Three-Body (2023) s01e18 Episode Script
Episode 18
Endless drifting ♪
To the end of the dark forest ♪
The wind is like a hand ♪
Trying to keep time ♪
Who is the hunter with a gun ♪
Trying to devour the entire universe ♪
The light is like an eye ♪
That penetrates dreams ♪
Don't answer ♪
Who is eager to fill his eyes
with the starry sky ♪
The earth is no longer rotating ♪
You gave me a small universe ♪
In the arms of the universe ♪
Calling humbly for
the vast space and time ♪
The world aches dully ♪
=Three-Body=
=Episode 18=
Wenjie, this is an official decision.
From this day onwards, you'll be working
in the Monitoring Department.
Now I'll explain the work
of the Monitoring Department to you.
Simply put, the goal is to keep an eye
on all enemy activities in space,
including intercepting communications
between enemy space vessels and the ground,
and between the space vessels themselves,
track the orbits
of enemy space vessels,
collaborate with our telemetry
and tracking centers,
and provide data
for Red Coast's combat systems.
In other words,
the eyes of Red Coast are here.
Political Commissar Lei,
I think you should reconsider
whether it's necessary to tell her this.
Political Commissar Lei,
if it's too sensitive, then
No, Wenjie.
Weining, like I said, work must be done.
She needs all the information
in order to do her job.
Fine.
I'll report this to the high-ups.
Sure.
You have the right to do so.
But I give you my word that
I'll take full responsibility for my action.
Alright.
I'll take your word for it.
Don't mind him.
That's just the way he is.
He can be too cautious
to be openhanded at work.
Wenjie, come here.
Take a seat.
Sit.
Look, when we first brought you here,
the goal was simple.
Red Coast's monitoring system
often had interference
caused by electromagnetic radiation
from solar flares and sunspots.
Then we came across your paper
and believed that you were
an expert in solar activity.
And your predictive model
was the most accurate.
So we wanted to solicit your help
in solving this problem.
After you came,
you demonstrated strong abilities,
so I decided to entrust you
with more important work.
You've worked in Transmission
for a while
and gained an overview of Red Coast.
Now that you're transferred,
your assignment in Monitoring
will be discussed later.
Of course, as you can see,
there's some resistance.
But I trust you.
Personally, I have faith in you.
I hope you can keep up the good work
and earn the trust of the organization.
Wenjie, honestly,
I sincerely hope that someday,
I'll be able to call you Comrade Ye.
Don't let me down.
Even though
Political Commissar Lei trusted me,
my activities were severely restricted.
I had access to the software
source code, but not the database.
And I had to learn the software techniques
from scratch.
That was far from being easy.
(File Bag)
(According to the latest weather forecast,)
(from 8:00 AM today
to 8:00 PM tomorrow,)
(parts of the Northwest
will see light snow or sleet.)
(The local high will be
9 degrees Celsius.)
Report.
Come in.
Chief Engineer Yang,
after being deciphered by the computer,
what we had received turned out to be
a few satellite photographs.
GSD's Surveying and Mapping Bureau said
they're images of
our important military targets,
including the naval harbor at Qingdao
and several key factories
of the Third Front program.
Did we monitor their satellites?
Analysis confirmed
that these images came from the KA-9
Reconnaissance System of the West.
The first KA-9 had just been launched.
Although it mainly relied on recoverable
film capsules for intelligence gathering,
it was also being used to test out
the more advanced radio transmission
of digital images.
As the
As the technology is undeveloped,
the satellite transmitted at a low frequency,
which increased its range of reception
sufficiently for it to be intercepted by us.
Abandon this target.
Change the frequency.
I'll let you know about the direction.
We're having a rare opportunity to learn more
about the Western satellite reconnaissance system.
Are you sure about letting it go?
How many times do I have to tell you?
Change the direction
and the frequency!
Transmission has a machine down.
Go and check it.
Yes, sir.
So, it was Yang Weining
who kept holding you back?
He was acting weird,
always lashing out at me for no reason.
But I didn't mind.
What mattered to me
was those unexplainable matters at work.
They made me realize
that Red Coast was
far more complex than I had imagined.
(The 299th transmission
of Red Coast Project is finished.)
(Shutting down transmission system.)
(Red Coast entering monitoring mode.)
(Monitoring frequency range:
1,000 MHz to 40,000 MHz.)
(Monitoring channels: 15,000.)
(Key frequencies to monitor:
Hydrogen atom frequency at 1,420 MHz.)
(Hydroxyl radical radiation frequency
at 1,667 MHz.)
(Water molecule radiation frequency
at 22,000 MHz.)
(Repeat.)
(Key frequencies to monitor:
Hydrogen atom frequency at 1,420 MHz)
The designated frequencies
for the three transmissions
were lower than microwave range
and couldn't result in
any heating effect in the target.
Both Yang Weining's strange attitude
and those abnormal cases
said one thing.
That is, the real purpose of Red Coast
was top-secret.
(Calling Wang Miao End Call)
(Chang)
Chang, it's me.
We're in Qijiatun.
I've checked with the village committee.
(Red Coast File Bag)
That red ginseng factory checks out.
The locals can get paid
by working there.
Where are we on declassifying the files?
You've promised me. I need them today.
I've got them.
What's inside
is way beyond imagination.
Don't keep me guessing, OK?
What on earth is Red Coast for?
Their research
is indeed the most confidential.
(Troubleshooting
of Magnetic Core Memory is complete.)
(Clear fault codes.)
Hello?
Ye Wenjie, come to my office now.
Yes, sir.
(A routine work meeting
will be held at 3:00 PM.)
(Please be prepared.)
(Department heads
are to attend on time.)
Report.
Come in.
Ye Wenjie, come here.
I assumed Political Commissar Lei
was being punished for promoting me.
I told myself that no matter what,
I couldn't drag him down
even if I had to lie.
(Ye Wenjie Experience)
Ye Wenjie, first, let me be clear
that I disagree with all this.
The decision was made
by Chief Engineer Yang
after seeking the high-ups' permission.
He alone will take all the consequences.
To better utilize your skills,
he talked to the superiors repeatedly.
Army Political Department
did their investigation, too.
Now, we've been authorized
to disclose the true nature
of the Red Coast Project to you.
I hope you'll treasure this opportunity
and work hard to redeem your sins.
From now on, you must behave
with the utmost propriety.
Any transgression
will receive the harshest punishment.
Understood?
Yes, sir.
It wasn't until then that I realized
everything Lei Zhicheng had told me
was a lie.
Red Coast
was neither a powerful weapon
nor a monitor on enemy space vessels.
All his care, promotion, and protection
were all an act.
That's why Yang Weining
tried to stop him.
Yang Weining was a good man.
When the leaders
doubted me for my background,
he stood up for me.
And it was also he
who told me the truth about Red Coast.
If you want to quit,
it's not too late now.
I'll do it.
Are you sure?
Once you said yes, the last ray of hope
of leaving Radar Peak would be gone.
You'd spend the rest of your life here.
Yes, I'll do it.
The truth was an incredible fairy tale
for the ages.
It's a lot.
Read it yourself.
(A Question Largely Ignored by Trends
in Fundamental World Scientific Research)
(Space Science and Technology)
This file talks about
two ways to convert the results
of fundamental scientific research
into practical applications:
gradualistic mode and saltatory mode.
That's right.
Gradualistic mode refers to
theoretical, fundamental results
being gradually applied to technology
such as the development and application
of space technology.
Saltatory mode means
theoretical, fundamental results
rapidly become applied technology,
(Nuclear Weapons)
leading to a technological leap.
Examples include nuclear weapons.
Yes.
Now, both NATO and the Warsaw Pact
are intensely active
in fundamental research
and investing heavily in it.
At this rate,
technological leaps may occur anytime.
That will pose a major threat
to our strategic planning.
Here it lists the fields
where such leaps are most likely:
physics, biology, computer science.
(SETI)
The Search for
Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
If a leap occurs in this field,
its impact will exceed the sum of that
in the other three.
That's what I'm talking about.
Several NATO states
have already prioritized SETI.
For example,
they launched Project Ozma
(Green Bank Telescope at NRAO)
and built NRAO.
(Concise Star Chart)
The project examined the stars
Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani
and planned to broaden
the frequency range in 1972.
The Pioneer 10 and 11 probes
would be launched,
each carrying a metal plaque
with information about
civilization on Earth.
And in 1977, they'd launch
the Voyager 1 and 2 probes,
each with a metal audio record.
This is the Arecibo Observatory.
It's ready to use
and extremely powerful.
Its effective energy collection area
is about 20 acres,
greater than that of all the others
in the world combined.
Together with the computer system,
it can simultaneously monitor
65,000 channels,
and it's capable of
ultrahigh energy transmissions.
Look.
This is in Europe.
They've also made huge investments.
The entire world is working on SETI.
That's true.
Except for us
who are paying little attention to it.
You should know, if any country
gets in touch with extraterrestrials,
it'll overturn the global landscape,
especially those superpowers.
If they beat us to it,
we'll no longer have a chance.
As a major socialist power,
we cannot fall behind.
This unknown area must be conquered
for strategic importance.
There's a long way ahead of us.
Ye Wenjie, from this moment on,
your job is to develop the Red Coast
Self-Interpreting Code System.
Precisely,
using universal, basic mathematical,
and physical laws to construct
an elemental linguistic code
that can be understood by any civilization
that has mastered basic algebra,
Euclidean geometry,
and the laws of nonrelativistic physics.
Building on that,
create a brand-new linguistic system
including Chinese and Esperanto.
Do you get it?
Yes, sir.
So, the mysterious Red Coast Project
was established for SETI,
and you alone created the Red Coast
Self-Interpreting Code System.
At that time,
the Cold War was at its height.
The insanity of the human race
had reached its historical zenith.
Nuclear submarines and nuclear weapons
lurking in the corners
could be launched at a moment's notice.
Once they were let go,
hundreds of cities would be leveled,
killing hundreds of millions of people.
With such technical leaps in sight,
an intense sense of crisis
was shared all over the world.
Professor Ye, you're an astrophysicist.
Do you really think astronomy
will be taking a technological leap?
As destructive as nukes are, the universe
is harboring even more terrible forces
such as black holes and anti-matter.
Compared with them, a nuclear bomb
is nothing but a tiny candle.
There used to be a waveform monitor.
It was to display the waves
that Red Coast picked up from space.
My daily work was to
monitor and record that curve,
waiting to hear from
the extraterrestrials.
Over there, we had a radio receiver,
quite sophisticated.
A ruby-based traveling-wave maser
amplified the signals received by
the gigantic antenna.
But there was interference.
Wouldn't it affect the accuracy?
Wang, you're underestimating Red Coast.
As immature as the technology was,
it could do more than you think.
The core of the reception system
was immersed in
liquid helium at -269 degrees Celsius.
A helicopter came to resupply
liquid helium regularly.
The reception system was thus
capable of picking up faint signals.
Back then,
our monitoring range was
within a radius of 1,000 light years,
containing some 20 million stars.
Other than searching for and monitoring
possible extraterrestrial intelligence,
we also tried to
(20 Million Stars)
send messages to the universe
to establish contact and communication.
So did you really make such attempts?
We did.
In the blue sky float white clouds ♪
Below the white clouds run horses ♪
I swing my horsewhip
and the crack travels far and wide ♪
Ye Wenjie and I
have redrafted the letter.
Ye Wenjie, read it.
(PLA Letter Paper)
"We extend our best wishes to you,
inhabitants of another world.
After reading the following message,
you should have a basic understanding
of civilization on Earth.
By dint of long toil and creativity,
the human race
has built a splendid civilization,
blossoming with diverse cultures.
We're also getting to know the laws of nature
and the development of human societies.
We cherish all that we've accomplished.
But our world is still flawed.
Hate exists, as do prejudice and war.
Contradictive productive forces
and relations
are causing extremely
uneven distribution of wealth.
And large portions of humanity
are living in poverty and misery.
Human societies are working hard
to resolve the difficulties they face,
striving to create a better future
for Earth civilization.
The country that sent this message
is also engaged in this effort.
We are dedicated to
building an ideal society
where the labor and value of every human
are fully respected,
and everyone's material
and spiritual needs are fully met
so that civilization on Earth
may become more perfect.
With the best of intentions,
we look forward to establishing contact
with other civilized societies
in the universe.
We look forward to working with you
to build a better life in this vast universe."
This letter of humans' best wishes
was sent to the universe.
Enclosed was an overview of Earth,
life on Earth,
and human society
as well as basic world history.
All that was sent after transmitting
the Self-interpreting Code System.
Red Coast is a great project, no doubt.
When sending messages to the universe,
how did you ensure our security?
It was carefully vetted
to ensure that it didn't give away
the Earth's coordinates
relative to the Milky Way.
At the 2,280 MHz, 12,000 MHz,
and 22,000 MHz channels,
the transmission times
of the message were
31 minutes, 7.5 minutes,
and 3.5 minutes respectively.
Transmission at the higher-frequency
12,000 MHz
and 22,000 MHz channels was minimized
in case our location was exposed.
Back in those days, SETI at Red Coast
was marginalized research.
But why such a high security rating?
They asked the same question
at the very beginning of the Project
and it was asked until the very end.
But now,
you should have the answer.
We can only marvel at the foresight
of the top decision-maker of the Project.
Had Red Coast succeeded,
the world would be utterly different.
Well, it's still too soon to tell
whether it succeeded or not.
The radio waves sent out
haven't gone too far in the universe yet.
The farther the signals travel,
the weaker they become,
and the less likely that any extraterrestrial
civilization will receive them.
In order for extraterrestrials to detect
our signals,
we broadcast at a power level equal to
the energy output of a mid-sized star.
Soviet astrophysicist
Nicolai Kardashev once proposed
that we could divide civilizations
based on the power they could command
for communication purposes,
He divided them into three types:
A Type I civilization
can muster an amount of energy equal to
the total output of the Earth.
A Type II civilization
can marshal the energy equal to
the output of a typical star.
A Type III civilization
can utilize its communication energy
equal to the energy output of a galaxy.
Civilization on Earth is currently
not even a full Type I.
And the transmissions from Red Coast
used only about one ten-thousandth
of the power the Earth could muster.
Our call wasn't any louder
than the buzzing of a mosquito.
No one could hear it.
But the Type II and III civilizations
Kardashev proposed do exist,
we should be able to hear them by now.
In this case, our efforts seem to
have only proven one thing
that in the vast universe,
only the Earth has intelligent life.
Theoretically, there might never be
a definitive answer to that question.
But emotionally, I and everyone else
who went through Red Coast all believed so.
Too bad the Project was decommissioned.
It was there already
and should've kept going.
It was a great cause worth fighting for.
In the late 70s,
there was a large-scale renovation.
The transmission system was automated.
Data processing of monitoring
became far more advanced.
40,000 channels
could be monitored simultaneously.
The more people knew, the clearer they became
about the difficulty of SETI.
And the leadership
lost interest in Red Coast.
After the renovation,
the first change we experienced
was lowered security rating.
The security detail was reduced to
a group of five guards.
Salute!
Red Coast remained within
the Second Artillery Corps,
but management
of its scientific activities
was turned over to the Astronomy Institute
of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
and it took on some research projects
that had nothing to do with SETI.
I believe you achieved
most of your accomplishments then.
At the time,
we had China's largest radio telescope.
Following all those changes, we first took on
some radio astronomy projects.
Later, more and more
such observatories were built,
and Red Coast shifted to the observation and
analysis of solar electromagnetic activity
with an added solar telescope.
I bet practical applications were a ton.
Correct.
The mathematical model we built
for solar electromagnetic activity
was state-of-the-art.
With such fruition,
the large investment in Red Coast
saw a little bit of return.
Actually, much of the credit
should go to Political Commissar Lei,
although he did have his own agenda, too.
Political Commissar Lei?
Wasn't he a political officer
in that technical unit?
Before enlisting,
he had studied astrophysics as well.
Research projects we took on
outside of SETI were all due to his efforts.
It wasn't easy
to return to technical work.
Without Lei,
Red Coast would've been long gone.
When it was converted for civil use,
the military basically abandoned it.
Chinese Academy of Sciences
could no longer keep the base running.
Inevitably, it was shut down.
In the dead of the night, when I was alone
in the empty monitoring room,
I could hear in my headphones
the lifeless noise of the universe.
It was faint but continuous,
more eternal than the stars.
Sometimes I thought it sounded like
the endless cold winds of Radar Peak.
I was chilled to the bone.
There weren't enough words
to describe such loneliness.
SETI is quite a unique discipline.
It can shape researchers' perspectives
on life.
It occurred to me repeatedly
that life was truly an accident
among all the accidents in the universe.
And the universe was an empty palace
in which humankind was the only ant.
This kind of thinking made me live
a conflicted life since.
Sometimes I thought life was precious
and more important than anything.
But other times,
I found humans so insignificant
that nothing was worthwhile.
Anyway, despite such internal conflicts,
my life slipped away,
and before I knew it,
I was already old.
I'm not getting any younger
or healthier.
I can't predict the future.
All I can do is live my life as it is.
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=
To the end of the dark forest ♪
The wind is like a hand ♪
Trying to keep time ♪
Who is the hunter with a gun ♪
Trying to devour the entire universe ♪
The light is like an eye ♪
That penetrates dreams ♪
Don't answer ♪
Who is eager to fill his eyes
with the starry sky ♪
The earth is no longer rotating ♪
You gave me a small universe ♪
In the arms of the universe ♪
Calling humbly for
the vast space and time ♪
The world aches dully ♪
=Three-Body=
=Episode 18=
Wenjie, this is an official decision.
From this day onwards, you'll be working
in the Monitoring Department.
Now I'll explain the work
of the Monitoring Department to you.
Simply put, the goal is to keep an eye
on all enemy activities in space,
including intercepting communications
between enemy space vessels and the ground,
and between the space vessels themselves,
track the orbits
of enemy space vessels,
collaborate with our telemetry
and tracking centers,
and provide data
for Red Coast's combat systems.
In other words,
the eyes of Red Coast are here.
Political Commissar Lei,
I think you should reconsider
whether it's necessary to tell her this.
Political Commissar Lei,
if it's too sensitive, then
No, Wenjie.
Weining, like I said, work must be done.
She needs all the information
in order to do her job.
Fine.
I'll report this to the high-ups.
Sure.
You have the right to do so.
But I give you my word that
I'll take full responsibility for my action.
Alright.
I'll take your word for it.
Don't mind him.
That's just the way he is.
He can be too cautious
to be openhanded at work.
Wenjie, come here.
Take a seat.
Sit.
Look, when we first brought you here,
the goal was simple.
Red Coast's monitoring system
often had interference
caused by electromagnetic radiation
from solar flares and sunspots.
Then we came across your paper
and believed that you were
an expert in solar activity.
And your predictive model
was the most accurate.
So we wanted to solicit your help
in solving this problem.
After you came,
you demonstrated strong abilities,
so I decided to entrust you
with more important work.
You've worked in Transmission
for a while
and gained an overview of Red Coast.
Now that you're transferred,
your assignment in Monitoring
will be discussed later.
Of course, as you can see,
there's some resistance.
But I trust you.
Personally, I have faith in you.
I hope you can keep up the good work
and earn the trust of the organization.
Wenjie, honestly,
I sincerely hope that someday,
I'll be able to call you Comrade Ye.
Don't let me down.
Even though
Political Commissar Lei trusted me,
my activities were severely restricted.
I had access to the software
source code, but not the database.
And I had to learn the software techniques
from scratch.
That was far from being easy.
(File Bag)
(According to the latest weather forecast,)
(from 8:00 AM today
to 8:00 PM tomorrow,)
(parts of the Northwest
will see light snow or sleet.)
(The local high will be
9 degrees Celsius.)
Report.
Come in.
Chief Engineer Yang,
after being deciphered by the computer,
what we had received turned out to be
a few satellite photographs.
GSD's Surveying and Mapping Bureau said
they're images of
our important military targets,
including the naval harbor at Qingdao
and several key factories
of the Third Front program.
Did we monitor their satellites?
Analysis confirmed
that these images came from the KA-9
Reconnaissance System of the West.
The first KA-9 had just been launched.
Although it mainly relied on recoverable
film capsules for intelligence gathering,
it was also being used to test out
the more advanced radio transmission
of digital images.
As the
As the technology is undeveloped,
the satellite transmitted at a low frequency,
which increased its range of reception
sufficiently for it to be intercepted by us.
Abandon this target.
Change the frequency.
I'll let you know about the direction.
We're having a rare opportunity to learn more
about the Western satellite reconnaissance system.
Are you sure about letting it go?
How many times do I have to tell you?
Change the direction
and the frequency!
Transmission has a machine down.
Go and check it.
Yes, sir.
So, it was Yang Weining
who kept holding you back?
He was acting weird,
always lashing out at me for no reason.
But I didn't mind.
What mattered to me
was those unexplainable matters at work.
They made me realize
that Red Coast was
far more complex than I had imagined.
(The 299th transmission
of Red Coast Project is finished.)
(Shutting down transmission system.)
(Red Coast entering monitoring mode.)
(Monitoring frequency range:
1,000 MHz to 40,000 MHz.)
(Monitoring channels: 15,000.)
(Key frequencies to monitor:
Hydrogen atom frequency at 1,420 MHz.)
(Hydroxyl radical radiation frequency
at 1,667 MHz.)
(Water molecule radiation frequency
at 22,000 MHz.)
(Repeat.)
(Key frequencies to monitor:
Hydrogen atom frequency at 1,420 MHz)
The designated frequencies
for the three transmissions
were lower than microwave range
and couldn't result in
any heating effect in the target.
Both Yang Weining's strange attitude
and those abnormal cases
said one thing.
That is, the real purpose of Red Coast
was top-secret.
(Calling Wang Miao End Call)
(Chang)
Chang, it's me.
We're in Qijiatun.
I've checked with the village committee.
(Red Coast File Bag)
That red ginseng factory checks out.
The locals can get paid
by working there.
Where are we on declassifying the files?
You've promised me. I need them today.
I've got them.
What's inside
is way beyond imagination.
Don't keep me guessing, OK?
What on earth is Red Coast for?
Their research
is indeed the most confidential.
(Troubleshooting
of Magnetic Core Memory is complete.)
(Clear fault codes.)
Hello?
Ye Wenjie, come to my office now.
Yes, sir.
(A routine work meeting
will be held at 3:00 PM.)
(Please be prepared.)
(Department heads
are to attend on time.)
Report.
Come in.
Ye Wenjie, come here.
I assumed Political Commissar Lei
was being punished for promoting me.
I told myself that no matter what,
I couldn't drag him down
even if I had to lie.
(Ye Wenjie Experience)
Ye Wenjie, first, let me be clear
that I disagree with all this.
The decision was made
by Chief Engineer Yang
after seeking the high-ups' permission.
He alone will take all the consequences.
To better utilize your skills,
he talked to the superiors repeatedly.
Army Political Department
did their investigation, too.
Now, we've been authorized
to disclose the true nature
of the Red Coast Project to you.
I hope you'll treasure this opportunity
and work hard to redeem your sins.
From now on, you must behave
with the utmost propriety.
Any transgression
will receive the harshest punishment.
Understood?
Yes, sir.
It wasn't until then that I realized
everything Lei Zhicheng had told me
was a lie.
Red Coast
was neither a powerful weapon
nor a monitor on enemy space vessels.
All his care, promotion, and protection
were all an act.
That's why Yang Weining
tried to stop him.
Yang Weining was a good man.
When the leaders
doubted me for my background,
he stood up for me.
And it was also he
who told me the truth about Red Coast.
If you want to quit,
it's not too late now.
I'll do it.
Are you sure?
Once you said yes, the last ray of hope
of leaving Radar Peak would be gone.
You'd spend the rest of your life here.
Yes, I'll do it.
The truth was an incredible fairy tale
for the ages.
It's a lot.
Read it yourself.
(A Question Largely Ignored by Trends
in Fundamental World Scientific Research)
(Space Science and Technology)
This file talks about
two ways to convert the results
of fundamental scientific research
into practical applications:
gradualistic mode and saltatory mode.
That's right.
Gradualistic mode refers to
theoretical, fundamental results
being gradually applied to technology
such as the development and application
of space technology.
Saltatory mode means
theoretical, fundamental results
rapidly become applied technology,
(Nuclear Weapons)
leading to a technological leap.
Examples include nuclear weapons.
Yes.
Now, both NATO and the Warsaw Pact
are intensely active
in fundamental research
and investing heavily in it.
At this rate,
technological leaps may occur anytime.
That will pose a major threat
to our strategic planning.
Here it lists the fields
where such leaps are most likely:
physics, biology, computer science.
(SETI)
The Search for
Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
If a leap occurs in this field,
its impact will exceed the sum of that
in the other three.
That's what I'm talking about.
Several NATO states
have already prioritized SETI.
For example,
they launched Project Ozma
(Green Bank Telescope at NRAO)
and built NRAO.
(Concise Star Chart)
The project examined the stars
Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani
and planned to broaden
the frequency range in 1972.
The Pioneer 10 and 11 probes
would be launched,
each carrying a metal plaque
with information about
civilization on Earth.
And in 1977, they'd launch
the Voyager 1 and 2 probes,
each with a metal audio record.
This is the Arecibo Observatory.
It's ready to use
and extremely powerful.
Its effective energy collection area
is about 20 acres,
greater than that of all the others
in the world combined.
Together with the computer system,
it can simultaneously monitor
65,000 channels,
and it's capable of
ultrahigh energy transmissions.
Look.
This is in Europe.
They've also made huge investments.
The entire world is working on SETI.
That's true.
Except for us
who are paying little attention to it.
You should know, if any country
gets in touch with extraterrestrials,
it'll overturn the global landscape,
especially those superpowers.
If they beat us to it,
we'll no longer have a chance.
As a major socialist power,
we cannot fall behind.
This unknown area must be conquered
for strategic importance.
There's a long way ahead of us.
Ye Wenjie, from this moment on,
your job is to develop the Red Coast
Self-Interpreting Code System.
Precisely,
using universal, basic mathematical,
and physical laws to construct
an elemental linguistic code
that can be understood by any civilization
that has mastered basic algebra,
Euclidean geometry,
and the laws of nonrelativistic physics.
Building on that,
create a brand-new linguistic system
including Chinese and Esperanto.
Do you get it?
Yes, sir.
So, the mysterious Red Coast Project
was established for SETI,
and you alone created the Red Coast
Self-Interpreting Code System.
At that time,
the Cold War was at its height.
The insanity of the human race
had reached its historical zenith.
Nuclear submarines and nuclear weapons
lurking in the corners
could be launched at a moment's notice.
Once they were let go,
hundreds of cities would be leveled,
killing hundreds of millions of people.
With such technical leaps in sight,
an intense sense of crisis
was shared all over the world.
Professor Ye, you're an astrophysicist.
Do you really think astronomy
will be taking a technological leap?
As destructive as nukes are, the universe
is harboring even more terrible forces
such as black holes and anti-matter.
Compared with them, a nuclear bomb
is nothing but a tiny candle.
There used to be a waveform monitor.
It was to display the waves
that Red Coast picked up from space.
My daily work was to
monitor and record that curve,
waiting to hear from
the extraterrestrials.
Over there, we had a radio receiver,
quite sophisticated.
A ruby-based traveling-wave maser
amplified the signals received by
the gigantic antenna.
But there was interference.
Wouldn't it affect the accuracy?
Wang, you're underestimating Red Coast.
As immature as the technology was,
it could do more than you think.
The core of the reception system
was immersed in
liquid helium at -269 degrees Celsius.
A helicopter came to resupply
liquid helium regularly.
The reception system was thus
capable of picking up faint signals.
Back then,
our monitoring range was
within a radius of 1,000 light years,
containing some 20 million stars.
Other than searching for and monitoring
possible extraterrestrial intelligence,
we also tried to
(20 Million Stars)
send messages to the universe
to establish contact and communication.
So did you really make such attempts?
We did.
In the blue sky float white clouds ♪
Below the white clouds run horses ♪
I swing my horsewhip
and the crack travels far and wide ♪
Ye Wenjie and I
have redrafted the letter.
Ye Wenjie, read it.
(PLA Letter Paper)
"We extend our best wishes to you,
inhabitants of another world.
After reading the following message,
you should have a basic understanding
of civilization on Earth.
By dint of long toil and creativity,
the human race
has built a splendid civilization,
blossoming with diverse cultures.
We're also getting to know the laws of nature
and the development of human societies.
We cherish all that we've accomplished.
But our world is still flawed.
Hate exists, as do prejudice and war.
Contradictive productive forces
and relations
are causing extremely
uneven distribution of wealth.
And large portions of humanity
are living in poverty and misery.
Human societies are working hard
to resolve the difficulties they face,
striving to create a better future
for Earth civilization.
The country that sent this message
is also engaged in this effort.
We are dedicated to
building an ideal society
where the labor and value of every human
are fully respected,
and everyone's material
and spiritual needs are fully met
so that civilization on Earth
may become more perfect.
With the best of intentions,
we look forward to establishing contact
with other civilized societies
in the universe.
We look forward to working with you
to build a better life in this vast universe."
This letter of humans' best wishes
was sent to the universe.
Enclosed was an overview of Earth,
life on Earth,
and human society
as well as basic world history.
All that was sent after transmitting
the Self-interpreting Code System.
Red Coast is a great project, no doubt.
When sending messages to the universe,
how did you ensure our security?
It was carefully vetted
to ensure that it didn't give away
the Earth's coordinates
relative to the Milky Way.
At the 2,280 MHz, 12,000 MHz,
and 22,000 MHz channels,
the transmission times
of the message were
31 minutes, 7.5 minutes,
and 3.5 minutes respectively.
Transmission at the higher-frequency
12,000 MHz
and 22,000 MHz channels was minimized
in case our location was exposed.
Back in those days, SETI at Red Coast
was marginalized research.
But why such a high security rating?
They asked the same question
at the very beginning of the Project
and it was asked until the very end.
But now,
you should have the answer.
We can only marvel at the foresight
of the top decision-maker of the Project.
Had Red Coast succeeded,
the world would be utterly different.
Well, it's still too soon to tell
whether it succeeded or not.
The radio waves sent out
haven't gone too far in the universe yet.
The farther the signals travel,
the weaker they become,
and the less likely that any extraterrestrial
civilization will receive them.
In order for extraterrestrials to detect
our signals,
we broadcast at a power level equal to
the energy output of a mid-sized star.
Soviet astrophysicist
Nicolai Kardashev once proposed
that we could divide civilizations
based on the power they could command
for communication purposes,
He divided them into three types:
A Type I civilization
can muster an amount of energy equal to
the total output of the Earth.
A Type II civilization
can marshal the energy equal to
the output of a typical star.
A Type III civilization
can utilize its communication energy
equal to the energy output of a galaxy.
Civilization on Earth is currently
not even a full Type I.
And the transmissions from Red Coast
used only about one ten-thousandth
of the power the Earth could muster.
Our call wasn't any louder
than the buzzing of a mosquito.
No one could hear it.
But the Type II and III civilizations
Kardashev proposed do exist,
we should be able to hear them by now.
In this case, our efforts seem to
have only proven one thing
that in the vast universe,
only the Earth has intelligent life.
Theoretically, there might never be
a definitive answer to that question.
But emotionally, I and everyone else
who went through Red Coast all believed so.
Too bad the Project was decommissioned.
It was there already
and should've kept going.
It was a great cause worth fighting for.
In the late 70s,
there was a large-scale renovation.
The transmission system was automated.
Data processing of monitoring
became far more advanced.
40,000 channels
could be monitored simultaneously.
The more people knew, the clearer they became
about the difficulty of SETI.
And the leadership
lost interest in Red Coast.
After the renovation,
the first change we experienced
was lowered security rating.
The security detail was reduced to
a group of five guards.
Salute!
Red Coast remained within
the Second Artillery Corps,
but management
of its scientific activities
was turned over to the Astronomy Institute
of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
and it took on some research projects
that had nothing to do with SETI.
I believe you achieved
most of your accomplishments then.
At the time,
we had China's largest radio telescope.
Following all those changes, we first took on
some radio astronomy projects.
Later, more and more
such observatories were built,
and Red Coast shifted to the observation and
analysis of solar electromagnetic activity
with an added solar telescope.
I bet practical applications were a ton.
Correct.
The mathematical model we built
for solar electromagnetic activity
was state-of-the-art.
With such fruition,
the large investment in Red Coast
saw a little bit of return.
Actually, much of the credit
should go to Political Commissar Lei,
although he did have his own agenda, too.
Political Commissar Lei?
Wasn't he a political officer
in that technical unit?
Before enlisting,
he had studied astrophysics as well.
Research projects we took on
outside of SETI were all due to his efforts.
It wasn't easy
to return to technical work.
Without Lei,
Red Coast would've been long gone.
When it was converted for civil use,
the military basically abandoned it.
Chinese Academy of Sciences
could no longer keep the base running.
Inevitably, it was shut down.
In the dead of the night, when I was alone
in the empty monitoring room,
I could hear in my headphones
the lifeless noise of the universe.
It was faint but continuous,
more eternal than the stars.
Sometimes I thought it sounded like
the endless cold winds of Radar Peak.
I was chilled to the bone.
There weren't enough words
to describe such loneliness.
SETI is quite a unique discipline.
It can shape researchers' perspectives
on life.
It occurred to me repeatedly
that life was truly an accident
among all the accidents in the universe.
And the universe was an empty palace
in which humankind was the only ant.
This kind of thinking made me live
a conflicted life since.
Sometimes I thought life was precious
and more important than anything.
But other times,
I found humans so insignificant
that nothing was worthwhile.
Anyway, despite such internal conflicts,
my life slipped away,
and before I knew it,
I was already old.
I'm not getting any younger
or healthier.
I can't predict the future.
All I can do is live my life as it is.
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=