Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Cut Off

"—Uh, then it's decided that brother Elliot will be the speaker! Do you have any objections?" "I" (= Bobby) declared with a majestic voice that does not match his age, making people feel that he is more suitable as the host. "You want to ask for an opinion, I have a bunch!" "Jacqueline" (=Randy) twirled her long golden-gray hair like the blades of a fan while shaking her head. "Tell me to listen to this little Japanese conductor, I would rather not attend the meeting." "You are making trouble for no reason again." "I" (= Bobby) sighed. "This is decided by everyone's vote. The minority obeys the majority, which is called democracy!"

"What kind of democracy? Go eat shit! Unfortunately, in the last presidential election, I voted for the Republican Party." His rebuttal was somewhat wrong. "Really, I'm so bored to death, how can I stay without some wine? There's not even beer here?" "Stop!" "Alan" (= Jacqueline) rested her cheek with a sad face. "If I let my delicate body drink alcohol, you will insult me." "Why? Are you a Mormon?" "Jacqueline" (=Randy) nonchalantly walked towards the simple kitchen in the corner of the "Management Building"—the name of the building with four sides of glass that reminded me of an aquarium.Sitting at the lounge table, we felt the refrigerator being opened.

"Oh! Look what this is! Meg, and Moosehead! They have a good selection of beer! Those people sent by the government are not bad. Oh, and even the champagne is ready." "Let me tell you first, it's for Christmas Eve tomorrow." Perhaps because he understood that no matter how he resisted, his body could not escape the fate of drinking, so "Alan" (= Jacqueline) with an angry expression didn't even look at the kitchen glance. "If you don't have it, you can't celebrate. Don't drink it tonight." "Hmph! What kind of shit Christmas are we having!"

"Hey, Dad!" "I" (= Bobby) knocked on the table impetuously. "Don't patronize yourself to enjoy it, have a little service spirit, bring it for everyone!" "What nonsense is the sixteen-year-old boy talking about?" "Hey, did you forget? My current body is thirty-three years old!" "Wow ha ha ha!" Although he agrees with this point, "Jacqueline" (=Randy) still has no intention of fetching wine for Bobby.He slumped back into his chair and began to gulp down his Moosehead beer. "That's true!" "Allow, please, ask questions." This kind of intermittent English is naturally from "Babi" (= Hani). "What about the meeting?"

"You can't even figure out who will host it, what else can you do?" Maybe it was too excited during the day, and now I am a little tired; "Alan" (= Jacqueline) seems a little absent-minded. "In short, I object. Even if it is a majority vote, I don't want such a Japanese kid to preside over the meeting." I didn't expect to be called a little ghost by a woman younger than myself.It is true that Japanese people generally look younger, and I have long been used to being regarded as a young boy; but "Alan" (= Jacqueline) knowing my actual age and saying that is obviously malicious.

"Wow ha ha ha! Well said, say a few more words!" "It's nothing more than a brat," "he" (=she) still shrugged with absent-minded eyes. "It turned out to be a kid who ran into the body of an old pervert. It's so vile to the extreme, vile quadratic!" Worst of all is the situation of "Randy" (=me), who has to translate these slanderous slanders against me, along with other conversations, to "Hani" (=Aran). "Hey!" I don't know if "Jacqueline" (=Randy) is also tired, and he didn't spit out the foul language during the day. "Your mouth really stinks, woman!"

"What are we going to do?" "I" (= Bobby) shouted loudly while fetching myself a can of McGonagall from the kitchen. "There's no progress at all!" "Otherwise, what else can we do? What the hell can the six of us discuss?" "However, we have to decide these things ourselves, there is no way!" "Really? Anyway, I would rather let the people in the government make the decision than leave it to that little Japanese. At least I am more convinced." What exactly is to be decided?To put it bluntly, this is our future policy.The six of us became the dead on the household registration involuntarily - it is said that this is the decision of the CIA and the United States.

Of course, we each stood on our own standpoints and considerations, and expressed dissatisfaction with this decision with one voice; however, these resistances were in vain from the beginning, and we didn't even know where the facility we were currently in was located. Maybe it's not in the United States at all.Don't think that it is impossible for us to be sent far away since the earthquake happened only two days ago; the enemy is the notorious CIA. Even after the end of the Cold War, its momentum is not as good as before, and it is still the world's highest intelligence agency directly under the President of the United States.I remember reading or hearing somewhere that they could be anywhere on the planet within half a day if they had the support of the US Air Force.Although I don't know whether this is correct knowledge, in short, when I hear the word CIA, I feel that there is nothing impossible.

All in all, the power of life and death of the six of us is in the hands of the United States and the CIA that speaks for its will; everyone must admit this harsh fact-resistance is futile. "Of course, relatively—" the red-haired woman—seems to be the tone of (=Dr. Aikelow), almost as relaxed as discussing moving matters. "Your future life will be taken care of by the U.S. government. This is a natural measure. After all, you are no longer able to engage in ordinary social life, and you don't even have to do work. However, there are two conditions. First, you must have six people. living together; and second, that your lives must be hidden from the eyes of the general public. Regarding these two points, unfortunately, you have no choice."

To put it bluntly, we are asked to be "ghosts" and find a place where no one lives in seclusion.Of course, strictly speaking, not only the six of us live together, but there should also be surveillance by the CIA.We have been brought into this state of affairs by irresistible external forces, yet human rights have been neglected. Perhaps based on compensatory psychology, they expressed that within a reasonable range, they are willing to respect our opinions and provide us with the desired lifestyle-such as housing style, climate or other environmental conditions.Of course, it's "within reason" at best, but it's better than ignoring our intentions altogether.

I hope that the six of us will discuss it ourselves and come up with a conclusion—after leaving this sentence, the doctor, the CIA and the other four passed through the heavy iron gate on the corner of the concrete wall, and went nowhere.After they had gone, we checked the door; sure enough, there was a strong lock. To put it bluntly, that's the way it is; we are not so much dead as prisoners.At first I thought the facility was like a prison, and I was absolutely right. The people from the CIA said that they would visit on the 26th after Christmas next time, and asked us to compile the requirements of the six people before then, which seemed to imply that the "elimination" of the six of us from society was a foregone conclusion; At least, they do everything on that premise. However, my nostalgia for the "earthly world" has not been completely abandoned; not only me, but anyone who is suddenly asked to give up the life, meaning and everything along the way in the past, who can easily accept it? After all, no one will come before the twenty-sixth anyway, and we in this prison have nothing to do.Some people suggested that it is better to seek help from the media, but we have no means of contacting the outside world.Although there is a telephone in the "management building", there is no sound when picking up the microphone; upon closer inspection, the telephone wires cut into several sections are curled up on the floor. removed. Of course, some people think that they should try to escape from prison, but how to cross the fence and barbed wire that are more than ten meters long?What's more, there are no items to replace ladders, or materials or props to make ladders.If you are conscious of being stabbed by the wire, you may be able to climb over the wire fence; but on the other side of the cliff after climbing over, there is a vast ocean waiting for you who don't know the geographical location, and maybe there are man-eating sharks. with us. The only entrance to the outside world is the iron door through which the doctor and others left, but this door is thick and strong, and it is difficult to break it with bare hands; even if there are props, none of us has experience in prying open the vault, so we still can't do it .No matter how stubborn people are, they can only come to the conclusion that "it is impossible to escape from this place". In this way, we have nothing to do but wait patiently for the arrival of the twenty-sixth. The "Management Building" and the rooms "1" to "6" to which we (strictly speaking, our "flesh") are assigned - it seems to be called "Ego Joint", which is really humorous The way it is named - there is no TV, no magazines or games such as chess, and all things that can be used for entertainment are absent; the next three days, including today, will definitely be a panic. So, although we didn't sincerely submit to the CIA's order, in order to pass the time, let's start a discussion-if we really have to live together in the future, which type is more ideal?Can a possible compromise be found among the six people with different cultural backgrounds and values? There are piles of frozen food in the refrigerator in the "management building", and there are also mountains of canned food on the shelf; we defrost and heat it ourselves according to our own preferences. a simple table in the corner of the hall and start a discussion. However, the meeting failed to progress as expected; not only did it not progress, it actually stagnated at the stage of selecting the moderator. All members agree that the elder should be the one, and the oldest is naturally "Jacqueline" (=Randy), but "Bobby" (=Haney), "I" (=Baby) and "Alan" (= Jacqueline) objected.Although "Randy" (=me) said it was fine, the final "Haney" (=Alan) voted against it after thinking about it, so it was not passed. "Randy" (=me) was next nominated; although "I" (=Babi), "Haney" (=Aran) and "Babi" (=Haney) agreed, "Jacqueline" ( =Randy) and "Aran" (=Jacqueline) objected. As "I" (= Bobby) said, we adopted a majority vote democratically; however, the two opposition parties recklessly refused to admit their responsibility, insisting that "Randy" (=me) being the speaker cannot convince the public. "Let me give you an example." "Jacqueline" (=Randy) gulped down the second bottle of Moosehead beer, and said impassionedly: "If this little Japan only cares about itself and makes a plan to live in Japan What about the conclusion of going? What if this hope is accidentally passed? We all have to follow him! I don’t know what you think, but I object, can live fish be eaten?” "So didn't I say it?" "I" (= Bobby) rudely put the Mag beer bottle on the table, as if I was too annoyed. "Brother Elliot doesn't have the right to decide, just ask him to preside over it!" "That's not necessarily true, is it?" "Alan" (= Jacqueline) glanced at "Haney" (=Alan) with an inexplicably inorganic but seemingly malicious look.Alan originally had a face like a skeleton, but when he showed that kind of eyes, he revealed a murderous courage. "Let's talk about him first. Although he is French, he is obviously partial to the Japanese. Otherwise, why would he find a Japanese girl as his girlfriend? And he relies on this Japanese kid to translate everything, and he owes him a favor! People, relationships are always stronger." "What exactly are you trying to say?" "I mean, he might not express his own opinion, but just obey the idea of ​​the Japanese kid. Besides..." At this moment, she stared at "Bobby" (= Hani) again. "If you really have to choose sides, the Arabs are also partial to the Japanese!" "how do you know?" "Because the whole country is receiving financial aid from Japan, of course we must respect the intentions of the sponsors! This is human nature." "Prejudice, you said." For this extremely absurd statement, "Babi" (= Hani) was also angry. "Incorrect, where did you get your information, I don't care, but you, request, take back those words. I, nothing left, dignity, unhappy." "Hey, please!" "I" (= Bobby) held his head: "Even if the two of them will give up their own ideas and unconditionally agree with Brother Elliot's decision, I won't. I just invite Elliot It’s just to preside over the meeting, even if you choose him as the speaker, you may not agree with him. Is this natural? Please be rational!” "Having said that," "Jacqueline" (=Randy) is still stubborn, and I don't know if she has listened to other people's opinions. "That little Japan might be a murderer! Don't you think it's morally unreasonable to ask that kind of person to be the speaker of such an important meeting?" "You started talking about these things again," "I" (= Bobby) seemed to be close to the limit of endurance, and his movements became rough; I saw him kicking the table legs away in anger. "Changed the subject over there!" "What changed the subject? The one who was killed was a Japanese girl, and the murderer was of course a Japanese! It was you! Ah, no, it was him, it was him—" "Jacqueline" (=Randy) once pointed to the tip of "I" (=Bobby)'s nose, and then changed the target to "Randy" (=me); but what was in front of her was her own face, It made him stutter in embarrassment.In the face of this complicated "masquerade", everyone thinks they are clear, but they are still confused. "Anyway, he is the murderer anyway, he can't be wrong! But we are all regarded as suspects together!" "No one considers you a suspect! Besides, there was no murder at all! Hey, do you understand? That girl died after being hit on the head by a cement block. Listen carefully to what she said!" "I heard it very clearly. Didn't that Japanese girl have strangle marks on her neck? Even if there was another cause of death, this is still a criminal act. It is not a murder or an attempted murder. Anyway, this little Japanese is a criminal. !" "So didn't you say it? That's because—" The description of the red-haired woman (=Eklobo) can be summarized as follows. First of all, I will introduce the brief information about Ayako Kubota, that is, Ayako Kubota.She was born in Kansai and was nineteen years old. She was originally studying at a foreign language short-term university in Kansai. After taking a break from school, she went to the United States in October this year. She entered the same English school in S City as Alan Panhe, but she failed because she couldn't integrate into the class. Frustrated. I also have this experience.The educational policy of American English schools does not prioritize correctness in reading and writing, but instead focuses on participating in classroom discussions.In order to cultivate students' actual combat ability, grades are usually determined by "how much they say"; this kind of rule often makes the introverted Japanese suffer a lot. How to express yourself with a thick skin is the first training.However, the more serious the personality, the more difficult it is, because they are often constrained by the obsessive concept of "needing to speak with correct pronunciation and correct grammar", and hold back; when they are still hesitating, they are caught by other students If the right to speak is taken away, the teacher will not take remedial measures for them one by one.As a result, speaking became more and more painful, and I had to try instead to read and write in order to get good grades; but this approach had a decisive counterproductive effect. Because after the results were announced, the European and Latino students whose reading and writing accuracy and vocabulary knowledge were several times worse than their own, turned out to be better than themselves; this was enough to completely shatter their self-esteem.At this time, if they can change direction and make up their minds to speak well even if they push others away in the class, it will be helpful; because at this time, they have already broken through the first difficulty of establishing their own position in the English-speaking circle. However, people who are unable to change direction can easily fall into the trap called "self-deception".The grading method of this English school is unfair. No matter how you look at it, my knowledge is relatively correct-it may be human nature to think so!It's just that once this kind of deception is established, they will start to believe: "If you mix with these low-level guys, your English will not improve." Kubota Ayako seems to be an international student who is deeply involved in this kind of self-deception. She only attended classes seriously for the first two weeks, and was absent after the results of the first test were announced. For this reason, she was even targeted by the Immigration Bureau , suffer a severe warning.This is because if a person holding a student visa is absent from school for a long time without a serious reason, there is a possibility of illegal stay. As I thought when I was in the "Fresh Chicken House", Kubota Ayako is the type who completely taboos contact with the Japanese; but her English has been slow to improve, and she cannot make friends with other international students or Americans. So I have been living a lonely life. At this moment, she met Alan Panhe, and the date was actually the 20th of this month; in other words, the day they came to the "Fresh Chicken House" together, the two had just met.It is said that Alan met her when she was having lunch in the school cafeteria and sat at the same table with her. They hit it off, and immediately went on their first date, heading to the mall to watch a movie.Since the two could hardly understand English, they chose action movies that were no-brainer.After that, in order to fill my stomach, I stopped by the "Fresh Chicken House" - this is roughly the ins and outs. "In other words..." Dave Wilson reluctantly took over the job of explaining from the red-haired woman (=Dr. Ecklow). "Ayako was indeed strangled, using the scarf she wore around her neck; at first glance, it appeared that someone had attempted to kill her. However, as we have said many times, it was not a fatal injury; the immediate cause of her death, was The head was hit by the cement block and the cranium was dented." Even if it wasn't a fatal injury, it still couldn't change the fact that some of these six people tried to strangle Ayako... The gazes we silently peeped at each other were clearly expressing this fear. "As I said just now, we had intended to pass over the matter. It is true that at first glance it looked like an attempted murder; but the chances of us finding it a crime were extremely low. .Why? Because we doubt that the strangler really intended to kill her. None of the six of you had a motive for killing her." "Is there—" "Randy" (=me) couldn't help asking, "How do you know?" "It's very simple. None of you knew Ayako before the encounter at 'Fresh Chicken House'. The only exception was Mr. Alan Panhe, but he also met Ayako at lunch that day. Before that, He has no record of contact with Ayako." "No, that's exactly what I want to ask, why can you be sure that no one has seen her?" "Of course it's because we investigated." "Speaking of the investigation, it's only been two days! I don't know how detailed the investigation you have done during this period of time, but in just two days, it is necessary to check all the trajectories of her in the nineteen years since she was born. Impossible. No matter how powerful you are, you will miss one or two pieces of her past, right?" "Mr. Tom—" Dave paused for a moment, as if he was thinking about how to explain it to me, and seemed to be doubting whether he had the obligation to explain it to me. "Your English is very fluent! If I didn't know your origin, I would definitely mistake you for a Japanese-American. How long did it take you to practice to this level?" "About eight years." "Suppose you don't speak English at all, but you are required to learn the same level of conversational skills as you are now within a week, do you think it will be possible?" "The so-called not being able to speak, what level of not being able to speak?" "I don't know how to say it at all. Just think of it as a stage where you can't even understand ABC, and you can't write it." "That is to start from scratch?" "Yes, and the study period is only one week." "That's absolutely impossible." "Yeah! I think so too, because the programming to accomplish this 'miracle' isn't passed on to society in general. But we have the programming." "I do not quite understand what you mean." "I mean, we can do it. We have the technology and the knowledge that the organization has developed on its own. For example, we can enable someone who has never spoken a word of Russian before to learn the equivalent of a native speaker in a week. Conversational skills." "I don't believe it, you must be bluffing." "I didn't believe it before! Until I really learned Russian and Chinese with that method." I was about to open my mouth to retort, but I was at a loss for words; because I finally understood what Dave was implying through this example, and he seemed to understand that I had received this indirect message. "Yes, for the same reason, I think you should understand. You think that our intelligence network and investigation capabilities are the same as those of the police, so you come to the conclusion that 'it is impossible to investigate everything in two days'. However, in fact, Two days is more than enough time for us to compile a perfectly correct file." "Even the personal information of ordinary people?" "On the contrary, it is possible because it is the personal information of ordinary people. Of course, we did not use 'forbidden tricks'-such as administering drugs to make you unconscious, and then asking for information from you. If you If you have such concerns, you can rest assured." I suddenly felt a chill down my spine. I always felt that I had asked something that I should not have asked; next time it would be better to keep silent. "Let's get back to the topic!" Dave nodded slightly, as if affirming my "wise move". "Anyway, none of you had an urgent motive to kill Ayako. On the day of the earthquake, in the nineteen years before you happened to gather as guests of the 'Fresh Chicken House', none of you had contact with her, or even approached her. I'd bet on the prestige of our organization that there wasn't one." Dave slowly approached behind "Haney" (=Alan). "In this way, it is impossible to have a motive for killing. To put it bluntly, there is only the possibility that this Alan Panhe will have any negative feelings for her in the half day after they met, but this is also very unlikely. , because they maintained an extremely friendly and intimate atmosphere that day." "But in fact, someone did do this, right?" The displeased "Jacqueline" (=Randy) still had her legs wide open, looking extremely unsightly. "That Japanese chick was strangled, right? There's no room for anyone else to intervene in that situation; in that case, of course one of the six of us did it!" "That's true. It should be someone among the six people. However, as I said just now, it's hard to imagine that the act was out of killing intent." "How does this make sense? Since her scarf was used to strangle her neck, of course there was a murderous intent! You said there was no motive, but in this day and age, is it so rare to kill someone without a motive? There must be such a thing. Idiosyncratic people are mixed in here!" "That's impossible, Mr. Cobray. Including you, none of the six people present have the characteristics or psychological background to commit unspecified killings." "Listening to you all the way down, it seems that you are omniscient, but who knows if it actually is? Of course, I know that I will never do stupid things like killing people, but the other five people don't know! Maybe they usually wear the mask of a normal person, but their real face is a cold-blooded villain! At least you have no basis to conclude that they are definitely not this kind of person." "Of course there is a basis, Mr. Coble. We know very well why you, who hardly leave Gancheng, Florida, appeared in City S that day. Even if you are afraid of being seen by your acquaintances, you dare not go to the local third-class movie theater, you don't have to. I came here specially to California! Besides, since I have lied to my family that I am here for work, I might as well take a plane as a luxury, or at least take the National Railway! Just because there are still coupons left, for Anat Hewen’s Riding on the Greyhound bus naked for more than ten hours, this enthusiasm really makes me cry!" With a click, "Jacqueline" (=Randy) almost fell off her back with the chair, and hurriedly grabbed the armrest; "she" (=him)'s emerald green eyes, which were already big, opened even wider, as if she was about to fall. The fruit is average. "She" (=he) was afraid, and although she opened and closed her lips several times, she couldn't say a word; that embarrassment showed how correct the information Dave had grasped. It turns out that "Jacqueline" (=Randy) is always showing off her muscles in order to cover up her cowardice that she doesn't even have the guts to watch tertiary movies locally.However, no one laughed at "Jacqueline" (=Randy) even though such taint was exposed. No one is in the mood to laugh at others.From this point of view, all my secrets must have been known by this CIA man... Everyone is so afraid. Yes, they know it all.Of course, they also know the disgraceful reason why I came to California from Japan on leave!My blind date with Miyuki was hired, but it was canceled for inexplicable reasons on the eve of the wedding, and after being caught in the embarrassment of going to the door one by one to apologize to the relatives, I still couldn't give up on her, and even misinterpreted the content of her letter, They recklessly took an expensive plane to come here, but they were ruthlessly dumped in the end... They all knew about this series of sad experiences of being asked around—— "—Among you, there will be no one who has the intention to kill Ayako." It's not hard to imagine that this time Dave's words were persuasive like an oracle, piercing everyone's ears. "Such people don't exist. I've said it many times, and I can say it for sure. So, how do you explain the fact that Ayako was strangled? There's no other possibility, it's just an accident." "Accident?" Could it be that all his secrets have been known to them?How many hairs are even counted clearly?The youngest "I" (= Bobby) was the first to recover from this blow. "Accident? What do you mean?" "The problem was the scarf she was wearing. The scarf was quite long, about 1.5 times the height of Ayako, so it caused misfortune. The ceiling of the 'Fresh Chicken House' was crumbling due to the earthquake, and everyone fled in all directions and evacuated to ' The Second City'; in the chaos, some people may subconsciously run while grabbing the scarf, or their body accidentally caught the scarf." "Even if one end is pulled, the scarf will at most fall off the neck?" "The other end is probably also fixed for some reason. I don't know what the reason is, maybe it was crushed by a collapsed object and couldn't move; maybe it was in the chaos, and the two ends were accidentally subconsciously separated by two people. Grab it, pull it in the opposite direction, and strangle the neck." "Are you thinking too much? How can there be such a coincidence?" "Perhaps! But if you explain it this way, it can explain the reason why only Ayako was unable to escape. Before the ceiling completely collapsed, everyone had escaped into the 'Second City' to avoid disaster; why was she the only one who couldn't catch up?" "Of course it's because she came to the store for the first time, and she couldn't figure out which direction the 'Second City' was, so she got lost! At that time, the power was cut off, and she couldn't see her fingers." "Except for you, everyone is in such a disadvantageous situation! Mr. Weber. Only you, even in the dark, can easily determine where the 'Second City' is without anyone's guidance. In fact, you were the one who broke the lock for the 'seal', right?" "That's what Brother Elio told me to do! The walls of the dressing room are being repaired, and I have pliers at hand." "I'm not blaming you for breaking the lock. The problem is, except for you, who is working and looking after the store, it's the first time for everyone to go to that store; but except for Ayako, everyone escaped into the 'No. Nitoshi'. Why did other people do it? For example, Mr. Tomato, how did you do it?" "I ran there following Bobby's voice." "What about the rest of you?" In the face of Dave's question, "Jacqueline" (=Randy) and "Bobby" (=Haney) also gave the exact same answer as me. What made me laugh the most was "Alan" (=Jacqueline)'s answer; he actually said "I don't remember the situation clearly" and "Someone should be holding my hand and running". Not only did you hold hands, you forced the injured person to carry you away, how dare you say such nonsense!Although I wanted to scold her a few words like this, but considering that in such chaos, maybe she really didn't remember, so I gave up.Besides, my chest "never" hurts now anyway; if I "use" my own body, crying endlessly because of broken ribs, I will definitely protest. "So is Wo." After I translated the question into Japanese, "Haney" (=Alan) explained this way: "Although Wo couldn't understand what the man named Bobby was saying, he vaguely knew that Ta was going to The nests fled to the side of the tower, so the nests ran there." "At that time," this is not a translation, but a question I personally asked. "Where is Miss Ayako?" "I don't know. Ta stayed beside Wo before, so Wo thought that Ta was with Wo at that time. Although Wo wanted to reach out to pull Ta, it was too dark to touch Ta's hand." "exactly." After listening to "Haney" (= Alan)'s answer through me, Dave nodded in satisfaction. "Although Mr. Pan He couldn't understand English, he knew that he should run towards the source of the sound; and Ayako must have taken the same action. No, to be precise, he had tried to take the same action. However, at this time, what happened Tragedy: The two ends of the scarf were caught by someone or something, and strangled her neck. Of course, it was only a momentary question, but Ayako became unconscious due to the impact. Although she did not die because of it, she was unable to move for a while, and fell down alone In place. Sadly, the ceiling collapsed before her strength could recover, burying her beneath. That's how it went." "So, didn't Brother Wilson say that? It was an unfortunate accident of many accidents coming together. No one will be taken as a suspect, not you, nor Brother Elio; the famous CIA has guaranteed , we have nothing to do with her death!" "I have nothing to do, but no one can guarantee that this little Japan is innocent." "Jacqueline" (=Randy) drank the third can of Moosehead beer. "Besides, the Japanese can't believe it at all!" "You are disgusted with the Japanese!" "Of course! They are all Japanese, so I had to give up my career as a first-class businessman across the world and inherit the family business, because every workplace has been ruined by Japanese companies! From car dealers to travel agencies, no one is spared It’s unreasonable, it’s really unreasonable! Wherever I go, there are Japanese blocking the way! Damn, then I go to the branch office of a Japanese company to work in the head office? As a result, when I went to a securities company in Japan to re-employ, the head office turned out to be Downsizing and directly closing down! Don’t be kidding, don’t be kidding! Now that I think about it, when I was robbed of scholarships by Japanese students in my student days, Liang Zi had already formed. Also, every time I go to an A movie store, I will definitely touch That group of people always get together in four or five, and buy all the magazines and videos I want to buy first! Damn stuff!" "Hey, hey, the more you talk, the more outrageous it is!" "Anyway, I hate the Japanese, to the core! And you, you bastard—no, no, got it wrong." "Jacqueline" (=Randy) was negligent for a while, and wanted to grab "I" (=Bobby)'s chest, and then changed the target to find "Randy" (=me), but he really couldn't face his own face Getting angry, he had no choice but to give up, and poured down Moosehead beer with his head up. "What kind of shopping mall elite? His grandma's, what kind of master's degree? I, if I didn't get a scholarship at that time and was forced to suspend my studies from college by my father, I could get a mere master's degree! You don't have to forcefully inherit the family sin— —Alas? Oops? Oops? Ji... Ji strange..." The eyes of "Jacqueline" (=Randy) are facing different directions, like a puppet that has lost its axis, and its body is swaying. "How, how to find the speed back? Hiccup!" "Of course you're drunk, father! You're on your third bottle." "It's...you're so stupid! Drink this and get a little wine, and I won't get drunk!" I saw "Jacqueline" (=Randy) slamming down on the table, and then shouted loudly, rumbling like distant thunder; her long golden-gray hair spread out radially, like silver seaweed. "So didn't I say it?" "Alan" (= Jacqueline) sighed and stood up. "Let my delicate body take alcohol, you will regret it. From now on, remember to obey other people's advice—hey, come and help!" "What are you going to do?" "Move to the bed of 'Self Prison'! 'I' is so drunk that once I fall asleep, I will never wake up until dawn." "Really." It seems that tonight's meeting will have to be postponed.When I was thinking so and wanted to help, "Alan" (= Jacqueline) stopped me with a "slow!" "What's the matter?" "You don't want to touch 'my' body with the hand of the two-color old man, do you? And you!" Leaving the stunned "Randy" (=me) behind, "Alan" (=Jacqueline) stopped the hand extended by "I" (=Baby). "Get your economic animal 'salary worker' hands away!" “喂喂喂，你该不会——”“我”（＝巴比）似乎有些怀疑在这种情况下自己究竟算不算被侮辱；他交互打量着“蓝迪”（＝我）和“亚兰”（＝贾桂琳）。“打算一个人搬吧？” “怎么可能？我要找他……”她以下巴指了指“哈尼”（＝亚兰）：“帮我忙。” “你对老人和日本人似乎有很深的偏见——” “那又怎么样？”她狠狠地打断“我”（＝巴比）。“不行吗？再说，不分国籍老幼，我本来就绝不信任陌生男人。” “抱歉，我有个小小的疑问。那个阿拉伯人对你来说，应该也是陌生男人吧？” “他不要紧，因为他长得帅。” “哦！你这种分法……”见她那副天经地义的态度，“我”（＝巴比）似乎领悟到生气也只是白费工夫，因此只是耸了耸肩。“还真是浅显易懂啊！” “禁止，禁止，禁止！” 正当“亚兰”（＝贾桂琳）想叫“哈尼”（＝亚兰）来帮忙时，这会儿换成“巴比”（＝哈尼）阻止了她。或许是由于过度愤怒，“巴比”（＝哈尼）亢奋地喷着口水。 “你用，我的身体，不高兴。禁止，禁止，打叉。” “做……做什么？”面对“巴比”（＝哈尼）的汹汹来势，“亚兰”（＝贾桂琳）不禁退了一步；而她似乎相当引以为耻，也不甘示弱地喷起口水来。“你做什么啊！想打架啊！” “你用，我的身体，不高兴。禁止，禁止。” “禁止？你在说什么啊！就算这身体本来是你的，现在你人是在巴比的身体里，没权利说三道四！” “你那是什么鬼话啊？”“我”（＝巴比）发出干笑声，看来他已超越愤怒，进入滑稽的境地了。“你刚才还不是阻止我们抱你自己的身体？” “不愉快，我，不准。你，连续，言论有问题，接二连三，不愉快之故，不准。” 看来他似乎仍对“亚兰”（＝贾桂琳）方才那番“阿拉伯人因经济缘故而偏袒日本人”等牛头不对马嘴的中伤怀恨在心。 “不愉快，我，不准。禁止，你使用，我的身体，不高兴。” “知道了，知道了啦！罗唆！”“亚兰”（＝贾桂琳）也使起性子，口中进出了女人般的尖锐声音。“搞什么嘛！有什么了不起？喀喀、喀喀的，别发出那种喉咙痒似的声音奸不好？恶心死了。我收回刚才的话，'你'一点也不帅！哼！” “不道德，你，难以在社会生存，应悔改，性格有问题，要谦虚。将来恐怕，不然，天打雷劈。” “罗唆！”“亚兰”（＝贾桂琳）凶神恶煞地吼了回去，接着又转向“蓝迪”（＝我）与“我” （＝巴比），用着对自己的言行不带丝毫疑惑的命令语气怒吼道：“你们还楞在那里做什么？还不快点把'我'的身体抬起来。动作快点！要走了！” “喂喂喂，色老头和'上班族'的手可以碰你吗？” “罗哩罗唆的小胡子不帮忙，当然只剩你们啦！别呆头呆脑的站在那里，快点做事！” “……上文学课的时候啊，”“我”（＝巴比）一脸不快地抱起“贾桂琳”（＝蓝迪）的身体，一面自言自语似地喃喃说道：“不是会读那个叫什么卡夫卡的难懂课文吗？老师讲解的时候，说那叫'非理性'色彩，我每次听了都觉得莫名其妙，搞不太懂；但不知道为什么，我现在觉得非常了解那个词汇的意思了。” “看来今晚先散会比较好。” 虽然“蓝迪”（＝我）尚未被正式选为“议长”，但总觉得自己有主持大局的责任，因此一面帮忙“我”（＝巴比），一面以英文及日文吩咐：“你们也请自行休息去吧！” “巴比”（＝哈尼）紧紧抓着“哈尼”（＝亚兰）的肩膀，似乎是为了防止“自己”因语言不通而不慎出力协助。将那两人留在交谊厅，走出“管理大楼”一看，夜空中布着满天星斗；巨大的围墙及铁丝网包围了视野的角落，让我陷入了透过巨型望远镜窥探夜空的错觉。假如我从前认真地学习星座，说不定就能推测出现在的位置了——我衷心后悔着。 话说回来，这地方还真是暖和；即使是日落西山过后，光穿着两件式睡衣也丝毫不感凉意。这里究竟是何处？ “我觉得啊，”自“管理大楼”窗户倾泄而出的灯光，将草地照得莫名湿亮；我踩着草皮，重新抱好“贾桂琳”（＝蓝迪）的脚。她的右脚踝上包着绷带，想必便是在“鲜鸡屋”时曾提过的扭伤吧！“我们这样好像在搬运尸体一样。” “哦！说得对！就像葬礼时大家一起把棺木搬到墓园那种感觉。” “别要嘴皮子了。”扶着“自己”头部的“亚兰”（＝贾桂琳），真的为了我们的玩笑发起脾气来。“我知道你们巴不得我去死！” 抵达“贾桂琳”（＝蓝迪）的“自囚牢”后，我们将身体放到床铺上去。打开房间的灯光一看，这儿的墙壁及门板上果然也刻着数字“4”。 “辛苦了，你们可以回去了。” “咦？”见“亚兰”（＝贾桂琳）从衣柜中拿出备用毛毯，一面裹住身子一面朝地毯坐下，“我”（＝巴比）瞪大了眼睛。“你干嘛啊？难道要在这里睡？” “当然啊！这个设施里有五个粗鲁野蛮的男人耶！谁知道会不会有人趁着'我'睡死了，打'我'完美身体的歪主意？” “我先说一声，那五个人也包括'你'在内。” “这么理所当然的事，你到现在才提出来，自以为很聪明吗？”她瞥了“蓝迪”（＝我）一眼，嗤之以鼻说：“假如你以为我是那种会对'自己'产生欲望的自恋狂，那你的脑袋连猴子都不如！” “下一次的'化装舞会'可不知几时会发生喔！” “亚兰”（＝贾桂琳）终于了解我的言下之意，脸上的冷笑冻结了；这多少抚平了我的不满。 “我想应该不用我说，接着进入亚兰身体的，可是那位对你的完美身体有着无限欲望的蓝迪·柯布莱先生喔！” “原来如此！”“我”（＝巴比）终于搞清楚状况，咯咯地笑了起来。“你要在这里看守是无所谓，但要是今晚发生'化装舞会'，本来身为保镖的'亚兰'就会摇身一变为大野狼……这可有意思啦！” “为了安全起见，你还是找下次你预定'进入'的人一起看守比较好吧？这样一来，就算今晚发生'化装舞会'，你依然能在场。话说回来，下次你预定进入的是哈尼的身体；照他今晚的样子来看，我不认为他会为了你牺牲睡眠。” “你说完了没？”方才还僵着脸孔的“亚兰”（＝贾桂琳），突然不怀好意地奸笑起来。“你还有心情笑？是不是忘了什么啊？比如说，下一个预定进入我身体的人，就是你哟。” 见“蓝迪”（＝我）脸色发青，“亚兰”（＝贾桂琳）更加幸灾乐祸地笑了起来；她的表情活像个棒打落水狗的虐待狂。 “你最好祈祷今晚别发生'化装舞会'，日本的'上班族'先生。” "You...uh..." 窝囊的是，我当时的确对“亚兰”（＝贾桂琳）采取了谄媚态度，只想着如何才不会得罪她，拼命地择言选词。“会不会操太多心了？就算你不熬夜看守，也没人会动你的歪脑筋的，因为最危险的男人正在你的身体里啊！” “你要是有意见，去对CIA说，谁教他们竟然不替'自囚牢'的门装锁！” “咦？没装锁……真的吗？” “你竟然连这件事都没发现？回去以后好好检查自己的'自囚牢'吧！反正我一点也不打算冒险，所以绝对要留下来看着。” “我不是说了？依现在的情况，你留下来反而会造成风险。” “假如今晚发生了'化装舞会'，你会为我奋战的，是不是？'上班族'先生。要不然，被那个色老头强暴的不是别人，而是你自己。想想这种遭遇是多么悲惨，又多么有苦难言啊！” “那……那是你的身体耶！” 我的声音不由自主地混着惨叫。 “暴露在贞操危机下的，是你的身体啊！” “这种事情，精神上的伤害总是比较大的。当然，我绝不愿意自己的身体被玷污；不过，反正我又不是处女，假如有人替我承受被强暴的精神伤害，就那么一次我还捱得过去。” “算了吧！艾利欧老兄。” “我”（＝巴比）一面摇头，一面拍着“蓝迪”（＝我）的肩膀。 “分出胜负了，是你输啦！今晚就先收兵吧！” “加油咯，'上班族'先生，记得带着必死的决心保护'我'喔！毕竟你只剩这条路来死守身为人类的尊严了。晚安。” 背负着她的嘲笑，我与“我”（＝巴比）一同离开了“4”号“自囚牢”。保护自己竟等于正中她的下怀，这种不合理至极的状况教我恨得牙痒痒的；然而，我却别无他法。 “我能理解！”“我”（＝巴比）一面走，一面频频安慰我……被“自己”安慰，实在是种奇妙的感觉。“你现在一定很不爽吧？算了啦，忍一忍，给女人留点面子总没错，这是男人的处世哲学！” “你才十六岁，说话就这么老成。” "me……" "Well?" “渐渐懂了。” "Know what?" “那个女人的行动模式。” “什么玩意儿啊？” “我觉得啊，她的性格其实也没外表看来那么坏。” “那样还叫性格不坏啊？那全世界的女人不部是泰瑞莎修女了？” “你没发现啊？那个老爹睡着了以后，她没叫过你小鬼半次吧？” "so what?" “换句话说，因为那个老爹对你满怀敌意，一直小日本，小日本地叫，她才配合他叫你小鬼，表示自己也和你敌对。” “所以她想拉拢蓝迪？可是她也叫他色老头，和他吵架啊！” “所以说，她是靠这样维持均衡的。要是她也表现出支持你的样子，只会让那个老爹对日本人的厌恶感变本加厉，搞不好最后连自己都一起恨下去；但话说回来，要是完全站在老爹那边，老爹肯定会没分寸地对她毛手毛脚。她伯的就是这种状况。虽然她表面看起来，好像不分青红皂白见人就骂，其实她是有计算过力量均衡的。” “力量均衡……”虽然这番话很教我意外，但我更意外“我”（＝巴比）竟会如此有条有理地分析，是以一时之间完全不知该作何解释。“她为何要那么做？” “因为变成这个样子，她不安啊！现在处于'阴阳魔界'般的异常状态，自己的身体不能依自己的意思管理；更何况六个人里面只有她是女的，她当然怕自己梢一示弱，会被趁机占便宜啊！所以才拼命虚张声势——我猜应该是这样。” “管理大楼”交谊厅的灯仍亮着，但已不见“巴比”（＝哈尼）及“哈尼”（＝亚兰）的踪影；他们似乎已各自先回“自囚牢”了。 “我不知道我的解释对不对，搞不好那个女人性格就真的那么坏；不过啊，往好的方向解释，我们自己的气也会消一点嘛，对不对？” “我越来越觉得你比我像三十三岁。” “嘿嘿，我脑筋不错吧？”他从冰箱拿出麦格啤酒，递了一瓶给“蓝迪”（＝我）。“对了，正好我有话要跟你说。” “有话跟我说？” “这话要是让别人听到就不太妙，我本来想开完会再去找你的。”他一口气喝干半瓶麦格啤酒，往椅子坐下。“现在讲没关系吧？” “好啊！是什么话？” “是关于那个叫绫子的女孩。” "What's up with her?" “这话你别说出去喔——” “我”（＝巴比）突然吊眼瞧我，做出降低音量的动作，不过只是做做样子，声音还是一样大。 “我觉得她应该是被杀的。” “可是，你不也同意那是个不幸的意外？至少你和蓝迪争执时，听起来是如此。” “我本来是同意的，但我突然想到一个疑点。” “这么说，你怀疑CIA的调查？” “不不不，我认为他们做了完善的调查，也姑且相信他们的说法，我们六人里头没人和绫子熟到会引发杀人案，这点应该不会错。不过——” "but?" “我之前一直没说，其实我看到了。” "what did you see?" “我们刚逃进'第二都市'的情况，你还记得吗？我们全部往地下跑，然后那个嗡嗡的——” “'隔离墙'？” “对，那玩意儿出现后，'人格转移'就在我们之间成立了。我看到有人在那之后跑上楼梯。” “跑上楼梯？”麦格啤酒那黏稠浓厚的独特味道让我不禁发呛。“你是说，都逃到地下了，还有人特地跑回一楼的店里去……” “没错，你说这奇不奇怪？” “那个人是谁啊？” “是……”这回“我”（＝巴比）真的降低了声量。“蓝迪老爹。” "what?" “当然啦，我是指内在。我看见的背影，是那个金发大姊的。” “贾桂琳？啊，对喔！因为是在'隔离墙'出现之后，所以人格已经互换了。可是，等一下喔！那时候应该是一片黑暗，你怎么看得见她？” “的确，'第二都市'里没电灯，一楼也停电了；不过，店里八成有东西着火，因为我看向楼梯时，上头隐隐约约透着橘红色的光，还摇摇晃晃的。我想那时一楼一定发生火灾了。” “原来如此，所以你是在火光之下看到的？” “我看到的是逆光的黑影，她看起来一摇一摆的，奸像喝醉了一样。” “哦！那是因为她扭伤了脚。” “原来是这样啊！反正那个身影一定是她，因为她那头金灰色长发的影子，我看得一清二楚。再说，我们六个人里面，也只有她是那种体型啊！” “原来如此，符合那种外观条件的，只有贾桂琳；当然，那时的内在已经调换过了。” “身体确实是她，但为了避免搞混，统一称作蓝迪老爹好了。起先我没仔细想过自己看到的黑影是什么意思，听那个博士说明人格转移系统时，也只是恍然大悟想着'哦！原来那时候看见的虽然是个女人，实际上却是蓝迪老爹啊！'听说绫子是死在一楼，而虽然不是直接死因，脖子上却有勒痕时，我也没联想到自己目击的黑影。” “那你是什么时候开始怀疑的？” “知道蓝迪老爹异常讨厌日本人的时候。” "But……" “欵，你听我讲完。我是这么想的，那个老爹是讨厌日本人没错，但也还没疯到见了就杀的地步；但这是在日常生活的情况下吧？陷入极限处境时，人类不是会突然干出一些不可理喻的事吗？而我们遇上的那场地震，确实是极限处境。” “你是说，他干了某种不可理喻之事？” “这就叫一时着了魔。混乱之中，老爹心里想着'这地震这么大，一定会死不少人。既然这样，偷偷干掉一、两个自己看不顺眼的人，也不会被发现吧？不，或许会被发现，但反正凶手很难锁定，说不定事后就不了了之。'” “喂喂喂！”这话也未免太夸张了，教我真的担心起“我”（＝巴比）是否已酩酊大醉。毕竟他现在用的是我的身体，“我”的酒量或许胜过贾桂琳，却说不上好。 "Are you serious?" “不是有句谚语说，'隐藏枯木的最佳场所就是森林'吗？要藏尸体，当然是藏到尸体堆里啊！很狡猾吧？” “就算是这样，他做事真的会这么不经大脑，趁机杀害讨厌的日本人？更何况，对方还是当天才头一次见到的女孩——” “我觉得正好相反。” "Contrary? Contrary to what?" “假如是熟人，就算是再怎么讨厌的日本人，也会产生犹豫的；反而是当天才见到、还完全不认识的人，才下得了手。因为对方在自己心中还不是一个独立的人格，平时会有的人性挣扎，往往会消失无踪。” “可是，在那种混乱中……” “就是混乱才能下手啊！平时就算有这种蠢念头，也绝对不会付诸行动；但混乱之中，反而好下手。又或者他是想到自己搞不好会被埋在瓦砾下就此长眠，既然如此，干脆抓一、两个讨厌的日本人当垫背。” “太不合理了啦！好不容易逃到地下了，还特地跑回一楼去？在成功趁乱杀人前，搞不好自己会先死咧！这种道理谁都懂吧？” “所以才说是极限处境造成的啊！当时已经失去正常的判断力了。可是，当他回到一楼，勒着找不到'第二都市'的绫子时，天花板却快塌了；这时他才回过神来，在勒死绫子前便慌忙逃回'第二都市'。” “但结果还是没杀人啊！” “不，不对。假如过程真和我想的一样，那老爹可是妨碍了绫子逃进'第二都市'的机会，害她无法获救，对吧？这样的话，当然是不折不扣的杀人啊！先勒到她动弹不得，然后明知天花板会塌，还把她丢在店里。这可不是杀人未遂，是真正的杀人！” 我思索了片刻。巴比的假设虽然牵强，道理却还说得通；然而这里有个问题——他的假设是建立于自己的目击证词之上。说白一点，要是他其实根本没看见贾桂琳跑上楼的身影，这种推测根本没任何意义。 那么，巴比说谎的可能性呢？我试着思考，而一旦开始思考，便愈发觉得这是个相当重要的关键；因为倘若窪田绫子的死有半分他杀的可能性，巴比便成了我们六人之中，唯一拥有坚固“不在场证明”的人。 令他的不在场证明成立的，正是“第二都市”的特殊构造及功能。前章我略过未提的细部说明，就在此处略微介绍一番。 根据我们所见的“第二都市”概况图（参照图B），“房间”被区隔人格转移对象的“隔离墙”一分为二；为了方便起见，姑且称呼后半部为“封闭区”，前半部为“开放区”。 从横亘“房间”中央的“隔离墙”，便可推测人格转移本是适用于两人之间，但即使对象为三人以上，亦能成立。据艾克洛博士所言，在他们进行过的实验之中，曾有八人的成功案例；而重要的是，三人以上进行人格转移时，其“循环”顺序带有一定的法则，无论人数有几，此法则皆不变。 对象为三人以上时，除了“隔离墙”之外，还会出现名为“辅助线”的“墙壁”，犹如分切圆形蛋糕般地分割“房间”，不过，分割并不见得均等，这和人数为奇数或偶数并无关连。 以我们的例子来具体说明，人格转移在我们六人之间成立，照理说该是“封闭区”三人，“开放区”三人才是，但实际上却非如此。 如概况图所示，“封闭区”为我和巴比，而“开放区”则分别有哈尼、亚兰、贾桂琳及蓝迪。 据说，这是取决于人们进入“房间”时的位置。当“房间”判断对象已进入完毕后，便会先以“隔离墙”将对象大略地分隔为二，接着“辅助线”即会配合人数出现。 “蛋糕”切完的同时，人格转栘也大功告成，成立对象的人格将依顺时针方向往隔壁的肉体一一递延。这个顺序一旦确立，无论发生何事皆不会变动。 好了，从以上的法则，我们可以了解到什么呢？就是我们无法谎称自己逃入“第二都市”时的各自所在位置。当然，在一般情况下，要是全员私下串通，各自往后栘几位，并主张自己其实是位于“开放区”或“封闭区”，仍有可能造假；然而，我们的情况却还附加了另一个重大事实。 那就是——原本在人格转移成立后将会迅速消失的“隔离墙”，这回不知何故，在我们获救之际竟还残留了部分；虽然原因不明，但根据艾克洛博士的假设，或许是隔离墙制造装置因地震冲击而发生暂时性的“余波”。附带一提，“辅助线”则是全数消失。 经实验证明，“隔离墙”虽是一种透明屏障，却可将手枪子弹弹开；因此，“隔离墙”残留，正代表我们六人在救援到来之前，皆无法往来于“开放区”与“封闭区”之间。 （此为闲话，获救后的我们之所以在二十日至二十三日之间都没能恢复意识，似乎是因为被以药物维持睡眠状态之故。当然，这是为了秘密将我们送往这座设施而采取的措施。美国政府为了收集人格转移受试者们的数据，依实验组别的人数多寡，在世界各地设置了数个秘密设施：而收容我们的，虽不知位于何方，便是其中的六人用设施之遗迹。 “封闭区”中是“巴比”与“我”，而“开放区”中则是“哈