraid of what Luo Ji possessed, why would you have ordered ETO to assassinate him?"
Logic and reason are truly a pair of smiling tigers, two black sharks.
"Your attempt to assassinate Luo Ji will only make humanity realize Luo Ji's importance. Luo Ji himself will also realize this and start thinking about what makes him worthy of your fear."
"Ye Wenjie is the supreme commander of ETO. As long as Luo Ji isn't completely stupid, he will definitely start to think about whether your fear of him is because he had contact with Ye Wenjie, and then recall what Ye Wenjie said to him at Yang Dong's grave, and comprehend the 'Dark Forest Law'."
Through Cheng Yuan's words, the high-ranking members of the Trisolaran leadership realized how foolish it had been to have ETO assassinate Luo Ji.
The Trisolaran leader, however, discovered a blind spot in Cheng Yuan's words: "Mr. Cheng Yuan, how do you know so much about these things? As far as I know, when Ye Wenjie met Luo Ji at Yang Dong's grave, there was no one else present."
Cheng Yuan smiled and said, "There were many people at the time, but you couldn't see them, and they couldn't influence what happened."
The Trisolaran leader and the governors pondered Cheng Yuan's words. There were others at the time, people that even the Sophon could not detect.
Judging from Mr. Cheng Yuan's words, he was also present at the time, but how exactly did he manage to do that?
Cheng Yuan didn't explain to them, and continued, "The right thing to do with Luo Ji is to leave him alone, keep an eye on him secretly, and forget about him openly."
"By doing this, neither humans nor Luo Ji himself will realize his importance. Over time, people will increasingly feel that Luo Ji is unimportant, thus reducing the threat he poses to you."
"But you chose to have ETO assassinate him, alerting him and letting Luo Ji know that you feared him. That was foolish enough, but what's even more foolish is that when you could have killed Luo Ji with the water droplet, you let him go."
"This only makes you look arrogant and foolish. You attacked Luo Ji when you shouldn't have, and you didn't act when you should have. Sooner or later, your stupidity will destroy your home planet!"
The Trisolaran leaders in the meeting room fell silent again. The brainwaves of each Trisolaran were heavy. Were they really that stupid?
After a while, the Trisolaran leader said to Cheng Yuan, "Mr. Cheng Yuan, your criticism is correct; you have pointed out our shortcomings. Could you please help us correct these shortcomings? I would like to appoint you as an advisor to our civilization!"
Upon hearing this, the brainwaves of the Trisolaran rulers in the meeting hall fluctuated violently, but upon careful consideration, it was indeed feasible.
After making contact with humans, the Trisolarans realized their shortcomings. Their transparent thinking made it difficult for them to understand and use schemes, and they were incapable of deception or concealment.
When a civilization develops on its own, these shortcomings are not considered problems, and may even be considered advantages. However, when it encounters other civilizations, especially civilizations like humanity, these shortcomings will become their fatal flaws.
Of course, because their technology was far more advanced than that of humans, the Trisolarans, despite finding humans who could lie and conceal things terrifying, did not take them too seriously.
No matter how deceitful humans are, we can simply stop communicating with them and wait for their fleet to arrive in the solar system, where they will be able to suppress everything.
With the fleet right in front of us, how can we possibly lose?
This is also an important reason why the Trisolarans abandoned Evans: they couldn't see through Evans and didn't know if this human was truly loyal to them. What if Evans was deceiving them?
Moreover, since the Sophon had already arrived on Earth, the Trisolarans saw Evans' value as greatly diminished. However, Evans knew a great deal, so they decided to let the humans of Earth kill Evans and eliminate this person who was no longer of much value to them and had instead become a threat.
If the Trisolarans hadn't given up on Evans, the Sophon's surveillance capabilities would have surely alerted him in advance.
The Trisolarans both feared and disdained humanity's ability to lie and deceive, until Luo Ji taught them a harsh lesson, at which point they truly wanted to learn human tactics.
Learning from humans can certainly be done by using sophons to monitor them, but how can that compare to a human teaching them face-to-face?
The Trisolaran leader genuinely wanted to hire Cheng Yuan as an advisor to the Trisolaran civilization, to teach them human strategies, and to help them escape the crisis of being threatened by Luo Ji.
From Mr. Cheng Yuan's words, it is clear that he has a deep understanding of Luo Ji, and the Trisolaran leader believes that he must have a way to deal with Luo Ji's deterrence.
Cheng Yuan smiled and asked, "What benefits would I get from becoming your advisor?"
One advisor is not enough to satisfy Cheng Yuan's ambition. He wants to gain more. He wants to become the leader of the Trisolaran civilization and its commander!
The Trisolaran leader said sincerely, "You will become the benefactor of our civilization. All Trisolarans will revere you, and we will do everything we can for you."
"If you desire beauty, after conquering the Earth, we will select or create the most beautiful woman for you; if you desire power, we will make you the greatest king in human history; if you desire wealth, we will make you the richest person in human history; if you desire longevity, we will use the most advanced technology to extend your lifespan, making you the longest-lived person in human history."
Upon hearing these promises, Cheng Yuan simply shook his head: "Very sincere, but not enough!"
The Trisolaran leader asked, "Then what are your requirements?"
Cheng Yuan said, "Let's not talk about that for now. The head of state was just asking about my background. I said at the time, 'May I ask if I can refrain from answering for the time being?' Now I can tell you the answer."
Cheng Yuan decided to take a big gamble and achieve deeper mutual trust with the Trisolarans.