Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen Another Related Person

Back inside, Bailey felt much calmer. "Who put the poison on the arrows?" he demanded. "I can't imagine it at all." "I thought, there's no way the kid painted it himself. Is there any way you know who his parents are?" "We can check the records." Clorisa looked worried. "So you do keep records of the children's parents?" "In order to analyze genes, we have to keep this record." "Will a child know who his parents are?" "Never know," Clorisa said firmly. "Is there any way he can find out?"

"To check, you have to enter the records room, but that is impossible." "If a grown man came here and wanted to know which of his children—" Clorisa blushed and said, "It's almost impossible." "I'm talking hypothetical. Suppose someone asked you about it. Would you answer it?" "I don't know. It's not illegal for a person to want to know who their children are, it's just customary and we don't do it." "Are you going to tell him at all?" "I'll try not to say it. If it's Dr. Dahlman, I certainly wouldn't. He thinks parentage is only necessary when analyzing genes. Before him, maybe it wasn't so strictly regulated here... why are you asking? "

"Because I don't see any motive for this kid to kill me. I don't think he would do it unless his parents ordered him to." "This is really terrible." Clorissa got so close to Bailey for the first time because of her panic, she even held out a hand to him, "How could this happen? The boss was murdered, and even you Nearly died. In Solari world, we have no reason to be violent at all, we have what we want, so we have no personal ambitions. Also, we have no concept of kinship, so no familial ambitions. We are all genetically healthy People." Her face suddenly lit up. "Wait, there's no way this arrow was poisoned. I shouldn't have been persuaded by you that it was poisoned."

"Why do you suddenly think so?" "Because the robot with Piccolo would never let him play with poison, there's no way a robot would do anything that would cause harm to a human being. The first law of robotics clearly dictates that." Bailey said, "Oh, is it? The first law . Clorisa looked at him blankly: "What?" "It's nothing. As long as you test this arrow, you will find that it is indeed poisonous." Bailey was no longer interested in this question. He was sure that the arrow was poisonous, 100% sure. "You still think Mrs. Dahlman killed her husband?" he asked.

"Only she was there." "Oh. But when I almost became a ghost under the arrow, the only adult present was you." "That has nothing to do with me!" cried Clorisa. "Maybe. Maybe Mrs. Dahlmann is innocent too. May I borrow your VCR?" "Yes, of course." It wasn't Gnadia that Belle intended to watch.But he heard his own voice say, "I'm looking for Gnadia Dahlmann," which startled even himself. The robot did not say a word, but obeyed orders.Bailey watched the robot operate the video communication device, he was surprised and puzzled that he would give such an order.

Is it because of the person just mentioned?Or was it because of the relationship that made her lose her temper when he and her met by video last time?Or, was it because he had been looking at the blunt and ugly Clorisa for too long, and had to look at Gnadia to balance the visual pain? He told himself, God, sometimes people really have to know how to adapt. Gnadia appeared to him almost immediately.Sitting in a large chair with a straight back, she looked very petite and weak.Her hair was pulled back in a loose bun, she wore long earrings that looked like diamonds, and she wore a simple tight dress.

She whispered: "I'm glad you contacted me, Ilya. I've been trying to find you." "Good morning, Gnadia." Belle didn't know whether it was afternoon or evening on Gnadia's side, and he couldn't tell what time it was from her clothes. "Is there anything I can do for you?" "I want to apologize for losing my temper the last time I saw you. Mr. Oliva is also looking for you and he doesn't know how to get in touch with you." Bailey almost laughed at the image of Daniel being stared at by the robot in his mind.He said, "It's okay. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Okay, what if—you said 'meet'?" "Meet in person," Bailey said gravely. Gnadia opened her eyes wide, clutching the plastic armrest of the chair tightly: "Is there any reason to do this?" "I need to do this." "I do not think so--" "Do you allow it?" She looked away and asked, "Is it absolutely necessary?" "Yes. But I have to meet someone else first. You told me that your husband is interested in robots, and other people have mentioned it to me, but your husband is not an expert in robotics. I said right?"

"That's not his specialty, Ilya." She still avoided his gaze. "But he's working with a roboticist, isn't he?" "Jordan Libby," she said at once, "my dear friend." "Oh?" Bailey raised his voice. Gnadia seemed taken aback by him: "Shouldn't I say that?" "As long as it's the truth, what shouldn't it be?" "I'm always afraid I'm going to say something that makes me look like—when everyone assumes you did something, you don't know, that feeling..." "Take it easy. How is that Libby your friend?"

"Oh, I don't know either. Probably because he lives nearby, we use almost zero energy to meet by video, so we can meet freely without any difficulty. We always— We used to walk together all the time." "It turns out you can walk with other people." Gnadia blushed: "I'm talking about taking a walk together with images. Oh, no wonder, I keep forgetting that you are a human from Earth. The so-called 'free movement' is to focus on each of us, then we No matter where we go, we will never lose contact. We can each walk on our own land, and then connect the two images, and it becomes us walking together." She raised her chin "This is really exciting happy thing."

Then, suddenly, she giggled: "Poor Jordan." "What's the meaning?" "It occurred to me that you thought the two of us were walking together in person. He'd be mad if he knew anyone could think that." "why?" "He is most afraid of meeting humans in person. He told me that when he was five years old, he insisted on meeting people only by video, and never saw people again. Some children will be like this, Rakai—" She paused, as if Confused, he continued, "My husband told me once when I mentioned Jordan that there are more and more children like that now. He said that because this is a social evolution phenomenon, watching the video It's going to last forever. What do you think?" "I'm not an authority figure," Bailey said. "Jordan wouldn't even get married. Raika got angry and said he was anti-social. Raika also told him that the public gene pool needed his genes, but he still didn't even think about it." "Has he the right to refuse?" "No—no," said Gnadia, "but, you know, he's a brilliant roboticist, and a roboticist is extremely valuable to Solariworld. They must have done something to him, I guess. Covering up to a certain extent. However, I don’t think Rachael wanted to work with him afterward. Rachael told me at one point that Jordan was a bad Solari.” "Has he ever said anything like that to Jordan?" "I don't know. Rika worked with Jordan until his death." "Does he think Jordan is a bad Solari because he won't marry?" "Rika said that marriage is the hardest thing in life, but it must be endured." "what you think?" "What do you think, Elijah?" "Marriage, do you think that is the hardest thing in life?" Gnadia's face gradually became expressionless, as if she was struggling to wash away all traces of emotion: "I never thought about this problem." Bailey asked again, "You said you always walked with Jordan, and then corrected that it was in the past. Does that mean you don't walk with him anymore?" Gnadia shook her head.Her face regained its expression, but it was a resentful one: "No, we don't look like that anymore. I've been to him a time or two, and he always seems busy." "Is this after your husband died?" "No, it's been like this before, about a few months ago." "Do you think Dr. Dahlmann ordered him to leave you alone?" Gnadia was taken aback: "Why did he do this? Jordan is not a robot, and I am not a robot. Why should we accept orders? Why did Rikai give such orders?" Bailey didn't want to explain.He could only explain it in earthly terms, which she probably wouldn't understand.And, even if he spoke clearly, the result was likely to be disgusting to her. Bailey said, "I was just asking. Gnadia, I'll come back to you after Libby and I meet. Oh, what time is it over there?" He regretted it as soon as he spoke.The robot would tell him the time on Earth, and Gnadia might tell him the time on Solari.Bailey really didn't want to expose his ignorance any more. But Gnadia said in a positive word: "Afternoon." "Is this also Li Biye's time?" "yes." "Okay. I will contact you with a video as soon as possible, and then arrange to meet with you in person." Gnadia hesitated again: "Is this absolutely necessary?" "yes." "Okay," she whispered. It took a while to contact Libby, and Bailey took advantage of the time to eat another sandwich, unwrapped.He became more careful, not only checking the seal before unpacking the sandwich, but also checking the sandwich very carefully. He picked up a carton of cold milk in a plastic carton, bit an opening with his teeth, and drank the milk straight from the opening.He thought worriedly that there was also that odorless, tasteless, slow-acting poison that could be injected into a milk carton with a hypodermic syringe or a high-pressure jet needle.But then he felt that this idea was a bit naive, so he stopped thinking about it. Whether murder or attempted murder, the murderer used the most direct and feasible method so far.There is no great art in smashing people's heads, nor in pouring into a cup enough poison to kill a dozen people, nor in open shooting with poisoned arrows. As long as he kept running around time zones like this, he thought irritably, he wouldn't be able to eat properly on time.If this situation continued, he couldn't even sleep well. A robot came up to him and said, "Dr. Libby instructs you to come back to him tomorrow. He's busy with important work." Bailey jumped up and bellowed, "You tell that guy—" He shut up.What's the use of yelling at a robot?Of course, you can bark if you want, but the result is the same whether you yell or whisper. He resumed his normal tone and said, "You go tell Libby—if you can't reach him but his robot, you tell his robot that I'm investigating the murder of his colleague, and this colleague Good Solari. You tell him I can't wait for him to finish his job. If I don't see him in five minutes, I'll go to his place in a flying vehicle. Within an hour, I'll You'll meet him in person. You'll use the word: meet him in person, so he won't get confused." When Bailey finished speaking, he went back to eating his sandwich. Within five minutes, Libby—or at least a Solari who Bale thought he was Libby—was looking at him angrily. Bailey also responded with an eye for an eye, glaring.Libby was a skinny man, but his back was very straight.His protruding black eyes spoke strongly of distraction and now of anger.The guy had one eyelid drooping slightly. "Are you the Earthling?" he asked. "Ilya Baley," said Baley, "C-7, investigating the murder of Dr. Rachael Dalman. What's your name?" "I'm Dr. Jordan Libby. How dare you interrupt my work?" "It's simple," Bailey said quietly. "It's my job." "Then go and work elsewhere!" "I have to ask you some questions first, Doctor. You and Dr. Dahlmann are close working partners, aren't you?" Libby clenched his fists suddenly and strode hastily toward the fireplace.There was a little clockwork on the mantel-piece whose regular movements were hypnotic. The focus of the image display machine is always facing Libby, so he is always within the imaging area of ​​the image.As he moved, the room rose and fell with his steps. Libby said, "If you're that out-of-towner that Gruether threatened to get—" "I am." "You still came despite my objection. The viewing is over." "Wait a minute! Don't interrupt!" Bailey suddenly shouted, pointing at the robotics expert.Libby was pointed at by him, and flinched back again and again, the corner of his mouth curled up, showing a look of extreme disgust. Bailey said, "You see, I didn't mean to scare you when I said I was going to see you in person." "Don't act vulgarly like you earthlings in front of me." "I will definitely go to see you. If you refuse to listen to me, I will grab your collar and tell you to prick up your ears!" "You dirty brute!" Libby glared at him. "Whatever you say, I will do what I say." "If you dare to invade my territory, I, I will—" "Kill me?" Bailey raised his eyebrows, "Do you often threaten others like this?" "I didn't threaten you." "Then answer my question. You could have done a lot better with the time you wasted. You and Dr. Dahlman are close working partners, aren't you?" The roboticist bowed his head, his shoulders rising and falling slightly with his slow, regular breathing.When he looked up again, he seemed much more at ease.He even managed to force a smile. "That's right." "As far as I know, Dahlman is very interested in new types of robots?" "right." "What kind of robot?" "Are you an expert in robotics?" "No. Tell me in layman's terms." "I don't know if I can do it." "Try it! For example, I hear he wants to make robots that can punish children. What's involved?" Libby raised his eyebrows: "Omitting all the subtle details, to put it simply, it is to strengthen the C integral that dominates the Skorovich's column response on the W-65 plane." "Unintelligible," Bailey said. "Simply put, that's it." "It just doesn't make sense to me. Do you have another explanation?" "It means a sort of weakening of the first law." "Why? In theory, punishing a child is for his future, isn't it?" "Ha, for his future?" Libby's emotions were slightly excited, his eyes lit up, and he didn't seem to pay much attention to who he was talking to.He gushed on, "You think it's just a simple concept, but how many people are willing to put up with a small inconvenience for the future? How many times does it take a child to know that eating with gusto now, and later will be The reason for stomach pain? How many times do they have to experience it before they understand that they need to take a bad medicine now, and the stomach pain will not hurt after a while? And you want a robot to understand this reason? "The pain that the robot inflicts on the child will cause his positronic brain to form a powerful splitting potential. In order for the positronic brain to understand that punishing the child is for his future, there must be a counter potential to counteract it. This requires a 50% increase in the volume of the positron brain to accommodate enough circuits and detours, otherwise other circuits will have to be sacrificed." "You're saying that," Bailey asked, "you haven't developed a robot like this yet?" "Not yet, and I'm unlikely to be able to make one. No one else can." "Dr. Dahlman was experimenting with such a robot model before he was killed?" "No. We're more interested in something else that's more practical." Bailey said calmly: "Dr. Libby, I need to know more about robots, please teach me." Libby shook his head desperately, and his drooping eyelids drooped even more, looking a little scary and funny, as if he was winking at someone: "You should know that learning robotics takes a long time, and I don't have that much time to teach it." you." "You have to teach me no matter what. In Solari World, everything has something to do with robots. If all you need to learn robotics is time, then I'm going to see you. I'm an earthling, whether it's doing things or Thinking, meeting with video makes me uncomfortable." Bailey thought Libby's upright posture was too strong, but he managed to get even stiffer and straighter. "Your earthlings' fear has nothing to do with me, and it's impossible to meet," Libby said. "If you knew what the main thing I wanted to talk to you about, you'd change your mind." "No. Nothing can change my mind." "Really? Listen carefully then. I think that throughout the history of positronic-brained robots, the first law of robotics has been deliberately misquoted." Libby moved like a cramp: "Misquoted? Idiot, lunatic! Why misquote?" "To hide the fact," Bailey said calmly, "to hide the fact that robots can kill." Libby's mouth opened slowly. At first, Bailey thought he was going to growl, but unexpectedly, Libby forced a smile.In Bailey's opinion, this is simply the most failed forced smile he has ever seen in his life. Libby said, "Don't say that, don't say that." "why?" "Words that encourage distrust of robots, no matter how much, are harmful. Distrust of robots is a human disease!" As if trying to reason with a child, Libby had to whisper what he wanted to yell.He seemed to be speaking rationally, but in fact he wished to force the other party to submit. "Do you know the history of robotics?" Libby asked. "Know a little bit." "By the way, you are from Earth, of course you know, but do you know that human beings have a Frankenstein-like hatred towards robots? Human beings suspect robots, distrust robots, and are afraid of robots. As a result, robotics has almost become a kind of science. The secret science. The three laws of robotics were originally established to overcome the mistrust of humans, but even so, the earth will never allow the development of a robotic society. The reason why the earliest pioneers left the earth to colonize other parts of the galaxy One is to build a society where robots can be used to save humans from poverty and hard work. However, there is still a skepticism about robots in the bottom of the human heart, and it will show up at any time through any excuse." "Have you ever had to fight that mistrust yourself?" Bailey asked. "Often," replied Libby, not very happy. "So you and other roboticists have to twist the facts a little in order to avoid this fear as much as possible?" "I didn't distort what?" "For example, haven't the Three Laws been misquoted?" "No!" "I can prove that there is. Unless you can convince me that there is no, I will do my best to prove it to the entire galaxy." "You are crazy! No matter what evidence you have, I can guarantee that your evidence is wrong." "Oh? How about we discuss it?" "As long as it doesn't take too much time." "Face-to-face discussions? Meeting each other in person to discuss?" Li Bi's little face was distorted almost out of shape: "No way!" "Good-bye, then, Dr. Libby. Others will believe me." "Wait a minute, my God, hey, wait a minute!" "Meet in person?" The roboticist reached for his lips and slowly inserted his thumb into his mouth.He maintained this posture and looked at Bale blankly. Bailey wondered: Has Libby regressed to the pre-five stage?Is he trying to convince himself that it is normal to meet this earthling? "Meet in person?" he asked again. Libby shook his head slowly, and moaned, "I can't do it, I can't help it..." His words were blocked by his thumb in his mouth, "Say whatever you want." Bailey stared at him.The Solari turned his head to face the wall, his back hunched straight, his face buried deep in his hands. "Okay," Bailey said, "I agree to meet and talk with you by video." Libby still turned his back to him: "Sorry, I have to leave for a while. I will be back."