Three-Body Episode 29 Recap
> Three-Body Recap
A critical meeting was held to finalize the plan for Operation Zither. Discussions focused on the precise deployment of existing nanomaterials, specifically the requirement for a minimum 50-centimeter gap between two fine filaments, necessitating the target ship, Judgment Day, to traverse the canal during daylight hours. This timing was crucial, as it accounted for crew members potentially lying down or crawling at night, which would render a 50-centimeter gap too large.
The team devised a method to ensure the safety of other vessels: each nanowire would be connected to a standard steel wire on the shore, with one end of each pillar linked to a movable winch. This setup would allow the nanowires to sink to the riverbed via attached weights. Once the final ship passed before Judgment Day, the steel wires would be retrieved, and the nanomaterials would then be fixed to the pillars, which would finally be erected.
This ingenious solution was hailed as the most effective approach. Calculations indicated that Judgment Day would reach the Gaillard Channel in approximately 96 hours, marking the precise window for preparation. General Chang emphasized the critical moment for humanity to unite and then outlined the operational assignments. The Asian Combat Zone was designated as the overall commander-in-chief, responsible for comprehensive dispatch. The European Combat Zone would oversee engineering construction on both sides of the Gaillard Channel.
Following the operation, the Global Joint Operations Center would handle search efforts, with Colonel Stanton commanding the front line. The Oceanian Combat Zone was tasked with post-operation recovery, including ensuring future ship passage, disaster prevention and rescue, and civilian migration, all to minimize disruption to the local populace around the Panama Canal. Professor Wang Miao and his Nanomaterial Center were appointed to provide full technical support for the operation, which was officially named Operation Zither. Operation Zither officially commenced.
Professor Wang Miao joined Colonel Stanton, who remarked on the absence of Shi Qiang, explaining that General Chang deemed Shi Qiang's presence more critical elsewhere. Professor Wang voiced his deep concern about potential innocent casualties among the crew of Judgment Day, who might be unaware of the ship's true purpose.
Colonel Stanton, however, revealed a shocking investigation into the crew list, stating that the ship was a "devil's cage," filled with the "worst criminals in the world," including terrorists, serial murderers, and pirates. Among them was Enzo, a man Colonel Stanton knew from a past anti-terrorism operation.
Enzo had escaped prison, then stalked Colonel Stanton's home, brutally murdering his seven-year-old son by slitting him from throat to belly and hanging him on the front gate, leaving a note claiming it was "for my salvation." Onboard Judgment Day, Enzo demonstrated his depravity by killing a crew member who wished to go ashore, fearing exposure.
Enzo's justification was the need for survival and the long time since they had "had some meat," chillingly adding, "His death is for your salvation." Meanwhile, observers noted that people on the ship were "going crazy, killing each other every day," routinely throwing comrades' corpses overboard "like they were trash," a behavior one character grimly identified as "human nature."
As the ship approached the Gaillard Channel, the awe-inspiring convergence of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans was noted, but a stark reminder was given: despite human intelligence, it was currently under threat, leaving no room for complacency. Judgment Day soon entered surveillance range. As Judgment Day progressed towards the Gaillard Channel, the team prepared. Professor Wang Miao recalled his unimpressive visit to Panama in 1990, where a Jackson song played, which Colonel Stanton revealed was his own idea.
The operation's name, "Guzheng," refers to a Chinese traditional instrument—a rectangular wooden base with numerous strings and pillars, each producing a single note. The nanomaterial "Guzheng" was deployed, sinking into position and confirmed set after the final ship passed and the waterway was cleared. The "Guzheng" was then raised, forming a "deadly trap" with Professor Wang's "miraculous" nano Flying Blades, appearing as nothing but ready to strike.
General Chang reflected on his 1999 visit for the canal's handover, recognizing the insignificance of past historical events in the face of an impending alien invasion. He mused on how human civilization would have developed if aware of such a threat millennia ago, a thought Professor Wang couldn't fully conceptualize. General Chang hailed Professor Wang as the "Gaillard of the new era," likening his space elevator to a new canal connecting Earth and space.
As Judgment Day entered the Gaillard Channel from Gatun Lake, the tension mounted. A twenty-second countdown began. Professor Wang, visibly nervous, was reassured by General Chang that everything would pass quickly. As the countdown concluded, Judgment Day began its passage through the "Guzheng." The operation was swiftly completed; the ship was sliced and dismembered, with fire breaking out onboard. The Oceanian Combat Zone immediately began its post-operation work, awaiting Colonel Stanton's orders to search for information about the Trisolaran Civilization.
General Chang then extended his hand to Professor Wang, promising to one day listen to a genuine Guzheng musical performance, acknowledging the profound success of the operation. Teams quickly moved in to secure the site and search for the crucial hard drive. After the operation, the focus shifted to the recovered Trisolaran information.
Professor Ye Wenjie admitted that her knowledge of the true Trisolaran Civilization was limited; only core members of the Adventists, who had intercepted the intelligence, possessed its full and accurate details. General Chang questioned why she held such high expectations for the Trisolarans, believing they could transform human society. Professor Ye explained that their ability to traverse interstellar space indicated highly advanced science, suggesting a society with superior civilization and morality, though she acknowledged this conclusion was not scientifically proven.
The recovered data from Evans amounted to a staggering 28 gigabytes. Professor Ye initially found this impossible, given the low efficiency of interstellar ultra-long-distance communication. However, it was confirmed to be true, and the "Three-Body" game itself was a client within this data, created by the Earth Trisolaran Organization (ETO) based on human imagination. General Chang then encouraged scientists like Professor Wang to delve into the "Three-Body" game, hoping for further discoveries.
Professor Wang Miao and Shi Qiang entered the virtual world. Inside, they encountered the ETO's imagined depiction of a Trisolaran, who identified himself as a monitor. This monitor explained that his kind had thousands of listening posts across their world, diligently searching for intelligent civilizations. He revealed that he had received the message sent from Earth in 1971, which, due to the four-light-year travel time, reached their world in 1975 by Earth time.
Realizing that his government would likely respond, he defied his civilization and transmitted a warning back to Earth: "Do not answer! Do not answer! Do not answer!" He explained that as long as Earth remained silent, its location could not be pinpointed.
His act of betrayal stemmed from a desire to give meaning to his humble, isolated life in the listening post, knowing that his own civilization had become relentlessly expansionist, bent on destroying other civilizations to secure more living space. He revealed the Trisolaran fleet's intention to occupy Earth and strictly forbid human procreation, which would mean total destruction for humanity. He rejected this future, cherishing the distant, beautiful Earth as his only hope, even if it meant facing trial.
During his subsequent trial, the monitor was accused of being the worst criminal in Trisolaran history for potentially sacrificing his own civilization's chance at survival for Earth's. Surprisingly, he was acquitted, not as a reward, but as a greater punishment: he was left alive to witness Earth's inevitable downfall, an even more cruel fate than dehydration and incineration.
Following this, the Commander of the Trisolaran Interstellar Fleet declared his intent to ask the Council of Archons to immediately approve and launch the fleet towards Earth, acknowledging the risk of imprecise directional positioning at such a receiving frequency.
