"I understand. We will proceed according to the Lord's will."
A heavy, middle-aged voice came from the other end of the phone. However, the believer named Evans did not receive a timely reply from his fellow disciple.
"Mozi?" Evans asked tentatively.
The only response he received was the sound of an unbelievable human sob.
If Evans could have seen this island in the middle of the Pacific via satellite, he would have noticed something peculiar. Amidst the "black rain" formed by radioactive dust and the spreading smoke clouds outside the dust column, a prism-shaped triangular iron spike was falling. It struck the two ships that had just completed their destruction mission with unerring precision.
Like a hammer crushing tofu, the two ships were completely skewered by the iron spike, which had been accelerated to six times the speed of sound. As if interfered with by some unknown force, the pierced vessels began to disintegrate at an alarming rate. The fuel tanks ignited, and fierce flames rapidly swallowed the main hulls. The ship engines exploded with a short, sharp shriek, finally turning into a small firework on the sea.
"The assembly of the small reactor is complete."
David wiped the sweat from his forehead and stood with his hands on his hips, admiring his handiwork with satisfaction.
"Keep up the good work! Once the Mars base is built, I'll appoint you as the Governor of Mars."
Looking at the Digital Demon, which was using quantum states to control several small prospecting machines to mine Helium-3 and fresh water on the moon, David virtually patted the cyber-puppy's head. After casually painting a "big pie" of a future promise, he returned to his physical shell on Earth.
With power and basic experimental materials, the lunar base had begun operations. It started producing "Ecostat," a substance capable of changing its shape at will, according to the processes provided by the system.
As for the Gene-Seed he had manually crafted, David had transplanted it into Smoothbore's body. However, due to the current state of the Warp, the Gene-Seed was developing slowly. It would likely take some time to complete all twenty stages of the surgical process.
Since the essence of the Digital Demon was his own psionic energy, it was undoubtedly much safer than the Abominable Intelligence. Having devoured the A.I., the Digital Demon had inherited most of its capabilities, including Iron Man technology and artificial intelligence. This led David to consider whether he should periodically "feed" it with the latest technological products from Earth.
After finishing these tasks, David returned to his body in Beijing.
"Where is Shi Qiang?" David asked Chang Weisi, who was flipping through transcripts in his office at the Earth Defense Security Department's Beijing headquarters.
"He went to China No. 2 to find outside help," Chang Weisi replied, setting down a white-covered document stamped with the UN logo.
Although Chang Weisi closed the folder quickly, David caught a glimpse of words like "Pacific," "Small Island," and "Hydrogen Bomb."
"He's preparing to investigate the Three-Body game. He probably won't be coming to the Security Department for a while."
Investigating the Three-Body game, huh...
Hearing this, David felt a sense of sudden realization. The timeline was moving so fast; in the blink of an eye, the plot of the first Three-Body book was nearing its end. As for the "outside help" Shi Qiang was looking for, David could guess their identity.
"I'll be going on a business trip soon as well." Chang Weisi pushed a golden UN Peace Medal toward David. "You'll be looking after the house for now. By the way, remember to wear this during working hours. There's a high probability you'll need it for reporter interviews."
"Alright. Oh, and about Shen Yufei and the 'Lord' she speaks of." David took the medal and asked casually, pretending to be nonchalant. "Does the Security Bureau have any leads on that?"
"To be honest, none at all. The information we got from her isn't as much as what Wei Cheng gave us," Chang Weisi complained. "Aside from knowing the Three-Body game is their frequent haunt, and that damn Three-Body Problem... we know nothing else."
David wasn't surprised by this result. Shen Yufei was like Ye Wenjie; she wasn't the type to yield to threats, bribes, or torture. They were undoubtedly idealists. Even though they realized their ideals were unreliable, those beliefs were the last straws supporting their existence in the face of total despair.
David looked at the thick stack of scratch paper pressed under Chang Weisi's heavy folders. The paper was covered in crooked mathematical symbols—the handwriting started neat but turned into uniform, jagged scribbles later on. He could imagine how much torture this tough man had endured just to investigate the case. David tried his best to keep from laughing out loud.
"Is there anything I should pay attention to?" David hadn't expected Chang Weisi to trust him so much that he would entrust the Beijing Security Bureau to him during his absence. This shift likely occurred after David had single-handedly captured the two assassins from Moscow.
"There is one thing, actually," Chang Weisi said as he pushed open the door, giving a special instruction before leaving. "Keep an eye on Shi Qiang for me. Don't let him cause any more trouble."
"I understand," David nodded.
Once Chang Weisi had left, David sat in his large office chair. He had previously searched for the same model of office chair on Taobao, but the staggering price had temporarily extinguished his desire to buy one.
After enjoying the treatment of a leader for a moment, David picked up the phone on the desk.
"Find out where Shen Yufei is."
The person answering was a clerk at the UN Security Department in Beijing. Her voice was very respectful upon receiving a call from Chang Weisi's office.
"She's at the Beijing No. 3 Prison."
After checking the cell and location where Shen Yufei was held, David nodded thoughtfully. He vaguely remembered parting ways with Shi Qiang in front of this very prison earlier.
"It couldn't be such a coincidence..."
"It really is a coincidence."
Looking at the photo of Shi Qiang's son, who had been imprisoned in No. 3 Prison for illegal fundraising, David's expression was somewhat speechless.
"This really is Shi Qiang's son... Wait, this guy has a criminal record. When the Era of Crisis begins, he'll likely be thrown back in for violating the 'Fleeing Law' anyway."
Fine, I'll help him out. Consider it a reward for Shi Qiang taking care of me for so long.
Criminals like this should be thrown into the Eighth Legion for some... soul-searching and reform.
At that moment, inside the prison, Shi Xiaoming—who was currently spacing out while stepping on a sewing machine—felt a sudden chill down his spine for some unknown reason.