=Three-Body=
=Episode 30=
There are thousands of
listening posts like this in Trisolarans' world.
Are there thousands of scientists like Ye Wenjie here?
We are not scientists.
This world has received your message.
I am a pacifist in this world.
(It is the luck of your civilization)
(that I am the first to receive your message.)
(I'm warning you: Do not answer.)
(Do not answer!)
As long as there is no answer, the position of Earth
cannot be locked by the Trisolaran.
He betrayed Trisolaran.
Why?
The policy we have established is that
after the Trisolaran Interstellar Fleet occupies the solar system and the Earth,
the earthmen can completely live as before.
Only one thing is forbidden forever,
procreation.
I want you to know that
(you will not be able to)
(save the Earth that holds all your hopes.)
(I will let you live until the day it loses all hope.)
Set sail immediately after the Fleet is built,
and head in that direction.
We can tell from this gaming session that Three-Body has indeed never
imparted any technologies more advanced than ours to Earth.
Just as Ye Wenjie conjectured.
But their technologies are very advanced.
There are over 1,000 listening posts like Post No. 1379.
Compared with them, we're virtually...
It's indeed like the farmer and the turkeys.
Chang,
they're trying as hard as they can to search for alien civilizations.
They're desperate to move home.
Yeah.
But there's one thing I find confusing.
Like us, they send signals by means of electromagnetic waves.
Judging from the level of their science and technology,
they should've long since discovered
that fixed stars are amplifiers for electromagnetic waves,
but why have we still not received any messages from Trisolaris?
Think about the information we have.
The three suns of Centaurus are actually shrouded in a gigantic
plasmatic atmosphere.
The atmosphere will turn their three suns into flying stars without warning
or display flying stars.
Are you saying the atmosphere blocks radio waves?
Yeah.
This meant that in order to reach the energy mirrors,
the waves would have to be more powerful than a threshold value,
so you can no longer use the sun as an antenna to broadcast radio waves.
You can only use an antenna on the ground to do that.
Even if the environmental conditions are too poor,
with their science and technology, they can totally find a way
to transmit signals without using a fixed star.
That's indeed possible. Maybe they have more advanced technologies,
but it's also possible they've never transmitted anything.
But there's no way we can find the answer in this game.
Guys, so far, the world that this game shows us
is total imagination of ETO members based on the information they have.
We need to differentiate and analyze
all the realistic details with care.
Just like the princeps's residence.
It might be a pyramid.
Or it might be something else.
It can be on the ground, or underground.
All these are our speculations and imagination.
But only one thing is certain.
There's a thick wall separating it from the outside world
so as to protect him against the extreme weather.
The princeps strikes me as pretty badass.
The knowledge that he might get a new home didn't exhilarate him.
And the knowledge that the monitor
replied to Ye Wenjie's message didn't anger him much.
I don't know much about his personality.
But I definitely wouldn't be able to do that.
When faced with such serious matters, he could still retain his composure.
- He's definitely no milksop. - I noticed that as well.
I think it's unlikely that this is a setting of the game.
I speculate that the Trisolarans are actually emotionless.
Your speculation is very likely to be true.
Think about it. In this game, emotions such as fear,
sorrow, happiness,
and appreciation of beauty, are all non-existent.
Because these emotions will cause them to be spiritually weak.
The kind of civilization you yearn for once existed in Trisolaran world.
But in the reincarnation of all Trisolaran Civilizations,
this kind of civilization is the most fragile and short-lived.
Judging from the history of Trisolaran Civilization,
there are two mental states that Trisolarans need.
One of them is calmness.
The other one is numbness.
Civilizations that relied on these two states as their spiritual core
were the most capable of survival.
In other words, our enemies are as cold and emotionless as steel.
- Yeah. - No wonder they could think of
the despicable plan of forbidding humans to reproduce.
But what's more despicable is that they've locked down our science.
Locked down our science?
How did they do that?
(The emergency meeting of consuls is about to start.)
(All consuls should assemble at the Pendulum Monument.)
Earth civilization has made a reply.
They're 40,000 light-hours from us.
(They've only just received Ye Wenjie's message.)
(Then right now it should be 1983 on Earth.)
(If that's true,)
(a Trisolaran hour is equivalent to 0.876 earth hour.)
How... How do I convert that?
52 minutes.
20,000 Trisolaran hours ago, the Trisolaran Fleet has launched.
But the fact is that 4.5 million hours from now,
(that civilization's technology might be developing increasingly fast,)
(and far more advanced than ours.)
By then, the Trisolaran Fleet won't even survive
a single blow from Earth's civilization.
This is not an expedition, but a funeral procession!
(What's more frightening)
(is that the location of Trisolaris has been exposed.)
(It's very possible that long before an expanded sun swallows this planet,)
(Trisolaran Civilization will have already been extinguished by earthmen.)
Given a time gap of 40,000 hours,
to effectively contain a civilization's development and disarm it,
there is only one way: kill its science.
To lock down humans' science, they made three plans.
The first step.
You tell them.
The first plan
is code-named Coloring.
(They'll use the negative effects of science and technology)
(to cause the public to hate and fear science.)
- On the earth, dozens of species go extinct every day. - Yeah.
That's what Pan Han has been doing.
(The harm of Science to the Environment) Are you not worried that
the public would resist technology after seeing the report?
What people resist is the harm that comes with technology
instead of technology itself.
Second.
Come on. Keep going.
The second plan is code-named Miracle.
(It's about showing signs of supernatural power to humans,)
(so that unscientific ways of thinking will dominate scientific thinking)
(and lead to the collapse of the entire scientific system of thought.)
These two plans can only cause some interference to our scientific development.
Yeah.
That's why they'll also make a decisive move.
It'll completely suffocate science on Earth
and freeze our science at its current level.
They'll stop our exploration of the deep structure of matter
and curb our basic science, making it impossible for us
to make major breakthroughs in science and technology as a whole.
Chang, Earth is not their only target.
I mean, before receiving Ye Wenjie's message,
they had been preparing for this all along.
Well, how did they do that?
Judging from the progress in the game,
they are building a large particle accelerator.
Yeah.
They have scrapped all the plans for building a second space fleet.
All resources are now devoted to this thing.
It's called Project Sophon.
Although the Trisolaran scientists
can already manipulate nine of the eleven dimensions
of the micro-scale world...
Nine? The difference is insane, isn't it?
But their etching of micro integrated circuits
can only be conducted at the macro scale.
Your explanation is too complicated.
Even I cannot understand it.
Professor Ye once said Trisolaris sent two protons to Earth,
that they'd lock down our science.
But she's confused as to how they're going to do that, and so are we.
Maybe there will be some kind of demonstration of it
at a later stage of the game.
It seems you guys are faced with a long-term, arduous task.
Yeah, a long-term, arduous task.
The tricky part is we're still unfamiliar with this task.
Log into the game right now.
General Chang,
when I was in the game, I think I saw someone.
Yeah.
That was her.
She wanted to see
what the Trisolaran Civilization was like exactly.
As things stand,
the proton they sent to Earth is not the kind of proton we know of.
It's a modified proton, a superintelligent computer.
They call it Sophon.
It's superintelligent.
(Something invisible to the naked eye can actually turn into a computer?)
(The Trisolarans' tones of voice just now)
(suggested even they themselves couldn't imagine that.)
What's more unbelievable
is that this whole thing has to start with unfolding a proton.
Two-dimensional unfolding of proton starts.
Unfolding failed.
The target proton has become one-dimensional.
This is what a proton looks like after being unfolded into 3 dimensions.
This is a reflector.
Run!
Where...
Where to?
They launched nuclear missiles.
(Unfolding failed.)
I really can't imagine
how complicated the internal structure of a subatomic particle can be.
It depends on the number of dimensions of your observation perspective.
(From a 4-dimensional perspective,)
(a fundamental particle is an immense world.)
(When the perspective has been raised to 9 dimensions,)
(a fundamental particle's internal structures and complexity)
(are equal to the whole universe.)
(As for even higher dimensions,)
our physicists haven't been able to explore them,
so I cannot yet imagine the degree of complexity.
Was there intelligent life in the micro-universe
within the unfolded proton?
Did we just destroy a civilization in the microcosmos?
It was at least an intelligent body.
Also, Princeps, we destroyed the entire microcosmos.
But this is not the first time such a thing has happened.
In the long history of scientific progress,
(every time the physicists had protons collide in an accelerator,)
(every time a proton or a neutron decays,)
(and every time a high-energy cosmic ray enters the atmosphere,)
(thousands of miniature universes may be destroyed.)
You're not feeling sentimental because of this, are you?
I just want the people of Trisolaris to understand
that the destruction of civilizations is a common occurrence
(that happens every second of every hour in the universe,)
because lately we've discovered that in the world of Three-Body,
there are actually many like the monitor of Post No. 1379.
We must control and eliminate these weak sentiments.
There are Redemptionists among them too?
Princeps, this is mainly the result of recent messages received from Earth.
Earth civilization has great appeal on Trisolaris.
Their humanism will lead many Trisolarans onto the wrong path.
(Just as Trisolaran Civilization has already become a religion on Earth,)
(Earth Civilization has this potential on Trisolaris.)
You've pointed out a great danger.
We should strictly control the flow of information from the Earth
to the populace, especially cultural information.
They're as scared of us as we're scared of them.
Princeps, the unfolding is a success.
Look carefully.
(There are two starry skies up there.)
(I see it.)
The other starry sky is circular.
That constellation in there belongs to the southern hemisphere.
(That's our planet.)
(It's another Trisolaris.)
That's a mirror.
Yes.
(That mirror is the proton being unfolded.)
(It's a geometric plane without any meaningful depth.)
(Princeps, the proton plane is being bent by our planet's gravity.)
(Those spots of light)
(are electromagnetic beams being sent up from the ground)
(to adjust the curvature of the plane under gravity.)
(The goal is to eventually)
wrap the unfolded proton completely around Trisolaris.
(Afterwards, the electromagnetic beams will continue)
(to hold up and stabilize this enormous sphere, like so many spokes.)
(Thus, Trisolaris will be the workbench to secure the two-dimensional proton,)
(and the work to etch electronic circuits on the surface)
(of the proton plane can begin.)
Will we still get sunlight?
That's what I'm about to say.
Trisolaris will enter the darkest night in history.
(All sunlight will be reflected back into space.)
(The temperature will drop precipitously.)
(It might reach levels comparable to the appearance of three flying stars.)
(Please give the order)
(for our people to dehydrate and be stored.)
(Etching the proton circuits is a huge project.)
(According to initial estimates, it'll take 15,000 Trisolaran hours.)
(After its completion, we'll also need time for software debugging.)
Here's my command.
Everybody dehydrates and gets restored.
(If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed)
(a proton invisible to the naked eye,)
(after being unfolded into 2 dimensions, can actually enfold a planet.)
(Those lights are spaceships)
(etching the integrated circuits on the gargantuan membrane.)
(They're transforming the proton)
(into Sophon, a superintelligent computer.)
(Converted to Earth time, it's about two years.)
(Micro-Intelligence 2.10 loaded.)
(Sophon One ready to accept commands.)
A Sophon has been born.
We have endowed a proton with wisdom.
This is the smallest artificial intelligence we can make.
But right now, it appears as the largest artificial intelligence.
(Princeps,)
(we'll increase the dimensionality of this proton.)
(It will soon become small.)
Adjust dimensionality to six.
Sophon One, enter the control center.
Our control center is deep underground.
Can it go through the ground?
Princeps, it's not exactly going "through".
Rather, it's entering from a higher dimension.
It can enter any enclosed space within our world.
Princeps.
This is just the 6-dimensional body of the proton projected into three-space.
Can you increase its dimensionality to eleven,
and make it as small as a regular proton?
Attention! This is not a command!
(Sophon One understands.)
Princeps, if we increase the dimensionality to eleven,
we will lose it forever.
When the Sophon shrinks to the size of a regular subatomic particle,
the internal sensors
(and I/O ports)
(will be smaller than the wavelength of any electromagnetic radiation.)
(That means it would not be able to sense the macro world,)
(or receive our commands.)
But we must eventually make it shrink back to a subatomic particle.
Yes, but that must await the completion
of Sophon Two, Sophon Three, and Sophon Four.
They've built four things of this kind?
(Princeps,)
(the construction of Sophon Two, Sophon Three,)
(and Sophon Four have been finished.)
(The continuous dimensionality has been adjusted to 11.)
Princeps, Sophon One and Sophon Two will be launched toward the Earth
(and become high-energy particles in a moment,)
(and navigate through space at nearly the speed of light.)
What can Sophons do for us after they reach Earth?
After the two Sophons arrive on Earth,
their first mission is to locate the high-energy particle accelerators
used by humans for physics research
(and hide within them.)
(They'll take the place of target particles, accept the collision,)
(and deliberately give out wrong and chaotic results.)
No wonder these years
we haven't made any breakthrough in fundamental physics.
(Yang Dong's experiments didn't generate any reasonable results.)
(It's all because the Trisolarans)
(used Sophon to tamper with our high-energy accelerator.)
They will remain forever in the primitive stage.
The science of Earth has been completely locked down.
(Sophon can also use high-energy particles to expose film,)
(traveling at light speed to project contents onto films)
(even retinas.)
(Sophons can cause background cosmic radiation)
(to flicker in their eyes.)
(We have already written the software)
(to allow a Sophon to unfold itself into two dimensions.)
(After the unfolding is complete,)
(the huge plane can wrap itself around the Earth.)
(This software can also adjust the membrane so that it's transparent,)
(but the degree of transparency can be tuned in the frequencies)
(of the cosmic microwave background.)
Of course, as Sophons fold and unfold into different dimensions,
they can display even more amazing 'miracles'.
The software for accomplishing these is still being developed.
(More than one Sophon, by means of some quantum entanglement,)
(can form a system to sense the macro world,)
(a formation in which they can sense each other.)
(More Sophons can then form) a mutual-sensing formation)
(which can sense the macro world.)
(Keeping Sophon Three and Sophon Four here)
(will enable them to receive the information sent back)
(by Sophon One and Sophon Two from Earth.)
(This gives us a way to monitor Earth in real time.)
(The sun that had just risen disappeared below the horizon.)
(It seems another Chaotic Era has begun.)
But
we're full of hope.
(Chang Weisi)
Comrades, please be aware
that our meeting is probably already
being monitored by Sophons.
From here on out,
there shall be no secrets.
(You)
(are)
(You are bugs)
Professor Ye,
the 28 GB of information
we got from Judgment Day is all here.
Is there anything else you need?
I want
to revisit the Red Coast Base.
These words in front of my eyes
are really annoying.
You'll get used to it.
It doesn't matter.
The Trisolaran science and technology...
Though having seen it with my own eyes,
I still find it incredible.
You mean Sophon's folding and unfolding into different dimensions, right?
(With our technologies,)
(the unfolding of an atom)
(into lower dimensions is irreversible,)
(but Trisolaran scientists)
(can unfold it into lower dimensions)
(without losing its advanced structural information,)
(making the process reversible.)
But if we want to do an experiment like that, we can only start
from the 11 dimensions of the micro-scale world, but now...
But now our accelerators are useless.
Her name's Lin Yun.
She made great contributions to the research on ball lightning
and the macroatom theory.
At that time we thought
we'd be able to make some breakthroughs in physics.
Now as I think about it,
it was a joke.
Why have I never heard of her before?
For some reasons, I think.
There are many things you've probably never heard of.
Where is she?
She's in a place.
Or maybe she's in
some places.
The city's so busy.
These people...
What will they do?
It doesn't matter anymore.
What dishes did you get?
You drank so much.
You even bit through the beer bottles.
Do you wanna smoke?
I quit it.
I've converted to this.
Hey, how did you come up with that shitty idea?
Those messages...
What difference does it make if we look at them or not?
The result 400 years from now will be the same.
Is it really like you say?
Everything's over?
It's over!
It's all over!
You can't use the accelerators
and can't study the structure of matter.
That means it's all over?
What do you think?
Technology is still making progress, isn't it?
Maybe the ball lightning thing you've been researching is over,
but hasn't Professor Wang created the Flying Knife?
It's nanomaterial, right?
Imagine an ancient kingdom, if you will.
Their technology is advancing as well.
They might invent better knives, spears, swords,
and auto-repeating crossbows
that can shoot many arrows like our machine guns.
But...
But if they don't know that matter is made from molecules and atoms,
they will never create missiles and satellites.
Right?
They're limited by their level of science.
I always knew you were smart.
You just look a bit silly.
The study of the deep structure of matter
is the foundation of the foundations of all other sciences.
If there's no progress here, everything else...
I'll put it your way, is bullshit.
You... You're not bullshit.
You can still research knives, shields, and swords.
What am I going to research?
I'm bullshit. I'm bullshit.
This is a good thing.
We will be able to live out the rest of our lives
in this way.
All our despair
and all our decadence can be justified now!
Because we're bugs!
Bugs that are about to go extinct!
Well said!
Long live bugs!
Long live Sophons!
Long live the end of the world!
Good!
Come on!
Bunch of cowards.
Nano Coward.
I'm talking about you!
Come on!
Get up!
Come!
Come with me.
And you.
Uh...
Ball-lightning Coward!
Come on!
Let's go!
Where to?
Just come with me.
I'm taking you somewhere.
Where?
Don't you want to drink?
Drinking here is so boring.
Let's go somewhere lively.
Somewhere with all kinds of people.
Are you coming? Bring the liquor.
Good.
Let's go.
(Pursuant to the laws,)
(Ye Wenjie committed crimes against humanity)
(and has now been sentenced to life imprisonment.)
Would you like to take a break here?
No need.
Professor Ye,
you should have some rest.
If you lapse into critical condition,
we won't be able to get you an ambulance.
It's okay.
I used to be ready to stay here forever.
Now I care even less.
Let's go over there.
Professor Ye,
step back a little from the cliff.
Being here for the first time
is always a bit scary.
This was the base for the antenna.
(Red Coast Base)
This
is sunset for humanity.
♪ Just a matter of time ♪
♪ Should we say goodbye ♪
♪ Or should we keep it all ♪
Where are we going?
My hometown. Not too far.
♪ With a cost of all ♪
♪ Fireworks ♪
♪ You wasted it all just to watch me burn ♪
♪ And on and on and on ♪
What did you bring us here for?
To look at bugs.
There's locust infestation here as well?
Every year.
Like the dust storms.
It started ten years ago. But this year is the worst.
What's this about?
I just want the two of you to think about one thing.
Is the technological gap between humans and Trisolarans
greater than the one between locusts and humans,
or the other way around?
Look at them.
These bugs.
The gap between them and us is far greater than the one
between us and the Trisolarans.
Humans have used everything in their power to extinguish them:
every kind of poison, aerial sprays, and...
And introducing and cultivating their natural predators,
searching for and destroying their eggs,
using genetic modification to sterilize them.
Just like what the Trisolarans did to us humans.
That's right!
We tried to burn them with fire,
drown them with water, bury them with earth.
Every family has bug spray.
Every desk has under it something lethal to them
like a flyswatter.
To them, all those things are nuclear missiles.
This long war has been going on
for the entire history of human civilization.
But the outcome is still in doubt.
The bugs have not been eliminated.
There are scientists among these locusts too.
They're researching how to deal with us.
They're researching how we produce pesticide.
Of course, some of them don't care.
They're unaware of humans' existence.
They live in their own imagination.
There are soldiers among these locusts too, and policemen.
Maybe they even have Battle Command Centers,
which is why even to this day,
they still proudly live between the heavens and the earth,
and their numbers have not diminished from the time before human appeared!
The Trisolarans who deemed the humans bugs
seemed to have forgotten one fact:
the bugs have never been truly defeated.
Come on, sweetie.
Put your book away.
Dig in.
Thanks, Mom.
(...and held her hands to her mouth to warm them with her breath.)
(Tsinghua University)
(The End)
=Three-Body=