The Three-Body Problem

The location for the Three Body players’ meet-up was a small, out-of-the-way coffee shop. Wang had always imagined game meet-ups would be lively events full of people, but this meet-up consisted of only seven players, including himself. Like Wang, the other six did not look like gaming enthusiasts. Only two were relatively young. Another three, including a woman, were middle-aged. There was also an old man who appeared to be in his sixties or seventies.

Wang had originally thought that as soon as they met they’d begin a lively discussion of Three Body, but he was wrong. The profound but strange content of Three Body had had a psychological impact on the participants. All the players, including Wang himself, couldn’t bring it up easily. They only made simple self-introductions. The old man took out a refined pipe, filled it with tobacco, and smoked as he strolled around, admiring the paintings on the walls. The others sat silently, waiting for the meet-up organizer to show up. They had all come early.

Actually, of the six, Wang already knew two. The old man was a famous scholar who had made his name by imbuing Eastern philosophy with the content of modern science. The strangely dressed woman was a famous writer, one of those rare novelists who wrote in an avant-garde style but still had many readers. You could start one of her books on any page.

Of the two middle-aged men, one was a vice president at China’s largest software company, plainly and casually dressed so that his status wasn’t obvious at all; and the other was a high-level executive at the State Power Corporation. Of the two young men, one was a reporter with a major media outlet, and the other was a doctoral student in the sciences. Wang now realized that a considerable number of Three Body players were probably social elites like them.

The meet-up organizer showed up not long after. Wang’s heart began to beat faster as soon as he saw the man: it was Pan Han, prime suspect for the murder of Shen Yufei. He took out his phone when no one was looking and texted Shi Qiang.

“Haha, everyone got here early!” Pan greeted them in a relaxed manner, as though nothing was wrong. Appearing in the media, he usually looked disheveled, like a vagrant, but today, he was dressed sharply in a suit and dress shoes. “You’re just like I imagined. Three Body is intended for people in your class because the common crowd cannot appreciate its meaning and mood. To play it well requires knowledge and understanding that ordinary people do not possess.”

Wang sent out his text: Spotted Pan Han. At Yunhe Coffee Shop in Xicheng District.

Pan continued. “Everyone here is an excellent Three Body player. You have the best scores and are devoted to it. I believe that Three Body is already an important part of your lives.”

“It’s part of what keeps me alive,” the young doctoral student said.

“I saw it by accident on my grandson’s computer,” the old philosopher said, lifting his pipe stem. “The young man abandoned it after a few tries, saying it was too abstruse. But I was attracted to it. I find it strange, terrible, but also beautiful. So much information is hidden beneath a simple representation.”

A few players nodded at this description, including Wang himself.

Wang received Da Shi’s reply text: We also see him. No worries. Carry on. Play the fanatic in front of them, but not so much that you can’t pull it off.

“Yes,” the author agreed, and nodded. “I like the literary elements of Three Body. The rises and falls of two hundred and three civilizations evoke the qualities of epics in a new form.”

She mentioned 203 civilizations, but Wang had only experienced 184. This told Wang that Three Body progressed independently for each player, possibly with different worlds.

“I’m a bit sick of the real world,” the young reporter said. “Three Body is already my second reality.”

“Really?” Pan asked, interested.

“Me too,” the software company vice president said. “Compared to Three Body, reality is so vulgar and unexciting.”

“It’s too bad that it’s only a game,” said the power company executive.

“Very good,” Pan said. Wang noticed his eyes sparkling with excitement.

“I have a question that I think everyone wants to know the answer to,” Wang said.

“I know what it is. But you might as well ask.”

“Is Three Body only a game?”

The other players nodded. Clearly the question was also on their minds.

Pan stood up and said solemnly, “The world of Three Body, or Trisolaris, really does exist.”

“Where is it?” several players asked in unison.

After looking at each of them in turn, Pan sat down and spoke. “Some questions I can answer. Others I cannot. But if you are meant to be with Trisolaris, all your questions will be answered someday.”