Three bodies

The trisolaran information does not contain any description of the trisolaran's biological form, and it will take more than 400 years for humans to actually see the trisolaran.When reading the information, Ye Wenjie could only imagine Trisolaran as a human being.

Listening station No. 1379 has existed for thousands of years. There are thousands of listening stations like this in Trisolaran, and they are listening intently to the information of possible intelligent civilizations in the universe.

Initially there were hundreds of listeners in the listening station, but with the advancement of technology, now only one person is on duty.Listeners are a humble occupation. Although they are in a listening room with a constant temperature and guaranteed living supplies, they do not need to be dehydrated in the chaotic era, but their lives are passing in this small space, and they can enjoy the constant Era has much less joy than the others.

Monitor No. 1379 looked out at the Trisolaran world through a small window. It was a dark night in a chaotic era, and the giant moon had not yet risen. Most people were in dehydration hibernation, and even plants were dehydrated instinctively. Became lifeless bundles of dry fibers attached to the surface.Under the starlight, the earth looked like a large block of cold metal.

This is the loneliest hour, when in the silent midnight the universe reveals its vast desolation to its listeners. The last thing monitor 1379 wants to see is the slowly moving curve on the monitor, which is the waveform of cosmic radio waves received by the monitor system, meaningless noise.He feels that this infinitely long line is the abstraction of the universe. One end is connected to the infinite past and the other end is connected to the infinite future. There are only irregular and lifeless random ups and downs in the middle. Unequal sand, the whole line is like a one-dimensional desert formed by all the sand grains lined up, desolate and lonely, and the length is unbearable.You can go infinitely far forward and backward along it, but you will never find your destination.

But today, when the monitor glanced at the waveform display, he found something strange.Even for professionals, it is difficult to tell whether the waveform carries information with the naked eye, but the listener is too familiar with the waveform of cosmic noise, and there seems to be something indescribable in the moving waveform in front of him. The thin thread seemed to have a soul, he was sure that the electric wave in front of him was modulated by intelligence!He rushed to another host terminal, checked the computer's judgment on the recognition degree of the currently received content, and found that the recognition degree was red 10! !Before this, the cosmic radio waves received by the monitoring system have never been recognized beyond blue 2. If it reaches red, the possibility of the band containing intelligent information is greater than 90.00%; if it is red 10, it means that the received information contains With self-interpretation system!The interpretation computer is working at full power, it has discovered the self-interpretation system in the message and successfully uses it, and soon shows that the interpretation is complete.The listener opened the result file, and Trisolarans read the information from another world for the first time:

Best wishes to the world that receives this message.

Through the following information, you will have a basic understanding of Earth civilization.After a long period of labor and creation, human beings have established a splendid civilization, a rich and colorful culture has emerged, and they have a preliminary understanding of the laws of the operation and development of nature and human society. We cherish all of these.

But our world still has great flaws. There are hatred, prejudice and wars. Due to the contradiction between productivity and production relations, the distribution of wealth is seriously uneven. A considerable number of human members live in poverty and misery.

Human society is working hard to solve various difficulties and problems it faces, and strive to create a bright future for earth civilization.The cause of the country sending the message is part of that effort.We are committed to building an ideal society, so that the labor and value of every human member are fully respected, so that the material and spiritual needs of all people are fully satisfied, and the earth civilization becomes a more perfect civilization.

With good wishes, we look forward to establishing connections with other civilizations in the universe, and looking forward to working with you to create a better life in the vast universe.

In the excitement that made him dizzy, the listener looked at the waveform display, and the information was still pouring into the antenna from space. Due to the existence of the self-interpretation system, the computer could already realize real-time interpretation, and the received information was immediately interpreted. display.During the next two Trisolaris periods, the monitors learned about the existence of the earth world, the world with only one sun and forever in the constant era, and the human civilization born in the heaven where the weather is always smooth.

The information from the solar system ended, and the decoding computer began to run fruitlessly, and what the monitoring system heard was the noise of the desolation of the universe, but the monitor could be sure that everything just now was not a dream.He also knew that the thousands of listening stations scattered all over the world had also received the information that the Trisolaran civilization had been waiting for for hundreds of millions of years.Two hundred rounds of civilization crawled through the dark tunnel, and now they finally saw a ray of light ahead.

The listener read the message from the earth again, his thoughts were flying between the never-frozen blue ocean and the verdant forests and fields on the earth, feeling the caress of the warm sunshine and cool breeze, what a beautiful world it was Ah, the paradise in more than 200 rounds of civilization fantasies actually exists!

The excitement and excitement quickly cooled down, leaving only loss and desolation.During the long and lonely time in the past, the listener asked himself more than once: Even if one day he really received a message from an alien civilization, what does it have to do with him?That paradise does not belong to me, and my lonely and humble life will not change in the slightest.

But I can at least have it in my dreams... the Listener thought, falling asleep.In a harsh environment, Trisolarans have evolved a sleep switch function, which can make them fall asleep immediately in a few seconds.

But he didn't get the dream he wanted. The blue earth did appear in the dream, but under the fire of a huge star fleet, the beautiful continent of the earth began to burn, and the blue ocean boiled and evaporated...

The listener woke up from the nightmare and saw the huge moon that had just risen cast a beam of cold light into the small window.Looking at the cold earth outside the window, he began to review his lonely life.Now, he has lived for 60 trisomy hours, and the lifespan of a trisolaran person is generally between 80 and [-] trisomy hours. In fact, most people have lost their ability to work long before that, and they will be killed at this time. Forced dehydration, the dehydrated dry fibrous body is burned, and the three-body society does not support idlers.

Now, the listener suddenly thought of another possibility: it is inaccurate to say that receiving alien information will not affect him. After the target is determined, Trisolaris will inevitably cut down some listening stations. The site must be among the first cuts, when he will face unemployment.The skills of the listener are very single, just some stylized operation and maintenance, and it is difficult to find other jobs.If he can't find a job within [-] trisomy hours, he will also face the fate of being incinerated after forced dehydration.

The only way to escape this fate is to marry a member of the opposite sex.At this time, the organic substances that make up their bodies will be integrated, and two-thirds of the substances will become the energy source for biochemical reactions, so that the remaining one-third of the cells will be completely renewed to form a brand new body; The body will split and split into three to five new young lives. These are their children. They will inherit part of the memory of their parents, become the continuation of their lives, and start a new life.But with the humble social status of the monitor, the lonely and closed working environment, and at this age, which opposite sex can think of me?
In the past few years when he was getting old, the monitor asked himself thousands of times: Is this my whole life?He replied thousands of times: Yes, this is your life, and all you have in this life is the endless loneliness in the small space of the listening room.

He couldn't lose that distant paradise, even in a dream.

Listeners know that on a cosmic scale, for low-frequency radio waves from space, because there is no long enough measurement baseline, they can only determine the direction of the source of emission, but cannot know its distance; in that direction, it may be a long-distance high-power The emission source may also be a short-distance low-power emission source; there are hundreds of millions of stars in that direction, each of which is set against the sea of ​​stars formed by stars of different distances. Without knowing the distance of the emission source, it is impossible to determine the position coordinate.

Distance, the key is distance!

In fact, the method to determine the distance of the emission source is very simple: reply a message to the other party, and if the other party answers within a short time after receiving the reply, the distance can be known from the interval time and the speed of light.The question is: Will the other party answer?Or answer after a long delay, making it impossible for Trisolaran to determine how much time the radio signal spent on the road.But since this emission source is actively calling out to the universe, it is very likely that they will answer after receiving the information from Trisolaran.The listener can be sure that the Trisolaran government has issued an order to send a message to that distant world, luring them to answer.The message may or may not have been sent.If it was the latter, then he would have a chance to burn his humble life once.

Like the Red Coast base on Earth, most of the listening stations in Trisolaris are simultaneously sending out messages into space, calling for possible alien civilizations.Scientists of Trisolarans have also discovered the amplifying function of stars for radio waves. Unfortunately, the structure of the three centaur suns is very different from that of human beings, and there is a large outer plasma atmosphere (it is this atmosphere. The air layer makes the sun in the Trisolaran world suddenly turn into a flying star or be manifested by a flying star at a certain distance), this kind of air layer has a strong shielding effect on electromagnetic waves, so that the power of the electric waves reaching the solar energy mirror has a huge Therefore, it is impossible to use the sun as an antenna to transmit information, and the ground antenna can only be used to transmit directly to the target.Otherwise, mankind would have already known the existence of Trisolaran civilization.

The listener rushed to the operation screen, edited a short message on the computer, and instructed the computer to translate it into the same language as the earth message received.Then he pointed the listening station's transmitting antenna in the direction of the source of the earth's information. The transmitting button was a red rectangle, and the monitor's finger was hovering over it.

The fate of the Trisolaran civilization rests on these two slender fingers.

Without hesitation, the listener pressed the launch button, and the high-power radio wave flew into the dark space with that brief but potentially saving another civilization message:
The world has received your message.

I'm a pacifist in this world, it's the luck of your civilization that I got the message first, warning you: don't answer!Don't answer! !Don't answer! ! !

There are tens of millions of stars in your direction, as long as you don't answer, this world will not be able to locate the source of the emission.

If answered, the source of the emission will be located, your civilization will be invaded, and your world will be taken over!
Don't answer!Don't answer! !Don't answer! ! !
We don't know what the official residence of the head of the Trisolaran world looks like, but it is certain that it has thick walls between it and the outside world, in order to adapt to the harsh climate of this world. The pyramid in the "Three-Body" game is a guess, and another possibility is that it was built underground.

The Führer received the report of the alien civilization message five trisolaran hours ago.Two trisomy hours ago, he got another report: Listening station 1379 sent a warning message in the direction of the source.

The former did not make him ecstatic, the latter did not depress him, nor did he feel resentful towards the monitor who sent the warning message.These emotions, as well as all other emotions, such as fear, sadness, happiness, beauty, etc., are all avoided and eliminated by Trisolaran civilization, because they will lead to the spiritual fragility of individuals and society, which is not conducive to the development of human society. Survive in the harsh environment of this world.The spirit needed by the Three-Body World is calmness and numbness. From the history of more than two hundred rounds of civilization in the past, it can be proved that those civilizations with these two spirits as the main body have the strongest ability to survive.

"Why did you do that?" the Führer asked Listener 1379, who was standing in front of him.

"In order not to waste my life." The listener replied calmly.

"The warning message you sent out may cause Trisolaran civilization to lose a chance to survive."

"But the earth civilization has been given such an opportunity. President, please allow me to say this: in the chaotic era about 1 Trisolaran epochs ago, the roving supply vehicle of the listening station missed the station 1379 where I was. Yes, this means that I will be out of food for the next [-] trisomy. I ate all the edible things in the station, even my own clothes. Even so, when the supply truck came again, I was about to die Starved to death. My superiors gave me the longest vacation of my life because of this. On the way back to the city with the supply truck, I was controlled by a strong desire to take all the food on the truck. Every time I saw When other people in the car ate food, my heart was filled with hatred, and I really wanted to kill that person! I kept stealing food from the car, hiding them in clothes and under the seats, and the staff on the car felt that I This is very interesting, give me food as a gift. When I get off the bus in the city, I carry far more than my body weight in food..."

"Of course, I later recovered from this psychopathy, but the strong possessive desire left a deep impression on me. The Trisolaran civilization is also a group in crisis of survival. Its possessive desire for living space is closely related to At that time, my desire for food was as strong and endless. It was impossible for it to share that world with the people on Earth. It could only destroy the civilization of Earth without hesitation, and completely occupy the living space of that planetary system... Am I right? "

"Yes, there is another reason for the eradication of Earth civilization: they are also warlike races and are very dangerous. When we coexist with them in a world, they will learn technology very quickly. If this continues, neither civilization will be able to survive. Good. The policy we have established is: after the Trisolaran fleet occupies the solar system and the earth, it will not interfere too much with the civilization of the earth. Things are forbidden forever: procreation. Now I ask: You want to be the savior of the earth, but you have no sense of responsibility for your own civilization?"

"Three-body world is getting tired of me. There is nothing in our lives and spirits but the fight to survive."

"Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Of course there is nothing wrong, survival is the prerequisite for everything else, but, Führer, look at our life: everything is for the survival of civilization. For the survival of civilization as a whole, respect for the individual is almost non-existent. death; the Trisolaran society is in extreme tyranny, and there are only two levels of law: guilty and innocent, guilty to death, and acquittal. What I can't bear the most is the singleness and exhaustion of spiritual life. Everything that may lead to a fragile spirit is Evil. We have no literature, no art, no pursuit and enjoyment of beauty, and we cannot even confide in love...Führer, is such a life meaningful?"

"The civilization you yearn for also existed in Trisolaris. They had a democratic and free society, and they also left a rich cultural heritage. What you can see is only a very small part, most of which have been sealed and banned. But in the reincarnation of all three-body civilizations, this kind of civilization is the most fragile and short-lived, and a small disaster in the chaos of the century is enough to make it extinct. Look at the earth civilization you want to save, the beauty that is always like spring If the pampered society in the greenhouse is placed in a three-body world, it will definitely not be able to survive one million three-body hours."

"Although the flower is delicate, it is extremely gorgeous. She feels freedom and beauty in the comfort of heaven."

"If the Trisolaran civilization finally occupies that world, we can also create that kind of life."

"Führer, I doubt it. The metal-like three-body spirit has solidified into every cell of ours, do you really think it can still melt? I am a small person, living at the bottom of society, no one will notice me, A life of loneliness, no wealth, no status, no love, and no hope. If I can save a distant and beautiful world that I fell in love with, at least this life will not be in vain. Of course, Führer, this also brings me to you, if If it wasn’t for this move, a small person like me can only admire you on TV, so please allow me to express my honor here.”

"There is no doubt that you are guilty. You are the biggest criminal in all the reincarnated civilizations of the Three-Body World, but there is now an exception to the Three-Body Law—you are free."

"Führer, how can this be done?!"

"For you, being dehydrated and burned is really a trivial punishment. You are old, and it is impossible to see the final destruction of earth civilization, but I will at least let you know that you can't save her at all, and I will let you live until The day she loses all hope. Well, let's go."

After monitor 1379 left, the head of state called in the consul in charge of the monitor system.With him, too, the Führer avoided irritation, and it was just a matter of routine.

"How can you let such a fragile and evil element into the monitoring system?"

"Prince, there are hundreds of thousands of staff in the monitoring system, and it is difficult to strictly screen them. After all, No. 1379 has worked in that monitoring station for most of his life without making any mistakes. Of course, I am responsible for the most serious mistakes."

"In the three-body world's space monitoring system, how many people are responsible for this?"

"I did a preliminary check. From top to bottom, there are about 6000 people."

"They were all guilty."

"Yes."

"6000 people are dehydrated and burned in the central square of the capital—you, just use it as a kindling."

"Thank you, Head of State, this has made our conscience more or less settled."

"Before that, let me ask you again: How far can that warning message be sent?"

"No. 1379 is a small listening station with low transmission power. It can transmit about 200 million light-hours (about [-] light-years)."

"It's far enough. Do you have any suggestions for the next move of Trisolaran civilization?"

"Sent carefully crafted messages to that alien world, trying to entice them to answer?"

"No, it's more likely to be self-defeating. Luckily, that warning message was short, and we can only hope they ignore or misinterpret what it says...well, there you go."

After the monitor consul left, the head of state summoned the commander of the Trisolaran fleet.

"How long will it take for the first fleet to finally be ready to sail?"

"Prince, the construction of the fleet is still in the final stage, and it will take at least [-] hours to be able to sail."

"I will ask the joint meeting of consuls to consider my plan: set sail as soon as the fleet is completed, and head in that direction."

"Prince, on that receiving frequency, even the direction positioning is not very accurate. You must know that the fleet can only sail at one percent of the speed of light, and its power reserve is only enough to decelerate once, and it is impossible to move in that direction." Searching in a large area, if the target distance is unknown, the final outcome of the entire fleet is to fall into the abyss of space.”

"But look at the three suns in our galaxy. The atmosphere of any one of them may expand at any time and engulf our last planet. Therefore, there is no other choice, and this risk must be taken."