Cheng Xin Before Hibernation
Cheng Xin was a young aerospace engineer in the early Crisis Era, employed in the Planetary Defense department under the Chinese National Space Administration. She was intelligent, kind, and empathetic — an exceptionally accomplished technical professional. Against the backdrop of the Three-Body Crisis, Cheng Xin proposed a bold and imaginative plan — the Staircase Program.
The core concept of the Staircase Program was to use the thrust from a series of nuclear explosions to accelerate a micro-probe to near light speed, intercepting the Trisolaran fleet before it reached the solar system to gather firsthand intelligence about the Trisolaran civilization. Since technology at the time could not construct a sufficiently large spacecraft, the Staircase Program ultimately decided to send only a human brain — a volunteer's brain would be frozen and placed in the probe, with the hope that the Trisolaran civilization might revive it. Yun Tianming — a young man with a terminal illness — was chosen as the sole passenger for this lonely journey. A complex emotional connection existed between Cheng Xin and Yun Tianming; his agreement to this mission, tantamount to a death sentence, was largely motivated by his deep love for Cheng Xin.
After the Staircase Program's launch, Cheng Xin chose to enter hibernation for various reasons. Her hibernation lasted over two hundred years, spanning most of the Crisis Era and the entire establishment of the Deterrence Era.
The World of the Deterrence Era
When Cheng Xin awakened, human society was in the Deterrence Era — a period of peace built upon a balance of terror. The Doomsday Battle's catastrophic defeat had prompted Luo Ji to establish Dark Forest deterrence in a graveyard: threatening to broadcast the Trisolaran system's coordinates to the universe, he forced the Trisolaran civilization to halt its attack on Earth. Subsequently, a more sophisticated gravitational wave broadcast system was built, and Luo Ji became the first Swordholder — he alone held the gravitational wave broadcast switch, and once pressed, the Trisolaran system's coordinates would be transmitted into the universe, inviting strikes from other civilizations, but simultaneously exposing Earth's location. This was a mutual destruction deterrent — akin to the "Mutually Assured Destruction" of the nuclear era.
Under the protection of deterrence, humanity and the Trisolaran civilization established a peculiar coexistence. The Trisolaran civilization was compelled to share some technology with humanity, upon which human society achieved further development. Space development within the solar system entered a new phase, and human hostility toward the Trisolaran civilization gradually faded during the extended peace.
However, the social atmosphere when Cheng Xin awakened struck her with subtle unease. The entire society had become extremely feminized — not in the sense of elevated women's status, but in the overall shift of social aesthetics and values toward gentleness, emotionality, and the pursuit of security. Male physical appearances had become soft and androgynous, with society valuing tenderness, empathy, and non-violence. This transformation was largely a psychological response to the Doomsday Battle's trauma — after experiencing that devastating blow, society unconsciously rejected all qualities associated with war and violence.
Thrust onto the Historical Stage
After awakening, Cheng Xin quickly found herself in an unexpected position. As the initiator of the Staircase Program, she had been accorded near-heroic status in the historical narrative. More importantly, Yun Tianming — the brain sent to the Trisolaran fleet — had become a legendary figure. People viewed Cheng Xin as someone with a special connection to Yun Tianming, according her prestige whose symbolic significance far exceeded her actual capabilities.
At this point, Luo Ji had served as Swordholder for fifty-four years. The elderly Luo Ji bore the weight of humanity's fate alone — a single error in judgment or one accident could lead to the destruction of two civilizations. Society began discussing the Swordholder transition, and Cheng Xin's name was mentioned by increasing numbers of people.
Cheng Xin underwent a complex process of adaptation in this new world. She was a person from over two hundred years ago, carrying memories and values of the old era, thrust into a completely unfamiliar society. But she quickly demonstrated strong learning ability and adaptability. She rebuilt social connections, understood the Deterrence Era's political landscape and social structure, and began seriously contemplating the role she should play in this new era.
The Path to Swordholder
Cheng Xin was nominated as a Swordholder candidate, forming a stark contrast with the other candidate — the tough military officer Wade. Wade was a cold, decisive person who would stop at nothing to achieve his objectives, having already demonstrated an extreme operating style during the Crisis Era. From a purely strategic perspective, Wade was clearly the more suitable choice for Swordholder — he possessed sufficient ruthlessness to press the button that would destroy two civilizations when necessary.
Yet Deterrence Era society chose Cheng Xin. In the public vote, Cheng Xin won overwhelming support. The reason was simple: people did not want a cold war machine controlling humanity's fate. They preferred to trust Cheng Xin's kindness and rationality — a gentle, empathetic female figure gave the public reassurance. People believed that kindness itself was a form of strength, that a kind Swordholder would prevent things from ever reaching the point where the button needed pressing.
This choice reflected the deep psychology of Deterrence Era society: during prolonged peace, people had forgotten the cruelty of war and the ruthlessness of enemies. They applied peacetime logic to select someone for what was essentially a wartime role — a fatal error. Cheng Xin's kindness was precisely her greatest weakness, and the Trisolaran civilization had seen through this long ago.