"Knock him out."
David watched as the facial expressions of this mathematical genius—who, despite being under thirty, was already an authority on the Three-Body problem—shifted rapidly.
It was clear that Wei Cheng, who had lived his entire life in a civilized society, was psychologically unprepared for any form of criminal activity, even while unemployed. David offered no further explanation. His physical body remained in a guest room not far away, while his spiritual form lingered beside Wei Cheng.
In fact, David was ready to take control of Wei Cheng's body at any moment. This genius possessed an incredible adaptability to the Warp; even as the energies were still gathering, he could sense the subtle psionic fluctuations in the air. In a world like Warhammer, he would be a natural, mobile Warp portal. If left unchecked, he could easily be possessed by Daemons, triggering a catastrophe that could engulf the entire planet.
A struggle flickered across Wei Cheng's face.
To David's surprise, Wei Cheng took a long look at the two arguing shadows outside the woods. Then, as if reaching a decision, he crouched down, left the path, and circled behind them through the undergrowth.
The choice of a smart man.
Or perhaps, the choice of a madman.
David temporarily abandoned the idea of "auto-battling" for him and watched Wei Cheng's movements with interest. When Wei Cheng reached a position behind the pair, he hid in a cluster of shrubs that had been neatly trimmed by the temple monks. This was partly due to Wei Cheng's caution and partly because David was using psionic energy to interfere with the targets' attention.
Having reached his mark, Wei Cheng did not rush to strike. He held his breath, hiding in the grass directly in front of Shen Yufei with remarkable patience. The night was still. Even though the two figures at the temple gate kept their voices low, Wei Cheng could hear every word clearly.
"Do you realize what you are doing, Shen Yufei? For our Lord, this is nothing short of betrayal."
Although Shen Yufei and the man across from her were speaking Japanese, Wei Cheng was shocked to realize he understood every sentence perfectly, despite never having studied the language.
What kind of power is this?
The thought flashed through his mind. He should have been terrified of the bizarre changes happening to him, but for some reason, his heart felt miraculously calm. Wei Cheng suddenly realized he had been waiting for a day like this.
He was sick of his dull, monotonous life; otherwise, he wouldn't have left the university to hide in this small temple run by his father's old friend, spending his days contemplating "mathematical problems" that offered no help to his lifestyle or career.
Suppressing his excitement, Wei Cheng watched the two through the gaps in the bushes. The man standing opposite Shen Yufei looked furious.
"You want to use the Lord's power to destroy humanity," Shen Yufei replied coldly. "You are a devil, Pan Han. You have betrayed the organization's purpose! You have betrayed your race!"
Pan Han?
Hearing that familiar name, Wei Cheng seemed to realize something. He listened closely to the man's voice again.
"Don't push me, Shen Yufei. Terminate the research on the Three-Body problem immediately."
Wei Cheng saw the man uncross his arms and reach into his pocket. Despite the faint moonlight, the light was too dim for Wei Cheng to determine what the dark object in Pan Han's pocket was. But he was certain of one thing.
Is this Pan Han the leader of that famous environmental organization on the news?
The moment the thought surfaced, the voice from the void asked as if reading his mind, "You recognize him?"
Seeing that the two people in front of him were oblivious to the voice in his ear, Wei Cheng thought to himself: Of course. Because of the forest fires in the Greater Khingan Mountains last month, this man and his group—was it 'Pastoral Idyll' or something?—organized several protests. He's on the news all the time.
"I see."
The voice answered after a brief hesitation. This brought a smile to Wei Cheng's face. He had confirmed two things: first, the entity was not a completely different civilization but was quite easy to communicate with; second, the voice was indeed not "directional sound technology" as he had initially imagined, but something akin to mind-reading from fantasy novels.
However, the smile soon faded.
"He's drawing a gun."
"?"
Wei Cheng gripped the hollow iron pipe in his hand tighter; it was the only thing giving him a sense of security. Seeing Wei Cheng dazed by the sudden escalation from a "knife fight" to a "gunfight," the voice reminded him after a silent pause.
"Watch out for the shots."
Is that even humanly possible to dodge?
Do you think I'm Superman or something?
Despite his internal complaints, Wei Cheng remained motionless on the ground, following the advice to stay low.
"The leader told us we must hold a firm belief: the Lord's arrival is absolutely beneficial to humanity," Shen Yufei answered calmly, seemingly unaware of Pan Han's movements.
The Lord?
This wasn't the first time Wei Cheng had heard her mention this name. Do you know who this Lord she believes in actually is? he asked in his heart.
"I do," the voice replied, no longer hiding its nature. "But for your safety, I cannot tell you yet."
Indeed, David only intended to use Wei Cheng to clear the "little tail" following him and to draw some of the Trisolarans' attention. He never wanted Wei Cheng to die; if Wei Cheng learned of the Trisolarans' existence, his chances of surviving under the increasingly tight Sophon surveillance would be slim.
However, a private conflict with a member of the Earth-Trisolaris Organization (ETO) was a different matter.
Currently, David could use his power to kill any sentient being on Earth whose identity and location he knew. He could even lead humanity to colonize the Moon, Mars, or Jupiter. But that was useless against the crisis Earth faced. Sophon surveillance and the potential strikes remained the Sword of Damocles over his head.
Humanity and David had only one chance to change their fate. Before finding a way to counter the Trisolaran strike, David would not take any reckless risks. After all, he held a winning card that simply required a long time to activate.
Standing behind Wei Cheng, David looked up at the sky, eyeing the expanding Warp Rift that only a Psyker could see.