Chapter 514: Doubts and Denunciations! Social Unrest! The Army Presses Forward!
After confirming that the sophons had been completely eliminated, Chairman Galning quickly realized that the high-energy particle accelerator construction program they had been carrying out had now lost its meaning.
With the sophons—once the greatest obstacle to particle collision experiments—gone, what need did humanity have to continue building ten thousand high-energy accelerators?
The more than one thousand accelerators already completed were enough for humanity to carry out many rounds of particle collision experiments.
"But what about the several thousand accelerators still under construction? What actual meaning does our original plan still have?"
The thought left Galning with a sharp pang in his heart. For the sake of building ten thousand accelerators, humanity had accepted an economic standstill, tightening its belt and enduring hardship.
All resources, everything, had been funneled into advancing this plan.
If this entire project was nothing more than a deliberate ruse by Paul to deceive the Trisolarans, then such behavior was simply too malicious.
If the people who had poured their blood, sweat, and tears into this effort learned that everything they had done was meaningless, no one could say how great a chaos might erupt.
No one could accept the fact of having been played for a fool.
"Of course it has meaning. None of your efforts were in vain. Even without sophons, we still need the high-energy particle accelerators."
Paul gazed calmly at Galning, utterly indifferent to the deepening scowl on the latter's face.
"Nonsense! How could we possibly need so many accelerators? Fifty would already be more than enough for collision experiments, yet we've built more than a thousand, with two thousand more under construction, and three thousand foundations freshly dug!"
Galning was furious. He nearly wished he could slap Paul on behalf of the people outside. This man had known the sophons would be destroyed, and yet had deliberately staged all this to torment them.
"Compared with building accelerators, what's more important is uniting humanity—gathering its willpower and cohesion. Over the past two years, humanity abandoned all conflict, ceased to harm each other, put an end to corruption.
"In the midst of suffering was born the purest of emotions. That is the greatest meaning of the accelerator project."
Paul's words silenced the chamber. The parliamentarians, who had been murmuring restlessly, fell into thought.
…
This Wallfacer hearing did not last long. To avoid sparking social unrest, the news of the sophons' destruction was temporarily sealed.
The ten-thousand-accelerator project continued on schedule. The completed accelerators were formally brought online, running collisions day and night.
Humanity's science had been shackled for two hundred years by sophons, and now the chains were broken at last. Scientists across all nations, overjoyed, threw themselves into experiments, eager to witness scientific truth.
Ordinary citizens knew nothing of what had happened at the top. All they knew was that the once-urgent quotas were no longer pressed as harshly, and at last they could breathe a little easier.
Labor benefits improved slightly—not much, but for those who had endured two bitter years, it was like sweet rain after a long drought. The accelerator project had leveled every stratum of society onto the same line.
There was no privileged class; everything gave way to the accelerators.
The higher-status scientists were so consumed by their experiments and research that they had no time to exploit the people. Thus humanity on Earth finally ushered in a true sense of equality, harmony, and freedom.
Though the extinction threat of the Trisolaran civilization still hung above them, people could now find joy even in hardship, tasting once more that fleeting utopia of universal brotherhood long vanished from history.
They saw with their own eyes the accelerators—born of their shared sacrifice, effort, and sweat—being activated one after another, and everyone could feel that humanity was marching toward its ultimate victory.
But soon, a sudden piece of news cast unease into their hearts.
The Asian Fleet's seven hundred stellar-class warships were preparing to take the initiative, moving out to face the nine Water Drops that had entered the solar system. They would engage near Jupiter's orbit, fighting to defend Earth's survival.
At first glance, this seemed stirring—but it inspired no confidence. The destruction of the European and North American Fleets remained vivid in memory. How could anyone believe that such scant forces could stand against nine Water Drops?
With only that meager military strength, how could the Asian Fleet possibly block the Water Drops? It was pure fantasy.
Unlike the wave of public enthusiasm when the Joint Fleet first set out, this time the Asian Fleet's initiative drew overwhelming opposition.
Protesters even marched to the Joint Fleet government's doorstep, loudly demonstrating and chanting:
"Don't you see how powerful the Water Drops are? Must you insist on throwing lives away?"
"More than a thousand stellar-class warships couldn't handle a single Water Drop! And you think seven hundred can fight nine? This isn't just suicide—it's supreme stupidity!"
"Are humans truly a species incapable of learning? Tragedy after tragedy repeats itself—we have never truly mastered the lessons of history!"
"…!"
As these denunciations spread, a rumor began circulating through society.
Some claimed the Asian Fleet was never actually going to intercept the Water Drops at all. Instead, they argued, it was like the Natural Selection two years ago—fleeing Earth, making a run for the outer solar system.
Seven hundred ships, after all, had a far greater chance of survival than one.
Though riddled with holes, this notion was buoyed by the undeniable fact of Natural Selection's escape.
And since that ship had been part of the Asian Fleet, and Captain Zhang Beihai himself was Chinese, suspicion toward the Asian Fleet's intentions arose naturally.
Thus more and more people believed the Asian Fleet's sortie was no interception, but rather a premeditated, organized mass escape.
And as news spread of the nine Water Drops and the Trisolaran fleet closing in on Earth, public sensitivity toward "escape-ists" reached a peak.
More and more, people feared the Asian Fleet intended to abandon humanity and flee with vast stores of resources.
Not resentment of scarcity, but of inequality.
Humanity could accept dying together, but not being abandoned by part of their own. Better that all perish together than some escape alone.
To prevent such rumors from disrupting morale, Paul himself had to appear, giving a public address to all humankind. He declared that the Asian Fleet's initiative was coordinated with Universal Megacorp's forces in resisting the Water Drops.
They were not acting alone.
"Universal Megacorp will stand with human civilization, fighting to the very last moment. The Trisolarans are not invincible, and the Water Drops are already proven to be humanity's defeated foes—this much is plain to see."
With Paul's personal assurance, doubts finally eased somewhat. After all, the first Water Drop had indeed been destroyed by Universal Megacorp.
If Universal Megacorp fought alongside humanity's fleets, then people could breathe easier.
But to say they had no fear at all—no one could.
Who could guarantee that the Wallfacer standing before them was truly planning to resist the Trisolarans? What if Paul was also nothing more than a thorough defeatist—then their fate would still be to remain on Earth and wait for death.
The truth proved that humanity was not nearly as united as imagined. There would always be dissenting voices.
To this, Paul could only admit his helplessness.
He could not silence every mouth.
Time flew by, and in the span of a month, people could already see, through Earth's astronomical telescopes, the flames produced by the Trisolaran fleet's thrusters as it decelerated—growing clearer by the day.
They could even make out a distinct glow in outer space.
The speed of the Trisolarans' technological explosion surpassed human imagination. One must remember, until recently, the overwhelming consensus had been that the fleet was still 2.1 light-years away from the solar system.
At least a century would be needed before they reached Earth.
But now the Trisolaran fleet had already reached lightspeed. By the very moment they were observed, this enemy fleet had arrived at the doorstep of the solar system.
If not for the time required to decelerate, the Trisolaran civilization would already be battering down humanity's gates.
Fleet International and the United Nations had not wanted to report this at all—for the nine droplets already had them agonizing beyond endurance, let alone the Trisolaran fleet itself.
But paper cannot contain fire.
Amateur astronomers abounded across the globe, perfectly capable of observing space on their own, of seeing the Trisolaran fleet racing ever closer.
This was not something that could be hidden.
Given that the Asian Fleet's proactive strike had already stirred up a storm of controversy and rumors, if they kept this secret any longer, it would only lead to internal unrest.
With no other choice, Fleet International was forced to announce that the Trisolaran fleet was about to arrive, while appealing to the populace not to panic, and to act strictly in accordance with government instructions.
But things did not develop so simply.
Until now, everyone had assumed the fleet's arrival in the solar system was still a century away. Even if the nine droplets arrived first, they could not slaughter all of humanity in a single sweep.
They could live out the remainder of their lives in peace and safety.
Who could have expected that in just two short years, the Trisolaran fleet would come swaggering right up to their door?
Death itself was not terrifying—what was terrifying was knowing that one had to die today. When faced with true empathy of that inevitability, no one could truly accept the arrival of death.
Unlike the consensus already formed within Universal Megacorp, in the eyes of Earth's populace, the greatest threat was still the Trisolaran fleet.
As for the droplets, they seemed nothing more than probes of the Trisolarans.
The Trisolaran colonial warships were like the European fleets of five centuries ago, bringing slaughter and subjugation to the Americas—and now retribution had come for all of humanity.
North Americans and Europeans had a natural fear of colonization, for no one understood better what massacres and oppression colonization entailed, and no one feared it more.
In such an atmosphere of dread, social unrest was inevitable.
Riots and chaos broke out once again. There were even extremists who attempted to seize stellar-class warships—an atrocious incident.
Paul had done his utmost to calm public sentiment. But the Trisolaran fleet, visible overhead, hung like a Damoclean sword ready to fall at any moment, piercing the people's confidence again and again.
More and more voices of doubt rose as time passed. Some began denouncing Paul's so-called Wallfacer plan as nothing but a colossal waste of resources—that the ten thousand particle accelerators were only there to satisfy Paul's warped vanity.
Just like emperors of old, obsessed with building grand wonders to proclaim their supreme power.
Facing this wave of criticisms, Paul offered no rebuttal. Until the crisis was resolved, the public would always speculate in the darkest possible directions.
He could not change human nature. No one ever had.
That day, Paul went to Luo Ji's research institute. Watching the man absorbed in his endless "Snow Project" work, Paul suddenly felt a wave of emotion.
Compared to burying oneself in the monotony of a laboratory, standing as the Swordholder threatening the Trisolarans seemed far more awe-inspiring. But Paul was certain Luo Ji would never choose to be a Swordholder—he would prefer this place.
"How is the plan coming along? Everything still going smoothly?" Paul asked with concern.
Luo Ji set down his electronic pad, forced himself to muster some spirit, and smiled faintly. "Everything's fine.
We've already deployed enough stellar hydrogen bombs to guarantee we'll observe any droplets entering the solar system. Rest assured."
Compared to being a Wallfacer, life here as an ordinary researcher was far lighter—his soul did not have to carry such a crushing weight.
In his spare time, Luo Ji could still play with Zhuang Yan and their child.
"Good. You've all done well."
Paul nodded. Unlike the fleet, droplets were exceedingly difficult to observe directly. To locate them inevitably required the Snow Project.
"Paul, are you truly prepared to face the Trisolaran fleet? Do your warships truly have the power to defeat them?"
Luo Ji's eyes showed doubt as he looked at him. Rumors had filled the air lately—so much so that even secluded researchers like them had heard at least some of the talk.
"Also, is the construction of those ten thousand particle accelerators truly meaningless? If the public discovers that the accelerators you ordered built are utterly useless, do you know what the consequences will be?"
Luo Ji's gaze was grave as he fixed on Paul. If that truth were confirmed, there would be no need for the Trisolaran fleet to march forward—humanity itself would stone Paul to death.
Just as they had once done with Rey Diaz.
"You think the same as them, then? That the particle accelerators are nothing but a useless sham?" Paul asked in return.
"I don't know. No one can ever truly understand another person's mind. And besides—deception itself is the Wallfacer's prerogative. No one has the right to censure your orders."
Luo Ji knew all too well the crushing pressure a Wallfacer bore, and the flood of criticisms he had to endure. He had once tasted that bitter flavor himself.
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