Hard Science Fiction, Science Fiction || Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, in "King Wen of Zhou and the Long Night," a self-contained story within the novel, scientist Wang Miao is encouraged to play an online VR game by the name of "3Body." He becomes immersed in a planet that is itself a puzzle, a puzzle that, once encountered, may just explain why Earth is such a tempting target for invasion.