Chapter 32 Chapter 32 The Secret Weapon of Weightlessness

Since the space rocket appeared over the Phantom City, television stations in various cities on the moon have focused on broadcasting news about this important event.Within half an hour, clips of the TV show with subtitles and commentary were shown on all the TV screens.The TV cameraman not only recorded the spacecraft's flight, but also the crowds of the Phantom City that flooded the streets, and the sudden appearance of the police, who were beating innocent moon people with electric batons and running fire hoses on them. They also threw tear gas bombs at them. In the evening, a televised film was made, in which a police force attacked the astronauts who had landed in a wooded area not far from Mirage City.Television viewers watched as the police opened fire on the astronauts and, after the astronauts ducked into the rocket, proceeded to destroy scientific instruments placed around them.What happened thereafter left the audience shuddering with horror and consternation.Everyone suddenly saw that under the action of some mysterious force, the policemen were all lifted into the sky, tossing in the air at a loss because they left the ground.It was as if the earth itself shook and disappeared beneath their feet.The policemen flitted across the screen one by one as if swept up in a whirlwind, in various inappropriate poses.Audiences were left in total shock when they saw the truck full of new arrivals rolling in the air.

The next day, a live broadcast of an academic conference was broadcast on TV, and there was a little dwarf who was invited to participate in the attack on the astronauts.Regrettably, none of the police officers can explain what happened to them.One person said that as soon as the order to destroy the instruments installed around the spacecraft was issued, he immediately smashed a scientific instrument with the butt of his gun. When he was swinging his gun to smash another instrument, he suddenly acted like a signal flare. No matter how hard you try, you can't fall down. Another policeman said that he suddenly felt someone push his chest, and it was so powerful that he flew upside down, but he didn't fall to the ground, but was blown by the wind like a balloon Float away.A third policeman said that at the first moment he was suddenly out of breath, as if someone had put a gag on his mouth, and when he regained consciousness, he saw himself flying in the air with other policemen.A fourth said he didn't feel a gag in his mouth, but felt his hair twitch and stand on end.Fearing that the helmet would fall off his head, he stretched his hands upwards, but immediately turned over on his back, and instead of falling to the ground, he slid back down in the air, as if sliding on ice.A fifth said he had no recollection of what had happened to him, except that he had been in the air and had been so terribly sick that he nearly lost consciousness.

After them a few more policemen spoke, and they thought they too were sick with fright, and one of them recalled feeling strangely light all over his body.His arms and legs seemed to have been removed, and he had no weight at all, that is to say, he didn't feel that he still had arms and legs at all.Other police officers immediately confirmed that they had felt the same way. While talking about the Heat, four more policemen walked into the TV video room.Their appearance suggested that they had been in serious trouble.Their uniforms were torn and muddy.One man's right hand is bandaged up to the elbow and supported by a sling slung across the right shoulder.Another man wrapped around his left foot.He had to take off his boots and put on a golosh.All four had bandages on their heads, so that the copper helmets could barely be worn on top of their heads.Other than that.Everyone still has bruises and sticking plaster: some on their foreheads, some on their noses, some on their faces, some on their eyes.

The four policemen staggered, limped, and held each other's arms as they made their way to an empty bench in the corner of the room and sat down. The announcer who was on the air saw the new policemen and asked them to talk about what happened to them.Mushgri, the most senior (the one with the broken foot), recounts how he, along with other police officers, was assigned to the police garrison to keep an eye on the local population and prevent them from interacting with or talking to the astronauts who landed .It was at this time that reports were received that a local farmer named Wheatear had set out to find the space visitors and to receive the macrophyte seeds from them.Therefore, Mushgri was ordered to command four policemen, namely: Kosigli, Chisigli, Ghenigli and Fushigri, to lie in ambush on the road that the ears of wheat must pass to return to the village.

"It is estimated to be correct," policeman Mushgri continued. "In a short while, ears of wheat appeared on the road, returning with sacks, which undoubtedly contained seeds. We let him come closer, and then jumped out of the ambush, but this vicious criminal ran back. We Chased him until we saw a rocket in the distance. As it was dangerous to approach a rocket, I ordered the advance to be halted and all shot at the ears of wheat. But we had just fired the first volley when an unexplainable force drove us towards the After throwing it away, the speed in the air was so terrifying that even the copper helmets on our heads were rubbed so hot and smoked. In a few seconds, we flew to the edge of the Phantom City, and passed the city in the blink of an eye In the sky, in a lonely place, fell into the swamp. The result: five people were all burned by the hot helmets - as you can see for yourselves, Kosigli wounded his hands; Chisigli wounded his spine; Gurnigli was wounded in the gut; I, as you saw, hurt the foot. As for Fushgri, he was burned so badly that he had to be kept in the hospital."

The policeman ended his account here. The last speaker at the academic conference was Professor Beda, Ph.D. in Physics, who concluded by saying: "Dear friends! Everything we have heard proves that the visitors from our neighboring planets have clearly mastered the secret of weightlessness. You yourself will be convinced that this is a terrible power. The policemen in the weightless state become completely helpless. They can't control their limbs at all, they can only float with the wind. They can only use guns for themselves Casualties have been caused. Dear friends, we have at last the possibility of breathing freely. From now on, the police can no longer threaten us; they can no longer hang us, shoot us, and throw us into prison..."

At this time, a piercing voice was heard: "Xi! Xi!" This voice was made by the police chief Zligeri who was present.He jumped up from his seat, held out a finger, and nodded solemnly to the two policemen standing guard by the door.The two policemen knew what they were asked to do, so they rushed up to the professor without saying a word, and took him away with his hands tied behind his back. When it was all over, Zligli went to the loudspeaker and said to the audience: "Dear TV viewers! Ladies and gentlemen! Please don't panic! Nothing terrible happened. Ph.D. Professor Beda was arrested for spreading harmful thoughts and disrespecting the police. He will now be thrown in jail and given the possibility to breathe freely for as long as he wants. Let this be a good thing for you all Lesson. Now you have to be silent and don't talk! Thank you for watching."

This is the last speech at the academic conference.Videos of police attacking astronauts began to show on TV again.After the TV film, as usual, there will be a TV interview report.The famous TV interviewer Bolt appeared on the screen with a microphone in hand. "Dear audience!" said the interviewer Little Bolt. "Ladies and gentlemen! Our TV recorders are set not far from the village of Uncomfortable. The inhabitants of this village have befriended the astronauts and received seeds of large plants from them. The unauthorized actions of these farmers have caused the police parish Condemnation of Long Day Kigri. The Rector thinks that we don't need any large plants because the rich people... that is... yuck, excuse me, audience gentlemen, because not only the rich people, but all the poor people here You guys are doing just fine without any plants..."

TV interviewer Little Bolt covered his mouth with his hand, coughed twice, looked around, and said: "Attention, gentlemen! You are about to see farmers... this is them. We are Taken with a telephoto lens. You see them in the distance, digging the ground with shovels, throwing seeds in the ground. I think, these are the seeds of large plants... What you see here is Chief of Police Muskie Gerry A large force of police officers under command. This is him! You see him on your screens! Police Chief Muskegry is ordering his aides to divide the entire police force into squads to prepare for the attack. As you can see, some police squads are Swiftly, under the cover of trees and groves, enter the starting position around the village. We shall soon see that those harmful seeds brought to us from another planet will be destroyed. The inhabitants guilty of disobedience will be brought to To the police station...the flare is about to be fired, the police are about to go into battle...Look, the farmers are busy in the fields. They don't even realize the danger that has befallen them...the flare is fired. It rises high In the air, a bright light flashed. According to the signal, the police rushed towards the village from all directions with guns in hand. Please pay attention: the peasants did not notice the policemen rushing towards them until this moment. They watched in horror. ...they panicked and started running away!...What's the matter?...What happened to the cops?...Somehow they're all flying up into the sky and doing somersaults in the air! Excuse me, gentlemen of the TV audience! I don't understand what's wrong with me! According to my judgment, I am no longer on the ground, but I have also risen into the air. There is an inexplicable force pulling me from above. It should be considered that we were received by Professor Beda just now. The effect of weightlessness that is talked about on TV. Once again I beg your pardon, gentlemen! The force holding me has turned me on my feet! I feel sick! The TV videographer who is not far from me Eyes are making circles in the air with his video recorder, so it can be assumed that what you see on the screen is just a flash of something unedited."

What the TV viewer sees on the screen at this time is indeed some random things that flash by.Land, trees, and houses suddenly appeared before their eyes, now flashed across the cloud-covered sky, and now for a brief moment there appeared the policeman lying in the air, disfigured by fright. "Gentlemen of TV viewers!" the interviewer Bolt continued. "While our esteemed videographer is adjusting the visual connection, allow me to describe to you in words what is happening here. Before me are many policemen flying in the air. Some are in supine or reclining positions, some are Their heads were hanging upside down in the air. Everyone's eyes were wide open in fright. Many policemen shook their hands and feet violently and twisted their bodies—just like earthworms hanging from fishing hooks. Some did the opposite. They stood motionless with their arms outstretched and their legs outstretched. They looked like frogs in police uniforms. Some of the policemen were blown aside by the wind, but most of them were still above the woods... How strange! It didn't work on the peasants! They remained on the ground, laughing and watching the policemen circling in the air. What could this mean?... It could only mean one thing: that the flying astronauts not only divided the cosmic seeds to the peasants, and told them the secret of weightlessness and the methods of manipulating it. For the police, this fact has the most unpleasant consequences, because they cannot henceforth prohibit anyone from growing large plants."

At this point, the interviewer Little Bolt coughed twice, paused for a moment, and then said: "Attention, gentlemen of TV viewers! You heard someone shout. This is the shout of Police Chief Muskie Gerry. He asked The police obeyed absolutely and scolded them as mindless idiots for throwing away their guns which are now floating uselessly in the air. The chief of police ordered the police to seize the guns and shoot at the peasants. I see, Mr. Muskigree is trying to catch a rifle that's drifting past him. He's got the gun and is about to shoot... Boom! Do you hear the gunshot? What's the matter?...You guys There was a sound like a propeller turning. Something passed me with a loud humming sound. It was Chief Muskie Gerry himself whirling past me like a four-bladed fan. Beside. Mr. Muskegree was flying so fast that he disappeared below the horizon in two or three seconds. Reaction forces in weightless conditions, it seems -- is no joke. Guns can't be used Guns and other firearms!... Please pay attention, gentlemen. The police force is blown farther and farther by the wind, like a gloomy cloud... The small eyes of the videographer who accompanied me couldn't adjust the visual connection anyway .The car carrying our mobile TV station was also lifted into the air. Oops! The car was hanging on a tree, and we couldn't fly away with the police, because my microphone and TV recorder were connected to the TV station with wires. If the power line is cut off, our TV coverage will also be interrupted by itself. At this time, the gust of wind is getting stronger and stronger. I barely hold the microphone with my hand. I am afraid that the wire will not be able to withstand it..." Before the little bolt finished speaking, there was a snap, and the TV screen went out immediately.A few seconds later, stripes flashed again on the screen, and the female announcer who appeared in front of the TV audience smiled happily and said: "Dear friends, please dance now... Please tidy up the furniture. Chairs please Put it against the wall, or simply take it out of the room, the table can be moved to the corner..." Music sounded.Couples of dancing partners appeared on the screen.This time, the audience wasn't interested in dancing at all.But no one turned off the TV.Everyone is looking forward to the astronauts again soon. The lunar man's expectations were certainly not met.In those days, radio stations and TV stations broadcast news about astronauts, large plants, and weightlessness from time to time.What surprised everyone in particular was the story of the policeman Henegri.After he fell into a state of weightlessness, he fired a shot with a large-caliber long-range rifle, but was sent flying by the reaction force. The speed was so fast that he completed a round-the-world trip in half an hour, that is, around the world. The core of the moon flew around, and then fell near the place where he originally took off. This dizzying flight made such a strong impression on Henegri that the poor creature was kept awake for a long time.When people got him on TV and asked him to talk about world travel to the TV audience, he couldn't even utter a coherent sentence, he just said, "Me, this, it's called . . . that's it. Boom! Then It's whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" His hands were dangling before his eyes, and his eyes were glazed like an idiot's. The doctor, however, had a look of understanding when he announced that Henegri's long-range rifle had been found not far from town.It is not difficult for the TV audience to see that Henegri, who was sitting at the table, was listening to the doctor's words with great interest. When the guns were brought into the room, he jumped up from the table and leaned his whole body towards his weapon. , the light of joy flashed in the eyes.Once the rifle was in his hands, however, a terrible change took place.His hands trembled, and his whole body trembled as if electrified. His face seemed distorted from pain and turned white.His mouth opened and closed silently, the rifle dropped from his hand, and shaking his fists as if threatening someone, he shouted in a frightening voice: "Never again! Do you hear me? Never again!" quit!" He kicked the rifle into the corner, knocked over some chairs, and ran out of the TV room.He was never seen again. This scene left an indelible impression on television viewers, especially the police officers who watched the program that day.Many of them understood for the first time that the time had finally come for them to be punished for shooting casually.It was clear to all that the old way of life would soon be dead. Needless to say, today the police are afraid to even approach a rocket, let alone shoot next to it.Farmers can go to the astronauts without any hindrance to get the seeds of large plants.Now, not only uncomfortable villages are planting large seeds.And it is also planted in Barefoot Village, No Grain Village, Hungry Village, Difficult Village and many other villages.Know-it-all instructed that they should not only give them the seeds they needed, but also give them weightlessness instruments and anti-moonstones, and explain how to use them in order to protect themselves from the police. Soon, some workers from the Scrooge's Pasta Factory came looking for the astronaut.They say it has been decided to throw the miser out of the factory and let the workers make their own pasta without any bosses.In order to realize this plan, they need to create a weightless environment in the factory, otherwise, the police will interfere and even drive them out of the factory completely. The workers of the miser factory received weightlessness instruments and enough anti-moonstones from the astronauts, and fixed the rolling machine, macaroni and pattern noodle mixer, dryer, steamer, rolling machine, oven, etc. in the factory etc., in order to make these machines work in weightlessness.These measures had a huge effect.Neither flour nor macaroni dough now weighs at all, and machines of all kinds work many times faster in weightlessness.Therefore, the output of macaroni products in the factory has increased several times, and the price of macaroni can be greatly reduced. The poor people who are often short of money to buy food are happy.Macaroni from the Scrooge Factory, they say (somehow people still call it what they used to be from that factory, although Scrooge doesn't know how to make it at all anymore) . Dried noodles, fancy noodles, etc. are not only much cheaper, but also much more delicious.It was only later that I realized that this was entirely true, because the soft and hard dough made under weightless conditions is more suitable, and the macaroni made are softer and more delicious.