《三体》网友的聚会地点是一处僻静的小咖啡厅。	The location for the Three Body players' meet-up was a small, out-of-the-way coffee shop.
在汪淼的印象中，这个时代的游戏网友聚会都是人数众多的热闹盛会，但这次来的连自己在内也只有七个人，而那六位，同自己一样，不论怎么看都不像游戏爱好者。	Wang had always imagined game meet-ups would be lively events full of people, but this meet-up consisted of only seven players, including himself. Like Wang, the other six did not look like gaming enthusiasts.
比较年轻的只有两位，另外五位，包括一位女士，都是中年人，还有一个老者，看上去有六七十岁了。	Only two were relatively young. Another three, including a woman, were middle-aged. There was also an old man who appeared to be in his sixties or seventies.
汪淼本以为大家一见面就会对《三体》展开热烈的讨论，但现在发现自己想错了。	Wang had originally thought that as soon as they met they'd begin a lively discussion of Three Body, but he was wrong.
《三体》那诡异而深远的内涵，已对其参与者产生了很深的心理影响，使得每个人，包括汪淼自己，都很难轻易谈起它。	The profound but strange content of Three Body had had a psychological impact on the participants. All the players, including Wang himself, couldn't bring it up easily.
大家只是简单地相互做了自我介绍，那位老者，掏出一把很精致的烟斗，装上烟丝抽了起来，踱到墙边去欣赏墙上的油画。	They only made simple self-introductions. The old man took out a refined pipe, filled it with tobacco, and smoked as he strolled around, admiring the paintings on the walls.
其他人则都坐着等待聚会组织者的到来，他们都来得早了。	The others sat silently, waiting for the meet-up organizer to show up. They had all come early.
其实这六个人中，汪淼有两个已经认识。	Actually, of the six, Wang already knew two.
那位鹤发童颜的老者，是一位著名学者，以给东方哲学赋予现代科学内涵而闻名。	The old man was a famous scholar who had made his name by imbuing Eastern philosophy with the content of modern science.
那位穿着怪异的女士，是著名作家，是少见的风格前卫却拥有众多读者的小说家，她写的书，从哪一页开始看都行。	The strangely dressed woman was a famous writer, one of those rare novelists who wrote in an avant-garde style but still had many readers. You could start one of her books on any page.
其他四位，两名中年人，一位是国内最大软件公司的副总裁（穿着朴素随意，丝毫看不出来），另一位是国家电力公司的高层领导。	Of the two middle-aged men, one was a vice president at China's largest software company, plainly and casually dressed so that his status wasn't obvious at all; and the other was a high-level executive at the State Power Corporation.
两名年轻人，一位是国内大媒体的记者，另一位是在读的理科博士生。	Of the two young men, one was a reporter with a major media outlet, and the other was a doctoral student in the sciences.
汪淼现在意识到，《三体》的玩家，可能相当一部分是他们这样的社会精英。	Wang now realized that a considerable number of Three Body players were probably social elites like them.
聚会的组织者很快来了，汪淼见到他，心跳骤然加快，这人竟是潘寒，杀死申玉菲的头号嫌疑人。	The meet-up organizer showed up not long after. Wang's heart began to beat faster as soon as he saw the man: it was Pan Han, prime suspect for the murder of Shen Yufei.
他悄悄掏出手机，在桌下给大史发短信。	He took out his phone when no one was looking and texted Shi Qiang.
“呵呵，大家来得真早！”	"Haha, everyone got here early!"
潘寒轻松地打招呼，似乎什么事都没有发生。	Pan greeted them in a relaxed manner, as though nothing was wrong.
他一改往常在媒体上那副脏兮兮的流浪汉模样，西装革履，显得风度翩翩，“你们和我想象的差不多，都是精英人士，《三体》就是为你们这样的阶层准备的，它的内涵和意境，常人难以理解；玩它所需要的知识，其层次之高，内容之深，也是常人不可能具备的。”	Appearing in the media, he usually looked disheveled, like a vagrant, but today, he was dressed sharply in a suit and dress shoes. "You're just like I imagined. Three Body is intended for people in your class because the common crowd cannot appreciate its meaning and mood. To play it well requires knowledge and understanding that ordinary people do not possess."
汪淼的短信已经发出：见到潘寒，在西城区云河咖啡馆。	Wang sent out his text: Spotted Pan Han. At Yunhe Coffee Shop in Xicheng District.
潘寒接着说：“在座的各位都是《三体》的优秀玩家，成绩最好，也都很投人。	Pan continued. "Everyone here is an excellent Three Body player. You have the best scores and are devoted to it.
我相信，《三体》已成为你们生活中的一部分。”	I believe that Three Body is already an important part of your lives."
“是生命中的一部分。” 那位年轻的博士生说。	"It's part of what keeps me alive," the young doctoral student said.
“我是从孙子的电脑上偶然看到它的，”老哲学家翘着烟斗柄说，“年轻人玩了几下就放弃了，说太深奥。	"I saw it by accident on my grandson's computer," the old philosopher said, lifting his pipe stem. "The young man abandoned it after a few tries, saying it was too abstruse.
我却被它吸引，那深邃的内涵，诡异恐怖又充满美感的意境，逻辑严密的世界设定，隐藏在简洁表象下海量的信息和精确的细节，都令我们着迷。”	But I was attracted to it. I find it strange, terrible, but also beautiful. So much information is hidden beneath a simple representation."
包括汪淼在内的几位网友都连连点头。	A few players nodded at this description, including Wang himself.
这时汪淼收到了大史回的短信：我们也看到他了，没事，该干什么干什么。	Wang received Da Shi's reply text: We also see him. No worries. Carry on.
注意，在他们面前你要尽量表现得极端些，但不要太过了，那样装不像。	Play the fanatic in front of them, but not so much that you can't pull it off.
“是的，”女作家点头赞同。	"Yes," the author agreed, and nodded.
“从文学角度看，《三体》也是卓越的，那二百零三轮文明的兴衰，真是一首首精美的史诗。”	"I like the literary elements of Three Body. The rises and falls of two hundred and three civilizations evoke the qualities of epics in a new form."
她提到二百零三轮文明，而汪淼经历的是一百九十一轮，这让汪淼再次确信了一点：《三体》对每个玩家都有一个独立的进程。	She mentioned 203 civilizations, but Wang had only experienced 184. This told Wang that Three Body progressed independently for each player, possibly with different worlds.
“我对现实世界真有些厌倦了，《三体》已成为我的第二现实。” 年轻的记者说。	"I'm a bit sick of the real world," the young reporter said. "Three Body is already my second reality."
“是吗？”	"Really?"
潘寒很有兴趣地插问一句。	Pan asked, interested.
“我也是，与《三体》相比，现实是那么的平庸和低俗。” IT副总裁说。	"Me too," the software company vice president said. "Compared to Three Body, reality is so vulgar and unexciting."
“可惜啊，只是个游戏。” 国电公司领导说。	"It's too bad that it's only a game," said the power company executive.
“很好。” 潘寒点点头，汪淼注意到他眼中放出兴奋的光来。	"Very good," Pan said. Wang noticed his eyes sparkling with excitement.
“有一个问题，我想是我们大家都渴望知道的。” 汪淼说。	"I have a question that I think everyone wants to know the answer to," Wang said.
“我知道是什么，不过你问吧。”	"I know what it is. But you might as well ask."
潘寒说。	
“《三体》仅仅是个游戏吗？”	"Is Three Body only a game?"
网友们纷纷点头，显然这也是他们急切想问的。	The other players nodded. Clearly the question was also on their minds.
潘寒站起来，郑重地说：“三体世界是真实存在的。”	Pan stood up and said solemnly, "The world of Three Body, or Trisolaris, really does exist."
“在哪里？” 几个网友异口同声地问。	"Where is it?" several players asked in unison.
潘寒坐下，沉默良久才开口：“有些问题我能够回答，有些不能，但如果各位与三体世界有缘，总有一天所有的问题都能得到解答。”	After looking at each of them in turn, Pan sat down and spoke. "Some questions I can answer. Others I cannot. But if you are meant to be with Trisolaris, all your questions will be answered someday."
“那么，游戏中是否表现了三体世界的某些真实成分呢？” 记者问。	"Then ... does the game really portray Trisolaris accurately?" the reporter asked.
“首先，在很多轮文明中，三体人的脱水功能是真实的，为了应对变幻莫测的自然环境，他们随时可以将自己体内的水分完全排出，变成干燥的纤维状物体，以躲过完全不适合生存的恶劣气候。”	"First, the ability of Trisolarans to dehydrate through its many cycles of civilization is real. In order to adapt to the unpredictable natural environment and avoid extreme environmental conditions unsuitable for life, they can completely expel the water in their bodies and turn into dry, fibrous objects."
“三体人是什么样子的？”	"What do Trisolarans look like?"
潘寒摇摇头：“不知道，真的不知道。	Pan shook his head. "I don't know. I really don't.
每一轮文明中，三体人的外形都完全不同，另外，游戏中还反映了一个三体世界中的真实存在：人列计算机。”	In every cycle of civilization, the appearance of Trisolarans is different. However, the game does portray something else that really existed on Trisolaris: the Trisolaran-formation computer."
“哈，我觉得那是最不真实的！” IT副总裁说，“我用公司的上百名员工进行过一个简单的测试，即使这想法真能实现，人列计算机的运算速度可能比一个人的手工计算都慢。”	"Ha! I thought that was the most unrealistic aspect," the software company vice president said. "I conducted a test with more than a hundred employees at my company. Even if the idea worked, a computer made of people would probably operate at a speed slower than manual computation."
潘寒露出神秘的笑容说：“不错，但假如构成计算机的三千万个士兵，每个人在一秒钟内可以挥动黑白小旗十万次，总线上的轻骑兵的奔跑速度是几倍音速甚至更快，结果就不一样了。	Pan gave a mysterious smile. "You're right. But suppose that of the thirty million soldiers forming the computer, each one is capable of raising and lowering the black and white flags a hundred thousand times per second, and suppose also that the light cavalry soldiers on the main bus can run at several times the speed of sound, or even faster. Then the result would be very different.
你们刚才问过三体人的外形，据一些迹象推测，构成人列计算机的三体人，外表可能覆盖着一层全反射镜面，这种镜面可能是为了在恶劣的日照条件下生存而进化出来的，镜面可以变化出各种形状，他们之间就通过镜面聚焦的光线来交流，这种光线语言信息传输的速度是很快的，这就是人列计算机得以存在的基础。	"You asked about the appearance of the Trisolarans just now. According to some signs, the bodies of the Trisolarans who formed the computer were covered by a purely reflective surface, which probably evolved as a response to survival under extreme conditions of sunlight. The mirrorlike surface could be deformed into any shape, and they communicated with each other by focusing light with their bodies. This kind of light-speech could transmit information extremely rapidly and was the foundation of the Trisolaran-formation computer.
当然，这仍是一台效率很低的机器，但确实能够完成人类手工力不能及的运算。	Of course, this was still a very inefficient machine, but it was capable of completing calculations that were too difficult to be performed manually.
计算机在三体世界首先确实是以人列形式出现，然后才是机械式和电子式的。”	The computer did in fact make its first appearance in Trisolaris as formations of people, before becoming mechanical and then electronic."
潘寒站起来，围着网友们的背后踱步：	Pan stood up and paced behind the players.
“我现在能告诉大家的只是：作为一个游戏，《三体》只是借用人类的背景来模拟三体世界的发展，这样做只是为游戏者提供一个熟悉的环境，真实的三体世界与游戏中的差别很大，但其中三颗太阳的存在是真实的，这是三体世界自然结构的基础。”	"As a game, Three Body only borrows the background of human society to simulate the development of Trisolaris. This is done to give players a familiar environment. The real Trisolaris is very different from the world of the game, but the existence of the three suns is real. They're the foundation of the Trisolaran environment."
“开发这个游戏肯定花费了很大的力量，但它的目的显然不是盈利。” IT副总裁说。	"Developing this game must have cost an enormous amount of effort," the vice president said. "But the goal is clearly not profit."
“《三体》游戏的目的很单纯，就是为了聚集起我们这样志同道合的人。” 潘寒说。	"The goal of Three Body is very simple and pure: to gather those of us who have common ideals," Pan said.
“什么志和什么道呢？”	"What ideals do we have in common, exactly?"
汪淼问，但旋即有些后悔，仔细想着自己的问题是否露出了些许的敌意。	Wang immediately regretted the question. He wondered whether asking it sounded hostile.
这个问题果然令潘寒沉默下来，他用意味深长的目光逐个将在座的每个人打量一遍，轻轻地说：“如果三体文明要进入人类世界，你们是什么态度？”	Pan studied everyone meaningfully, and then added in a soft voice, "How would you feel if Trisolaran civilization were to enter our world?"
“我很高兴，”年轻的记者首先打破沉默说，“这些年看到的事，让我对人类已经失望了，人类社会已经无力进行自我完善，需要一个外部力量的介入。”	"I would be happy." The young reporter was the first to break the silence. "I've lost hope in the human race after what I've seen in recent years. Human society is incapable of self-improvement, and we need the intervention of an outside force."
“同意！” 女作家大声说，她很激动，似乎终于找到了一个发泄某种东西的机会，“人类是什么？	"I agree!" the author shouted. She was very excited, as though finally finding an outlet for pent-up feelings.
多么丑恶的东西，我上半生一直在用文学这把解剖刀来揭露这种丑恶，现在连这种揭露都厌倦了。	"The human race is hideous. I've spent the first half of my life unveiling this ugliness with the scalpel of literature, but now I'm even sick of the work of dissection.
我向往着三体文明能把真正的美带到这个世界上来。”	I yearn for Trisolaran civilization to bring real beauty to this world."
潘寒没有说话，那种兴奋的光芒又在双眼中亮起来。	Pan said nothing. That glint of excitement appeared in his eyes again.
老哲学家挥着已经熄灭的烟斗，一脸严肃地说：“让我们来稍微深入地探讨一下这个问题：你们对阿兹特克文明有什么印象？”	The old philosopher waved his pipe, which had gone out. He spoke with a serious mien. "Let's discuss this question with a bit more depth: What is your impression of the Aztecs?"
“黑暗而血腥，从林中阴森的火光照耀着鲜血流淌的金字塔。 这就是我对它的印象。” 女作家说。	"Dark and bloody," the author said. "Blood-drenched pyramids lit by insidious fires seen through dark forests.
这就是我对它的印象。”	Those are my impressions."
哲学家点点头：“很好，那么想象一下，假如后来没有西班牙人的介入，这个文明会对人类历史产生什么影响？”	The philosopher nodded. "Very good. Then try to imagine: If the Spanish Conquistadors did not intervene, what would have been the influence of that civilization on human history?"
“你这是颠倒黑白，”IT副总裁指着哲学家说，“那时入侵美洲的西班牙人不过是强盗和凶手！”	"You're calling black white and white black," the software company vice president said. "The Conquistadors who invaded the Americas were nothing more than murderers and robbers."
“就算如此，他们至少制止了下面事情的发生：阿兹特克无限制地发展，把美洲变成一个血腥和黑暗的庞大帝国，那时美洲和全人类的民主和文明时代就要更晚些到来，甚至根本就不会出现。	"Even so, at least they prevented the Aztecs from developing without bound, turning the Americas into a bloody, dark great empire. Then civilization as we know it wouldn't have appeared in the Americas, and democracy wouldn't have thrived until much later. Indeed, maybe they wouldn't have appeared at all.
这就是问题的关键之处——不管三体文明是什么样子，它们的到来对病入膏育的人类文明总是个福音。”	This is the key to the question: No matter what the Trisolarans are like, their arrival will be good news for the terminally ill human race."
“可您想过没有，阿兹特克文明最后被西方人侵者毁灭了。” 国电公司领导说， 同时环视了一下四周，仿佛是第一眼见到这些人，“这里的思想很危险。”	"But have you thought through the fact that the Aztecs were completely destroyed by the Western invaders?" the power company executive asked. He looked around, as though seeing these people for the first time. "Your thoughts are very dangerous."
“是深刻！” 博士生举起一根手指说，同时对哲学家连连点头，“我也有这个想法，但不知道如何表达，您说得太好了。”	"You mean profound!" the doctoral student said, raising a finger. He nodded vigorously at the philosopher. "I had the same thought, but I didn't know how to express it. You said it so well!"
一阵沉默后，潘寒转向汪淼：“他们六人已经表明了自己的态度，您呢？”	After a moment of silence, Pan turned to Wang. "The other six have all given their views. What about you?"
“我站在他们一边。” 汪淼指指记者和哲学家等人说。	"I stand with them," Wang said, pointing to the reporter and the philosopher.
言多必失，他只是简单地答这一句。	He kept his answer simple. The less said the better.
“很好，”潘寒说着，转向了IT经理和国电公司领导，“你们二位，已经不适合这场聚会了，也不适合继续玩《三体》游戏。	"Very good," Pan said. He turned to the software company vice president and the power company executive. "The two of you are no longer welcome at this meet-up, and you are no longer appropriate players for Three Body.
你们的ID将被注销，下面请你们离开。	Your IDs will be deleted. Please leave now.
谢谢你们的到来，请！”	Thank you."
两人站起身来对视一下，又困惑地看看周围，转身走出门去。	The two stood up and looked at each other; then glanced around, confused, and left.
潘寒向剩下的五个人伸出手来，挨个与他们紧紧握手。	Pan held out his hand to the remaining five, shaking each person's hand in turn.
最后庄严地说：“我们，是同志了。”	Then he said, solemnly, "We are comrades now."