Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Breaking free

They went into the theater room.There's a robot doing the contact work for them.Bailey thought vaguely as he watched his skilled metal fingers.Suddenly, a dining table appeared in front of him, occupying half of the room, and the tableware was already set up for people to eat.Belle was taken aback and interrupted his thoughts. Gnadia's voice said: "Hello." Then she walked into the video area and sat down, "Don't be so surprised, Ilya. It's dinner time, and I'm fully dressed, you see !" She was indeed fully dressed.Gnadia was wearing a shiny light blue dress with long sleeves that fell to her ankles.The collar and shoulders were fringed with yellow frills, a shade lighter than her hair.Her hair was well combed and neatly wavy.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your meal," said Bailey. "I haven't started yet, can you eat with me?" Bailey looked at her suspiciously: "Eat with you?" Gnadia laughed: "You earthlings are really interesting. I don't mean to eat with me, how is that possible? I mean, you go to your restaurant, then you and your partner can have dinner with you." I ate together." "But as soon as I leave—" "Your movie-watching technology robot can continue to maintain contact." After listening to her words, Daniel nodded seriously.Bailey turned hesitantly towards the door, and Gnadia, her dining table, cutlery, and the bottles and jars on the table followed him.

Gnadia showed an encouraging smile: "Look, your movie-watching technology robot has kept us in touch." Bale and Daniel walked up a moving ramp that Bale didn't remember ever taking.There were apparently many passages between any two rooms in this marvelous house, of which he knew only a few.Of course, Daniel knew every path. Gnadia and her dining table followed him across the walls, up and down the floor, but no matter what, they followed him everywhere. Bayley paused, muttering to himself, "It's going to take me a while to get used to it." "Does this make you dizzy?" Gnadia said quickly.

"A little." "Then I'll tell you how to do it better. You can ask your movie-watching technology robot to fix me here first, and then ask him to move me over after you get to the restaurant and prepare everything." "Okay, I'll order it, partner Ilya," Daniel said. When Bailey and Daniel walked into the restaurant, the table had already been set, with steaming soup on the plate, diced meat sprinkled in the dark brown soup, and a large roast chicken waiting to be cut and eaten on the table.Daniel briefly explained a few words to the robot serving the meal, and the robot immediately and efficiently changed the direction of the originally facing seats and placed them side by side on the same side of the table.

At this time, the wall facing the dining table seemed to have received a signal and moved away. The dining table seemed to grow longer, and Gnadia appeared at the other end of the dining table.The two rooms are connected together, and even the dining table is seamlessly connected.If it weren't for the different patterns on the walls, carpets and tableware, they would really look like eating at the same table. "Well," Gnadia said with satisfaction, "isn't this very comfortable?" "Very comfortable," Bailey replied.He took a sip of the soup cautiously and found it delicious, so he drank it in big gulps. "You know about Agent Grue?" he asked.

Gnadia's face was immediately clouded.She put down the spoon and said, "It's awful, isn't it? Poor Hannes." "You call him by his first name, do you know him?" "I know almost everyone important in the Solari world. Most Solari know each other, it's only natural." It was only natural, Bailey thought, since there were not many of them in all. "Then do you know Dr. Aden Saul? He is taking care of Grue." Bailey asked again. Gnadia laughed softly.The robot serving on the side cut a piece of meat for her, and sprinkled some baked potatoes and carrot sticks with sauce. "Of course I knew him. He treated me," she said.

"When did he treat you?" "After—that trouble, I mean, after my husband's accident." Bailey was taken aback. "Is he the only doctor on the planet?" "Oh, no." Gnadia's lips moved slightly, as if secretly calculating the number.After a while she said, "At least ten doctors. I also know a young man who is studying medicine. But Sol is the best doctor, and he has the most experience, poor Doctor Sol." "Why do you say he is pitiful?" "Well, you know, doctors are a dirty profession. Sometimes they have to see patients in person, and even touch them. Dr. Saul also seems to feel helpless, and he will see patients when he feels that it is necessary." .He's been my doctor since I was a kid. He's very sweet, kind. If he has to see me, I really don't care. He came to see me recently."

"You mean after your husband passed away, he saw you?" "Yeah. You can imagine how he felt when he saw me lying there, my husband's body." "I was told that he was looking at images of corpses." "Yes, the body was viewed with images. After he made sure that I was still alive and nothing happened, he asked the robot to put a pillow under my head, gave me a dose of an injection, and then left. He took a jet Flying vehicle, really, jet flying vehicle! He came to take care of me within half an hour and make sure I was safe. I woke up groggy and thought I was just seeing his image. Waiting for him to touch I, I just found out I saw him in person and couldn't help screaming. Poor Dr. Saul, he's so embarrassed. But I know he's doing it with good intentions."

Bailey nodded, "I think doctors are probably useless in Solari World?" "Hopefully so." "As far as I know, there are no bacterial diseases here. But are there metabolic diseases? Are there diseases like arteriosclerosis, diabetes?" "Yes, and it's very scary when it happens. Doctors can only make these patients physically comfortable, but that's not the point." "Oh?" "Of course, it means that our analysis of genes is not perfect. You don't think we let diseases like diabetes spread freely. Anyone who has these diseases has to be re-examined very carefully. And this person's spouse The quota must also be cancelled, which is very embarrassing for the person concerned, which means no...no..." Her voice was almost inaudible, "no children."

Bailey repeated in normal volume: "No kids?" Gnadia blushed: "This kind of thing is really hard to say, what a terrible word, child-child..." "Say it a few times and you'll get used to it." Bailey teased a little. "Yes, but I'd be ashamed to say it someday in front of other Solarians if I said it out loud... Anyway, if a man or woman with a disease like this has given birth to a child— You see, I said it again—then these children must be found and examined. By the way, by the way, this is one of Ruikai’s jobs. Anyway, this kind of thing is very complicated and messy.”

There was no need to bother with Dr. Sol, Bailey thought. The doctor's incompetence was a natural consequence of society, not some evil intention on his part.He didn't have to be mean.Let him be crossed off the list of murderers first, Bailey thought, but not completely rule him out. Belle watched Gnadia eat.She was neat and elegant, and she seemed to have a normal appetite, and his own roast chicken tasted good.In short, this thing in the outer world-food-will make him picky about what he eats when he returns to Earth. "What do you think of this poisoning case, Gnadia?" he asked. Gnadia looked up: "I'm trying not to think about it, too many terrible things have happened recently, maybe it's not poisoning?" "It's poison." "But there's no one else around!" "how do you know?" "Can't be. He hasn't had a wife for a while now, because his children's—you know what I mean—are all up. No one's going to put poison in any container, so how could he be poisoned? " "But he was poisoned, that's a very real fact." Gnadia's eyes darkened: "Do you think he poisoned himself?" "No, no. Why did he poison? And poison himself in public?" "That's not poisoning, Ilya, that's impossible." Bailey said, "On the contrary, Gnadia. It's easy to poison, and I know how to do it." For a moment Gnadia seemed to be holding her breath.Then, she pursed her lips and let out a breath, making a whistle-like sound: "I can't see how to poison it, do you know who poisoned it?" Bailey nodded: "It's the murderer who killed your husband." "you sure?" "Aren't you sure? Your husband's death was the first murder ever committed on Solariworld, and another was followed a month later. On a planet with zero crime, there would be two innocent Did the relevant murderer come out to kill within a month? Also, please note that the second victim is investigating the first murder and he poses a threat to the murderer." "Oh," said Gnadia, eating her dessert, "then I'm innocent, if you say so." "How do you know, Gnadia?" "Hey, Ilya, I haven't been to Grue's place, I've never been there in my life, so of course I can't poison Agent Grue. If I didn't poison him, then-I didn't either Kill my husband." Bailey said nothing.Looking at his frighteningly silent expression, Gnadia was immediately discouraged, and her small mouth couldn't help but twitched: "You don't think so, Ilya?" "I'm not sure," Bale said. "I said I knew how to poison it, and it was by design. Any Solari, whether or not he's been to Grueh's place himself, can use this way to poison Grue." Gnadia clenched her fists tightly: "You mean I did it?" "I didn't say that." "You're implying!" She pursed her lips tightly angrily, her high cheekbones were faintly blue, "Is this why you came to see me? Ask me some vicious questions to frame me?" "Hey, wait a minute—" "You look very sympathetic, as if you understand and understand others very well, I didn't expect... you are a human from Earth!" Her deep voice became very harsh as she spoke the last sentence. Daniel leaned forward and said expressionlessly, "Mrs. Dahlman, let me remind you that you might hurt yourself by holding the knife too tightly. Please be careful." Gnadia looked at the short and blunt table knife in her hand, which obviously couldn't do any damage.She suddenly raised the knife high as if in a trance. Bailey said coldly: "You can't touch me, Gnadia." She was taken aback: "Who wants to touch you? Disgusting!" With a disgusted expression, she shouted at the same time, "Stop contact immediately!" The last sentence was addressed to a robot out of vision.The image of Gnadia and her dining room disappeared, and the original walls receded. "I think you've already considered the woman guilty by now, don't you?" Daniel said. "No." Bailey said decisively, "the murderer needs to have certain more characteristics than this poor woman." "She has a violent temper." "So what? Most people are like this. Don't forget, she has been under a lot of pressure during this time. If I am also under such a heavy pressure, and someone treats her like me Treat me, then I might not just be waving a useless little knife." "I haven't been able to deduce the alibi poisoning method you mentioned," Daniel said. "I know you haven't figured it out yet," Bailey found himself speaking smugly. "You lack the ability to solve such puzzles." He said it with certainty, and Daniel took it seriously and calmly, as usual. Bailey went on, "I have two things for you to do, Daniel." "What's the matter, partner Ilya?" "First, you get in touch with Dr. Saul and find out what happened to Mrs. Dahlman at the time of her husband's murder, how long she needs medical treatment, and so on." "Are you trying to make sure of something?" "No, I just want to try to collect more information. On this planet, it's really not easy to get some information. Secondly, you go and find out who will succeed Grue in charge of the Security Agency, and help me arrange to have a meeting with him tomorrow morning. We'll meet. As for me—" He was not very happy when he thought about what he was about to do, and he didn't even sound happy when he thought about it. "I'm going to bed, and I hope I can sleep." Then, he almost I asked a little irritably, "Do you think I can get a film book worth reading here?" Daniel said: "I suggest you call the robot in charge of the library and ask." Bailey felt that dealing with such robots would only upset him more.He would rather browse at will. "No," he said, "no classics, just ordinary novels about modern life in Solari's world. Get me five or six." The robot gave in (he had to), and he manipulated the controls to pull the film books that Bailey needed from the shelf, drop them into an exit hole, and deliver them to Bailey.While doing this, he still reported to Bailey in a very respectful tone the kinds of other film books in the library. He suggested that the host should read an adventure romance novel about the early days of colonization, or a chemistry book illustrated with diagrams of the atomic structure; otherwise, a fantastic fantasy novel, or a map of the Milky Way would also be good.There are so many film books in the library. Bailey picked up the six film books he wanted with a straight face: "These are enough." He reached out his hand (he did it himself) and took a scanning reading glass and left. The robot quickly caught up and said, "Master, do you need me to help you adjust the machine?" Bailey turned around and said angrily, "No need, you stay here." The robot bowed stiffly and stayed where it was. The light source at the head of the bed was bright, and Bailey was lying on the bed, regretting his decision just now.He had never used this type of scanning reading glass, and he didn't even know how to put a film book on it.He took apart the scanning reading mirror and studied it for a while, and finally got some clues. Finally, he can finally read film books.Focus has been off, but that's a small price to pay for not having to rely on robots for a while. In the next one and a half hours, he roughly read the four film books, but he was very disappointed. He had thought that the best way to understand how the Solari lived and thought was to read their novels.This insight is necessary if he is to investigate rationally and intelligently. But now he has to drop that rhetoric.He had read several books, but he had only seen foolish, incomprehensible people dealing with ridiculous problems.Why would a woman quit her job for no reason when she found out her child was in the same trade as she was?Why did it lead to an unbearable and almost absurdly complicated ending?Why is it humiliating for a doctor and an artist to be assigned to marry, and why is it so noble that the doctor insists on studying robotics in the end? Bailey was exhausted by the time he mounted the fifth film book on the scanning reading glass and adjusted the focus to a point where he could see clearly. In fact, he was too tired to remember what the fifth film book (which he believed to be a suspense novel) was about.He only remembered that at the beginning of the story, a new owner walked into the mansion on his property, took a film book from a submissive robot, and carefully read the past archives of the property from beginning to end again. He may be asleep with the scanning reading glass on his head, and the room is brightly lit; perhaps a robot comes in respectfully, gently removes the scanning reading glass for him, and turns off the light source. Anyway, he fell asleep, and dreamed of Jessie.Everything in the dream was the same as before, and he never left the earth.They are going to eat at the community restaurant, and then watch an etheric show with friends; they are going to take the highway to see the people.He and Jessie had nothing to worry about, and Bailey felt so happy. Jessie is so beautiful, but she seems to be a little thinner.Why is she so slender?so beautiful? Also, how did the sun shine on them?He looked up and saw only the ceiling.He knew there were many more floors above, but the sun shone down, lighting up everything, and no one was frightened by it. Bailey woke up with a start.He silently let the robot serve breakfast, without even speaking to Daniel.He doesn't talk, doesn't ask questions, and at the moment he has no taste for strong coffee. Why did he dream of the sun he couldn't see?He could understand dreaming about Earth and Jessie, but what did the sun have to do with all this?Also, why does he feel upset when he thinks about the sun? "Partner Elijah." Daniel called him softly. "Ok?" "Kevin Artobixi will make video contact with you in half an hour, and I have already arranged it." "Who the hell is Kewen Ah?" Bailey asked ferociously, filling up his coffee. "He was Agent Grue's chief assistant, Partner Ilya. He's now the acting head of the Security Service." "Contact him immediately!" "As I said just now, the meeting is scheduled for half an hour from now." "I don't care what time your appointment is, contact him now, this is an order." "I can try it, partner Ilya, but he may not accept the request." "Try your luck and go right away, Daniel."