Those who face the wall, but are in the Nascent Soul stage.

Chapter 461 Security Statement (4k)

Woolsthorpe Manor, Lincolnshire, England.

In this "ancient scientific sanctuary," scientists from across Earth are gathering for their first meeting since the publication of the "Dark Forest Theory."

Jonathan von Trier, a pioneer in physics, stands under a giant apple tree. Behind him, the bright red apples repeatedly fall to the ground and rise again, a testament to humanity's latest application of anti-gravity technology.

Besides these apples fluttering about, behind Jonathan von Trier floated the unified field theory equations of the universe obtained from the risk-taker's sensors. His voice was somber:
"I must declare here that the spirit of scientific exploration that has been upheld for centuries since the time of Aristotle—expanding outward, constantly asking questions, and attempting to declare that our existence in this universe no longer exists."

He said, "We can no longer be like ignorant children lighting a campfire in a dark forest. The era of carefree exploration of the universe is over, and the 'Cosmic Morality' that arose because of the Risk Removers, Eridanus, and the Carbon-based Federation should also be completely abandoned."

A female physicist named Serena asked excitedly, "Should we abandon the core driving force of scientific progress because of a possible, unproven threat?"

Jonathan von Trier: "This is a confirmed threat. In order to verify the Dark Forest Theory, Dr. Luo used solar gain reflection to send the exact coordinates of the star 187J3X1 outside the solar system, which is called the 'spell'."

The launch occurred in the 9th year of the Crisis Era, and around the 80th year of the Crisis Era, we saw the visible light of the target star being destroyed. Subtracting the fifty years it took for the light to travel through the universe, this indicates that the target star was destroyed as early as the 30th year of the Crisis Era.

This also indicates that a third-party spacecraft existed within 21 light-years of the solar system, and that this third-party spacecraft transmitted the attack information to a fourth-party strike ship through unknown long-range communication, which ultimately carried out the attack mission and destroyed the star system 187J3X1.

This is the most direct evidence to confirm the Dark Forest Theory. Madam, do you expect us to send another spell so you can watch a star be destroyed before you believe it?

Serena: "I can't accept it."

Jonathan von Trier: "In Dr. Luo Ji's announcement, there are two basic axioms and two important concepts regarding the Dark Forest Theory. Based on these two axioms and two important concepts, when encountering other civilizations, launching a Dark Forest attack is the optimal strategy. This is a scientific judgment and the underlying principle of cosmic sociology. Madam, you should have a rational and objective mindset to accept this fact calmly."

Serena: "I can accept it, but the public may not think so."

"So Dr. Luo Ji only told the scientific community, not the general public," someone couldn't help but say.

In this crowded meeting room, apart from Ding Yi, there were familiar faces including the Wallfacer Hines and computer expert Tu Hengyu, but modern people made up the majority.

Hines said, "Probability theory also proves the Dark Forest Theory. Its core is that there are many civilizations in the universe, and there will always be a civilization that attacks the broadcast coordinates. Because there are so many civilizations with the ability to attack, once a coordinate is exposed, it will inevitably be attacked randomly, regardless of whether it actually has a civilization."

This Wallfacer's identity was quite special; everyone around him held their breath as Hines spoke.

Hines persuaded many people.

“There’s one more thing,” said Bi Yunfeng, a former Space Force officer and one of the designers of the Sun-Circling Particle Accelerator. “From the recent annihilation battle, we can see that the reason why the Trisolaran Second Fleet was reluctant to start the warp drive was not because they were worried about slow fog pollution, but because they were worried about exposing the location of the solar system, which would in turn expose the location of the Trisolaran system. This also confirms the universality of the Dark Forest Theory.”

Jonathan von Trier: "It is quite clear, ladies and gentlemen, that without Luo Qing, Luo Ji would have become the most successful Wallfacer in history in the face of the Trisolaran crisis, thanks to the Dark Forest Deterrence."

Bi Yunfeng: "The federal government took action several years ago, dismantling various high-power electromagnetic radars in the solar system to prevent anyone from sending directional signals to the sun. If I'm not mistaken, there are at least 20 sophons monitoring the nine planets, including the Earth's rings, and also monitoring us theorists to prevent anyone from having suicidal thoughts."

Serena: "But who would be so foolish? The general public doesn't know. Besides the higher-ups, the only people who know are us researchers."

"The largest group suffering from mental illnesses is scientists, especially physicists, who are prone to sensory dysregulation in real life. That's what we're trying to prevent. Oh no, and me too." Someone laughed self-deprecatingly.

The brainwashing laughter brought smiles to the faces of most people present.

Jonathan von Trier clapped his hands to quiet the room.

"Curiosity may kill not just cats, but entire civilizations. We must support the federal government's actions. From now on, all the laboratories, research institutes, major technology companies, and universities under your command must be careful not to send any communication signals, including neutrinos, into deep space. Electromagnetic waves are fine; they won't escape the Oort cloud, but don't send them towards the sun. Also, who has a good relationship with the federal government? Make sure to remove the content about cosmic ethics from students' textbooks."

“Dr. Jonathan von Thiel, Earth International did this five years ago, before the federal government was even established. Those politicians know it perfectly well.”

"Oh, okay."

The meeting erupted into discussion, and they all received a warning from Luo Ji: the Dark Forest Theory must not be disclosed to the public.

This Wallfacer's warning is far more severe than that of the five major powers that signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

It's unavoidable. With current technology and the unlimited power generated by controlled nuclear fusion, building a high-power electromagnetic wave transmission station is actually quite easy—a group of high school students on summer vacation could do it.

Even with the presence of a sophon, it's still difficult to defend against.

Amidst these chaotic discussions, a particular doctoral student stepped forward.

Bai IC, whose real name is Bai Aisi, is a student of physicist Ding Yi. Unlike the many students in the university, Bai IC is Ding Yi's only doctoral student. It is no exaggeration to say that he is Ding Yi's direct disciple. He often represents Ding Yi in some activities that Ding Yi is too lazy to attend.

"Distinguished seniors, I would like to raise another question, which concerns the declaration on cosmic security. Dr. Luo Ji briefly mentioned this point in his speech, but I think it should be discussed carefully."

Everyone knew the identity of this young doctoral student, so they listened quietly.

Bai IC: "Dr. Luo Ji clearly stated that there is a method for making a security claim in the universe to prevent or neutralize Dark Forest attacks. However, during his speech, Dr. Luo Ji simply brushed it off by saying that 'current human technology cannot achieve this security claim at the moment.' So, if such a security claim exists, why is Dr. Luo Ji unwilling to make it public?"

Bai IC looked around and said, "Given the rapid pace of scientific research and technology, I believe that as long as the entire scientific community works together, achieving the so-called safety declaration will not be difficult."

The venue became lively again.

"Dr. Luo Ji did not make it clear, which means he did not want us to know, but he also revealed that a security statement does exist, which is very puzzling."

Standing under the shade of the apple tree, watching the apples fluttering around them, the discussion about the so-called safety statement was reignited.

The efficiency of a brainstorming session involving most of the scientific community is terrifying. In just a short while, the scientists present had already clearly distinguished themselves into more than a dozen factions.

The following are some of the factions that have gained widespread recognition.

The "declaration" faction believes that the essence of a security declaration is "effective communication to break down chains of suspicion," advocating for the transmission of goodwill signals to the entire universe through cosmic broadcasts. They believe in proactively and subtly designing information to convince other civilizations of Earth's harmlessness.

The Self-Harm Faction: Advocates that security declarations must be consistent with actions, achieving "substantial harmlessness" by actively weakening a civilization's power. The core principle is "proving security through action." They believe that only by depriving a civilization of its expansion and attack capabilities can the doubts of other civilizations be dispelled, encompassing both technological and intellectual self-harm. The Concealment Faction: Believes that "not being discovered is the safest declaration," opposes any proactive broadcasting, and advocates the systematic destruction of highly identifiable traces of a civilization's existence—including space probe debris, high-energy signal records, large-scale engineering remains, and even deleting records of technological breakthroughs from historical documents—while simultaneously reducing energy consumption to "near-natural levels."

The defensive faction argues that building an "absolute defense system" will make the cleaners realize that "the cost of attacking far outweighs the benefits," thus prompting them to voluntarily abandon their attacks. Among these systems, the "immortal cultivation formation" that can be immune to light particle attacks is the key to constructing an absolute defense system.

The Wandering Faction: Becoming a wandering civilization like the Devouring Empire is essentially a declaration of security, as the wandering phase can effectively evade the Black Forest attacks targeting stars.

The "backer faction" announces a good relationship with the Carbon-based Federation and with the Risk Disaster Sensors, using advanced civilizations or god-like individuals as backers to deter outsiders from launching a Dark Forest attack.

The Soloist of the Eternal Faction: Develop aggressively until the surrounding civilizations dare not launch a Black Forest attack.

Luo Qing's faction: As long as Luo Qing comes back, everything will be alright.

These factions debated endlessly, but none fully resolved the core problem pointed out by the Dark Forest Theory: Dark Forest attacks are inherently "arbitrary."

The Dark Forest Theory's economic principle posits that "cleaners" typically avoid close-range detection of targets, relying solely on distant light signatures to assess threats. Neither proactive declarations, self-deprecation, nor concealment can guarantee immunity from the cleaner's attacks.

Ultimately, everyone came to a similar conclusion: in the dark forest, the "security statement" is likely a false proposition.

Finally, a holographic projection of a warp drive expert stepped forward.

—In addition to local scientists, many Jupiter scientists who work on quantum entanglement were also present at the meeting.

This warp drive expert was none other than Dr. Matthew Lee.

The curvature engine expert, with white hair framing his face, said in a very soft voice, "Well... I do have some thoughts on this."

Matthew Lee then explained to everyone present what he considered to be a statement about cosmic security.

[Black Domain]

A black zone is a low-light-speed region, a different manifestation of slow fog. Using a warp-speed light-speed spaceship to fly around the entire star system, the flight path forms a 'ball of yarn' that envelops the entire star system. At this time, due to the impenetrable fog zone of the flight path, the star system also becomes a de facto low-light-speed black hole.

When a star system is transformed into a low-light-speed black hole, the speed of light inside is reduced to below the star's escape velocity, and no matter or information can escape. This is equivalent to the civilization imprisoning itself on an "island," declaring to the entire universe that it has no ability to expand or invade, thereby exchanging its chance of survival.

Matthew Lee whispered to the audience, "If the speed of light in the solar system is reduced to below 16.7 kilometers per second, which is below the third cosmic velocity, human spacecraft will not be able to escape the sun's gravity and leave the solar system, and thus will not be able to pose a threat to other civilizations."

The entire room fell silent for a long while.

Bai IC said in a low voice, "I think I know why Dr. Luo Ji is unwilling to release a security statement."

Jonathan von Trier looked at Matthew Lee: "As expected of an expert in warp drive, Dr. Matthew, your sensitivity and forward-thinking are amazing."

Matthew Lee hurriedly explained, "I think you may have misunderstood. This was not my idea, but that of Dr. Guan Yifan, an expert in the study of the four-dimensional space of the Great Ring... He doesn't seem to be here today."

Guan Yifan—everyone present remembered this name.

Jonathan von Trier: "Regardless of who proposed it, I hope that human civilization will never have to take the step of declaring a black zone security declaration."

Jonathan von Trier: "Humanity is in the midst of the most intense technological explosion in history, and I hope everyone can restrain the research forces behind it and avoid making irreparable mistakes."

...

Luo Ji witnessed this large gathering of the scientific community through Zhi Zi.

"Anyone who can reach a safety declaration can also reach a Dark Forest Theory conclusion. This four-dimensional space expert named Guan Yifan is no ordinary person. There are still capable people in this world."

Luo Ji sighed.

"You're not the only smart one. Don't think so highly of yourself. Putting aside your status as a cultivator, we're all just ordinary people."

Shi Qiang clinked glasses with Luo Ji and then downed his beer in one gulp.

Although he issued a "Wallfacement Plan" to prevent the scientific community from disclosing Hessian Law to the public, Luo Ji himself was clearly not subject to this restriction, and he had already told Shi Qiang everything he knew.

Shi Qiang's reply, aside from the classic "Damn, the universe is fucking black," was only one sentence to Luo Ji: "Hurry up and cultivate, become an awesome immortal, and then fuck the universe back to white."

Luo Ji said, "That's Luo Qing's job."

Shi Qiang: "Didn't you tell me last time that Luo Qing was dead?"

Luo Ji looked down at his nose, seemingly lost in thought, and mumbled, "Hmm... it's hard to say."

"You're just dodging the question again... Never mind, what level are you at now?" Shi Qiang poured wine for Luo Ji.

"I'm just at the Foundation Establishment stage. You've seen me in action before. I've killed so many furniture, appliances, and cars that no one dares to claim supremacy." Luo Ji smiled sheepishly.

Shi Qiang clicked his tongue: "When I was squatting next to the TV watching you fight in space with a fire spear, I thought you had broken through to a higher level."

Luo Ji shook his head: "It's all the power of the formation, it has nothing to do with me."

Shi Qiang sighed, "I knew it... But you're pretty amazing to have taken down so much furniture. Now that the Second Fleet is either destroyed or has fled, you have plenty of time to cultivate. By the way, what are your plans lately? Are you going into seclusion like Luo Qing did back then, finding a room to sit in for decades?"

Luo Ji denied it, saying, "How could I possibly have the patience to stay in a closed room for decades? Wouldn't I become an old man by then? Although the Second Fleet's troubles have been resolved, there are still refugees and God the old man, and we still need my help... Let's talk about it after we've resolved the refugee and God the old man's troubles."

"It'll be soon. They'll be here in about thirty or forty years. Just wait."

(End of this chapter)