Chapter 3 third chapter

"About what Howard just said—" "Her Royal Highness" who walked towards the window closed the curtains, as if he didn't want anyone to see us alone. "What do you think of that nonsense, A Wei?" "Are you saying that this may be the secret detective training center?" By the way, this may be the first time I've seen the curtains of the reception room drawn. "To be honest, when I first heard him propose it, I felt inexplicable. But when we saw the facilities in room 120, I felt that the good show couldn't completely negate him. Simply put, that's it, right?"

"Those high-tech machines are indeed extraordinary, and I smell something secret. But that is not evidence that we are being trained as detectives." "makes sense." "Let me tell you? No matter how armed Mr. Baggins is usually, that matter and this matter—" "Huh? Armed?" I was taken aback by the sudden words. "What's going on?" "Ah Wei, this is a secret between the two of us." "Her Royal Highness" blinked, and put his index finger on his lips, "Mr. pocket." "Re-really?" "I just saw it by chance. At that time, you were an intern in another group, and I used the break time to spread outside. Then inadvertently from there—" She pointed to the window of the reception room with the curtains drawn, "to the empty Looking at this room, I saw a shiny silver thing on the table. Out of curiosity, I took a closer look, and it turned out to be a small pistol that could be hidden in the palm of my hand."

"How is that possible?" It's too scary for the staff of the "school" to carry a pistol. This is a simple imagination of the Japanese. "Isn't it a toy?" "I thought so at first. But I saw Mr. Baggins come in and put the pistol in his pocket. From the way he panicked and avoided people, I thought it must be a real gun." In this way, the "inexplicable" thing that "Her Royal Highness" said just now that the "house warden" forgot to take refers to this gun. "But why does Mr. Baggins carry such things about?"

"Is it for self-defense? Although this area is uninhabited, there may be robbers with evil intentions breaking in. Besides, no one can guarantee that the crocodiles behind will not invade. The purpose should be for warning, right?" "Either way, it's a horrific thing." "Maybe Howard knows it too, so he got together temporarily with himself? But if it's associated with a secret detective because of a pistol, I think it's a bit too hasty." "That's right. And it's only now that I think about it. In terms of the facilities of the secret training center, the education in sports here is too insufficient, right?"

"It makes sense. If you want to become a detective or an intelligence officer, you should have more training in fighting skills or physical strength. And our sports here, to put it bluntly, are just games." "No one is playing so seriously, and the rules of the game or the method of evaluating wins are also very sloppy. No matter how you look at it, the training in terms of physical strength is too shabby. Howard may think that it is enough to learn reasoning ability, but I doubt that in this situation Is it really possible to train secret detectives or intelligence personnel in such an environment? However, we cannot be sure that there will be no possibility of gradual improvement in the content of training courses in the future.”

"Of course I'm sure, that possibility doesn't exist. Because I didn't expect to stay here for a long time. Isn't it the same for Ah Wei?" "That's right. But if you ask me, since I'm not a detective, what should I cultivate? I really can't answer. I also think that after a period of practice training, at most, the reasoning ability that can only be learned on paper." "Her Royal Highness" made a hissing sound with a movement like chasing flies, "It seems that Howard is not the only one who is confused. A Wei, you are too overrated on the internship."

"How to say?" "Although there are well-known and complicated topics every day, but to put it bluntly, they are no different from changing puzzles or jigsaw puzzles. In fact, there is no need to think so complicated. Because everything is the same as the basketball we play in free time, After all, it is not out of the field of games.” "After what you said, I also feel the same. But, Kate, even if everything we do here is just a game, I think it is an indisputable fact that we were gathered here because we have some special ability." I thought she would deny my statement indiscriminately, but she nodded: "Can you let me hear why you think so?"

"Before that, I have something to ask you—" Having said that, I realized that this was the first time I had confirmed something about "school" to other students, and I couldn't help being surprised, "Here Where exactly is it?" "You failed me." "The country we're in now, well, I don't think it's Japan." "Japan? That's impossible, right? I also want to know where this is, but at least it's not Japan. Maybe it's somewhere in the United States? And judging from the climate, it should be in the south."

"So you don't know anymore?" "Obviously. The reason why I doubt it is the United States, I cannot deny that it is because I am an American citizen. This speculation at least contains my personal expectations, but I think it should not be wrong. Our pocket money is also calculated in US dollars Yes." "makes sense." "Dr. Seward and the others also speak standard American English, but I can't say that there is no possibility of disguise in order to confuse our judgment." "That makes sense. At least this is not Japan. Regardless of whether it is the United States or not, it must be a distant foreign country to me. I think there should be no swamps inhabited by ferocious crocodiles in Japan, right?"

"I don't need you to tell me. For you, whether this is Japan is a very important question, right? Mamoru?" "That's right. I used to live in my hometown with my parents. I was an ordinary child in an ordinary elementary school. But they deliberately took such an ordinary me to a distant foreign country, took care of me every day, and taught me to read. Seward The amount of money the doctor and the others invested in me is not a small amount, and of course the travel expenses here are also included. Right?" "Of course. It's not just you, everyone is the same. There are seven of us including the freshmen. If you include the repair cost of this building, the cost to the students should be quite large."

"Although I'm overly stingy about eating, that's what I don't like." In fact, I just wanted to use this opportunity to ask the most relevant question, but "Her Royal Highness" laughed out loud.She laughed innocently and ridiculously.This is the first time I've seen this side of her. "Leaving this aside, where did the money come from? From the parents of the students here? No, at least I dare say that my parents can't afford it. Because my father is currently unemployed Among them, the family is very tight." "It makes sense," "His Royal Highness" put away her smile, and thought seriously with her usual serious expression, "It makes sense. That's it." "Under normal circumstances, it doesn't make sense for me to be able to live so comfortably in a foreign country. Because my family's economy doesn't have that kind of margin. And yet I'm here. Because Dr. Seward and they paid for it. Why are they so Do? It should be more than voluntary. If they just want to support children from families with difficulties, as part of social service activities, I can’t think of a reason why they have to deliberately choose to pick people up from a long distance. So, for them , there must be something worth it. That said, my only thought is that the Doctor wants us to give something back. Is it? It's not all delusional grandeur to say they don't want money." "That's right!" "His Royal Highness" she had a golden light in her eyes as if she "won my heart". "That's it. That's the thing. It's because we have a special ability that ordinary children don't have, so we are gathered here. It's a fact. About this, Howard's opinion is correct. Although he There is something wrong with Duan’s reasoning. It’s purely his own wish to talk about secret detectives or intelligence workers, it’s too science fiction.” "I think so too. But it's too quick to say it now? If you look at the effort and effort Dr. Howard and his colleagues have spent, it may not be an exaggeration to say that even if there is a purpose behind this." "I've always had an idea before, Ah Wei, you are a very cautious person. Maybe you think I'm repeating the old cliché. Speaking of this being a secret detective training center, the number of students is too small after all." "That's the sticking point." "Besides, even if it is a training center for secret detectives, is it necessary to deliberately isolate us in such a sparsely populated place?" "It depends on what Dr. Seward and the others think. Let's not talk about this, so, Kate, do you have any other opinions on the matter of us being gathered here?" "Of course. By the way, before that, I have something to ask you." "What's the matter? Why are you so serious all of a sudden?" "You said you were from Japan, didn't you?" "Yeah, from Kobe, Japan." "So, do you have memories of when you came to the United States from Japan—these words are of course based on the premise that this is the United States?" "what?" It really puzzled me to be asked such a strange question all of a sudden.I tried to search for memories from about half a year ago.On that day, my mother, who suddenly couldn't bear my father's violence, asked me to join my grandparents, and then my father, who was beaten by other drunks and returned home, apologized to my mother and me in tears.It just now occurs to me that I have no memory of what happened after that day in my mind.But how could there be such an outrageous thing?I'm in a hurry.How could this be?What is going on? I tried to think back and all I could remember was that I went to school the next morning as usual and saw my father and mother before I left, that was the last time I saw them, and the next thing I remembered was that I was about the same age as my parents , but a very cheerful-looking strange middle-aged man and woman.When I came back to my senses, I found myself in a strange home with the two of them.I don't know where it is, but it's definitely not Kobe's house. I stayed in that house for a few months, under the care of that middle-aged man and woman, and then one day—yes, one day. "Principal" and "Dorm Supervisor" appeared.Came to pick me up and showed the letter entrusted by my parents.So I was taken to "school".However, this is not the case.I came here in a minivan driven by the "house supervisor".Huh?etc.In this way——if this is the United States as "Her Royal Highness" said, it means that the home of the mysterious middle-aged man and woman is somewhere in the same country.The minivan ride to "school" was a deadly long ride, but it didn't cross the ocean.That's for sure.I should have noticed if I had crossed the ocean.In other words, the moment I saw my parents for the last time, they were no longer in Japan... "No..." Why didn't I think about such an important thing before? "I have absolutely no memory of coming here from Japan, I don't even know if I came by plane or by boat." "Let me tell you!" To my surprise, "Her Royal Highness" seemed to have expected it, with a satisfied look, "That's it, right? I was right." "What do you mean? You seem to think it's a matter of course for me to remember, after all—" "Because, in fact, I don't have any memory either." "What did you say?" "My home is in Arizona. My parents are divorced, and I live with my mother and two older brothers. The eldest brother is already working to help my mother with the family, but the family is still not getting better." It seems, " Her Majesty, "My family's situation seems to be similar to mine. "Of course life is hard, but it's normal. I go to school every day. Then one day, really suddenly, I have to leave my family. And it's incredible. What's more, I don't remember the whole process. When I came back to my senses, I was in the house of a middle-aged man and woman who had never seen each other before. I came here suddenly from over there—" "Ah? Wait a minute. You said middle-aged men and women, don't those two people be oriental?" "No." "Her Royal Highness" sensed something strange, and was startled, "It's someone I don't know. Both of them are white, about thirty or forty years old." In other words, those who take care of "Her Royal Highness" temporarily are different from those who took me away.But we have certain things in common, including the fact that she lost her memories of what happened before and after. "I don't know why, but anyway, I was in the care of the two of them for a short time. I don't remember exactly, and I don't know how many months I was there. Then, one day—" "Dr. Seward and the others are here to pick you up." I couldn't bear it anymore, "Driving that SUV." "That's it." "It's amazing. How similar we were brought here." "It's not just us." "what?" "I've talked to Bill about it, too. In fact, he's in the same situation as us. Even the episode of losing the memory of being separated from his family and being brought here is the same." "Really……?" "Yes. But it's a little different that Bill lived with a woman who lived alone." "Did Bill know that woman?" "No. He said he'd never seen her before. But he said the woman had been acting so intimate with him that it made him uncomfortable." "Could other students have had the same experience?" "So far, I've only discussed it with Bill and you, Wei. I don't think it's a coincidence. There should be a reasonable inevitability, right? That means there's a high probability that other people have had the same experience. " "Why did they do this?" I shook my head in confusion, "If we are brought here, Dr. Seward and the others can go directly to our house to pick us up, isn't it so simple? And if we just live It's fine for a few days, but I've been living there with you for several months." "As far as I'm guessing, it may have something to do with the disappearance of our memory when we moved from our home to the stranger's home as a relay." "Wait. Are you saying that the memory of Bill's journey from home to the woman's is also gone?" "Yeah. Someday I'll have to find other people to confirm. However, since everyone has experienced the same thing, the main premise is that they also lost their memory for a while, so that things can be pushed down." "No, I think it's the opposite." "what?" "Because, that's why we were brought here." "What do you mean?" "Can we speculate like this? We, Ah Wei—" "Her Royal Highness" looked at my face and said in a low voice, "During the time when we lost our memory, we became another personality." "Huh?" Isn't this a theory similar to "neutrality"? "You, what did you say?" "Hey, calm down first. Let me ask you, do you know the saying of reincarnation?" "You mean reincarnation?" "That's right. Even if our bodies are extinct, our souls are immortal. They will transcend the times and inhabit another body. The human body is just a container. Everyone not only has the current life, but also has a past life. For example, I am now Kate, but maybe a few generations ago, I was a princess of some country." The girl I privately call "Her Royal Highness" said that she might have been a princess in her previous life. I would find it funny in normal times, but now is not the time to laugh. "Isn't Ah Wei the same? You are Ah Wei now, but in your previous life, you might have been a general in the Edo period." "General of the Edo Period—" I didn't expect her to be so knowledgeable, and I couldn't help admiring her. "I didn't expect you to know so much." "My brother is very interested in the East and has taught me many things." "But what do thoughts about past lives have to do with us?" "If there is a previous life, generally speaking, no one can remember the previous life, right?" "It should be. If I have memory, then the theory of reincarnation should be confirmed. But after what you said, I have seen such reports. People who have never received Chinese education before are fluent by some chance Speak ancient languages ​​that you have never seen or heard before, and write fluently." "I know this too. It is the so-called example of the memory of the previous life being awakened suddenly. I was wondering, is this the case for the students gathered here?" "What's the meaning?" "The six of us have special abilities that ordinary people don't have. To put it simply, we can make the memories of our previous lives reappear frequently." "Reproduce the memory of the previous life...?" "In other words, we have a constitution that has nothing to do with our own will and is reviewed by the personality of the previous life. It may be easier to understand it this way." "Personality possession from the previous life?" "It's like becoming another personality. Take Wei as an example, one day, you suddenly became a general in the Edo period." "How is it possible? Because I never have such a memory." "Of course. Because you were not yourself at the time. You were just occupied by the personality of your previous life. It's normal that you don't have the memory of Ah Wei. Have you listened carefully to what he said?" "You mean this phenomenon happened before I came here from Japan?" "That's right. The reason why we lack the memory of a certain period of time must be because we were bent down by another personality in the previous life." I couldn't help but lose my voice, I couldn't accept the words of "Her Royal Highness" so easily.However, the environment we live in is too special, and it seems that such arguments cannot be laughed off. "I think our family members were surprised at that time. The son or daughter suddenly put on the posture of a former general or princess and said something strange. No wonder the family thought we were crazy. We went to the doctor, but we saw many doctors, doctors. All they said was that this was a very special case, and that they had nothing but surrender. Just when they were having a headache, it was—” "Dr. Seward them?" That's right, everyone takes it for granted that they are called "doctors", but they never think that the "principal" is a doctor who specializes in any field. "The puzzle of the relay point can thus be solved. In short, they are Dr. Seward's agents, looking for people with past life memories all over the world. When they find someone, they introduce the doctor to this person The reason we spent time at those brokers’ homes was to give us a cooling off period before we were thrown into a panic when we were suddenly taken to a specialized facility.” "Wait a minute, Kate. It's really interesting what you said. We lose our memories because during that time, we were possessed by different personalities, which is true for someone who actually experiences memories but experiences It has a persuasive force that cannot be completely denied. But—” "but what?" "The question is, that personality may not be the previous life, right? Maybe we just have multiple personalities. Right?" "I thought about it too, but it's not like that." "How to say?" "Because if we want to treat or study multiple personalities, there is no need to isolate us in such a sparsely populated place. We just need to go to a general hospital or treatment center for consultation. Isn't it? At least in the case of Ah Wei, I It's hard to imagine the need to deliberately bring you from Japan to America?" I don't think it can be so assertive, but I took a step back and said, "That's true." "And I can dream. Dreams of living in an exotic-looking palace that is absolutely unseen in America. I am served in the palace by lovely boys and girls in designs never seen before, without reading , I don’t need to work, I live a leisurely dream every day.” "That is to say—" It was just a dream, right?But the atmosphere at the scene made it difficult for me to say, "Do you suspect that was your previous life?" "I don't know if it's a princess, but in the palace, my status seems to be the highest. Ah, let me state first, this is definitely not a simple dream. I'm sure it's my own memory." "I see." All I could do was nod. "So this is not multiple personalities, but a more special problem. We have the potential ability to recreate past personalities. If you think about it, you know that the internship has a different meaning and purpose." "Other meanings and purposes?" "Doctor, they want to figure out by providing stories with different settings, under what circumstances will we become possessed by another personality." "A chance. That's how it is." "It's okay to say something like a switch. Didn't Howard just say that? He said that Mr. Baggins's questions seem to have something in common." "You mean an old man with a little dementia that will definitely appear?" "This is a good point of view, but the field of vision is too narrow. The key is that he makes the generations of the characters in the project have various factors." "What's the purpose?" "Stimulate our subconscious mind. Find out whether there is only one or more than one personality in our past life." "So what if you find out?" "If this kind of detailed mystery is understood, it will be of great help to the study of human history. Or it can be used in politics." "How to use it?" "That's what they want, right? I have the same opinion as Howard about the existence of national backing. The high technology in it must exist for the purpose of constantly observing our situation and recording all the processes. .” I didn't know what kind of reaction I should have, so I became perfunctory.So "Her Royal Highness" pointed to a corner of the room and said, "There is another thing, there is no TV in the facilities here, right?" Strictly speaking, there is a TV set in the room that is indeed a machine. What she is referring to now has no normal programs on any channel, and it is purely used as a projector.Movies and the like are invaluable entertainment for students. "Because you can't receive radio waves?" "How can there be such a thing? Even if you can't receive it, you can still watch cable TV. I believe they have tampered with the machine." "Why would they do such a thing?" "Dr. Seward and the others don't want us to watch TV programs, do they? Think about it carefully. For example, if we watch the news every day, we will naturally know the passage of time. Some programs will use a subtitle machine to type the date on the screen, Isn't it?" "So what?" "It's okay to live a normal life. However, we are not normal people. There must be faults in the memory during the period of being possessed by another personality. No one knows how long that period lasted. In any case, after we recover When there is a gap in consciousness when we have personality, we might be thrown into chaos." "Of course there will be confusion." "It's all about avoiding that confusion. It's not just TV, we don't see newspapers or magazines at all here." "Isn't it because the procedures for those things are too troublesome?" "Is there such a thing? Snacks and gas stations can be delivered regularly. As long as you are willing, it is very simple for them to deliver things." "Maybe, but—" "The function of checking the passage of time is completely excluded here." "Don't you have a watch?" "There are no clocks or alarm clocks in any of the rooms, are there? Even the time display on the video recorder is not adjusted. In extreme terms, the only thing that tells us the time is the doll watch that the doctor sent us. There is no thing that tells the time in public places. That It is because when there is a gap in our consciousness and a contradiction in time, it can also be covered up by the reason that the personal watch is broken. This fact is also evidence that can support the correctness of my hypothesis.” I would like to correct me, this is not a fact, it is purely speculation, I didn't expect "Her Royal Highness" to look at his watch, and the whole person jumped up suddenly, "Oops, it's so late." Ah, isn't it almost lunch time?The two of us ran to the nearby restaurant.The other four have all arrived.Mrs. Cotton was there.But the "Principal" and "Dorm Supervisor" are not visible, it seems that the education for freshmen is not over yet. Stella was already sitting with Poet and Neutral.I had no choice but to sit at the dining table of "Her Royal Highness" and "Retainers".Thinking about it carefully, there is no special requirement for a table of 3 people. I can definitely share a table with Stella and the others.Suddenly, his eyes met the "retainer" inadvertently.I was shocked.The expression of the "retainer" who nodded to me was inexplicably cheerful.It was something that had never been seen before, and showed a kind of intimacy for me.Huh?How is this going?It's too strange that he, who admires "Her Royal Highness", showed a kind attitude towards the person who came running behind her, that is, me, with the same hatred and hatred?Well, maybe there is no deep meaning at all? After a bad lunch as usual, the wheelchair came back, and the "poet" passed by me, whispering "see you in the back garage later".In fact, there is still an internship in the afternoon, but we all seem to be tired of it. Since the "principal" and "house master" did not show up, and Mrs. Cotton did not dwell on the plans for the afternoon, everyone agreed that the afternoon was free time. I saw the timing and came outside from the entrance.The garage door was open, and I could see three cars parked inside: an SUV, a sedan, and a luggage cart.I turned to the back of the garage and saw that the "poet" had arrived. "Yo!" He leaned over, waving his hand on the blue blanket. "I kept you waiting for a long time. It seems that the freshman education is not over yet." "Yeah." The "poet" had a gloomy expression. "It's been so long since I've been here. This is something that has never happened before. I'm so worried." "Is it that serious?" "A Wei, what kind of entrance education did you receive when you came here?" "Is that called entrance education? It's just talking with Dr. Seward for more than an hour." "What kind of things are you talking about?" "It's nothing special. It's just that you will live here for a while, so don't worry about it. It feels like that. Then I read the letter from my parents. It's called a letter of appointment or something?" "In your parents' letter—" Maybe I have such a memory too? The "poet" nodded reminiscently. "What did you write?" "Be obedient or something. The letter is written in Japanese. Dr. Seward may not be able to understand it, but she seems to know what's in it." "that is it?" "Ok." "Really? Really?" "The Poet" nodded inexplicably, "That's because, Ah Wei, Dr. Seward saw that you have a strong adaptability, so the entrance education will end soon , but this time..." "Ok?" "I think this freshman is a trouble kid. He has the danger of bringing about a change that hasn't been done here." "Yesterday you also said that the thing that inhabits this building—the one, the one, the one, the one that doesn't like changes may wake up." "That's right. It has already sensed the breath of new life. You will understand in due time. You will also feel me, no, feel the bottomless fear that we must feel when we welcome new life." "Is it that serious?" "If this kid named Lou Bennett adapts as quickly as you do, then, a, Dong, Xi will let go of their hearts and return to a deep sleep again, and they will not threaten our lives." It's safe. But if Lou Bennett is in trouble like Dennis..." "That kid before I came here, that Dennis couldn't fit in?" "Yes." The tone of the "poet" was disapproving.It seems to contain the feeling of "hate". "He completely resisted adapting to the environment here. Thinking about it now, it should be said that he was a little neurotic from the beginning." "So, Dr. Seward and the others have no choice but to give up Dennis and let him go home?" "Well, who knows?" "Kenneth, you always had something to say yesterday. If the child named Dennis hadn't been sent back to his home, where would he have gone?" The "poet" fell silent.He slowly turned the wheelchair and moved towards the dormitory. I didn't say anything and walked behind him. We came to one side of the dormitory area.There is the back of the building here.Entering through the back door is my room 106, and then the "neutral" room 105. After the "poet" walked through the back door, he came to the barbed wire fence by the swamp. "That kid named Dennis—" "The Poet" said again, "he really didn't get used to this place. Probably he wasn't the type to come here. But he didn't think about the reason why he couldn't get used to it." "What's the meaning?" "I talked to Dennis privately, and according to him, he couldn't get used to it. It wasn't an adaptive thing or something. He said, anyway, the world is a lie. He stuck to the idea—" "Wait, wait a minute!" I had a premonition that after the "Her Royal Highness" in the morning, I would have another conversation with the "poet" that was beyond my expectations, "This world is all lies... what do you mean?" "This building, and the people here. He said it was unreal. Dennis said it. He said it was nothing but an illusion." "But—" I looked back at the "school", and then at the opposite side of the barbed wire fence, "but, don't they really exist? All of this is reality." "I told him the same. However, Dennis still couldn't agree. He said that it was just our illusion, we were just dreaming, and everything was not real. He insisted on this from beginning to end." "dream……--" "You must feel very troubled when you hear it, right? I am the same. What kind of sleep talk is this guy talking about? I even wonder if he is out of his mind. When he was brought here, his actions were very strange, so I thought I just thought, Dennis must be a neurotic child, so pitiful. After I made such an assertion, I kept a distance from him. Then one day—" "one day?" "He's gone." "what?" "No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't adapt to this place, so I had to let Dennis go home-Dr. Seward and the others told us so. At first, I didn't have any doubts about their explanation, but I suddenly found that Things are weird." "What kind of strange method?" "It's time. They spent the whole day picking up people, so they saw Dennis the next morning. But—" "The Poet" just muttered in his mouth, as if he wanted me to push him to continue, so I decided to match his expectations. "But?" "When Dennis disappeared from here, he was indeed still there the night before, but when he had breakfast the next morning, he couldn't see anyone else?" "What did Dr. Seward say about this matter?" "They said, unfortunately, Dennis has never been able to adapt here, so he went home last night—" "So——" I really don't understand "what's so strange?" "Ah Wei, think about it carefully. It took at least sixteen or seven hours for Dennis to come, but it only took twelve hours from dinner to the next morning to send Dennis back again. came back." "That's possible. They probably had a long talk with his family when they brought Dennis." "Shouldn't we just say hello when we send people back? Dr. Seward and the others should apologize to his family for not being able to take care of Dennis as agreed, or make excessive explanations. Besides, we have to consider Doctor and their sleep time. It feels too unnatural anyway." "It may not be Dr. Seward who sent Dennis home. It may also be Dennis' family who came to pick him up." "We did fall asleep at the time. However, if Dennis's family came here to visit that night, it was so strange that we didn't notice any breath. And, until the day before he disappeared, we didn't hear anything. Said that he was going home. If Dr. Seward and the others had called his family and instructed them to come, they should have made preparations for this the day before, and of course we would have noticed." "Sounds plausible when you put it that way. If so, what do you think happened to Dennis?" "I wonder if he will be killed..." "The Poet" smiled feebly, "You see, I even thought about such an extreme thing." He raised his chin and pointed to the swamp opposite the barbed wire fence, "We need to dispose of the corpse It's easy too." "You mean they killed Dennis and then fed the crocodile alone?" I was taken aback. "Calm down, Ah Wei. I'm just telling you that I've been delusional. But, I know it must not be like this." "That is how the matter?" "I've thought about it a lot, and the more I think about it, the more I get the same result. Maybe Dennis is right." "Perhaps right?" "Maybe Dennis wasn't sent back to his home, but he wasn't killed either." "So he is?" "Disappeared." "what?" "It just disappeared, like a puff of smoke." "Hmm..." I almost blurted out, are you the one with the mental function? "Can you explain?" "Anyway, as Dennis said." The "poet" looked around, "everything is false, unreal. We are all just dreaming." "Hey, Kenneth..." “我可没有患精神官能症哦。”“诗人”好像看透我的心思一样摇头，“阿卫，你知道自己在哪吗？” “关于场所的事情，我一点概念都没有，好像在某个国外——对身为日本人的我来说，这是我可以确定的。对了，凯特认为这里是美国南部的某个地方。” “哦，美国南部啊，以景色看，有几分可能性。可是事实上不是这样。” “那么，这里——” “阿卫，你有被人从日本带来这里的记忆吗？” “啊？”没想到今天谈过的话题又出现了。我忍不住把和凯特的对话做了说明，他满意地点点头。 “原来如此。没想到凯特跟比尔也失去了被带到这里之前的记忆啊。真有趣。这么说来，我的想法就更加获得佐证了。” “肯尼斯，难道你也不记得被带到这里来之前的事情了？” “嗯。但是我的情况有点不同，成为中继点的是两个很年轻的女性的家。至于之前没见过她们跟你们一样。” “是吗？原来你也一样啊……这到底怎么回事？” “你不懂吗？” "of course!" “阿卫，你听着。”“诗人”对我招招手，我顺从地把脸凑近他嘴边，他悄悄说道，“事实上，你现在在日本。” "what?" “正确来说，你的身体在日本，你应该没有被带到外国。” “你到底——”一想到他会说出奇怪的话来，我就产生了一股又害怕又可笑的情绪，“你到底在说什么？” “你没有听过虚拟实境这种说法吗？” “听过，但是不太懂。” “单纯来说，就像电动玩具一样。举例来说，你试着去想想两个虚构的格斗家作战的战斗游戏。你操控A人物，我操控B。我跟你在画面前面一边操控，同时化身游戏里的A和B，而且彼此互相接触。这个——”“诗人”伸手过来。“原理是一样的。这个世界不是真实的，只是一个像电动玩具一样的虚拟世界。” “你是说真的吗？”我笑了，不，也许是生气了。我有点粗暴地握住“诗人”的手，“你瞧，我们互相握住对方的手，这种感觉就是证据。跟影像或控制器是不一样的。” “我纯粹只是一种比喻，这里一定是更复杂而精巧的高科技机器——类似数据套装一样的东西。” 听到高科技机器这些字眼，我无奈想到跟“中立”和“王妃殿下”一起偷窥到的120房的内部。“什么叫……数据套装？” “就是透过你穿在身上的衣服，将情报逐一传送到你大脑或全身的肌肉，然你体验假象世界。这种装备可以将实际上不存在的虚构的故事真实地呈现出来，就像真的一样。” 听起来好像比“王妃殿下”的想法科学了点，但是“诗人”所说的比她的主张更破天荒，简直不亚于科幻电影。 “也许不是套装类型，而是戴上帽子组件之类，但是形式并不那么重要。总之，真正的你不存在在这里。像这样——”“诗人”以从他的外表看来想都想不到的强大力量回握了我的手。“我们感觉到彼此的手只是人工制造的一个情报，只是电子信号。安装在真正的我们身上的数据套装把符合各种特定言行举止的状况的感触传给每个人。透过给我们五感的模拟情报的侧击，创造了这个虚假世界。” “可是——”很荒谬，但是我被这一连串难解的字眼还有话语的真实性给压倒了，“可是……为什么要这么做？” “你是问，把我们送进假象世界当中的理由吗？这个嘛……这纯粹是我的想像，不过我想可能是开发中的数据套装的实验之类的吧？为什么我们六个被带来这里是个谜，但是至少这样想来，大家来这里前失去记忆就获得说明了。用失去形容是错误的，因为我们没有被带来这里，相关记忆也就不存在了。” 我不由地定定地看着自己的手掌，又看看“学校”的建筑物。这是虚假的吗？I don't think so.但是，记忆缺口的不争事实却与无稽之谈的假设产生一种难以抗拒的说服力。 “说得极端一点。”“诗人”仍然对内心开始动摇的我穷追猛打，“也许我这个人本来就没有真实存在。包括其他学生的一切也许都是借由数据套装赋予你这个被实验者的虚拟真实，也就是所谓的假情报。” “怎么可能……那么——”我的大脑开始转动起来，“那么你……肯尼斯这个孩子事实上不存在于任何地方……你只是人工制造的人物……” “我有这种感觉。我确实有身为肯尼斯这个人格之前十二年来的人生记忆。我不想接受我不存在的说法，而且如果那种虚拟真实是可能的话，假象情报生命也许不是我，而是你。”“诗人”说，“啊，这是我过度想像了。我跟你都不只是数据，而是真实存在的人格。但是，这个世界却是虚假的。而且这个系统是可以让很多实验者同时参加的。” “你怎么知道？你怎么知道这不是只让你跟我看到的幻觉，而是大家一起体验的世界——” “因为不是会有新生来吗？” “也就是说，来到这个虚构世界的参加者慢慢地增加？” “没错”也许以为我有点倾向这个说法吧，“诗人”以前所未有的热心态度继续说，“我认为利用数据套装而进行的虚拟世界实验通常都是由单一实验者独自进行的。至少之前的科技要做到这点已经很不容易了。可是，现在我们使用的这种机械的规格一定是可以同时让好几个人参加的。而且，不论在世界的哪个地方，只要穿上数据套装，大家就可以进入同样的虚拟世界当中。就像只要利用网络，什么地方的人都可以聊天一样。” 被他的气势所压，我觉得自己快要不行了，“嗯。” “所以，阿卫，你的身体在日本，我的身体则在罗德岛。”听起来可能是“诗人”的老家的地方。“但是，那是尚在开发中的机械的一种悲哀，时而会出现BUG，一定是这样。” “BUG？什么是BUG？” “我想数据套装是受最新的电脑程序控制，可是就像任何机械一样，没办法永远周全的运作。有时候会出现故障。那个就是BUG了。” “在这个虚拟世界里也会出现所谓的BUG吗？” “我相信这个实验的目的是在测试最多可以让多少个被实验者参加，他们在观察，测试如果算准时机把新生送到这里，虚构的世界能顺利运作到什么程度。” "Who are they?" “这个我就不知道了，不过我想应该是企图将透过虚拟真实进行的高科技做最大限度实用化的科学家集团吧？或许类似MIT之类的组织。总之，在他们的实验当中，目前已经知道，最多可以同时有六个人参加虚拟世界。” “咦？可是，席华德博士他们……” “他们只是假象。”“诗人”很干脆地回答，“那三个人实际上不存在，只是电脑虚构出来的。” “你、你怎么敢如此肯定？”我不由地开始觉得扫兴了，“可是肯尼斯，就算你的假设正确，但是我们都还不知道参加虚拟世界的被实验者是否真的是六个人啊。说的简单一点，除了你跟我之外的四个人也可能跟席华德博士他们一样，只是数据套装让我们看到的假象啊……” “不，没这回事，只有博士他们是假象，我们六个是真的。” “你为什么敢如此断言？” “BUG。就如我刚才说的，这个虚拟世界系统的机能尚不完全。每当有新的被实验者想参加时，世界就会产生扭曲，这就是证据。” “扭曲……？” “你很快就会亲身体验到了。”“诗人”宛如感到一股恶寒似的抖着肩。“和问题的症结所在路·贝尼特面对面的时候你就会知道了，我可要言明在先，你可别误解，我可不是在危言耸听。除非你亲身体验那种感觉，否则是没办法用嘴巴说清楚的。” “扭曲……我不是很清楚，这与BUG有关？” “是的。丹尼斯来时也一样，比尔来时也是，还有你。比尔跟你算是最后克服了，但是，总之就是一定会发生BUG，会发生在我们身上。可是席华德博士、巴金斯先生和柯顿太太他们并没有感觉到那种扭曲。” “你连这个都知道？” “知道啊。有新生来时，他们没有感到任何精神上的伤害。可是我们就不同了，新生来时，我们得体验那种无法言语的试炼。那正是他们没有真实存在的假象。而这个世界是由我们六个人的想像所形成的幻影得最佳证据。” “这么说来，所谓新生入学教育就是程序调试或之类的事？” “没错。为什么我没有想到这点呢？”“诗人”大概喜欢我的见解吧，“新的参加者适应力越低，程序调试作业就越微妙，时间也越久。就像这次的路·贝尼特一样。即使是已经进入这个系统的人，如果被实验者完全抗拒，最后就被终止参加。像是丹尼斯。” “我记得你说过这里好像有什么东西。” "Ok." “不喜欢变化的那、个、东、西。没错又新生来时，就会从睡眠中清醒的那个——” “是的。你已经知道了吧？那、个、东、西就是BUG的真面目。由于程序不完全，每当有新生加入时，使这个虚构的世界成立的某种根本性的前提就会产生动摇。” “根本性的前提？” “如果没有某种技术性的，专门性的只是无法理解的。但是，对我们而言，最重要的是，那个重要的前提一旦产生动摇，最坏的结果是可能发生这个世界整个毁灭的事态。” “所谓的不喜欢变化的那、个、东、西可能会将我们毁灭，是这个意思吗？” “看来你好像终于理解了。” “可是，等等。肯尼斯，如果你的假设正确，那根本不用担心，因为这根本不是现实，我们只是做梦。既然如此，就算我们在这里被毁灭了，在那边也只是清醒过来而已啊。不是吗？” “听你这么一说，我想到了，阿卫。” "Is not it?" “事情不是这么单纯的。” "How to say?" “因为虚拟世界里的精神崩坏就意味着实际肉体毁灭的危险性。” "how come……" “至少不能肯定不会。” “怎么可能会有那种事？” “我不是说过吗？传送假想情报的数据套装诉诸我们的五感。借由欺骗我们的视觉和触觉而显现这个世界。也就是说，要说我们暂时地被迫发狂也说不定。只要那个重要的数据套装正常的运作就没关系。但是，当刺激五感的数据一旦失控，我们的精神理所当然地就会受到损失。没人敢断言，损失会有多严重。” “你是说……我们，也就是我们的真正肉体那边会遭受某种严重的损害？” “没错。如果这次，那个叫路·贝尼特的参加者没能顺利过关的话。” "What will happen?" “没人知道。不过，最坏的结果就会这样死去吧？” “诗人”把视线从我身上移开。从他的动作看，我觉得他好像希望我否定他离谱的想法。可是，我已经被他导出的结论给震住了，根本说不出话来。 今天真是奇怪的一天。“中立”、“王妃殿下”还有“中立”好像平常就在思索着“学校”有什么问题。从某方面来说，这是理所当然的事情，知道苦恼的人不只有自己一个人后，我不禁松了一口气，而且有点后悔自己没有早点讨论这些事情，不过也许之前彼此迟迟找不到适当的契机。这就是所谓的新生现象吧？ 大略上听起来，我觉得“中立”的假设是最具整合性的。老实说，我没有足够的证据可以断言将具有前世的另一个人格附身的能力的人聚集起来进行研究，或者“学校”本来就不是真实的假设绝对是错误的，但是毋庸置疑的，这两个假设都比秘密侦探的培养中心之说更离谱。“诗人”害怕的“新生带来的试炼”会不会只是怕生，具有排他性格的孩子聚集在一起所造成的现象？我是这样想的，和“诗人”分手后，一直到晚餐时间我都在图书馆看书，结果史黛拉来了，于是我们一起去餐厅。因为时间距离7点还有十分钟的样子，所以我们一直以为我们一定是最早到的，没想到卷曲红发的年纪约在四十岁左右的微胖男子“舍监”巴金斯先生已经到了。“舍监”只是我私底下对他的称呼，事实上负责照顾我们是“校长”和柯顿太太。可是我却给他取了这样一个外号，那纯粹只是一种嘲讽。 卷曲红发男子总是穿着白色的衣服，交抱着又粗又短的手臂，唧唧地发出低级的声音咀嚼口香糖。事实上他很想抽烟，但是被“校长”禁止，所以他一直顶着一张欲求不满的死人脸，现在没有看到“校长”，但是搞不好，那个比“校长”更讨厌烟味的柯顿太太随时会将盘子送到餐桌上来。他不停把玩着手中金色的打火机。 我实在搞不懂，这个男人为什么要在“学校”工作？我们这些孩子都看的出他根本不喜欢这个工作。先不说柯顿太太那个让人难以忍受的料理，他看上去似乎憎恨这个建筑物。然而，他始终待在这里。他从不掩饰自己马虎的态度，我之所以给他取“舍监”的绰号主要是在挪揣他的无心。But why?如果他真的这么讨厌“学校”，为什么不干脆离开呢？因为他跟我们不一样，他是个大人，也可以自己开车。对了以前我问过“中立”这个问题，他的看法是这样的，“一定有什么原因让他想离开又离不开吧？原因不知道，但是可能是被席华德博士握住什么弱点这类的。譬如如果报警，他就会被送到监狱之类的重大证据。是的，也许以前他犯过什么事。所以，他不得不听命于博士。我是这样想的。” 我跟史黛拉若无其事地坐到距离“舍监”远一点的桌子前面。他连瞄也没有瞄我们一眼，只是瞪着半空中，仍然不嫌腻地把玩着打火机。后来“诗人”“王妃殿下”“家臣”还有“中立”相继来到了餐厅。大家似乎都在无意识当中刻意远离了“舍监”一样，难得的六个人坐到了同一张桌子上。 然后开始用餐，“校长”仍然没有现身。我心想，入学教育还没结束吗？这时柯顿太太扯着大嗓门大叫，“各位，吃过晚饭先别离开。等席华德博士前来。听到没？” 所有人收拾好餐盘后，“校长”还是没有出现。一开始显得紧张的我们开始相继打着哈气，就在这时。 突然，那个就发生了。一股伴随着我从来没有经历过的怪异感而来的偏头痛袭上我，事后想，这无疑就像“诗人”所说的，只能用世界扭曲了来形容的感觉。 进入我眼帘的是“校长”。那是绝对错不了的。但是，样子似乎有点不一样。What is that?我企图去思考着到底哪里不一样却感到一种不适应。眩晕伴随着恶心感，然后窜过一股感冒初期时代恶寒。So sad.怎么啦？What the hell happened? 样子变得奇怪的不只有我。“诗人”“王妃殿下”“家臣”“中立”还有史黛拉都一样。大家都铁青着脸。刚刚才喝进胃里的汤也好像要吐出来了一样。 突然，我跟“诗人”目光相对。他带着充满恐惧色彩的表情对我点点头——阿卫，你懂了吧？他的眼神很明显地这样诉说着。这样你也可以理解了吧？理解我所说的我们要面对的试炼是什么了吧？ 这么说来……这么说来，这中让人不适的感觉是新手造成的？可是，走近我们的只有“校长”，没有见到任何孩子一样的身影—— “各位同学。”“校长”盈盈地笑着环视着我们。“现在我要为大家介绍从今天开始会在这里跟我们一起生活的新朋友。”她做出把身体往后退的动作。“那，路，先跟大家打招呼。” 她……她说什么啊？what? “校长”到底在说什么？什么打招呼—— 什么招呼？根本没有人啊？她旁边没有人在啊。 没有人在。 是真的没有人。 “他叫路·贝尼特。跟史黛拉和阿卫一样，十一岁。” 我的视野扭曲了。有一种物体的轮廓整个崩毁的错觉。“校长”从刚刚在胡扯什么啊？哪有什么“他”？那边—— No, wait a minute. 好像有什么…… 那边好像有什么东西。就在校长的旁边。一个黑黑的东西——黑黑的东西？ “就如各位看到的，他是西班牙男孩子。大家不要因为人种不同就排斥他。希望各位就像当初阿卫来的时候一样，热烈欢迎他。听到没有？” 随着眩晕感的平息下来，我终于看到站在“校长”旁边的少年了。那种感觉本来有杂讯的录影带终于有了清晰的画面一样。 有着浅黑色的肌肤，浑身散发出拉丁气息的少年定定地看着我们六个人。又圆又大的眼珠子让人印象深刻。他的身材出乎意料的瘦小，身高大概跟我们差不多吧。 “路，我来帮你介绍。那些就是今后你在这要一起生活的朋友。”“校长”依序介绍了“诗人”“王妃殿下”“家臣”“中立”还有史黛拉跟我。 这个叫路·贝尼特的少年默不作声，我不知道他是否听到了“校长”说的话。他脸上露出不悦的表情，紧绷的线条随即柔和的松散开来。他好像在笑，但是很难说是一种表示友好的笑容。那是一种似乎把我们当白痴一样的，说清楚一点，就是带着悔蔑的眼神。 我的脑海里突然浮现起一个字眼，真的是莫名的，突然的连我都搞不懂的字眼，那就是——（异教徒……） 就是这个字眼。这个字眼到底是从何而来的呀？我感到困惑，但是随即想起来了。记得那是母亲教过我的吧？指的是崇信和我们本身信仰不一样神的人们。But…… （异教徒……） 为什么这个字眼会突然浮上我的脑海呢？怎么想都想不透。虽然想不通，但是看到路·贝尼特的嘲笑眼神的那一瞬间，我想到了。不，或许可以说我能确信—— 他是异教徒—— “路从今天起住在109房间，大家要多多关照他。要是他有什么困难要大力帮助。” 109房——我茫然地想着，就是夹在“诗人”和“王妃殿下”之间的房间。
虚拟真实……吗？ 回到自己房间我躺到床上去，可是始终没有睡意，口中反复念着这个字眼，好一阵子。听“诗人”提到这个字眼时我只觉得是奇谈怪论，但是在经历过他所说的试炼之后，我没办法全然否定了。也许——我凝视着自己的手掌。这只手真的是我的吗？会不会只是电脑程序所设计出来的幻影呢？ 当我凝视着某一点——自己手掌的某天纹路的当儿，觉得所有物体的轮廓都变得模糊，那种不停旋转，伴随着恶心感的眩晕再度袭来。 如果想得太深入，也许会疯掉……？ 我心中涌起这种恐惧。如果企图去回想刚才在餐厅体验过的事情，好像真的就要发狂了。那种感觉到底什么啊？真让人觉得不舒服。照这么看来，“诗人”提到的，如果没能通过试炼，搞不好会死掉的警告，似乎也不能断言只是一种妄想了。Hate.我讨厌这种地方。我想早点回家。回日本的神户。不管这是不是真实世界的美国南部，或者只是数据套装所制造的虚幻都无所谓。总而言之，我想回到我以前的生活。我要回到有父亲和母亲的世界。 就在我不自觉的留下几滴泪水时，有人敲我的房门。柯顿太太有时候会四处巡视，监视我们有没有熬夜，所以我认定是她来了，赶紧打开门所。result-- “——阿卫。” 从门缝中探头进来的是史黛拉。 "Huh? What's the matter?" 我有一种刚刚才不一样的惊慌失措感，感紧把她请进房内。已经超过9点了，早就是该睡觉的时间了。我不自觉地把头探到门外，靠着长夜灯的光环视阴暗的走廊上，确认有没有人看到。走廊上没人。 “史黛拉，怎么啦？”我发现自己一个不小心竟然用英语说话，赶紧用日语再说一次。 "It's so late, what's the matter?" “那个……我觉得有点恐怖。” "fear?" “就今天的事情啊。那个新生。” “你是说路·贝尼特吗？他确实是表现出我不会积极主动的跟你们打成一片的态度，感觉是有点不舒服。但是，还不至于到恐怖——” “我不是指这个。问题不在路这个孩子怎么样。他今天的态度确实是有点阴险，但是总的来说。新生都是这样。”