Chapter 11 Final Chapter Burning Heaven-1

ONE This is "Alibaba Night", the source of all stories. 2045, December 25th.The train was passing through the canyon at high speed with white steam, and the dark mountain shadows on both sides looked like giants squatting on the ground in the night.Ahead is a flat and open field, and a huge moon hangs at the end of the plain. In the locomotive cabin, the man in the white military uniform pulled down the window, allowing the fierce and cold air to rush in.He took off his military cap and tucked it under his arm, holding up a pair of military binoculars and looking at the night sky.The young man in the same white military uniform carried the rank of lieutenant on his shoulders, came in from the connecting exit leading to the passenger compartment, and walked behind him without making a sound.

"The moonlight is so good, you can see the craters with this one. Look at the shadow on the upper right area of ​​the moon now, that is Ocean of Storms, the famous lunar basin, it is the largest, and its center is about three feet lower than the surrounding moon. 10,000 meters." The man holding the binoculars admired, "I used to dream of standing in the center of that basin in a spacesuit, looking at the surrounding mountains as if they were reaching the sky. It looks like another world, right? It's grand. , very hideous." "Colonel Hasimodo, do you understand this?" said the lieutenant.

"I graduated from the University of Grenoble 1 in France, Department of Astrophysics, and I volunteered to be a radio astronomer. Because I was too closed-minded when I was young, I always had trouble communicating with others. A telescope can work, that is the most suitable for me. And the observatory is built either in the mountains or in the desert, which is relatively quiet." The colonel put down the telescope, "but then the war started, no one needs astronomers anymore .” He has a typical Asian face, with a pair of thick black eyebrows flying up slantingly. He is not young anymore, and the wrinkles at the lower end of the eyebrows reach the corners of his eyes.He handed the binoculars to the young man and walked to the console of the locomotive.

"Activate the 'Mercury? GPS' system." He instructed the staff sergeant operating the locomotive. "Yes, Colonel." The sergeant lifted the transparent plastic cover on the console and flipped the black switch underneath. The largest screen on the console slowly lit up, and after a quick self-inspection, a green warning window popped up: "Please note that your following operations may lead to access to the military satellite network. The system solemnly reminds you that any intrusion Or attempts to hack into military communication systems may violate relevant laws, please confirm again before operating."

The colonel took out a black magnetic card the size of a credit card from the pocket of his military uniform jacket. The back of the magnetic card was printed with an ancient pattern of an hourglass and a machete on a matte finish.He pushed the card into the card slot, "French Secrecy Bureau, Northern Division, First Regiment, Colonel Hasimodo, confirm access again." "Welcome, Colonel Hasimodo." The system began to load navigation files and information at high speed, "Mercury is now in low-Earth orbit above your head, providing navigation services." The screen displayed a large map of the Loire Valley region, with a bright green thin line going straight, until near the end of the screen, it forked into two branches, one of which continued in a north-east direction.The bifurcation point is automatically highlighted, and the place name is displayed next to it - "Friandise".

"Are we going to take the easterly route?" asked the colonel. "Yes." The system replied.The simulated human voice is clear and deep, and it is English with a slight Nordic accent. "Where does it lead?" "Fernance." "What's the distance to Fernance?" "You have to increase your user level to be notified of this information." The system replied, "However, I don't think you need to know that going along that fork will only lead you to Fernance, not anywhere else .” "Thank you, I see." "Glad to serve you, GPS will continue to serve you, and I must step away, I have about 700,000 commands on my list waiting to be processed. Good luck, Colonel Hasimodo. "The system replied politely.

It automatically closed, and the dialog window went dark in an instant, leaving only the navigation system still working.The magnetic identity card was ejected from the card reading slot.The colonel grabbed it, looked at it, and stuffed it back into his coat pocket. The lieutenant came over, "Colonel, have you confirmed the route?" "Yes. There are still about 37 to 5 kilometers. We will drive into the Frantis North Station, where we will find the fork to Fernance." The lieutenant glanced at his watch, "The time is now 20:26, and we have 54 minutes left before the assembly time. I hope there will be enough time to reach Fernance."

"Fernans... Frantis..." The colonel was silent for a while, then laughed in a low voice, "I don't think there will be anyone waiting to welcome us at Frantis North Station." "Ok?" "My first girlfriend was from there, so I know it. Before the war, it was a small city with sugar processing as its main industry. There was only one big sugar company, and almost all the people in the city lived there. working for several businesses, including my girlfriend. She is an inspector and is sensitive to the sweetness of sugar, with a little pure sugar diluted with 1000 parts of water, and she can tell where the cane used to refine sugar comes from.” Colonel He lowered his head slightly and touched the brim of his hat, as if thinking about the past, "It was a small city with a sweet smell in the air."

"Has it been destroyed?" said the lieutenant after a moment of silence. "Yes, it was swept away by the aftermath of the hydrogen bomb explosion. Many buildings collapsed, everyone was polluted, and the longest living person was only 2 months. The sugar factory is gone, and the city has no meaning of existence. Now Frantis is a dead city. It’s just that there is a freight railway passing there, the one under our feet, and it’s still running, so it’s not erased from the map, right?” the colonel said in a low voice. The two of them were silent for a while, looking through the windshield at the great plain in front of the car, the wild grass and grass, the low air pressure of the high-speed train sucked the withered and broken grass leaves and stalks, hitting the double-glazed glass on both sides. on the window.As far as the eye can see, there is not a single star of light.

"Have you started signing the non-disclosure agreement? Everyone has to sign, including you and me." The colonel said. "It has already started according to the order. An officer with legal qualifications is being arranged behind. He is here to report this matter to you." The lieutenant said, "Everyone is a little disturbed. There was no such special mission before. What is Fernance? Waiting for us? I don't think it will be flowers, red wine and pretty girls?" The lieutenant grinned, "The atmosphere is really depressing when you talk like that."

"I don't know either." The colonel shook his head. The "mountain eagle" is flying across the sky at high speed. The output power of this armed helicopter is close to the limit of the engine, the strong updraft has become turbulent, the whole body is shaking, the huge whistling sound makes the passengers feel like they are in a cloud of thunder and lightning, the body is buzzing Humming loud noises and vibrations are extremely fragile, and the next moment may be torn apart like torn paper. There was only one passenger, a man in a black windbreaker sat in the middle of the cabin, his cheeks were tense, and he stared coldly at the instrument panel on the front console. "Hurry up, please, I'm running out of time," he ordered to the crew. "It can't be any faster. If we encounter turbulent airflow here, we may be in danger." The co-pilot turned back, "Doctor, do you need to open the protective cover for you?" "No, hurry! No matter how fast! Danger is the second priority." The man whispered, and the end of his words was quickly swallowed by the roaring hurricane outside the cabin. A deep man's voice came from the loudspeaker in the cabin: "Doctor, I can understand your mood. It took only four hours to get here from the South China Sea, which is already the limit of human speed. However, I I think your presence is useless." "As long as there is still a chance..." "No, not a single chance." The man was silent for a while, "Lunas, your precision and calm make you speak like an annoying bastard. You should be thankful that you are a machine and not a human being, otherwise you have been punished since childhood Different people were beaten black and blue." "I have this self-knowledge." A shrill siren sounded suddenly, and the blood-red light swept across the cabin repeatedly.The red circular marks on the ground radar appeared one after another, and soon filled the entire screen. "Doctor, we are locked by missiles! Lots of missiles!" The captain's voice was full of tension. "Don't worry, if it is locked by our own missiles, then it will not hurt us; if it is locked by someone else's missiles, then I don't think we can dodge with a gunship." The man remained calm, "Luna Sis, give me high-level authorization access for air defense control." "As you requested, it has been prepared. Please enter your identity verification, otherwise you will enter the Fernance no-fly zone within 120 seconds and be shot down by an anti-aircraft missile." The man stared ahead with a dignified expression and a clear voice: "Voice input identification code, privileged prosecutor Nathan Mann, affiliated to the LMA Strategic Secret Service Department, pass code JDSH? QSAN? DDFS? EOND? ​​NM, ground-based defense system, please give this machine Let go." "The identity is passed, the password is approved, and the voiceprint verification is passed." Lunas replied after two seconds of silence, "The ground-based defense system will keep silent on your landline." Then the locked high-risk alarm was automatically released, and the instrument panel, which was occupied by the flashing red light just now, instantly returned to a calm dark green color, and the GPS marked a clear high-brightness green route to guide them in the direction they were heading. The captain finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the cold sweat slowly flowing down the side of the military cap.He is also a senior military aircraft pilot, but he has never experienced the situation of being locked on by countless ground anti-aircraft weapons in an instant. Looking down from his height, he can clearly see the vast land below, which was wiped out by weapons of mass destruction. The passing area is calm and wild, like a prehistoric floodplain, without any artificial buildings.But when he looked at the land at this time, he felt that there were spear points, bows and arrows hidden under every inch of the ground, reminiscent of the traps used by the aboriginal Maori in Australia hundreds of years ago to welcome the colonists, which were full of sharpened spears. bamboo branches. He shivered, feeling like a beetle that had strayed into a wasp's nest. "Doctor, radio contact has been established with Executive Officer Borji, do you want to speak to him?" Runas said. "Very good, please transfer for me." The cacophony of radio jamming came from the loudspeakers, and the continual noise was disturbing. No one spoke, only the low roar of the engine came from the loudspeaker, like the heavy breathing of a mustang in a gallop. The captain turned his head carefully and glanced at the man. He was sitting there like a statue. Every wrinkle in the windbreaker seemed to be carved out of stone knives. He remained motionless and looked ahead silently.The only thing alive about him were his eyes, silver-gray and uncomfortably bright, with needles hidden in them.The captain turned his head back. He felt very uncomfortable. When he looked into the man's eyes, he felt pricked by the needles in the eyes. "Nathan, is that you?" the man on the other side of the communication line whispered. "It's me, Peng. I'm on a Mountain Hawk. I can see Fernance in twelve minutes. Where are you?" the man also whispered. "I still need two and a half hours. I only have an off-road jeep here." The two fell into silence again. "Nathan, I was not informed of the Supreme Council's decision." It was the man on the other side of the line who broke the deadlock. "You understand the rules of the LMA. Orders are only given to the executor. As a privileged prosecutor, I am the executor this time. You don't need to know too much. Now turn around and go back, so as not to upset the committee members. Peng, you are someone they value, don't let this matter affect their trust in you." The man was expressionless when he spoke. "Is it time to care about my future? I can guess what the committee's resolution is, what kind of thing you are doing, do you understand?" The other party finally lost his calm, and the anger came from the voice he tried to suppress. Straight out, raging like a flood, "They simply don't have enough intelligence to bear the consequences for this matter! They shouldn't be punished!" He took a deep breath, "We are the ones who should be punished, and we are the ones who should be punished by ourselves." Dreams captivate the eye." "I didn't make the resolution, but I expressed my support." The man remained expressionless, "Peng, if we were once blinded by dreams, don't be blinded by impulse now. If we don't take decisive action, the previous All efforts will be wasted, our achievements will be misused as weapons, and then it will be too late to remedy." "You guys are trying to hide your shame, try to hide it, and try to wipe all the evidence off the map!" The other party was almost roaring, "But why should those children bear the consequences for us? Nathan! Recall, those are yours too children!" "They are indeed my children, but they are different from ordinary children. They are already weapons, and some people are trying to make them hurt us in turn. They are our swords, with two edges. In turn, It would cut off our wrists and even our heads." "Then let us bear the consequences for what we do! Do we lack the courage?" "We lack, we don't have the courage. Peng, once again, any loss of a living body will make our secret known to the world. At that time, this mistake will be magnified hundreds or thousands of times." The man said in a low voice, "This technology is the fruit of the tree of Eden, the wisdom of God, we should not know it, let alone use it. We have been tempted by the devil, and it is already wrong to eat that fruit. Now be sensible and don't let more Those who eat the fruit with us shall not make mistakes a second time." "But think of those children! Think of their faces! Think of them..." "Enough!" The man suddenly snapped at the other party, "Executive Officer Peng Borji! I am a soldier, and so are you. To execute orders, we have no choice. We are also a kind of weapon, we only need to obey the messenger arrangements to fulfill our own obligations.” "Peng..." He seemed tired, leaning back on the seat, his voice softened, "Don't take all the responsibility on your own shoulders, it's not you or me who made this decision, no matter what this action brings Such consequences are not the responsibility of those of us who are weapons." "Excuse! It's just an excuse..." The roaring sound was swallowed up by harsh noises, and it seemed that countless tiny electric currents poured into the loudspeaker, which made people's teeth ache. The captain turned his head sharply, "Doctor, we have lost all radio signals! There is strong electromagnetic interference here!" The man sat there quietly, as if in deep thought. "Try another frequency! Search all bands!" The captain turned to his second officer. "No need, they activated the radio shielding, and we entered this shielding circle. From now on, we have lost all contact with the outside world, and switched to manual operation." The man spoke, and he paused, "This also shows that , we are already very close to Fernance." "Fernans...Look at the city I built with my own hands." He whispered. Note: Mercury: The Roman word refers to Mercury, the messenger of the gods. In Greek mythology, he corresponds to Hermos. Hourglass and sickle: It is a symbol of "Old Man Time", a common mythological symbol in the West. He is an old man with a long beard and a stick. The hourglass represents time, and the sickle represents the irreversible cruelty of time passing.The origin of this god seems to be the second-generation god Kronos in Greek mythology. He always appeared in the image of such an old man with a long beard and a stick in the Roman period. He once castrated his father with a sickle—the first On behalf of the god Uranus.Kronos is the father of Zeus, the third god of heaven. Loire Valley: one of the famous French wine producing regions. Friandise: French for "sugar" and "sweets", is a fictional city. TWO The black off-road jeep drove into the shallow river in the dry season like an arrow. The river water barely covered the axle, and the river bed was densely covered with large and small pebbles. There are two-meter-high water splashes. The water fell like a torrential rain, hitting the faces of the passengers in the back seat, reflecting the cold moonlight.But he didn't care, he silently looked at the walkie-talkie in his hand, only the rustling electric noise remained in the walkie-talkie. The current noise suddenly disappeared. A clear and slow male voice replaced the noise, "The helicopter that Dr. Mann was on has entered the area of ​​radio silence, and I have lost contact with him. Executive Borghi, I'm sorry this call ended like this. But I suggest you Or turn around and go back immediately, it only takes two hours for you to return to Paris, take a hot bath, calm down and think about it. I have no right to decide, I can only suggest to you, such behavior will lead to the Supreme Council You've completely lost the trust that you've worked so hard to earn over the years, and you know how valuable that is." "Lunas, don't persuade me. This is not a matter of trust. Some things are more precious than trust." "What is so precious to you?" Runas asked. "Man, human existence is his most precious right in this world, and no one can take it away lightly. Runas, you are a machine, and when you understand how to perceive the existence of a human being, you will understand What I'm thinking now. They're not weapons, they're people, and I'm not a weapon, I'm Peng Borji!" The passenger threw the walkie-talkie into the water. "Mr. Executive Officer, shall we move on?" The young man driving was wearing a close-fitting uniform similar to a military uniform, and he tried his best to control the steering wheel and turn around. "Keep going, I don't know what I can do, but I haven't done my best yet, so I can't stop! Thank you for being with me," said the passenger, who reached out and pressed hard on the driver's shoulder, palm Warm and powerful. "We've been off the road for more than an hour. Can we find our way there? This is no man's land," said the young man driving. "Don't worry, I know this place as well as my own palm prints." The passenger whispered. The rumble of the train moving at high speed could not be stopped even by the closed carriages. Sergeant Lemaire let go of the falcon of his flak helmet, feeling that he could finally draw a breath into his lungs.He was extremely careful when he did this, and glanced at his comrades who were sitting on the bench in full armor, not wanting to be noticed by them.This night made Le Maire feel weird. He is the most junior person here, but he has served in the special forces of the Security Bureau for two years, and he has served in active duty for three years before. He has never seen such a huge army Troops were transported overnight.He roughly estimated that there were 80 soldiers and a full set of weapons and equipment in this closed compartment, which meant that there were about 3,000 elite armed forces on this temporary express train. "Don't do this kind of sneaky thing, it's not allowed." Second Lieutenant Longbar beside Lemaire sat upright, with his back straight and his eyes straight ahead, "That thing is very important to you, no That Falcon, if you are shot in the head, the impact force will take the helmet away, and if the opponent uses triple burst, your head will be blown to pieces by the two bullets behind." "Will your eyes turn around? Second lieutenant." Le Maire could only buckle Kafun back up, complaining in a low voice, "Where are we going? How far is it? We've already stayed on this train Two hours! Besides, it’s okay to relax now, what are we doing? Is there any real action? Or is it just that the senior officials think they should conduct a very realistic exercise at Christmas?” "Two hours is nothing. If it was during World War II, Soviet soldiers might have to take a train and walk in the snow for two weeks to go to the front." Lombard lowered his voice, "Don't make trouble for yourself, this is not a drill, The level of this operation is AA, and from the moment we set off, we must remain vigilant all the time, no different from when bullets fly over our heads." Le Maire shrugged, he had to agree with what Second Lieutenant Rombar said.Rombar was his immediate boss and had participated in Total War III, while Le Maire was a mere recruit by comparison. "If you want to survive on the battlefield, you must first understand the battlefield." These are the words that Lombar often talks about. Le Maire sometimes found it annoying that these Total War III veterans always seemed to think they had learned a certain philosophy from the brutal infantry battlefield and taught it to recruits with coercion.In the eyes of the recruits, this cruel philosophy like the law of the jungle has gradually lost its meaning. The war has subsided for nearly six years, and the veterans still seem to be living in a nightmare, like the military circles of the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Senior officials are so restless and excited, feeling that nuclear bombs will fall from the sky at any time, so they carry a black suitcase of nuclear retaliation all the time. However, Lombar was good to Le Maire and taught Le Maire a lot. "Relax and relax, we are on the train, and here are 3,000 of our own people, there will be no bullets suddenly appearing from the space-time tunnel and hitting our heads." Le Maire smiled. Lombar's face had just been shaved, and it was cold iron blue. He didn't smile, "I've heard of a real case, a train carrying dangerous goods was hijacked by the enemy's airborne troops on the way. They used mechanical assistance The system is the kind of metal exoskeleton that is mounted on your arms and legs and can make you as strong as a rhinoceros. They use the high-speed run-up system of the exoskeleton to board the car, and then forcibly tear it apart with the pliers attached to the exoskeleton On the outside of the carriage, one shot killed the unsuspecting guards one by one." Lombar turned his head and gave Le Maire a cold look, "And now, the war is still going on, and it is not over. No one has ever said that the war is over!" Le Maire froze for a moment, and saw something in Lombal's eyes that shocked him, and the feeling became stronger and stronger. When these people who had been on the battlefield were involved in AA-level operations again, half of them were fear , half excited. Two documents were handed to him. "Please pass a copy to Second Lieutenant Longbar, and sign after reading it." The staff sergeant who handed over the materials said. Long Bal took the agreement, did not read it, and signed his name hastily. "Hi, hi! What's that? How did you sign it?" Le Maire whispered. "Don't be stupid, everyone signed the materials silently when they were passed on here, and no one will comment on this material." Lombard licked his lips, "So you are still a recruit, um, a recruit egg." "My God, shouldn't you see what these officers asked you to sign before you sign?" Le Maire looked around, trying to find someone who would support him.But he couldn't find it. All the soldiers in the carriage were looking straight ahead like Lombard, and the sergeant who handed him the materials didn't respond to his gaze. "It's a non-disclosure agreement, something you sign every high-level operation, stating that you will not reveal your secrets to troublesome outsiders, especially journalists, and by the way, stating that you understand the high risks of serving in the government military, and understand that if Any accidents that happen to your body, you will obey the follow-up matters arranged by the government for you, in other words, it is the funeral." When Long Barr said this, his face was full of indifference, as if these things had nothing to do with him, " Look, I've memorized it all." "Does it mean that if you die in battle, it's fine. You can receive a pension, but don't expect to make any demands on the government?" Le Maire flipped through the brief document in his hand. "You can't refuse. You are asked to sign this thing just to make it easier for civil rights lawyers to sue the government or the military. Even if you don't sign it, you can't refuse the order. You serve in the special forces of the Secret Service. Do you think this Where is it?" Lombard stared into his eyes. He suddenly took the pen in Le Maire's hand, drew a picture in the place where the pen was signed in scribbled handwriting, and handed the two documents to the sergeant.The sergeant received it blankly and passed it back, but no one made a sound, and there was a dead silence in the compartment. "You signed my nondisclosure agreement? That's my nondisclosure agreement!" Le Maire's eyes widened. "This is a paradox, isn't it?" Lombar glanced at Le Maire's face with a slightly playful look, "If you come back alive, then that agreement is useless. Does anyone know that I signed the agreement? Need handwriting verification? Isn’t it too easy for those in the technical department to forge your signature? Do you want to make a public statement? Ask your lawyer? Hi, You can only use military channels here. Try jumping out of your car and go back to Paris crying." A burst of low laughter suddenly broke out in the entire carriage.Le Maire froze for a moment, looked around angrily, and found that all the veterans laughed at the same time. These soldiers who were as cold as stone just looked at the opposite person indifferently, but they didn't miss a word of their conversation. .This kind of collective laughter makes people feel chills, because even at this time, no one is looking at Le Maire, they are still looking straight ahead, just with mocking smiles on their faces. Lemaire sat back in his seat annoyed. He felt the unfriendliness of these veterans, and the vague hostility made him sick, reminding him of the fraternity seniors who played tricks on the freshmen in college.The fraternity that Le Maire joined asked him to strip naked in public and soak himself in a huge bathtub. He couldn't breathe for a minute, and when the minute was up, the senior students rushed to hold him in the bathtub and refused to let him go. He looks up.Le Maire struggled desperately. It was the only time in his life that he felt that he was going to die. It was a feeling that he never experienced in the army.It wasn't until he was about to pass out that the mischievous students lifted him out of the water and went up one by one to hug him and welcome him to the organization. Le Maire had spent years in college looking forward to graduating soon so he could get rid of those frat lunatics, and now he had the same thought.He thought he should find a reason to retire after this time. The train suddenly decelerated, and the metal wheels rubbed violently on the rails, decelerating with splashing sparks, making a screeching sound.The well-trained soldiers urgently grabbed the canvas belt around them to prevent their bodies from being thrown out by the huge inertia.The lights in the compartment dimmed, as if the sudden deceleration had caused a bad contact in the transformer. In the locomotive cabin, the lieutenant was thrown and rolled on the ground.But his body was extremely flexible, and he quickly rolled over and stood up again. At this time, the train had come to a hard stop. "What happened?" Colonel Hasimodo rushed to the operating table. "We followed the guidance of this 'Mercury? GPS' before, but now I can't operate like this." The sergeant operating the locomotive shook his head and pointed to the screen, "It instructed us to go to the left side of the road, and the crossing has been automatically closed. But I can't do that." "Why?" The colonel frowned. "The track on the right leads to the next station, but the track on the left is not a road at all. Colonel, do you see the sign there? My father was a locomotive operator, and so was I. I know any sign on the railroad, and that sign says There is just a parking rail for temporarily parking trains. Generally, such a rail can be several hundred meters long, and the longest can be up to one kilometer. But without exception, the end must be an isolation pier, and the rail ends there. , you can’t move forward unless you hit a concrete pier!” The sergeant became angry, looking at the unknown global positioning navigation system “Mercury? GPS”, “Is this thing reliable? According to its instructions, we It should still be moving at high speed, there is a railway track leading to a small town called Fernance in front of it, but there is no railway track here, and the only thing waiting for us ahead is the isolation pier that can make us roll over!" The colonel looked ahead through the car window. They had already driven into the empty Frantis North Station, where the railroad tracks branched into dozens of parallel tracks, twisted like iron snakes.Less than twenty meters in front of them was a branch, the rails reflected the cold moonlight, and the one on the left crossed the other rails, going north by east, with no end in sight. "I'll go down and take a look. Wait a minute." The colonel straightened the collar of his military uniform. "I'll go too." The lieutenant touched the gun on his waist. "Okay, but I don't think it's dangerous. It's too quiet here, and there's no human breath." The colonel said lightly. They jumped down and felt the cold wind blowing from the north when they landed. Even though they were wearing thick military uniforms, they still couldn't help shivering. The colonel walked a few steps along the railroad tracks, stopped, and silently looked at the abandoned train station ahead.The huge steel structure looks like a gothic gloomy in the night, the lights of the train can't penetrate the darkness here, and the beam of light is quickly eroded and swallowed by the darkness. The wind blew the hem of the colonel's clothes, and he took off his hat and put it under his arm. The lieutenant stood beside him, trying to find some clues from everything around him.But he soon had to give up. He felt that he had to trek a kilometer along the track to see if there was a passage or a barrier that could smash the train to pieces. "I have to check it out," the lieutenant looked at his watch, "but it might be too late." "Don't look at it," the colonel suddenly turned around and walked towards the locomotive cabin, "let's move on." "But..." The lieutenant stumbled a few steps to catch up with him. "Keep going, we have been ordered to go ahead." The colonel said calmly, "Even if there is a barrier ahead, we can only go on. You serve in the special forces of the Security Bureau, you have to understand this, soldiers are A weapon on the battlefield, a weapon does not ask why." They returned to the locomotive, and the colonel patted the sergeant on the shoulder, "Start the train, we're running out of time." "Colonel, I cannot accept this order!" insisted the sergeant. "Start the train," the colonel patted him on the shoulder again, "please believe me, if there are any consequences, I will bear all the responsibilities." The train started slowly, but there was no rush to increase the speed.The headlights illuminated the endless railroad track, and the sergeant tried his best to look forward with his eyes wide open, holding the brake engine tightly with his hands.The colonel glanced and saw that the sergeant looked nervous and his collar was slightly wet with sweat.He pulled the corners of his mouth and smiled, but didn't speak. A kilometer passed quickly, and they didn't see the isolation pier. The railroad track in front of them was still extending endlessly. They were already far away from the railroad network of Frantis North Station, and there was only one single track under their feet.The further they advanced, the deeper the roadbed of the railroad track, and finally sank into the ground, with half of the car body below the ground, as if walking through a trench. "Come on," ordered the colonel. "There will be no barriers. We'll follow this railroad to Fernance, though I don't know where that is." "My God, that damned railroad!" said the sergeant. "It's got the wrong sign!" "No, it's just a blindfold. The railway doesn't want strangers to know where it leads. Don't you notice? How can there be a parking track in disrepair with a shiny surface? It's really a branch. Fork, without this global positioning system, it would not be easy for us to find it." The colonel said lightly, "According to the condition of the railway track, this railway is still quite busy, and there are a lot of goods coming and going here quietly, right?" The lieutenant suddenly realized, "It turned out that I saw this when I got off the train. I thought we had to run a kilometer along the railway tracks." "No, I know that when I see the reflected moonlight," the colonel whispered. "I got out of the car just to smell the smell." He paused, "Only the smell of rust remains." The radar beeped, and the lieutenant glanced at it, then darted to the car window to look back.At Frantis North Station, which was already far away from them, there was an obvious beam of light and the faint sound of an engine. It was obvious that a light locomotive was approaching the abandoned train station. "Is it cooperating with our unit?" He tried to open the communication system, "Let me confirm their identities." "No need," the colonel pressed his hand, "it's the construction train of the engineering unit. I knew before departure that they will follow us here, but they will stop at Frantis North Station. They are not here to cooperate with us." Yes, they have other tasks." He turned to the sergeant. "Now speed up, we're in a hurry." 列车再次高速地前进起来，勒梅尔头顶的灯光却没有恢复，刚才的急刹车似乎让它的变压器不太好用了，灯管一闪一闪地泛着灰白的颜色。 “见鬼，这到底是哪里？”勒梅尔看向车窗外。 “没有人会回答我们的问题，不用操心，”龙巴尔语气飘忽，他翻着眼睛看着头顶上方的灯，“不过我讨厌这灯，看起来不是什么好兆头。” 车厢的另一侧，持有律师执照的军官将签署完毕的全部文件和士兵们的牙齿磁片记录一一对应之后封缄，塞入了黑色的钛合金保密箱，然后扣好锁死，最后他扳断了保密箱锁口的软金属条，把它沉入车厢尽头的金属隔离舱。这将使得没有人可以再打开这只保密箱，它的强度等同于飞机的黑匣子，可以耐受上千度的高温和剧烈撞击而不粉碎。 如果没有人活着回去，后来的人将可以根据这些文件调查这个行动中发生的一切。 Note: 兄弟会和姊妹会：欧美大学中的一类社团，一些兄弟会有捉弄新会员的传统，比如要求新会员在夜深人静的时候脱光衣服从校园的一头跑到另一头，又或者要求每个人都参加出格的群体活动，例如在肥皂泡一直堆到天花板的地下室里裸体舞蹈。 THREE 巴黎，爱丽舍宫。 黑色的沃尔沃轿车疾停在荣誉厅门前，手持一页传真信件的秘书钻出轿车，疾步而入。卫兵正要冲上来阻拦他，却被他以手势和眼神制止了，这个牛津大学法律系毕业的年轻人平时是和蔼低调的，总是微低着头跟在总统背后，不过此时他神色严厉，不容抗拒。 秘书上到二楼，停下来深深吸了一口气，沉默了一会儿，轻轻地敲响了小办公室的门。“请进。”和缓的老人声音从里面传来。 秘书谨慎地推开门，看见古色古香的办公桌上亮着绿色灯罩的旧式台灯，有些虚胖的总统平静地坐在办公桌后，缩在舒服的椅子里，双手交叉放在自己微微隆起的肚子上，似乎在思考。 “总统先生，我带来了您顾问团的紧急信件。”秘书说。 “是关于我们在费尔南斯的行动么？”总统问。 “是，所有顾问都强烈要求您立刻下令终止这次行动，否则真相如果暴露，会给法国的形象造成难以预料的影响，对您个人的影响当然更加严重！”秘书压低了声音，但是无比坚决，“顾问们希望立刻见您，这是他们传真过来的联署信件。” 总统和蔼地笑了，接过信件，却并没有看，把它扣在了桌子上，“托克维尔，我非常感谢你对我个人的关心。” 他顿了顿，“是真诚的道谢。不过你们所猜想的真相距离事实还很遥远，可惜我不能对你说得太多，这对你个人的前途将产生很不利的影响。如果你不犯和我一样的错误，将来你会是一个出色的政治家。” 这个老人显得有些感慨，“我们这次并非在协助LMA，而是在挽回自己的错误，为此我们调动了保密局的作战部队，这样大规模的秘密行动，大概是历史上仅有的。但是我们并没有选择的机会，这一点我已经思考了很久，我向你保证我的判断是理性而审慎的。法国历来的政治家总是难免会犯一些错误，崇拜一些虚幻的东西，并且总是心怀着某种浪漫，要把虚幻的崇拜变成现实。” 他以手指抓了抓稀疏的眉毛，露出了歉疚的样子，“我觉得我一向是个理性的人，但是在费尔南斯这件事上，我犯了和其他政治家一样的错误。我们不该和LMA合作，我们不该觊觎我们无法操纵的力量，现在是最后的机会抹掉这个错误。” “总统先生……”秘书觉得自己准备好的一切理由现在都变成了多余的，这个和蔼的老人在他面前歉疚地挠着眉毛，但是却如同一堵不可穿越的墙。“我不看顾问们的信了，这封信是我的，我刚刚准备好，请代我对外公布它。”总统递过一个信封。 秘书迟疑地看着手中的信。 “是我和我负责组阁的整个政府的辞职信，与其等着被人弹劾或者若干年后这件事的真相暴露被人吐唾沫在脸上，还不如早点辞职。”总统微笑着，笑容苍老，“而保密局的行动，决不能停止！” Note: 荣誉厅；爱丽舍宫正厅，通常用于外国元首的接待。 FOUR 列车缓缓地停靠在月台边，上校脱去了他的呢子军服，套上了作战夹克，中尉为他扣紧了防弹头盔的卡隼。 汽动车门缓缓打开，上校第一个跳了下去，站在空旷的月台上，面对着这个简陋的临时车站。他的身后，保密局的精锐们手持突击步枪鱼贯而出，多年的合作训练让他们毫不停息地组成了防御的队形，前排的人手持防弹盾牌，后排的士兵平端着战术武器，他们携带了单兵导弹和掷弹筒，可以毁灭一支装甲机动部队。武器上的光源把车站照得亮如白昼。 可是他们视野里除了战友没有任何人，他们根本就是对着一个空无一人的车站。车站用铝合金的板材搭建，简陋得像是工厂的卸货车间，一架中型的龙门吊车横跨在他们的头顶，除此之外就只有月台上孤零零的一个公用电话亭。 士兵们惊疑地看着彼此，上校推开自己面前的防弹盾牌走了出去。 “真是个让人不舒服的地方。”中尉紧跟在他身后，“地图上没有这个城市，军用地图上显示它是一片等待开发的区域，将在两年内开始建设一个小型卫星城。” “我们没有找错地方，”上校指着高处，“那个牌子说明一切了，这里就是我们的目的地，我们赶到的时间刚好。” 中尉随着他的手指看去，车站上方简约的地名牌——“费尔南斯市”。“这里能算一个城市？”中尉环顾周围，“像是一个工厂一类的东西。”“看对面就知道。”上校缓缓地走了出去，靠前的防御队形跟随他推进。 他们走近那面十余米高的铝合金墙壁，从唯一的一扇窗户看出去，不远处是座灯火通明的城市。这座城市的规模似乎并不大，位于一个洼地的中央，远看去结构整饬，城市里所有光源似乎都是打开的，明亮的地光几乎吞噬了星光，也把这座城市照得异常虚幻。 中尉吸了口气，脸部肌肉跳了一下，“像是传说中的鬼城。” 所有人的感觉都是相同的，这座灯火通明的城市太寂静了，静得令人心惊胆战，没有任何证据证明有活的东西生存在这里。 “各单位保持警戒，收缩队形不要散开。”上校低声道。 “是攻击目标么？”中尉压低了声音，“那里面不像有人的样子。” “也许是都死了。”上校摇头，“我们在这里等待进一步的命令。” 中尉摇头，“尝试过所有的无线电波段了，无法和外界建立联系。这里存在一个大功率的全频带的无线电通讯干扰，不知道是人为的还是某种干扰源太强。” “是人为的，一种伪装得很好的无线电全屏蔽系统。我们被封闭在这里了，看来他们不希望有任何消息外传。”上校放大了声音，“准备防毒面罩，所有人！” 在这里无线电通讯系统完全无法使用，他要让自己的声音被3000人听到。 金属摩擦的轻微声音从某个地方传来，防御的队形猛地出现了波动。这些训练有素的士兵绝大多数都曾在战场上出生入死，他们所受的训练令他们足以分辨轻微的响动是否来自自己的队友。所有光源同时转向一个方向，上百枝突击步枪也指向了同一方向。 上校猛地扬起手，却没有挥下去，士兵们扣紧了扳机，他们的武器都是打开了保险的。 铝合金的护墙上，一扇极为隐蔽的门整个地倒了下去，溅起淡淡的灰尘。隐藏在后面的人暴露了出来，对方竖着一面防弹盾牌，几枝枪管从防弹盾牌的上方和左右探了出来，指向保密局特别部队的士兵们。 这是完全不成比例的对峙，一方上百枝枪，一方只有隐隐约约的几个人影藏在盾牌后，而强势的一方后面还有数千精锐。 不过人少的一方并不慌乱，在这样炽烈的光源汇聚之下，普通人根本睁不开眼睛才对。可是盾牌周围的枪管纹丝不动，持枪的人无论身体素质还是心理素质都令人惊叹不已。 士兵们没有开枪，尽管对方表露出敌意，但是他们立刻就发现那些持枪的人只是一些孩子，防弹盾牌没能完全遮挡他们尚未长成的身形。他们大约十四五岁，是几个男孩，目光警觉，却又冷静漠然，看不出任何的慌乱。 被那些孩子围绕的，却是一个“年纪稍长的年轻人”。他是唯一一个没有持武器的人，被一群孩子包围保护着，眼睛里透出惊惧不安的神色。他用胳膊遮挡着眼睛，不断地尝试眯着眼睛去看这支军队的徽记，不过在炽烈的光源下，他这种努力完全是无效的。 “法国保密局特务第一团，哈西莫多上校，你们是什么人？为什么在这里？”上校尽量保持声音的平静温和。 “保密局？保密局的军队为什么会来这里？”被孩子们包围的年轻人迟疑地发问。 “这不是你们应该问的问题，这里是法国领土，我接受命令在这里执行法国军方的任务，有权要求你们迅速提供你们的身份。”上校冷冷地打量着这些人。他目光扫过那个不安的年轻人，然后是他身边手持突击步枪的金发男孩，而保持半蹲姿势的男孩则显得壮实异常，他所持的是一柄单手操作的乌兹冲锋枪，那需要很大的臂力操控，本不是孩子可以用的……最后上校和手持防弹盾牌的孩子对视了一眼，他忽然有种极不舒服的感觉，那个瘦削的男孩像是一个亚洲人，笔直的黑短发凌乱地披散，一双漆黑的眼睛冷冷地和上校对视，丝毫没有退让的意思。他的手里是一柄柯尔特手枪，裸露的手臂很瘦，青筋毕露，他的枪口稳稳地指向上校的眉心正中，面对上百枝突击步枪，他似乎并不因为自己的武器处于劣势而担心。相反，上校感觉到一种极其可怕的信心，那个孩子的眼神令他相信，如果他下令开枪，在被乱枪洞穿之前，孩子也会开枪打中自己的眉心。只需要一颗子弹，有一次扣动扳机的机会，就绝不会失去目标。 上校觉得这个世界像是忽然疯了，从深夜保密局令人不安的行动命令，到标记错误的铁路，再到这个鬼城一样的目的地，还有这帮手持制式武器的男孩。 “你们的任务……不是来杀我们？”年轻人问。 “我们是军队，不是西部牛仔，杀人不是我们的职责，但是你们需要提供自己的身份证明。” “太好了，”年轻人如释重负，“谢天谢地，我们终于等到了你们，虽然已经晚了。” “放下武器，我们现在安全了。”他对那些孩子们说。 他夺过那个黑发孩子手里的防弹盾牌扔在地上，高举双手过头，“我们这里有两个人急需救治，你们有随队的医生吗？要快！其中一个孩子身体的状况很不好。” 男孩们迟疑了一下，也纷纷抛下了武器，举起了双手。上校的目光越过这些人，看见他们背后的地上放着两具担架，担架上躺着两个人。 黑发的男孩却没有动，他仍旧死死地盯着上校，举枪指着上校的眉心。他的眼睛里满是警惕和不信任，嘴唇的线条绷得紧紧的，有种硬得像石头般的顽固。 “是头野兽。”上校心里想。 “西奥！西奥！放下枪！那不是敌人！伊芙和伊瑞娜需要救治，你还不明白么？”年轻人上去扳住黑发孩子的手。 黑发孩子冷冷地看了他一眼，最终没有挣扎，任凭自己手里的枪被夺去扔在地下。可是他只是轻轻甩了一下手臂就摆脱了年轻人，很明显以他的力量和敏捷，那个看起来远比他强壮的年轻人是不可能制住他的。 士兵们小心地围了上去，先是踢开了枪支，然后扭住了这些来路不明的孩子和那个年轻人。 上校忽然听见了什么声音，脸颊的肌肉跳了跳，神情骤然紧张起来。 引擎轰鸣声从远处急速地逼近，“山地鹰”武装直升机巨大的影子几乎是立刻出现在月台的正上方，它悬停在那里，缓缓地下降。单兵导弹和突击步枪立刻指向空中，这架直升机同样来路不明，漆黑的机身上看不见法国空军的标志，没有无线电通讯，也无从核实来者的身份。 “保持警戒！不得开枪！”上校仰头看着空中下令。 “应该是和我们进行任务对接的官员。”中尉跟在他身后。 “也许是，不过，应该没那么简单，注意看机身上的标志。”上校眯着眼睛，冷冷地说。 “镰刀和沙漏？”中尉看清了，黑色机身上，用很贴近黑色的深褐色标记着看似古老的徽记。 “是的，这和我得到的这张卡上的花纹是相同的。”上校从军服的上衣口袋里抽出了那张磁卡，“这种东西的制式不是保密局的，我想可能来自于第三方。” 山地鹰刚刚落在地面上，双层螺旋桨还在急速地转动着鼓起呼啸的狂风，一个人影已经打开机舱门跳了出来。他干练高挑，一身纯黑色的中长风衣，风衣的衣摆在狂风中呼啦啦急振。他一手抄在口袋里，一手拉紧了领口防止风灌进去，坚毅地走向了上校。 他走近了，上校看见那是一个银灰色头发和瞳孔的中年人，眼睛在灯光汇聚中像是银一般亮。 “内森·曼，LMA特权检察官。”男人向着上校伸出了手，“哈西莫多上校？” “哈西莫多·托莫米。”上校冷冷地看了一眼来客，并没有去握他的手，“你的名字对我没有任何意义。你是谁？带着什么样的授权而来？我接到紧急命令带领四个标准团的作战部队在这里集合，并没有指令让我和一个叫做内森·曼的人碰面。在这个无线电被全屏蔽的地方，我如何相信你。” 男人抽回了手，并不介意上校的冷漠，“我们预计到了这个问题，我的任何证件此时都不具备说服力，不过无线电屏蔽并不足以隔绝全部的对外联络。” "Is it?" “我们还有电话。从贝尔发明第一部电话机开始，金属导线就是最可靠的电波传输媒介，它不能被屏蔽。铺设这条铁路的时候，有一组铜线被埋在铁轨下方，”男人比了一个手势，“上校，请跟我来。” 男人引导着上校来到那个简陋的公用电话亭前。 “公用电话机？”上校皱了皱眉。 “整个费尔南斯，有十二部电话被特许使用这组铜线，这部恰好就是其中之一，因为它是铁路月台上的唯一一部有线电话。我们想过紧急的时候这可能有用，很不幸，我们的担心应验了。”男人说，他笑了笑，却没法给人任何喜悦的感觉，“不用投币的。” 他摘下话筒，迅速输入极其复杂的密码，短暂的沉默后，上校听见话机中传来了“嘟”的准备音。 男人缓慢地输入了一个号码，他似乎是刻意要让上校看清楚。上校也确实看清楚了，那个号码指向他的直接上级——保密局特种部队的汤姆逊将军，也是从汤姆逊将军那里，他得到了这次任务的紧急命令。 男人把话筒凑在耳边，“将军，我是内森·曼，我已经到达，我现在就和哈西莫多上校站在一起，我希望您再次和他确认这次行动。” 他把话筒递给了上校。 上校拿着话筒，微微迟疑了一下，贴在了耳朵上。 “上校，你的任务是配合曼博士，他对你的指令将和我的命令一样有效。此外，我们获得授权，可以对一切无法鉴别其身份的目标开火。”电话对面的人停顿了一刻，着重强调，“这条指令非常简单，我想你能够明白我的意思，上校。” 上校熟悉这个声音，连用词和语序的习惯都一模一样，那属于汤姆逊将军。唯一的不同，只是他能感觉到一贯冷静的将军此时有明显的焦虑。 “我明白，我只有一个问题，”上校低声问，“谁给予的这项授权？” “你无需知道是谁，我只能告诉你总统已经签署了我传真给你的那份文件，而我将以个人名义保证我对我在此所说的一切负责。” “将军，我希望你明白，这不是战争时期，对于目标不加鉴别地开火，这等同于谋杀！即使从宪法而言，也不可能允许这种行为，保密局的纪律也不会允许您把指挥权授予其他任何代理人，何况这个代理人的身份无法被证明。” “这里是军队，宪法在这里不生效。”将军沉默了一会儿，压低了声音，“上校，不必犹豫了，总统府的专员现在就守在我的门外，对我而言，也是没有选择的。这是一件很特殊的任务，我唯一能告诉你的是：对待这个任务，请如同对待战争一样。你现在所做的一切是为了法兰西，为了共和国。请相信我，也请相信曼博士，他愿意飞往费尔南斯和你一起执行这个任务，本身已经说明了他的诚意。” “对方是大人物吧？”上校这么说着的时候，抬起眼睛直视对面的那个男人，男人也以毫不躲闪的目光回看着他。 “当然，是大人物。而他现在应该就站在你的面前。祝你好运，上校。”将军挂断了电话。 上校拿着电话沉默了很久，对男人点了点头，“我已经明白了我的任务，曼博士。我将服从你，你是大人物，我的上司这么告诉我。” “大人物？这是个笑话吧？”男人面无表情，“一个大人物会被派到这里来么？执行一项没有选择的任务？” 上校挂上了话筒，“请指示我们任务。” “很简单，保卫这个车站，对试图夺取它的所有人作战。”男人低声说，“他们一定会来的，因为这是逃离这里的最大机会。” “你是说这座城市里还有人？” “有，但是不多了。绝大部分的人都已经死去，我们来得已经晚了。” “那么，”上校问，“我们有多少敌人？这里有四个全副武装的标准团，一共3650人，算上我。我要知道我们有多少敌人。” “250人，或者更少，但是绝对不会多于这个数字。” “250人？”上校不相信这个数字，对付这样一个数字的敌人调动如此之多的军队，简直是个笑话。 “但都是真正的敌人，做好准备，对于他们而言，一道被撕裂的防线相当于屠宰场，”男人紧紧地盯着上校的眼睛，“所以请相信我现在说的话，唯一的战略，是在防线被冲破前用重武器给予压倒性的攻击，不必吝惜子弹，否则你们就是不吝惜自己的生命。” “意思是说我们只能在死和开枪之间二选一？” "I think so." “难怪汤姆逊将军说这就是战争。” 男人微微点头，“请原谅我的失礼。” 他转身面对那些孩子们，孩子们从他出现的第一刻起目光就不曾离开他。双方对视的时候不约而同地站得笔直，围绕他们的士兵感觉到了这些人目光中的郑重。亮得刺眼的光照中，孩子们从高到矮默默地排队，他们中有的人穿着类似军服的贴身制服，有的人则穿上了防弹背心，而那个黑发的东方男孩，他仅仅穿着医院里派发给病人的那种白色棉衣，这件宽大的袍子罩在他的身上，被风吹着，显出他袍子下瘦骨嶙峋的身形。而每个孩子都昂首挺胸，目光直视前方，绷紧了面颊，这让士兵们想起了他们接受检阅的场景。 男人猛地立正，行了一个有力的军礼，“辛苦你们了！” 孩子们整齐划一地举起手，以军礼回敬，强悍有力的动作让他们看起来完全不像是十四五岁的孩子。 “看见你们还活着，真是由衷地高兴。”男人低声说。 带领孩子们的年轻人近前，“我们尽了全部的努力，但是只带出这些人，两个女孩受伤了。其他的人……他们大概已经疯了。” “我在得到消息的时候已经大致明白了事情的经过，我在飞机上查阅了费尔南斯城内所设置的监视器记录。不是你们的失职，因为你们完成了自己的任务。”男人上去握紧了他的手。 年轻人虚弱地笑了，“可是……” 莫可名状的悲戚在一瞬间占据了他的心，他低头下去捂住脸，手指插进头发里。 “片山，谢谢你。”男人上去抱住他的肩膀，用力拍击他的后背。 他挥了挥手，指示孩子们进入山地鹰的机舱。孩子们排列成对，踏着整齐的步伐登机，那个黑发的东方男孩走在最后，他低头看着地面。上校注视着他，看见细细的血线从他袍子的袖口里缓缓地流了下来，而这个孩子像是完全感觉不到疼痛。 “西奥，我的孩子，”男人和他擦肩而过的时候，低声说，“你还好么？” 男孩猛地立正站住，目视前方，“我没有事，只是小伤。” “真高兴看见你平安无事。”男人笑笑，“飞机上有医生，要听医生的。” “明白！”男孩清晰有力地回答，“还有伊瑞娜，她也受了伤，她晕过去了。一起冲出来的时候被大口径枪弹击中，多亏穿了防弹衣，不过受的冲击还是太大。” “她也会没事的，”男人微微顿了一下，“伊芙呢？” 男孩的脸抽搐了一下，“他们……想杀死她。” “你保护了她么？” 男孩点了点头。 男人再次微笑，摸了摸他的头，“你是个好孩子，我一直相信你会做到，所以来的路上我并不担心。” 男孩走向了机舱，两具担架跟在他身后，上校看清楚了，那上面是两个差不多年纪的女孩，她们的脸色都是失血般的苍白，安静得如同入睡。她们的头发柔软地垂在额前，乍一看像是孪生的姐妹。 担架上了飞机，男孩却站住了，他回过头来，“他们把我们看成敌人了……为什么？” 男人微微叹了一口气，“西奥，被看做敌人并非什么可怕的事，每个人都有自己的目标、选择不同的道路，所