Episode 21 recap: Mu Xing and Shi Qiang collaborated.
Pan Han, as a suspect, was taken to the police station for questioning. He talked to the police about his meeting with Shen Yu Fei, discussing various topics such as physics, mathematics, and philosophy. However, Shi Qiang, who had investigated Pan Han's background, knew about his threats towards Lin Wei Cheng. Pan Han claimed that he only destroyed Lin Wei Cheng's computer to prevent him from further researching the Three-Body Problem and causing unnecessary trouble. Shi Qiang then questioned Pan Han about his visit to Shen Yu Fei's room, and Pan Han calmly emphasized the existence of surveillance footage.
When the surveillance footage was reviewed, they discovered that Shen Yu Fei was still alive after Pan Han left. She was sitting there, and the one who fired the gun was herself. The autopsy report confirmed that the cause of death was suicide. Shi Qiang felt angry looking at the arrogant Pan Han but couldn't do anything about it.
Meanwhile, Lin Wei Cheng, heavily intoxicated, lay on the ground. Shi Qiang, along with Wang Miao, found him while he was sleeping. They were all worried about Lin Wei Cheng, who was Shen Yu Fei's husband and now had to bear the news of her death. Lin Wei Cheng eventually arrived at Shen Yu Fei's body and visited his wife. He walked back and forth, writing down a series of numbers on a white cloth.
Wang Miao looked at Shen Yu Fei's photo on the wall, still unable to believe everything that had happened. Although he once regarded her as an enemy, losing her in such a tragic way was truly lamentable. Wang Miao and Shen Yu Fei had exhausted their last efforts in discovering that the Three-Body Problem was ultimately unsolvable.
In the evening, Wang Miao headed straight to the Cloud and Rain Theater. When he arrived at the gathering, he realized that there were only a few people left in the venue. Pan Han stood in the center of the stage, earnestly discussing the Three-Body Game. Wang Miao secretly messaged Shi Qiang, reporting the situation. Shortly after, Pan Han warmly welcomed everyone to join the Earth-Trisolaris Organization.
Every destruction of civilization brings new experiences and lessons. Civilization 192 was not much different from the present day. Wang Miao found it hard to imagine what they would evolve into if they continued down this path. And before these events unfolded, the question of the existence of extraterrestrial life remained. As a scientist, Wang Miao would say it was possible but uncertain. Now, the countdown was before him, with no one providing any answers or explanations. The most sophisticated and accurate collider on Earth began to malfunction and ceased to exist. At that moment, if someone stood up and told Wang Miao that he was nothing more than a turkey, it would reveal the world of the farmer. Although the game was fictional, it demonstrated his reason for existing and allowed Wang Miao to experience the continuation of civilizations in the midst of destruction.
To everyone, it was called a miracle. Each rebuilding was a miracle, which eventually became inevitable. Wang Miao gradually started to believe that there truly was such a planet in the universe and confirmed his speculation.
Chang Wei Si had many assumptions, which was the least desirable scenario for everyone. The enemy was an extraterrestrial civilization, living in extremely harsh conditions on their planet and urgently searching for a habitable world. Based on the information currently available, Chang Wei Si targeted Earth as their destination. He didn't know when or how they would come, but perhaps the Earth-Trisolaris Organization would know what to do when they arrived. Then, the global war zones decided to unite and work together to conquer this organization, standing united.
When Mu Xing returned home from a business trip, she also found Pan Han hiding in the house. Xu Bing Bing had been tracking her activities and reported the actions of both Mu Xing and Pan Han to Shi Qiang. Pan Han in the house didn't believe that Mu Xing's trip was merely for information gathering. Xu Bing Bing deduced from her research that the information in Mu Xing's possession was provided by Pan Han. She even started to suspect that Mu Xing was a member of these organizations as well.
After listening, Shi Qiang left without saying a word. He instructed Xu Bing Bing to continue monitoring Pan Han's movements. Later, he also found his way to Mu Xing's doorstep, and the two of them sat down together, leisurely drinking coffee and discussing important matters. Presently, Mu Xing also had suspicions about Pan Han. She knew there was a massive organization behind him, and this organization was the one that believed in "the Lord." Mu Xing didn't quite understand and wanted to figure out who or what exactly this "Lord" was. Shi Qiang found it difficult to explain, and Mu Xing firmly believed that if the "Lord" was from an alien planet, she could accept it. They then decided to cooperate.
Pan Han was eventually released. He called the people from the organization and advised them to shut down the Three-Body Game servers. Wang Miao was at home, and his daughter Dou Dou held his hand, wanting him to watch a movie about aliens with her. Dou Dou was also very interested in some extraterrestrial civilizations.
The Three-Body civilization aims to occupy the solar system. The ETO's Redemptionists seek to use the Three-Body individuals to eliminate Earthlings, rather than to perpetuate the Three-Body civilization.
However, the Three-Body civilization's greatest fear is the Dark Forest theory.
The Three-Body civilization wants to seize the solar system and occupy Earth. The Redemptionists of the ETO want to annihilate Earthlings.
In the early stages, their goals align, allowing for cooperation. However, the transparent nature of the Three-Body civilization's thinking triggers Evans' contemplation. Evans can transmit Earth's coordinates at any time aboard the Judgment Day, leading to the emergence of the Dark Forest.
The Three-Body civilization cannot see through Evans' thoughts and intentions, and he has become someone they fear. Therefore, the Three-Body civilization disregards the Guzheng Plan and allows Evans to perish.
The comment above is correct. It's because Evans told the protagonist that humans can hide their thoughts and also taught the Trisolarans how to conceal their intentions.
However, before teaching them, the Trisolarans had already revealed a lot of information to Evans and transmitted data to them. So at this point, the Trisolarans made the choice not to stop Guzheng's actions.
Because the Trisolarans don't have lies, while humans do. That's why the Trisolarans won't help ETO; they fear this situation. In other words, they don't care; if they die, they die. Can anything stop their arrival?
Perhaps this is also the arrogance of the Trisolarans, believing that any human plan would not affect their overall invasion of Earth. In their eyes, Earthlings are mere insects, and even ETO is just an insect. If they die, they die, without much value.
It wasn't until the emergence of the Wallfacer Project that the Trisolarans truly felt fear, ultimately leading to the destruction of their own Trisolaran civilization. This is an important idea in the book: weakness and ignorance have never been obstacles to survival; arrogance is.