The Three-Body Game world lay in the depths of night. Aside from sparse starlight, everything was submerged in pitch-black darkness. Even the horizon was invisible, sky and earth blending into the blackness.
This was a Chaotic Era, a Chaotic Era without a sun.
But that did nothing to affect the ETO members' mood.
They had won a great victory this time. Feng Taylor had suffered a complete blow, and his dispirited appearance made them burst into hearty laughter.
"Ha ha ha! Feng Taylor has really fallen flat on his face this time!"
Mozi proudly flaunted his achievement. After von Neumann, he had become the second Wallbreaker in the organization to successfully break a Wallfacer. His status and prestige within the organization had risen accordingly.
At this rate, succeeding Evans as the next leader of the ETO was no longer just a dream!
"Fallen flat on his face? Not necessarily. Feng Taylor's security level is still extremely high, and assassinating him remains difficult. Now that his spirit has been killed, why don't you tell us how you plan to kill the man himself?" King Arthur sneered irritably.
Ever since the previous incident, King Arthur and Mozi had been at odds, each finding the other unpleasant to look at.
"Difficult? That's only difficult for us, because we're ETO."
In the darkness, King Arthur could not make out Mozi's expression, but he could hear the sneer in Mozi's tone.
"What do you mean?" King Arthur frowned.
"What if the people assassinating him aren't us, but the United States itself?" Mozi asked.
King Arthur thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Other than us, no one would take the risk of assassinating a Wallfacer."
Assassinating Wallfacers was something only the ETO would do. Wallfacers existed to seek a sliver of hope for humanity in its struggle against Trisolaris.
What could one gain from assassinating a Wallfacer? The destruction of the Trisolarans? Clearly, that was not in the interests of humans outside the ETO.
At the same time, if one were identified as ETO, it meant bearing the infamy of being condemned by All Humanity.
Never think that was an easy thing. A person might not care about their own life or reputation, but as long as they lived in this world, there had to be someone or something they cared about, right?
Would it truly not matter what became of those people or things they cared about?
If they were not extremist lunatics, who would dare join the ETO and stand against All Humanity?
Mozi answered with a sinister chuckle.
"Heh heh heh. If he were a Wallfacer officially appointed by the United Nations, naturally no one would object, because that would have been the result chosen by everyone and would inherently possess legitimacy. But Feng Taylor is merely a substitute. He is not Frederick Taylor."
The one who had chosen Feng Taylor to become a Wallfacer was not everyone, but Wallfacer Frederick Taylor!
They were in the same game, yet in different places.
Having entered the Three-Body Game, Lin Feng found the darkness before him disorienting.
On Earth, it was difficult to encounter such darkness.
"I thought that after I exposed your identity last time, you wouldn't log in again."
Liang Gong's voice sounded beside Lin Feng.
"Why wouldn't I log in?" Lin Feng asked.
"Wariness."
Liang Gong was referring to how she had exposed Lin Feng's identity as a Wallfacer.
Lin Feng shrugged indifferently. He was wary, but not much more wary than before.
Liang Gong was ETO, and the ETO and Wallfacers were mortal enemies. Yet Liang Gong, as ETO, had chosen to save him. Even if she had other motives, Lin Feng did not think they could be too bad, so naturally he did not hold excessive wariness toward her.
"Thank you for what happened last time, Liang Gong. If it weren't for you, I would definitely be dead by now."
"I've never been able to understand why you wanted to save me."
Lin Feng knew exactly how terrifying the ETO's surveillance network was.
With the Trisolarans' Sophons, they could achieve one hundred percent surveillance of humanity without blind spots. To the ETO, the entirety of human civilization could be said to hold no secrets.
The risk Liang Gong had taken by using the game to pass intelligence to him was obvious.
"I have my reasons, but this young lady doesn't want to tell you. Figure it out yourself," Liang Gong said.
Since Liang Gong did not want to say, Lin Feng did not press her. No matter how bad her reasons were, they could not be worse than the ETO's anti-humanity stance.
"Liang Gong, will you really be all right doing this?"
"The ETO never goes easy on traitors. Your situation is very dangerous now."
"If it comes to it, you can come to me. I can provide protection."
Lin Feng was not exactly a good person, but he repaid kindness. Liang Gong had risked her life to pass him intelligence. If she died because of this, Lin Feng would never be able to forgive himself.
Lin Feng had thought about Liang Gong's situation for a long time. He had considered forcing her to leave the ETO.
But after careful consideration, he ultimately decided to respect her own wishes.
"Protect this young lady? Forget it, Passerby A. You're in danger yourself."
"Even if the ETO wants to assassinate me, it won't be that easy. With the authority I have now, protecting someone is still very simple..."
Before Lin Feng could finish, Liang Gong interrupted him.
"Not the ETO. Other people."
After leaving the Three-Body Game and taking off the VR gear, Lin Feng covered his face with his hands and rubbed his tired eyes.
But if someone could see through him, they would have noticed his rather grim expression.
Soon, Lin Feng's expression brightened again and returned to normal.
His gaze fell upon the framed photograph on the table, a picture of himself with his father, Frederick Taylor.
Then Lin Feng picked up the phone and dialed a long-uncontacted number.
"Dad, have you been well lately?"
"I'm doing well. I go out for walks every day and occasionally play a round of golf."
Frederick Taylor's voice came through the phone as he asked,
"Feng, do you regret becoming a Wallfacer now?"
Lin Feng said, "Regret? Non-existence. I have never made a choice in my life that I regretted."
"It's just that my thoughts have been a little muddled lately, and I wanted to talk with you, Dad."
"Dad, I want to come back to your place for a meal. Is that all right?"
Frederick Taylor laughed heartily over the phone.
"Of course. What reason would a father have to refuse a child who wants to come home?"
"See you soon."
After hanging up, a flash of coldness passed through Lin Feng's eyes, but it quickly faded. He called for the maid.
"Please make the arrangements. I want to visit my dad's place today."
"I'll arrange it for you right away."
News that Lin Feng had left his residence and was heading for his father Frederick Taylor's home quickly spread.
In a room Lin Feng did not yet know about, a group of people were holding a meeting targeting him.
"Why did Feng Taylor suddenly go back to Old Taylor's place? Has the information leaked?"
"Impossible. Where could he have gotten the information? The CIA?"
"He was probably hit repeatedly by the ETO's Wallbreakers and finally couldn't take it anymore. He wants to return to his safe haven for some rest."
At those words, someone immediately gritted their teeth.
"Feng Taylor has no talent whatsoever as a Wallfacer. He's been broken twice in succession. He's simply the shame of the United States..."
"No, his entire family is a disgrace. Counting his father, this is already the third time they've been broken. The United States has become an international laughingstock."
Someone else interrupted the former speaker, condemning Lin Feng and Taylor in even harsher terms.
No one present believed they were doing the work of Wallfacers. They were merely incompetents clinging to the authority of Wallfacers.
"Even now, they still cling to the authority of Wallfacers. They truly deserve to die!"
"That is precisely why we have gathered here. The plan must be thorough and clean. It cannot be traced back to us. Old Taylor's death can only be an 'accident.'"
Their plan was simple—Feng Taylor's Wallfacer authority stemmed from Frederick Taylor. Therefore, there was no need to assassinate the heavily protected Feng Taylor. Killing Frederick Taylor would be enough.
Once Wallfacer Frederick Taylor died, Feng Taylor would lose his Wallfacer authority, and another Wallfacer could only be selected.
"When should we act?"
"We can't delay too long. The sooner, the better. We must finish before that useless fool abusing Wallfacer authority reacts. Otherwise, once he uses that authority, we'll be in trouble."
"Feng Taylor won't notice. We have people in the CIA," someone answered with a cold laugh.
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