Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen

Troppel was mentally dead, without emotion.But he can also answer questions, so they use him as a reference room and computer. Handel asked: "How can we return to Earth?" Tropel replied: "At 32.08 degrees north latitude and 16.53 degrees west longitude, you will find spaceships for solar ignition. There are 75 ships in total, each of which can carry 114 people. You can return to the earth with this spaceship, The flight time is 6 hours and 45 minutes." Innesson asked: "How do you free those who are connected to the network of machines as intelligent parts? How do you restore them to consciousness?"

Troppel replied: "The neurosurgical robots that performed the separation operation are located under the north wall of the reception center, and they can be found, and then they can be manually programmed to enter new instructions so that they can be placed in front of the intelligent parts. Electric shocks are administered to the brain. This shock produces a disturbing effect that disrupts the pleasure center reflex—what you call 'sleep'—and after hours of delirium and mania, the original personality of the person can be expected. Recovery reconstruction. To be clear, there is about a 7% mortality rate during surgery.”

Germin asked, "What do you need, Mr. Troppel? What can I do for you? Are you feeling better? Are you all right? Want to see your wife?" Troppel refused repeatedly: "No, no, no." The rescue work of smart components is progressing smoothly, and the number of rescued people has increased exponentially. After a war, the number of human populations on Symmetry was reduced to 200.From time to time, they recognize their friends or relatives in the machine network of the symmetrical star. They have been connected to the machine as intelligent parts and become a part of the machine.Troppel took it upon himself to reprogram the first neurosurgery robots, then gingerly moved them to the smart parts to be rescued and performed electroshock surgery.The operation was successful, and 110 people from the first batch of smart components were rescued.Ten of them still vaguely remember how they operated the machines when they were making smart parts—this is normal, and that residual memory is useful.Soon, the number of rescued people increased to 4l0, surpassing the original broken fighting army.These latecomers have never participated in battles, shed blood and sacrificed, but they are all strong and strong, and they know the situation of the planet they are in very well.This very different experience even caused those who experienced blood and fire, life and death to have resentment against them.Later, a special production line was established to rescue smart components in batches; the route between the symmetrical star and the earth was also established, and the spaceship sent people back to the earth in batches.The inhabitants of the earth greeted these compatriots who had been "delivered" in a state of astonishment.

Troppel was also sent back to Earth.At first he was just sitting paralyzed, unable to move, and blind in both eyes.He sat like this for three months.It was not until later that someone had the idea that Troppel might also need a "forehead shock" operation.Once I tried it, it worked. Tropel is back to being the real Tropel.Now he can move, feel pain, and look up at the doctor's masked face. He saw doctors and nurses. He blinked, and said dreamily: "Where are we?" Then he immediately remembered. He has returned to Earth and is a real human being again. Someone rushed into the ward, and Troppel knew it was none other than Handel without looking. "We've beaten them, Troppel!" he cried.

"No, I'm not right, you beat them. Well done, Troppel. Well done! You did not dishonor the wolf's reputation! " The words made the doctors a little impatient, but it further aroused Troppel's memory.He realized even more clearly that after he lost consciousness there was another major battle, and the humans really took the Pyramids down. Troppel rubbed his temples irritably, resting his fingers on the gauze bandage.Really, he really got out of the pyramid's network of machine lines.The once stretched consciousness has been shortened in the brain, and the panoramic vision and unlimited control ability enjoyed when lying in the nourishing solution as part of the eight human bodies can no longer be found.

"It sucks," he whispered hopelessly. "What?" Handel frowned in surprise, and the nurse next to him whispered something to him before he nodded, "Oh, that's right. You're still a little delirious, aren't you? After going through so much It's no wonder, it's understandable." "Yes," Troppel replied, and then covered his ears, letting Handel say anything, but he stopped listening.After a while, he barely got up and shook his legs on the side of the operating table. He was completely naked, which would have made him ashamed before, but now he didn't seem to care.

"Find me some clothes, please?" he demanded. "Since I'm back, I'd better do as the Romans do." Troppel found himself a triumphant hero, the center of attention and inexplicable adoration wherever he went.However, after careful consideration, he felt that this kind of worship was a bit awkward, completely beyond his expectations.What kind of hero does he imagine?For example, a long time ago, a strong man stood up and after a fierce fight, he finally killed the poisonous dragon that harmed one side. When he returned triumphantly, hey, good guy, the whole country was full of joy, and the people were grateful to him. Worshiping again, if there is a beautiful princess, and he even marries her as his wife, then that would be downright honorable.But what about me, Troppel, I killed an opponent who was many times more fierce and powerful than the dragons, what did I get?Carefully weighing the courtesy he received, he found that there was no element of gratitude in it.This is really outrageous.

He thought that the most he could get was the courtesy that a baseball star could get in a country where baseball is the national sport.He has achieved extraordinary achievements, which everyone recognizes, but they don't take it seriously.On the contrary, in some discussions, people even accused him.Charge 1. So far, nearly 90,000 former intelligent components have been rescued, most of whom have long since passed away and are helpless, becoming a burden on society; besides, the earth’s resources are already very limited. The consumption of some people must be exhausted. How will humans survive then?What can the great hero Troppel do with this?The second crime is that the differences and antagonisms between sheep and wolves have been reconciled and obliterated in the side-by-side battle, and now it does not make much sense to repeat the same old tune and provoke disputes between the two factions.Doesn't Troppel think this goes a little too far?Count three, although the pyramids have been wiped out, the future of mankind naturally looks bright.However, once the sun burns out, without the pyramids to ignite, how will Tropel provide Earth with a new sun?He has so many confusions and troubles, he needs to find someone who can understand him and talk to him.To his relief, it was not difficult to find a few such people to listen to him.He had a few friends whom he knew very well, and who he knew very well, and he did not feel lonely. The tormenting loneliness of youth was gone, and he was left behind forever.

For example, he could go to Handel.This man knows everything. He really went looking for it. Handel said to him: "A bit depressed, isn't it? Come on, what's not to be depressed, go to hell and forget it. This is life." He said with a sneer, "Anyway, we get rid of After clearing the pyramids, I can finally take a breath!" He continued, "Now a lot of waste is waiting to be done, and all kinds of industries are waiting to be promoted. Although there are still many difficulties, after all, I can plan slowly by myself. This planet is fettered in the quagmire, stagnant, It's been too long, hasn't it? Now it's our turn to be in power again! We'll get it right, I promise you, Troppel. You know, Troppel—" He grinned Laugh, "I'm only sorry for one thing."

"What's the matter?" Troppel asked cautiously. "Those precious atomic bombs we blew up! Oh, I know, you needed them, and I don't mean to blame you. But, look at the situation, it's a mess, there's trouble everywhere, lots of trouble, But we are helpless. Unless we have those intimidating and powerful weapons, it will be extremely difficult to eliminate chaos and restore order in this world." The words were not speculative, and Troppel quickly got up and left. What about Germin? How is he?If nothing else, Jermin was a good fighter.Troppel called on him, and at first they talked very well."I've been thinking about one thing, Troppel. I'm so glad you're here," said Germin, sending his wife to fetch something for the guests.She served snacks politely, stayed with her for a while, and then retreated gracefully.

As soon as she was gone, Troppel's chatter began.Just now when Madam was with her, the etiquette was too considerate, he was not used to it, so he couldn't speak freely.He said: "Let me tell you, Germin, I have begun to realize the problem of the mutation of human society itself. It is wrong to divide human beings into sheep and wolves. In fact, as a sheep, you behave like a wolf in battle Brave and tenacious—” Having said that, Troppel stopped suddenly, and he realized that the other party was not listening to him carefully.Jermyn's face twitched slightly, showing pain. "What's the matter?" Troppel asked eagerly. Germin looked at him, that weird self-contemptuous smile on his face again. "Wolf, wolf," he sighed, averting his gaze to the farthest distance, "to tell you the truth, Mr. Troppel, I know you think you're a wolf, but—by the way, I mentioned I have been thinking about a question, and I tell you, I am thinking about wolves. I tell you with all my heart, Mr. Troppel,” he said sincerely, “to force myself to pretend that I am a wolf to you. It won't do any good. You're no wolf, obviously. You may be able to fool us, but you can't fool yourself. I'll tell you what to do. When I learned that you were coming to visit, I had already invited several Respectable gentleman, let them come here tonight. I've told them what happened, and there will be no embarrassment. I just wish you could talk to them and set the record straight so you don't have The stigma of wolves is gone. Of course, times have changed, and maybe humans should have a more relaxed and free living environment, but you don’t want to—” Still not talking about speculation.He had no choice but to get up and leave, much earlier than he expected. There was only one person left who he knew well, and he had no choice but to find this person.This person was Gala Troppel, his former wife. Tropel noticed that Galla was getting thinner.They were relatively speechless and sat stiffly with each other, embarrassed.The deadlock was finally broken when Galla began to cry and Troppel got up to comfort her.Gala said very little, except for Troppel's voice: "It was just like a fairy, Gala! I swear, it was a feeling like no other. I mean, it was like—like mother just Like having a baby, like starting a fire, moving a mountain, or turning lead into bright gold... like I did all these things at the same time. Gala, you Maybe I don't believe it, but I am omnipresent and omnipotent! I fight the whole pyramid kingdom alone, you know? That's me! Now I'm back-" Listening to it, Gala looked like she was about to cry again.Troppel stopped quickly to comfort her, and at last continued: "No, Gala, you don't understand. I don't hold you in the slightest, and you were wise to leave me. What could I have given you then?" What? I have nothing but my body. Of course I still have nothing to lose, but—” As he spoke, he slammed his fist on the table. "They're talking about sending the Earth back to its original orbit!" he roared. "Why do we have to go back? How do we go back? My God, Gala, we don't even know where we are in the universe now, how can we go back?" Go? Maybe we can tinker with all the shit that the pyramids used to use and use them to turn the Earth back the way it came—but do any of us know what the original Sun looked like? I don't. I've never Haven't seen it. "Neither you nor anyone alive. "And the time I stayed on the symmetry star was like a fairy-" They also talked about going back to the original society and restoring all the original order. Wolf!sheep!Zazen, the cheapest stimulation among cheaps!Lust!Pure sensuality!Everything!In symmetry, I could see everything, but now I am a blind man!I was once a blazing circle of sparks, and now I'm just a man, a puny mortal, and nothing else, unless—" He stopped and stared at Gala, his eyes full of blankness. Gala met her husband's gaze and asked, "Unless what, Glenn?" Troppel shrugged and turned away, not daring to meet his wife's eyes. "Unless you go back to Symmetry again, don't you?" Gala said. Troppel turned around, acquiescing. Gala nodded and said word by word, "So you want to go back. You also want to go back to that nursing tank and float in it like a baby. You just don't want your own baby, you just want to be a baby." Alone." "Gala," he said, "you don't understand. There's a wonderful old man there, wise and witty, green and tentacled and dead; The human body already knows that the Green Man in the Milky Way has a soft spot for the Magellanic Cloud because there lives a trinity of symbionts. You see, the Green Man has realized—knows God. The Trinity symbiont is God! Eight human beings wanted to visit them. We also know that the Coalsack Nebula ① is not a dust cloud, but a hole in space. There are such races in the universe, and their entire history is to study and understand that hole Nature. Just imagine, for the eight human beings, how wonderful and moving the thought of this race should be—" He paused. "You must think I'm crazy," he said, "to the point of forgetting that I'm nothing more than a hairless biped. And being an animal, a little twitch at the neck of a gland is far more important than anything." 'The Magellanic Cloud Trinity Symbiont and Its Truth' is even more deadly. You may be right to think so, but what I'm going to do is get someone to reconnect me to the wiring system of the symmetrical star. I think I'll do it for If you take good care of the sun, you may be able to reverse the direction of the thrusters of the planetary system." [①A dark nebula in the constellation Southern Cross. ——Translator's Note. 】 Troppel didn't look back as he walked out of Gala's door.He knew that what he turned his back on was not only a woman who was his wife, but also the entire human race and all living beings in the world. He was going to leave them forever. Outside, it was dark and breezy, the beginning of autumn in the five-year solar cycle.The next cycle will be the era when Tropel participates in the reconstruction and management of the sun. He will guard the maintenance tank alone with the other seven, guarding the hearth of the earth, so that the fire will burn vigorously and never go out.He will definitely do a better job than Pyramid.He didn't dare to expect to be able to do this alone, but at least he could cast off his sinful body and get rid of the suffering in the world.Where were the other seven to be found?Of course it can't be found on this planet, no one here wants to.Standing alone on the street, looking up at the night sky, there are many stars in the sky, the stars in each constellation are born and died, and the stars move;This is the vast universe!Words are useless, words cannot express everything, explain everything.Of course he couldn't make Gala or others understand.The mortals of this world cannot comprehend the mind and spirit freed from the fetters of the flesh.child!Home!Eat, drink and sleep!All dirty and lowly animal instincts bound them tightly.Troppel was different.The distant starry sky is calling, who else can drag him into the rebellious journey of the world and continue to sink?He walked slowly down the dark street.He thought: A novice saint has refused martyrdom.There was nothing here that belonged to him anymore.Why still feel lost?Even this feeling is undeserved. He heard fate (or noble pride) call: "Someone has to give up earthly pleasures to be in charge of the earth's orbit and weather—why not you?" He also heard the warning from his ego (or his soul): "You will be alone, a poor orphan." He stopped.For a moment, he was at a loss, wandering between the call of the heaven and the retention of the earth... Suddenly, there was a rush of footsteps behind him, and someone ran towards him and shouted: "Glenn, wait a minute! I want to go with you!" At this moment, his determination was made. He turned around, paused, and quickly went on again. But this time he is not, and never will be, alone again.He already has a partner.There will be more to come, for sure!That circle of sparks will surely last forever, and will eventually burn into a raging prairie fire, lighting up another immortal star in the vast universe.Shine through the earth, shine through the world.