The Dark Forest

General Fitzroy oversees the launch of the Hubble II space telescope. There is some controversy as the Hubble II was commandeered by the military for the purpose of space surveillance, in response to public pressure to sight the Trisolar fleet. Many astronomers, like Albert Ringier, insist that this is impossible.

Luo Ji rejects the Wallfacer role and leaves the UN. As he leaves, he is shot by an ETO assassin. He is rushed to hospital and Shi Qiang apprehends the shooter. When he recovers, Luo Ji meets with UN Secretary General Say and it becomes apparent to him that he will always be a Wallfacer, whether he chooses to engage with the responsibilities or not. Secretary General Say tells him that he cannot simply refuse and that he will eventually understand why he, the least qualified, was chosen. Luo Ji sees that the project allows him access to unlimited resources with very little oversight, as people cannot question his actions at risk of exposing his secret plan. Recognizing his power, he asks the Planetary Defense Council (PDC), to build him a house of luxury in a secret location. This is granted.

Zhang Beihai and Wu Yue watch the Tang depart for the wreckage yard. Wu Yue is leaving the military after his dismissal from the Space Force, and he watches the ship and his career float away. Later, at a Space Force meeting, Zhang Beihai calls for more faith in their chances of victory. The Space Force announces the divisions of three departments for a Low-, Mid-, and High-Tech Strategy to plan for all possible future space-war capabilities to evade the sophon surveillance. Beihai, exhibiting his triumphalism, is the only volunteer for the High-Tech Strategy division.

In Three Body, the ETO meets and assigns three Wallbreakers to the task of uncovering the secret plans of the Wallfacers. They do not assign a Wallbreaker for Luo Ji, as they view him as his own Wallbreaker, needing to find his own purpose. They do, however, see him as their biggest threat, knowing that Trisolaris is afraid of him.

The Wallfacers begin their preparations. Luo Ji arrives at his new home. He plans to live in luxury for the rest of his life, using the resources afforded him, without engaging in Wallfacer activity.

Wallfacer Rey Diaz visits Los Alamos National Laboratory and requests that they make a massive nuclear bomb as part of his strategy. Wallfacer Hines, meanwhile, wants to accelerate the evolution of the human brain to help future generations fight the sophons. Wallfacer Tyler reveals his plans for a mosquito-like fighter jet army, each equipped with hydrogen bombs. Tyler and the other Wallfacers openly criticize each other’s plans as a waste of precious resources. Each is anxious about the recently announced Wallbreakers. Luo Ji stays absent from Wallfacer meetings.

Shi Qiang visits his son, Shi Xiaoming, who has been sentenced to prison for his participation in the now-illegal Escape Fund. Shi Qiang is quickly approaching hibernation and is unsure if he will see his son again.

Luo Ji consistently abuses his powers as a Wallfacer, buying luxury items and living in idleness. Tyler begins recruiting for a “kamikaze-style” program in Japan and is shut down by officials for his insensitivity and inhumanity. He struggles to find support. He meets with Zhang Beihai and they discuss ideas about the future. Rey Diaz works on a bomb which will rival the brightness of the sun. While he speaks with a scientist about his plans, they watch the sunrise and Rey Diaz develops an intense phobia of the sun.

Shi Qiang arrives at Luo Ji’s house and Luo Ji tells him of his fantasy girl, requesting that Shi Qiang “find” her and bring her to him. Mr. Kent resists approving the request but Shi Qiang convinces him by emphasizing the quality and importance of Luo Ji’s carefree nature to his overall plan.

Shi Qiang finds a woman, Zhuang Yan, who meets Luo Ji’s description of his fantasy girl. She is taken to Luo Ji. She is everything he imagined: she even says the same things that his fantasy girl previously said to him in his imagination. Luo Ji calls Shi Qiang to thank him. Shi Qiang informs him that he is entering hibernation and tells Luo Ji that the lives of his descendants depend on Luo Ji’s work. Zhuang Yan asks what she will do. Luo Ji avoids answering and instead takes her to the base of the mountain near his house. Luo Ji tells Zhuang Yan that her job is to be the happiest woman on Earth and that he can help her accomplish this. She asks to visit the Louvre in Paris.

At the Louvre, Zhuang Yan, an artist herself, is in awe of the art. She tells Luo Ji of her love of the Renaissance, and he tells her of his concerns for the future. She wonders if there could be a way for humans to communicate in ways undetectable and unknowable to the Trisolarans, such as with eyes or facial expressions. They try to communicate in such a way and fail, laughing at themselves.

Tyler continues his efforts to field an army and visits the dying leader of Al-Qaeda, hoping to convince him to infiltrate and preserve his organization in the Space Force to pilot Tyler’s fleet. The leader refuses, saying that the Trisolar Crisis has brought mankind together: Al-Qaeda no longer feels the hatred that drove them forward. Frustrated, Tyler asks the PDC to stop attacking the ETO, arguing that they do not want humans to lose their only means of communication with Trisolaris.

Despite pushback from his astronomers, General Fitzroy orders the Hubble II to look at Trisolaris. His team sees that the fleet has flown through a cloud of space dust, leaving a visible trail. They confirm that the Trisolar fleet is 1,000 ships strong. These images plunge the Earth into a moment of despair.