Chapter 508: Dark Forest

In the novel Three Body, many sci-fi concepts are mentioned; the most terrifying and chilling is the "Dark Forest" theory proposed in the second part.

Most importantly, this theory has even been endorsed by many astronomers, who believe it can explain a problem, namely the famous Fermi Paradox.

This paradox originated from a question posed by Italian scientist Fermi while chatting with colleagues: the universe has expanded for countless years, surely giving birth to countless planets suitable for life, yet why, after humanity discovered and could use radio waves, have we still not found extraterrestrials?

In Three Body, the Dark Forest Theory happens to explain this question.

That is, the universe is extremely dangerous; we haven't seen aliens now because they are all hiding.

In this universe, whoever dares to show themselves will die.

Because between two unfamiliar civilizations there exists a Chain of Suspicion, we don't know whether the other is friendly or hostile, nor can we judge whether they will attack us.

The most frightening part is that we also cannot judge how they view us.

What's even more deadly is that humanity's developmental potential is too great. From the Industrial Revolution to the Information Age, it's only two or three hundred years; placed on the cosmic development timeline, it's just an instant.

And when two planetary civilizations make contact, one side may experience a Technological Explosion and gain interstellar expedition capability, making it effortless to wipe out the other!

This is the gist of the Dark Forest Theory: every civilization in the universe must conceal itself well, not be discovered by others.

When they discover another, the proper course is to directly annihilate them, to prevent the other from suddenly undergoing a Technological Explosion and then turning to destroy us.

Luo Ji, having grasped the Dark Forest Theory, was able to deter the Three Body civilization at the crucial moment and inaugurate Earth's Deterrence Era.

And all of this originates from his conversation with Ye Wenjie before her daughter Yang Dong's grave.

It can be said that this scene is very important in the whole film.

Jiang Heng also filmed it many times without tiring, striving for perfection.

On the set, Jiang Heng shouted "Start!"

In the frame, a woman dressed simply and elegantly, somewhat advanced in years, walks slowly forward—she is Ye Wenjie played by Zhang Jingchu.

"Teacher Ye, you… you've come?"

Chen Kun spoke, his expression seeming somewhat surprised.

"You… are Xiao Luo, right?"

"I am Luo Ji, Yang Dong's high school classmate; what is this…!"

Chen Kun wore a black wool overcoat, looking very refined, with a touch of scholarly air.

"That day I learned of this place; it's quite nice, convenient to reach by car, and lately I often come here for a stroll."

Zhang Jingchu's voice still sounds a bit young; it needs to be redubbed in post-production.

Chen Kun advised: "Teacher Ye, you need to restrain your grief."

"Oh, it's all in the past!"

In the first part, Ye Wenjie's daughter Yang Dong was played by Wan Qian.

Because Earth's science was blocked by the Three Body civilization at that time, many scientists committed suicide. When she was examining her mother's computer, she inadvertently discovered that Ye Wenjie was actually the mastermind behind the Three Body civilization's plot to invade Earth; in despair she also killed herself.

These contents were depicted in the film Three Body 1, so in the final cut of Three Body 2 a short segment will be added of Ye Wenjie recalling Yang Dong's suicide. On set, the two chatted casually; Ye Wenjie asked Luo Ji about his specialty, learned he had double degrees in astronomy and sociology, then suddenly proposed that Luo Ji study Cosmic Sociology and casually bestowed two axioms.

One, survival is the first necessity of civilization; two, civilization constantly grows and expands, but the total amount of matter in the universe remains constant.

Before the camera, Chen Kun looked somewhat surprised, saying these two axioms are already quite mature; why don't you research them yourself?

Zhang Jingchu smiled and said, "I've thought about these for half a lifetime before figuring them out; I have no time left!"

Afterwards she also explained the Chain of Suspicion and Technological Explosion! It can be said that Luo Ji's comprehension of the Dark Forest Theory is largely due to Ye Wenjie's great contribution.

It was her contact with the Three Body civilization back then that brought unprecedented disaster to Earth.

It was also her faint conception of the Dark Forest Theory that inspired Luo Ji, leaving a sliver of hope for human civilization on Earth.

But at this moment Luo Ji utterly fails to understand why Ye Wenjie is saying these; when he tries to ask for more detail, she lifts her wrist to check her watch, sighs, and says: "There's no time left; from now on you'll have to figure it out yourself!"

She turned and walked away, slowly fading into the dusk, leaving only a bewildered Luo Ji standing where he was.

"Click, good, this take passes!"

"Phew!"

"After checking, there's not a single mistake in the version!"

Having walked out of the frame, Zhang Jingchu let out a long breath, meanwhile feeling somewhat lost and wistful.

Because this scene is finished, it means her storyline in Three Body 2 has wrapped.

The main characters are Luo Ji and Zhuang Yan; she has nothing more to do.

Fortunately the assistant director is fairly righteous, clapping and saying: "Come, let's congratulate Teacher Zhang Jingchu on wrapping her scenes in Three Body 2!"

Those around burst into applause, and Zhang Jingchu hurriedly expressed thanks.

After wrapping, the crew prepared a simple wrap-up banquet for Zhang Jingchu; not many came, just two tables in total.

But Jiang Heng, Chen Kun, Zhang Ruowan, and others all came, deeply moving Zhang Jingchu.

After three rounds of drinks, Zhang Jingchu became emotional and shed tears.

Because she knows that after this, she will likely never again have a chance to work on a special-effects blockbuster of this caliber in her lifetime.

As for Jiang Heng, she was truly grateful to tears, saying that being able to appear consecutively in Three Body 1 and 2 was worth it.

Then she hugged Zhang Ruowan while crying, urging her to cherish the opportunity and act well.

Zhang Ruowan, a girl who had just come of age, having never experienced such a thing, was also infected by the atmosphere and couldn't stop crying.

As for Jiang Heng, Chen Kun, and other old hands, their performance remained relatively relaxed and carefree.

The two sat side by side smoking, discussing the two concepts that weren't explained in detail during filming—Technological Explosion and the Chain of Suspicion! Jiang Heng laughed and said: "Today's earthly civilization possesses weapons that could easily annihilate the civilization of three hundred years ago. And the weapons of three hundred years from now—who knows how advanced they'll become! Just like the civilizations of the Americas, which made no progress over thousands of years; when European explorers arrived, they easily wiped them out."

Chen Kun, having done considerable homework over this period, remarked: "Put that way, the Three Body invasion of Earth is really very similar to the colonization of the Americas by various Western European nations."

"The ability to colonize was still because Europeans then used flintlock muskets; if they had encountered today's equipment, they would surely have been wiped out completely!"

Jiang Heng laughed, "Your idea, director James Cameron filmed it—that's Avatar!" (End of chapter)