The Three-Body Problem

Xu nodded, glad to leave the smoke-filled office.

*   *   *

In addition to Da Shi and Xu, the team for conducting the search consisted of Wang Miao, Wei Cheng, and two other officers from the Criminal Division. The six of them rode through the predawn darkness in two police cars, heading toward Wei’s neighborhood at the edge of the city.

Xu and Wang were in the backseat. As soon as the car started, she whispered to Wang, “Professor Wang, your reputation in Three Body is very high.”

Somebody mentioned Three Body in the real world! Wang was excited, right away feeling close to this young woman in a police uniform. “Do you play?”

“I’m responsible for monitoring and tracking it. An unpleasant task.”

Wang anxiously asked, “Can you tell me its background? I really want to know.”

In the faint light coming through the car window, Wang saw Xu give a mysterious smile. “We want to know as well. But all its servers are outside the country. The system and firewall are very secure and hard to penetrate. We don’t know much, but we can be sure it’s not operated for profit. The software quality is uncommonly high, and the amount of information contained in it even more unusual. It doesn’t even seem like a game.”

“Have there been any…” Wang carefully picked the right words. “… supernatural signs?” Wang’s night had been filled with coincidences: He had been called in to discuss the three-body problem with Wei Cheng immediately after he solved the Three Body game. And now Xu was telling him she was monitoring the game. Something didn’t seem right.

“We don’t think so. Many from all around the world participate in the game’s development. Their collaboration method seems similar to popular open-source practices, like the kind used to make the Linux operating system. But they’re definitely using some very advanced development tools. As for the content of the game, who knows where they’re getting it? It does seem a bit … supernatural, like you said. However, we still believe in Captain Shi’s famous rule: All this must be the work of people. Our tracking efforts are effective, and we’ll have results soon.”

The young woman was not experienced in lying, and her last remark made Wang realize that she was hiding much of the truth from him. “His ‘rule’ is famous now?” Wang looked at Da Shi, who was in the driver’s seat.

When they reached the house, the sun had not yet risen. It was about the same time of night that Wang had seen Shen playing Three Body. A second-story window was lit, but all the other windows were dark.

As soon as Wang got out of the car, he heard noises coming from upstairs. It sounded like something was slapping against the wall. Da Shi, who had just gotten out of the car himself, immediately became alert. He kicked open the yard gate and rushed into the house with an agility surprising for his burly frame, his three colleagues close behind.

Wang and Wei followed them into the house. They went upstairs and entered the room with a light on, their shoes splashing in a pool of blood. Shen lay in the middle of the room, blood still oozing from two bullet wounds in her chest. A third bullet had gone through her left brow, causing her whole face to be covered in red. Not far from her, a gun lay in a crimson pool.

As Wang entered, Da Shi and one of the other officers rushed out and entered the dark room across the hall. The window there was open, and Wang heard the sound of a car starting outside. A male police officer began to make a phone call. Xu Bingbing stood a little ways apart, watching anxiously. She, like Wang and the others, had probably never seen a scene like this.

A moment later, Da Shi returned. He put his gun back in its holster and said to the officer holding the phone, “A black Volkswagen Santana with only one man. I couldn’t get the license plate number. Tell them to block all entrances to the fifth ring road. Shit. He might actually get away.”

Da Shi looked around and saw the bullet holes in the wall. He glanced at the shell casings scattered on the ground and added, “The man got off five shots, and three hit her. She shot twice—both misses.” Then he crouched down to examine the body with the other officer. Xu stood farther away, stealing a glance at Wei Cheng next to her. Da Shi also looked up at him.

On Wei’s face was a trace of shock and a trace of sorrow, but only a trace. His usual wooden expression didn’t break. He was far calmer than Wang.

“You don’t seem bothered by this,” Da Shi said to Wei. “They probably came to kill you.”

Wei gave a ghastly grin. “What can I do? Even now, I still don’t know anything about her. I’ve told her many times to keep life simple. I’m thinking of the abbot’s counsel to me that night. But … eh.”

Da Shi stood up and walked over to stand in front of Wei. He took out a cigarette and lit it. “I think you still have some things you haven’t told us.”

“Some things I was too lazy to talk about.”