Chapter 9 Chapter Nine Facing the Wild Dogs

The Far Star stopped at the foot of a small hill surrounded by a flat open field.Almost without thinking, Trevize felt that it would be best not to land where there was no cover within a few kilometers, so this was the obvious choice. He said: "The temperature outside is 24 degrees Celsius, cloudy, westerly, and the wind speed is about 11 kilometers per hour. Computers don't know enough about atmospheric circulation patterns, so they can't predict the climate. The difference in humidity is at most 100%. Forty, less likely to rain. On the whole, we seem to have picked a comfortable latitude, or season, and after Complon, it's a delight to be here."

"I suspect," said Pelorat, "that if the planet continues to determinate, the weather will become more extreme." "I'm sure of that," said Bliss. "You can be as sure as you want," Trevize said. "We'll have to wait thousands of years before we know the right answer. It's still a pleasant planet right now, in our lifetimes, and for a long time to come." , and it will remain so.” As he spoke, he buckled a wide leather belt around his waist.Bao Qisi said sharply: "What is that, Trevize?" "I haven't forgotten the training I received in the fleet," Trevize said. "I will not break into an unknown world with bare hands."

"You really want to carry a weapon?" "Exactly. On my right side," he slapped hard on the right holster, which contained a hefty heavy-caliber weapon. "Hanging is my pistol; and on the left," a smaller-handled weapon with a small caliber and no opening. "It's my nerve whip." "Two ways of murder," said Bliss in disgust. "There is only one kind, and only the pistol can kill. The nerve whip does not, it only stimulates the pain nerves, but I have heard that it can make people die of pain. Fortunately, I have never had such a pain."

"Why are you bringing these things?" "I told you, this is the enemy's world." "Trevize, this is a world without people." "Really? It may not have a technologically advanced human society, but what about a 'post-technological' hominid? They may only have sticks and stones at best, but those things can kill, too." Baoqisi seemed to be irritated, but she tried to lower her voice to appear sensible enough. "I can't detect human neural activity, Trevize. That eliminates the possibility of hominids of any kind, post-tech or whatever."

"Then I don't need to use my weapons," Trevize said. "After all, what's the harm in carrying them? They only increase my strength a little, since the surface force is only about 2 Ninety-one percent of that, and I can handle that. Listen, the spaceship itself may be unarmed, but it's loaded with a lot of hand-held weapons, and I suggest you both—" "Absolutely," Bao Qisi replied immediately, "I will refuse any action that intends to kill—or bring pain to others." "It's not about preparing to kill, it's about avoiding being killed yourself, I hope you know what I mean."

"I can protect myself in my own way." "Janov?" Pelorat hesitated. "At Complon, we didn't carry any weapons." "Come on, Janov. Complon is a given, a world allied with Al Qaeda. Besides, we were arrested as soon as we landed, and even if we had weapons, we would be disarmed immediately. Do you want to take a Hand milling?·” Pelorat shook her head. "I've never been in the fleet, man. I don't know how to use these guys, and, in an emergency, I never think of using them. I just run back and—then get killed." "You're going to be killed, Pei," said Bliss in a smug tone, "Gaiya put you under my/our protection, and so did that posing hero of the fleet."

Trevize said: "Fine, I'm not against being protected, but I'm not putting on airs, I'm just going to be 200 percent cautious. If I never had to touch these guys, I'd be super happy, I promise you. I have to carry them with me, though." He patted the two weapons cherishedly, and said, "Now let's go to this world. Its surface may not have felt the touch of human beings for thousands of years." "I have a feeling," said Pelorat, "that it must be rather late now, but the sun is still high in the sky, and it looks as if it is only near noon."

"I guess," Trevize said, looking around at the peaceful landscape, "your sense comes from the orange hue of this sun, which brings a feeling of sunset. When the real sunset comes, if we are still here , and the cloud structure is normal, we should find that the sunset is redder than usual. I don't know if you will find it beautiful or gloomy - the difference may be more extreme in Complon than when we were there , stayed indoors the entire time." He turned around slowly and checked his surroundings.Besides the almost subconsciously strange light, the world has a peculiar smell—perhaps unique to the region.It seems a little musty, but not disgusting.

The trees in Aojin are neither tall nor short, and they seem to be all old trees with some burrs on their bark.The trunks were not quite straight, but he couldn't tell if that was from the strong wind or from the poor soil.Is it the trees that add a certain sense of menace to the world, or is it something else—something more intangible? Bliss said, "What are you going to do, Trevize? We didn't come all this way to enjoy the sights." Trevize said, "Actually, that's probably what I should be doing now. I'd like to suggest that Janov explore this place. There are some ruins in that direction. If any records are found, only he can judge whether they are worthwhile. I guess He can read manuscripts or films of the ancient Galactic script, and I know very well that I can't. And I think, Bliss, you'll want to go with him, so that you'll be close enough to protect him. As for myself, I'll stay here , standing guard for you on the periphery of the ruins."

"Why stand guard? Against primitive men with sticks and stones?" "Maybe." The smile on the corner of his mouth suddenly disappeared, and he said, "It's strange, Bao Qisi, I think there's something wrong with this place, and I'll explain why." Pelorat said, "Come on, Bliss, all my life I've been squatting at home collecting ancient legends, and I've never really touched an ancient document. Imagine if we could find out..." Trevize watched them both, and Pelorat hurried towards the ruins, his voice fading away, while Bliss walked briskly beside him.

Trevize listened absently for a moment, then turned around and continued to study his surroundings.What was it that caused his anxiety? He had never actually set foot on a world without people, but had observed many from space.They are usually small worlds, too small to hold moisture and air.However, they are still useful, for example, to mark a meeting point during fleet maneuvers (during his lifetime, and a full century before his birth, there was no war, and military maneuvers were never interrupted), or as a simulated The training ground for emergency repairs.The ships he had served on had orbited and sometimes landed on such worlds many times, but he had never had the opportunity to go outside. Is it because he is now truly based in an uninhabited world?Would he have felt the same way if, during his service days, he had set foot on some small airless world?and then? He shook his head, that wouldn't bother him in any way, he was pretty sure.He'll put on a spacesuit and go out, like he's done countless space walks.He was very familiar with that situation, and mere contact with a large "rock" did not change the familiar feeling.Absolutely not! Of course—he wasn't wearing a spacesuit this time. He was standing on an inhabitable world as comfortable as he was on Terminus; much more comfortable than Complon.He felt the breeze on his cheeks, the warm sun on his back, and the rustling of plants rubbing against his ears.Everything is so familiar, except there are no humans—at least, humans no longer exist now. Is it because of this?Is it because of this that the world looks eerie?Is it because it is not only an uninhabited world, but also an abandoned world? He had never been to any abandoned worlds before, hadn't heard of any abandoned worlds, and hadn't even thought of a world being abandoned.In every world he had known so far, once man had colonized it, his descendants lived there forever. He looked up at the sky, and the only ones who abandoned this world were humans.A bird just passed his view, and it seemed more natural than the blue-grey sky among the orange clouds. (Trevize was sure that if he lived on this planet for a few more days, he would get used to these strange hues, and by then the sky and clouds would look normal.) He heard birds singing in the trees, and insects whispering softly.Bliss had mentioned butterflies earlier, and now he saw them--a surprising number of them, and in several different colors. There were occasional rustling noises in the grass by the trees, but he couldn't pinpoint what caused it. What makes him feel uneasy is not the lives that can be seen nearby.As Bao Qisi said, when humans transform a world, they will not introduce dangerous animals from the beginning.The fairy tales he read when he was young, and the fantasy stories he read when he was a teenager, all happened in a legendary world, which must have been born out of vague earth myths.On the full-screen screen of Chaobo Drama, there are all kinds of monsters—lions, unicorns, giant dragons, cetaceans, brontosauruses, bears, etc. There are dozens of them in total, and most of them have different names. Can't even remember.Some of them are, of course, products of mythology, and perhaps all of them.In addition, there are small animals that bite and sting, and even cricket plants are untouchable, but this is only in fictional stories.He had also heard that primitive bees could sting humans, but real bees would never harm humans. He walked slowly to the right, past the edge of the hill.The grass there is very scattered, scattered one by one, but each one is tall and dense.He walked among the trees, and the trees were also clustered together. He yawned.Of course, nothing exciting happened, and he knew whether he should go back to the spaceship and take a nap.No, it mustn't be that way, he's obviously got to stand guard now. Maybe he should practice sentry duty.Walking in unison, one, two, one, two, turning around quickly, holding an electric baton for military parade in his hand, performing complicated fancy movements. (Warriors have not used this weapon for three centuries, but it is absolutely necessary in training, and no one can tell why.) This sudden thought made him smile, and then he thought whether he should go to the ruins and join the ranks of Pelorat and Precious.why?What can he do to help? Bin Xu he could see what Pelorat just missed?Think, there will still be time for that when Pelorat returns.If there is anything easy to discover, it must be left to Pelorat. Could the two of them be in trouble?What a fool!What kind of trouble can there be? In case something goes wrong, they will be sure to call for help. He began to listen carefully, but heard nothing. Then, the idea of ​​sentry service came to his mind again, and he waved it down.He found himself walking in unison, his feet rising and falling in a powerful rhythm.An imaginary electric baton was thrown from his shoulder, and he caught it after spinning a few times, and held it straight in front of him; then it started spinning again, and returned to the other shoulder.After a sharp back turn, he faced the spaceship again (but now at a distance). When he stood looking forward, he froze suddenly - in reality, not in the imaginary situation of Bu Ni. He's not alone here. Before that, he hadn't seen any living things except plants, insects, and a small bird.He hadn't seen or heard anything approaching either—and now there was an animal standing between him and the spaceship. The unexpected situation left him petrified, and for a moment he lost the ability to interpret visual signals.It was a long time before he realized what he was looking at. That's just a dog. Trevize is not a person who likes dogs, he has never owned a dog, and he will not have any special affection when he meets a dog, and this time is no exception.He thought impatiently that no matter which world he was in, there must be such animals accompanying humans.There are countless varieties of them, and Trevize has always had the annoying impression that every world has at least one unique variety.However, all breeds have one thing in common: Whether they are bred for recreation, show, or other useful work, they have been taught to treat humans with respect and trust. Trevize has never been able to bear this kind of love and trust.He once lived with a woman who had a dog for a while. For the sake of the mistress, Trevize tolerated the dog in every possible way, but it developed a deep-rooted love for him and always followed him. Running around, snuggling up to him when he was resting (with a body weighing more than 20 kilograms), he would be covered with saliva and dog hair if he didn't expect it.Whenever the two of them wanted to make out, it would squat outside the door and moan at the same time. From that experience, Trevize was convinced of one thing: he was the object of the dogs' love.As for why, only the canine mind and their ability to distinguish smell can explain. So once he had recovered from his initial surprise, he began to eye the dog with reassurance.It has a large body, with a thin body and long, thin limbs.It glared at him, but there was no sign of admiration; its mouth was open in what might have been interpreted as a welcome smile, but the teeth that showed were large and sharp.Trevize believed he would feel more at ease if the dog was out of his sight. Suddenly it occurred to him that this dog had never seen a human being, and its ancestors must have known nothing about human beings for countless generations.Now that a person appeared suddenly, it might be as surprised and uneasy as Trevize's reaction when he saw it.Trevize, at least, recognized it quickly as a dog, but the dog didn't have that advantage, it still didn't know what to do, and it might have raised its alarm. It's obviously not safe to keep an animal that size and with such sharp teeth on constant alert.Trevize knew in his heart that the two sides needed to establish a friendship quickly. He approached the dog very slowly (without abrupt movements of course).Then he held out a hand for him to sniff, and made soft, soothing noises, mixed in with words like "good dog" that made him feel ashamed. The dog kept its eyes on Trevize, and took a step or two back, as if it didn't trust him.Then it raised its upper lip, bared its teeth, and let out a barking sound from its mouth.Although Trevize had never seen a dog make such an expression, apart from threats, there was obviously no other explanation for this kind of behavior. So Trevize stopped advancing and stood still.Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of something moving to one side, and turning his head slowly, he saw two more dogs coming from that direction, looking just as deadly as the first one. Terrible?He had only thought of this adjective now, but it was terribly appropriate, and it was absolutely unmistakable. His heart was pounding suddenly.The way back to the spaceship was blocked, and he couldn't run around aimlessly, because the long-legged dogs would catch up to him within a few meters.But if he stood where he was and dealt them with his pistol, as soon as he killed one, the other two would rush at him.And in the distance, he saw more dogs coming towards here.Is there any way to communicate between them?Do they always hunt in packs? He was moving slowly to the left, in a direction where there were no dogs - not yet: slowly, slowly. The three dogs moved with him.He knew he wasn't immediately attacked because the dogs had never seen or smelled anything like him.For him, their prey, they had not yet established a pattern of behavior to follow. If he galloped, it was a movement those dogs were familiar with.When prey the size of Trevize flees in fear, they know what to do; they follow, and faster. Trevize continued on his side, moving toward a tree he wanted so badly to climb up to get rid of them, at least temporarily.They followed him, growling softly, and getting closer, all three eyes fixed on him without blinking.Two more dogs joined them now, and Trevize could see more dogs coming, farther away.When he gets close to a certain level with that tree, he has to start sprinting.He could not wait too long, nor start too early, both actions would slow his death. It's now! He may have broken his own record for instantaneous acceleration, but even so it was a close call.He felt one of his heels snapped, and he couldn't move for a moment, until the strong ceramic upper slipped off the sharp dog teeth, and he pulled his leg back. He was not good at climbing trees, and he hadn't done it since he was ten years old, and he also remembered that his tree climbing skills were quite poor when he was a child.This time, however, the situation was fine, the trunk was not quite vertical, and the bark had many knots to grab on to.What's more, the current situation is unavoidable, and under unavoidable circumstances, a person can always do many amazing things. Trevize finally sat on a branch, about ten meters above the ground.One of his hands was scratched and bleeding, but he didn't notice it in his haste.Around the base of the tree, there were five dogs squatting there, each of them staring up at the tree, sticking out their tongues, and all seemed to be waiting patiently. Now how to do? Trevize couldn't think about the situation in an orderly manner, and many broken and incoherent thoughts flashed through his mind.If he can clarify his thoughts afterwards, it should roughly look like this—— Baoqisi had previously strongly argued that after transforming a planet, human beings have built an unbalanced nature, which can only be maintained through continuous efforts.For example, the colonists of the galaxy never brought large predators with them, and small ones were inevitable, such as insects, parasites, and even small eagles and gophers. The beasts of legend and ambiguous literature—tigers, grizzlies, killer whales, crocodiles—who would carry them from one world to another, even if it made sense to do so?And what would be the point of doing that? This means that humans are the only large predators that can ingest as many animals and plants as they want.If there is no human intervention, those animals and plants will be overpopulated and their survival will be threatened. If humans disappear for some reason, other predators will surely take their place.What kind of predator would it be?The biggest predators that humans can tolerate are cats and dogs, which have long been tamed by humans and live under the shelter of humans. What if there were no more humans raising them?At that point they have to find their own food—for their own survival, which in effect keeps those prey alive.Because the number of the latter must be maintained at a constant value, otherwise the disaster caused by overbreeding will be a hundred times the loss caused by hunting. So dogs will continue to proliferate, and there are a variety of breeds, with large dogs only attacking large, unattended herbivores; small dogs slowly preying on birds and rodents.Cats hunt at night, dogs during the day: the former alone, the latter in packs. Through evolution, Bin Xu will eventually produce more and different species to fill the redundant vacancy of the ecological habitat.Could some dogs eventually develop the ability to navigate the sea and survive on fish?And some cats developed the ability to glide, allowing them to prey on clumsy birds in the air and on the ground? Just as Trevize was racking his brains, trying to think about how to act in an orderly manner, these fragments of consciousness emerged one after another. The number of wild dogs continued to increase, and he counted them. There were now twenty-three surrounding the tree, and others were approaching.How many were the pack of wild dogs--and what did it matter?That's enough for now. He took out the pistol from the holster, but the feeling of holding a solid handle in his hand did not bring him the sense of security he hoped for.When was the last time he filled an energy pill?How many times can he fire in total?Certainly less than twenty-three times. What should Pelorat and Bliss do?If they showed up, would the wild dogs turn on them?Even if they don't show up, will they be safe?If the dogs sensed that there were still two men in the ruins, what would stop them from running there and attacking them?Surely there were no doors or railings to temporarily block. Can Bao Qisi resist their attack, or even drive them away?Can she concentrate the power on the other side of the hyperspace and increase it to the required intensity?How long can she maintain those powers? So, should he call for help?If he yelled, would they come running in no time?And under Bao Qisi's stare, would those wild dogs flee in all directions? (Is the stare really necessary? Or is it just a mental activity, undetectable to bystanders without that ability?) Or, if they appear, will they be torn to pieces in front of him, and he can only quite Sitting safely on a tree, watching this tragedy, but there is nothing you can do? Next, he must use the pistol.If he could kill one, and frighten the others away for a while, he could climb down the tree, and call Pelorat and Bliss.If the dogs showed any intention of turning back, he'd kill another one, and the three of them could charge into the spaceship. He turned up the intensity of the microwave beam to three-quarters, enough to kill a wild dog, and it made a loud noise.The loud noise scares away other wild dogs so he can save some energy. He took careful aim at one of the dogs in the center of the pack, which seemed (at least, in Trevize's own imagination) to be more hostile than the others.Maybe it's just because it seems so quiet, like a more brutal attempt on its prey.Now, the dog was staring at the weapon in his hand, as if to indicate that no matter how fierce Trevize's methods were, it would not take it seriously. It occurred to Trevize that he had never used a pistol on anyone, nor had he ever seen anyone use it.In training, he had shot at human targets.The outer skin of the human figure was made of leather and plastic, and the inside was filled with water. After being shot, the water inside boiled almost immediately and exploded suddenly, blasting the entire outer skin to pieces. But in the age without any war, who would shoot a living person?Who dares to resist under the gun and make himself a dead soul under the gun?Only here, in this world sickened by the disappearance of humans... Trevize suddenly felt that a cloud was blocking the sun—the human brain has this strange ability to always pay attention to things that are completely insignificant—and he slammed the trigger. In a straight line extending from the mouth to the dog, a strange flash of light appeared out of nowhere, and if the clouds hadn't just blocked the sunlight, the blurred light might not have been seen at all. The dog must have felt a sudden fever all over his body, and made a slight movement, as if he was about to jump up.And in the next instant, its body exploded, and part of the blood and cell tissue vaporized immediately. But the explosion was disappointingly quiet, because the dog's skin was as tough as the skin of a human target.Yet the stray dog's flesh, fur, blood, and bones were still flying, making Trevize's stomach churn. The other wild dogs retreated immediately, and some were hit by the high-temperature minced meat, which must have felt uncomfortable.But they only hesitated for a moment, and suddenly rushed forward again, scrambling to devour the flesh and blood, which made Trevize feel even more disgusted.He didn't scare them away, but provided them with food, and they wouldn't go away anyway.In fact, the smell of blood and cooked meat will attract more wild dogs and, perhaps, other small predators. At this moment, a shout suddenly sounded: "Trevize, why..." Trevize looked into the distance, and Baoqisi and Pelorat were coming out of the ruins.Baoqisi stopped suddenly, stretched out her arms to block Pelorat behind, and kept her eyes fixed on the wild dogs.The situation was so clear that she didn't need to ask any more questions. Trevize yelled, "I tried to drive them away, not to disturb you and Janov. Can you hold them?" "It's very difficult." Bao Qisi replied.Although the howling of the dogs was silenced as if covered by a large sound-absorbing blanket, she didn't shout too hard, so Trevize still couldn't hear clearly. Baoqisi said again: "There are too many of them, and I am familiar with their neural activity patterns. We don't have such ferocious things on Gaia." "There is no terminal star, nor is there any civilized world." Trevize roared: "I kill as many as I can, and you try to deal with others. It is easier for you to deal with fewer numbers." "No, Trevize, shooting them will attract other wild dogs - stay behind me, Pei, you can't protect me at all - Trevize, your other weapon." "Nervous whip?" "Yes, it can stimulate pain. Low power, low power!" "Are you worried that they will be hurt?" Trevize exclaimed angrily, "Is this the time to worry about the sanctity of life?" "I'm worried about Pei's life, and mine. With low power, and aiming at one launch, I can't suppress them for much longer." Those wild dogs had already left under the tree, surrounded Baoqisi and Pelorat, and the two of them were leaning against a broken wall.The dingoes closest to them, hesitatingly tried to go any further, grunting a few times, as if trying to understand what was holding them back, for they felt no obstacle.A few others tried to climb the dangerous wall and attack from behind, but it was obviously in vain. Trevize turned the Nervous Whip to low power with a shaking hand.Nerve whips use far less power than pistols, and a single power pack can deliver hundreds of invisible lashes.But thinking about it now, he doesn't remember the last time he charged it. There is no need to aim much when launching the nerve whip, because Xia Bi is too concerned about energy consumption, he can sweep away large groups of wild dogs at once.That's the traditional way of using the nerve whip, and it's designed to deal with crowds showing signs of danger. However, he did as Baoqisi suggested and aimed a whip at a certain wild dog.The dog immediately fell to the ground, its limbs twitching continuously, and at the same time it let out a loud and sharp cry. The other wild dogs backed away from the wounded dog, each with its ears pulled back.Then, those wild dogs also wailed, turned and left one by one, walking slowly at first, then began to speed up, and finally turned into full speed.The wild dog that had been hit by the nerve whip got up in extreme pain at this moment, howled and limped away, lagging far behind the other wild dogs. The barking sound finally disappeared in the distance, and Bao Qisi said: "We'd better get into the spaceship quickly, they will come back again, and other dogs will come." Trevize couldn't remember ever operating the gate mechanism so quickly, and probably never would. As night fell, Trevize still felt not quite back to normal.A piece of synthetic skin was pasted on the scratched part of his hand, eliminating the physical pain, but his mental wounds were not so easy to heal. It wasn't just exposure to danger, if it was just that, his reaction would be the same as that of any ordinary brave man.The problem is that the danger comes from a totally unanticipated direction, giving it a sense of absurdity.What would happen if someone found him up a tree by a pack of wild dogs?Even if he was scared away by a group of angry canaries, it couldn't be worse than just now. For several hours, he had been listening to the movement outside—whether the wild dogs had launched a new offensive, whether there was a barking sound, whether there was the sound of dog claws scratching the hull. In comparison, Pelorat seemed much calmer. "I never doubted, my boy, that Bliss could handle it all. But I must admit, you had a pretty good blow." Trevize shrugged, he wasn't in the mood to discuss it. Pelorat held his "library" in his hands - a CD-ROM containing the results of his lifelong study of myths and legends.He took it into the dormitory, where his little reading machine was kept. Pelorat seemed to be in a pretty good mood, Trevize noticed, but didn't get to the bottom of it.When his mind is no longer completely occupied by wild dogs, there is still time to figure it out. When Baoqisi was alone with him, she said in an almost tentative tone, "I think you are startled." "Indeed," Trevize replied in a dejected tone. "Who would think that seeing a dog—a dog, I should run for my life." "This place has not been seen for 20,000 years. It is no longer an ordinary dog. Now these beasts must be the most powerful large predators." Trevize nodded. "I thought of that when I was sitting on a branch, the weakest prey. What you're saying about non-equilibrium ecology is absolutely true." "From a human point of view, of course it is unbalanced. But think about how efficient those dogs are in the process of hunting. I think Pei may be right. Ecology can indeed be self-balancing. When it was introduced to this The world's few species can evolve many varieties to fill a variety of ecological niches." "It's weird," Trevize said. "I was thinking the same thing." "Of course, the premise is that the non-equilibrium state is not too strict, otherwise the self-correction process will take a long time, and before it succeeds, the planet has long been unable to recover." Trevize snorted. Bao Qisi looked at him thoughtfully. "How did you even think of arming yourself?" Trevize said: "The result is not good for me, it's your ability..." "Not necessarily, I need your weapon. It was a situation without warning, and Gai Ya and I only had hyperspace contact, and we had to deal with so many minds that I was not familiar with, without your nerve whip, I couldn't do anything. " "My pistols are useless, I've tried." "Using the pistol, Trevize, can only make one dog disappear. The others may be surprised, but not afraid." "It's actually worse," Trevize said. "They eat the remains, and I'm bribing them to stay." "Yes, I can imagine the effect. The nerve whip is different, it causes pain, and a dog howls in extreme pain, and other dogs understand the meaning of the bark. Even if it is not for others The reason is that they also feel fear due to conditioning reflexes. After all the wild dogs fell into fear, I only need to touch their hearts lightly, and they will leave automatically." "Yes, but you understand that the nerve whip is a more powerful weapon in this situation, but I don't." "I'm used to working with the mind, and you don't have that experience. That's why I insisted you use low power and aim at a dog. I don't want the dog to die in excessive pain, so it won't be able to breathe." Make a sound; I don't want the pain to be too scattered, which will only cause a few low groans. I want the severe pain to be concentrated in one point." "As you wished, Bliss," said Trevize, "it turned out to be a complete success, and I should really thank you." "You are stingy with expressing your gratitude," said Bliss, earnestly, "because you think you are playing a funny part. And yet, I repeat, I can do nothing without your arms. I want to know The question is, how do you account for the carrying of arms? For I have assured you that there are no human beings in this world, and I am still certain of that. Did you foresee those wild dogs?" "No," Trevize said. "Of course I didn't, at least not consciously. And I'm usually not in the habit of being armed. In Complon, I didn't even think about carrying a weapon. But I couldn't bring myself to It's easy to believe that it's magic, it can't be like that. I guess when we first started talking about non-equilibrium ecology, I had a subconscious awareness that in a world without humans, animals might become危险。事后想来这点很明显，而我可能有一丝先见之明，只不过是这样罢了。” 宝绮思说：“别这么随便就敷衍过去。我也参与了有关非平衡生态的讨论，却没有同样的先见之明。盖娅所珍视的，就是你这种特殊的预感。我也看得出来，你一定很气恼，因为你拥有一种隐性的预感，但无法侦知它的本质：你根据自己的决定行动，却没有明确的理由。” “在端点星，我们通常的说法是'凭预感行事'。” “在盖娅上，我们说'知其然下知其所以然'。你不喜欢不知所以然的感觉，对下对？” “是的，这的确令我苦恼不己，我不喜欢被预感驱策。我猜预感后面必有原因，伹不知道这个原因，则使我感到自己无法掌握自己的心灵，就像是一种轻度的疯狂。” “当你决定赞同盖哑和盖哑星系的时候，你就是凭预感行事，现在你却要找出原因。” “这点我至少说过十几遍了。” “而我却拒绝把你的声明当真，我为这件事感到抱歉。这方面我不会再跟你唱反调，下过我希望，我可以继续指出盖哑的各项优点。” “随时请便，”崔维兹说：“反之，希望你了解，我也许不会接受那些话。” “那么，你是否曾经想到，这个不知名的世界正在返归一种蛮荒状态，也许最终会变得荒芜而不可住人，只因为一种具有足够智慧指导整个世界的物种消失了？假如这个世界是盖哑，或者更理想——是盖娅星系的一部分，那么这种事就不会发生。指导的智慧将化身为银河整体，继续留存在这里，不论生态何时偏离平衡，也不论由于什么原因，终究都会再度趋于平衡。” “这意味着那些野狗不再需要食物？” “它们当然需要食物，正像人类一样。然而，它们进食是有目的的，是在刻意指导之下维持生态平衡的行为，而不是随机环境造成的结果。” 崔维兹说：“对狗而言，失去个体的自由也许不算什么，可是对人类一定会有着大影响。如果所有的人类全部消失，到处都没了，而非只是在某个或数个世界上绝迹，那又会怎么样？如果完全没有人类，盖娅星系将变成什么样子？那时还会有指导智慧吗？其他的生命型态和无生命物质，有办法共组一个共同的智慧，担负起这个使命吗？” 宝绮思犹豫了一下。“这种情况，”她又说：“过去从来未曾发生；而在未来，似乎也没有任何可能。” 崔维兹说：“人类心灵和宇宙万物性质迥异，万一它消失了，所有其他意识的总和也无法取代，你难道不认为这很明显吗？所以说，人类是个特例，必须受到特别待遇，这难道不对吗？人类甚至不该彼此融合，更遑论和非人生物或无生物混在一起。” “可是你当时决定支持盖娅。” “那是为了一个凌驾一切的理由，而我自己也不清楚它是什么。” “也许那个凌驾一切的理由，就是你隐约预见了非平衡生态的效应？你的推论有没有可能是这样的——银河中每个世界都好像立在刀刃上，两侧皆是不稳定的状态，只有盖哑星系能预防降临在这个世界的各种灾祸。至于持续不断的战争和腐败政治带来的苦难，那就更不在话下。” “不，当我做出决定时，心中并未想到非平衡的生态。” “你怎能确定？” “我也许不知道自己原先预见了什么，但事后若有人对我提起，假如它的确是我曾预见的，我却能认出来。就好像我感觉得到，我当初也许料到这个世界会有危险的动物。” “嗯，”宝绮思以严肃而平静的口吻说：“若不是我们两人通力合作——你的先见之明加上我的精神力场，那些危险动物可能已经要了我们的命。来吧，让我们做个朋友。” Trevize nodded. "up to you." 他的声音透着几许冷淡，宝绮思不禁扬起眉毛。不过就在这个时候，裴洛拉特突然闯进来，使劲猛点着头，彷佛想将脑袋从脖子上摇下来。 “我想，”他说：“我们找到了。” 崔维兹通常并不相信轻易得来的胜利，然而，偶尔舍弃自己的明智判断也是人之常情。他现在觉得胸部与喉头的肌肉紧绷，但仍勉强开口问道：“地球的位置？你找到了吗，詹诺夫？” 裴洛拉特瞪了崔维兹一下，突然像是泄了气一样。“这个嘛，不是的，”他的脸涨得通红，“不完全是——事实上，葛兰，完全下是，我刚才根本忘了那回事。我在废墟中发现的是别的东西，我想它没有什么着要性。” 崔维兹深深吸了一口气。“不要紧，詹诺夫。每一项发现都着要，你跑来是要说什么？” “嗯，”裴洛拉特说：“这里几乎没什么东西遗留下来，你也该了解。经过两万年的风吹雨打，能留到现在的东西实在下多。此外，植物生命会渐渐破坏遗迹，而动物生命——不过别管这些了，着点是'几乎没有'并不等于'完全没有'。 “这个废墟一定包含一座公共建筑物，因为有些掉落的石块，或者也许是混凝土，上面刻着—些文字。那些宇肉眼简直看不出来，你应该了解，老弟，不过我拍了许多相片，用太空船上的相机拍的，就是有内建电脑以增强功能的那种相机——我从来没机缓箸得你的同意，葛兰，可是真的很着要，所以我……” 崔维兹不耐烦地挥了挥手。 "go on!" “那些文字我看得懂一些，是非常古老的文字。伹即使照相机有电脑辅助，再加上我阅读古代文字的能力不错，却也无法认出太多，真正看懂的只有一个词。那几个字的字体比较大，也比其他的字清楚一点，或许它们被故意刻得较深，因为它们代表的是这个世界。那个词就是'奥罗拉行星'，所以我猜想，我们目前立足的这个世界叫作奥罗拉，或者说以前叫奥罗拉。” “它总该有个名字。”崔维兹说。 “没错，可是名字很少会随便乱取。我刚才用我的图书馆仔细搜寻了一下，结果发现两则传说，来源刚好是两个相隔甚远的世界，根据这点，我们可做出一个合理的假设，那就是两者的来源完全无关——不过别管这个了。在那两则传说中，奥罗拉当曙光解释，我们可以假设，在银河标准语之前的某个语言中，奥罗拉的意思正是曙光。 “巧的是，相同类型的太空站或其他人造天体，第一个建好的便常用曙光或黎明这类名字命名。如果这个世界在某种语言中称为曙光，它也许就是同类世界的第一个。” 崔维兹问道：“你是不是想说，这颗行星就是地球，而奥罗拉是它的别名，因为这个名字代表了生命与人类的黎明？” 裴洛拉特说：“我不敢推测那么远，葛兰。” 崔维兹带点挖苦的口气说：“毕竟我们没发现放射性地表，没发现巨大的卫星，也没发现具有大型行星环的气态巨行星。” “一点都没错。可是康普隆的那个丹尼亚多，他似乎认为这个世界曾经是第一波殖民者——外世界人定居的许多世界之一。果真如此的话，那么它既然叫作奥罗拉，也许就表示它是第一个外世界。此时我们脚下这颗行星，很可能是除了地球之外，银河中最古老的人类世界。这难道不令人兴奋吗？” “不管怎么说，的确很有意思，詹诺夫。可是仅由奥罗拉一个名字，就推出了这些结论，是不是嫌太多了？” “还不只呢，”裴洛拉特兴奋地说：“我找遍了我所搜集的纪录，结果发现当今银河中，没有一个世界叫作奥罗拉，我确定你的电脑能证实这点。正如我刚才所说，许多世界和其他天体都以曙光这一类名字命名，却没一个真正使用奥罗拉。” “它们何必要用呢？如果那是在银河标准语之前的字眼，就不大可能流行到今天。” “可是名字会保留下来——即使它们已经毫无意义。如果这里真是第一个殖民世界，它应该很有名气，甚至可能一度是银河的主宰。所以说，一定会有其他世界自称'新奥罗拉'或'小奥罗拉'，或者诸如此类的名称。而其他的……” 崔维兹突然插嘴道：“也许它并非第一个殖民世界，也许它从来就没什么着要性。” “依我看有个更好的解释，我亲爱的兄弟。” “什么样的解释，詹诺夫？” “假如第一波殖民者被第二波后来居上，因此当今银河所有的世界都是后者的天下，正如丹尼亚多所说，那么就很有可能，两波殖民者之间曾出现敌对状态，所以第二波殖民者，也就是如今这些世界的建立者，不会采用第一波殖民世界的名宇。如此说来，我们可以根据奥罗拉这个名字从未着复的事实，推论出总共有两波殖民者，而此地是第一波殖民者建立的世界。” Trevize smiled. “我稍微弄懂了你们神话学家如何做学问，詹诺夫。你们总是建立一个美丽的理论体系，但它也许只是空中楼阁。传说告诉我们，第一波殖民者带了许多机器人随行，这想必就是他们覆灭的原因。现在，假使我们能在这个世界上找到一个机器人，我就愿意接受所有关于第一波殖民者的推测，可是我们不能指望经过两万……” 裴洛拉特的嘴巴蠕动好久，才终于发出声音来。“可是，葛兰，我没告诉你吗？没有，我当然没有，我太兴奋了，没法子把事情说得有条有理——这里的确有个机器人。” 崔维兹揉了揉额头，仿佛头疼得发胀。“一个机器人？这里有个机器人？” “对。”裴洛拉特使劲点头。 "how do you know?" “哎呀，它当然是机器人。我亲眼看到了，怎么可能认不出来？” “你以前见过机器人吗？” “没有，但那是个看来像人类的金属物体，有脑袋、双手、双脚和躯干。当然啦，我所谓的金属，其实几乎是堆铁銹。当我向它走近时，想必是脚步引起的震动使它进一步受损，所以当我伸手摸它……” “你为什么要摸它？” “这个嘛，我想是因为我无法完全相信自己的眼睛，那是种自然而然的反应。我才刚碰到它，它就散了开来，可是……” "how?" “在它快要散开来之前，它的眼睛似乎放出非常微弱的光芒，同时发出一个声音，像是试图说些什么。” “你的意思是说它还在运作？” “几乎谈不上，葛兰，然后它就崩溃了。” 崔维兹转向宝绮思。“你能证实这一切吗，宝绮思？” “那是个机器人，我们都看到了。”宝绮思说。 “而它仍旧在运作？” 宝绮思以平板的语调说：“当它散开来的时候，我捕捉到一丝微弱的神经活动讯息。” “怎么可能有神经活动？机器人没有细胞组成的有机大脑。” “它具有电脑化的类似结构，我猜想，”宝绮思说：“而我侦测得到。” “你侦测到的是机器人的精神作用，不是人类的？” 宝绮思噘了噘嘴。“它太微弱了，只能知道它的确存在，无法做出任何其他判断。” 崔维兹望着宝绮思，然后望向裴洛拉特，同时以激昂的口气说：“这就改变了一切。”