Chapter 7 Chapter 6 The Man, the Mule, and the Third Party

For the first time in years, Mule's confidence in his craft was shaken.Chengnis knew very well that although he was able to protect himself for the time being, for the first time in many years, Mule felt his confidence in his tactics shake.Chengnis knew very well that although he really shouldn't think about it.To expose an emotional vulnerability to a mule is to offer him a deadly weapon.In the mule's mind, a different emotion had vaguely emerged—the emotion of the winner. Must try to buy time... Why don't the others come?Could this be the source of Mule's confidence?What does his opponent know that he doesn't?He stared at the other party's mind, but found nothing.It would be nice if I had a way to read other people's minds, but...

Chengnis violently stopped his chaotic thoughts, and only focused his mind on one thought, which was to buy time... Chengnis said: "Now that you've made sure, and after we've had a little fight with Priggie, I don't want to deny that I'm from Second Foundation. Could you please tell me why you think I've come to Schindler?" Come?" "Oh, no," laughed the Mule, high-pitched and confident.Then he said, "I'm not Pliji, and I don't need to explain anything to you. You have a lot of self-righteous reasons, whatever those reasons are, and your actions suit my needs, so I don't bother to ask."

"But there must still be many blind spots in your perception of the whole matter—is Dassinde really the second base you're looking for? Priji told me about your previous efforts, and being your The psychologist who was the tool of the psychiatrist—Ablin Meath. With my... um... slight encouragement, he confided a bit of this kind of history from time to time. You recall that Ablin Meath , first citizen." "Why would I do this?" The voice was full of confidence. Chengnis felt that confidence was almost overflowing, it seemed that with the passage of time, the uneasiness that might have remained in the mule had gradually disappeared.

He tried his best to restrain his despair, and said: "So you don't have any curiosity? Priggi told me that Mies was taken aback because he discovered a certain truth, so he desperately wanted to buy time, and wanted to warn him as soon as possible. Second Base. Abrin Meath is dead, Second Base was unwarned, yet still exists. Why? Why?" At this moment, the mule actually burst out laughing, and Chengnis was startled by the sudden approach of a cruel emotion, but then withdrew it in the next instant.Then the mule replied: "But the second base has obviously been warned, otherwise, how could this Baier Chengnis—and why would he go to Kalgen to carry out activities, manipulate my men, and even try to do something to me? Me playing tricks? Of course Second Base was warned, it's just too late."

"Then," Chengnis deliberately showed sympathy, "you don't even know what kind of organization the Second Foundation is. You also don't understand the true meaning of the various events with deeper meanings." Purely just to delay time! Mule felt the other party's teasing, his eyes narrowed, and there was a hint of hostility.He habitually touched his nose with four fingers, and suddenly said: "Then, let me tell you a good story, what is the secret of the second base?" Chengnis deliberately switched to ordinary language and no longer used emotional information symbols.He said: "As far as I know, what troubled Ablin Meath most was the mystery surrounding the second base. Hari Seldon actually set up the two bases in a completely different way. The first Everything about the base is open and aboveboard, and it keeps expanding with open swords and guns, and in just two centuries, its reputation has spread across half of the galaxy; on the contrary, the second base has always been hidden in the dark abyss."

"You will never understand the truth, unless you can reshape the academic atmosphere of that dying empire. It was a magnificent era, at least in terms of ideology, with various schools of thought contending at the end of the century. Of course, at that time There were already signs of a cultural decline, as the empire began to block the further development of ideas. Seldon's name is remembered for standing up to those stumbling blocks to academic development. The last sliver of creativity he unleashed The sparks not only reflect the sunset of the First Galactic Empire, but also herald the rising sun of the Second Empire."

"Very dramatic, what happened next?" "Therefore, he set up two bases with his own hands, according to the laws of psychohistory. However, those laws are not absolute, which Seldon knows better than anyone. So he did not make any finished products, because the finished products are only for degeneration. His brainchild was a mechanism for constant evolution, and the Second Foundation was the driving force behind that evolution. We—the First Citizens of the Federation of Short-Lived Planets, I tell you—we are the ones of Seldon's plan Guardians, only we can do this!"

"Are you trying to embolden yourself with these words?" Mule asked in a contemptuous tone, "Or are you trying to convince me? To tell you the truth, whether it's the Second Foundation, the Seldon Project, or the Second Empire, I'm all Disdain. They also don't stir up in me an iota of sympathy, pity, responsibility, or whatever emotion you're trying to project on me. From now on, poor fool, you'll have to use the past tense to describe Second Foundation because it It's been destroyed." When the mule got up from the chair and approached Chengnis, Chengnis felt that the emotional potential oppressing his heart suddenly increased.He resisted desperately, but he felt something crawling in his body, relentlessly beating and twisting his heart, pulling his spiritual strength.

He found himself with his back to the wall.The mule stood in front of him, with its skinny arms at its waist, and a horrible smile on its lips under its gigantic nose. The mule said again, "Your game is over, Chengnis. You people—all those who were once attached to the Second Foundation—your game is over, over! Over!" "You've been waiting here for so long, you've been babbling at Pridji, you've nearly knocked him down with a finger and taken his nuke. What are you doing this for? You're waiting for me, yes Isn't it? You are going to set up a false appearance so that I won't be too suspicious when I come."

"It's a pity that I don't need to be suspicious at all, because I have seen through you a long time ago, Chengnis from the second base." "But what are you waiting for now? You are still talking to me desperately, as if you think you can use sound waves to imprison me in a chair. But while you are talking, there is another thought in your mind— —waited, waited, waited, and still does. But no one came at all, the people you waited for—none of your allies. You are alone, Chengnis, and that will never change ,Do you know why?" "Because your second base miscalculated me completely. I knew their plan a long time ago. They thought that after I followed me here, they could let them slaughter them at will. You are indeed a bait--used to lure out This poor, stupid, weak mutant, because he is so keen to build an empire, can't see the obvious trap under his feet. But now you see, do I look like their prisoner?"

"I don't know if they have thought about it. Everywhere I go, almost without exception, there are fleets following me. Facing my fleet, even the smallest force among them, they are completely helpless. I don't know Did it occur to them that I'm not going to suspend operations for negotiations, and I'm not going to stand still because of any changes." "Twelve hours ago, my fleet launched an attack on Dascind, and their mission was carried out very, very thoroughly. Dasind has now become a scorched earth, and all populated areas have been razed to the ground. There was no resistance. The Second Foundation was gone, Chengnis—and I, my ugly, weak freak, was at last the ruler of the galaxy." After hearing these words, Chengnis could only slowly shake his head and pant: "Impossible—impossible—" "Maybe—maybe—" the Mule tried to imitate his tone, and then added, "If you're the last survivor—it's very possible, but you won't live long." Then there was a brief but meaningful pause.Suddenly, Chengnis felt pierced through the depths of his heart, followed by a piercing pain that almost made him groan. The mule withdrew his mental power in time, and murmured: "Not enough, you have not passed this test. Your despair is faked, and your sense of fear is not strong enough. That is not a proper reaction to disillusionment. A feeble fear of life and death." The mule stretched out its thin palm and gently grabbed Chengnis' throat, but Chengnis just couldn't break free. "You are my security, Chengnis. If I underestimate anything, you can remind me and protect me." The mule's eyes were fixed on him, determined to get an answer. "Are my calculations correct, Chengnis? Did my strategy defeat the troops of your second base? Dasinde was destroyed, Chengnis, completely destroyed, why do you need to fake your despair? What is the truth? I must know the truth and the truth! Speak, Chengnis, speak, is it because I haven’t penetrated enough? Is the danger still there? Answer me, Chengnis, what did I do wrong? " Chengnis felt that every word was pulled out of his mouth, completely against his will.He clenched his teeth, trying to stop himself from speaking, even biting his tongue, tensing every nerve in his throat. But those words still blurted out, he panted heavily, letting a powerful force tug at his throat, tongue, and teeth, forcing out those words all the way. "The truth is," he said sharply, "the truth—" "That's right, I want to know the truth, what else can I do?" "Seldon set up the second base here. I said it was here, and I didn't lie. When those psychologists came to this world, they controlled the local residents." "Darcinde?" The mule once again went deep into the other party's churning and painful heart, rummaging without mercy, and asked at the same time, "But I have already destroyed Darcinde, you know what I want, tell me quickly .” "Not Dascind. As I said, the people of Second Foundation may not be the ones who seem to be in power, and Dassind is just a puppet..." He said that few people understood, and every word contradicted him. mind. Finally, he finally said it: "Luoshan... Luoshan... Luoshan is the world you are looking for..." The mule let go, and Chengnis immediately curled up in pain. "Did you mean to lie to me?" said the Mule softly. "You were indeed fooled." This was the last bit of counterattack Chengnis could make. "But you didn't buy enough time. I've been in touch with my fleet. After they've dealt with Darcinde, the next target is Roseanne. But first—" At this moment, Chengnis felt that unbearable darkness overwhelming the sky again.He subconsciously stretched out his arms to block the painful eyes, but he couldn't stop this wave of offensive.The darkness nearly suffocated him, and he felt his traumatized mind staggering backwards into eternal darkness—there was a mule's triumphant expression, like a laughing matchstick, thick and thin. The long nose kept swaying in laughter. It didn't take long for the laughter to fade away completely, leaving only the darkness hugging him tightly.Until another feeling suddenly appeared, as if a strong jagged lightning, driving away the boundless darkness around.Chengnis gradually woke up, and his vision slowly recovered, and he could already see a blurry image in his tear-filled eyes. The headache was almost unbearable to him.He had to be in excruciating pain to raise one hand to his head. He can be sure that he is still alive.His thoughts were like feathers being rolled up by air currents, and now they slowly fell back to the ground, and finally became still again.Now he felt a pleasant warmth in his body-it came from outside.He endured the severe pain and tried to slowly twist his neck, but it brought a heart-piercing pain. Now the door opened again, and the chief speaker of the second base had entered the room, standing just beside the threshold.Chengnis wanted to speak, scream, and warn—but found that his tongue had already froze, and only then did he know that the mule's mighty heart had not completely let go of him, and was still clamping down on his vocal organs. Chengnis turned his neck again, seeing that the mule was still in the room, his angry eyes almost burst into flames.He no longer opened his mouth to laugh, but instead bared his teeth in a hideous grin. At this moment, Chengnis could feel the spiritual power of the chief speaker moving lightly in his mind, healing his wounds and relieving his pain.But not long after, it encountered the mule's defense, and was repelled after only a short fight, and a numb feeling struck Chengnis again. Anger filled the Mule's emaciated frame, making him look even uglier.He gritted his teeth and said, "It seems that another person has come to welcome me." His soul stretched out its dexterous tentacles, stretched out to the outside, and continued to extend...extend... "You came alone," he said. The chief speaker nodded, and then said: "I am absolutely alone, and it is necessary for me to do this. Because five years ago, I miscalculated your future, so I have a small wish, that is, by me Turn the situation around on my own. Unfortunately, I didn't expect the emotional restriction field you set up to be so powerful, and it took me a long time to break it. You can do this, and I really should appreciate your ability." "I don't care for your compliments at all," the mule replied fiercely, "don't come here. Did you come here to use your meager mental strength to save your crumbling pillar? talent?" The chief speaker smiled and said: "The man you call Baier Chengnis has successfully completed his task. Since his spiritual power is not your opponent at all, his performance is even more commendable. Of course, I You can see how much you have given him, but we may be able to restore him completely. He is a man of courage, sir, and he has taken the task of his own accord. Although we have calculated it mathematically beforehand, The chances are great that he'll be psychically wounded—a fate more dire than mere physical disability." Chengnis struggled desperately in his heart, wanting to warn loudly, but he couldn't do it at all.The only emotion he could express was fear—constant fear. The mule said calmly, "Of course you already know that Darcind is destroyed." "I know, we have already foreseen that your fleet will attack." The mule said in a grim voice, "Yes, as I expected. But you couldn't stop it, did you?" "No, I can't stop it." The chief speaker's emotional information symbols are clearly expressed, almost completely self-blaming and disgusting.He added, "For this mistake, I have to bear more responsibility than you. Five years ago, who could have imagined that your power would be so great? We started from the beginning—when you captured Kalgen— — already suspects you of the ability to control your emotions. We are not surprised, First Citizen, and I can explain it to you right now." "The spiritual power that you and I have is actually not a novel ability. In fact, it has always been lurking in the human brain. Most people can detect the most superficial emotions of others, for example, according to facial expressions facial expressions, tone of voice, etc. Many animals are more talented in this area, for example, they can use the sense of smell to achieve many functions, of course, the emotions involved are relatively simple.” "Humanity's ability in this aspect actually has great potential, but a million years ago, with the gradual development of language, the function of direct emotional contact has gradually shrunk. The greatest achievement of our second base is to put this sleeping the sensory arousal that restores it, at least to some degree." "But we are not born this way, and millions of years of degeneration are a difficult obstacle. We must exercise this sense, as we exercise our own muscles. But you are completely different, and your abilities are innate. " "Since we can calculate these, we can also calculate the effect of a person with this ability in the world of ordinary people, just like a person with eyesight in the country of the blind. We have calculated the impact of your arrogance on yourself. impact, and think we are prepared. However, we are ignoring two important factors." "The first point is that your spiritual power has a very wide effective range. Our spiritual contact can only be performed within the range of sight, because vision plays an extremely important role. For this reason, when we face ordinary weapons We are more helpless than you can imagine. But you have no such limitation. We can now confirm that you can not only control others with mental power, but you can still communicate with them outside the range of sight and hearing. Maintaining a close emotional connection. We discovered that too late." "Second point, we didn't know you had a physical defect, especially since you took it so seriously that you even called yourself a 'Mule' because of it. Not only are you a mutant, but you're a mutant without the ability to reproduce , which we did not foresee. The anomalous psychology of your inferiority complex was initially ignored by us. We were only prepared to deal with a megalomaniac, not a severely deranged paranoid." "I am solely responsible for these miscalculations, because I was already the leader of the Second Base when you captured Kalgen. And after you captured the First Base, we finally found out the truth-but But it was too late - millions of lives were lost in Darcinde because of this mistake." "So you want to turn things around now?" Mule's thin lips twisted, his heart full of hatred.He added, "What are you going to do? Make me fat? Help me restore my masculinity? Erase my miserable childhood from my past history? Will you sympathize with my pain? Will you mourn for my sorrow? Sad? I have no regrets about what I had to do. There was no one in the galaxy to help me when I needed protection the most, so let the galaxy defend itself as best it can now." "Of course," said the chief speaker, "your emotions are caused by the background of the past, and we really shouldn't be critical - we should only try to change it. The destruction of Darcinde is an inevitable fate, otherwise, another result It is the entire galaxy that has suffered more serious damage, and it will last for centuries. We have done our best within our capabilities to evacuate the residents of Darcinde as much as possible, and let them evacuate as much as possible if they cannot be evacuated. It's a pity that we did so much less than was really needed, costing millions of lives - don't you feel sorry?" "Not at all—after six hours, all the hundreds of thousands of Roshan residents will be dead, and I have no regrets either." "Rosanne's?" the chief speaker asked quickly, then turned to Chengnis. Chengnis tried his best to maintain a half-sitting posture, constantly using his mental strength to support him.Suddenly, he felt that there were two souls fighting on him, and then he felt that the spiritual shackles were released.He immediately spit out a series of words: "Speaker, I have failed completely. Ten minutes before your arrival, he forced me to tell the truth. I have no ability to resist, and I have no way to lie. He already knows that Darcinde is not the second Base, he already knows Roseanne is." At this time, those mental shackles closed again, trapping him tightly again. The chief speaker frowned and said, "I see, what are you planning to do now?" "Don't you really know? Are you really unable to see through such an obvious fact? When you were lecturing me just now, telling me the nature of emotional contact, and calling me hyperbolic and paranoid, I was actually Busy. I contacted my fleet again, and they have received orders. Within six hours, unless there is some reason to withdraw my orders, they will start bombing the entire Roshan, leaving only this small village , and a range of one hundred square miles around them. They will carry out this mission thoroughly, and then all land here." "You still have six hours, and in these six hours, you can't knock down my heart, and you can't save the whole Roseanne." The mule spread his hands and laughed wildly again, and the chief speaker seemed unable to accept the new situation. He said, "Is there another way?" "Why must there be another way? The other way will do me absolutely no good. Should I feel sorry for the lives of the inhabitants of Roxanne? Perhaps, if you allow my starship to land safely, and all of you - all of Second Foundation Molecules—all under my mind control, if I am satisfied, I may withdraw the bombing order. It must be very worthwhile to be able to master so many advanced minds. But it may take a long time to do so. Great strength may not pay off at all, so I don't particularly hope you will agree. What do you say, Second Foundation? What weapons do you have against a mind that is at least as powerful as you? And even A powerful fleet that you can't imagine in your dreams?" "What weapon do I have?" the chief speaker repeated the question slowly, and then replied, "Nothing at all—except a little—a little information that even you don't know yet." "Then hurry up," said the mule with a smile, "show off your three-inch tongue. Even if you slide like an eel, you won't be able to escape my palm this time." "Poor mutant," said the chief speaker, "I don't even want to slip away. Ask yourself—why was Baier Chengnis sent to Kalgen as bait? Young and brave, but his mental strength is comparable to yours, and your officer Han Pridji who is sleeping soundly. Why don't I go out myself, or send our other leaders, who can be as good as you Who is the match, to carry out this task?" "Perhaps," Mule replied confidently, "you're not that stupid. Because maybe you also understand that none of you is my match." "The real reason is actually more logical—you know that Chengnis is a member of the second base, and he has no ability to hide this from you. Besides, you also know that he is not your opponent, so you are not afraid to follow his tactics and simply follow his advice." plan to follow him so that he can be brought back in the end. If I had gone to Kalgen, you would have killed me because I would have been a real threat to you. Even if I had managed to hide my identity well , so to save my life, and it is difficult for you to follow me all the way from space to this place. It is because you know that Chengnis is not afraid, so you will be lured out. Under the protection of weapons and your spiritual strength, the second base will not be able to move a hair of your hair with all its strength." "My spiritual strength is still there, old fox," said the mule, "and my men and my weapons are not far away." "That's right, but you are not in Kalgen, you are now in the Kingdom of Dascind. You think Dassind is the second base, and everything is reasonable, but this is the result of our careful planning. Because you An astute man, First Citizen, you only believe what is logical." "That's right, but that can only make you temporarily proud. I still have time to dig out the truth from your man—Chennis. And at least I still have the brains to know that this kind of truth should exist." "But our side—the not-so-cunning side has already expected you to do this, so we have specially prepared Baier Chengnis for you." "Then I'm sure he's up to something. Because I ripped his brains out like the guts of a roast chicken. His heart quivered at my feet, completely open to me, completely naked. When he said that Roseanne was the Second Foundation, he was telling the 100% truth. I have already rolled his heart out, inspected every microscopic gap, no matter how small a lie is, there is no way to hide it. " "Exactly, better than we expected. I told you just now that Beyer Chengnis was a volunteer. Do you know what he volunteered for? Before he went to Kalgen to serve you , underwent a radical mind-remodeling operation. Do you think it would be possible to hide it from you? If Bayer Chengnis’s mind had never been modified, do you think he might be able to deceive you? Actually, Baier Chennis Bair Chengnis himself was kept in the dark, but it was necessary and he accepted it voluntarily. In his soul, from the deepest core to the outermost surface, Baier Chengnis was honest. I truly believe that Roseanne is the second base." "For three years, our Second Base has arranged everything in the Kingdom of Dascind just to wait for you to throw yourself into the trap. We have succeeded now, don't you think? You found Dascind, and then you found Roseanne—but that's where the thread ends." The mule stood up suddenly: "Don't you dare to say that Luoshan is not the second base?" Chengnis, who fell on the ground, felt another force from the chief speaker, completely tearing his mental shackles apart.He jumped up immediately, and shouted in disbelief: "You said Roseanne is not the Second Foundation?" All his past memories, all the knowledge in his heart, everything—now they are all confused and blurred Vaguely spinning around him desperately. The chief speaker smiled and said, "Look, First Citizen, Chengnis is acting as angry as you are. Of course, Roseanne is not Second Foundation. Are we all crazy? To lead you—we are the strongest, The biggest, most dangerous enemy - coming to our own world? Oh, we would never do that!" "Let your fleet bomb Roseanne, First Citizen, if you must. Let them destroy everything they can, for the best they can do is kill Chengnis and me—but in doing so, It does nothing to improve your current situation." "Actually, the Expeditionary Force of the Second Base came to Luoshan three years ago and has been active as the elders of the village. They left here yesterday and are heading towards Kalgen. Of course, they will avoid your fleet , at least one day earlier than you can reach Kalgen, which is why I dare to tell you everything. Now unless I take my order back, when you return to Kalgen, you will face a rebellious and fragmented empire, Only the fleet that came here with you will remain loyal, and they will never be outnumbered. Also, the people from Second Base will infiltrate your reserve fleet, making sure you can't turn anyone back. Your The empire is finished, mutants." Mule lowered his head slowly, anger and despair filled his heart."Yes, it was too late - too late - now I understand," he said. "Now you get it," repeated the chief speaker, but added, "Now you don't get it." The mule's heart was wide open with desperation, and it was for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that the chief speaker was waiting.He got in immediately, and it only took one ten thousandth of a second to successfully complete the transformation of the mule. The mule looked up and asked, "Should I go back to Kalgen then?" "Of course, how do you feel?" "It feels great," he said, frowning. "Who are you?" "Does it matter?" "Of course not." He immediately dropped the thought, patted Pridji on the shoulder and said, "Wake up, Pridji, we are going home." Two hours later, Baier Chengnis finally felt that he could act.He said, "Won't he remember it again?" "Never. He'll still retain his psychic powers, and the empire he built, but his motivations have completely changed. The idea of ​​a Second Foundation is now a blank slate, and he's become a pacifist. And From now on, he will be happier than before, and live out the rest of his life like this. Because of his dysfunctional body, he has few years to live. After he dies, the Seldon Project will continue-always continue down." "So," Cheng Nisi asked, "Rosanne is really not the second base? I can swear——I tell you, I know it is, and I am not insane." "You're not deranged, Chengnis, as I said, just transformed. Roseanne isn't Second Foundation—come on! We should go home, too." Baier Chengnis sat in a small room covered with white tiles, completely relaxing his mind.He was quite satisfied at the moment.There are walls and windows in the room, and there is grass outside, but these are just "things" to him, and they all have no names.At the foot of his bed was a screen, on which a bed, a chair, and many books were rigidly reflected.The nurse came in several times a day and brought him various unknown foods. Initially, he didn't try to put together the sporadic sounds he heard, such as the conversation between the following two people. One of them said: "The current symptom is complete aphasia, which means that it has been cleared up. I don't think he has suffered any harm. The next thing we need to do is to retransmit his original brainwave recordings." He memorized those voices.I don't know why, those voices seem to be very special - they seem to represent some kind of meaning.But why worry about it? It's better to lie on this thing and watch the color change of the thing in front of you.This is much more interesting. Then a guy came in and did a thing to him.So he fell asleep, and slept for a long, long time. When he woke up, the "bed" was just a "bed", and he knew he was in a hospital.All the voices he memorized became meaningful words. He sat up and asked, "What happened?" The chief speaker was standing nearby, and he said, "Now that you're on Second Base, your sanity—your original sanity—has been restored." "Yes! Yes!" Chengnis thought of his identity, and felt extremely proud and joyful. "Tell me now," said the chief speaker, "do you know where the second base is?" In Chengnis' heart, the truth poured out like a huge wave.But he didn't answer immediately, just like Ablin Meath back then, he felt a huge and numb surprise. Finally he nodded and said, "By all the stars of the galaxy—now, I know."