Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Showdown

Ten o'clock the next morning. Nakahara fell into a bleary sleep, and came to the pier with Kyoko to meet Itami who was about to come from Tokyo. The sea is still tea-brown, and I'm getting used to the stinking smell unconsciously. The fishermen are still the same, sailing their boats out of the bay to fish.It seemed that he had to be so persistent. The Dragon Palace arrived at the dock about ten minutes late. Itami got out of the boat, stretched himself, looked at the water left and right, and said: "It's dirtier than I thought." "When the boat approached, the color of the sea water changed, right?" Zhongyuan said.

There seemed to be some tourists on the Dragon Palace, but none of them disembarked here. It seemed that they all wanted to go to the south of Qipujing. Itami and Kyoko are also acquaintances, "Hey, why didn't you bring a bouquet of flowers?" He shrugged his shoulders as he said this to her. When the three of them were about to leave the pier, they suddenly heard the sound of a band playing from the pier on the other side. The three stopped and looked over there.Usually there are giant tankers leaning against it, but today it was surprisingly vacant, and band members in costumes lined up there, and there were also quite a few elderly gentlemen.Presumably the dignitaries and celebrities of the street.There are also ladies in kimonos holding bouquets.

"It seems that some important person is coming." As soon as Zhong Yuan finished speaking, the sound of the engine came from afar.Looking up, a large helicopter flew over from the direction of Numazu. There was a row of words on the grass-green belly of the plane, and as it gradually approached, it was only then that it could be seen that it was the words "Fuyuki Investigation Team". The helicopter circled slowly over the pier before coming down.The people who went out to welcome people hastily stretched out their hands to hold down their flying hair and skirts. After the helicopter stopped, the members of the investigation team came down to the sound of the band playing.The lady in kimono came forward to offer flowers.

"Wow," Itami shrugged and shrugged, "It's amazing, the guest fell from the sky. I paid for the ticket myself and came here by boat. The difference is really more than a hundred and eight thousand miles." "He was reprimanded by the government." Zhong Yuan couldn't help smiling bitterly. On the pier, the chunky man who started the welcoming ceremony and was speaking, seemed to be the mayor of Gumpo City.After the welcome speech, the adults of the investigation team left in two limousines.I heard that there is only one high-end tourist hotel in this city, so I probably went there.

"What about me? Isn't there a car to pick me up?" Itami was still smiling. "The hotel is very close." Jing Yu replied. The three of them walked towards the hotel.The earth truck drove past the road with soil and sand scattered on it.Itami reached out and brushed his nose. "This is like a war between the mechanized troops of the United States and the Liberation Front wearing sandals." "I heard that the Vietnam Liberation Front fought very hard." Nakahara responded, and Itami immediately said: "That's because the people are on their side."

Itami looked around the street and asked again: "What about here? What do people think?" "I don't quite understand either. In the evening, the high school teacher will come to the hotel. I believe he will tell you the general situation." "We have to find a way to make the local residents trust us. They have the right to choose one of the two investigation teams, right?" "We all saw it just now. Judging from the solemn welcome, the dignitaries on the street will give full support to the Fuyuki investigation team." Zhong Yuan said and glanced at the pier again.The large helicopter is still parked there.

"I see..." Itami said with a sneer on his face again: "It's better to say that the important people here hope that the investigation report will be zero pollution." "No mistake. Needless to say, the mayor and those dignitaries have tried their best to set up related industries in this city. If it causes public nuisance, it will be fatal to them." The question concerns ordinary residents. What exactly do they expect from the investigation team? After returning to the hotel, Nakahara showed Itami Yoshikawa's pollution diary.Not that kind of booklet, but a thick stack of things that have been recorded uninterruptedly for three years.

The cover reads "Jimpo High School Pollution Research Institute" in a conceited font.It is the fruit of the hard work of the students. Itami looked carefully.He who likes to joke, was actually silent at this moment. "How about it?" Nakahara leaned his head over to ask, Itami lifted his eyes and sighed, saying: "Submit it." "what?" "When you see this kind of things that you have found out bit by bit, you will think of the things you self-righteously teach in universities. The pollution on the Internet is still there, and the ones who can really eliminate the pollution are those who have written this kind of diary and are working hard in real and silent ways."

"Yeah, are you going to be humble too?" Nakahara smiled, but Itami got serious and said: "How can I not be humble in front of the truth?" A little after noon, the city government's publicity vehicle drove up to the road, broadcasting in a voice that was several scales higher. Brothers and sisters in this city, good afternoon.Today, great scholars and experts from Tokyo came to investigate the pollution.From six o'clock in the afternoon, they will hold a lecture in the Civic Hall.Please greet each other and come to listen together.It starts at six o'clock, and everyone is welcome to come.

The publicity vehicle went back and forth several times, repeating the broadcast. "Good job." Itami looked down from the window and said. Zhongyuan thought, the opponent is also desperate.But wouldn't it be disadvantageous to do so?Because in the eyes of interested people, it is easy to see that the Fuyuki Investigation Team and the city's high-level departments are in collusion. Just after four o'clock, Yoshikawa brought a tall, thin man to the hotel.This slightly hunchbacked person was Tatebayashi, the biology teacher mentioned by Yoshikawa. Guanlin spoke with a Kansai accent.Nakahara pointed this out, and Tatebayashi said it was because of three years of teaching at a high school in Osaka.

Guanlin also said: "It's Higashi Sumiyoshi's high school. In the winter of last year, two drunks threw cigarette butts into a nearby river. The river suddenly caught fire, and everyone was arguing. There was waste oil flowing into the river from nowhere. Of course It’s public nuisance. In exchange for the high school here, there is still public nuisance. I feel that there is always public nuisance following me closely.” Guan Lin said and smiled, he looked like a nice gentleman. Itami praised Pollution Diary so much, Yoshikawa and Tatebayashi glanced at each other and said: "If that thing is useful, it's all thanks to the students. This time, they also expressed that they would help within the scope of not hindering their homework." Zhong Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this conversation.It seems that there is nothing to worry about team spirit. "Do you know that tonight, the Fuyuki Investigation Team will hold a lecture at the Civic Hall?" Zhongyuan asked the two teachers. Yoshikawa said he already knew about it, and the city hall notified the school. "Then are you going to listen?" "That's what I talked with Brother Guan Lin along the way." Itami looked at everyone and said: "Let's all go and see what the Fuyuki investigation team will say. Maybe we can guess what kind of investigation report they will write in the future. At the same time, we should also know how the residents feel about the investigation team." No one disagrees with these words.Tate Lin said with a smile on his face: "This is knowing yourself and the enemy, and winning every battle." After having dinner at the hotel, the five of them came to the Civic Hall hand in hand. Like the municipal hospital, the civic hall was a grand three-story building, and the hall on the second floor was almost full.Does this situation show that residents care about public hazards?Or is it just a curiosity to see some amazing people from Tokyo?This is not something outsiders such as the Central Plains can judge. When the group sat down at the end seat, Katori Shoichiro approached and greeted Yoshikawa.He has an artificial flower pinned to his chest. Zhongyuan saw that Yoshikawa's face was slightly stiff.Although Katori also glanced at Nakahara, he pretended to be indifferent, and said to Yoshikawa with a little complacency: "I was also dragged into the sea to join this investigation team." "Do you want to give a speech?" "The last one. Of course, I mean if there's an audience then." "How's Miss Ayako?" "she's fine." "Aren't you married yet?" "She seems to be willing, but I don't really want to..." Katori smiled again, greeted again and walked towards the podium.Nakahara guessed that Ayako might be the woman she met at the door of Katori's house, who was the palm of Professor Fuyuki, but since it was inconvenient to ask Yoshikawa about such things, he kept silent. "It's kind of gross, this guy." Itami next to Zhongyuan, tsk!He slammed his tongue and said.This kind of statement is really hush, and Zhong Yuan can't help laughing.Then I asked Kyoko: What do you think?She thought for a while and said: "It's a bit gross, but in the eyes of women, it's very attractive." The first person to take the stage was Professor Higuchi of Safety Engineering. It was an old man with beautiful white hair.Zhong Yuan had watched it on TV two or three times, but he couldn't remember what program it was.And I was deeply impressed by his confident way of speaking. "I came to your place as a member of the Fuyuki Investigation Team. However, I didn't come here because of the pollution that happened here. First of all, please don't misunderstand me." With a clear voice, Professor Higuchi took a sip of water slowly. "After I came to Jinpu, the first thing I felt was that this city street is full of vitality, and everyone looks great. The mayor told us that since the enterprises set up factories in this city, the income of the local area has soared. , the roads have been paved, and the sewer project will be completed within this year. I also visited the perfect city hospital. Only then did I understand that it is full of energy and everyone looks so good. This is the reason. "Recently, some places often oppose enterprises to set up factories because of fear of public nuisance. This is a mistake. I would like to report a good example. "In County F in the northeast, there is a small village called Village Y. Three years ago, there was a plan to set up a factory there. Because everyone was afraid of public nuisance, it was rejected at the village meeting. "Two weeks ago, I went to this small village. I was really shocked by the miserable appearance there. The young people have all fled to the city because they have no jobs. Three years ago, the population exceeded 1,000, but now it is only 1,000. The remaining half of the 600 people, the roads are not paved, and they turned into mud overnight after the rain. It is amazing to say that the tax revenue there is only 3 million yuan a year. Of course, this amount of money can do nothing. I did. Also, the doctor is unwilling to go, and it is still a village without doctors. I guess, this village Y may become a deserted village with no people in the near future. Now the villagers regret that they did not win enterprises to set up factories, but it is too late . "On this point, it can be said that Jinpu has made a very wise choice. Many people are always clamoring about public hazards. In fact, relying on Japan's high-level technology, there is nothing that cannot be solved. Taking Jinpu as an example, so far there has been no I heard that there was a public nuisance. We are here to conduct investigations, and I believe there will be no public nuisance found..." The audience seemed bewildered.It was supposed to be the first speech of the Fuyuki investigation team that came in with a big show, but it turned out to be such an optimistic statement, which made everyone dumbfounded. "What kind of speech is this? It's inexplicable." When Itami was muttering to himself, a young man in the middle of the hall suddenly stood up and yelled: "Bastard!! You're farting, one person is dead!" The young man roared and rushed to the podium.This sudden incident made everyone on and off the stage stunned, and no one stopped him in time. The young man jumped onto the stage as soon as he jumped, and with a swing of his old fist, he beat Professor Higuchi hard. "You, you, stop!" Professor Higuchi screamed desperately.At this time, the important people on the stage recovered themselves and stood up one after another to stop the young man.At this moment, the young man's fists attacked one after another, knocking down Professor Higuchi. The police officer arrived and managed to subdue the young man.The entire speech venue was in chaos, and subsequent speeches were also cancelled. "An excellent cameo." Itami shrugged his shoulders while talking to Nakahara.The audience also flocked to the gate one after another inexplicably. Zhongyuan's party also went out with the crowd, and when they went outside, Jingzi said to Zhongyuan with a serious face: "Lawyer, the young man who was taken away by the police..." "Him? What about him?" "Didn't I tell you that Umezu Yuka has a lover? I guess this young man might be him. I've heard people mention him in Nanaura, and it looks like..." "Well, the age seems to be eighteen years old." As Zhong Yuan said, he turned his head to look at the Civic Hall, and asked again: "What's the name?" "Suzuki Shinkichi." "I'll go to the police station and ask." "If so, what shall we do?" "Get out." "is it okay?" "Miss, have you forgotten that I am a lawyer?" Zhongyuan made a joke, and then left the group and went to Jinpu branch by himself. After walking about 50 to 60 meters from the Civic Hall, I came to the police station, and there were two police cars converted from jeeps parked in front.There seemed to be quite a few car accidents. The bulletin board in front of the police station listed the words "one dead and five injured yesterday." Zhong Yuan handed over his business card and asked to see the branch chief.The branch chief, who is in his early fifties with a mustache, said he had read Zhong Yuan's name in the newspaper. "The young man who made a fuss in the civic hall, how is it now?" The branch chief replied with a wry smile: "It calmed down after it was brought to the bureau." "Is it Suzuki Shinkichi?" "How do you know?!" The branch chief's eyes widened in surprise.Kyoko guessed right again with her feminine feeling. "He doesn't know me yet. He is the lover of Umezu Yuka who committed suicide." "I see, that's why I'm so excited." "Almost. I want to protect him, can I?" "this one?" "What is he charged with? Outrage and obstruction, I suppose?" "Well, probably, but Professor Higuchi has already said that he will not be charged, and he has no previous convictions, so we are considering releasing him." The sub-bureau chief spoke quite relaxedly, and he was released in the end. Shinkichi Suzuki was led out by a police officer, looking more like a child than when he was seen in the civic hall.Tanned, with acne bumps on his face.Yes, it was the face of eighteen years old. "This gentleman is willing to be your guarantor, so I will spare you this time. Thank him." Jin Ji glanced at Zhong Yuan warily. "I do not know him." "I know you. To tell you the truth, I also know Miss Umezu Yuka." Jinji glanced at him again, his eyes softened. After going out, Zhong Yuan explained the matter of filing a complaint.Jinji listened silently.At last he cried out: "It's useless to be lukewarm." "why?" Zhong Yuan pretended to be relaxed and asked.Jin Ji spit out a mouthful of saliva. "If there is a lawsuit, the people in the company will not admit it. They will not give any money." "Listen, it seems that this kind of thing has happened before, doesn't it?" "No one has ever filed a lawsuit. But Ms. Yujia's mother got asthma because of the factory. Of course Yujia did too. But everyone in the factory said that Yujia and her mother were at odds. If she asked for leave, she would deduct her salary and threatened to fire her. So Yujia to commit suicide." Jinji suddenly let tears flow down one after another.Zhong Yuan realized that the child's anger was genuine.The anger of an eighteen-year-old boy always appears so pure, which makes people even more worried about what will happen. "I know what you mean, but using violence like you do today can't solve anything. It must be proved theoretically that Miss Jia and her mother's illnesses were caused by public nuisance. This is also for the sake of possible victims in the future. So I I just sued the person in charge of the company and the county government, and we already have a few partners who are going to investigate the pollution problem in Jinpu. How about it, can I ask you to help too?" Nakahara also told him about Yoshikawa and the high school students. But Jin Ji's gloomy complexion did not change. "I won't do it." He spoke so simply.After a pause, I added another sentence: "I have my way." "If you beat someone up, can you calm down?" "It's none of your business." "Public nuisance is not a problem of one person, but a problem of Jinpu as a whole. If this goes on, the second and third victims will definitely appear. It will not help at all. I hope you can understand this point. " "I don't understand hard things. I don't like troublesome things either. I can do whatever I want." After saying that, Jin Ji stepped back two or three steps, then turned around suddenly, and walked into the dark night.Eighteen-year-old young man, walking really fast.Zhongyuan gave up chasing. He goes back to the hotel. Kyoko was in the room, but she couldn't see the rest of the people. "What about Itami and the others?" Kyoko showed Zhong Yuan a leaflet on the table and said: "A group of high school classmates came here just now, and everyone distributed this leaflet together." "Where to send it?" "I heard that the whole street is distributed. They said that every family should distribute it, and the momentum is like a rainbow." "Itami went too? That's incredible." Nakahara smiled, he knew Itami had always been a lazy person. He smoked a cigarette before reading the pamphlet.The ink is still wet, it should be freshly printed. Zhong Yuan felt that the article was a bit blunt, but what happened in the civic hall tonight was written so quickly, which is amazing.They only have this naive means of communication with handwritten mimeographs, but they are more able to grasp the timeliness.If you want to print a beautiful flyer in color, even if you have a printing press, it is impossible to write what happened in the civic hall so quickly. ——This is the Liberation Front. Nakahara remembered what Itami said, and smiled. Itami came back with a tired face just after eleven o'clock. "It's been a long time since I rode a bicycle, and my legs and butt hurt like hell." After saying that, Itami lay down on the tatami. "A bicycle?" "A high school classmate lent it to me, and I rode it to distribute flyers. They are still distributing. They are clamoring to send it to every letter box tonight. The energy is really incredible. This way , all the citizens of Jinpu will see this flyer tomorrow morning." "What about the tourist hotel?" "Of course they did. They want the old gentlemen of the Fuyuki Investigation Team to see it too." Itami laughed happily. "Then how do we start the investigation tomorrow?" Itami lit up a cigarette on his knees and replied: "Tomorrow is Saturday, and there are already 20 to 30 high school students who have said that they will come to help from the afternoon." "Where are the tools?" "It's mainly empty jars. And the Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon." "What does the Dragon Boat Festival have to do with investigating public hazards?" "It's related to the carp streamer. Every household finds out the carp streamer from the bottom of the box and raises it up. With this thing, you can measure the wind direction. If you check 200 carp streamers, you can know the wind direction in 200 places. Just think about it. Planting carp streamers is exactly the same as the common flags for measuring wind direction, they said that this is an idea thought up by students, it is really brilliant. It is a very common people’s idea, isn’t it?” Itami laughed a few times as he spoke, and then said to Kyoko who was rereading the flyer: "Excuse me, can you please rub my legs and butt? Hey, I have to ride a bicycle all day tomorrow." "The legs are fine, but the butt is not. Because Mr. Itami often puts..." Those words made Itami bend over with a smile. At this moment, Nakahara was thinking about what Katori said in Tokyo.Central Plains didn't appreciate him, but what he said was very interesting, that is how to measure the temperature and wind direction in the sky above.It is absolutely impossible to raise the carp banner to a height of 100 meters or 200 meters. "Is there anything else that must be measured?" Nakahara asks Itami a question. "Of course there is." "Then how do we investigate? Carp banners and empty cans won't work, right?" "That's right. To be honest, when I was about to come, I thought that maybe the lack of equipment would be a fatal injury. However, after talking with the two teachers and the students, I realized that worrying was unnecessary. Yes. I really learned a lesson from them. For example, the temperature of the air also needs to be checked. Tomorrow, each student will bring a thermometer. Thirty students, with thirty thermometers, can measure thirty locations temperature." "But you have to measure the temperature and wind direction in the sky, right?" "of course." "How do you measure a height of 100 meters or 200 meters? The carp streamer can't be raised that high, is it necessary to use a balloon to raise the thermometer up? Even if the thermometer is raised up, but it is lowered to record the temperature, the degree will be restored. It's on the ground." "Guess what they're going to do?" "I don't understand that. I guess the Fuyuki survey team will use wireless weather detectors. Of course we can't have such things." "We have mountains." "You mean mountains?" "Yes, mountains. We are lucky that Jinpo is surrounded by mountains. We don't have wireless weather detectors, but we have legs. We also know the height of the mountains. We don't use wireless detectors, only thermometers and small carp streamers That's enough. Climbing to a 200-meter-high mountain, you can measure the wind direction and temperature at 200 meters high. A 100-meter-high mountain means the wind direction and temperature at 100 meters high. This is what the two teachers and students thought .” "It's a difficult strategy." "Yes. It is said that the intellectuals who participated in the liberation front learned a lot from the peasants, and I have also learned a lot since I came here." Itami became serious. Early the next morning, Zhong Yuan was awakened by the sound of a helicopter engine. I got up and opened the window to see that the large helicopter was circling in the sky yesterday. At this time, smoke bombs fell from the plane, as if to check the wind direction on the bay.Zhong Yuan watched and couldn't help smiling wryly.This is really different from the carp banner. At noon, the Fuyuki investigation team brought in four automatic sulfite gas detectors by truck and installed them at four locations on the street.This is what Katori said was worth 500,000 yuan each. A strong administrator was also arranged next to the machine, but it was unknown whether it was hired by the Trade Bureau or sent by the Jinpu City Government.It may also be the money spent by the business side.In short, such a solemn event has deeply attracted the attention of the citizens. In the afternoon, two teachers, Yoshikawa and Tatebayashi, led several students to the hotel.Yoshikawa also explained that there are another 20 or so classmates who have already started investigation activities. "The automatic measuring device is also installed, see?" Itami asked.Guan Lin took out a crumpled handkerchief, and while wiping the sweat off his face, he confided in his heart: "Just saw it on the road. Just what their school wants to have." Then he smiled and said: Just now, just to see clearly, I reached out to touch it, but I was almost beaten up by the administrator. Yoshikawa also looked indifferent. It seems that the automatic measuring device brought by the Fuyuki investigation team did not give him a shock, and said with a smile: "It's a very good machine, but there are only four of them. In comparison, although our empty can tactics can only be regarded as lame, they have an overwhelming advantage in number. We already have fifty students, each with one , and hung it under his own roof. In other words, there are fifty survey locations, covering almost the entire urban area." "We have to patiently do the same thing over and over again for the next six days." Guan Lin added a sentence in Kansai dialect, and said: "Wind direction, temperature, gas concentration, and the water quality in the bay must be measured every day, and how many times per day are stipulated." "Where is the water quality inspection done?" Itami interrupted, and Yoshikawa replied: "Our principal agreed that we use the school's laboratory, so we did it there. Although the experimental equipment is not good, ammonia, phosphoric acid, sodium, etc. can all be checked out." "That's enough. Let me do this. Borrow two or three classmates." Itami made a request, and Yoshikawa immediately selected three classmates.The students were all in high spirits, and one of them handed over his bicycle. "It's a bicycle again." Itami smiled wryly for a while, but he and his three classmates went on the road enthusiastically. "Then what should I do?" After what Nakahara said, Yoshikawa and Tatebayashi looked at each other.Yoshikawa put his palm on his forehead and said: "What should I ask you to do?" The students burst into laughter.Zhong Yuan knew that they had no malicious intentions, but he really felt that he couldn't do it.You can't run around with a thermometer, not even a middle school student.Kyoko couldn't help laughing and said: "I've never seen you so embarrassed." "Okay. I'll do whatever, okay." "How about we ask Mr. Nakahara to be a shortstop?" Tate Lin proposed. "What's Shortstop Ten doing?" Guanlin wiped his sweat again with a handkerchief and said: "The gentlemen of the Fuyuki investigation group are all respectable, but to be honest, they cannot be trusted, so please monitor whether they will do anything improper. If everyone fights uprightly, I believe we will not I will lose to them, but I am afraid that they will cheat." "Do you think they will?" "On the surface, of course not." Yoshikawa said: "Based on their status, they won't do it. But once there are facts that are unfavorable to the company, they may conceal them, and the adults and gentlemen of this city may also hinder us. In case there is a conflict between the two sides, and we don’t know the law at that time, we may be helpless. So Mr. Zhongyuan, please come out when necessary.” "Okay." Zhong Yuan nodded. Yoshikawa and Tatebayashi led the students there. "We should go too." Zhongyuan urged Kyoko, and Kyoko looked at him inexplicably and said: "Hey, lawyer, aren't you a shortstop?" "I want to see what's going on in the streets. There's something to worry about." "What's up?" "It's Shinkichi Suzuki. We'd better find him." "Didn't you go back to Qipu?" "If it is, that's fine. But the way it was yesterday, it's likely to stay here. I know he can't do much, but that's not good for him, and it's not good for our investigation." Zhongyuan and Jingzi walked towards the street. The sun is strong.Kyoko raised her head and cried out in surprise. "Look, the sky is so blue today." Really, all that heavy smoke is gone.Zhongyuan saw the clear sky here for the first time.It turned out that Guanlin was always wiping his face because the sun was too strong. Then look at the chimney of Sun Oil, which was still spouting flames until yesterday, but at this moment, there is only a wisp of smoke left.The same is true of the chimneys of other factories.The entire Jinpu-related industrial zone seems to be dead and quiet. A wry smile appeared on Zhong Yuan's face so naturally. "In the next six days, maybe you can see the blue sky every day." "So, what else can we investigate?" Kyoko pursed her small mouth. "Those manufacturers are also working hard." "It's a scam. It doesn't smoke when the investigation team comes, what is that?" "For them, this is a life-and-death battle, and any despicable means are used. But the people who live here cannot be fooled. And Mr. Yoshikawa and the others have recorded it since three years ago. I believe There is power in this record." anything else.The sea water in Jinpu Bay will definitely not disappear.Even though the concentration of sulfurous acid gas has been diluted for a while, it is absolutely impossible for the muddy tea-brown sea to clear up. The street is still lively, but it seems to be different from usual.The blue sky may also be one of the reasons, in addition to the sporadic carp banners that were hoisted prematurely. Those carp banners are waving against the blue sky. ——Done it. Zhong Yuan couldn't help smiling. Under the carp flag, there will always be a middle school student who sticks to it to record the wind direction every hour. Middle school students can also be seen on every street corner.Most of them put their bicycles aside, or looked at the thermometer, or glanced at the meter, and took notes.There are all kinds of thermometers, which also triggers a smile in him.Some of the thermometers for female students are cute doll-shaped. Many students must have gone up the mountain with a thermometer in hand.Zhong originally wanted to climb up the mountain to see how they were doing, but he gave up the idea because he knew he was a layman, and going there would only hinder their work.Don't underestimate them as high school kids, all of them are experts in fighting pollution for three years. So he decided to go to the beach to see Itami's work.While walking, he looked carefully, but he couldn't see Suzuki Shinkichi.Where did that young man go? When we came to the pier, the Dragon Palace happened to be leaning there and was about to leave for Qipu.Zhongyuan suddenly thought of something, and hurriedly told Jingzi: "Excuse me, can I go to Qipu again?" Without explaining, Kyoko also sensed his intentions. "You want me to check if Suzuki Shinkichi has gone back to Nanura, right?" "Yes. I am very worried. When you get there, call the hotel as soon as you have news." After Kyoko got on board, the boat drove away, and Zhong Yuan then went to look for Itami and the others. At first, they were covered by a fishing boat, but when the boat moved away, Itami and three middle school students appeared on a rubber raft. "Hey--" Zhong Yuan shook his hand and shouted, but he didn't hear him.Ye'er, you must be concentrating on your work. After a while, the rubber raft came back.Approaching the pier, Itami saw Zhongyuan and called out. There are many small bottles filled with sea water in the rubber raft.What surprised Nakahara was that Itami and the others were all soaked. "It's not time to swim yet." Nakahara made a joke, and Itami smiled back.A classmate wiped his face with a towel and said: "The fisherman is nervous." "Hey, did the fisherman do it?" "Isn't it?" Yidan said, "The boat approached, and suddenly the sea water was poured over." "Are they still so allergic to pollution?" "There are also..." Itami paused as he spoke, glanced at the students who were loading the small bottles onto the bicycles, and then said: "The day after tomorrow, Qian Xia will be lifted, so I'm very nervous." "Crimson shrimp?" "A small shrimp, I heard it is a special product only here. It is light red and only three centimeters long." "I ate before." Zhongyuan remembered.It was a delicious seafood, but he never knew that the shrimp was called Qian shrimp, and he also knew that it was a specialty of Jinpu Bay. Itami sent his classmates back and sat down on the beach side by side with Nakahara. The water in front of him was still dirty.Even if Sun Oil and other manufacturers temporarily stop operations, it is impossible to clear up the pollution. Jinpu opened the related industrial zone five years ago, which means that they have continuously polluted the seawater for five years. It would be naive to think that pollution can be eliminated in six days. Itami took off his wet top and shirt, and exposed his upper body.Skinny.Zhong Yuan remembered that when he was a student, he had a nickname of "ribs", and couldn't help smiling again. "How can that kind of shrimp not die in such dirty water?" "I heard that it is decreasing every year, but until last year, it was still possible to catch. My classmates told me that last year, the number of idiot shellfish was in a mess, so even though the shrimps decreased again, the fishermen still gathered here." "What will happen this year?" "I didn't know until the day after tomorrow. I heard that the Fisheries Division of the county government thinks that it will only increase, not decrease." "Don't they see how dirty the sea is?" "You ask me, who do I ask?" Itan smiled and said, "Akane shrimp seems to be expensive, and it is the biggest income of the fishermen here. Now that the day of lifting the ban is here, no wonder they are so nervous." Itami also relayed the words of his classmates: During the fishing season for Akane shrimp, the young people working in the factory would ask for leave and go out to sea by boat. "Strange." Zhongyuan stretched his hand to the side of his forehead to shade the sun, looked out to sea and said, "Where's the Fuyuki Investigation Team? It seems they didn't see it." "About half an hour ago, I went out to sea in a large motorboat. I saw a flag with the words 'Fuyuki Survey Group' written on it." "Where did you go?" "I don't know." Itami said with a sneer. "Maybe he went trolling. Old gentlemen like fishing." In the evening, everyone gathered in the chemistry laboratory of Jinpu High School. The protagonists are still Yoshikawa and his teachers and students.Zhong Yuan sat silently in a corner, watching them make some statistics and analyze the sea water. Starting from the middle school in the city in the north, the laboratory seems to be a bit small, and the experimental equipment seems to be poor.However, this moment is filled with determination to rely on one's own ability to investigate the real state of public hazards. There were also three female students among them. After finishing their homework, they used the experimental gas stove to boil water and make tea. Zhong Yuan remembered that Guan Lin taught biology, so he asked about Qian Xia. "In your opinion, is there a lot of Akane shrimp this year? It is said that the county fisheries department thinks there are more than last year." "Well..." Tatebayashi took a few sips of hot tea and said, "Because I am also very concerned about this issue, so I went to the report of the Fisheries Division to read it. Simply put, they use fish detection I checked the device, and found that there was a reaction in several places that seemed to be a group of prawns. As for whether it was a prawn or not? They couldn’t be sure. Therefore, it is impossible to determine whether it has increased or decreased until it is actually released from the net. " "I'm a layman, and I really don't understand how the seawater is so dirty, why don't the shrimps die?" "Actually, experts are still not clear about this. What we know so far is that the shrimp grows on the microorganisms in the sea. The spawning period is from late April to early May, and each tail can lay about 2,000 eggs. That's all. 。至于对海水的污染有多少抵抗力，还完全不明了。听以目前非常需要彻底研究茜虾的生态，同时锦浦湾的海水，也非把每一个角落都查清楚不可。可是很遗憾，我们没有资金，当然也没有器材。” 馆林还苦笑着表示：以前就已经向县水产课提出过几次申请书，但是-点效果也没有。 “在这里的渔民们来说，茜虾是支撑他们生计的重要收入来源，可是在整个县或全国来说，恐怕只是微不足道的事吧。” 馆林最后这么说。听那口气，是那么沉静稳重，正像他的为人，不过细细一想，似乎也含蕴着强烈的讥刺。 伊丹和吉川都透露了有关今天的作业的意见，同学们也分别说出了自己的感想。 同学们异口同声地说出来的是这一天的状况，确实和平常不同。有一个同学还一脸深刻地说： “我觉得像今天这样子，各工厂都在自我抑制，查出来的结果恐怕是毫无意义的。而且明天是礼拜天，大部分的工厂都休假，更不可靠了。如果把这样的数据当做锦浦的现况报告出来，都是很糟糕的事。” 他们没有一个人愿意信任冬木调查团。当然，他们对冬木调查团每一个成员没有任何认识，他们的想法是发自年轻人独特的直感。 也许面对着日益污浊的乡土，不知不觉地就产生了对权威的不信任感吧。 为大家倒茶的女生之一，一脸愤懑地说出了她的心情： “平时根本不会想到锦浦的人们，偶尔来到这里做做样子，当然他们会认真查的吧，不过也只是一个礼拜罢了。这样怎么能查出真实的情形呢？我是不懂那些老先生有多么了不起。” 另一个女生还说明了如下的一件事：今天她在锦浦大饭店附近量气温，刚好有一个调查团的人出来了，便告诉他已经从三年前起就调查这里的公害情形，并请他写调查报告时，参考一下她们的记录。 “没想到他居然回答说：我们调查团基本上打算写出正确而客观的报告书，所以第三者的意见，我们不准备采用。哎哎，他们把我们当成杂音呢。” 这位女学生让圆脸微微涨红着说。 伊丹一脸的微笑，吉川倒有点困扰似地哄她，要她不要太激动，并说： “冬木教授是我的恩师，我打算去见见他，说明锦浦的真实情形。我和你们一样地对调查团不满，但是，我在想，如果可能，应该尽可能避免对决。万一对决，那就会使对决本身被浮突出来，公害便可能被压下去了。” 希望避免对决，这表示出吉川这位青年教师还保有一份仁厚的心，然而是否对决，主要在乎冬木调查团将来可能采取的态度。冬木调查团成员之一已经向女学生说要写成正确、客观的报告书，这种学究式的想法本身，已经是落伍的，而且分明是错误的，中原想。 中原还知道，最近有关痛痛病的官司，已经有了患者胜诉的判决，可是仍有部分学者主张痛痛病的原因并不在镉。这位教授力主为了证实镉病源说，必需有长期的人体实验。这位教授的见解，从某一个观点来说，应该也是正确的。 然而，现实上痛痛病已经发生了，患者不用说，连家属也都在痛苦里挣扎，想到这里，这位教授的主张显得那么不近情理。 再进一步想，公害问题究竟可能有绝对正确的结果吗？当有人主张说：要把镉认为是痛痛病的原因，仍存着若干疑问的时候，那在学问上也许是正确而客观的见解，但是同时也成为企业的免罪符，结果只能增加病患的痛苦而已。 冬木调查团说不定也会刻意地去走这条路呢。 中原回到旅馆，接到京子来自七浦的电话，说铃木晋吉依然行踪不明。中原吩咐她再住一天，好好地查他的行踪。 次日逢星期日，锦浦相关产业工业区各厂，完全停止了操作。 根据旅馆服务生的说法，过去假日，太阳石油也从未停工过。 “那只烟囱，从来也没有停止过冒烟的。” 这位微胖的服务生，多么奇异似地指了指那只修成黑白相间的太阳石油厂的烟囱。 蓝天好像又比昨天更蓝了些。 就在那蓝天上，冬木调查团的直升机正在飞翔盘旋。 伊丹仰头看了一眼那只在他们头上扬威耀武的直升机，朝中原露出一个苦笑。 “今天的记录，不知他们会如何运用呢？”他说：“如果想证实工厂停工，亚硫酸瓦斯会减少多少，那对突现公害的实态是极有效的。可是，如果为了降低平时的平均数值，那就不得了。把今天的记录放进六天里平均，那会产生可怕的误导。” “他们会这样做吗？” 中原也看看烟雾消散后的蓝天问。不过这话，倒毋宁说是表露了他心中的不安来得更恰当。 “我相信会。平均值通常都有奇异的魔力。” 伊丹脸上，笑已经不见了。 中原很明白伊丹的意思，有一个词常被使用：“平均的日本人”，这里的“平均”两字，往往被当做“代表”。光这些还不算严重，可怕的是“平均”有时也代表“正确”。 伊丹心中的不安，不外也是指这一点吧。 尤其事关公害，平均值是毫无意义的，有时甚至还是危险的事。因为它不仅不正确，还会把公害的实态掩蔽掉。 例如一个礼拜当中，亚硫酸瓦斯的浓度有五天是○·三PPM，超过了政府的规定，但是如果其他两天是零，那么平均一下子就降到○·二PPM了。不用说，这只是极端的例子，但谁能保证冬木调查团不会形成类似的状况呢？ 吉川、馆林两位教师和同学们，这一天也和昨天一样，在街路上为了测量与记录而奔忙。伊丹则仍然承当了海湾上的水质调查。 这和冬木调查团所做的是一样的事，不过吉川他们的目的不是为了拉低数值，而是为了证明平常的污染是如何地严重。 中原仍然当一名游击手。 近午时分，在七浦的京子有电话来了。依然没有铃木晋吉的踪迹。中原命她今天再查一天，如果还是没有结果，即可回锦浦来。 中原搁下话筒正想走出旅馆时，东京新闻的记者日下部忽然闯了进来。用手帕猛揩着汗说： “我来跑冬木调查团的新闻。” 中原把他请进房间，吩咐服务生送冷饮。 “奇怪，怎么比上次来的时候热了这么多？”日下部苦笑着又说：“听说伊丹也来了？” 中原点点头说： “嗯，是我把他请来的。这一刻正和本地的几个高中生做水质检验。” 中原把所有的情形简单地向日下部说明。日下部不住地嗯哼着，好像深感兴趣。听完才说： “妙极了。这是脚踏车和直升机的对决嘛。简直跟解放战线和美军一样。” 这种说法，几乎和伊丹说的一模一样。看样子，好像人人都有类似的感觉。中原禁不住笑了笑说： “不管你怎样看法，如果你真要报导，那就不光把冬木调查团的事写出来，吉川老师和同学们也一定要写才好。” “喂喂，你老兄好像更信任空罐头调查团这边呢。” “我也是其中一员嘛。你只要看看事实，必定也会更信任我们这边的。” 这一点，中原倒是蛮有自信的。 日下部表示休息一会之后，再去跑空罐头这边。 接着，两人一块从旅馆出来了。 头上一片蓝天。太阳光令人眩目。从前，锦浦都是这样的。 “在龙宫号上，碰到了一个美女。” 日下部边走边说。这话说得有些唐突，因而中原讶异地呃了一声。 “给人冷冷的感觉。通常，观光客都避开锦浦，跑到七浦以南的地方上，可是她和我-样，要到锦浦，所以聊了聊。真惊奇，你猜她是谁？” “我怎么知道嘛。” 中原又苦笑了。日下部压低嗓音说： “冬木亚矢子。就是冬木教授的独生掌珠啦。” "..." 中原想起了香取昌一郎和在他公寓里碰到的年轻女性。当然，同时也想起了吉川。 “聊了些什么？” 中原想了半天才又问。 “没啥特别的。她说是来看她父亲。是个很聪明的女孩。” “有没有提到父亲以外的名字？” “咦，你这是什么意思？”日下部好像忽然被触发了兴趣地问：“听你口吻，好像知道一些有关她的事。” “不算知道。只不过……” 中原一时拿不定主意，片刻才又说： “上次见过的高中教师吉川，他是冬木教授以前的学生。” “哎唷，那不成了师生对决啦？” “他是想尽可能避免对决。不过有一次和他谈的时候，偶然提到了教授的千金，我一直记挂着那时他脸上痛苦的表情。” “爱上了恩师的女儿，对吗？” 日下部这话居然带上一抹鄙俗的味道。 中原禁不住又苦笑。 “这一点我倒不清楚，不过可以确定冬木亚矢子在他，的确是苦恼的原因。所以我在想，见到他的时候，也许不要提她也来了，比较妥当。” “OK。不过说不定他们是相爱的呢。她来这里，也可能表面上是看父亲，骨子里是来会吉川的。” “如果是这样，那就好了……” 中原支吾着，心里却兀自想：恐怕不是吧。他想起了香取那运动选手般的晒黑的脸庞。这一刻，他以冬木调查团一员身分住在锦浦大饭店。冬木亚矢子八成是来会他的。 以她为中心，香取和吉川之间究竟有过什么样的纠葛呢？，中原当然不知道，而现在，他也并不想知道。 但是，中原心中却难禁一抹不安。他担心由于冬木亚矢子的出现，一件严重的事——锦浦公害调查——会不会由俗气的三角习题取代？ 企业的防卫本能，强烈得超出想像之外。万一吉川他们那种草根性的调查受到认同，使得冬木调查团的报告无法发生隐蔽公害实态的效果，那时企业方说不定为了引开居民的批判，而利用这项三角习题也未可知。例如运用谣言攻势，说吉川是因为失恋才煽动学生，并与冬木调查团敌对。 这当然可能想像过度，但身为律师，不得不想到这一点。 “你怎么啦？怎么忽然想东西起来了？” 日下部窥伺般地看了看中原。 这天傍晚时分，忽然有了个消息：冬木调查团要举行中间报告。 调查团来到这里还只是第三天，并且实质上从事调查，只有昨天、今天两天而已。 在这样的当儿要来个中间报告，未免太急了些。可是此举好像不是冬木调查团本身的意思，而是为了应渔民们的强烈要求。 明天起，锦浦湾一带的茜虾将告解禁。在渔民们来说，这是攸关生计的最大宗收入。万一因为有了公害，遭到杀价，那么渔获量再多也没用。也许是这样的不安，使得他们对冬木调查团施加了压力。 渔民们希望在茜虾收获前，从极具权威性的冬木调查团那儿获得一纸零公害的保证。锦浦的污染情形，没有比渔民们更清楚的了。可是他们硬是需要没有公害的证明。这事说奇实在是最奇的了，然而这情形正好也说明了锦浦公害问题的深刻性。 中原他们也前往市民会馆。 大厅里早已挤满了听众，与前几天的情形如出一辙。唯一的不同是大厅一角成堆的是一眼就可以看出是渔民的晒黑了脸的男子们。他们的太太好像也在一块。 中原微感今天这一场报告会，恐怕不会平安过去吧。 新太阳化学的人事课长、太阳石油的公关课长也都在座。两人并肩在讲坛上后面，不时地在交头接耳，相视而笑，充满自信的模样。那种面孔，好像深信不疑冬木调查团的中间报告，不可能对他们不利。 ——说不定…… 中原不免又疑惑了。企业高层人员，是不是事先知道中间报告的内容呢？两人的样子是那么轻松自在，收放自如。 中原在厅内四下细看，希望能找到冬木亚矢子和铃木晋吉，但是没有能找到。 冬木亚矢子不在场，也许该为吉川高兴吧。但是，找不到铃木晋吉，却又重新使中原感到不安。那个年轻小伙子，这一刻到底跑到哪儿去了呢？ 日下部不愧是新闻记者，这时跑到那些面孔黝黑的渔夫们那里去了，正在这个问问，那个谈谈，不多一会便也回来了，低声向中原耳语： “不太稳呢。” “可以想像得到。” “如果报告说锦浦被污染了，可能会闹出人命来。” “这一点，渔民和企业是利害一致的。这真是奇异的事。” 中原说着，无可如何地缩缩肩。其实，利害应该是不一致才是。加害者与被害者，利害怎么可能一致？只要看一眼海湾里那污浊的海水，便知利害一致只不过是幻想而已。但是，渔民们什么时候才会知道是幻想呢？ 冬木调查团的大人物们进场，嘈杂的周遭忽然静下来。 讲坛上竖着一面烫金的屏风，调查团团员在其前并排落座。尽头的一个，正是香取昌一郎。 主持的市长一本正经地致词。 “现在，请冬木调查团的先生为我们做中间报告。” 就在这时，厅里的一角爆起了一阵粗鲁的掌声。正是那一堆渔夫们。中原觉得，这掌声是在期待着有利于他们的报告，不，宁可说，是在强烈要求着。 “拜托啦！” 也有一名渔夫大声嚷叫。 冬木教授移步到麦克风的时候，掌击又起。 冬木有点困窘地等着掌声停止。 会场静下来后，冬木从内口袋掏出小本子，缓缓地掀开。 “那么，我来向大家报告两天来的调查结果吧。” 冬木简单一句之后就开始念起一大堆数字。 这些数字，吉川他们可以懂，可是由于念得快，一般听众都无法了解，大多数都茫茫然呆坐着。 “不要光念数字，说些让我们听得懂的吧。” 一个渔夫的破嗓子插了一口。 冬木举手制止了一下，这才说： “我刚刚念了一堆数字，是因为想先表示一下我们的调查是正确的。我相信这一点大家都明白了，下面就来谈谈具体的。首先是锦浦湾海水的污染状况，两天来，我们从总共十六个地点打了海水，进行水质检查，结果证实没有发生足可让生物受害的污染。还有，我们也下了两次网，采集了鲹鱼、鲒鱼等八种鱼类来解剖，查不出有任何异状。顺便报告，我们把这些鱼做成炸鱼片吃了，味道非常好。从这些结果来判断，可得一个结论，就是锦浦的海没有污染，同样地鱼类也没有受到污染。” 冬木的话说得极快。中原无法判断，这是他的习惯呢，还是因为内疚于心才如此。而有-件事是无可置疑的，那就是他在撒谎。如果不是在撒谎，那便是冬木和他的调查团太过乐观了。事关公害问题，过份乐观应该是罪恶。 但是，渔民们却齐声欢呼起来，也有人高喊万岁。锦浦渔会的会长，一个五十上下的男子还急步跑到讲坛边向冬木伸出手握了握，这才跑到中原身旁的日下部那儿亢奋地说： “记者先生，请一定把团长刚才的话刊在东京的报纸上。这样，我们抓的茜虾一定可以卖到好价钱的。您一定知道，它本来就是最好吃的一种虾。” “当然，冬木调查团的中间报告，我会发表的，还有另一个调查团的也是。” 日下部冷静地说，可是会长却勃然变色。 “另一个，是指哪一个呢？” “是这里的高中老师和同学们组成的调查团。你也晓得吧。” “记者先生，难道那些神经病搞的，您要当真吗？” “你说神经病？” “搬石头砸自己的脚，是神经病吧。” 会长不屑地说了这些，就在这时，坐在前方的吉川突地站起来了。 “我有话要请教调查团的先生们。” 冬木的眼光往发言的吉川这边扫过来。他的脸上倏地闪过了-抹困惑，那是因为发现到对方是自己从前的学生的缘故吧。 “不许问无聊的话！” 有个渔民大吼一声。吉川没有理睬，向讲台上的冬木教授说： “我对锦浦的海水没有污染的结论，实在无法信服。那脏得成茶褐色的海，还有臭味，相信调查团各位先生都看到嗅到了，怎么能够说那是没有污染呢？根据我们的调查，锦浦的海已经因为工厂的废液，完全受到污染。尤其油轮靠岸的码头附近、锦河河口附近，因为加上废油污染，氧气已接近零，我们已经查出了这个数据。请问：调查团分析的是哪里的海水，在哪里撒网采取鱼类标本？” 吉川的嗓音微颤着，不过语调却是清晰的。 好像要补充这一番质疑般地，伊丹也站起来了。这回可是更不客气的发言。 “我也调查了两天锦浦湾的水质，从我的结果来看，你现在列出来的数字和没有污染的结论，根本不能置信。锦浦的海完