Chapter 5 Chapter 2 Garden of Eden

ONE Eastern Siberia, autumn. In the distance, the lush Siberian red pine and birch trees look chilling under the setting sun.The chirping of birds echoed in the depths of the primeval forest. The harsh winter is coming, and flocks of Waxwings are preparing to migrate to northern China again.The old man leaned on the huge oak desk, folded his hands on his chest, and looked at the forest without moving.His top-floor office was nearly a hundred and fifty feet off the ground, right above the top of a Siberian pine group. Nathan Mann often watches Lin Hai in the evening, and this habit has lasted for many years since he moved into this office.

There was a slight knock at the door.The female secretary who came in was slender and slender, her long pale golden hair was neatly combed against her scalp and tied into a bun on the top of her head.She was lithe and graceful like a Romanov princess.This is an authentic Russian girl. She put the wooden plate on the desk behind the old man, "Doctor, the red wine you want is ready." "Very well. Thank you, Katerina," said the old man without turning his head. "Please let our young man come in." "Yes." Katerina backed out. There was another slight knock on the door, and the old man still looked at Lin Hai motionless, but there was already a smile on his face.

"Come on, try this red wine!" The old man turned around, picked up the dark green wine bottle, and poured the rose red wine into two crystal glass tulip glasses. The young man took the glass and sat in the chair opposite the old man.He was six feet tall, dressed in a crisp black uniform and cap, and had a clean-cut Asian face that looked like a head sketched quickly with a hard pencil. "Bordeaux red wine is always the queen of wine." The old man smiled, "Drinking this kind of wine reminds me of Paul Sartre." "I heard that there was a frost this spring, the grape production in Bordeaux was reduced, and the number of wines on the market dropped sharply. Is this wine expensive?"

"Yes, it is very expensive on the market. But this is an old wine that I hide in the cabinet, the 2049 vintage. It was given to me by a friend, and I have never been willing to open it. It is used to celebrate the smooth return of my students," the old man said. Raise your glass, "Glad to see you back, Theo, my boy." Lin also raised his glass, "Thank you, Doctor." "I think of when I was young," the doctor turned the glass and stared at the swirling liquid in the glass. "It was thirty years ago. I visited Bordeaux on behalf of the U.S. Navy on the Long Beach. At that time, a bottle of Novitec The red wine only costs 300 francs, and there are many beautiful French girls, and the Spanish bullfight dance. I looked at the Saint-Michel Church through the water, and a girl from the Academy of Fine Arts was sketching there. She quietly drew a picture of me. for a portrait of me for a franc."

"There are ruins there now." Lin sipped the wine, the aroma of grapes rolled on the tip of his tongue with the astringency of tannins. The doctor nodded, "War is really the worst group activity in human history. Ten years ago, I took a tank from Lisbon to Bordeaux. All I saw along the way were burning vineyards, and I felt very sad." The two fell silent.They drank separately across a desk, and occasionally closed their eyes to feel the aroma of the wine. Lin's eyes kept falling on the smooth oak desk, and the doctor leaned on the swivel chair and looked at the lush red pine forest.The setting sun gradually falls, and the color is warm and old.

Lin finally drank the wine, "Doctor, thank you for the wine. If there is nothing else, I will leave first. This report has been handed over to Katerina." "No, Theo, wait a minute, I have bad news." The doctor stopped him with a wave of his hand. "What?" Lin was taken aback. He saw some kind of shadow in the Doctor's face. The doctor put the wine glass on the table and gently pressed the rim of the glass with both hands, "Some people have been lost forever. During your three months in the Caucasus, Agents No. 9 and Agent No. 21 were assassinated. , died in Turkmenistan on the 9th, and died in Lanzhou, China on the 21st."

"Really? Just and Hines...have any clues?" Lin whispered. No. 9 Just and No. 21 Hines were not his friends, and he couldn't say he felt sad about it.But now the dark cloud on the doctor's face has shrouded his heart. In the history of the academy, there has never been a record of losing two agents in such a short period of time, except for the dark night that people do not want to recall a few years ago. The doctor shook his head, "No. We have tried to send the most capable personnel to form a special investigation team to find out this matter. But you should understand that Just and Hines are the most capable personnel. They are just like you, They are all my children. If they can't escape the bullets from the shadows, the special investigation team will get nothing."

"Is there anything I can do for you?" "It's not necessary yet, I can still handle it." The doctor smiled silently, "Anyway, I'm glad to hear the news of your return, and I've been very worried about you." "Thanks. But, it's not like you." Lin looked into his gray eyes. "Be careful, Theo, we've lost too many people along the way." "I will remember." "The highest level cares about you." "The highest level?" Lin was a little surprised. At the academy, the top is rarely mentioned, although everyone knows the organization exists.He always reported to Nathan Mann, and Lin never asked what kind of power was hidden behind this senior soldier known as the dean, and the highest level was not within his reach and understanding.

"What happened to Just and Hines shocked them a lot. They are very satisfied with your performance in the Caucasus. Please let me greet you on your behalf." "Thank you." Lin stood up and took a step back, bowing his head slightly. "Go and see her." The doctor sighed lowly, "It's like Sleeping Beauty." TWO There was a ray of light in the dark conference room, and Nathan Mann sat alone at the huge conference table, like a statue in the dark. The source of the light is the seat opposite him, but each seat is empty, only the ivory-like numbers embedded in the table are lit up, which is a deep and dignified green, while the numbers on some chairs are dark. of.

"Doctor, the members of the committee are ready." Lunas' voice sounded over the meeting room. "Connect to the communication channel." "Did you bring the Caucasus report, Man?" The "4" on the table turned a throbbing red. "Yes, 4, we have obtained the written report from Agent No. 17 Theodore Lin. He completed the task of protecting Peng Borji, but the situation in the Caucasus has not really improved." "Lunas, what is your calculation result?" The digital module of "4" is still flashing. "The Caucasus Republic is already the biggest 'butterfly', full of uncontrollable factors."

The humanized intelligent system code-named "Lunas" pulled out a world map on the huge lit screen, and the color block of the Caucasus Democratic Republic was marked in eye-catching red.Then a continuous bright red band was drawn, running longitudinally across the entire Eurasian continent and cutting through the center of the Caucasus Republic. "We call this zone the cut front. At present, the forces of the Brussels military alliance—that is, what we call the Western camp, and the Pan-Asian alliance—that is, the Eastern camp. A delicate balance." Runas began to explain. The band of bright red continues to move, across the ocean. "On the surface of the sea, the arsenal ships of the two camps also formed a balance. There are six fleets arranged along this belt, that is, the Western camp's Atlantic Combined Fleet, the Polar Bear First Fleet, the South American Combined Fleet, and the Eastern camp. The United Pacific Fleet, the Indian Ocean Special Fleet and the "Skyfire" system in the South China Sea. Without exception, these fleets use the arsenal ship as the tactical center, and the three-dimensional defense system constructed almost entirely with long-, medium-, and short-range missiles allows these arsenal ships to have Attack firepower that aircraft carriers don't have, and most importantly, they are sea bases for both camps to house proton annihilation bombs." "Neither side can break through the other's defense line from the sea," said the doctor. "That's true. The super sonar makes the submarine have no chance to penetrate the defense. The arsenal ships of both sides have been cruising along the cutting front. They have to start a new round of land competition. Who can place protons in an area closer to the opponent's strategic heart Whoever annihilates weapons and fleets will have the opportunity to strike first. The best strategic positions are all small countries on the cutting front, and the Caucasus Democratic Republic is the best missile base. The Western camp has an advantage here , a missile launch matrix plan set in the Caucasus has been formulated, code-named 'Gangol'. If it can be established, it will be an unprecedented missile array in human history. Although it is only a fixed base, the entire system will be completely built on Deep in the crust close to the mantle layer, it can defend against the attack of proton weapons." "This is a crazy strategy to turn the entire Caucasus country into a war machine. These disgusting politicians are crazy," said No. 4. "The plan was not implemented because they met Pen Borji, a military leader who called for national independence, and he was the enemy of the West," Lunas continued. "We already know this, let's go straight to the core of the problem." The color of the digital module at position 7 turned red. "We have never wanted the Western camp to disrupt this balance of weapons, so we have sent the best personnel to protect Peng Borji. But the recent situation has undergone a fatal turn, although this turn has also been predicted. The South China Sea as the The center's "Skyfire" mobile weapon integration system has been upgraded to the second generation. So far, the Western camp has not been able to develop a sufficiently effective defense method against this kind of ballistic missile group with complex orbits. According to our information, the Eastern camp has given Pen Borji's condition is to keep the Caucasus independent and intact, as long as he does not turn to the West." "The eastern camp is in Huairou, because with the upgrade of 'Skyfire' to the second generation, the balance has tilted towards them." The voice of No. 7 sounded. "So the committee decided to withdraw the protection of Peng Borji. In this way, with the strengthening of the West's superiority in the Caucasus, it may eventually form a new balance of 'Gangol' against the second generation of 'Skyfire'. We know that General Borji is Your long-time friend, Doctor, must explain to you here." Number 4 took his words. "Once a friend." The doctor corrected. "The Supreme Council has no preference. What we need to ensure is the balance of the two camps. They both hold weapons that can destroy half of the earth. The sword of Damocles hangs above the heads of human beings." The area on the 13th is bright. rise. "13, I can understand, I can only hope for Peng's own luck." Dr. said. "We heard about the assassination of Peng Borji." No. 4 said. "In the plan, I predicted this possibility." Lunas' voice continued. "Has the identity of the group of nine who carried out the assassination been confirmed?" The digital module on No. 7 lit up. The doctor nodded, "Through those guns, I found the people behind the scenes. The production of electronically controlled high-speed weapons requires high precision in craftsmanship. Although their identities cannot be finally confirmed, it is a radical from the Caucasus Democratic Republic's dove faction who came forward. group, and the acquiescing behind it may be the Western coalition forces." "The acquiescence of the Western coalition forces? There are more and more people who dare to challenge us. 7. Do we need to strengthen public relations with certain governments?" Module 4 lights up.Although the voice has been electronically changed, the sharp words can still be heard from the words. "I have to remind you that the existence of the college is the result of a game between all parties. Although some governments you mentioned, although they cannot openly refuse to provide assistance to the college, it does not mean that they like us." No. 7 The answer was blunt and cold. "I agree with 7. At this point in time, asking 7 to coordinate this relationship for us is probably beyond his ability. The interests of the Eastern and Western camps in the Caucasus are too great, and the parliament, the government, and the super-large trust association are behind it. No one can command these giants, they only obey their own interests." No. 11, who had been silent all this time, spoke. "In short, judging from Lunas' calculations and various supporting evidence, the Caucasus Democratic Republic is currently the biggest 'butterfly', and both camps have placed their chips in the Caucasus political situation. Borji controls the During the military government, he was the core figure in stabilizing the political situation, but now he has lost the support of the parliament, and he himself has become an extremely unstable factor." "Yes, this butterfly flaps its wings, and there will be a storm sweeping across the entire earth." The doctor whispered. "Is there any further news about the killing of the two agents?" No. 4 asked. "No, so far there are no clues. This is a well-trained organization. They are hiding in the dark, and they are well hidden." The doctor replied. "We have a code name for this organization called 'Bianzi'. This chess piece is hidden on our chessboard, but we can't see it. It may suddenly eat our queen, and we will be caught off guard. Its series of activities It looks haphazard, but it's all about us. I'm inclined to say they're testing us," said No. 11. "I agree with 11's opinion." No. 13 took over the topic, "But after the test is over, there must be a corresponding offensive move." "Yes," said the doctor. "Man, please put this matter first in your work." No. 13 said. "I understand. Is there any other business for the committee that needs me?" "By the way," Module 11 lit up, "we've been following Agent 17. He's very capable and capable, but in a worrying state. His psychiatrist has no way of communicating with him and can't provide us with his information. psychological report." The doctor nodded slightly, "This is something that was expected at the beginning. With his ability and training, he can grasp the other party's psychology by observing the other party's eyes and subtle changes in tone. Most psychiatrists use language He communicates with patients through the hints of voice, tone of voice, and even eye contact, but these are completely useless to Lin, he is too sensitive, and he can even hypnotize his doctor in reverse, but I believe that Lin is loyal to the academy." "Man, we know your trust in this student. But I have to remind you not to repeat the failure of 'Alibaba Night'. 'Fernance's children' is a taboo, they are now your best subordinate, but it may also be your most difficult enemy." No. 13 said in a heavy tone. "I understand. As for the last missing person in the 'Night of Ali Baba', I believe we have already got some of his whereabouts. It will take about two or three weeks. These whereabouts will be confirmed again. I will report to the Supreme Council at that time A full report." "Sometimes what we do scares me. Did we really make the right decision? Or if the end still comes, are we able to pay for it?" Number 11 said slowly, like An old man sighing. "There is no need to complain, this is the price of being a god... with one's wisdom." On the 13th, the connection was terminated. Everything went dark, and Nathan Mann sat alone in the deep darkness. THREE The sunlight came in from the huge French windows, and Lin sat on the stool in front of the bed, looking at the woman on the bed. This ward-like bedroom is surrounded by warm milky white. The room is simple and clean. There is only one bed and a few cabinets. There is a huge plush teddy bear next to the bed.It sat there with its head tilted, just like when Lin left. The last time Lin left was six months ago, and time seems to be compressed here. When Lin walked in this door, Lin had an illusion, thinking that it was just a night in between. He put the white rose in his hand next to the woman's pillow, and put the military cap he took off together. Then he opened the woman's palm and looked at it. The nails were neatly manicured. He twirled the woman's hair again. The hair seems to be longer.The woman didn't respond and lay quietly.Her eyes are open, calmly facing the ceiling, and every once in a while, she will blink slightly.Other than that, only breathing can prove that she is still alive. Looking at the body, the woman is about twenty years old, but looking at the face, she looks like a high school girl who is only sixteen or seventeen years old.With a soft face and a straight nose, she looks like a mixture of European and Asian races. Her long and clean eyelashes make her eyes deep and peaceful.Lin went up to look her in the eyes and didn't say a word for a long time. I don't know if it was five or ten minutes, Lin stretched out his hand and gently pinched her face. The nurse pushed open the door of the room and saw the man put the woman's upper body on his body and hugged her with his arms.The woman's clean long hair hung over his shoulders. The man was whispering something, which could not be heard from a distance. The woman's face was serene, and she blinked her eyes lightly after a long time. The nurse could feel a sense of peace and quiet in the room.The sun had completely set, and the room was so dark that even the face of the person on the other side could not be seen clearly. The day passed like this, and the years seemed peaceful and beautiful here, like a calm river in the mountains. It's just that a series of coaxial optical cables connected to the back of the woman's head and spine seem so incongruous with this scene. The nurse walked out the door lightly without making a sound. Lin exited the room with his phone vibrating in his pocket. "Hello, Theo, didn't I disturb you?" Lin turned on the phone, and the doctor's voice came out. "It's okay, I'm talking to Eve." "Well, it seems that this call is a bit out of date. Just to put it simply, you need to start this semester." "Class?" Lin was taken aback for a moment. "Don't forget that your public identity here is our faculty, and the whole world sees the LMA as a campus of teachers and students, not a supreme council and agents, at least on the surface. According to our records, You haven't shown up in class for three whole semesters. If you continue, your title will be downgraded from lecturer to assistant lecturer according to the college system, which will be very bad. So I have decided to assign you as Irina teaching assistant." "Irina?" Lin was stunned again. "That's right, teacher Irina de Frovenko's 'Butterfly Storm and World Military History' lecture, and you are her teaching assistant." "This is the basic class." The doctor laughed out loud, "Of course it is the basic course, Theo, you have to measure your own ability, can you take any other courses besides the basic course? You have only taken two courses of basic theory and shooting in this college." "Okay, I understand. I will refer to the class schedule and attend on time. Besides, is it Irina's request to arrange this class for me?" "Relax, rest at home for a while, life doesn't always use Colt to talk," the doctor changed his subject, "Besides, it's the course I arranged for you, it has nothing to do with Irina, don't always be high Assess your own attractiveness to girls." FOUR The young people sat in the spacious classrooms, and the rising sun slanted from the windows added a warm red light to their white uniforms. Located in Eastern Siberia, the Lorenz Military Academy is a special institution without nationality affiliation. Its acronym is LMA.Although similar military academies have appeared in history, they are unique on the scale of LMA. Its founders are several unknown foundations, but there is no doubt that they are all rich foundations, which can give Funding of hundreds of millions of dollars. The LMA claims that it is not training professional soldiers, but professional bodyguards and security personnel.However, according to a study by a small survey organization, a considerable number of LMA graduates serve in the regular army or secret service of different countries. For this fact, the chairman of the LMA, Dr. Nathan Man, expressed regret and excused himself on the grounds that the college does not interfere with the individual choices of students.This reason was ridiculed by all parties without any suspense as "seeing the world as a fool", but with the support of several foundations behind him, the LMA still stands firm. Dr. Man once added an explanation for this: "This is a special period after the war. I believe that when real peace comes, the LMA will also become a history." The war refers to the "third total war".This war is not called a world war because historians have not had time to make a final conclusion about it.In fact, it never ends at all.This war that swept across almost all countries developed into a nuclear war after the brutal battle of conventional weapons positions. The so-called Western camp and the Eastern camp were about to shoot each other with the ultimate destructive weapons, and they suddenly discovered that the weapons they had were exactly the same. of.Weapons that annihilate the mass of protons to achieve destructive damage suddenly appeared in the war, showing their terrifying lethality beyond their predecessors, while the new generation of intercontinental missiles can easily pass through the air defense network and send deadly proton warheads to the Over enemy fortifications and cities. Like two ancient kings, both sides thought they had mastered the secret of iron smelting, and they launched the war without fear with the determination to win.It wasn't until they confronted each other on the battlefield that they suddenly discovered that what the opponent pulled out from the sheath was also a cold iron knife. This was an extremely embarrassing situation, and a new nuclear balance was quickly established, and this balance was given a new name - "proton balance".The two sides quickly signed a ceasefire agreement in Switzerland. It was only a ceasefire, but not a ceasefire.It would be unacceptable by any means to have this vast war ended inconclusively by the advent of a new weapon.But each other has to stop, because no one can guarantee that they will be the winner after breaking the proton balance, and no one wants to get a world with only scorched earth left. No one knows when "true peace" will come. Lin sat in the last row of the classroom, holding brand new textbooks. The young female teacher stood in front of the podium, with long black hair, black eyes, a rose red safari skirt, and a pair of suede dark red suede boots. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Irina, Irina de Frovenco. I am the teacher of the 'Butterfly Storm and World Military History' lecture. We are also taking this course. If anyone walks into the wrong classroom, So now please pack your books and leave through the back door. For those who take this course, we don't have an exam, but I will take the roll call, and if you don't show up to my class twice, you have to hand in a paper to pass .” The female teacher made the opening remarks. It seems that she is more like a student who is still studying. She is not pedantic, beautiful and gentle. The red dress is as active as a flame, which is especially bright and lovely in this cold place in Siberia. But Lin knows that this is not all about Irina Deflowen. This Spanish-born girl has the nickname "Phoenix" because she is the most elite Air Force pilot in the entire LMA, and because she is the hottest in the eyes of young people. flowers.She has an amazing talent for driving, which was shown when she was eight years old. She was only eleven years old when she piloted a trainer plane to shoot down a moving target for the first time. This talent helped her obtain a diploma at the age of seventeen.Her college file is classified as a secret "S" file like Lin, and she is also an agent. It's just that there are very few actions that require the use of Air Force pilots, so in turn her teaching performance is far better than Lin.When she was an assistant instructor, Lin was already an instructor, but now that Irina has been promoted to an instructor, Lin is facing the crisis of being demoted. The young man's laughter followed Irina, who liked to tell a few jokes in between. "So if you're a fighter, a unit for a battle, there's nothing more important than completing your mission as directed. Don't doubt your commander, and don't give up on you for the sake of seemingly greater gains A small mistake will be magnified infinitely, and finally cause you to lose the whole battle." Irina waved her beautiful fingers, "Have you ever heard a Scottish folk song?" She recited, her voice clear: Broke a shoe, broke a horse; Broke a horse, wounded a knight; Wounded a knight, lost a battle; Lost a battle, lost an empire. The students laughed again, there was no special reason for this kind of laughter, most of the time it just meant that they were listening to Irina's lectures and were happy to be disciplined as children.Irina's class is always the most popular in the college's elective courses, no matter what she teaches, including this basic-to-extreme lecture class. "So, obey orders, what any military academy will teach, LMA also repeats." Irina also laughed, "But this must lead to our theme: the butterfly effect, who is familiar with this name?" A student of German origin answered directly: "The American meteorologist Lorenz's theory, a butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon jungle, may cause a storm on the plains of Texas, one of the cores of chaos theory." "So what is Chaos Theory?" Irina hopped onto the podium and sat there, her beautiful knees peeking out between her boots and skirt. "A complex system, small changes in the initial variables lead to large differences in the final results, in other words its model is unstable. Just like the three-body system, the initial speed and mass differences will cause the entire system to behave completely. Different results, although there are a few stable solutions, but overall it seems that there is no solution." It is still the student of German descent. "Very good, is your 'Mathematics III' full score?" "It was a little short. I missed class twice and was deducted attendance points." "That's right, but if you don't show up for my class, you will also be deducted attendance points." Irina smiled. "We're not here for the credits, we're here for the class, Irina!" someone whistled from the back of the classroom. "Whistling guys, be careful with your credits." Irina is not annoyed by this. In the academy, she even has a secret fraternity of admirers called "Irina's Morning". It is said that there are skeletons who have developed into LMA The doctor only smiled when he heard the news. Lin's attention was not on Irina, he spotted a child very far back.This is indeed a child, because he is only about twelve or thirteen years old, and he is a little naive among this group of seventeen or eighteen-year-old students. LMA has a preparatory course, the minimum can enroll children of twelve years old, but they do not have the right to choose this course.However, he needs to swipe his ID card to enter the classroom. If he enters, it means that he is at least qualified to take courses. Lin feels a little strange. The child didn't care about the laughter in class, and he didn't listen to Irina's lecture at all. With his hands between his knees, he was playing with a cardboard box, squinting his eyes from time to time to look inside. "The world is the largest chaotic system. The battlefield is a little smaller than it, but it is not easy to calculate. Countless military theorists throughout the ages hope to predict the victory of a war, but who knows? Hannibal defeated Rome, which was ten times larger than himself. army, and Pompey's overwhelming force was torn like paper in front of Caesar. If you were commanders, you would not be able to predict which point on the battlefield there would be a crisis, and this crisis would be magnified as quickly as a butterfly flapping its wings , leading to your failure." Irina amplified her voice, "Lunas, can you give us some diagrams?" "Listen to your orders, Irina." Runas' voice echoed throughout the classroom. The huge screen was slowly lowered. On the light blue background, chaotic lines were marked with fluorescent colors from time to time, and then quickly unmarked.The marked places are often some white bright spots, like a float in the water shaking rapidly in a storm. "This is the water in the fish tank in the central control room. Of course, there are no fish in it now. Lunas applied a uniform agitation to the water body, and then observed the changes in the water body through the subtle refraction of light. What you see is the The vortices that appear after stirring, very few of these vortices will explode into a small vortex, probably like the splash of fish's tail." Irina explained, "The energy is released through such a vortex. " "In the sea, there is no need to stir. In the seemingly calm sea water, there are countless eddies hidden, so sometimes, a tsunami or a large whirlpool that suddenly appears can be regarded as the eruption of a vortex, but which vortex will eventually It will explode, no one knows. Perhaps among the hundreds of millions of eddies, only one becomes a vortex. If we study the society of a group, we will find that it is the same as this water body. The relationship between people is like water molecules The relationship between society and social eddies are also hidden and do not know when they will explode. Sometimes it may be just a very small place, but it will eventually sweep the whole world, such as the Balkans. This small powder keg ignited the world twice. .This is the content of the exam." She smiled suddenly. There was a low cry of "coax" among the students, and they began to take notes. "There are so many vortices in a water body, so the instability of the larger system will be higher. A commander needs to keenly monitor the crisis point he can find, and eliminate it at the earliest moment." Irina looked around, "Speaking of the discoverer of the butterfly effect, do you have any associations?" "LMA, Lorenz Military Academy," a lazy answer came from under the podium, "a military academy named after a meteorologist." This is something everyone in the academy knows. "Okay, this is also the content of the exam. This is the end of today's class, Mr. Teaching Assistant, please remember to attend your Q&A class on time." Irina's finger touched Lin in the last row, and she blinked her right eye lightly. Blink, charming and moving. Before being surrounded by students, she packed up her handouts and quickly evacuated through the side door, as quickly as flying a fighter jet out of a battlefield. Lin smiled and packed up his things.The students left one after another through the back door, and Lin saw that the child also stood up, still holding the box tightly in his hands.He was carrying a huge schoolbag. Although he was not short, he was pitifully thin.Lin was stunned for a moment, remembering that he had such a thin body when he was young, sitting silently on the parallel bars, watching the flags flying in the sky in the distance. A student inadvertently ran into the child's back, knocking the child down and throwing the box in his hand.The box landed not far from the forest, the lid was opened, and many butterflies flew out of it, like a colorful snowflake. The window flew out. "What's your name?" Lin Shang went to help him up and patted the dust off his body. "Leon..." the child said timidly. "Do you like butterflies?" "Ok." "It's beautiful, Leon, but don't bring them to class next time," Lin said. When going out, Lin ran into the doctor waiting there. "Hello, doctor." Leon greeted the doctor when he passed by. "Hello, Leon." The doctor clearly knew him too. The doctor turned to Lin: "The Supreme Council has completed its review of your report. Also, if it is convenient, I would like to have a private chat with you." "when?" "At midnight today by the bridge, that place you like to look out at when you go to school. I'll bring this bottle of wine and I'll ask Karina to make us some more tuna salad." "Okay, I'll be there on time." Note: Skull and Bones: A student organization of Yale University in the United States. The two Presidents Bush and quite a few important political and economic figures were members of this organization.The organization pursues an extremely elitist philosophy to establish a new world order and help members of the organization gain power and status for several terms.This organization is difficult to join, it is a youth group with aristocratic nature, and it has extremely high requirements for family background. five A river runs through the middle of the college.Lin walked along the Linyin Road by the river to the bridge, and saw the figure leaning against the wooden railing of the bridge and looking out. Behind him was a small table and two chairs. Salad and a bottle of Bordeaux. "Hey, very punctual." The doctor turned around with a smile on his face. In the distance behind him is a bell tower piercing the sky, and the light from the street lamps in the forest shade sprinkled on the river water, sparkling and diffusing away. "Why did you think of meeting at this place?" Lin walked to him. "Every morning, evening and late at night, I feel that the campus of LMA is very beautiful. I will also be proud of it. This is my hard work for half my life. But for us, meeting in such a beautiful place is indeed too much like a date." The doctor smiled, "Listen to me telling a joke." "OK." "When I was at West Point, the school had a policy that smoking was not allowed in the building or within 75 feet of any building. We had a lot of heavy smokers among the instructors at the time, and they found that no matter where they stood, as long as they lit a cigarette, There would be an instrument response, and a hefty fine would ensue. They tried to argue, but each time the instrument would clearly show that they were within 75 feet of a building, either a library, or a sculpture, or是体育中心。他们不能忍受了，借来了校园地图，用制作军事地图的细致程度把它变为一个3D模型，然后进行计算。最后的结果是，整个西点的教学区和住宿区里只有一块面积为0?6平方米的空间满足那条规定。” 林笑了起来，“制定这条规定的人是故意的么？” “怎么会？只是校务委员会的人拍了拍脑袋，说那就75英尺吧，所以才有了那条校规。”博士也笑，“后来教官们在课间会一起去那里抽烟，一小处空间成了校园里最宝贵的资源，有的时候你需要花1美元去买在那里站10分钟的时间。课间的时候，那里是一个很特别的景致，教官们围成一个圈子坐着聊天，圈子中间有四五个人大口地吸着烟。一个人抽完了，另一个人会立马补上去。” “你知道为什么我说这个么？”博士的笑容消失了，他忽然严肃起来。 林摇了摇头。 “如果你实际测量，会发现在这片校园里，只有我们现在所在的这个点距离所有建筑物都有75英尺以上，这也是最初设计时留下的一个小秘密。” “你是说鲁纳斯监控的范围之外？” “是的，在LMA，还是有一个点是鲁纳斯不能监控的。在这里我们说话是自由的，我向你保证只有我们两个会知道。”博士看着他的眼睛。 “为什么这么秘密？出了什么事？”林迎上他的目光，并不回避。 “最高委员会对于你的状态表示了担心，他们看重你，但是也担心给你太大的自由会成为学院的隐患。” “隐患？”林有些吃惊。 “因为你从不和别人交流，虽然你也完美地执行任务。但是一头独行的狐狸远远比一群狼更加令人担心，因为它无从揣测。”博士笑笑，“虽然我觉得我可以理解你，但是委员会不相信。” “我不知道如何解释。”林说。 博士拍了拍他的肩膀，“不必担心太多，委员会对你的担心也是对你的信任。因为你执行的是学院级别最高的任务，比如这次对于高加索和鲍尔吉，还有关于阿里巴巴之夜的证言书，这些都是其他特工不可能接触的秘密。” “我宁愿不接触。” “我也一样。”博士沉默了一会儿，“吃点沙拉，用的是日本的蓝鳍金枪鱼，真是好味道。” 博士拨拉着盘子里的沙拉，显然已经失去了食欲。沉默了一会儿，他转向林，“牧师还好么？” 林点头，“还不错，但是不知道能否活过这个冬天。” “出发之前没有想到彭·鲍尔吉就是牧师吧？” “没有想到，我以为他已经死去很多年了。” “怎么认出他来的？” “他的声音，”林说，“他变了很多，可是声音还是那样。我听见他说话，忽然就想起那些风雨很大的晚上，他拿着《圣经》在我们的床前挨个看过去。有人睡不着，他就会讲一些《圣经》上的故事，按着我们的额头让我们安心。” 博士点点头，“他视你们为孩子，他是我的英雄。” “英雄？” “是啊。他不愿出具证言书是我已经估计到的事情，虽然它对我很有用，但我不会因此责怪鲍尔吉。” “那份证言书……非常关键？”林犹豫着，还是问了。 “非常关键。那关乎我和他的罪责和惩罚，他选择了放逐自己，我则选择留下。经过这么多年，还是不得不为这份证言书面对过去。”博士的声音低沉。 “牧师是……自我放逐？” “我不知道这么说是否合适，但是阿里巴巴之夜后他对于LMA以及我们最初的目标充满了质疑，所以才离开了学院，这些其实我在你去高加索之前就想告诉你，但在学院这是个敏感的话题。”博士靠在桥的栏杆上舒展身体，“林，你或许熟悉他，但却并不了解真正的彭·鲍尔吉。” “大概是因为我们在他眼里都是孩子吧，他不想说得太多。” “不，不是对你们，对所有人，鲍尔吉都是如此。他有很强的英雄情结，他相信自己的能力，能够吃很大的苦，坚忍卓绝地做成一件事。他并不想对周围的人强调自己的痛苦，因为他觉得他能够忍受。他爱很多的人，却在心里把自己抬高为一个父亲一样的角色。”博士低低地笑了几声，“只怕对于我，鲍尔吉也是这么看的。” “嗯，这么些年，想必他在高加索所取得的成就也很不容易吧？” “当然不容易，他去高加索的时候是孑然一身。作为一个离开LMA的教官，学院避讳提到这个人。他甚至没有家人，他的父亲死于高加索独立革命战争，母亲和妻子死于一次屠城式的轰炸，他的亲生儿子为了保护他，在一次集会活动扑在他身上，挡住了刺向他的淬毒匕首。那个杀手原本隐藏在和他握手的人群里，所以立刻就被愤怒的支持者撕碎了。可是那又有什么用呢？儿子永远地失去了，甚至不能亲手复仇……”博士深深地吸了一口气，用尽全力似的呼出去，“那场集会活动的录像我看了，鲍尔吉只是抱着他的儿子，自始至终说不出话来，直到那个年轻人死去。” “原来是这样。”林低声说。 “高加索这个国家刻在他身上的印记太深了，战争，不断的战争，打退了国门外的敌人又是内战，内战完了紧接着少数派分裂。他太悲痛，又爱着太多的人，所以一生都想终结战争，不过似乎太相信他自己的能力了。”博士讪笑了几声，“不过，他比我勇敢。” 林抚摸着桥上的木栏杆，“能说说牧师的事情么？” “好啊。很多年后有人会为他作传的，可惜我未必能活到那个时候了。不过，我有自信，”博士有些自得似的挑起眉锋，“没有人比我更熟悉彭·鲍尔吉。” “我和他认识的时候，他只有18岁……”博士轻声说。 “那一年我在剑桥大学当交换学生，而他在剑桥的欧亚研究论坛崭露头角，以热情和辩才闻名。我第一次看见他时他按着一本圣经，在一场公开的辩论中对着所有人咆哮说：这是一个已经没有人相信神的时代。那些把手放在黑箱子上的人，他们的胸前可能就挂着耶稣基督受难的十字架。他们每个周日在教堂里虔诚地祈祷以获得心里的安宁，但这些被教义安抚的心，却能做出强硬的战争决策。神已经变成了木架上的一个傀儡！”博士低低地笑着说，“当时我觉得我的心都要跳出来了，这是怎样一个人啊，一个内战国家的贫穷的年轻人，他接受着英国政府的资助，可是他就像是注定要成为世界之王的神之子那样。他用他的火焰燃烧自己，温暖周围的人。那之后，我和他变成了朋友。” “但是我很快就发现自己低估了这个家伙，他不是仅仅在论坛上挥舞手臂的人，而是一个真正的实干派。英国情报五处的人来剑桥请他喝咖啡，我后来才知道因为鲍尔吉启动了一项规模宏大的计划。他试图动用一切可能的渠道劝说工作在英国的高加索裔专家回到故国。这些专家中有很多当初是为了躲避内战而离开高加索的，而鲍尔吉以我至今都不能理解的执著劝说当时的高加索科学院负责人许诺将武装保护每一个回归的专家。鲍尔吉便是拿着这样一份公函一个一个地上门去劝说那些专家，其中一些人真的响应了他，而另一些人则出卖了他。” “可是情报五处也没有办法，鲍尔吉没有做非法的事。所以他们希望他能够主动退出，并取消了他的学业补助。但是鲍尔吉不是轻易就肯撤退的人，他为餐馆端盘子、打扫，也为学校图书馆彻夜地看门。他没有钱租房子，就住在我的客厅里，他收集了图书馆里的打印废纸，用反面打成信件，发给更多的高加索裔专家。” “原来你们认识那么多年了。”林说。 “很多年了，是啊，很多年了……”博士轻声说，“当时情报五处也来请我喝咖啡，问我为什么一个西点军校的交换学生要和这样一个狂热的爱国主义分子混迹在一起。可是我能不跟这样一个人混迹么？” 博士看着夜空，“他是我眼里的……神之子啊。” “但我们都没有料到那个逆转来得如此之快，第三次全面战争爆发，高加索再次成为战场，政局一变再变。有一天夜里，鲍尔吉冒着大雨冲了回来，他满脸也不知是雨水还是泪水，他对我咆哮说他们杀死他们了！他们杀死他们了！我不知道发生了什么，立刻打开CNN的网站。我看到了那则新闻，至今我都记得那一刻的心情，但是我无从描述。那则新闻里说，高加索新当选的执政党以叛国罪一次性枪毙了归国的专家共计27人。” “都是受到牧师劝说的人么？”林问。 “有的是，有的不是。但是那种感觉……那种感觉是你一切一切的努力就这么被人一手推倒了，有人把你的爱、理想和尊严放在脚下践踏。”博士攥紧了拳头，脸上的曲线刚硬锋锐，“就是那一天，我对鲍尔吉展示了鲁纳斯计划的纲要。” “鲁纳斯的研究是从那时开始的？”林问，他感觉到自己已经接近一个划时代的开端。 “是！当时我是何等的天真啊，那时候所谓鲁纳斯计划只是我导师的一个研究项目，而我只是成员之一，目标是利用一台我们希望命名为'鲁纳斯之眼'的巨型机穷究数学，最终分析出当前环境下最危险的隐患，并预先予以排除。就像伊瑞娜在课上说的，这是一群被蝴蝶效应感召的疯子样的年轻人，我们希望以神的高度观察世界，基于'混沌'的巨型机就是我们的武器。而美国军方对这个病狂的概念并不感兴趣，他们嘲笑说这只是一群学究的造神运动，我们没有获得什么资助，只有一家小型基金会肯为我们注入资金。” “而我对鲍尔吉说，一个英雄只有握住了武器，他才会是战无不胜的。而鲁纳斯……”博士笑了笑，“当时还是想象中的超级巨型机鲁纳斯，就是我们的武器。” “三个月之后，鲍尔吉加入了我们的团队。我们把自己称为LMA，但不是洛伦兹军事学院（Lorentz Military Academy），而是洛伦兹男人帮（Lorentz Mens Association）。五年零九个月后，'混沌模型'完成，七年十一个月后，鲁纳斯的原型机投入运转，九年零三个月后，鲁纳斯进入全球联网，就在同一日，我们拥有了现在的LMA，一个我们梦想中的军事学院，那时候是在费尔南斯，一群已经不再年轻的男人在雨水里把军帽使劲抛向天空，踩着工地的泥水用尽全力呼喊。鲍尔吉和我立刻投入了对第一批特工的训练，我是个严格的人，你们敬畏我，所以称我为教官，而他却是一个信奉神而且温和的人，你们便称他为父亲，给他起外号叫'牧师'。” “但是牧师却在五年后离开了？”林说。 博士低下头，“是的，一切的开始皆有结束。鲍尔吉选择离开LMA并非仅仅因为'阿里巴巴之夜'这一件事，我无法告诉你太多，我只能说，鲍尔吉是个永远站在反抗者立场上的英雄，当LMA强大起来反过来成为统治者，鲍尔吉就注定不能和它共容。他选择回到高加索，我知道他很早就想回去。当时对西方阵营的抵触情绪开始成为高加索议会的一股暗流。鲍尔吉回去的时候悄无声息，他只是一个孤零零的人，没有朋友，更不必说支持者。但是独立自由联盟把他看做一个标志，一个从青年时代就执著地站在民族主义立场上，并且在英国曾经推动专家回国热潮的年轻人，独立自由联盟觉得他们可以利用鲍尔吉的履历做文章。于是他们拉拢他，给他青年委员会主席的职位，希望他为他们鼓吹拉票。” “鼓吹拉票？”林问。 “是啊，任何一个理解彭·鲍尔吉的人都会这样质疑。”博士笑了起来，“他怎么会是别人手里的一张牌或者一个挥舞手臂的小傀儡呢？但是世界上就有这样一群傻子，自己分明是一群豺狗，却希望把狮子放在掌心去玩弄。仅仅三年，鲍尔吉就展示了他绝无仅有的手段，经过LMA的他已经不再是剑桥那个激愤的年轻人了。他以实力证明自己不是空壳的偶像。青年委员会成为独立自由联盟中最大的团体。外电开始关注他，称他'将以不可阻挡的姿态成为高加索政权的主宰'。” “所以他成为了军政府的领袖？”林问。 “没有这么简单，我的学生，在阴谋论上你完全不及格。”博士摆了摆手，“一个被当做傀儡推出的角色忽然间变成主宰，对于幕后的人而言，就像是奴隶在家里造了反。八年前的秋天，就在万众高呼鲍尔吉名字的时候，议会的所有人却突然放弃了他，包括独立自由联盟的元老。” “高加索的选举是选举政党，在独立自由联盟和民主和平同盟中二选一，就好比美国的民主党和共和党相互角逐。当选的政党，它的主席自动成为总统，总统授权总理组阁。在人们眼里，彭·鲍尔吉是毋庸置疑的下一任独立自由联盟主席，所以他们都投票给独立自由联盟。而独立自由联盟内部却决定全力阻止鲍尔吉成为那一届的主席。果然，鲍尔吉落选了。” “这些是我不能理解的。”林说。 “但故事并没有结束，你很难想象那天晚上发生了什么，”博士有力地挥舞拳头，微笑，“就在独立自由联盟宣布新主席的人选时，整个高加索陷入了停顿。” “暴动？”林问。 “是暴动，可不仅仅是平民。当越来越多的人汇集到国会大厦前示威时，军队悄悄地行动了。事实上在宣布主席人选的两天前，军方就得到了消息。鹰派的年轻将领们异常愤怒，于是大约有七千名国防军战士以各种不同的名义开始进入首都。” “是兵变！”林说。 “确实已经恶化为一场兵变了。当时鲍尔吉还不知道这些，他曾误以为距离自己施展抱负只有一步之遥了，没想到却被独立联盟像是踢开一条狗那样抛弃了。兵变的当夜正是独立自由联盟的代表大会，鲍尔吉正在会议厅以前所未有的热情和愤怒对着整个会场呼喊，但听众却不为所动。就在他的演讲到达最高潮的时候，四千名武装战士列队开进了会场。年轻的将领们争相发言甚至到了争抢话筒的地步，主题只有两个：一个是他们要彭·鲍尔吉当选；另外一个就是把西方的一切势力赶出高加索。第二天，在国会大厦前的广场上，临时军政府宣布成立，彭·鲍尔吉是他们的领袖。” “我给他送去了一个花篮，可是他却没有回应我。”博士品着红酒，微微摇头，“这个男人让我想起恺撒，他永远对他的战士们说'同胞们'而不是'士兵们'，他仅仅用这个称呼就可以让那些追随他的高卢人流下眼泪。他向雇佣兵们坦白说我不再有钱支付你们的薪水，而这些士兵倾自己的所有财产支持他发起新的战争。如果给他足够的机会，彭·鲍尔吉会成为高加索民主共和国的新皇帝。” “可他似乎并不快乐。”林说。 “我知道他并不快乐，”博士说，“他那种人，一辈子和快乐无缘。” “再来点沙拉？”博士喝完了杯子里的酒，中断了回述。 “不用了。”林说，“我吃好了。” 两个人对立着沉默了一阵子。 “想做一匹自由的野马么？像鲍尔吉那样。”博士忽然说。 “有时候看着他永远充满信心的样子，会羡慕他的人生呢。”林说。 “是的，我也一样。”博士点头，“可是做一匹自由的奔马固然是每个人的理想，但是要付出相应的代价。你自由地奔跑在原野上，可你并不知道什么时候猎枪的子弹会打穿你的心脏，你会长鬃飞舞，倒在血泊里，带着你自由的心。这就是最高委员会的担心。” "what?" “鲍尔吉是LMA最有才华的创始人之一，他选择了另外一条路。LMA的梦想是建立规则，试图把所有不安定的因素消除。可鲍尔吉却背离了我们，最终他选择返回草原去做他的野马。我们所要做的事情还没有完成，但一路上已经损失了很多的同行者：朱斯特和海因斯，阿里巴巴之夜里死去的人，还有离开我们的鲍尔吉。”博士声音低沉，“而西奥，你已经是我们硕果仅存的精英之一了，我们希望你能够坚定地和我们站在一起。最高委员会对你的担心也是他们对你的重视，我们不希望再有什么原因促使你也离开学院。” “博士，我已经做过选择了。”林说。 “是，你已经做过了选择。这是你和鲍尔吉的不同，你是狐狸，要反过去猎杀猎犬的狐狸。你会熟悉你的林子，把一切的变化都掌握在心里，推演出最好的作战方略，等待那些愚蠢的猎犬闻见你的味道兴冲冲地奔过来，期待着咬断你的喉咙饱饮鲜血的时候，你就可以从它们绝对想象不到的位置闪出来，用你早已准备好的毒吹箭钉进它们的额头。你是我最好的学生，是永远不可能被战胜的。”博士伸出手去，“要坚定你的选择。” 林握住他的手，“博士，有什么事要发生么？” “我不能确定。”博士转过身去，“但是我能够感觉到，决战的时候已经接近。我们的敌人已经按捺不住地从舞台背景里跳了出来，他们杀死了朱斯特和海因斯，他们不能容忍我们的存在要直接和我们敌对了。等他们全暴露出身份来，就将是决战的那一日。这么多年，我期待着我们洛伦兹男人帮最初的诺言被用纪念碑来书写，我感觉到那个时刻就要到来了！” 林默默地看着这个人，已经是接近老人的年纪了，可是他身上忽然散发出一种年轻人才会有的味道，他是沉默的，却像狮子般在咆哮，军服下刺出锐利的锋芒。河上起了风，吹着他花白的头发，他紧缩着眉头，挺直了腰杆。 “看着那个钟楼。”他指着远处。 “末日钟，诸神的黄昏，根据鲁纳斯的计算来运行。据说它如果走到了尽头，便是质子平衡被打破、世界毁灭的那一日。”林说。 “那就是一根马尾系着的达摩克利斯之剑，挂在所有人的头顶。钟只能用来预言它的落下，可是预言又有什么用？一柄剑从你的头上落下，你还能够逃走，成千上万质子湮灭弹升上天空的那天，我们逃往何处？我们要做的事情不是竖起那座钟楼，而是最终毁掉它！”博士的声音像是金属摩擦。 “随时等待您的命令，博士。”林忽然站直，行了LMA独有的军礼。 “但是博士，”他又说，“鲁纳斯的计算真的能够预言准确的未来么？是否我们用尽了所有努力……最后还是只能看着成千上万质子湮灭弹升上天空……” “我不知道，”博士平静地说，“但是我没有选择，也不畏惧。从我坐上今天的位置起，我就无时无刻不在等待这个时刻的到来。”