Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Backstab!

The building was apparently very large, and the corridors seemed endless.Of course, it is not like the huge apartment blocks in the cities of the earth, but for a single building clinging to the surface of the planet, it must be as big as a mountain. There are hundreds of cradles in which pink babies are lying, some are crying, some are crying, some are sleeping, some are nursing; there are also many game rooms for crawling babies to play. "At this age, they're not too bad," Clorisa grudgingly said. "But they need a lot of robots to take care of them. Almost every child needs a robot before they can walk."

"why?" "They're going to get sick if they're not taken care of individually." "Well," Bailey nodded, "the baby's need for affection cannot be replaced." Clorisa frowned and said harshly, "What children need is attention." "I'm a little surprised that a robot can meet a baby's need for affection," Bailey said, ignoring her. Clorisa turned around quickly and faced him: "Hey, Bailey, it's useless even if you use these ugly words to scare me. Just kidding! Don't do this." "Scare you?"

"I can say that word too - caring! Would you like a shorter word? Love! Love! Enough venting? Be respectful, please." Bailey didn't bother to argue with her."So, can a robot really give kids the attention they need?" he said. "Obviously, yes, otherwise would the training center be considered a success? The robot will entertain the children, take care of them, coax them. The child will not care that he is just a robot. But when they are three to ten years old Now, it's a little troublesome." "Oh?" "At this stage, they will insist on playing with each other, whichever kid they want."

"I think you'll just have to go with them." "It has to be, but we never forget that we have a responsibility to teach these children what they need to be adults. Every child here has a separate room with a door that can be closed, and we insist that they learn to sleep alone from an early age. Then, we leave them alone for a certain amount of time each day, and as they get older, they spend more time alone. By the time the child is ten years old, they can self-discipline to watch videos once a week. Of course, the videos they watch It’s orchestrated. They can watch the footage outdoors, and they can watch it on the move.”

"I'm amazed at how thoroughly you've suppressed your instincts. I can see you're doing it, but I'm still surprised." "What instinct?" Clorisa was puzzled. "The gregarious instinct, for example, you just mentioned that children insist on playing together, is that instinct." Clorisa shrugged: "You call this instinct? So what if it's instinct? Just kidding! Children have the instinct to be afraid of falling, but adults can learn to work on high places where they may fall at any time. Have you ever seen People who perform high-altitude tightrope walkers? There is a planet where people still live in high-rise buildings. Children also have the instinct to be afraid of hearing loud noises, but are you afraid?"

"Not afraid under normal circumstances," Bailey said. "I bet you Earthlings can't sleep at all in a state of real silence. Just kidding! Whatever instinct it is, it can be suppressed with good and consistent education. Human instincts are so weak that they don't even matter. Fact In fact, the job of educating children gets easier from one generation to the next if you do it right. It’s a matter of evolution.” "How?" Bailey asked. "Can't you see? Everyone is repeating their own evolutionary history as they grow up, and there is a stage in the formation of those embryos that have gills and tails. These steps cannot be omitted. Children must also go through the process of social animals. stage, just as an embryo can undergo an evolutionary process that takes a million years to complete in one month, our children can also quickly pass through the stage of social animals. Dr. Dahlman believes that the time for future humans to pass this stage, It will be shorter and shorter from generation to generation.”

"Oh?" "He estimates that at the current rate, children will be able to learn to see images immediately after they are born in three thousand years. The boss has other ideas. For example, he intends to improve the robots that take care of children so that they will not Become mentally unstable. If you can make a robot understand that discipline today will make children better tomorrow, that's really the first law, isn't it?" "Has this kind of robot been researched?" Clorisa shook her head: "Not yet. Dr. Dahlman and Libby have been working very hard to develop some experimental models."

"Did Dr. Dahlman bring the model to his premises? Is he professional enough to test the robot himself?" "Yes, he often tests robots." "Did you know that when he was murdered, there was a robot next to him?" "I heard about it." "Then do you know what type of robot it is?" "You're going to ask Libby about that. I just mentioned to you that he's an expert in robotics working with Dr. Dahlman." "You don't know anything about that robot?" "I don't know anything." "If you think of something, just tell me."

"No problem. But let me remind you that Dr. Dahlman is not just interested in new types of robots. He used to say that one day we could set up egg banks at liquid air temperatures to store eggs and use them for artificial Fertilize, create embryos. In this way, the principle of eugenics can be really applied, and the last vestiges of human beings having to see people and things can be eliminated. I don't know if I agree with him completely. However, he is indeed a very good idea Advanced man, is a good Solari." Clorisa paused and said, "Do you want to go outside? We encourage children aged five to eight to play outdoors. You can watch their activities."

Bailey said cautiously, "I'll try, but I may have to go indoors soon." "Oh, yes, I forgot. Maybe you'd better not go out." "No," Bailey forced a smile, "I want to get used to the outdoor environment." The wind outside the house was unbearable, and it was even difficult to breathe.Although the wind was not cold, the feeling of the wind blowing on the body, that is, the feeling of blowing clothes to and fro, made Bailey feel very cold. He wanted to say a few words, but his teeth were chattering, and he could barely spit out the words one by one.On the distant horizon was a blur of blue-green. Bailey felt a sharp pain in his eyes, and quickly lowered his head to look at the road under his feet before feeling better.He tried his best to avoid looking at the vast blue sky—the endless blue, empty sky, only the occasional white clouds and the naked sun.

But in any case, Bailey still tried his best to restrain the urge to escape indoors. He followed Clorisa about ten steps behind.There was a tree beside the road. He reached out his hand cautiously to feel it, and it felt hard and rough.The swaying leaves rustled above his head, but he did not look up.This is a living tree! Clorisa asked loudly against the wind, "What do you think?" "fine." "You can see from here that there's a bunch of little kids playing over there," she said, "and the robot will teach them how to play and take care not to let those little beasts hurt each other. You know, when people really come into contact with each other, God knows Something terrible is going to happen." Bailey raised his head slowly, moved his eyes from the concrete road under his feet to the grassland, and looked forward slowly, carefully, little by little—in case he felt scared, he could always turn his eyes back to his feet He feels with his eyes... A group of little boys and girls were playing on the other side of the grass, and occasionally a shiny robot walked into it.These kids run around like crazy, not caring a bit about being on the edge of the planet, with nothing but air and space around them.Bailey couldn't make out what the children were shouting, their voices filled the air with meaningless screams. "That's what they do all the time," Clorisa said disapprovingly, "they like pushing and pushing and yelling and bumping each other anyway. "What are the older kids doing?" Bailey asked, pointing to the older kid standing alone on the other side. "They are watching the video, but the other person is not really in front of them. They are learning to walk, chat, run or play games together through the video. They can do everything except meet." "Where will the children go when they leave here?" "Go to their own fields. Generally speaking, as many of these children end up dying as they graduate." "Is their property the same as their parents' property?" "Just kidding, of course not. It's just too much of a coincidence that the parents die as soon as the children are adults, isn't it? Each of these children will get a vacant property. Anyway, I don't think they live with their parents. They'll be happier where they lived, even if they know who their parents are." "Don't they know?" Clorisa raised her eyebrows: "Why do they want to know?" "Don't your parents here look at their children?" "Your idea is ridiculous. What do they do with children?" "Do you mind if I get one thing straight first? Is it rude if I ask people if they have kids?" Bailey said. "It's a very personal question, isn't it?" "you could put it that way." "I have become very numb. It is my job to raise children. No one else will be like me." "Do you have any children?" Bailey asked. Clorisa swallowed, her throat visibly moved slightly: "It's unlucky for me to be asked by you. Well, I'll give you the answer: no." "you have not married?" "It's over. I have my own place. If there is no temporary situation here, I will stay in my own place. But if I don't come here in person now, I am really not sure that I can control these robots." She turned away unhappy.Then, she pointed forward: "There is a child over there who fell down. Of course, he is crying." A robot strode past. Clorisa said: "The robot will pick him up and coax him. If he is really injured, the robot will tell me to go over." She said a little nervously, "I hope I don't have to go over." Bailey took a deep breath.He noticed three trees a hundred meters or so to the left, forming a small triangle.He walked in that direction. The grass underfoot was repulsively limp (it was like walking on a pile of carrion, Baley nearly vomited at the thought).He went to the middle of the three trees and stood there with his back against the trunk.He felt as if he was surrounded by three walls, the sunlight only flickered between the leaves, and did not directly shine on him.He felt that he had almost no fear any more. Clorisa was on the other side of the road, walking slowly towards him. "Can I stay here for a while?" Bailey asked. "Please," said Clorisa. "How do you teach your kids to court after they graduate from the training center?" Bailey asked. "Courtship?" "Know each other," Bailey said, trying to figure out how to express it without being rude, "so they can get married." "That's not their problem," Clorisa replied. "They're usually paired by genetic analysis when they're very young. Isn't that clever?" "Are they all willing to accept it?" "Marriage, you say? No one wants to. It's a very traumatic process. First, they have to get used to each other and spend a little time every day seeing each other. When the initial disgust is eliminated, they will have a happy ending. " "What if they don't like their partner?" "What to do? If the genetic analysis determines that they are suitable for a match, it doesn't matter whether they like it or not—" "I understand." Bailey said immediately.He thought of Earth and sighed. Clorisa said, "What else do you want to know?" Bailey didn't know what to gain by staying any longer.In fact, he was glad to end his conversation with Clorisa, stop asking questions about the embryos, and take the next step. He was about to tell her when Clorisa suddenly yelled into the distance, "Hey, you, boy! I'm calling you! What are you doing?" Then she turned and yelled, "Earthlings! Bailey! Watch out! !Be careful!" Baley barely heard what she was calling, but instinctively reacted to her urgent cry.He was so nervous that his nerves tensed, and there was a panic in his heart. In an instant, the fear that this vast space and the endless sky caused him seemed to collapse, and they attacked him one after another. Bailey heard a series of meaningless murmurs from his mouth, and then he slowly fell to his knees, and he even felt as if he was slowly falling down in the distance. At the same time, he heard something "swoosh" across his head and hit something. Bailey closed his eyes, his fingers tightly gripping a thin tree root out of the ground, his nails digging deep into the soil. Bailey opened his eyes (he must have woken up soon after), and Clorisa was scolding a child in the distance, while a robot stood motionless.Bailey noticed that the child was holding something with strings in his hand, and the boy looked away as soon as he noticed that Bailey was paying attention to him. Panting and struggling to stand up, Bailey suddenly found a shiny metal pole inserted into the tree trunk behind him.He stretched out his hand to pull it out, but the pole wasn't inserted very deep, so he pulled it out in no time.He looked at the clubhead but didn't touch it.This stick is blunt , but, if he hadn't been on the ground just now, the club head could still pass through his body. With some difficulty he lifted his foot and took a step closer to Clorisa.He yelled at the child, "Hey, I'm calling you!" Clorisa turned around, blushing and said to Bailey, "It was an accident. Are you hurt?" "No. What is it?" "It's an arrow. Just put it on the bow and tighten the string, and you can shoot it." "Like this," the kid said aloud, not a bit ashamed, and shot another arrow into the air, laughing.He has light-colored hair and his movements are nimble. "I will punish you, now, go away!" Clorisa said. "Wait a minute!" cried Bailey. "I'm going to ask him some questions. What's your name?" He touched his knee.When he fell just now, his knee was bruised from being hit by a stone. "Pick," the boy answered casually. "Pick, did you shoot me with that arrow?" "right." "Did you know that if I hadn't been warned and moved away in time, you'd have shot me?" Pick shrugged: "I was going to shoot you." Clorisa interrupted hastily: "Bailey, let me explain first. We encourage children to shoot archery, because this kind of sport can compete without touching the body. We often hold such activities in the form of children watching each other's videos. Unexpectedly, there are already some children who can practice archery against the robot. They think it is very fun, and it will not hurt the robot. Before this child saw you, I was the only adult here. He must have put Arrows shoot you like a robot." After listening to her explanation carefully, Bailey's mind was completely clear.The grim lines of his long face deepened. "Pick, do you think I'm a robot?" he asked. "No," the child replied, "you are from Earth." "Okay, let's go." Piccolo turned and whistled and ran away.Bailey faced the robot next to him and asked, "Hey, how does that kid know that I'm from Earth? Were you by his side when he shot me with an arrow?" "Yes, master. I told him you are from Earth." "Did you tell him, what kind of people are people on Earth?" "Yes, master." "What did you say?" "Earthlings are low-level humans who can breed diseases and should not appear in Solari World, master." "Who told you that?" The robot was silent. Bailey asked, "Don't you know who told you?" "I don't know, master. These are the materials in my memory bank." "So after you told that kid that I was a lowly human being who breeds disease, he shot me with an arrow. Why didn't you stop him then?" "I was going to stop it, Master. It is impossible for me to let a human being be harmed, even if this person is an Earthling. But he moved too fast, and I didn't have time to stop it." "Do you think I'm just an earthling, not quite human, so you hesitated when he acted?" "No, I did not hesitate, master." He replied very calmly. Bailey pursed his lips, thinking solemnly: Maybe this robot is telling the truth.But he thinks that's exactly the key. "What were you doing next to that kid?" he asked. "Help him with the arrow, master." "May I see the arrow?" The robot stepped forward and handed twelve arrows to Bailey. Bailey carefully moved the arrow that hit the tree trunk to his feet, compared it with the arrow in his hand, and then returned the arrow to the robot. Bailey picked up the arrow on the ground and asked, "Why did you give him this arrow?" "No reason, master. He asked me for an arrow, and I gave it to him. This is the first arrow I touched. He looked around for the target, found you over there, asked me who this stranger was, and I asked He explained—" "I know what you say. But why is the feather of the arrow you gave him gray only, and the rest of the arrows are black?" The robot stared at Bailey without answering. "Did you bring this kid here?" asked Bailey. "We're just walking around, master." Bailey looked at the gap in the tree through which the arrow passed just now, and said: "Is this boy the best shooter of the group?" The robot looked down and said, "Yes, master. He is the best shooter." Clorisa gasped: "How did you guess that?" "It's a matter of course." Bailey sarcastically said, "Please compare the arrow in my hand with other arrows. Only this gray-feathered arrow looks greasy. Ma'am, it seems that I have to thank you very much, thank you for your help." Grace. The arrow that missed me was poisoned." "Impossible!" cried Clorisa. "Are you kidding me? Absolutely impossible!" "Whether you want to play or laugh, you can say whatever you like, it's up to you. Is there any animal in this training center that can be used for experiments? Catch it and poke it with an arrow a few times to see what happens to it. " "But why would anyone—" "I know why," snapped Bailey. "The question is, who?" "nobody." Bailey felt dizzy again.He threw the arrow savagely at Clorisa, who watched it fall to the ground. "Pick it up!" Belley yelled. "Unless you want to experiment with it, destroy it. Are you going to leave it there to stab children and cause accidents?" Clorisa quickly picked up the arrow and pinched it between her index finger and thumb. Baley ran to the nearest entrance to the building.Clorisa carefully held the arrow and followed him in.