Original subtitles

Professor Wang, have you seen through my tricks?

I think it's a device.

Tell me about that.

You can set up a screen with a width of over 300,000 km

beyond the observation range of all observatories

in space 150,000 km away from the earth,

and project on the screen the universe flicker

you want to display.

Then I can see it.

Interesting.

Similarly, by setting up a screen with a size of less than 2 mm

very near to my pupils,

you can also project the countdown in front of my eyes.

Don't you think it's pseudoscience heresy?

Everything beyond scientific cognition

is called pseudoscience heresy at the beginning, right?

If I now go to a primitive tribe where there isn't even electric light,

and play an open-air movie for the tribesmen,

they'll be as shocked as I was when they see the movie.

Are you indicating you're living in a primitive tribe?

You've done so many things just to make me think I am a turkey.

Fine.

As a turkey scientist, I really want to know

which farm I belong to and who is the farmer.

Can I get the answer if I join the Frontiers of Science?

You have the right to join us.

Hello?

Hello?

A new message from: Shen Yufei

No. 38, Fenghangling Road, from: Shen Yufei, June 17th, 2007

Buddha, please help my Lord break away from misery.

Wang Miao restarted his nanomaterial project.

You failed.

He joined us.

Anyway, his project doesn't stop.

It's not your call to decide whether I fail or not.

What?

You want him to know about Lord's world?

We all started from that, didn't we?

You are always willing to do such insignificant things.

What I do is more significant than what you do.

I hope Lord will approve of your significance.

♪ Countdown counter ♪

♪ Hidden in eyes ♪

♪ Explore deep dreams in the dark ♪

♪ What is waiting for me at the end of the mysterious space-time ♪

♪ Don't break the hope given to the world ♪

♪ The sun still sets every day ♪

Three-Body

Episode 7

It broke down again.

It's a little toy made by one of my students.

Currently, it isn't mature enough.

The battery has a low storage capacity.

Scholar Community

If the battery is big, it'll take up more space.

If it's small, it can't drive a powerful motor.

I think it's useless for now.

Who are you here to see?

Shen Yufei.

Come with me.

The temple seems to be different from other temples.

Yes.

Other temples need pilgrims to offer money to stay afloat.

So they want more tourists.

This temple doesn't.

It's peaceful and quiet here.

Most of our visitors are engaged in academic research.

Sometimes when they have problems they can't solve,

they'll come here and stay for a couple of days.

The rent here is very high.

It's enough to support us.

Please.

Thanks.

Do you like soda?

They're all the same.

After getting into our body,

food may only be divided into absorbable and non-absorbable.

What's the difference?

You want to see Shen Yufei?

Do you also research nanomaterials?

Yes.

That's good.

Good.

Sir, you're merciful.

A world in a grain of sand.

A bodhi in a leaf.

You just saved this civilization from destruction in floods.

You work in nanomaterials.

You should understand that.

Professor Han used to study particle physics

in Europe and America.

Since he returned to China, he's been teaching particle physics.

Let bygones be bygones.

Now, I live near the temple.

I may become a monk someday.

I've come up with a monk name, Daydream.

It's not like a sweet dream.

It's a nightmare.

I know.

What do you know?

When your research comes to a dead end,

you'll find that your research is nothing but a daydream.

I'll leave you alone to talk.

Many scientists will look for other gratification when they reach

an unbreakable bottleneck in their research.

They would like to come here and ponder the problems they can't solve.

Professor Munphy's last stop was here.

So Professor Munphy's suicide had something to do with you.

If you committed suicide after you had seen the universe flicker,

does it have anything to do with me?

I only told you the truth.

I've decided to join the Frontiers of Science.

So you can tell me now, what the farmer is?

What will happen at the end of the countdown?

Professor Wang,

you seem to have gotten used to the countdown in front of your eyes.

Yes.

It always reminds me that I'm a turkey.

I was a little anxious and panicked before.

But now I'm even looking forward to

knowing what will happen at the end of the countdown.

A turkey can be curious.

What you see is a miracle.

But not everyone can accept the truth behind the miracle.

If you like,

you can go to the farmer's world for a look.

Compared with traditional media, new media uses digital technology,

New Media New Thinking network technology, mobile technology,

by Internet, wireless communication network,

- Excuse me. - Satellite and other channels,

as well as computers, mobile phones, digital TVs and other terminals...

I'm late.

Sit down.

Is it just starting?

Yes, it is.

According to the statistics, by December, 2006,

the number of netizens in China has reached 180 million.

In the future, it's likely to reach 500 million,

even one billion.

Judging by the characteristics of new media,

it affects our daily life in the following aspects...

Impact of Environmental Pollution on Ecology

Wait.

Sir, please wait for me.

You lost something.

Hello.

Is this yours?

Pastoral China

Thanks.

My name is Mu Xing.

I'm an independent media worker.

May I know your name?

Pan Han.

It's really you.

The famous biologist and environmentalist.

You've created China's first experimental community,

Pastoral China.

Can we have a talk?

OK.

Thanks.

Is there any difference

between Pastoral China and the "return to nature" utopian groups

in the West?

The primary difference is that

Pastoral China isn't located in the wilderness,

but in the midst of a large city.

Your funding source is...

We have no property at all.

It's an experiment that turns urban trash

into daily necessities.

Why haven't you asked the press to promote your program?

Environmental protection is for public welfare, not for show.

Miss Mu, do you listen to the weather forecast?

Yes.

Do you know when the air pollution index was added into the playlist?

It's...

When it started to affect people's life.

Are you suggesting that the press is only needed when

environmental problems begin to affect human's survival?

I'm in a hurry, Miss Mu.

Let's talk next time.

Mr. Pan, sorry to bother you.

But if I didn't find the information and returned it to you,

they would have been lost.

Can I borrow it?

I'll return it to you after I read it.

Give me your number.

Thanks.

Don't lose it.

Sure.

Mu Xing has attended several academic forums recently and

contacted with quite a few scientists.

Today she went to a new media forum.

She left during the event

and talked with a man called Pan Han for a while.

The man is a biologist engaged in environmental protection.

Environmental protection?

What did they talk about?

Nothing.

And Pan Han seemed not willing to talk to her.

Keep an eye on her.

Yes.

Three-Body

Three-Body?

What's this?

It seems to be a game.

Game?

Log in.

Play it.

I can't.

Why can't you play it?

The game requires a V-suit.

V-suit?

What's that?

Chang, we need you to pay for the expense of the game suit.

You know what, the suit is amazing.

When you log in to the game, you can go up to the sky.

Take you for example.

If you stamp your foot in the game, you'll leap into the sky like fireworks.

Like Superman.

Have you played it?

I heard of it from others.

From who?

People of the Frontiers of Science.

They play the game.

Yeah.

I need it for work.

Just pay for it.

It's a little expensive.

You should report the expense to the Finance.

I don't have to bother you if I can make it clear with them.

By the way, I heard from the European Combat Zone this morning

that in Northern Europe, another scientist committed suicide.

So, it's urgent.

Don't worry, Chang.

With this, I'll pass the game.

Do you think it's as easy as the Snake you play?

You and Wang Miao must try your best.

Chang Weisi

My gloves are a little tight.

So are mine.

Do I wear it right?

OK.

You said Shen Yufei told you the website of the game

and the shop that sold the V-suits.

The things are so expensive.

Do you think she's a saleswoman?

The development costs of games played with V-suits is beyond your imagination.

Can I wear this?

The countdown timer.

Is it electrified?

Take it off. Don't wear it.

I can't.

We agreed to live and die together.

OK, that's it.

Ready.

OK.

Be careful when you log in.

Don't worry.

Being a policeman for years,

I've caught 29 bad guys with my bare hands,

knocked down 17 guys and shot 16 with my gun.

Enough.

Don't beat people at will when you get in the game.

How could I?

I even don't know what it's like in there.

Maybe we're all turkeys and we can only peck each other.

Shen Yufei said it was a world of the shooter and the farmer.

Let's go.

Three-Body

Welcome to Three-Body.

Please create your own ID.

Hairen

Stew

It's cold.

Yes, very cold.

This is the Warring States Period.

I am King Wen of Zhou.

King Wen doesn't belong to the Warring States Period, right?

He's survived until now.

King Zhou of Shang is alive, too.

I am a follower of King Wen.

That's my log-in ID.

Follower of King Wen of Zhou.

He's a genius.

My log-in ID is Hairen.

The stuff on your back looks very heavy.

Sure.

The distance and weight here are real as in life.

Sandglass.

This is sandglass.

Every eight hours, all the sand flows to the bottom.

Flip it three times and you can measure a day.

But I often forget to flip it, and I need Follower here to remind me.

Hey.

You seem to be on a very long journey.

Is it necessary to carry such a bulky clock?

Or what?

How else would we measure time?

You can carry a portable sundial.

Or you can just look at the sun and know the approximate time.

The sun?

How can the sun tell us the time?

We're in the midst of a Chaotic Era.

Chaotic Era?

It's so cold! I'm almost frozen.

Hurry, let's go.

It will be colder if we stop.

When the sun comes out, it will be warmer.

Are you pretending to be some kind of oracle?

Even King Wen cannot predict the future.

Do you need an oracle to predict that?

Everyone can see that

the sun will rise in about another hour or two.

This is a Chaotic Era!

What is a Chaotic Era?

Other than Stable Eras, all times are Chaotic Eras.

Is the Chaotic Era known to all?

Look at the sun.

So it's dusk instead of dawn?

It is dawn.

But the sun doesn't always rise in the dawn.

That's what a Chaotic Era is like.

It looks like the sun won't rise for a long time.

What makes you think that?

There's no way to be certain.

Ji Chang, may I have some dried fish?

No.

I barely have enough for myself.

We must guarantee that I make it to Zhaoge, not you.

Look over there!

The sun is rising over there.

But the direction is different from last time.

Are we in the wrong way?

I told you it's a Chaotic Era.

Finally, it's getting warmer.

But why is the sun bluish in color?

Why did it set so soon?

These branches.

We can use some as firewood.

Hurry, hurry up.

You know what, I hate to light a fire.

Guys, do you know a man called Wang Miao?

Wang Miao?

I don't know him.

Why don't you join us?

Aren't you cold? Warm yourself at the fire.

It's really cold.

If we burn some of the dehydrated bodies,

we'll have a roaring fire.

Nonsense! Only the tyrant King Zhou would do that.

The dehydrated bodies are scattered along the road.

They've been torn,

and won't be revivable even when rehydrated.

If your theory really works, we can even eat some,

let alone burn a few of them.

How can a few lives compare to the importance of your theory?

No way.

We're scholars!

It's finally burnt out.

Let's continue our journey.

Who do you follow?

Follow?

Let me put it this way.

What do you research?

Are you a newcomer?

Yeah, I'm a rookie.

We follow King Zhou and we're going to Zhaoge.

Do you want to join us?

Be an accessory to a tyrant?

Forget it. Zhaoge is too far.

I have to find my friend.

Where is Miao?

No, no.

We can have enough today.

We've flipped the sandglass six times.

It's been two days.

In the two days, the sun never rose once,

not even a hint of dawn over the horizon.

It seems that the sun will never rise again.

I told you not to pretend to be an oracle.

This is a Chaotic Era!

The sun is rising over there!

Look!

It looks like a normal sun!

I'm warning you not to pretend to be an oracle.

It's finally getting warm.

Oh, dear!

What should we do?

Find shade quickly!

What's wrong?

Hurry. Hurry.

What's wrong?

Traveling during a Chaotic Era is like walking through hell.

I can't stand it anymore.

I can't.

Then you should be dehydrated.

OK.

Wait.

You won't abandon me, will you?

Don't worry.

I promise to bring you to Zhaoge.

OK.

Dehydrate me.

What happened to him?

Is he dead?

No.

He'll recover soon, when we soak him in water.

It's just like soaking dried mushrooms.

Even his bones have turned soft?

Yes.

They've turned into dried fibers.

This makes him easy to carry.

In this world, can everyone be dehydrated?

Of course. You can, too.

Otherwise we could not survive the Chaotic Eras.

You carry him.

Oh, dear!

My friend.

No.

I must find him.

If a turkey doesn't drink water, will it die of thirst?

You can choose to be dehydrated if you can't stand it.

Dehydrated?

How could I be dehydrated?

You only have to say

Dehydrate me these two words.

This is the password.

Is it some kind of trap?

What can you get if I say dehydrate me?

I, I...

What are you doing?

Who are you?

Give him back to me.

He is my friend.

Give him back to me!

Do you know he is dehydrated?

The only way he contributes

to this civilization is to be our food or firewood.

You're unreasonable!

Give him back to me!

- Give me! - Wang Miao.

Wang Miao.

Give him back to me!

You don't understand the truth of the world.

Wang Miao, hang in there.

I'll log in right now. Hang in there.

Wait a minute.

In order to achieve our goals,

Game Over

this is nothing.

How is your friend?

He was dehydrated and taken by some guys.

What will happen to him?

It's normal.

He can't adapt to this world.

Let's start off.

I can finally have water.

How long has it been?

About a month.

It's either extremely hot or extremely cold.

The Chaotic Era is killing me.

Flying stars.

Two flying stars!

We've seen them yesterday.

They look bigger than ordinary stars.

Yes.

They show up as disks.

They move through the sky

quickly enough for the naked eye to detect the motion.

But it's different this time.

How come?

There are two of them.

Two flying stars!

A Stable Era is about to begin!

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?

What are you talking about?

Three flying stars?

Pray that such a thing never happens.

It hasn't been so pleasant in a long time.

How long does this Stable Era last?

A day or a century.

No one can predict that.

According to historical records, the Western Zhou Dynasty

experienced a Stable Era lasting two centuries.

How lucky to be born during such a time!

What about a Chaotic Era?

How long does it 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.

This is a world in which there are no patterns.

Yes.

Civilization here 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 we predict the arrival and duration of each Stable Era?

You can't.

Nobody can do that.

When a Stable Era arrives,

the King makes a decision based on intuition

as to whether to engage in mass 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.

Congratulations.

Now you know the goal of this game.

It's to use our intellect and understanding

to analyze 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 don't understand the fundamental nature of the world.

And you do?

Yes.

I'm going to Zhaoge to present King Zhou

with an accurate calendar.

How long before we get to Zhaoge?

Soon. We'll be there soon.

Have you heard anything?

That's the sound of the pendulums.

We've arrived in Zhaoge.

Those are pendulums.

The sight of them suggests the end of our journey.

Help!

Hurry.

There's a pyramid in Zhaoge?

Yes.

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.

My king.

My beloved deputy, as you were.

This is Fu Xi.

Apparently he has his own theory.

Yes. He thinks that the sun is a temperamental god.

When the god 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 out there

and keep them in constant motion.

He claims that the pendulums can have a hypnotic effect on the sun god

and cause him to sink into a long slumber.

I've never heard that anyone can hypnotize the sun.

It doesn't seem useful.

Yes.

So far, the sun god remains awake,

though from time to time he naps briefly.

What is he going to do?

Go to hell!

Foolish witchcraft.

What have you learned about the sun?

My king, the sun is not a god.

The sun is yang, and the night is yin.

The world proceeds on the balance between yin and yang.

Though we can't control it, we can predict it.

If you can predict it, you'll be the hero of the world.

But many people who claimed to be able to predict it

ended up in the bronze cauldron.

My king, this is the code of the universe.

With it, I can present your dynasty with an accurate calendar.

Ji Chang, I'm eager to know

when the next long Stable Era will come.

I will forecast it for you right now.

Next will be a Chaotic Era lasting 41 days.

Then comes a five-day Stable Era.

Thereafter, there will be a 23-day Chaotic Era

followed by an 18-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.

King Zhou seems not to be

very excited about the accurate prediction.

We have to verify your predictions first.

Report!

My king, all the initial predictions have been verified.

Ji Chang, I shall erect a monument for you,

one even greater than this palace.

My king, awaken your dynasty and let it prosper!

Rehydrate!

Rehydrate!

Rehydrate!

My foot!

My finger!

How long have we been dehydrated?

If they weren't rehydrated in time, they would all have been

eaten by the Chaotic Era rats.

Enjoy the beautiful Stable Era!

You're lucky!

♪ I've seen things you people won't believe ♪

♪ Soon our planet will vanish ♪

♪ I've known the future you people won't think of ♪

♪ Soon your planet will be punished ♪

♪ I've seen things you people won't believe ♪

♪ Soon our planet will vanish ♪

♪ I've known the future you people won't think of ♪

♪ Soon your planet will be punished ♪

♪ I've seen things you people won't believe ♪

♪ Soon our planet will vanish ♪

♪ I've known the future you people won't think of ♪

♪ Soon your planet will be punished ♪

♪ I've seen things you people won't believe ♪

♪ Soon our planet will vanish ♪

♪ I've known the future you people won't think of ♪

♪ Soon your planet will be punished ♪

♪ I've seen things you people won't believe ♪

♪ Soon our planet will vanish ♪

♪ I've known the future you people won't think of ♪

♪ Soon your planet will be punished ♪

Three-Body