Chapter 22 Chapter 15 Satisfactory Answers

Tu Bo burst out laughing suddenly—the laughter was like a gust of howling wind, bouncing back and forth on the wall, before disappearing into a burst of gasps after a long time.Then he shook his head feebly before he said, "My God, this kind of thing kept going on all night. We had a list of adversaries after adversaries, and we had a lot of fun, but nothing came of it. My God! Maybe All the planets are second bases; maybe they don't use any planets as bases at all, the important people are scattered all over the galaxy. But what does it matter? Anyway, Darryl said, we already have the perfect defense weapon .”

Darryl said with a half-smile: "It's not enough to have such a perfect defensive weapon, Tu Bo, and my mental noise device is not perfect at all. Even if it is really perfect, it can only let We're in the same place. We can't be gearing up forever, watching out for an unknown enemy. Not only do we need to know how to win this war, but we also need to know who our opponent is. And I'm sure the enemy does In some world." "Say it straight," Ansel urged, "What exactly is your information?" "Argadia sent me a message," Darryl said. "I never noticed the obvious until I got her message, and probably never would. A simple sentence, only five words: 'A circle has no endpoint'. Do you understand?"

"I don't understand." Ansuo replied in a stubborn tone, and it obviously represented everyone's opinion. "A circle has no end—" Meng En repeated thoughtfully, then frowned. "Okay," Darryl said impatiently, ready to announce the answer himself, "I think the meaning of this sentence is quite obvious-what is the absolute fact that we have about the Second Foundation, huh? Let me tell Y'all! We know that Hari Seldon set it up on the other side of the galaxy. Hommier Munn put forward a theory that there was no Second Foundation at all, and Seldon was actually bluffing; Another theory is that Seldon’s words are not all lies. The Second Base does exist, but Seldon deliberately lied about its location. But I want to tell you that Hari Seldon is not lying at all. What he said It is absolutely true. But where is the 'other end'? The Milky Way is a flat, convex lens-shaped celestial body. Its cross-section is a circle, and a circle has no end-this is Argatia Satoru The reasoning comes out. We—our first base—are located on the terminal star, and the terminal star is on the edge of this circle. So by the general definition, we are at the terminal point of the galaxy. Now, you go straight along this circle, To find the so-called 'other end'. You keep walking, walking, and walking, and you can't find the 'other end' at all, and you just go back to the original starting point-"

"And there, you'll find a second base." "There—" Yasuo repeated, and then asked, "You mean here?" "Yes, this is what I mean!" Darryl roared angrily, "Are there any other possibilities besides this? You said it yourself, if the Second Foundation elements are the guardians of the Seldon plan Otherwise, they are unlikely to be on the so-called 'other side of the galaxy'; Too far, and the most reasonable distance is no distance at all. Where is the safest place for them to hide? Who will look for them here? It is an eternal truth that the most obvious place is the most hidden place.

"Why was poor Aiblin Meath so surprised, why was he so discouraged when he found out about the whereabouts of Second Foundation? He flew halfway across the galaxy, desperately trying to find Second Foundation, to warn them that the mules were about to Called, but found that the mule had captured two bases in one fell swoop. And why did the mule's own search fail? How could it not? If anyone is going to search for a dangerous enemy, they will definitely not be among their own prisoners That's why those masters of spiritual science were able to buy enough time to arrange a seamless plan, and finally succeeded in one fell swoop, stopping the mule's pan-galactic offensive.

"Oh, it's so simple that it's unbearably irritating. We've racked our brains to plan everything here, thinking that every move we make is invisible and invisible-it didn't occur to us that we were always in the center of the enemy's stronghold, which is really It's ridiculous, it's ridiculous." The doubt on Ansuo's face still did not disappear, he asked, "Do you really believe in this theory, Dr. Darryl?" "I really believe it." "Then any of our neighbors, everyone we meet on the street, could be Superman from Second Foundation. They might be peering into your mind and feel the pulse of everything in it."

"exactly." "And our plan can go on for so long without their interference?" "No interference from them? Who told you no? You, yourself, proved that Meng's mind was disturbed. Do you think we sent him to Kalgen out of our own free will? Is it really her own idea that Gatia overheard our conversation and went with him? Ha! We may have been constantly being interfered with. Anyway, why should they overreact? For them, It is far more profitable to mislead us than to stop us." An Suo lowered his head in thought for a while, then raised his head again, with a disapproving expression still on his face.He said: "Well, however, I still don't like the theory. Your psychic buzzer is worthless at all, and we can't spend our lives hiding in a room, but with what we now think we know, once we walk out the door, It's like losing. Unless you can make this device into a portable size, and then send one to every resident of the galaxy."

"You're right, but we're not all hopeless, Yasuo. The Second Foundation do have a special sense that we lack, and while it's their strength, it's also their weakness. For example, can you Imagine a special weapon that has sufficient lethality against ordinary sighted people, but has no effect on blind people at all?" "Of course," Meng En hurriedly replied, "the light is too harsh." "Exactly," Darryl said, "as long as there's a high-intensity, blinding light." "But, what does this mean?" Tu Bo asked. "The analogy is quite obvious. I have already made a psychic noise device that emits a special electromagnetic wave that affects Second Foundation molecules in the same way that ordinary light beams have the effect on a discerning person. But the psychic noise The electromagnetic waves emitted by the communicator are constantly changing shapes at a rate that no mind can keep up with. Well, now imagine a strong flash of light, the kind that will give you a headache if you look at it for a long time. If I increase the power of this beam until it is blinding enough - it will cause physical pain, an unbearable pain. But it only works on the sighted, not on the blind at all It has a little effect. The same is true for the electromagnetic waves emitted by the mental noise device, which can only cause damage to the mind with special induction."

"Really," Yasuo asked, becoming interested, "Have you tried it?" "Who will test it? Of course I haven't tried it, but I promise it will work." "Oh, so where's the switch that controls the noise field here? I want to see that thing." "Here." Darryl reached into his coat pocket and took out a black cylindrical controller with some buttons.It's a tiny device, barely noticeable in your pocket.After Darryl took out the controller, he threw it to Ansuo. Ansor examined it carefully, then shrugged and said, "I can't see anything from just looking at it that way. Hey, Darryl, is there anything I can't touch? You know, I don't want to accidentally close the umbrella." Lose."

"No," Darryl replied casually, "that control switch is locked." After speaking, he flicked a toggle switch lightly, and the switch did not move at all. "And what is this knob for?" "That's for changing the rate of change of the shape, and this—that's for changing the intensity, as I mentioned." "Can I—" Yasuo asked, with his finger on the intensity knob, as the other three moved closer. "Why not?" Darryl shrugged, "It doesn't work for us anyway." Slowly and cautiously, Yasuo began to turn the knob, first all the way in one direction and then all the way back.Tu Bo gritted his teeth nervously, and Meng En blinked rapidly, as if they both wanted to use their senses to the limit, trying to feel the electromagnetic pulse that would not affect them.

Finally, Yasuo shrugged again, threw the controller back into Darryl's lap, and said, "Well, I think we can take your word for it. But it's hard to imagine that when I was turning the knob, Something really happened." "Of course not, Perez Ansel," Darryl said with a stiff smile, "the one I gave you is fake. Look, I have another one here." He took off his coat, untied his There is another controller hanging on the waist, and the two controllers look exactly the same. "Look," Darryl said, turning the intensity knob all the way down. There was only a terrible scream, and Perris Ansuo immediately fell to the floor.He appeared to be in extreme pain, rolling desperately on the ground, his face was ashen, and his fingers were violently grabbing at his hair. Meng En's eyes were full of fear, he quickly raised his feet, afraid of touching this writhing body.Cermick and Tu Bo became a pair of plaster statues, both of them were pale and unable to move. With a serious expression on his face, Darryl turned the knob back to its original position.Yasuo twitched a few more times, then stopped moving.But he was obviously still alive, and his rapid breathing caused his body to heave violently. "Put him on the couch," Darryl said, and put his arms around his head before adding, "Help me." Tu Bo hurried to lift Ansuo's feet, and the two carried him onto the sofa like a sack of flour. After several minutes, Ansuo's breathing gradually eased, and his eyelids fluttered for a while before he finally opened his eyes.His face had already turned sallow, his hair and body were drenched with sweat, and when he spoke, his voice was so hoarse that people could hardly understand what he said. "Don't..." he murmured, "don't! Don't open it again! You don't know...you don't know... oh—" He let out a trembling wail. "We're not going to make it harder for you," Daryl said, "as long as you're telling the truth. You're part of Second Foundation, aren't you?" "I want a drink of water," Ansuo pleaded. "Bring some water, Tubo," Darryl roared, "and bring that bottle of whiskey, too." Darryl poured Ensor a small glass of whiskey, then gave him two large glasses of boiling water, and then repeated the question again.Young people seem to feel a little more relaxed... "Yes," he said in a weary voice, "I'm part of Second Base." Darryl continued, "It's on Terminus—here?" "Yes, yes, you guessed it all, Dr. Darryl." "Good! Now explain what happened in the past year and tell us!" "I want to sleep," Ansel said softly. "Wait a while before going back to sleep! Finish talking first!" Yasuo let out a trembling sigh before uttering a string of words.He spoke so fast and so quietly that the others had to lean over to hear him clearly. "The situation is becoming more and more dangerous. We know that the scientists on Terminus are interested in brain wave analysis, and the time is ripe for you to develop devices such as mind noisers. In addition, your hostility towards Second Foundation It's getting thicker. We have to stop this without compromising the Seldon plan. "We...we are trying to control this operation, trying to join this operation, so that we can divert your suspicion and attention. We instigated Kargan to declare war to further divert your power, and this is why I asked Meng to go to Kargan The reason. The so-called concubine of Shi Tieting is actually one of us. She is responsible for monitoring Meng En's every move..." "Carrie is..." Meng En yelled, but Darryl waved his hand to signal him to shut up. Ansuo didn't notice anyone interrupting at all, and continued on his own: "It turned out that Argatia followed, we didn't count this far—it's impossible to predict everything—so Carrie designed the She was sent to Trantor, lest things should be missed by her intervention. That was the whole plan, only we failed in the end." "You tried to trick me into Trantor once, too, didn't you?" Darryl asked again. Ansuo nodded: "We must try to distract you. The rising pride in your heart is too obvious. We know that you are researching the mental noise device, and you will succeed soon." "Why don't you control me?" "No...can't. I have my orders, and we act according to the plan. If I do it myself, it will ruin the whole plan. Our plan can only predict the probability...you know...just like the Seldon plan. Ansor's head shook violently from side to side, panting in pain as he spoke, almost incoherently speaking, "We make plans for individuals...not groups...the chances of which are very low...lead to failure. Besides ...if you control you...others will invent too...no use...you have to control the timing...more ingenious...the chief speaker's own plan...don't know the whole thing...except...no success...ah —" He was exhausted. Darryl shook his body vigorously, and at the same time roared: "You can't sleep yet, how many of you are there?" "Huh? What are you talking about... oh...not much...would be surprised...fifty...enough." "Is it all on Terminus?" "Five...six in other worlds...like Carrie...I'm going to sleep." Yasuo shook his head abruptly, as if desperately trying to pull himself together.He wanted to save some face after the setback, and that was the last thing he could do. Sure enough, his words were much clearer than before: "I have almost defeated you. I could have turned off the defense device and destroyed your hard work, so that you can know who is the master. I didn't expect you to give me a fake The controllers... doubted me from the beginning..." He finally fell asleep. Tu Bo asked with lingering fear: "How long have you suspected him, Darryl?" "From the day he came to me." He said in a very calm tone, "He claimed to be from Clays, but I know Clays well, and I understand why the two of us broke up. He was full of enthusiasm for the subject of the second foundation, but I abandoned him. I did it for my own reasons, because I thought it was best and safest to study my theory alone. However, I could not ask Ke Rice explained this, and even if I said it, he would never listen. In his mind, I was a coward and a traitor, and he probably thought I was a spy for the Second Foundation. He was a grudge. From then on, he didn't communicate with me until he was about to die. Then, suddenly, in the last week of his life, he wrote to me again - as an old friend - recommending him The best and most promising students ask the two of us to cooperate and continue the old exploration. "This is really unexpected. If there is no external influence, how could he have such a move? So I began to suspect that the only purpose of this matter is to let me accept a real Second Base spy wholeheartedly. The truth Proof that it is so..." Having said that, he couldn't help sighing, and closed his eyes for a while. Cermick interjected, "What are we going to do with them...the Second Base guys?" His voice sounded hesitant. "I don't know," Darryl said sadly, "I think maybe we can exile them collectively. For example, send them to Zolani, and then fill that planet with 'psychic chaos'." '. Men and women can be separated, or better yet, be sterilized. Then, in fifty years, the Second Foundation will be history. Besides, euthanasia may be a more merciful solution." "Do you think—" Tu Bo asked, "that we can learn how to use that sense of theirs? Or are they born with it, like mules." "I don't know, but I think it's a long-term training. Because according to the EEG, ordinary people have this potential. But what do you want that ability for? They don't even benefit from it .” After speaking, Darryl frowned.Although he didn't speak anymore, he was screaming desperately in his heart. It's all so easy--too easy.They failed, these invincible supermen, like the villains in the storybook, were finally caught by the good guys-he didn't like the ending. Oh my god!When does a person know for sure that he is not a puppet?How can I be sure that I am not a puppet? Arkadia was coming back soon, and he would face that final problem, but he forced himself to forget about it for a while. She came back, and a week passed, and two weeks passed, but he could not get the thought out of his mind. How could he not want to?I don't know what kind of magic caused it, but during the time she was away from home, she had changed from a girl to a young girl.She was the continuation of his life, the only remnant of that marriage—a bittersweet marriage that ended abruptly with almost no honeymoon. One night, he asked in the most natural tone possible: "Argadia, what made you think that both bases are on Terminus?" They just came back from the theater.In the theater just now, they sat in the best seats, and both of them had special 3D mirrors.She also specially wore a new dress, went away in high spirits, and came back full of joy, having a great time. At this question, she stared at her father for a long moment, and then said flatly, "Oh, I don't know, Dad, I just thought of it." Dr. Darryl's heart was immediately covered with a layer of frost. "Think about it," he asked eagerly. "This is very important. How did you think there were two bases on Terminus?" She frowned slightly: "Well, I met Mrs. Jiali, and I found out that she is from the second base... Didn't Ansuo say the same?" "But she's in Kalgen." Darryl didn't relax, "How did you think of Terminus?" Argatia was silent for several minutes, how did she think of it?How did you come up with it?A terrible feeling rose in her, that she could not fully master herself. At last she spoke again: "She knows many things—I mean Lady Carrie, and her information must have come from Terminus. Isn't that unreasonable, Father?" He didn't answer, just shook his head at her constantly. "Dad," she cried, "I just know it, and the more I think about it, the more certain it is that it makes perfect sense." With a blank look in his eyes, he said to her, "It's bad, Arcadia, it's really bad. .When facing the Second Base, intuition is a suspicious sign, you should understand this? That kind of thought may be pure intuition, but it may also be the result of being controlled!" "Control! You mean they changed me? Oh, no, no, that's absolutely not possible." She backed away, "Didn't Yusor say I guessed everything right? He already admitted it, Acknowledged everything, and you're killing them all at Terminus, right? Right?" Her breathing was getting more and more rapid. "I know, but...Argadia, would you like me to do an EEG analysis for you?" She shook her head violently: "No, no! I'm terrified." "Are you afraid of me, Arcadia? There's nothing to be afraid of. But we've got to find out anyway, and you know that yourself, don't you?" So, she obediently followed her father into the laboratory, and during the whole process, she interrupted only once.Darryl was about to flip the last switch when she suddenly grabbed his arm and asked, "What if I do change, Dad? What are you going to do?" "I don't have to do anything, Argadia. If you're any different, we'll both get out of here at once. Let's go back to Trantor, just you and me, and from now on we'll never ask anyone in the galaxy Anything." Never in Darryl's life had an analysis been longer or more consuming than this one.When the analysis was finally finished, Arcadia curled up into a ball, not daring to open her eyes at all.But then she heard her father laugh, and that was everything.She immediately jumped up and threw herself into her father's arms. As the two hugged each other, Darryl was ecstatic, babbling, "This room is under the protection of the strongest 'mental noise', and your brainwaves are still perfectly normal. We really We've got them, Arcadia, and we can get back to our normal lives." "Dad," she gasped, "can we accept medals now?" "How did you know that I asked to be exempted from this event?" He grabbed her shoulders with both hands, stared at her for a while, then laughed heartily, and said to her, "It's okay, I can't hide anything from you anyway. Okay Well, you can go up on stage to receive your medal, and you can give a public address." "And... Dad?" "what?" "From now on, can you call me Ikaty instead?" "But... no problem, Ikaty." The pride of victory gradually penetrated and filled his heart.The base - the first base - had now become the only base, the absolute master of the galaxy.There was no longer any obstacle between the Second Empire - the ultimate goal of Seldon's plan - and them. Just keep moving forward... Thank goodness...