At least the game sped up the progress of time. A month in game time might pa.s.s in half an hour. This made the journey through the Chaotic Era at least tolerable for w.a.n.g.

One day, after a long night that lasted almost a week (as measured by the sandgla.s.s), King Wen suddenly shouted joyously as he pointed to the night sky.

"Flying stars! Two flying stars!"

Actually, w.a.n.g had already noticed the strange celestial bodies. They were bigger than stars, and showed up as disks about the size of ping-pong b.a.l.l.s. They moved through the sky at a pace quick enough for the naked eye to detect the motion. But it was the first time two of them had appeared together.

King Wen explained, "When two flying stars appear, it means a Stable Era is about to begin."

"We've seen flying stars before."

"Yes, but only one at a time."

"Is two the most we'll see at once?"

"No. Sometimes three will appear, but no more than that."

"If three flying stars appear, does that herald an even better era?"

King Wen gave w.a.n.g a frightened look. "What are you talking about? Three flying stars ... pray that such a thing never happens."

King Wen turned out to be right. The yearned-for Stable Era soon began. Sunrise and sunset began to follow a pattern. A day-night cycle began to stabilize around eighteen hours. The orderly alternation of day and night made the weather warm and mild.

"How long does a Stable Era last?" w.a.n.g asked.

"As short as a day or as long as a century. No one can predict how long one will last." King Wen sat on the sandgla.s.s, lifting his head to gaze at the noonday sun. "According to historical records, the Western Zhou Dynasty experienced a Stable Era lasting two centuries. How lucky to be born during such a time!"

"Then how long does a Chaotic Era last?"

"I already told you. Other than Stable Eras, all other times belong to Chaotic Eras. Each of them takes up the time not occupied by the other."

"So, this is a world in which there are no patterns?"

"Yes. Civilization can only develop in the mild climate of Stable Eras. Most of the time, humankind must collectively dehydrate and be stored. When a long Stable Era arrives, they collectively revive through rehydration. Then they proceed to build and produce."

"How can you predict the arrival and duration of each Stable Era?"

"Such a thing has never been done. When a Stable Era arrives, the king makes a decision based on intuition as to whether to engage in ma.s.s rehydration. Often, the people are revived, crops are planted, cities begin construction, life has just started-and then the Stable Era ends. Extreme cold and heat then destroy everything." King Wen now pointed at w.a.n.g, his eyes sparkling. "Now you know the goal of this game: to use our intellect and understanding to a.n.a.lyze all phenomena until we can know the pattern of the sun's movement. The survival of civilization depends on it."

"Based on my observations, there is no pattern to the sun's movement at all."

"That's because you do not understand the fundamental nature of the world."

"And you do?"

"Yes. This is why I'm going to Zhao Ge. I will present King Zhou with an accurate calendar."

"But I've seen no evidence on this trip that you can do such a thing."

"Predicting the sun's motion is only possible in Zhao Ge, for that is where yin and yang meet. Only the lots cast there are accurate."

The two continued on through the harsh conditions of another Chaotic Era, interrupted briefly by a short Stable Era, until they finally arrived in Zhao Ge.

w.a.n.g heard an unceasing roar that sounded like thunder. The sound was generated by the numerous giant pendulums that could be seen all over Zhao Ge, each tens of meters in height. The weight of each pendulum was a giant rock, suspended from a thick rope tied to a bridge that stretched between the tops of two slender stone towers.

All the pendulums were swinging as groups of soldiers in armor kept them in motion. Chanting incomprehensibly, they rhythmically pulled ropes attached to the giant stone weights, adding to the pendulums' arcs as they slowed. w.a.n.g noticed that all the pendulums swung in step. From far away, the sight was awe-inducing: It was as though numerous giant clocks had been erected over the earth, or colossal, abstract symbols had fallen from the sky.

The giant pendulums surrounded an even more enormous pyramid, standing like a tall mountain in the dark night. This was King Zhou's palace. w.a.n.g followed King Wen into a low door at the base of the pyramid, before which a few soldiers patrolled in the darkness, noiseless as ghosts. The door led to a long, narrow, dark tunnel going deep into the pyramid, with a few torches along the way.

As they walked, King Wen spoke to w.a.n.g. "During a Chaotic Era, the entire country is dehydrated. But King Zhou remains awake, a companion to the lifeless land. In order to survive during a Chaotic Era, one must live in thick-walled buildings like this one, as though one were living underground. It's the only way to avoid the extreme heat and cold."

After a long time in the tunnel, they finally arrived at the Great Hall at the center of the pyramid. Actually, the hall was not that big and reminded w.a.n.g of a cave. The man sitting on a dais and draped with a particolored hide was undoubtedly King Zhou. But what drew w.a.n.g's attention was a man dressed all in black. The black robe blended with the thick shadows in the Great Hall, and the pale white face seemed to float in air.

"This is Fu Xi."19 King Zhou introduced the man in black to w.a.n.g and King Wen. He spoke as though w.a.n.g and King Wen had always been there, while the man in black was the newcomer. "He thinks that the sun is a temperamental G.o.d. When the G.o.d is awake, his moods are unpredictable, and thus we have a Chaotic Era. But when he's asleep, his breathing evens out, and thus we have a Stable Era. Fu Xi suggested that I build those pendulums you see out there and keep them in constant motion. He claims that the pendulums can have a hypnotic effect on the sun G.o.d and cause him to sink into a long slumber. But we can all see that so far, the sun G.o.d remains awake, though from time to time he seems to nap briefly."

King Zhou waved his hands, and servants brought over a clay pot and set it down on the small stone table before Fu Xi. Later, w.a.n.g found out that it was a pot of seasoned broth. Fu Xi sighed, lifted the pot, and drank in great gulps, the sound of his swallows echoing like the beating of a giant heart in the darkness. After he was halfway done with the contents, he poured the rest over his body. Then he threw down the pot and walked toward a large bronze cauldron suspended over a fire in the corner of the Great Hall. He climbed onto the edge of the cauldron and jumped in, stirring up a cloud of vapor.

"Ji Chang, sit down,"20 King Zhou said. "We'll eat in just a little while." He pointed to the cauldron.

"Foolish witchcraft," King Wen said, glancing contemptuously at the cauldron.

"What have you learned about the sun?" King Zhou asked. Firelight flickered in his eyes.

"The sun is not a G.o.d. The sun is yang, and the night is yin. The world proceeds on the balance between yin and yang. Though we cannot control the process, we can predict it." King Wen took out his bronze sword and drew a yin-yang symbol on the floor, dimly lit by the fire. Then, he carved the sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching around the symbol, the whole composition resembling a calendar wheel. "My king, this is the code of the universe. With it, I can present your dynasty with an accurate calendar."

"Ji Chang, I need to know when the next long Stable Era will come."

"I will forecast it for you right now," King Wen said. He sat down in the middle of the yin-yang symbol, his legs curled under him. He raised his head to look up at the ceiling of the Great Hall, his gaze seeming to penetrate the thick stones of the pyramid, until it reached the stars. The fingers of his two hands began a series of rapid, complex movements, like components of a calculating machine. In the silence, only the soup in the cauldron in the corner made any noise, boiling and bubbling as though the shaman being cooked within was dream-talking in his sleep.

King Wen stood up in the middle of the yin-yang symbol. With his face still lifted to the ceiling, he said, "Next will be a Chaotic Era lasting forty-one days. Then comes a five-day Stable Era. Thereafter, there will be a twenty-three-day Chaotic Era followed by an eighteen-day Stable Era. Then we'll have an eight-day Chaotic Era. But when this Chaotic Era is over, my king, the long Stable Era you've been waiting for will begin. That Stable Era will last three years and nine months. The climate will be so mild that it will be a golden age."

"We have to verify your initial predictions first," King Zhou said, his face expressionless.

w.a.n.g heard a loud rumbling from above. A stone slab in the ceiling of the Great Hall slid open, revealing a square opening. w.a.n.g shifted his position and saw that the opening led to another tunnel going up through the center of the pyramid. At the end of the tunnel he could see a few twinkling stars.

Game time sped up. Every few seconds in real time, two soldiers flipped over the sandgla.s.s brought by King Wen, indicating the pa.s.sing of eight hours in game time. The opening through the ceiling flickered with random lights, and once in a while a ray of sunlight from the Chaotic Era shot into the Great Hall. Sometimes the light was weak, like moonlight. Sometimes the light was very strong, and the incandescent white square cast against the ground glowed so brightly that the torches in the Great Hall paled in comparison.

w.a.n.g continued to count the flipping of the sandgla.s.s. By the time it had been flipped 120 times or so, the appearance of the sunlight through the square opening became regular. The first of the predicted Stable Eras had arrived.

After fifteen more flips of the sandgla.s.s, the flickering light through the opening became patternless again, the start of another Chaotic Era. Another Stable Era followed, and another Chaotic Era. The starting times and durations of the various eras were not exactly as King Wen had predicted, but they were close. After the conclusion of yet another eight-day Chaotic Era, the long Stable Era he predicted began.

w.a.n.g kept counting the flips of the sandgla.s.s. Twenty days pa.s.sed, and the sunlight falling into the Great Hall maintained the precise rhythm. Game time slowed down to normal.

King Zhou nodded at King Wen. "I shall erect a monument for you, one even greater than this palace."

King Wen bowed deeply. "My king, awaken your dynasty and let it prosper!"

King Zhou stood up on the dais and opened his arms, as though he wanted to embrace the whole world. In a strange, otherworldly voice, he began to chant, "Re-hy-drate..."

As soon as the order was given, everyone in the Great Hall rushed to the door. w.a.n.g followed King Wen closely, and they exited the pyramid through the long tunnel they'd entered by. When they emerged, w.a.n.g saw the noonday sun bathing the land in warmth. In a pa.s.sing breeze he seemed to smell the fragrances of spring. Together, King Wen and w.a.n.g walked to a nearby lake. The ice over the lake had melted, and sunlight danced between the gentle waves.

A column of soldiers shouted, "Rehydrate! Rehydrate!" as they ran toward a large stone building, shaped like a granary, next to the lake. On the road to Zhao Ge, w.a.n.g had seen many buildings like it, and King Wen had told him that these buildings were called dehydratories, warehouses where the dehydrated bodies could be stored. The soldiers opened the heavy stone doors of the dehydratory and carried out rolls of dusty skins. Each soldier walked to the lakesh.o.r.e, and tossed them into the water. As soon as the skins touched the water, they began to unfurl and stretch out. Soon, the lake was covered by a layer of man-shaped floating skins, each rapidly absorbing the water and expanding. Gradually, all the man-shaped skin cutouts became fleshy bodies that gradually began to display signs of life. One by one, they struggled up out of the waist-deep water and stood up. Looking around at the sunny world with wide-open eyes, they appeared to have just awoken from a dream.

"Rehydrate!" one man cried out.

"Rehydrate! Rehydrate!" Other voices joyously echoed his.

Everyone climbed out of the lake and ran naked toward the dehydratory. They carried out more skins and tossed them into the water, and even more of the revived climbed out of the lake. The same scene repeated itself around every lake and pool. The entire world was coming back to life.

"Oh, heavens! My finger!"

w.a.n.g saw a man who had just been revived standing in the middle of the lake, holding up one hand and crying. The hand was missing its middle finger, and blood flowed from the wound into the water. Others, who had also just been revived, pa.s.sed by him as they happily waded ash.o.r.e, ignoring him.

"Count yourself lucky," one of them said to the man. "Some lost a whole arm or leg. Others had their heads chewed through by rats. If we hadn't been rehydrated in time, maybe all of us would have been eaten by the Chaotic Era rats."

"How long have we been dehydrated?" one of the revived asked.

"You can tell by looking at the thickness of the dust covering the palace. I just heard that the king is no longer the king from before. But I don't know if he's the old king's son or grandson."

It took eight days to complete the work of rehydration. All of the stored dehydrated bodies had been revived, and the world was given a new life. During these eight days, everyone enjoyed regular cycles of sunset and sunrise, each cycle precisely twenty hours long. Enjoying the springlike climate, everyone gave heartfelt praise to the sun and the G.o.ds who guided the world.

On the night of the eighth day, the bonfires scattered over the ground seemed even more numerous and denser than the stars in the sky. The ruins of cities and towns abandoned during the Chaotic Eras once again filled with noise and light. Like every ma.s.s rehydration in the past, the people were going to celebrate all night to welcome their new life after the next sunrise.

But the sun did not rise again.

Every kind of timepiece indicated that the time for sunrise had pa.s.sed, but the horizon remained dark in every direction. Ten hours later, there was still no sign of the sun, not even the slightest hint of dawn. The endless night lasted through a whole day, then two days. Coldness now pressed toward the earth like a giant hand.

Inside the pyramid, King Wen knelt before King Zhou, pleading, "My king, please continue to have faith in me. This is but temporary. I have seen the yang of the universe gathering, and the sun will rise soon. The Stable Era and spring will continue!"

"Let's begin to heat the cauldron," King Zhou said, and sighed.

"Oh, King!" A minister stumbled through the cavelike entrance into the Great Hall. "There ... there are three flying stars in the sky!"

Those in the Great Hall were stunned. The air seemed frozen. Only King Zhou remained impa.s.sive. He turned to w.a.n.g, to whom he had never deigned to speak before. "You still don't understand what the appearance of three flying stars means, do you? Ji Chang, why don't you tell him?"

"It indicates the arrival of a long period of extreme cold, cold enough to turn stone into dust." King Wen sighed.

"De-hy-drate..." King Zhou again chanted in that strange, otherworldly voice. Outside, people had already begun the process. They turned themselves back into dehydrated bodies to survive the long night that was coming. The lucky ones had time to be stacked in the dehydratories, but many were abandoned in the empty fields.

King Wen stood up slowly and walked toward the cauldron over the roaring fire in the corner of the Great Hall. He climbed up the side and paused for a few seconds before jumping in. Perhaps he had seen the thoroughly cooked face of Fu Xi laughing at him from the soup.

"Keep the fire low," King Zhou ordered, his voice weak. Then he turned to the others. "You may exit if you wish. The game is no longer fun after it gets to this point."

A red EXIT sign showed up above the Great Hall's cavelike entrance. Players in the Great Hall streamed toward it, and w.a.n.g followed the crowd. Through the long tunnel, they finally emerged outside the pyramid. Heavy snow falling through the night air greeted them. The bone-chilling cold caused w.a.n.g to shiver, and a display in a corner of the sky indicated that game time had sped up again.

The snow continued without pause for ten days. By now the snowflakes were large and heavy, like pieces of solidified darkness. Someone whispered next to w.a.n.g, "The snow is now composed of frozen carbon dioxide, dry ice." w.a.n.g turned around and saw that the speaker was Follower.

After another ten days, the snowflakes turned thin and translucent. By the weak light from a few torches within the entrance to the long tunnel, the snowflakes gave off a faint blue glow, like pieces of dancing mica.

"Those snowflakes are now composed of solidified oxygen and nitrogen. The atmosphere is disappearing through deposition, which means it's near absolute zero above."

Snow gradually buried the pyramid. The lowest layers were composed of water snow, then dry ice, and finally, on top, snow made of oxygen and nitrogen. The night sky became especially clear, and the stars glowed like a field of silver bonfires. A line of text appeared against the starry background: The long night lasted forty-eight years. Civilization Number 137 was destroyed by the extreme cold. This civilization had advanced to the Warring States Period before succ.u.mbing.

The seed of civilization remains. It will germinate and again progress through the unpredictable world of Three Body. We invite you to log on in the future.

Before exiting the game, w.a.n.g noticed the three flying stars in the sky. Revolving closely around each other, they seemed to perform a strange dance against the abyss of s.p.a.ce.

8.

Ye Wenjie w.a.n.g took off the V-suit and panoramic viewing helmet. His shirt was soaked with sweat, as if he had just awoken from a nightmare. He left the Research Center, got into his car, and drove to the address given to him by Ding Yi: the house of Yang Dong's mother.

Chaotic Era, Chaotic Era, Chaotic Era ...

The thought turned and turned in w.a.n.g's head. Why would the path of the sun through the world of Three Body be devoid of regularity and pattern? Whether a planet's...o...b..t is more circular or more elliptical, its motion around its sun must be periodic. Total irregularity in planetary motion is impossible....

w.a.n.g grew angry with himself. He shook his head, trying to chase away these thoughts. It's only a game!

But I lost.

Chaotic Era, Chaotic Era, Chaotic Era ...

d.a.m.n it! Stop! Why am I thinking about this? Why?

Soon, w.a.n.g found the answer. He had not played any computer games for years, and the hardware for gaming had clearly advanced greatly in the interim. The virtual reality and multisensory feedback were all effects he had not experienced as a young student. But w.a.n.g also knew that the sense of realism in Three Body wasn't due to the interface technology.

He remembered taking a cla.s.s in information theory as a third-year student in college. The professor had put up two pictures: One was the famous Song Dynasty painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival, full of fine, rich details; the other was a photograph of the sky on a sunny day, the deep blue expanse broken only by a wisp of cloud that one couldn't even be sure was there. The professor asked the cla.s.s which picture contained more information. The answer was that the photograph's information content-its entropy-exceeded the painting's by one or two orders of magnitude.

Three Body was the same. Its enormous information content was hidden deep. w.a.n.g could feel it, but he could not articulate it. He suddenly understood that the makers of Three Body took the exact opposite of the approach taken by designers of other games. Normally, game designers tried to display as much information as possible to increase the sense of realism. But Three Body's designers worked to compress the information content to disguise a more complex reality, just like that seemingly empty photograph of the sky.

w.a.n.g let his mind wander back to the world of Three Body.

Flying stars! The key must be in the flying stars. One flying star, two flying stars, three flying stars ... what did they mean?

As he had that thought, he found himself at his destination.

At the foot of the apartment building, w.a.n.g saw a graying, thin woman, about sixty years old. She wore gla.s.ses and was struggling to go up the stairs with a basket of groceries. He guessed that this was the woman he had come to see.

A quick greeting confirmed his guess. She was Yang Dong's mother, Ye Wenjie. After hearing the purpose of w.a.n.g Miao's visit, she was grateful and appreciative. w.a.n.g was familiar with old intellectuals like her: The long years had ground away all the hardness and fierceness in their personalities, until all that was left was a gentleness like that of water.