Lei Zhicheng
Names: Lei ZhichengCommissar LeiLei
First appears in Book 1: The Three-Body Problem, chapter 3 (3)
Appearances
What you know
Book 1: The Three-Body Problem
- Ch 3Lei is the political commissar of Red Coast Base and was doubtful about recruiting Ye, calling it unconventional.
- Ch 12Lei was initially cold to Ye but became kind as she grew important; he personally vouched for her and told her the cover story.
- Ch 12Lei publicly announced that Yang decided to tell Ye the truth, while Lei himself disagreed; it was revealed he had been lying to her all along.
- Ch 14Political officer who had studied astrophysics and wanted to return to science; he pushed Red Coast to take on non-SETI research projects.
- Ch 22Lei, a political officer who studied astrophysics, takes credit for Ye's research results and papers to advance his own career.
- Ch 22Lei refused Ye's solar radar experiment because aiming a powerful beam at the red sun carried dangerous political symbolism.
- Ch 25Lei, Red Coast Base's political commissar, secretly ran a hidden program copying all transmissions and received messages into an encrypted file only he could read.
- Ch 25Lei found the Trisolaran message and told Ye to stay silent, wanting to become the first discoverer of extraterrestrial intelligence for his own glory.
- Ch 25Lei often volunteered for dangerous work, including repairing the ground wire down the cliff, so Ye expected him to come when it was sabotaged.
Connections
- member ofRadar Peakpolitical commissar
- leadsRadar PeakHolds the final vote on important matters
- enemy ofYe Wenjieshe murders him
Key moments
- Book 1 · Ch 3Ye Wenjie is flown to Red Coast Base
Ye wakes feverish on a helicopter with Yang and Lei, who debate recruiting her due to a lack of qualified personnel, and she is brought to Radar Peak.
- Book 1 · Ch 3Ye chooses to enter Red Coast
Lei offers redemption through work; Yang warns she may never leave. Ye insists on entering the base and the gates are shut behind them.
- Book 1 · Ch 12Lei explains Red Coast as a microwave weapon
On Radar Peak, Commissar Lei tells Ye that Red Coast is a giant microwave transmitter meant to destroy enemy satellites. Yang interrupts angrily.
- Book 1 · Ch 12Ye moved to Monitoring Department
Ye is transferred to the Monitoring Department, a far more advanced part of the base. Lei tells her its role and says he personally trusts her, over Yang's objections.
- Book 1 · Ch 12The truth about Red Coast revealed
Senior officers and Army Political Department investigators reveal the cover story was a lie. Ye agrees to be told the true nature of Red Coast and Yang explains it.
- Book 1 · Ch 22Secret transmission to the sun
After Lei forbids the experiment, Ye uses a maximum-power test transmission at the setting sun in 1971, tells Yang, and checks for an echo.
- Book 1 · Ch 25Lei confronts Ye over the message
Lei shows Ye the Trisolaris message on his terminal, accuses her of hiding it, and demands silence, offering to protect her husband and unborn child. She realizes he wants the glory of discovery.
- Book 1 · Ch 25Murder of Lei and Yang
Ye sabotages the ground wire so Lei descends the cliff. Yang joins him, and as both climb back up, Ye cuts the rope and they fall to their deaths.