Chapter 59 Chapter nine
The screen gradually darkened, and after a while, another line of white preface appeared.
Lamia 【Lamia】
She is the daughter of Poseidon.Her beauty attracted the love of Zeus, but her child was killed by Zeus' wife Hera, and even she herself was cursed, becoming a monster who was jealous of other mothers and took their children away and swallowed them.
Then enter the video screen.A white family appeared on the screen. Two elementary school boys who looked like brothers and a little girl who had not yet entered elementary school were crowded together on the sofa in the living room, watching the camera shyly and playing.Then came the voice of what appeared to be the father with the video camera, speaking in Russian.The father let out a hearty laugh and filmed the scene of the three children playing. The two boys were finally willing to cooperate with the father's actions and started jumping and singing on the spring sofa, but the little girl next to them was still Very shy, she screamed and laughed as she ran away from the camera.The camera focused on the back of the little girl, and filmed her crawling across the back of the sofa and jumping to the other side, and then immediately turned the picture back to her brother who was singing... However, the younger sister who jumped to the back of the sofa did not stand up.The voice of a woman who has been standing by and laughing can be heard on the screen. "What's wrong?" The woman's laughter began to be mixed with anxiety.Hearing the mother's voice, the two brothers who were bouncing on the sofa also turned their heads. The father on the other side of the camera also stood up and walked to the back of the sofa to look for his sister, but only the bare floor was in the camera.My sister has long since disappeared.At this time, the father and brother were still laughing, the older boy let out an inexplicable cry, and the younger brother also laughed.The father's camera was pointed under the sofa like a hide-and-seek, but the sister didn't hide there either.
As the family became more and more anxious, the picture began to shake violently, and soon they fell into a state of collapse.At the end of the video, almost nothing is reflected in the frame. In the out-of-focus and unclear composition, I can hear the family members roaring at each other and the boy crying.
The girl just disappeared from the camera.
The portrait was interrupted, and the scene where the girl leaped over the back of the sofa was replayed again.This time, the girl's back is highlighted.
The little girl rolled over to the back of the sofa, but there was neither the sound of her feet hitting the ground nor the sound of her body hitting the ground.
That little girl just disappeared on the back of the sofa.
The screen stopped at the bottom of the empty sofa, and a line of Japanese subtitles was reflected below.
…This is what happened on November 13, 2006, when an ordinary family in Russia was filming a video of their life.The five-year-old girl in the picture - Anna Dmitribna Polazova suddenly disappeared without a trace, and her family has not been able to find out where she is until now.
The sudden disappearance of children aged four to eight began in the autumn of 2006.
That same winter, the phenomenon was officially named the Lamia phenomenon.
The screen slowly fades out.
The music starts.Messy melody.This is exactly the same method used by Hollywood suspense movies.As the trembling tones gradually intensified, and finally burst out with the headlines, my thoughts were strengthened.
The Lamia Phenomenon.
The Gregorian calendar year "2019" is added below the title. I think there may be more than one video of this kind, and there should be many similar works made before.The title gradually crumbles to the music and then disappears into the darkness of the background.Just like that Anna Dmitribna Polazova just disappeared behind the sofa, without a sound.
Immediately afterwards, the music changed to a steady and comforting melody.
What appeared on the screen this time was a photo of a Japanese girl, who seemed to be about the same size as the top, with black bangs fixed with a hairpin decorated with flowers, and a bright smile.
"My daughter's name is Jiaxiang. When she was born in Nishixiao Town, Fukui Prefecture, she weighed 3,200 grams. Her eyes look exactly like my father-in-law, Jiaxiang's grandfather. She was in our family She grew up slowly under the love of her mother. The child was not troublesome at all, and rarely cried at night. She happily drank her mother's milk and grew up healthily. But unfortunately, she was infected with measles when she was one and a half years old. , There were also complications of viral encephalitis, constant convulsions and vomiting, and even fell into a critical state at one point, my father, me, and all family members were crying and praying for her..."
A figure who appears to be Jiaxiang's mother appears on the screen, and begins to show her daughter's photos in conjunction with the narration.The appearance of the baby, the family portrait surrounded by the daughter, the close-up of the half-old man holding the granddaughter, and the little girl lying in the emergency ward of the hospital, connected to the ventilator.
"Fortunately, Jiaxiang's condition finally improved, but although her life was saved, she suffered from symptomatic epilepsy due to sequelae. She had four seizures when she was two years old and one seizure when she was three years old. The period from four to six years old has become very stable. Although the doctor said that we will continue to observe for a few more years, our family is very happy for Jiaxiang's recovery, and I am also relieved from the bottom of my heart .”
A video of a little girl sleeping on the bed appeared again behind the woman.It seemed that she was in her own room, surrounded by family members.The girl was not covered with a quilt, but was lying on the bed with all her clothes on.The one who is stroking the girl's cheek is the girl's mother standing in front of the picture and acting as a narrator. In the picture inside the picture, she said: "Jiaxiang, it's all right. This time my brother happened to be standing by the side, and the girl fell down. Jiaxiang caught it steadily. So it didn't hit the head or hit any part of the body." The camera turned to the side, and a boy who looked like a middle school student made a triumphant gesture.Everyone laughed.When the family members around her took turns to comfort her, the girl finally woke up. "Ah...ahhaha. What's wrong? Is Jiaxiang asleep?" The breathless people laughed again. "Good morning, Jiaxiang." "Did you sleep well?" "Ahaha. Jiaxiang, I took a video for you, and I'll show you later."
The camera closes in on the girl who is sitting on the bed and smiling shyly, and there is hardly anyone else in the next picture, only the girl laughing happily surrounded by her family.She opened the window to blow the wind in the driving car, squatted on the beach and chased the drifting shells with her fingertips.At night, amidst the crowds at the temple fair and the sound of sacrificial music, she sat on what appeared to be her father's shoulders, pulling his hair playfully. "Hey, it hurts, it hurts, Jiaxiang." Hahaha... Then the picture freezes, holding the snowball in her bare hands while licking the side face of her little hands that are itchy from the cold, next to the picture, Her mother looked at this side again and said: "Jiaxiang entered the shelter on the second day of her third birthday in 2015 and began a difficult refuge life. Although she was disturbed, she passed it very safely. For four full years. However, just this year, in March 2019, she was suddenly snatched away by a mysterious person. Because she will be going to primary school in April, her father will come in once a month During a short outing, I decided to take her to buy some things for school. Of course, the father of the child was very careful and held his daughter's hand all the time... But, the daughter disappeared in his hands. Our family did not stop at the beginning. He blamed the father for being in a state of confusion, but he really held his daughter's hand all the time and never let go. We also confirmed this in the data from the surveillance cameras in the shopping mall."
The scene cuts to camera footage monitoring one of the department store's aisles.The father could be seen among the shoppers holding his daughter's hand.There is no narration, but you can see that there are three men who look like security guards standing beside the two people, and they all look at the surrounding situation very seriously.The father holds a shopping bag in his left hand and holds his daughter tightly in his right hand.They were looking at each other's faces and smiling.At that moment, the daughter's figure suddenly disappeared.Father couldn't help but stare at the palm of his hand...he didn't even have time to be surprised.
"Just under the nose... The daughter was taken away from him. The father blamed himself for this, and even tried to commit suicide three times. He still needs to be monitored for 24 hours and receive treatment from a psychiatrist. Because the lovely Our daughter was taken away. We seem to have lost an important concern... We are still in pain. But we still firmly believe that our daughter will definitely return to this family. Please... If you are watching the video, you are taken away Jiaxiang people, or people who know about it, please return Jiaxiang to us. She is very gentle, strong, and a smart and good girl. As long as you look into Jiaxiang's eyes carefully, you will understand This point. Jiaxiang has the right to stay with her biological parents and live a happy life. I don’t want to claim any rights over me and her father here. All power is in your hands, and everything will be decided by you .We are willing to hand over all the power to you. But, please listen to our request carefully and contact us immediately. We will definitely not hold you accountable, and we are willing to provide 275 million yen as Thank you. Even if you are a kidnapper pretending to be the "Lamia phenomenon" to commit crimes, we will not file any lawsuits. You can take the two hundred and seventy-five million yen and return to your normal life And, you must know that the same thing has happened before? Neither the police nor the judiciary, nor the public institutions nor all civic groups will condemn you in any way, nor will they It goes to the law. You just need to return Jiaxiang to us...or even tell us where she is. If it is really inconvenient, just release Jiaxiang. Tell us, and we will give you 275 million yen in two hundred and seventy-five million yen at your command. If 275 million yen is not enough, the 'World My Love My Parents Association Mutual Fund "I will also send you the amount or items you requested. I am just a weak mother. All power and decision-making power are in your hands. And, I also firmly believe in the goodwill in your heart. Please send Give us back your daughter, this is the best way to show your strength."
Behind the begging mother, next to the close-up of the daughter's face, there is another picture of the kidnapper accepting the "gift money".There are also subtitles on it, it seems that even if the abduction itself is a scam, the criminal will not be arrested, let alone be asked to return the ransom paid by the Foundation.Even the mansions and companies that the criminals bought with ransom, as well as their own smiles, were openly made public to the public.The picture also shows the family members of the victim having an outdoor barbecue with the kidnapper.There are also children laughing in the arms of the kidnappers.On the yacht purchased with "gift money", the kidnapper group and the "Parents Club" group raised beer bottles to salute the camera...
Although I thought in my heart that this must have been pre-arranged for the filming of this work, I immediately remembered what JJ said just now.Anyway, in the past ten years, the human mood has obviously become more peaceful.Now the world has become bright and cheerful, happy and full of taste.Maybe these things are really possible to happen in this world.It was really peaceful and everyone was smiling.
...but are they really happy?Is this called tasteful?
But I just feel that all this is just a pretense to cover up the strong fear and anxiety in their hearts.
In the end, words and numbers that appeared to be the contact information of the "Parents Association" appeared on the screen, and then another child's mother and father appeared together, and again began to call the child's name again and again, and begged the criminal.
"The following content is a bit boring, let's skip it." Saying that, JJ leaned forward to operate the machine on the desk. "No, don't jump over." I stopped.
"Really? But since you want to watch it, I don't care... Anyway, this is just a short film of less than an hour. I have time to accompany you. Are you really in a hurry?"
I just need to adjust the time when I go back to the Princeton Hotel to find Mercury C... Thinking of this, another voice rang in my head.That's what another "I" I met in Pineapple House said.Let's dance, disco detective.As soon as possible.Now you don't have the luxury of having your legs go weak with fear.
What am I in a hurry for?
Don't even think about it.Because I already know it.
The instant abduction of a child.This is something that people who can travel through time and space can do, and they cannot profit from it...
"I did this... abduction of children?"
The parents had finished their pleading just now, and the screen changed to another round of introduction to the child. I fixed my eyes on the screen and asked JJ intently.
As I asked, a question mark appeared in my mind.Had I given up searching for missing children and turned into one who kidnaps and hides them?
JJ didn't speak, just manipulated the machine on the desk, skipped a few subjects directly, and after the pleas of the six families whose children were taken away, a huge close-up of me suddenly appeared.
That is the "future me".
And it is older than the "future me" I saw in Fengliju just now, and I am already aged.From which era did he travel through... It looks like he is already in his sixties. "I" had thin cheeks and sunken eyes deeply into their sockets.But still wrinkled his face and smiled at the camera.
The verification of my identity begins in the video.But my confused mind could no longer hear the voice of the narrator.
That is the image of the six-year-old "Jiaxiang" who first appeared in the department store when it disappeared.But this time, it was replaced by a surveillance camera from another angle. It was three consecutive still pictures. First, the father and daughter holding hands appeared in the corner of the picture; That is "I"; in the third picture, "I" and the girl have disappeared at the same time.The father, who stretched his hand into the void, looked at the space after his daughter disappeared, before his expression changed.Then, the screen returned to the second picture. The "I" on it seems to have known the existence of the surveillance camera, not only turned around and stared at this side... but also held a piece of white square drawing paper in his hand, There is such a sentence written on it: THE WORLD IS MADE OUT OF CLOSED ROOMS.
Ok?I can't help thinking. What exactly is "I" talking about?
The "future me" is smiling at the camera, and the other hand, which was not seen in the close-up of the face just now, gave a thumbs up...Why is "I" so happy?
The screen switched, and a fat, unshaven literary critic appeared.
"This is the English title of a mystery novel published by Ehimegawa Shisan in 1996. The Japanese title of this novel is "The World Is Made of Secret Chambers". This is after Ehimegawa's debut novel "Chimney After Lombaba Unexplainable, the seventh of twelve works in the Detective Lombaba series. The story tells the story of a self-proclaimed 'locked room billionaire' who publicly declares that he will kill a billion people in a locked room within ten years , people were in such a panic because of this declaration that they were unwilling to enter any buildings or even go back to their homes. But even so, these people kept being caught and killed in the back room. It should be called the back room of the chase 'This is the pioneering work of this writing method. Ahaha, although this is not a funny thing. But in terms of content, it is just a mystery novel that uses the method of killing people in a secret room. The plot is similar to what is happening now. The Mia phenomenon is not directly related, but I think there are still several important parts worth pointing out. First, for example, the abduction in a department store just now, we can think that the case was surrounded by customers and surrounded by many people. It happened in the state of the secret room under the surrounding view. In other words, it is the "secret room of sight" and "secret room of the crowd". "In this novel, almost half of the secret room traps use this kind of situation where everyone looks around. As for whether this trap can be applied to the Lamia phenomenon this time, a large number of researchers are currently conducting investigations to confirm work, but the possibility should be quite low. After all, it was written 23 years ago before the transition of Pineapple House, so the author's concept of time and space should be very old at that time, and what's more, in this girl abduction incident There was no trace of a trap being used. It was just a villain who took someone else's daughter from her father."
Then, a close-up of "I" appeared on the screen.
"Moreover, I have heard some rumors about the real identity of this white man who seems to be involved in Jiaxiang's abduction. It is said that he is none other than the person connected to the Pineapple House incident. I think everyone already knows , in the Pineapple House incident, the 31 detectives and troupe members who participated in it mysteriously disappeared at last, and were declared dead in 2013. The rumor I heard is that one of them The character is very similar to the mysterious man we photographed on the screen. That man’s name is Disco Wednesday. Mr. Wednesday, who happened to be living in Japan when the Pineapple House incident happened, is a missing children detective by profession... To put it simply, it is People who search for abducted and missing children as their profession, and the detective who rescued him in Japan at that time seems to be the one who received the original experience of Yasao.”
The smile of the "future me" gradually approached the screen, and then the camera turned, and the current me appeared next to it.
This photo is familiar to me, it is the ID photo in my passport.But the "future me" is much older and haggard compared to that photo. Although he is smiling, his eyes and expression are very fierce, making it impossible to see what he has in common with that photo. The resemblance... though, an expert would surely be able to spot it.
"According to the confirmation of the Metropolitan Police Department's scientific investigator and doctor of physiognomy, who are responsible for restoring the face of the deceased from the human skull, the possibility that these two people are the same person is very high."
The scene turned to the smug face of the literary critic.
I remembered what JJ said.Moreover, the research and development direction of many enterprises has also undergone tremendous changes.Everyone has called linguists or writers from all over the world to the laboratory in the company to conduct various experiments on language.It seems that in this era, the authority of speech has surpassed any other field.So even when discussing crimes, these guys can come out with a high-sounding voice and express their opinions.
"Also, I don't think I need to point out this point. Fengliju is the death scene of the writer Ehime Chuan Shisan, who later became the dark hospital. This explains why the man on the screen deliberately showed The piece of paper with the title "The World Is Made of Chambers of Secrets" is of course to show his origin. Moreover, if this mysterious man is really the missing children detective Disco Wednesday, then he can be called The modern Pied Piper. Before it was widely believed that the Lamia phenomenon was a crime committed by a group or any individual who favored children's mental health, but now that this mysterious man appears, the definition of criminals should perhaps be revised Alright."
I listened to the story of the fat host who used the sound of the flute to exterminate rats in the town, but got angry because he couldn't get the agreed reward, and then used the sound of the flute to control the children in the town. Story, I can't help laughing at the self-contradiction of his metaphor.I will not take away other people's children for revenge.
However, my smile disappeared immediately.
Is this true, am I really not outraged and outraged by this future state of affairs?
...I'm sure I'd be pissed.Everyone here is eating away at children's bodies and minds, and building a whole world on top of them.Order here is maintained at the expense of all children.
So when I snatch children from this world, it's impossible not to have anger mixed in with them.
Humph.Let me just admit the "Piper of Hameln" analogy, I thought.It doesn't matter what name you give me, no matter how many people spurn me, no matter how deep loneliness I fall into, it doesn't matter, I don't care about those things at all when I am angry.
The literary critic continued: "And the title "The World Is Made of Chambers" itself is full of hints. It just perfectly explains the fact that young children have to hide in shelters in order to avoid the Lamia phenomenon." The severe situation that modern people are facing. And in this mystery novel, the one who opens the secret room must be the detective. According to the interpretation of this plot, another intention of the mysterious man to show the title of the novel is probably to boldly declare that he, the detective, will Solve the modern-day mystery of the Chamber of Secrets and claim the children who hide within."
Although it is true that I am a detective, so far I have experienced some tough guy plots, and I have never seen any secret room traps at all. I have never read any novels written by Saburo Mitamura.
However, "future me" deliberately showed the piece of paper in front of the camera lens.
No, maybe it was because I saw this video at this time that I deliberately appeared in the department store for this moment, and then deliberately showed that piece of paper, right?Is this also an endless loop without beginning that occurs in the half of history?The perception of the result becomes the root cause of the action instead...
After the literary critic exited, the narrator began to speak again.
Survivors of the Fengliju incident described this mysterious man in the surveillance video.
A line of captions appeared on the chest of a new man, but I didn't need to read that.That man was Hester, and aged thirteen years in a perfectly normal way, and I was relieved.
"Mr. Wednesday? I don't think so. Although the shape of the face seems to have such a feeling, it is only an angle after all. For example, if you want to judge the depth of a cube from a single side, if you don't control the angle well Very difficult. Especially in this photo, the entire front is aimed at the camera, so the height and depth of the bridge of the nose, the line of the jaw, the shape of the back of the head and many other places are not captured. If you look at it from the side, it is very likely that it is completely different from Mr. Wednesday, isn't it?"
Someone outside the screen seemed to be interviewing him, a female voice sounded, and the subtitles also appeared at the same time.
"But on the positive side, there is a similar feeling to Wednesday, right?"
"No, I don't think it's absolutely similar."
"But the experts in physiognomy said..."
"Is that someone who has never met Mr. Wednesday himself? I have been staying with Mr. Wednesday in Fengliju, and we have such a good relationship that we can be called friends."
Oh, I couldn't help laughing out.Who is your friend.But I also understand that Chu Douhai said that to protect me.
"Besides, isn't Mr. Wednesday only forty-eight years old this year? The person in this photo looks completely old."
The camera left the slightly impulsive Chuyouhai, and began to shoot the room where Douhai was located... A large number of books overflowed from the bookshelves, and the parts that could not be stuffed into the bookshelves covered the entire floor, piled high, even It also covered the coffee table and desk, and the occasional small gaps were filled with mugs and small plates, as well as various plastic tableware... It seemed that the leftovers were still left on it.This is completely different from the young and bright Chu Douhai in Fengliju. His current life looks dirty, messy and shabby, but of course this is just a composition deliberately created by the camera to leave this impression.
The reporter then asked questions.
"Mr. Izumi, may I ask if you are still working in the name of a detective?"
"...Since the Pineapple House incident, famous detectives have disappeared from this world. Whether it is a person who has the qualifications of a famous detective or a person who writes a mystery novel, everyone is now engaged in the post-Pineapple House business...and this era also There is no need for a detective anymore. After all, in this world, murders in closed rooms and making alibi are no longer established."
"There is no secret room to kill... Then, the message this man showed us, "The world is made up of secret rooms", what do you think about it?"
"That should be irony, right?" Chu Douhai himself showed a rather sarcastic smile after finishing speaking. "In this self-styled world where no different opinions can arise and creativity is completely lost, although the secret rooms in mystery novels have disappeared, people's feelings and hearts, thoughts and values have been sealed instead, forming a new secret room. The people in the photo are probably satirizing this grim fact."
"Modern human beings have become a secret room for walking...that's how it is. However, after the birth of the most noble, most reasonable, and able to serve the most people, the growth of thinking is temporarily stopped, and new and better thoughts Before it appears, is it not the right way to survive by gathering the power of all mankind to protect the vested achievements?"
"There has never been an example to prove that stopping thinking is the right choice. Human beings should keep making new thinking and trying new creations."
"Even if that behavior would cause damage to the existing perfect world?"
"Exactly. We have to be brave enough to break what's in place."
"Isn't your idea an outright terrorism against the existing order of thought?"
"Trying to regulate people's thinking with order is real terrorism."
"Could a good order have an adverse effect on something?"
"In the past, the rule of speech and ideological management have always been the object of criticism."
"Because that era could not achieve complete rule and management, right? That kind of thinking should no longer be applicable in today's era when the whole world spontaneously obeys a unified order. I think people should not bring up this kind of outdated The idea is to take advantage of people's unpreparedness to incite others. About this, what do you think?"
When I was going out to tease the sea and was about to make an impulsive speech, the camera switched, and a half-aged man appeared next... This man looked very familiar to me, but I couldn't remember where I saw him... Subtitles Appeared:
Taxi driver Kosuke Iwasaki
"Yes, I sent him to the gate of Fengliju. It was from the hotel run by the town at that time, that's right."
Ahh, I remembered.He is the uncle driver who advised me and Mercury C not to go to places like Fengliju, just find something delicious, and go back after playing in the town.The uncle in front of him has already carved thirteen years on his face.
Iwasaki also watched the same video at the reporter's request. "Oh oh. Ah, I miss it so much. Although it is true that they are similar. But I am just a driver in the country and rarely meet foreigners, so I think they all look similar."
Ah, haha, Iwasaki laughed, and the reporter said to him: "This is a very important matter, so please answer seriously. Even if you are not sure, but you still think this person is Mr. Disco Wednesday, right? Please tell me It’s okay to express your own personal opinion.”
"If it's a personal opinion, I don't think it's him. Anyway, you're just trying to say bad things about him, aren't you? But I want to tell you, I think what this person is doing is very legitimate. I even think that if As long as this person is really that detective. Isn’t it reasonable to protect children because you like them.”
"But the real relatives of the child..."
"He doesn't need to think about these parents today. Anyway, no one has a so-called moral heart anymore, at least in our opinion."
"...Iwasaki-san, your son and daughter-in-law overcame cancer the year before last, right?"
"Oh. But that's just the thinking of young people. Lifespan has become more and more complicated recently. Should I try my best to live as long as possible, or let nature take its course like before... ..."
"In a few decades, the concept of longevity will disappear."
"Hmph, anyway, I'm already dead at that time, and that's none of my business. I will still choose my own way of death, and I will ask my children to watch carefully."
"Don't you want to watch your children and grandchildren grow up? And grandson's children and his children. Don't you feel worried about what will happen to your offspring?"
"Parents have completed their task as long as they bring up their children, and grandchildren are their reward in life. It would be a miracle if they could still see their great-grandchildren."
"No, no matter whether it is a grandson or a great-grandson, you can now watch them be born and grow up with them. And, I think your grandsons and great-grandchildren will also feel sad for losing their grandpa."
"It is enough for them to be willing to grieve for me. A person can finally die of old age naturally, which is the happiest thing. Even if he dies in pain, it is a special gift from life. It is the same as children and grandchildren. As long as it is What you get in life, whether it is happiness or sadness, or even hardship, is something to be grateful for. It is also a good thing that a person will always experience sadness.”
"But isn't that the same as giving up life... There is even a feeling of self-destruction. Besides, don't you think that this will disappoint the love of the people around you?"
"The love of those around you that you talk about is self-willed for us."
"What the man who took so many children did should be called capricious, shouldn't it?"
"I said... people's beliefs and willfulness are completely different, right?"
I stared intently at this interview, which was as off-topic as the previous one, but JJ said with a sigh: "Look, in fact, people like the old famous detective and taxi driver are still not here. A few, almost all Japanese people hold this kind of stubborn thinking. To be precise, it should be called the concept of life and death... It is really a country of samurai, so it is not for nothing. They all want to die so much, because With this so-called outlook on life and death, my company can’t make any achievements in Japan, so I personally went to Japan to sit in charge. In order to bring vitality, vitality and hope for the future to the Japanese.”
I felt a strong sense of disobedience to what JJ said, but I still let him continue... Most importantly, what the reporter outside the screen said to the uncle taxi driver next, I didn’t understand it at all. Understand what it means.
"The so-called belief should be a peaceful thought held by an individual and something that can have a good influence on others, isn't it? However, this mysterious man and the organization behind him have triggered the Lamia phenomenon since the fall of 2006. Since the worldwide spread, nearly 300 million children have been taken from the world. This is more than twice the population of Japan in 2006. And considering that a child has at least two close relatives, as well as his parents At least 1.8 billion parents have been thrown into the bottom of grief and pain."
300 million people?She said I stole 300 million children...
"Ah, haha." JJ laughed beside me. "Obviously it's what I did, why should I be surprised like that, just kidding. After all, you haven't started doing it, you must be surprised, right? Now you understand why I want to tear you apart, but at the same time I respect you from the bottom of my heart, right? It’s amazing. In the first two years, I really couldn’t find any children I could use, and you snatched 80% of them. To be honest, there was a time when my company was still Almost went bankrupt. But I was warned by the Black Swan people back in 2006 that you would be my hindrance. And they also said that once the summer is over, I will never have a chance to get rid of you That's why I panicked and started looking for you all over the world, but I really didn't expect you to go to Japan. I wanted to say that if you kill all your family members, you might be able to lure you out of the cave, but I checked It took a long time to find out that you were an orphan. I accidentally killed my old sister when I was chasing you. It was too bad. After the company’s situation stabilized and it started to make money, I also asked people from the Black Swan Company带我到你所在的地方，大概把你干掉了有七次吧。虽然知道自己再怎么杀也是徒劳无功。你肯定不记得，不对，你肯定不知道还有这回事吧？我为了干掉你可是无所不用其极哦……先让你眼睁睁看着自己的朋友一个一个都被切掉脑袋，然后再把你给吊死啦，或者把你好不容易找回来的小孩分成碎块。不过真正过分的应该是黑天鹅的那帮人啊。他们不仅知道我会因为你的百般阻挠而事倍功半，而且还知道我的公司到最后还是会重振雄风。所以才会想尽办法煽动我，让我花了一大笔钱参加干掉迪斯科之旅不是吗？我长这么大还是第一次被人宰得这么厉害啊。不过反正我只注重结果，也出了一口闷气，现在已经无所谓了。”
被杀了七回？me?
拐走三亿儿童，被干掉七次，面对这一连串的数字，我好长一段时间都没能理解其中含义。
现在我的脑袋已经变得像被遗弃在沙漠中半截人士的中式火锅盆了……又硬又热又干，张着一个大口动弹不得……无法做出任何思考。
但这是不行的，现在不是被击垮的时候。我再次用手抵住脑袋，双眉紧皱。
think!
明明被JJ干掉了七次，“我”还是能拿着那张意义不明的标语牌出现在视频里，这说明我的死是发生在时空对折之前的事情。而那个所谓的“对折”就是“二〇〇六年七月十五日二十三时二十六分”，我正是从那个“七月十五日”穿越过来的。如果我不是即将在“对折”前夕在“另一边”被杀死七次的话，那就意味着我之前已经死过好几次了，可是我对此却没有一点记忆。我身体上会不会留下什么痕迹呢？明明是发生在自己身上的事情，真的有可能不留下任何记忆或记录吗？我拼了老命回想自己的死，但却没有半点线索。甚至无法很好地想象自己的死状。明明已经死过了……但我已经死去的事实却也像八极手上那张复印纸一样“咻”地消失在了半空。
在自己的作用力从对折点的另一边抽离的瞬间，造成的影响也会随之消失……没想到我竟然被这个定律给拯救了。而且是七次。
还有三亿人！
如果要在十三年之内拐走三亿人，那我一年就必须拐走两千三百万人。而且孩子们还都被警惕的家人们藏了起来……究竟要有多大规模的组织才能做到这种事情呢？究竟要召集多少能够穿越时空的人来完成这一壮举呢？
我转念一想，本来在我身边知道时空能够被穿越的人，应该只有进入了凤梨居的名侦探和剧团成员们。而且，他们也跟我一样，在二〇〇六年的夏天失去了踪迹。
That's right.如果我有同伙的话，肯定就是他们了。除此之外别无可能。
我又想起来到凤梨居的未来的“我”那个样子。“我”之所以会露出那个心灰意冷的表情也不奇怪吧，因为他已经清楚知道了自己和这个世界的未来。还有跟“我”一起出现的那个未来的“水星C”说的那些话。那家伙当时高声大笑着说道：哇哈哈哈哈哈哈！在终结时刻到来之前谁也不准离开这个瓦尔哈拉的殿堂！原来我们是这样强迫那些名侦探入伙的啊……
如果那三十一个人包含了水星C在内的话，大概可以一年拐走两千三百万个孩子吧？那可是每天诱拐六万人以上啊……不过或许可以通过名侦探们的关系网召集到更多值得信赖的伙伴吧。毕竟他们好歹也算是一群天才了。可是，不管召集到多少人，按照一般的方法也是不可能做到三亿人这个境界的，届时恐怕要将人员分队，组成寻找孩子和诱拐孩子的两支队伍，另外还需要一支队伍将诱拐来的孩子藏匿起来，而且这三支队伍都必须找到各自最有效的工作方法……可是在此之前，我还需要一个藏匿孩子的场所。
直到二〇一九年都还没有孩子被交还，这就意味着那三亿人全都被藏在了某个地方……究竟什么地方能有这么大一块土地呢？那起码要有人挤人的东京的三十倍那么大吧。
不，这根本不是普通的诱拐。抢走那些孩子的毕竟是我们这帮可以自由操纵空间的人，所以收容孩子们的场所应该不成问题吧。只要找到一小块地方，将其扩大就可以了。虽说如此，要容纳整整三亿个小孩子，应该要把空间扩大到相当惊人的地步吧。还有，藏匿起来的小孩子由谁照顾？想到这里，我忍不住摇摇头。
啊啊，那也不对。我现在还没习惯穿越时空，一不小心就套用了以往的诱拐模式。如果能够穿越时空，我就能把十三年压缩到一瞬间。只要像我待会儿回到普林斯顿酒店找水星C的时候一样，对时间做出调整就可以了。甚至没有必要找地方暂时藏匿诱拐来的儿童。如果最后要还给家人的话，只要在夺走孩子以后马上前往预定的日期和时间就可以了。
可是实际上，直到二〇一九年，“我”都从未归还过这十三年间夺走的任何一个孩子……明明可以把孩子送到诱拐之后不久的时间还给家人，但“我”至今仍未这么做。我觉得“我”应该不会希望孩子的亲人陷入痛苦之中，但即便如此我依旧没有归还孩子，那大概是因为JJ的胜利吧。
梢式已经席卷全球了。
我们已经输了这场战斗……并且就要开始输了。
或许我曾经让JJ痛苦得甚至满世界追杀我……即使明知道没有意义也要七次把我杀死。但那充其量只是让JJ一个人感到了某种程度的焦躁，最终结果还是只要再过十年，JJ的公司就会扩张成为年营业额三百兆日元，足以掌控世界的大集团。每年还是会有七百万个孩子遭受虐待。虽说本来没有机会出生，但还是会有数千万的胎儿被夺去肉体。
我们所做的一切都是徒劳的，所有这一切都是无结果无价值无意义的。虽然JJ和这个公司的人都口口声声说十分尊敬我，但那都只是半带怜悯的嘲讽罢了。
……可是，无论自己被这种如同背负了整个大佛殿一般深重的绝望感打击得多么沮丧，我都非常清楚，自己一定会站出来，开始世界范围地诱拐孩子。
那就是我的未来，也是我的选择。
因为之前出逗海和出租车大叔都做出了拥护我的发言，恐怕是为了取得平衡吧，眼前的视频从刚才开始就一直持续着批判我的“全世界人民的声音”。就在大家齐齐责骂我的伪善和毫无道理，只会一味地扩大悲伤时，我想到了一个问题要问JJ． .
“你该不会对除我之外的别人的父母也施加了危害吧？”
这家伙之所以要满世界找“我”，并不仅仅是为了将我斩草除根，恐怕也是为了要“我”交出藏匿起来的孩子吧。这样一来，他应该也不会放过跟我一伙的那些名侦探和天使兔团员们。
可是JJ却耸了耸肩，说：“没有啦。你是指凤梨居三十一人是吧？虽然媒体报道说他们都失踪了，其实是你趁我出手之前，先把他们杀了封口吧？”
I see. JJ原来是这样理解的啊，那我更加不该多说废话了，于是我尽量保持表情不变，暗自抹去心中的冷汗。然后又想起了回到风梨居的那个未来的“水星C”的话。
别想逃跑哦。谁敢逃出这里半步，我见一个杀一个。
如果他们知道了自己未来的命运，并因此陷入恐慌之中的话，水星C应该不会真的把他们杀了吧？
“被你偷走的那些孩子……不，看到你即将偷走的孩子们的双亲的脸，你莫不是感到害怕了？”JJ问我，“虽然你的表情看起来很冷静。可是，难道你真的就对双亲的心情不管不顾了吗？”
这白痴知道自己在说什么吗，我心想。“以虐待孩子为生的你还有资格说这个吗？”
JJ却叹了一口气说：“都说了那些虐待不算什么啦。虽然当时还是会有些痛苦啦，不过反正马上就会忘记了。而且黑天鹅的那帮人技术也越来越好了啊，现在已经不会花这么多时间了……”
“那不就说明他们做的事情越来越令人发指了吗？！”
“……呃，虽然有可能是那样吧。不过算了。反正跟你说什么都没用的，毕竟我们的时代、文化和价值观都完全不同。我现在能做的就是在这里尽量改变你的心意。虽然你已经诱拐了三亿个孩子，但本来可以拐走十亿人的，可能是多亏了我的努力，才让那个数字减少到了三亿。不过就算你真的掳走了十亿人，我也绝对会想尽办法超越你的，这跟做不做生意完全是两码事。所以拜托了，请你做事情的时候考虑一下孩子父母的心情吧。我现在也已经结婚生子了，所以真的非常理解那些孩子被夺走的父母的心情啊。”
话说回来，他刚才说自己加入日本国籍了。“你真的有孩子了？”
“是啊。男孩子。”
“那母亲呢？莫非你夫人是日本人吗？”
“不，她也是美国人。待会儿她会来跟你打招呼的……你看，现在是特别信息的时候了迪斯科，你给我好好看着哦。”
说着，JJ用下巴指了指屏幕，我把视线转回视频的画面上。
画面上映出的是一对年轻的、貌似情侣的男女，女孩子那一方为了躲避摄像机，正在转身快步离去，但我已经知道那是谁了。
是梢。
镜头里的梢跟“十七岁的梢的心意”进入梢体内后变化出来的脸形和背影几乎一模一样，但发型和服装都略显成熟，看来她也好好地长大了两岁。这里是二〇一九年，那她应该是十九岁吧。
背后的摄像机一直绕着住宅小区追在她身后纠缠不休，但她根本不回头，目不转睛地看着前方，非常简洁地回答着在编辑影片时被剪掉的问题。
“我当时还是小孩子，记不住这么多事情。”
“就算你把照片拿给我我也不知道。我没什么好说的。”
“我觉得孩子被夺走的父亲和母亲很可怜，所以希望他尽早把孩子们还回来。”
“如果是我所了解的迪斯科，应该不会做那种事情。那应该是别人吧？”
“哎呀，哈哈哈。”JJ好像笑得非常高兴。“被说了被说了，你被可爱的梢说了。'我所了解的迪斯科应该不会做那种事情'！你现在知道自己所做的一切有多么冲动多么违背良心了吧？喂，刚才那个怎么样？！”
跟梢在一起的那个貌似她男朋友的男孩子虽然是日本人，但长得却和我有点像，所以我还是暗自欣喜了一下。那个男孩子不停地插入梢和摄像机之间，试图保护梢。大概是为了避免在周围人群的注目中引发更大的骚动吧，他既没有表现出兴奋的样子，也没有破口大骂，同样也没有怒视摄像机，只是一味地陪伴在梢身边，与她并肩同行。我喜欢的人头脑很好，但是个恶魔般的人。虽然他看上去很温柔，其实一点都不，用冷淡都无法形容他，简直是极寒，是北极暴风雪，有时候，他会让我感慨人类真可怕。虽然梢本人是这么说的，不过我还是觉得那只是个普通的男孩子。虽然看上去确实板着一张脸，而且还有着跟年龄不相符的冷静，但还是属于那种到处都能见到的普通男孩……虽然她现在这个男朋友可能跟十七岁时的男朋友不是一个人，但自从她变成井上梢以后，就一直作为一个随处可见的普通女孩，抱着女孩子常有的心事普通地成长着，所以那也有可能是她略显夸张的说法而已吧。
大概是再也忍受不了记者的纠缠了吧，梢终于转过脸来，对着摄像机生气地说：“那已经是很久以前的事了，跟我完全没有关系。为什么到现在还要来找我麻烦，真是的……要是从来没有认识过迪斯科就好了。”
紧接着，她眼中含泪地离开了，但摄像头已经对准了她被男朋友抱着肩膀离去的背影，目送他们渐行渐远。
虽然梢似乎因为自己说的话而受到了伤害，但她说得确实没错。
“哦呵呵呵呵呵，”JJ再次发出欢呼声：“好痛好痛好痛！迪斯科，这下你受不了了，对吧！坚持违背世间伦理的行为最终会让你孤独终老哦，你看现在不是已经被非常重要的人抛弃了吗！多为别人想想吧，至少也要为小梢着想啊！”
在梢跟她的男朋友消失在镜头中的前一刻，画面再度变暗，字幕又出现了。
据称，这位原本名叫“山岸梢”的女性打算一辈子都不与任何人发生性关系。
现在，因为害怕拉米亚现象而拒绝与恋人或丈夫发生性关系的女性数量出现了世界性的急剧增加。
如果低出生率一直持续下去，到二〇八〇年前后，新出现的生命将仅够维持特定的一百亿人的永远生存。专家预测，人类历史将就此停止。
这个充满了离题和脱线的，甚至连结构都不怎么样的视频终于结束，开始放映制作人员列表时，JJ关掉了视频。
“太厉害了，迪斯科，这次又是从另外一个意义上说的哦。”JJ笑着说，“终结人类历史的男人。只要没有你的存在，史泰龙公司和黑天鹅公司就能不断维持人类的扩大和精炼，最终迎来光辉的未来哦。好了，你觉得怎么样？假装正义的伙伴潜入罪恶的大本营，然后被鉴定为世界最邪恶人士，你的感觉如何？”
我的感觉？
当然很糟糕。我不得不拼命忍住恶心，全身的力气就好像从倾倒的铁桶里流出来的泥浆一样消失得无影无踪，全身发软站都站不起来，甚至连腰都直不起来。可是同时也开始感到某种舒畅。觉得自己要是能把这样的未来破坏掉，那简直再好不过了。何止如此，我甚至觉得这样的人类全部灭绝掉最好了。把孩子们……毫不夸张地说，把孩子们践踏在脚下，以此获得繁荣的世界，我巴不得早点把它砸得粉碎。
因为风梨居事件而发现的“知”根本没让世界变得好起来。只把“意识”和“时空”扭向了更加不好的方向。
我忽而又想起来，樱月淡雪曾经把凤梨居比喻成“伊甸园”。并且美神二琉主还在其后将其重新比喻成“瓦尔哈拉的殿堂”，他们说的都没错。那个地方正是一切的开端和一切的终结。我们在那里被蛇引诱吃下的苹果，正是毁灭我们的罪魁祸首。
在凤梨居中被画出来的那个韦恩图。
横亘“意识”与“时空”之上的“知”和“创造与发明”，还有更加横亘其上的“伦理”和包含了“美感”“安全”“机能性”在内的“喜好”。
我即将要做的事情，就是成为“伦理”的化身，将不好的“创造与发明”所带来的不好的“知”和不好的“意识”连同整个不好的“时空”一起毁灭掉。
我感到自己的情绪明显高涨起来。
呵，我笑着说：“谢谢了。”JJ听到我的话，不由得瞪大了眼睛。我又说，“你这电影让我学到了很多。”“这个不是电影……”JJ小声说着，他的声音里已经混入了动摇，“咦，迪斯科你怎么这么顽强啊。难道一点都不觉得沮丧吗？”
当然沮丧啦。不过我是不会让你看到我的这一面的。“多亏了你，让我确信了自己是正确的。我会非常高兴地将这个世界粉碎掉的，因为这是一个光荣的任务。毕竟这是一个连你这种人都能冠冕堂皇地受万人爱戴的世界。这不正是证明世界已经完全陷入癫狂腐败并即将枯朽的绝佳证据吗。”
“什么癫狂腐败枯朽啊……难道你现在还有闲情作诗吗？”
“当然。不管爬到多高的山上，猴子依旧只能是猴子啊，JJ。因为你是个笨蛋，所以才会被自己安排的政治宣传给洗脑。你居然认为这种小电影能动摇我的信念或者阻止我的行动，看来你已经疯得差不多了。我是以我内心的爱与正义为动力坚持着自己的事业的，什么人对此作何感想，这根本是另外一个次元的问题。就算是为了被迫说出那种话的梢，就算是为了被健康与和平这种伟大目标所蒙蔽，已经遗忘了什么叫做生活品质的全人类，我也不会轻易放弃自己的人生。不管我会被那些人怎样辱骂。”
我当然是在逞强。在说这些话的时候，我并非没有为自己这样的人生感到悲哀，而且还在犹豫自己究竟要不要去承担这些东西，也想暂时从这些想法中逃出来。可是，我确实也为自己感到非常骄傲。虽然从未想过我这个搜寻失踪儿童的侦探会转而成为超级儿童诱拐犯，但这毕竟是有着正当理由和目的的行为。
“咦，这是怎么回事？我可没想到你会把自己的情绪调整得这么积极向上……”
“你对人类的理解充其量也就是这样了。还有，你不是也无法理解日本人吗？因为你满脑子尽想着什么武士和切腹了。不过我比你要了解一些，关于日本人拒绝梢式的理由。他们并不是想死，而且他们肯定也跟其他所有国家的人一样害怕死亡。可是他们不会对自己的生命进行任何的添加或删减，更愿意顺其自然地接受自己的出生和死亡。他们一定从中看到了某种美感吧。我告诉你，日本人之所以喜欢樱花，可不光是因为那个淡淡的粉红色花瓣很漂亮哦。樱花飘落的样子会让他们感受到自己生命的可贵，并且从中得到美的感受。日本人不会把樱花的花瓣粘在枝条上，也不会刻意进行品种改良，以延长花期。他们只会静静地欣赏飘落的樱花，并期待它们来年春天的再次绽放。人类也是一样，在天赐的寿命走到尽头之后，他们会毫无留恋地选择死亡。反正总是会有下一代的出现。话说回来，你还不会写'寿命'这两个汉字吧？寿命的寿还可以读成'コトブキ（kotobuki）'，在日语里是庆贺的意思哦。天赐的寿命本身就是值得庆贺的，而且也是足够长久的。我现在很庆幸自己来到了日本。因为在接触了这里的文化后，我就不会轻易被你们那些狗屎一样的宣传欺骗了。”
JJ死死盯着我说：“……所以，你决定用谁也不会表示赞许的神风攻击来给全世界人添麻烦吗。把自己的人生搞成这样，你还有什么资格跟我讲寿命啊白痴。”
我本来只是死鸭子嘴硬，想在口头上胜过他而已，但在不知不觉间却找回了真正的力量。“如果你觉得神风攻击是浪费人生和性命，那我觉得你想当日本人还早了点哦，JJ。为大义而牺牲生命，日本人会为这种无上的光荣高呼万岁。这跟自杀根本是相反的。他们为之欢呼的不是死，而是生。而我所作的也是一样。你应该也看到刚才出现在监控摄像头里的我了吧？那个笑容正是我高呼的万岁。我非常清楚，我的未来是充满光明的。我必定会为每天掳走小孩的行为感到充实无比。同时也保持自己良心的清澈透明。”
“……嗯哼，原来如此。我从来没想过事情会这样发展，而且他们也没有告诉过我，不过这想必也是没办法的吧。所以算了，不如我们转换一下心情，进入下一个工作吧。”
JJ已经完全变回了当初那个小流氓时代的眼神，让我瞬间感到一阵寒冷。不好的预感。
“没有告诉过你？谁啊？”
“当然是黑天鹅公司的人啊……看来那帮人又一次把我当猴耍了。可恶，那帮人真是太气人了……”
面对能够穿越时空的人们，一般人是不可能有胜算的。“JJ，我劝你还是不要一心以为自己可以在世界上称王称霸了。说句实话，你哪里算得上是救世主啊，根本就已经沦为把孩子们的纯洁出卖给变态色魔的最低级的皮条客了。甚至比卖女人还要遭人唾弃。逼迫孩子卖春的罪犯在监狱里会受到什么样的待遇，你也是知道的吧？本来在正常情况下，你现在已经变成不敢靠近浴室，每天害怕得夜不能寐，为了能够住进单人牢房而甘愿给狱警口交的无可救药的男人了。
“再见了JJ，我劝你最好再认真一点重新审视自己，或者至少好好学习一下日本文化。”说着，我准备回到普林斯顿酒店。就算我无法在那里跟“黑鸟男人”决一胜负，也要尽快回到凤梨居去。我现在已经明白来到凤梨居的“未来的我”为什么要让我抓紧时间了，因为我必须尽早开始诱拐未来的孩子们。而且我跟这些未来的人类不一样，有着寿命这一限制。所以能够诱拐孩子的时间也是有限的。为了尽量拯救更多的孩子，我已经不能再在自己身上浪费时间了……可是，JJ却突然恢复了笑容说：“别，你先等一等嘛。我有个人想让你见见。那个人你也很熟悉的，而且我觉得你一定也很想见她。”听到他的话，我不由得停住了脚步。
我很熟悉的，并且很想见的人？
在这个二〇一九年，究竟会有谁是……
JJ又碰了一下办公桌上的机器。“井头小姐，我太太现在过来了吗？”
“是的。要让她过去吗？”
"sorry to bother you."
"I see."
“对了，我还没跟你自我介绍过呢。迪斯科，你知道我的日本名字叫什么吗？”
"what?"
“就是我的名字啦，我不是入了日本籍吗。”
“难道不是用汉字来标记Styron吗？”
比如“主大嵛慈荣”？
“怎么可能。用那种名字不是更加无法融入日本了吗？其实我也在努力。我的新名字叫做冬野信士。虽然不知道汉字的意思是什么，总之请多关照了。”
冬野信士
我感觉自己的心脏突然消失了，大脑的所有神经元也都齐齐罢工。
办公室的门被打开，一个女性走进来见到我，突然站住了。我听到JJ的笑声。
“哈哈。是不是很怀念呢？你们两个。”
站在井头身边一动不动的人，是诺玛·布朗。不，是冬野·布朗·诺玛。
Notes:
Notes: