Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

[Overlord, Luo Ji and his temporary girlfriend have been in a car accident. But it's not quite like the original novel. As the protagonist of the Three-Body world, Luo Ji didn't just suffer minor injuries and witness his temporary girlfriend's death on the spot, as described in the original work—he and his girlfriend were caught in this 'accident' together. And like him, his girlfriend was only seriously injured.]

Do you need me to revise the script to be as accurate as the original work?

A glint of light appeared in Chelsea's eyes; her meaning was actually quite simple. Since Luo Ji had deviated from the script and suffered serious injuries, she could distort the facts to make the serious injury appear minor. Since Luo Ji's temporary girlfriend had escaped the script and miraculously survived, she could also take action to make her appear dead.

She is Chelsea, formerly the only true assassin in the resistance, and now the shared soul half of the reincarnated Kampavsky. Neither in the past nor in the present has she ever felt pity or mercy. Even if she did, she would carefully preserve them and entrust them to her comrades-in-arms. Nothing more.

She awaited an order, but the order never came.

[No need. Miss Alice has already informed us that we don't need to write any scripts after the world is restructured. We are leaders, not manipulators. We guide humanity's future but do not manipulate it. There's no need to waste time on such meaningless things.]

"So I'll just keep watching?" Chelsea raised an eyebrow. "Based on my previous observations, he seems to be the only mortal who's aware of the difference between the present and the past. At least since I submitted this finding, I haven't seen a similar case in the data network. Are we really just going to ignore him like this?"

A burst of static came from the other end of the communication, and then Alice's voice rang out in the communication network.

[Just forty-five seconds ago, a new Star Ring Corporation appeared in the world, along with a nominal employee named Cheng Xin. The corporation's internal database contains only one name and a dazzling resume befitting a protagonist. And she herself doesn't exist anywhere in the world—since the sole audience member of this business drama is quite satisfied with this development, we, the actors who are both directors and screenwriters, naturally don't need to make any further decisions.]

"Understood. I'll continue monitoring." Chelsea nodded seriously, watching the rescue team's flying vehicle arrive at the accident scene at a speed exceeding theoretical limits, and, under the cover of a large number of local police officers, take the two injured people in. She noticed that Officer Shi Qiang, who had been by Luo Ji's side from the beginning of the original story and saved his life countless times, was not here. In his place was a familiar guy with dyed blond hair black—she shook her head slightly, her figure flickered, and her entire form vanished into nothingness.

The world has been completely changed, and the original plot has been thoroughly altered. Both *The Three-Body Problem* and *The Wandering Earth* have been prematurely halted or simply ended. Instead, the reincarnators have rewritten a script, a preliminary one titled *The Wandering Star*. How this script unfolds depends entirely on the choices of the mortals in this world. While the original protagonists still possess a remnant of divine favor, it is no longer as crucial as it once was.

Ah, that's right, he's not as important as he was in the original story. Even though Luo Ji was a major protagonist who occupied a full third of the original story, even though he ultimately discovered the Dark Forest Theory—the only way for humanity to fight against the alien invaders when it was weak—even though he single-handedly guarded the peace between the two worlds until his body completely aged—he's still not as important as he was in the original story.

The absurdity of these visitors from another world lies in this: no matter how much effort the wise men of the native world put in, no matter how brilliant their creations, to these outsiders who knew everything beforehand, the culmination of their life's learning is nothing more than a few lines of text on a blank sheet of paper. Crude, fragile, and insignificant.

Even so, there are still people in this world who look forward to the achievements that the original protagonists could create.

..........................................

“Cheng Xiao has taken over the position of Officer Shi Qiang from the original story. He will lead Luo Ji here to participate in this meeting we have arranged.” Alice shifted her gaze from the single light screen in front of her, replacing it with hundreds of other light screens displaying different content. These were essentially the results of a supercomputer's collection and analysis of all important data currently available on Earth. Her task was to appropriately arrange these analysis reports and ensure that all the policies ultimately formulated were implemented.

It sounds simple, and it's not difficult for her to do either. The computational power provided by extraordinary life forms is more than enough for her to manage thousands of experimental projects covering various scientific research directions while simultaneously making detailed work arrangements for the entire planet down to the level of street offices. And this is far from the limit of her capabilities.

The most obvious evidence is that she's still in the mood to chat. And if the chat partner is confirmed to be Zheng Zha, then her leisurely demeanor becomes even more clearly visible to all her companions watching her through the mental network.

“That’s good,” Zheng Zha nodded, appearing on a screen of light. The uniform of the world’s highest leader that he was wearing fit him well and was dignified, but it inexplicably had a strange, incongruous feel to it. He seemed to loosen the clasp at the collar with a hint of disdain, and then revealed a contented expression.

"Luo Ji, the protagonist of the original work, is a major variable. I believe that with Cheng Xiao's abilities, he can definitely protect him well and allow him to bring out the brilliance shown in the original work as much as possible. Since he volunteered, he must also be confident that he can benefit from this protagonist... By the way, what kind of meeting are we going to have later? Like in the original work, are we going to set up some kind of 'Wallfacer' who can mobilize all social resources? I don't think that's necessary."

“First, you’ll be attending a meeting later, so you’d better button up your shirt,” Alice replied without turning her head. “Second, if you’ve seen Document 944 that I sent you three hundred seconds ago, then you should know that what’s going to be held later isn’t some ‘Wallfacer’ conference at all. The script has already been changed. There’s no escapism on this planet, no ETO, and nobody except us knows the concept of ‘Trisolarans.’ Naturally, there’s no need for any Wallfacers.”

"What was the purpose of that?"

"Go look at the documents yourself; it's all written very clearly there."

“I don’t want to see it, I don’t understand it, it’s too complicated. Just tell me.” Zheng Zha decisively replied three times, and then Alice promptly blocked the window representing his communication. But less than half a second later, another giant light screen with Zheng Zha’s face and a report appeared abruptly in front of Alice, and at the moment it appeared, it was magnified to its maximum size, covering the entire command hall where she was.

The report formed the backbone of the subsequent meeting. The meeting's content was actually quite simple: to organize a large research institution, gather the most brilliant minds resurrected in this era, and have them collectively unleash a storm of wisdom. And among the attendees, some names familiar to anyone who had read textbooks were clearly visible.

Pythagoras, Solomon, Zu Chongzhi, Isaac Newton, Leonardo da Vinci, Planck—the names of famous historical thinkers and scholars can all be clearly found on this list, along with the living people they represent. However, this alone wouldn't amount to much, as the reincarnators had long ago decided to gather these brilliant minds together to advance the technological development of Earth's civilization. This was part of the plan, nothing extraordinary. But if you include the signatures at the very bottom of the list, everything changes.

At the very bottom is the person in charge of the plan and the one with full authority to execute it—Chu Xuan.

“Margot, give me an explanation!” Zheng Zha on the screen wore a playful grin, but his eyes held a strange seriousness. “I really want to know what your plan is in gathering such a large group of historically renowned scholars and then entrusting them all to Chu Xuan. As far as I know, you and Patchouli have always preferred to do all the groundwork yourself rather than let Chu Xuan exert his full potential. And now you're actually willing to loosen your grip on resources like this… Has the situation deteriorated to this extent?”

"...You noticed?" Alice flicked her finger, and the two small puppets, Shanghai and Penglai, carrying a portion of her calculations, bypassed Zheng Zha's light barrier to handle the trivial matters on Earth. She then looked up, intently staring into Zheng Zha's serious eyes. "Is it that obvious?"

“It’s that obvious.” Zheng Zha replied seriously, “I couldn’t see it before, but my eyesight has improved a bit since the end of Resident Evil. In the past, you and Patchouli have been suppressing Chu Xuan both openly and secretly—you didn’t suppress him, but instead solved the basic tasks that a wise man needs to complete in his plan before he could.”

Just like building with blocks, if the sages of other reincarnation teams are using a limited number of blocks to construct an intricate building, then what you're doing is maximizing the number of blocks before even starting to build—Chu Xuan might be able to build a more magnificent and reliable structure with eight blocks than his opponent with ten. But when he has twenty blocks, he has absolutely no interest in investing even a tenth of his effort in an opponent with only ten blocks.

"I don't know what it is about Chu Xuan that you are so wary of, but I do know that you and Norrell have always positioned yourselves as logistics and support personnel. However, in almost every world after Chu Xuan's resurrection, you have tried your best to elevate our base to a level that is enough to crush him, or at least gain the upper hand, before he assumes his responsibilities as a sage. You have never opposed Chu Xuan, but you have always been trying to dampen his enthusiasm. And now, you have given up on this suppression."

“What exactly happened, Margot Lloyd?” He looked at Alice, his tone earnest.

Alice remained silent.

She turned her gaze away, looking down into the distance through a peephole on the side of the light screen. At the edge of her vision, a small, pale blue sphere glided slowly along a long, narrow path through the dark, deep void—this was the Black Moon, a gravitational balancing device created from the core of Jupiter II. Earth glided through space relying on the gravitational well formed between the Black Moon and the White Moon. And she, located here, was both the director of the World Government's think tank and the sole pilot controlling Earth's course—at least until a second mortal with the wisdom to maintain this colossal institution appeared, she was the only one here.

“No matter how gifted one may be, a mortal is still a mortal,” Alice said softly, a sphere of matter confined within a composite field appearing in her hand. No, perhaps it wasn’t matter at all, but a distorted light, a grotesque lump of mud. When Zheng Zha gazed at it, it transformed into thousands of completely different forms in a single second, like a piece of clay.

From fruits to animals, from animals to utensils, from utensils to human faces, only a small portion of the forms could be discerned by Zheng Zha through the light screen. The remaining more than 70% of the changes were all strange patterns that seemed to have a certain logic, but were actually distorted beyond recognition.

“I did a quick calculation. Even if the most intelligent person in the world used the most sophisticated algorithm to control this Black Moon, even if he exhausted all his mental energy, he could only control less than one millionth of it before he would suffer from heart failure.” She gently clenched her five fingers, and the sphere of matter was compressed into a small dot.

"But if we replace the brains of wise men with this, then ten thousand units would be more than enough."

"Do you know what this is, Zheng Zha?" Alice asked, then immediately answered. "This is a sophon, a variable-dimensional proton cluster created by the Trisolaran civilization. For me, although some of the technologies used in it don't overlap with my area of ​​expertise, they are not insurmountable. However, for the current level of civilization in this world, the gap is like an abyss."

"The Trisolarans are much stronger than expected. Even if we include those wise men, the chances of human civilization winning are very slim."

"And do you know what this means?"

Chapter Nineteen: Beneath the Dark Stars

(If there are any settings in this chapter that seriously differ from the original Three-Body Problem, please treat them as useful external texts or parallel worlds. And I'm going to die if I don't subscribe _(:з」∠)_)

Does that mean we'll have to put in more effort?

"This means that if we don't give Earth civilization a cheat code, it's useless to us." Alice immediately corrected herself. "By analyzing the sophons, I deciphered some of the Trisolaran civilization's technology in reverse, and then I obtained some conclusions from them, perhaps more accurately, intelligence about the Trisolaran civilization."

Zheng Zha made a gesture indicating that he was all ears.

"Through my observations, the Trisolaran civilization is a civilization that communicates using the mind as a medium. However, unlike in the original work, their mental strength is far greater than what is shown in the original work—every individual in their civilization is actually a master of telekinesis. If calculated according to the standards of a supreme god, one could even directly consider the Trisolaran bloodline to be equivalent to a double C-level enhancement."

"Double C-level enhancement, what's the use? Can it lift a ton of matter or mind control a mortal?"

"Yes, simple dual-C level enhancement is not very useful, but they are a civilization. If they can be integrated into one in some way, perhaps they can directly create a general-purpose Mind Light like you and me. Moreover, this Mind Light also possesses powerful weaponry."

"That's just a shoddy No. 4 Middle School, nothing special."

"Earth's civilization is nothing compared to a shoddy fourth-rate school."

"But we are still here."

"Yes, we exist. And then what? We defeat the Trisolarans on behalf of Earth's civilization, eliminating that formidable foe who is practically a myth to Earthlings... And then what? The entire Earth civilization is worthless to us, serving no purpose other than wasting our resources and providing our sole audience with a pleasant viewing experience. And we will eventually depart. Once we leave this world, the civilization we created will inevitably be reduced to dust."

“…This doesn’t sound like something you would say, Margot Lloyd. You’ve never cared about them before.”

“Did I say I cared about them?” Alice raised an eyebrow slightly. “I was just thinking about maximizing my own interests. This cycle of reincarnation is already set in stone. We can’t fight against Chang’e, we can’t stop her from doing what she wants in this world. But she’s a traveler, she’ll leave sooner or later. And after she leaves this world, we can simply take over the fruits of our previous planning and preparation—she’s an idealist, she only values ​​the heart and soul, and the materialistic research we need is useless to her.”

Alice stared at the Earth through the observation window, watching the visible atmospheric vortices surging across the surface. The azure blue of the ocean, which comprised seventy percent of the Earth's surface, was reflected in her eyes, as if a jewel had been placed within them.

"Look, the only audience member didn't object. She promised not to take the materialist research results off this planet after we left."

"...She's been watching all along?"

"Did you only find out about this now? Do you think there's any place on this planet and in its surrounding area that can escape the gaze of a transcendent being on the verge of death? It's something even Sophon can do, so how could she not do it?"

"Uh, I mean they even watch me when I change clothes or shower?"

"First of all, as a supernatural being, you don't need to change clothes or take a bath at all. Secondly, do you think an old monster like her, who has lived for hundreds of thousands of years, would care about such trivial details? I know you were secretly catching up on comics when we finished reshaping the world. But please don't confuse Chang'e with Kaguya Otsutsuki."

There was silence.

Zheng Zha on the screen coughed lightly, clumsily changing the subject, or rather, bringing the topic back to its original position.

"I noticed that you added the name [Luo Ji] to the list. Then humanity can use the Dark Forest Theory to deal with the troublesome adversary, the Trisolarans, just as indicated in the original work."

“It won’t work,” Alice disagreed. “Even in this universe, the Dark Forest Theory is only partially correct. Not to mention the addition of us troublemakers… Our mission is to transport Earth to the Trisolaran star system and transform it into a suitable ecological environment. And now we have made Earth’s environment function normally no matter where it is in space. In other words, we only need to get Earth to the target location to complete the main mission.”

"Therefore, mutual destruction is not advisable. We cannot simply broadcast the coordinates of the Trisolarans and have the entire Trisolaran star system blasted into a pancake just to deal with them. That would mean we would never reach our transport destination. We can only try to keep the Earth and Trisolaran civilizations in a state of mutual deterrence, making both sides hesitant to act."

"But that's impossible, even if we create a broadcasting system. Even if we use planetary terraforming technology to cooperate with the Trisolarans, it's still impossible. Because to do that, we first have to bypass Cheng Xin's script."

Alice gazed at Zheng Zha and said slowly and seriously, "In the original work, Cheng Xin did two important things that can be considered key moments in the story. The second thing happened too long ago, so let's not talk about it for now. The first thing was that she chose to give up when the Trisolarans launched a full-scale attack, allowing the Trisolarans to conquer Earth."

"She needs to, or rather, she will definitely do this, so when the Trisolarans attack, the coordinate broadcasting method will definitely fail. Of course, whether it fails or not is not important. What is important is that she needs the result that 'the broadcasting system is abandoned by her when the Trisolarans attack,' which will inevitably lead to the cause of 'the Trisolarans launching a full-scale attack'!"

"The Trisolaran civilization is destined to attack. Even if there is no reason, Chang'e will find one for them. I have just mentioned that the Trisolaran civilization is a civilization that uses mental communication technology extensively. Therefore, under Chang'e's will, this civilization will have no ability to resist at all—not to mention that we have already given them a reason to invade."

"What!?"

"Can't you use your brain and think about this properly? In the original story, the Trisolaran civilization couldn't stand the environment inside the three-star system, so after discovering Earth's existence, they were overjoyed and came to invade in order to secure a home for their descendants. But now the sun has already exploded, more than ten years ago. Even if the Trisolaran civilization had the eyes, they could have observed the sun's dimming at least ten years ago. They must be crazy to invade Earth."

"..." Zheng Zha was taken aback, but his gaze subconsciously shifted to Alice's palm. The restrained 'Chizi' was quietly resting in Alice's hand, and what this meant was self-evident.

"But they still came."

"Yes, they have come. Because they have discovered a treasure that is more important than a 'habitable planet.' A treasure that they must obtain, even at the cost of all available resources and exhausting all their abilities, once they learn of its existence, to quickly unify the will within their civilization."

"Zheng Zha, do you know what the so-called Dark Forest theory actually represents, and what elements it is based on?"

She gave her answer before Zheng Zha could speak.

"First, the universe is a closed system with limited internal resources, while the needs of civilizations expanding are unlimited."

"Second, the speed of light is an insurmountable limit. Powerful civilizations cannot reach the home planet of weaker civilizations as soon as they are discovered. Weaker civilizations have the potential for technological explosion, and choosing to communicate carries greater risks than choosing war."

"Third, communication and exchange between civilizations is extremely difficult. No civilization can maintain even the most basic level of goodwill with other civilizations."

"Based on these three elements, the universe can become a dark forest. Because the cost of communication is too high, destruction is chosen; because the attitude of others cannot be judged, everything is assumed to be evil; because infinite resources need to be obtained from a limited environment, expansion is necessary. And you and I both know that this rule can only be effective in this universe at most, or even only partially. Because we are reincarnators, the universe is open, infinite, and endless to us, even beyond the multiverse there is more multiverse, so there is no reason why resource reserves cannot keep up with expansion."

"Similarly, the speed of light is not an insurmountable barrier for us. We already acquired the technology of intragalactic warp jumps in the Starship Troopers universe. As long as the materials and design are up to par, our fleet can reach any place inside or outside the galaxy at any time—the warp drive defect in the original work is meaningless to us because our technology is far more advanced than theirs. And naturally, as long as the problem of teleportation can be solved, then there is no question of a technological explosion."

"Finally, there is the so-called difficulty of communication between civilizations. This point actually complements the previous two. In the original work, Earthlings were able to communicate with the Trisolarans. So this point is not very significant for us."

"So do you understand? The Dark Forest Theory may be the truth for this universe, but it's a joke for us Reincarnators. The reason we see it as a joke is because we possess the key technology we've acquired from infinite worlds, technology that allows us to see it as a joke. And we used it to transform this Earth beneath our feet, creating this wandering star that allows our home planet to move freely between stars."

"...Then you told the Trisolaran civilization this news." Zheng Zha's eyebrows twitched incessantly, and it was hard to imagine what kind of emotions were surging beneath his carefully maintained face.

"To be precise, it wasn't me, it was Chu Xuan. He transmitted this message to the Trisolaran civilization using quantum communication when Earth began its terraforming," Alice admitted without any attempt to hide it. "Anyway, Chang'e, or rather Cheng Xin, is going to make the two civilizations clash eventually, so why don't we give them a push before that happens—"

"The Trisolarans possess the technology and reserves of strong interaction materials. I also have similar finished products, but mass production is difficult due to limitations in raw materials. If the Trisolaran civilization were to acquire Earth, the planet beneath our feet, which possesses the technology for free jumps within galaxies, they could install reinforced materials and improved designs of galactic jump engines into every corner of this planet, making it a true cruising planet capable of rendering Hessian theory worthless."

"The Trisolaran civilization will never abandon this technology, so they will mobilize all their forces and spare no effort. Furthermore, they will absolutely not reveal the coordinates of this place before the project is completed. This is the protection that Patchi, Chu Xuan, and I have provided for the civilization beneath our feet, and it is also the test we have given them. Since it is inevitable to be at odds with the stars, why not burn even more fiercely?"

She reached out and patted Zheng Zha on the shoulder through the light curtain and space.

"The Wandering Star is a morning star destined to confront the entire universe. Regardless of the outcome of their battle with the Trisolarans, the technology sealed on this planet will spread to every corner of the universe. Peaceful sharing is impossible, because our only audience is destined to pronounce the universe's death sentence at the end of the story. In order for us to be able to reap the fruits of our labor when we return, we have no choice but to let Earth judge the universe before that."

"The Trisolaran civilization will be the first obstacle to be overcome. Defeating them will allow Earth to complete its warp drive design, enabling the entire planet to travel freely between stars. After that, all the stars in the sky will be adversaries."

Outside the observation window, the stars twinkled in the darkness. It was as if someone was using the Milky Way as fingers, wrists, and arms, clapping silently.

"So, that's why you let Chu Xuan take over the largest think tank in Earth's civilization?"

"Yes, in the face of the entire universe, human civilization is ultimately too insignificant, too fragile, too slow, and too chaotic. There must be a will with absolute dominance and authority to unite them, to allow them to exert their initiative while uniting them, and to ensure that they do not deviate from the direction they are fighting against when they are at odds with the world."

"Chu Xuan is the only choice, and the best choice. I believe he can do it, and he also feels that he has rested for too long."

"...What if Earth civilization fails to survive the first hurdle?" Zheng Zha suddenly asked. "What if the audience...expects Earth civilization to fail and perish as in the original story?"

Alice withdrew her hand.

"Our mission is to transport Earth to the Trisolaran star system and establish a suitable ecosystem. However, the mission description makes no mention of civilization on Earth."