Three-Body Episode 7 Recap
> Three-Body Recap
After carefully considering the nature of the countdown and the universe flicker, Wang Miao proposed a rational explanation, suggesting that a massive screen could be set up in space to project the flicker, and similarly, a tiny screen could be placed near his pupils to project the countdown. He acknowledged that everything beyond scientific cognition is initially dismissed as pseudoscience.
Concluding that Shen Yufei’s actions were designed to make him feel like a "turkey scientist," Wang Miao expressed a strong desire to know the "farm" he was in and the identity of the "farmer," asking if joining the Frontiers of Science would reveal these answers. Shen Yufei confirmed his eligibility and later provided him with an address. Meanwhile, Pan Han viewed Wang Miao's decision to continue his experiments as a failure on Shen Yufei's part, deeming her efforts meaningless.
Shen Yufei disagreed, asserting that her actions held more significance than his. Wang Miao visited the address, a temple that differed from ordinary ones as it didn't collect offerings. Its few visitors were mostly academics and researchers seeking solutions to unsolved problems. There, he met Professor Han, a former particle physicist who now taught and joked about becoming a monk named "Daydream," a nod to how all research can feel like wishful thinking when it hits a dead end.
Shen Yufei eventually appeared and revealed that Professor Murphy's last stop before his suicide was this very temple. His curiosity now outweighing his fear, Wang Miao pressed her to reveal the "farmer" and the meaning of the countdown. Shen Yufei called what he saw a "miracle," warning that the truth behind it might not be acceptable to everyone. She then gave him a website, inviting him to personally explore the "farmer's world."
At a new media seminar, Mu Xing, an independent media professional, eagerly approached Pan Han, a renowned biologist and environmentalist. She expressed admiration for his "Pastoral China" project, an experimental community that uniquely transformed urban waste into necessities within the city itself. Pan Han, reluctant to engage, stated that environmentalism was for public welfare, not for show, and deferred their conversation. Mu Xing persisted, using the pretense of returning materials he had dropped to obtain his contact information.
Unbeknownst to them, Xu Bingbing was tracking Mu Xing and reported the encounter, including Pan Han's apparent disinterest, to Shi Qiang. Wang Miao accessed the website, discovering it was a game called "Three-Body" that required a V-suit. Shi Qiang immediately sought reimbursement for the expensive equipment from Chang Weisi, emphasizing its necessity for his "work" concerning the Frontiers of Science and boasting that he would beat the game.
As they donned the V-suits, Wang Miao found he could not remove the countdown from his vision. Shi Qiang joked that the game world might be filled with "turkeys," referencing Wang's own analogy, while recalling Shen Yufei's description of it as a world of the "shooter and the farmer." Upon entering the game, Wang Miao, now named Hairen, found himself in a desolate, cold land. Stone-like objects fell from the sky, forming the characters "Three-Body."
Shi Qiang's game ID was Stew. Wang Miao soon met King Wen of Zhou and his follower, who explained they were in the Warring States Period and that both he and King Zhou of Shang were still alive. King Wen carried a heavy sandglass to keep track of time, as the sun's behavior during a "Chaotic Era" was too erratic to be a reliable guide.
To Wang Miao's surprise, what he thought was dawn was actually dusk, and the sun soon set. Shi Qiang was separated and, after admitting to other players he was a newbie, encountered a group who suggested burning dehydrated bodies for fuel—an act he disdained as something only King Zhou of Shang would do. After a blue-hued sun rose and set almost immediately, two days passed without light. Then, a new sun appeared.
While it initially provided warmth, its heat rapidly intensified into a dangerous threat, forcing Wang Miao and King Wen to find shelter. The extreme conditions caused King Wen's follower to dehydrate. Wang Miao learned that dehydration was a survival mechanism in the Chaotic Era, allowing bodies to be stored like "dried mushrooms" and rehydrated later.
Concerned, he went to find Shi Qiang, only to discover him being tricked into dehydrating by fellow travelers who intended to use his body as food or fuel. Wang Miao intervened in a frantic struggle. Ripping off his VR headset, the real Shi Qiang saw Wang Miao's avatar fighting fiercely but was unable to re-enter the game. Shi Qiang's character was lost, his dehydrated body taken by others—a common fate for those who couldn't adapt.
Wang Miao continued his journey with King Wen. A month passed, marked by alternating periods of extreme heat and cold. They then spotted two large, disk-shaped "Flying Stars," which King Wen said signaled the arrival of a "Stable Era." He explained that the game's objective was to use intellect to understand the sun's patterns, as civilization's survival depended on predicting the Stable Eras. However, he admitted this was thought to be impossible, leading to many failed attempts at rebuilding civilization.
When Wang Miao argued the sun had no pattern, King Wen insisted he simply hadn't found the "world's origin" and revealed his plan to present King Zhou of Shang with an "accurate calendar." Approaching Zhaoge, they heard the sound of massive pendulums and saw thick-walled, pyramid-like structures built to survive the extreme temperatures.
There, they met King Zhou of Shang and Fu Xi, who theorized that the sun was a god and the pendulums were a tool to hypnotize it into a long, stable sleep—a method King Zhou deemed ineffective. King Wen, addressed as Ji Chang, then presented his own theory: the world operated on a balance of Yin and Yang, which could be predicted using "the code of the universe."
At King Zhou's command, he forecasted a precise series of chaotic and stable periods, culminating in a golden age that would last three years and nine months. After his recent predictions were verified, a delighted King Zhou ordered the mass rehydration of his entire kingdom. People began to revive, some with limbs missing from long-term storage, and were told to enjoy the coming beautiful Stable Era.
