The Droplet Probe and the Light Particle Weapon.
After briefly understanding their principles, the Emperor set them aside.
He focused all his attention on the technical knowledge related to the Micro-Universe.
The theories involved in this technology were profoundly complex.
The universe was a bubble separated from the void by a supermembrane—the cosmic wall.
Micro-Universe technology could create a universe on a smaller spatial scale.
In other words, it created a small bubble on the surface of the larger one.
A Micro-Universe possessed independent time and space.
Even if the greater universe were destroyed, the Micro-Universe would remain unaffected.
Its only drawback was that it had rules but no resources.
Resources had to be brought in from the greater universe.
This technology posed a certain threat to the greater universe.
Every universe had a critical threshold for material loss.
Once too much matter was lost, the universe would lose its ability to cycle and drift toward silence amid eternal expansion.
If this technology were fully mastered and developed to its limits, humanity would wield the authority of a creator.
Footsteps sounded.
Waldo entered from outside the laboratory and bowed to the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, Wallbreaker Luo Ji wishes to see you. He says he has something very important to report to you personally."
"A Wallbreaker?"
The Emperor knew about the Wallbreaker Plan.
Previously, the technological gap between Earth and Trisolaris had been far too great.
Earth had also been monitored by sophons around the clock, leaving no secrets to hide.
To resist Trisolaran civilization, Earth had launched the Wallbreaker Plan.
They did not need to answer to anyone or explain themselves to anyone. They could mobilize vast resources from human society to formulate strategic plans against Trisolaran civilization.
"He insists on seeing me?"
Waldo nodded. "Yes. He insists on seeing you and claims that what he has to say concerns the survival of two civilizations."
"Looks like you've become part of the plan, Big Guy," Raven said.
The Emperor pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Let him come."
Luo Ji was escorted into the laboratory by guards.
The laboratory was enormous, and its security was extremely strict.
Only after more than a dozen security checks confirmed that he posed no threat was Luo Ji permitted to enter the room where the ruler of the Empire waited.
The moment he crossed the doorway, holy radiance flooded his vision.
A perfect man shrouded in light was waiting for him.
"Your Majesty."
Luo Ji had once been a staunch atheist.
The moment he saw the Emperor, he wavered.
Perhaps gods truly existed in this universe.
He instinctively wanted to drop to one knee and offer the other man his eternal loyalty.
"Do not kneel."
With a wave of the Emperor's hand, Psionic Power surged forth and stopped Luo Ji from kneeling.
The alteration of the Destiny Node had reached 15%, loosening the restrictions imposed upon the Emperor by the will of the greater universe.
It allowed him to use some Psionic Power.
Shock appeared on Luo Ji's face.
The imperial ruler before him seemed to possess a power that science could not explain.
"What was so important that you had to see me? Don't tell me I've become part of your plan as well?"
Hearing this, Luo Ji looked ashamed and repeatedly shook his head.
When he had first become a Wallbreaker, he had immersed himself in eating, drinking, and pleasure.
Whenever he wanted to do something absurd, he would use those words to brush aside anyone who questioned him.
"Please forgive my past absurdity. This time, I came to see Your Majesty because I truly have something important to discuss."
"Ye Wenjie, the first person to make contact with Trisolaran civilization, once told me two axioms of civilization and asked me to use them to establish cosmic sociology."
At that moment, an experimental instrument began to hum.
The Emperor picked up a data tablet, nodded as he examined the feedback from the instrument, and said, "Quite interesting. Go on."
Luo Ji could tell that the Emperor was busy. Even this meeting had been time the other man had taken out from his experiments.
He did not waste words and went straight to the point.
"The first need of civilization is survival, followed by growth and expansion, while the total amount of matter in the universe itself is fixed."
"Because of the limits of physical laws and differences between species, there is a chain of suspicion between different civilizations that is difficult to break."
"Furthermore, every civilization contains the possibility of a technological explosion. When different civilizations discover one another, it becomes difficult for them to establish peaceful coexistence. Their final choice will inevitably be mutual destruction."
"The universe is a Dark Forest, and every civilization is a hunter carrying a gun. They hide carefully in the darkness, and the moment they detect any movement, they fire without hesitation."
"Oh-ho, Big Guy. A villager named Luo Ji has shared the truth of the universe with you—the Dark Forest theory." Raven flapped his wings.
The Emperor stopped what he was doing, turned to Luo Ji, and asked a question that made the other man's mind go blank.
"The theory is quite good, but why should different species coexist peacefully?"
Luo Ji: "."
Well, damn.
Well, damn.
Well, damn.
At that moment, Luo Ji finally understood why the vast universe had become a Dark Forest.
"Looks like I was worrying over nothing. I've made you laugh," Luo Ji said.
"Do not belittle yourself. What you said is valuable." The Emperor set down the data tablet. "It has completed some of my conjectures."
Having said what he came to say, Luo Ji took his leave.
He no longer wanted to involve himself in anything related to saving humanity. He only wanted a wife, children, and a warm bed.
After Luo Ji left, the Emperor fell into thought.
"What are you thinking about, Big Guy?" Raven asked.
The Emperor looked at Raven and said, "I'm wondering whether the Dark Forest is the consequence of this universe suppressing the Warp too severely."
"Do the Chaos Gods wandering beyond the universe and through the Warp play another role in the ecosystem—cleansing civilizations and promoting the cycle of life?"
"There is a balance between the Warp and the material universe. This universe suppresses the Warp too harshly, leaving behind only pure physical laws."
"Without Chaos Gods tempting civilizations into self-destruction, those civilizations would endure far longer."
"They have no way to reach other universes, so they can only keep waging wars in their native universe, fighting for resources and exterminating dissidents."
Raven easily understood what the Emperor meant.
"Like the relationship between wolves and sheep? Without wolves in this universe, sheep multiply excessively and cause the ecological environment to collapse. An interesting theory. Once we have traveled through enough universes, perhaps we can uncover the answer."
Cheng Xin joined ETO under the codename Maria.
She used her identity to rally support for the resistance.
Her special identity as the girl who received a star gave her immense influence among the people.
Many people joined the resistance because of her, and for a time, the resistance gained tremendous momentum.
They shouted slogans demanding freedom and democracy, rejecting dictatorship and the Tyrant, inciting people to resist the Empire.
Many families and regional powers unwilling to submit to imperial rule answered the call.
For a time, flames of war rose everywhere, and conflicts erupted across the land.
Videos and artistic works praising Trisolaran civilization and urging humanity to reflect on itself spread widely throughout human society.
"The Trisolarans merely want land where they can settle down. They do not want war."
"They have endured more than two hundred cycles merely to survive. Such a resolute species deserves humanity's respect."
"Peace, not war."
"The Trisolarans never said they wanted to go to war. It is all deception by humanity's upper ranks to centralize power."
"."
Just as the resistance movement was in full swing.
Vand located the hideout where many high-ranking ETO members were hiding.
He led imperial troops in a surprise assault. After a bloody battle, they killed a group of resistance members and captured the hideout.
The surviving ETO leaders were arrested, including Cheng Xin.
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