Three-Body Episode 22 Recap
> Three-Body Recap
Chen Xue informed Ye Wenjie, addressing her as Commander, that several European branches of the organization had been purged by the Battle Command Center. She emphasized that all those purged were Redemptionists, while the Adventists remained unharmed. Chen Xue suspected Pan Han and his associates were behind these actions, and that they were likely responsible for Shen Yufei's death.
She urged Ye Wenjie not to attend Shen Yufei's funeral, warning that it would attract the Battle Command Center's attention and cause the Adventists to question her stance. Despite the warning, Ye Wenjie insisted on attending to bid Shen Yufei farewell. Ye Wenjie expressed her profound despair, stating that kindness, at the scale of the universe, is as empty and insignificant as dust. Later, Wang Miao reflected on Shen Yufei's long-standing efforts to solve the Three-Body Problem.
He noted her ultimate despair came from realizing the problem was unsolvable, and that her initial hope of helping the Trisolarans transform their perilous world evolved into the grim realization that they intended to invade humanity's home. Shi Qiang commented that Shen Yufei might not have been a bad person after all.
He also observed that Pan Han, during Three-Body player gatherings, consistently preached about the "Lord's" coming but never discussed solving the Three-Body Problem, indicating a clear ideological division within the ETO regarding their ultimate objectives. Wang Miao expressed regret that they had not attempted to recruit Shen Yufei to their side.
Prompted by the recent global purges of ETO members, Wang Miao decided to return to the Three-Body game to see if his newly acquired status as a "comrade" would alter the game's progression. Meanwhile, the Battle Command Center successfully decoded new files, which included a maintenance log from the Three-Body game server. This revealed the server's location: an artificial satellite orbiting Earth at an altitude of 24,000 kilometers, currently within the European combat zone.
As they prepared to launch an attack, the game server initiated a shutdown sequence, transitioning directly to its final scene. Wang Miao, immersed in the game, witnessed his virtual world dissolving. Landmarks like the pyramid, the United Nations Headquarters, and the giant pendulum vanished, replaced by hundreds of millions of Trisolarans. They explained they were preparing for an expedition, marking the passage of three civilizations.
Wang Miao observed their massive formation, which appeared not as stars but as an artificial construct: the magnificent Trisolaran Interstellar Fleet. They confirmed their civilization had achieved interstellar flight capabilities, with their ships traveling at one-tenth the speed of light. Their destination was a star with planets located four light-years away, the closest to the Trisolaran system. The Trisolarans then explicitly confirmed their target was Earth, noting the uniform distribution of stars in the Milky Way.
They conveyed that while the current generation might not witness the outcome, their descendants, in four or five centuries, would receive news from this new world, marking the rebirth of the Trisolaran Civilization. The game concluded, instructing Wang Miao to attend an ETO gathering if he remained true to his commitment, with the address to be sent via email.
After the game's abrupt conclusion, Shi Qiang expressed his profound frustration and anger, stating that discovering the Trisolarans were heading for Earth was far from a victory, despite the Battle Command Center's successful attempt to block signals to the satellite server. He felt humanity was utterly exposed, noting that the Trisolarans appeared unfazed by the attack, suggesting they were either prepared or indifferent.
He pressed Wang Miao about the fleet's arrival time: given the four light-year distance and one-tenth light speed, the journey should theoretically take forty years. However, the game claimed four to five hundred years. He questioned whether this discrepancy was a miscalculation or a deliberate attempt to mislead them, to which Wang Miao stated there was no need for them to do so.
Shi Qiang then presented the most dire possibility: that the Trisolarans could have departed forty years ago, meaning their arrival could be imminent, leaving Earth completely unaware of their precise journey or when they began. Chang Weisi explained to Wang Miao and Shi Qiang that the Earth-Trisolaris Organization was deeply fractured into distinct factions that frequently slandered and attacked each other.
The majority of the recently arrested ETO members were Redemptionists, who aimed to solve the Three-Body Problem and included many Three-Body players, such as Shen Yufei. In stark contrast, the Adventists, like Pan Han, believed the Three-Body Problem was unsolvable and fervently advocated for humanity's destruction, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their "Lord." A third, smaller faction, the Survivors, were optimistically confident the "Lord" would spare them, though they were largely disregarded by the other two groups.
The primary ideological conflict within the ETO existed between the Redemptionists and the Adventists. The information found on Pan Han's computer, including a list of Redemptionists, suggested an ongoing internal struggle between the factions. While direct contact with "the Lord" had not been established, ETO members consistently referred to a figure they called the "Commander," whom Chang Weisi suspected was their leader and connected to the organization.
Separately, Shi Qiang refused to share the flash drive's contents with Mu Xing, believing the information posed a grave danger to her. However, Pan Han subsequently contacted Mu Xing, urging her to continue her foreign reporting, which led Shi Qiang to suspect that Pan Han had intentionally leaked sensitive information to her. Acting on Chang Weisi's directive to protect Mu Xing, Shi Qiang attempted to detain her.
Mu Xing resisted, asserting her value to "them" and requesting twenty-four hours to complete a final task given by Pan Han before she would disappear. Shi Qiang refused the full twenty-four hours but agreed to a meeting at 10 PM for a handover. Separately, Pan Han met with Chen Xue, who voiced her suspicions regarding his involvement in the European purges and Shen Yufei's death.
Pan Han dismissed her concerns, stating the purpose of their meeting was to discuss the "Commander." He revealed that Mu Xing had been investigating the Commander, uncovering records of her presence at the Second Red Coast Base in 1996. Pan Han then instructed Chen Xue to protect the Commander, emphasizing the importance of an upcoming conference.
Meanwhile, Mu Xing diligently examined the files Pan Han provided, which contained information about the Commander's presence at the Second Red Coast Base in 1996. While researching, she also inquired about a 1996 file concerning personnel who went on an expedition to Country T. This investigation, combined with her past recollections of seeing the Commander at a lecture at Tsinghua University, led Mu Xing to recognize the Commander's significant historical connections.
As Mu Xing prepared to leave, she was attacked by an unseen assailant. During her struggle, she overheard the attacker state their need to protect the Commander and desperately asked if the attack was because she had traced information related to Tsinghua University. At the crime scene, Shi Qiang discovered that the surveillance cameras on the road had been dismantled, suggesting a premeditated attack. Although Mu Xing's primary digital recorder was missing, he located a secondary one.
Despite his dislike for coffee, Shi Qiang went to the café where he had arranged to meet Mu Xing, grappling with profound sorrow. While listening to the recovered recording, he heard Mu Xing's final words, which included references to the "Commander" and "Tsinghua University." This immediately brought Ye Wenjie to his mind. The autopsy report confirmed Mu Xing's neck had been twisted, a method identical to a previous murder on the K1303 train, prompting a joint investigation.
Shi Qiang reviewed surveillance footage from a convenience store Mu Xing had visited shortly before her death, and later identified a car whose driver matched the suspect's profile from a highway camera. Although the image was blurry, Shi Qiang recognized the woman. Further evidence, including Chen Xue's purchase of a K1303 train ticket, strongly implicated her as the suspect in both murders.
As the action team prepared to apprehend Chen Xue, Wang Miao received an email invitation to an ETO conference. Recognizing this as an opportunity, Chang Weisi ordered the immediate suspension of Chen Xue's arrest, prioritizing intelligence gathering. Shi Qiang later informed Pan Han that Chen Xue was the primary suspect in Mu Xing's murder, and Mu Xing's recording captured Chen Xue stating her intent to protect the Commander.
He also highlighted the identical murder methods and Chen Xue’s K1303 ticket, confirming Mu Xing was investigating the ETO’s Commander and had traced her activities to Tsinghua University just before her death.
