Elijah Belle stood in the shade, muttering to himself, "I know, I'm sweating." He looked up and saw a group of men and women scattered in the wilderness.Most of them are young people aged seventeen or eighteen, and there are also a few middle-aged people who are about the same age as himself.Some of these people were digging awkwardly with hoes, and some were doing other tasks.Logically, these jobs should be done by robots, and those robots must be better than these people.But now, the robots were ordered to stand aside and watch, while the young men and women toiled persistently.These people come out to work once a week, rain or shine.The number of people participating in labor gradually increased.Although the city government does not encourage this activity, it never intervenes, which can be regarded as their benevolent government.

Bailey looked westward, and saw many vaults in the dungeon protruding from the ground, row upon row, like fingers stretching upwards.Inside the city is a colorful and mottled life.He found a small point in the distance, shining in the setting sun, and moving towards this side.The little flashing dot was so far away that it was difficult to make out for a while.But judging from the way it moves, Bailey can be sure that it must be a robot.Bailey was not surprised by this.Since the aliens took control of the earth, human beings have turned to live underground, and the ground is a world of robots.Only a handful of people have ever set foot in the wilderness above ground.There are very few people like him who dream of opening up space and colonizing alien planets.Therefore, only a few of them are on the ground.

Bale turned and stared at the star-seekers, who were hoeing.He scanned the crowd, measuring everyone.Yes, he knew them, everyone.They are trying to adapt to life on the ground. Suddenly, he frowned, because he didn't see his son, and muttered to himself, "Where did Bentley go?" A breathless voice came from behind him, "Here it is, Dad." Bailey turned around and found his son standing behind him.Bentley laughed happily.He has a round face and piercing eyes.How much his son resembled his wife, Jessie, Bailey thought to himself!Bailey himself had a long, horse-faced, serious expression.In his son's face, he could not see his shadow at all.

But Bentley had his father's head and mind.He is often more than serious, which makes people think of his father. "It's time for you to go back to town, Dad," Bentley said. "Why? Because I'm 45 and you're only 19? I'm old and you're a young man?" "I think so, Dad. Of course, you are our leader. You started this grand project. But age is not easy!" "Go to your 'age'!" Bayley said.At this time, the robot coming from the direction of the city was clearly visible, but Bailey didn't care. "You know," Bayley said, shaking his fist. "Although you think you are young and smart, have you ever left the earth? Have the young men and women working in the wilderness ever left the earth? No, not a single one! And I, the only one who has ever left the earth, then It was two years ago—and, I came back alive!"

"I know, Dad. But that's different." "What's the difference?" Bailey knew in his heart that it was indeed different, even though his mouth was stiff.At that time, he spent most of his time in closed vehicles, airplanes and rooms, and even the cabin of the spaceship he sat in was temporarily converted into a fully enclosed one. "We'll be leaving Earth soon. If I get permission to fly to Aurora, we can put our plans into practice..." "Don't think too much, things are not that simple!" "Of course, we have to fight hard. Without the consent of the people of Aurora, the government will not approve our plan. Aurora is the most powerful planet in the universe. What do they say—"

"Stop it, Dad. I know all this," Bentley interrupted his father. "We've talked about this a thousand times. However, you don't have to go to Aurora to get their permission! You can get in touch with them through a hyperwave communication relay station. I don't know how many times I've said that. " "It's not the same. It's not the same in person. I've said that a thousand times." "However," Ben said, "we're not ready yet." "We're not ready just because the Earth government won't give us a spaceship. But the spacemen will and will give us the necessary technical assistance."

"Why do you believe in the cosmic people! Why do they help us? When have they been friendly to us short-lived earthlings?" "If only I could have a chance to talk to them..." Bentley laughed out loud. "Come on, come on, Dad. You just want to go to Aurora and see that woman again!" Bailey frowned. "Women? God, Ben, what are you talking about!" "Okay, Dad. It's just between the two of us—don't tell Mom, don't say a word about it—on Solaria, did you have any unusual dealings with that woman? I'm old enough, you can tell me now."

"Which woman is Solaria?" "Why are you still pretending to be stupid? Everyone on the planet has watched that super-wave space drama, who doesn't know that woman? Jadia Delmara, that woman!" "Nothing. That hyperspace show is a total farce, and I've told you that a thousand times. She's nothing like the woman in the show, and I'm not that person at all. The space show is totally It's made up. You should also know that I have always disagreed with the performance of this space drama. But the Earth government believes that this will help change the image of Earth people in the eyes of the universe - you must be careful not to mention anything to your mother Women's business!"

"I won't mention it in my dreams! But, that woman named Jiadia ended up in Aurora, but you always want to go to Aurora!" "You mean, you think I went to Aurora to—" Suddenly Baley exclaimed, "Oh, God!" His son frowned in surprise. "What's the matter, Dad?" "The robot. That's R. Gronimo." "Who?" "A robot communicator under my department. Why did he come out of the city? Today I rest. I deliberately left the walkie-talkie at home. I don't like them to disturb me. This is the privilege of a seventh-level police officer! But they sent A robot is coming for me!"

At this moment, the robot shouted: "Master Bailey! I have a message for you. Headquarters wants you to go back at once." The robot paused for a moment, then raised its voice and yelled again: "Master Bailey, I have a message to convey to you. The headquarters wants you to go back immediately." "I understand," Bailey said in a dead voice.If Bailey didn't say the words, the robot could repeat the same words over and over again. Bailey sized up the robot carefully, frowning slightly.This is a new model of robot that looks more human than the older model from a few years ago.This can't help but remind Bailey of his old partner R. Daniel Olivo.It was a robot made by the aliens, who had twice served as Bailey's partner and solved two murders.Once on Earth and another time on the planet Solaria.Daniel is a robot, but he looks just like any other person; Baley considers him a total friend and misses him often.If all robots were like Daniel—

"I'm off today, man. I don't have to go to headquarters," Bayley said. R. Gronimo paused, his hands trembling slightly.Bailey saw it, knew there was a counterbalance, a contradiction, in the robot's positron circuit.A robot must obey human commands, but two humans can issue two completely different commands. The robot made a decision.He said: "You rest today, sir—the headquarters wants you to go back immediately." "R. Gronimo, go back to headquarters and tell them I'm at nine o'clock tomorrow." Then Bailey snapped, "Go back! It's an order!" The robot visibly hesitated, then turned and walked away slowly, then turned back, tried to walk in the direction of Bailey, and finally stopped, shaking all over. The droid turned slowly to face Bale.It seemed that the original order was stronger, but not much stronger than Bailey's order, so the robot could not speak clearly at this time. "Sir, they told me that you might order me to go back. If so, I will say—" The robot broke off, and then said in a low voice: "I will say—I can only speak to you. " Bailey nodded slightly to his son, and Bentley walked away immediately.He understood that his father was both a father and a detective, and the duties of the two were distinct and should not be confused. After Bentley walked away, Bailey said to the robot: "I take back the order. What do you want to say to me?" R. Gronimo's voice became clear at once. "All I'm saying is that they want you back right away. It's about Aurora." Bailey turned to Bentley and said loudly, "Let them go back to town in half an hour. I have to go back at once." Bailey took a big stride, and asked the robot angrily as he walked: "Why didn't they let you tell me right away? Why didn't they give you an instruction to pick me up with a ground transportation vehicle?" Bailey knew, of course, that it was pointless to blame the robot.Moreover, he also knew that if any accident happened to the traffic car driven by the robot, it would inevitably cause an uproar against robots on the earth. Bailey didn't slow down.After entering the underground city, you have to squeeze back and forth on various automatic lanes that are congested with traffic. Aurora?Is there another crisis? Half an hour later, Bailey arrived at the entrance of the dungeon and walked onto the elevator platform.As soon as he put his hand on the signal board, the door opened automatically.Before the door was fully opened, he strode in, followed by R. Gronimo. Bailey returned to the underground city, surrounded by walls, the entire city is the human universe.The city was full of voices and strong smells—a mix of robots and people.The light is soft and not as dazzling as the sun on the ground.In the underground city, there is no wind or rain, the temperature is suitable for cold and heat, and the air is fresh, which makes people feel very comfortable, and feel natural rather than man-made. "This way, buddy," Bailey said to the robot. The underground city covers an area of ​​5,000 square kilometers, of which 400 kilometers of expressways and hundreds of kilometers of branch lines are sufficient to provide good services for 20 million people in the city.The lane network is divided into eight layers, with hundreds of switching stations. The robot obediently followed Bailey into the express lane.After running about 15 kilometers, I came to the police headquarters.They hopped off the express lane, passed the computer check at the entrance, and headed for the director's office. Director Wilson Ross has served for two and a half years.He is of medium build, but his head is particularly large, so he looks like a big head and a big brain.His thick black brows half-covered his eyelids, and he looked sleepy, but nothing escaped his keen eyes.Bailey knew that Rose didn't like him, but he probably hated Rose even more. Bailey said respectfully, "I'm resting this afternoon, Chief." "Yes, this is the prerogative of your seventh-level police officer." The chief said with a sting. "Three years ago, you solved the murder case of the aliens in the dungeon, and you became famous far and wide." "Thank you, Chief," Bayley said. "Two years ago, you solved another robot murder case in Solaria, which greatly benefited the Earth government." "It's all on the record, sir." "You've become a hero since then." "I didn't think so myself." "You've been promoted two levels in a row, and you've had a space drama touting your exploits." "The script has not been approved by me, and I have always opposed it, Director." "Even so, you became a hero to people." Bailey shrugged helplessly. "But for two years, you've done nothing," Ross said. "You must know a thing or two about the work I have been doing recently." "Yes, I know. You encourage everyone to venture out into the wild, and you hoe the ground, pretending to be robots and doing primitive labor." "We are approved." "Okay, now you're allowed to go to Aurora." Rose smiled cunningly. "What are you going to do?" Bailey was surprised. "I don't know," Rose said deadpan. "Officials from the Justice Department will tell you." It was a female official from the Ministry of Justice.She is tall and tall, sitting upright on the director's seat.Director Ross sat down on the chair next to him knowingly. "You are a Seventh Class, Detective Elijah Belle," she said. "Yes, ma'am," said Bailey. "I'm the Deputy Attorney General, and my name is Lavinia Dimachik. You don't look like the guy in the space show!" Bailey had been told this before. "It's not like that," Bailey said dryly. "You've kept me waiting, Bailey." "I didn't know you were coming. I'm off this afternoon." "You're on the ground outside the city. You dream of colonizing alien planets, don't you?" "Maybe not me. I'm getting too old. But—" "how old are you?" "Forty-five, madam." "It looks about the same. I'm the same age as you, also 45 years old." "You look much younger, ma'am." "Thank you," DiMachik changed the subject. "Does the Milky Way belong to the universe?" "There are tens of thousands of planets in the Milky Way, and they only occupy 50 planets." "That's a good statement. But without the consent of the aliens, the spacecraft cannot fly away from the earth." "They might agree." "I hardly agree with you." Bailey was silent. "Things have changed recently. You know Dr. Han Fastolfer, don't you?" "Yes, I saw him once in Universe City three years ago." "Do you know what happened to him in the past two years?" "I heard he works for the Aurora government department." "Yes, he is an important figure in the Aurora government, and he is likely to be the speaker. He is a moderate and has a friendly attitude towards the people on Earth. Whether he can take power in Aurora is crucial to the people on Earth and the Earth government It's important. You don't understand this, do you?" "He supports the colonization of the universe by the earthlings." Bailey reminded the female minister without losing the opportunity. "I believe so. But do you think that his views are generally supported in Aurora?" "I am not sure." "No, there are not many people who support him, but those who oppose him have formed a group. It is only his superb political skills and personal enthusiasm that have kept him in power and influence. His sympathy for the people of the earth has already It has become the main basis for his political opponents to attack him. Therefore, I want to send you to Aurora. If there is a slight mistake, it will endanger his position and strengthen the forces against the earth. The life and death of the earth depends on this." "I understand," Baley murmured. "Dr. Fastolfer is going to put all his eggs in one basket. When he urged you to go to Solaria, his political career was just beginning. Today, the situation is very delicate." The female minister cut to the point. "How's the situation, ma'am?" asked Bailey impatiently. "It seems to be the case," said Dimachik, "that Dr. Fastolfer is caught up in a scandal. It's so complicated that if he does it clumsily, he'll be down in a week or two, but he's skilled at it." Politics, even then, will not be out for a few months, and he will disappear in Aurora as a political force—clearly, it will be a catastrophe for the planet." "What scandal? Corruption? Rebellion?" "Much more serious! Even his enemies are convinced of his character." "murder?" "It doesn't count as murder." "I don't understand that, ma'am." "In Aurora, Mr. Bailey, there are people and robots. Most of the robots are similar to the robots on our earth. But there are a few robots that look exactly like people. People who don't know will think they are people too!" Bailey nodded and said, "I'm perfectly aware of that." "I guess, destroying a humanoid robot is hardly 'murder'?" "Oh, God! Did you say that Dr. Stolfer killed R. Daniel?" cried Bailey, eyes wide open. "No, no, not Daniel. In Aurora, Daniel is not the only humanoid robot!" Deputy Attorney General Dimachek said. "Or rather, the mind of the robot is completely destroyed, beyond repair." Bailey asked, "Dr. Fastolfer, they said?" "That's what his enemies say. They're extremists. They just want the aliens to take control of the galaxy and try to wipe out the earthlings. If they can launch an election campaign in the next few weeks, they will It will inevitably control the Aurora government. The consequences for the earth are simply unimaginable." "Then what am I going to do?" "Fastolfer asked you to go. You went to the universe to solve a murder, so he wants you to go again. This time to Aurora, you want to solve the destroyed humanoid robot case. He sees this as his only chance to fight back against extremist political enemies." "I'm not a roboticist and I don't know anything about Aurora "At the time, you didn't know anything about Solaria either, but you made it. Dr. Fastolfer's survival was a matter of life and death for us, too." "I have little talent and knowledge, and it is really difficult to take on this important task." Bailey said. "Didn't you always want to go to Aurora?" the Deputy Minister asked veiledly. "I went to think—" "This visit can help you realize your dreams," said the female minister. "Then when do I leave?" "Six hours later." This is not the first time Bailey has visited the space station.Bentley sent him here. "What did you tell Mom?" Bentley asked. "I tried to comfort her as much as I could," Bailey said. "But she can't rest assured." "Dad, I admire you for what you have done for the planet! When you come back from Aurora, everyone will admire you." Bailey was emotional.He nodded, put a hand on his son's shoulder, and murmured, "Thank you. Take care of yourself—and your mother—I've got to go." He walked forward quickly, without looking back.He told Bentley that he went to Aurora to ask the spacemen to help them develop a space colony.If he comes back victorious—"