Chapter 4 the magic of gold

The black panther brought the man into the house, closed the door carefully, and nodded to the master: "Here, this is the guy." Then he took off the huge sunglasses for the comer, and tore off the two circular pieces stuck on his eyes. Tape.The tape is hidden behind the sunglasses and is invisible to outsiders.The visitor rubbed his eyes and blinked vigorously to adapt to the dim light in the room. This is a middle-aged man in ordinary clothes, about 50 years old, and he is the kind of ordinary being who "falls in the crowd and cannot be picked up".The clothes are neat, but obviously cheap, gray shirt, blue trousers, and a pair of artificial leather shoes on the feet.His facial features are well-proportioned, but they seem to be lacking in maintenance, his skin is rough, there are loose eye bags under his eyes, and there are slight silver threads in his black hair.A medium-sized leather bag was tucked in the crook of the left arm.He has now adapted to the light in the room, calmly looking at the people in the room.

The boss Hu Zongyao, nicknamed Hu Laizi.His left leg was injured in a fight, leaving him permanently disabled.Boss Hu raised his chin at the panther, and asked in a cold tone, "Have you checked?" The panther chuckled and said, "I checked it thoroughly, even picked in the anus and mouth, to ensure that there is nothing tricky in him - except for this shit time machine. He is so precious that I won't let me check it." "Then—" the boss glanced at the "shit machine", and asked the person calmly, "You are that Professor Ren Zhongjian, and you are looking for me all over the world these days?"

The visitor didn't answer directly, but said in a steady voice, "I think you should ask me to sit down first, I'm not used to standing up and talking." Cripple Hu was taken aback for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "Yes, sir, please sit down." He said mockingly, "Professor, don't joke, we are rough people, and we can't remember these stinky rules of the upper class." Professor Ren sat on the old sofa next to him, put his leather bag beside him, and calmly looked at everything in front of him.This Boss Hu looked forty-six or seventeen years old. He was thin and short. He was dry and skinny, with deep wrinkles, sunken eye sockets, and his gaze was as sharp as a razor.Unexpectedly, the king of thieves, who is famous all over the world and the police offered a reward of 1 million yuan for his capture, looks like this. The photos on the arrest warrant can't show his "spiritual charm".

The muscular young man behind him, the Black Panther, is also on the reward list, and is the golden partner of the Thief King in recent years.Like the thief king, he is famous in the underworld for his decisive and ruthless actions.However, it may be a little unfair to say that they are cruel.The pair of thieves have always abided by the morality of thieves, taking money and not killing their lives—unless they have to.When forced to do so, they will not hesitate or blame themselves for murder and arson. The light in the room was dim, and the windows were tightly covered with black cloth curtains, like a deep cave, but there was no dark and damp atmosphere.Occasional car horns can be heard outside the window.Judging from the nearly horizontal direction of the sound source, this is probably the first floor of a bungalow or building.

Boss Hu stood up from the armchair, limped, took out a can of beer from the refrigerator in the corner of the room, and handed it to the guest, with a smirk on his lips: "We have to be courteous when we treat high-class guests. Please drink it. Now let's get down to business, What can you teach me, sir?" Professor Ren opened the aluminum ring and slowly tasted the beer. "I'm a scholar." He said nonchalantly, "not only refers to the personal experience, but also refers to the heart. My heart was once filled with such serious things as integrity, shame, and a gentleman's poverty."

Cripple Hu glanced at him, but praised him with his tongue: "Yes, those are good goods, worthy of being placed in a shrine. But why did you find me? Are you helping the police arrest me?" Professor Ren continued on his own: "Unfortunately, I didn't realize that these things were too expensive and extravagant until the year when I knew my destiny. I found that in this money-worshiping society, Many things can be easily sold in exchange for money, such as personality, shame, chastity, kinship, faith, power, love, friendship, etc., but the two things I value the most seem to never be related to Marshal Zhao Gong, and that is talent and honest labor."

Boss Hu looked at the Black Panther and asked with a smile, "So, according to Mr. Ren, what are we betraying?" Ren Zhongjian said coldly: "Compared to today's giants and greedy people, you can only be regarded as small characters, not worth mentioning." But as far as I'm concerned, it seems unlikely that those who play the crown will be punished in this world. This is very sad-after all, we no longer believe in a false afterlife. So-" He announced slowly, " I am going to nirvana in the fire, and I have to change the course. The world is turbid, why don't you stir up the mud and make waves? Everyone is drunk, why don't you feed the rot and drink the wine?"

Although he spoke too politely, the meaning was clear.Only then did the thief king and the black panther start to raise their spirits: "That's right, wouldn't it be over if you said so earlier? Come on, do you have a big business deal with us?" Professor Ren nodded: "Yes, there is a big business." He smiled slightly, "But first I want to find out what this place is. I turned a few times around the district and the suburbs, but I was born with a magnetic sense and could tell directions blindly. According to my judgment, this place is still in the urban area, roughly in the north of the urban area, am I right?"

The thief king's face changed slightly.This is one of his secret lairs, and it seems that he will not dare to use it in the future.He looked back at the panther coldly, and the panther whispered unconvinced: "Impossible! I drove the car and turned at least 30 turns!" Professor Ren said with a smile: "As long as you can feel the direction of each turn and estimate the distance between every two turns, your brain can automatically integrate the path you take. This kind of integration can also be done by the ant brain. Okay. , let’s not talk about these digressions.” He pointed to the window on the left, “I guess this should be the north side, right. If you open the window, you can see an 18-story bank building.”

The thief king said with admiration: "That's right, let's go on." "There is a huge vault in the basement of the building, which is the strategic inventory of several provinces in the north of the Yangtze River. There is so much gold there that it is placed on the open shelves, and the strange light flickers, making you unable to open your eyes." The thief king already felt the tension of the battle, or rather the hunger for gold, his mouth was dry, and the adrenaline began to secrete faster: "Speak, continue." "It's a pity that there is a lot of security-a monolithic shell made of concrete, a one-meter-thick steel door, and 24-hour armed guards. There are five checkpoints to enter the warehouse, including pass, password and fingerprint verification. There are two on the steel door. The lockholes that are three meters apart must be opened by two people at the same time. There is a sensitive sound pickup device in the house, and even a slight breathing sound can be amplified into a thunderous sound and automatically trigger an alarm. Although you are famous Thief King and Thief Commander, I don’t think you can do anything about it—I’m afraid you can’t even think about it.”

Hei Panther could hear the contempt in his tone, and was about to explode with his face flushed, when the cripple slightly shook his head to stop him: "Yes, we haven't been able to go in, and we dare not even think about it. Can you?" "I can't even get in. But I have this thing." He proudly held up the leather bag, "Time Traveler." Thief and Panther exchanged skeptical looks: "Time traveler? I know, I've seen it in sci-fi movies. I've also heard about Einstein's theory of relativity..." Professor Ren cut off his words unceremoniously: "I don't think you can understand the theory of relativity with your level of knowledge, so there is no need to waste time on the mechanism of time travel. Fortunately, my time travel machine has succeeded, and you can try it on the spot. Come to the most direct and clear experiment, so that you can draw a clear conclusion with your knowledge level." "This bastard!" The thief king cursed bitterly in his heart, "It seems that he doesn't want to let go of every opportunity to show his contempt for us two." But he held back his anger and said coldly: "Okay, how will the experiment be carried out?" "Test it on the spot." The professor said confidently, opened the leather bag, and took out a gleaming silver instrument.The instrument is slightly larger than the palm, in the shape of a snail shell, with smooth curves, and the light can be discerned. There is a hand-shaped depression on the front.He put his palm flat on the depression, and the machine beeped twice immediately, and the indicator light began to flash.The Thief King and the Black Panther couldn't help tensing their muscles—who knows if this is a police trap?Who knows if a strong anesthetic will spray out of it?Panther had already quietly pulled out his pistol, but the Thief King signaled him to put it in.He didn't want to be underestimated by this "scholar".Moreover, it is strange to say that even though the person who came here took the initiative to join the underworld and came to discuss the business of robbing houses.But he still felt that the other party was an upright gentleman who would not engage in those despicable plots. Professor Ren adjusted the dial of the machine carefully: "Okay, please pay attention. Please keep your eyes on me." He raised his head and emphasized again, "Have you kept your eyes on me?" "I'm keeping an eye on it." The two said in confusion, "What's wrong?" "Now I'm going to disappear. Please keep an eye on me, I'm going to disappear." Under the eyes of the two, he smiled and pressed a button, and immediately - he disappeared, together with the chair under him, disappeared completely Clean and neat.Only the air where he was originally vibrated slightly, forming an almost human-shaped air lens, and this distortion quickly disappeared. The remaining two were dumbfounded.This is not magic. Magicians must use props and play tricks, which are generally difficult to escape the thief's eyes.But at this moment, without any intermediate process, a living person really disappeared from the gaze of the two!The two looked at each other in blank dismay, looking around.One minute, two minutes... Hu Zongyao called softly: "Mr. Ren? Mr. Ren?" Five minutes later, Professor Ren reappeared, still sitting where he was, without changing his posture.He seemed pleased with the shock he had caused them both, with a smile on his lips.The thief king said in awe, "Sir, what kind of blindfold did you use?" "I didn't use any tricks, I'm still in the same place, just back to yesterday's hour." "Nonsense!" Black Panther couldn't help shouting, "We were here all the time last night, why didn't we see you?" The professor glanced at him coldly: "Who said he didn't see it? I chatted with you two for a while. When you two saw me popping up suddenly, you were as surprised as—" He held back the smile on his lips, "Just now Rabbits who survived the gun." "Nonsense! Pure nonsense! Don't you take us for fools. If I saw you yesterday, why don't I forget today?" The professor interrupted him bluntly: "Because you have branched in the universe, the one sitting here now is 'this' black panther who came from the normal river of time, not the one who encountered the time traveler yesterday 'That' Black Panther. Please shut up." He frowned, "I don't want to detract from your intelligence, I know you're both great characters in your line of work. But I honestly don't trust you guys. Can understand the philosophical issues in time reversal. Now please decide." He stared at the thief king and said, "Shall we spend half a year discussing these philosophies, or use this machine to do some practical things?" The thief king was obviously very confused, but he quickly jumped out of the confusion, shook his head and said in conviction: "Let it be Mr. Ren, don't expect our pig heads to figure these things out. But I trust Mr. Trust's machine, because He really disappeared from under our noses just now, this matter cannot be faked." Professor Ren also looked at him appreciatively, with a sense of heroism: "Yes, Mr. Hu's thinking is straightforward, and he can grasp the key to the problem at once." Black Panther was still not convinced, but he sneered and listened with an attitude of delusion.The thief king smiled gently: "Mr. Ren, I believe in your time machine. But, what does this have to do with the vault? Can you use it to pass through walls and steel doors?" "No, of course not. You can't even wear a window screen with it. Because it can only travel in time and not jump in space. But with a time machine, we are free, we can use a certain trick, use a certain An ingenious way." "What's the trick? Please advise." "When was this bank building built, do you know?" The thief king was puzzled by this question, and said a little impatiently: "I don't know, why should I inquire about this?" "It was built in 1982 and completed in 1984. So, we can go back to before 1982, and then, on that time section, we can move freely in space..." The thief king understood the meaning of the professor very keenly: "You mean, go back to before 1982 from somewhere other than the bank, and then go from there to the place where the vault will be built. Because there was no vault at that time, so There are no restrictions on where we can go. Then, when we get to the center of the vault in the future, and use the time machine to go back to the present—by then we will already be in the vault, right?" "Yes, your brain is very clever." Professor Ren praised sincerely, just like complimenting his favorite student in class, "But you don't have to go back to the present, you just need to go back to the old days of 'the treasury is built and the gold is deposited' Any moment will do." "Then... stand in place with the gold, and then start the time machine to go back to before 1982, we can walk out of the vault gate freely! Because there were no vaults and vault gates at all! Mr. Ren, I'm right Right?" He waited impatiently for the teacher's judgment. "Exactly." The teacher smiled. The king of thieves couldn't help laughing loudly, his laughter shook the roof tiles: "Wonderful, it's really wonderful! Besides, after getting the gold, you don't even have to go back to the present - although this business is done flawlessly, you have to worry about it after all, don't you?" ?Let's just go back to some time 'before the gold was stolen' and have a good time. The gold at that time has not been lost yet, and the Leizi can't help but watch us spend money. Who will be caught in the theft case after the next year, right?" "That's right in principle. But... I still want to go back to the present." The professor said with dark eyes, "I want the 'now' wife and children to enjoy it. They have suffered too much in this life." The Thief King patted Hei Bao's shoulder proudly: "It's wonderful, it's really wonderful! If you do this, those Leizis will have nowhere to bite their mouths." Black Panther believed it too, and smiled hehe.The king of thieves laughed enough, and then sat back on the chair: "Mr. Ren, it's a wonderful idea, but there is still a little omission." "What omission?" "The pickup system of the vault! No matter how sneaky we are, as soon as we enter the vault—I mean the vault that has been built with gold, the pickup system will sound the alarm and the guards will arrive immediately .” Professor Ren said calmly: "At that time we had already returned with the gold - but after all, it was too risky and too hasty. I have another idea to do it quietly. Seven years ago, on September 11, 1992, There was a problem with the pickup system in the vault, I couldn't fix it for a day, I was one of a few experts outside the banking system, and I was the one who figured it out, frankly, the next day It was fixed this morning." "That's when... you started thinking about it?" Strangely, after hearing this, Professor Ren seemed to have been whipped, and became a little angry from embarrassment: "Nonsense! At that time, I was so focused on finding faults that I never thought of such a despicable thought." The thief king despised his hypocrisy in his heart, and said with a sneer: "Really? That's a pity, otherwise, if you take the opportunity to get two out, you won't be poor for half your life as you said." At this time, the professor had controlled his emotions and shook his head calmly: "I really didn't have this idea at the time. The bank respected me and understood my value, so I wholeheartedly solved their problems. But even if I had the idea of ​​taking advantage of it, I couldn't do it. It's heavily guarded, we have to change all our clothes when we come in and out... let's not talk about that." He returned to the topic, "We can go back to the two days when the pickups didn't work, and strike when there is no one in the library." He Confidently said, "My machine is very accurate. In the time interval of a hundred years, the error of the return time will not be greater than three minutes." He explained with a smile, "I disappeared for five minutes just now, right. That's In order to leave enough time for you to be sure that I have disappeared. In fact, I can return the moment I disappear, or even return before disappearing, and let two Ren Zhongjian sit in front of you." He saw two With suspicious glances, he hurriedly stopped the conversation between the two, "With this time machine, you will have absolute freedom. It is difficult for outsiders to truly understand the beauty of this. But let's not talk about it, I'm afraid to say The clearer you are, the more confused you will be. Let's—according to your terms—let's talk about it. Please think again, there are still loopholes in this plan." The black panther whispered a few words in the thief king's ear, the thief king nodded, and smiled gently: "Mr. Ren, this plan is perfect. But both the black panther and I have a little doubt, a little doubt." A cold light flashed in his eyes, "According to Mr. Ren's plan, you can complete it by yourself. Why do you bother to find us? Why do you have to divide the gold you get into three parts? Mr. Ren is not born to eat alone ?” The eyes of the two were like a knife like lightning, closely watching the changes in the expressions of the guests.Professor Ren didn't answer right away, but he didn't panic in the slightest.After a long silence, he sighed and said, "The implementation of this plan still lacks a very crucial thing - the architectural drawing of the vault. I need to know the exact coordinates and elevation of the vault. The architectural drawing must be stored in the bank's archives now." The thief king immediately said: "This is easy, leave it to us!" The professor was silent for a long time, and then said in a dejected manner: "Actually, this is not the real reason why I came to you. Although I have no ability to steal this blueprint, I can go back to 1982 and 1983, which is the vault In those years when construction is underway, it is enough to secretly measure a few dimensions among the construction workers. Although it is a little troublesome, it can be done.” The thief king said coldly: "Then why don't you do this?" "I—" he said hesitantly, "I have considered myself an elite in society for decades, and I have accepted the prison of elite morality without resentment. Now I have fully realized and smashed the prison. I truly understand that once I get out This kind of self-imprisonment, how free people can live-but I am still not completely free. For example, I can be a high-ranking officer in this crime, but I don't want to do these ugly things 'with my own hands', just Like what Confucius said, 'a gentleman stays far away from the kitchen'." He smiled wryly, "Please don't be angry, I know my state of mind is ridiculous and despicable, but I can't overcome it yet." The thief king said coldly: "It doesn't matter, just follow the arrangement of the master - you will be a black high-ranking ginseng, and we will do the ugly business of killing people and stealing goods. Anyway, it is not the first time we have done it, so I am impatient and want to be a bitch at the same time." There is an archway." The thief king couldn't restrain his anger, but he had completely believed in this weird scholar so far.This neurotic guy would never be police bait.He ordered unceremoniously: "Okay, we've hitched together now. Black Panther, you get those blueprints within three days, and I'll stay here with Mr. Ren. Mr. Ren, please don't take any steps these days." Half a step into the room, otherwise... this is for your own good. Do you hear me clearly?" "Understood." Ren Zhongjian said calmly. The professor is an easy guest.I have been staying in the designated room for two days, most of the time lying on the bed with my hands behind my head, looking at the ceiling quietly.When eating, he would come down for ten or twenty minutes, eat quietly, never pick and choose the food, and then go back to bed.Hu Zongyao said half maliciously and half jokingly: "Your concentration is good. With such concentration, if a case breaks out tomorrow, you can squat on a fence. I can't do it. I'm born wild, and I would rather be shot than squat forever." Mr. Ren on the bed opened his eyes to look at him, and said calmly, "You won't stay forever. Based on the crimes you have committed over the years, it is already enough for three or five guns." Look at the anger in the thief king's eyes. He added calmly, "If I succeed this time, I'll be shot." "Then why are you still doing it? Aren't you afraid?" The professor narrowed his eyes again.The thief king waited for a while, thinking that he was unwilling to answer, so he was about to walk away. At this moment, the professor opened his eyes and said, "I don't know. I didn't expect to get to this point. I used to think highly of myself. I hate all kinds of crimes and scum in society. But I have seen too many crimes, especially those who go unpunished and arrogant. These realities destroy my faith bit by bit, until the last straw Put it on the back of a donkey and it suddenly collapses." After speaking, he closed his eyes again. At noon on the third day, the black panther came back with a smile and handed a bunch of blueprints to Professor Ren who was having lunch.The professor took the drawing and looked at him inquiringly.Black Panther smiled and said: "It went well, I didn't even try to steal it. I first called the bank's president Liu in the name of the president of a certain bank in Xinjiang, and said that I knew that the bank building was beautifully built, and I wanted to refer to them. President Liu agreed and asked me to come with formal procedures. I was too lazy to do those fake procedures, so I imitated President Liu's accent and called Miss Li, who was in charge of the file, and said, my friend is going to see you for something. , take care of it properly." The thief king boasted with a smile: "Yes, learning the accent is the black panther's unique skill." "Then I went directly to Ms. Li, invited her to Dasanyuan for a meal, praised her beauty, and bought her a pair of diamond earrings, and the next day she handed over the drawings to me for copying. " The professor sighed and said in a low voice, "Corruption everywhere, imbecility everywhere... Maybe you don't have to use the time machine, just find the vault guards and do the same." The black panther didn't realize that this was an irony, and said with wide eyes, "That's not allowed! Theft of a vault is no more secret than a blueprint. It's a matter of losing one's head. Who dares to sell this favor?" The thief king glared at him and told him to shut up.At this moment, the professor has lowered his head, carefully studied the floor plan of the vault, and carefully copied down the coordinates and elevation of the vault.Then he said with a dejected expression: "Everything is ready, you can start. But I want to explain something first. I borrowed the equipment from the research institute to make this machine. Due to limited financial resources, I can only build a low-power machine. .I reckon it'll be fine for time travel with three people, but I don't know how much more gold it can hold. Maybe we'll have to build a powerful enough machine." The thief king stared at him unceremoniously: "How much does it cost?" "Hold on tight... about 10 million yuan." The thief king sneered and said, "I can catch 10 million yuan, but frankly speaking, I will not offer incense until I see the real Buddha. I am afraid that someone will take the 10 million yuan and hide in the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms of the Tang and Han Dynasties. Where can I find you at that time? Let’s go, first try whether this low-power gadget works, and then talk about the future.” To the north of the bank building is the Qingshui River.Many tall buildings were built along the river, and the chimneys of the alcohol factory went straight into the sky, spewing thick yellow smoke continuously, and the light brown waste water was discharged into the river along the thick circular pipes, exuding a pungent smell.It was dusk, and there were hardly any people on the river bank.Professor Ren stood on the embankment, looked at the river and the willow forest on the opposite bank wistfully, and sighed: "It's been a long time since I came here. I remember that the water here was very clear in the past, and the willows flicked the water surface, and the small fish came and went leisurely. Crabs are crawling on the bed of the Baisha River. The waterwheels are running, and all the teahouses in the city come here to drink sweet water... In 1958, I was still washing iron sand here, and the school was closed, so I worked for two full months." "Iron sand? What iron sand?" Black Panther asked curiously.Professor Ren didn't answer, and the thief king said for him: "Smelting steel. There are iron mines in the upper reaches of here. The river has been scouring for many years, and the iron sand has been washed down and accumulated in a thin layer in the backwater. The people who pan the sand dig out the iron sand. , flattened on the sloping beach, and then washed with water, the lighter sand was washed away, leaving a thin layer of heavier iron sand... I was already six years old at the time, and I still remember this incident." "How much can I buy in a day?" Professor Ren looked away from a distance, and replied: "At that time, it was calculated on a group basis. A group of four people can buy two or three catties or four or five catties." The panther said sarcastically: "That's not as valuable as gold sand! Can these iron sands really make steel?" The king of thieves answered for the professor again: "Bullshit!...let's get down to business." The professor stopped talking, and took out a compass and a laser rangefinder from the small suitcase.He took out the drawings again, compared the shape of the building, carefully found the location of the vault center, and measured the distance with a range finder: "Now, the vault center is 352.5 meters south of us, and I'm going to start the time machine. Wait for us Going back to a certain year in the past, let’s say 1958, just walk 352.5 meters straight south from where we stand now, and that’s where we’re going—whether it’s wild sagebrush bushes or vegetable fields at that time.” Both Thief King and Black Panther were somewhat nervous, nodded and said, "I see, let's get started." "No, Black Panther, dig up this small tree first. After the time machine starts, it will bring everything above the ground within a radius of one meter. This tree is too cumbersome." "Okay!" The panther glanced around and ran eastward. After a while, he returned from a farmyard with an ax, and he didn't know whether it was borrowed or stolen.He cut off the three-meter-high poplar tree three times and five times, and dragged it aside: "Can you? Let's start." "Okay, I'm going to start." The professor put the rangefinder and compass back into the leather bag, hung them on his body, and carefully reviewed the parameters on the dial. "Go back to 1958, it's safer. June 1, 1958, 5:30 p.m. It's easier to work at this time." Neither of them objected, looking at him impatiently.The professor gently pressed the start button. With a plop, the three of them plummeted from a height of two meters into the water.The black panther fell on his back, gulped down a few sips of water.He struggled and cursed angrily, "What's wrong with this?" Fortunately, the water here is only waist deep.The two did not fall. The professor held the time machine high, his face pale with shock, and he took a long time to catch his breath: "It must be that the river course has changed in the past 41 years. We are still at the starting point. This is the section where we stood in 1999." River embankment. Damn, I was negligent, didn't expect the river to change so much in only 41 years - thank God, the time machine didn't fall into the water, if it caused a short circuit... we would never want to go back." The thief king said with a sullen face: "It doesn't matter if we can't go back to 1999. Where is the loess not burying people? The problem is, I'm afraid the treasury won't be able to get in." The professor smiled bitterly: "Yes——I will fix it, it just takes some time." "Okay!" The Thief King said lazily, "It's better not to make mistakes in the future. If my subordinates make mistakes, they will self-mutilate their brothers and feet to apologize. Mr. is a scholar, I really don't want you to lose a leg or a limb." hand." The professor's eyes trembled, but he didn't speak.After a while of shock, they noticed that the other side of the river was very lively.Red flags were planted all over there, and the crowd was like ants.Most of them are primary school students, wearing shorts and jackets, standing in the shallow water by the river, splashing water on the bank with a washbasin, laughing and laughing like a pool of frogs.Needless to say, this is what the professor said about panning for iron sand.Perhaps the professor intends to return to this time to relive his teenage life?It was almost dusk, and the setting sun and sunset reflected the red river water.Suddenly a rally whistle sounded over there, and people began to pack their tools, without noticing the three people who suddenly appeared on the other side of the river.Then the horn sounded: "Group 4 of Class 1, Grade 4 of Experimental Primary School won the championship today and set the highest record: 112 catties of iron sand!" Passionate shouts swayed leisurely on the river.The professor was shocked all of a sudden, turned around, and listened to the opposite bank obsessively.The thief king coughed impatiently, and he woke up from his meditation: "Nothing." He blushed for no reason, and explained, "The radio was talking about me——about our group. We were lucky that day, and we dug to a very thick seam." Panther asked puzzled, "How much is the reward for winning the championship?" "No, not a penny. Money wasn't what people were looking for back then..." Black Panther interrupted him contemptuously: "Fool! People back then were all fools!" The professor was too lazy to talk to him, so he said with a low face, "Panther, you stay here and don't move, and use it as a ruler." He and the thief king waded ashore, took out the compass and laser range finder, and measured the distance between their feet and the panther. The distance is 3.5 meters, and the direction is calibrated with the head of the panther, and a reed pole is set up on the bank as a benchmark, "Okay, you can come up." The three walked 349 meters southward according to the direction pointed by the compass.Adding the 3.5 meters from the falling water to the shore is 352.5 meters.Sure enough, there were no buildings in front of him, not even farmland and vegetable fields.Here is a low-lying wasteland, where Artemisia annua and reeds grow very densely.The professor checked the azimuth and distance over and over against the distant pole, and measured the altitude with the altimeter. He raised his head and said: "That's right, here it is. This is the center of the treasury built 26 years later. But judging from the elevation, the center of the treasury is 2.5 meters underground, and we have to dig down 2.5 meters." The panther said impatiently: "Then how long will it take to dig!" "Be sure to dig. Otherwise, when we jump to 1984, we will not be in the underground vault, but will appear in the room on the first floor-then we will have to wait for the bank guards to put handcuffs on." The Thief King yelled at Black Panther: "Don't fart! Listen to Mr.'s command, go find some tools!" "You don't need to look for it," Hei Bao smiled and pointed to the front, "Well, someone sent it." In the sunset, four elementary school students walked over excitedly. Two of them were carrying an empty iron bucket, and two of them were carrying shovels. One of the shovels was tied with a triangular championship flag.The guy carrying the flag proudly waved the handle of the shovel, and the flag reflected the afterglow of the sunset.The night breeze sent the enthusiastic chirping of these little monkey cubs: "No one can catch up with us, our record must be unprecedented!" "Today, the whole school combined can't compare to our group!" "Thanks to Xiao Jian's thieves' eyes. Xiao Jian, how do you know there are rich mines there?" "What a fool, I think there is a treasure in that backwater bay, I shovel it down, wow, such a thick layer!" The black panther greeted him with a playful smile: "Little guys, let me borrow your shovel." The four children stopped and said hesitantly, "What are you doing? It's getting dark, and we have to go back to the city." The black panther's tongue kept saying lies: "You know? We are going to build a big bank here, a very big bank, and it will take 20 years to build it. Now, we have to dig a hole to see the soil quality. Go to the bank tomorrow It has been completed, and you are the first creditors." The four of them looked at the architectural drawings spread out next to them, and at the middle-aged man who looked like a scholar.Among the four, Xiao Jian, a boy with a round face and thick head, said straightforwardly: "Okay, we will dig for you. Come, let's dig for the uncles." "No need, just lend us the shovel." Black Panther and Thief King took the two shovels and worked vigorously.The soil here is very soft, and the pit is as deep as a person in a blink of an eye.Several children stood by the pit watching with great interest, and asked Professor Ren beside him from time to time, but Professor Ren just responded briefly.From the moment the four children came over, Professor Ren had been burying his head in the drawings, and now he looked even more embarrassed. He simply walked around to the opposite side of the pit to avoid the children's questioning.The thief king raised his head to look at the little guy with "thief eyes". He was bare-chested, his back was tanned, his eyes were clear and bright, and there was an unconcealable smile on his face from time to time—it seemed that he was still Indulge in today's "unprecedented and unprecedented" victory.The thief king asked in a very low voice: "Is that him? Is he you?" "Yes." The professor said bitterly, and shook his head immediately: "No, I can only say that this is me in another universe bifurcation. This Xiaojian met three villains today, and the original Xiaojian didn't have this experience .” His voice was extremely low, afraid that the children on the other side would hear him.Xiao Jian over there suddenly asked in a crisp voice: "Uncle, will the big bank you build use the iron sand we scouring?" Ren Zhongjian really wanted to tell him the truth: No, it is not necessary.He couldn't help but think of an anecdote he read in the "China Youth Daily" at that time: an eight-year-old elementary school student made a small blast furnace out of yellow mud, and used his mouth as a blower to make steel.I remember being so excited when I saw this news—otherwise I would not have remembered this news for 40 years.It's not a shame, I was just a gullible kid of nine years old. He couldn't bear to pour cold water on a child who was in high spirits, so he kept silent.Over there, the black panther happily continued to deceive: "Of course, of course. The iron sand you dug has turned into the steel bars of the bank building, and turned into the big iron gate of the bank vault." Xiao Jian giggled: "This is nonsense. People's consciousness has been greatly improved at that time, so why do you need iron gates?" 另一个孩子说：“对，那时物质也极大地丰富了，猪肉鸡蛋吃不完，得向各人派任务。” 第三个孩子发愁地说：“那我该咋办哪，我天生不爱吃猪肉。” 任教授听不下去了，这些童言稚语不啻一把把锯割心房的钝刀。他打断他们的讨论：“天不早了，要不你们先回去吧。至于你们的铁锹，”他原想说用钱买的，但非常明智地及时打消这个念头，“明天你们还来干活吗？那好，我们用完就放在这个坑里。快回吧，要不爹妈会操心的。” 四个孩子答应了：“行，我们明天来拿。叔叔再见！” “再见。”他在暮色中紧紧盯着他们，盯着41年前的自己，盯着儿时的好友。这个翘鼻头叫顾金海，40岁时得癌症死了；这个大脑门叫陈显国，听说成了一个司级干部，他早就和家乡的同学割断一切联系；这个大板牙忘了名字——怎么可能忘记呢，那时整天在一块儿玩？但确实是忘了，只记得他的这个绰号。大板牙后来的境遇很糟糕，在街上收破烂，每次见到同学都早早把头垂下去。他很想问出大板牙的名字，但是……又有什么用呢。最终他只是沉闷地说：“再见，孩子们再见。” 孩子们快乐地喧哗着，消失在小叶杨遮蔽的小道上。教授真想追上去，与那个小坚融为一体，享受孩提时的愉悦和激情，享受那久违的纯净……可惜，失去的永远不可能再得到，即使手中握有时间机器也不行。月挂中天，云淡星稀，远处依稀传来一声狗吠。直径2米、深2.5米的土坑已经挖好，他们借着月光再次复核了深度。然后教授跳下去，掏出时间机器，表盘上闪着绿色的微光。他忽然想起一件事，皱着眉头说：“把两把铁锹扔上去，我们不能带着它们去做时间旅行。可惜，我们要对孩子们失信了——原答应把铁锹放到坑里的。” 贼王嘲讽地看看他，隐住嘴角的讥笑：一个敢去盗窃金库的大恶棍，还会顾及是不是对毛孩子们失信？教授说：“来，站到坑中央，三人靠紧，离坑壁尽量远一些，我们不能把坑壁上的土也带去。现在我把时间调到1992年9月11日晚上10点，就是金库监视系统失灵的那天夜里。”他看看两人，补充道，“我的时间机器是十分可靠的。但毕竟这是前人没做过的事情，谁也不能确保旅途中不出任何危险。如果二位不愿去，现在后悔还来得及。” 黑豹粗暴地说：“已经到这一步了，你还啰唆个屁！老子这辈子本来就没打算善终。快点开始吧。” 贼王仔细地看看教授。土坑遮住了月光，他只能看到一对深幽的瞳孔。他想，这个家伙的处事总是超出常规。看来，这番交代真的是为两个同伴负责，而不是用拙劣的借口想甩掉他们。于是贼王平和地说：“对，我们没什么可犹豫的，开始吧。” 任教授抬起头，留恋地看看洁净的夜空，按下启动钮。 刷的一声，三人越过34年的时光。体内的每个原子都因快速的奔波而震荡。他们从一米高的空中扑通一声落下去，站到了水泥地板上——为了保险，教授把位置设定在金库地板之上一米。落地时脚掌都撞得生疼，但三人没心思去注意这点疼痛。 他们确实已到金库之中，确实越过了厚厚的水泥外壳和一米厚的钢门——不过不是从空间中越过，而是从时间中越过。金库占地极宽，寂静无声，几十盏水银灯寂寞地照着，那是为监视系统的摄像镜头提供光源。金库外一定有众多守卫，尤其是监视系统失灵的这个当口。但这里隔音极好，听不到外边的一丝声响，恰像一个封闭万年之久的坟墓。 是黄金的坟墓，敞开的货架上整齐地码放着无数金条，闪着妖瞳般的异光。贼王和黑豹仅仅喊了半声，就把下面的惊呼卡到喉咙里了。他们急急跑过去，从货架上捡起金光闪烁的沉甸甸的金条。贼王用牙咬了咬，软软的。没错，这是货真价实的国库黄金。不是在做梦！ 教授仍站在原处，嘴角挂着冷静的微笑，就像是一场闹剧表演的旁观者。黑豹狂喜地奔过去，把他拉到货架前：“你怎么干站着？你怎么能站得住？任先生，真有你的，你真是天下第一奇才，我服你啦！” 他手忙脚乱地往怀里捡金条：“师傅，这次咱们真发了，干一辈子也赶不上这一回。下边该咋办？” 贼王喜滋滋地说：“听先生的，听任先生安排。” 教授有条不紊地指挥着：“把那几个木箱搬到坐标原点，就是咱们原先站的地方，架高到一米。我们必须从原来的高度返回，否则返回之后，两腿就埋到土里了。” “行！”黑豹喜滋滋地跑过去，把木箱摞好。 “每人先拿三根吧。我说过，这台时间机器的功率太小，不一定能携带太多的东西。” 黑豹一愣，恼怒地说：“只拿三根？这么多的金条只拿三根？” “没关系的，可以随意返回嘛，你想返回100次也行。” 贼王想了想，“好，就按先生说的办。” 每人揣好金条爬到木箱上，任教授调校着时间机器，黑豹还在恋恋不舍地看着四周。忽然机器内响起干涩嘶哑的声音，教授失望地说： “果然超重了，每人扔掉一根吧。” 他们不情愿地各掏出一根扔下去，金条落地时发出沉重的声响，但机器仍在哀鸣着。“不行，还超重，每人只留下一根吧。” 黑豹的眼中冒出怒火，梗着脖子想拒绝。贼王冷厉地说：“黑豹，把你怀中多拿的几根掏出来！” 黑豹惊恐地看看师傅，只好把怀里的金条掏出来，一共有五根。他讪讪地想向师傅解释，但贼王没工夫理他，因为他忽然想到一个主意： “黑豹你先下去，少了一个人的重量，我和任先生可以多带十几根出去，然后回来接你。” 黑豹的眼睛立即睁圆了，怒火从里面喷出。拿我当傻瓜？你们带着几十根金条出去，还会回来接我？把我扔这儿给你们顶缸？其实贼王并没打算扔下黑豹不管，但他认为不值得浪费时间来解释，便利索地抽出手枪喝道：“滚下去！” 黑豹的第一个反应是向腰里摸枪，但半途停住了，因为师傅的枪口已经在他鼻子下晃动。他只好恨恨地跳下木箱，走到一米之外，阴毒地盯着木箱上的两人。教授叹息道：“胡先生，没用的。这种时间机器有一个很奇怪的脾性，它对所载的金属是单独计算的。也就是说，不管是三个人还是两个人，能够带走的金属物品是一样多的。不信，你可以试试。” 贼王沉着脸，一根根地往下扔金条。直到台上的金条只剩下三根时，机器才停止呻吟。贼王非常恼火——费了这么大的力气，只能带走三根！满屋黄金只能干瞅着！但教授有言在先，他无法埋怨。再说也不必懊恼，只要多回来几趟就行了嘛。他说：“三根就三根，返回吧。” 教授看看下面的黑豹：“让他也上来吧。” 当金条一根根往下扔时，黑豹的喜悦也在一分分地增长。很明显，如果这次他们只带走三根，他就有救了——贼王绝对舍不得不返回的。现在教授说让他上去，他殷切地看着贼王。贼王沉着脸——刚才黑豹掏枪的动作丢了他的面子。不过他最终阴沉地说：“上来吧。” 黑豹如遇大赦，赶忙爬上来。机器又开始呻吟了，黑豹立即惊慌失措。教授也很困惑，想了想，马上明白了：“你身上的手枪！把手枪扔掉。” 黑豹极不愿地扔掉手枪。也许到了某个时候它会有用的。面对着妖光闪烁的黄金，他可不敢相信任何人。不过他没有别的选择。他悻悻地扔掉手枪，机器立即停止嘶叫。三个人同时松了一口气。“我要启动了。”教授说。 贼王说：“启动吧。且慢，能不能回到1967年？”他仰起头思索片刻，“1967年7月10日晚上9点。我很想顺便回到那时看看。看一位……熟人。” “当然可以，我说过，只要是1982年之前就行。”他按贼王的希望调好机器，“现在，我要启动了。” 又是刷的一声，光柱摇曳，他们在瞬间返回到25年前。金库消失了，他们挖的土坑也消失了，脚下是潮湿的洼地，疯长着菖蒲和苇子。被惊动的青蛙扑通通跳到近处的水塘里。昆虫静息片刻又欢唱起来。 不过，这里已经不像1958年那样荒凉。左边是一条简陋的石子路，通向不远处的一群建筑，那里大门口亮着一盏至少1000瓦的电灯，照得门前白花花的。很奇怪，大门被砖石堵死了，院墙上写着一人高的大字，即使在夜里，借着灯光也看得清清楚楚： “谁敢往前走一步，叫你女人变寡妇！！！” 教授苦笑道：“胡先生，你真挑了一个好时间。我知道这儿是1963年建成的农中，现在是1967年，正是斗得最凶的时刻。农中'横空出世'那帮小爷儿们都是打仗不要命的角色。咱们小心点，可别挨枪子儿。” 黑豹没有说话，一直斜眼瞄着贼王怀里的两根金条。贼王也没说话，好像在紧张地期待着什么。不久，远处传来沙沙的脚步声，一个小黑影从夜色中浮出，急急地走过来，不时停下来向后边张望。贼王突然攥紧教授的胳膊，抓得很紧，指甲几乎陷进肉里。十分钟后，教授才知道他何以如此失态。小黑影凶猛地喘息着，从他们面前匆匆跑过去，没有发现洼地里的三个大人。从他踉跄的步态可以看出，他已经疲惫不堪，只是在某种信念的支撑下才没有倒下。离农中还有100米时，那边传来大声喝叫： “站住，不许动！” 小男孩站住了：“喂——”他拉长声音喊着，清脆高亢的童声在夜空中显得分外响亮：“我也是二七派的，我来找北京的薛丽姐姐！” 那边停顿几秒钟，狠狠地喝道：“这儿没什么薛丽，快滚！” 男孩的喊叫中开始带着哭声：“我是特意来报信的！我听见爸爸和哥哥——他们是河造总派的铁杆儿打手——在商量，今晚要来农中抓人，他们知道薛丽姐姐藏在这儿！” 那边又停顿几秒钟，然后一名女子用甜美的北京话说：“小家伙，进来吧。” 说话人肯定是北京代表大会第三司令部派驻此地的薛丽了。两个人从那个狗洞似的小门挤出来，迎接小孩。小孩一下子瘫在两人身上，被两人连拖带拽地拉进小门，随之一切归于寂静。贼王慢慢松开手，从农中那儿收回目光。教授低声问：“是你？他就是你？” “嗯。”贼王不大情愿地承认，“那天——也就是今天晚上，我在家里听老爹和哥哥商量着要来抓人，便连夜跑了20里路赶来送信……后来河造总派的武斗队真的来了，我在农中也要了一支枪参战。我的腿就是那一仗被打瘸的，谁知道是不是挨了我爹我哥的子弹。我哥被打死了，谁知道是不是我打中的。从那时起我就再没上学，我这辈子……我是个傻瓜，那时我们都是傻瓜！”他恨恨地说。 天边有汽车灯光在晃动，夜风送来隐约的汽车轰鸣声。不用说，是河造总的武斗队来了。很快这儿会变成枪弹横飞的战场，双方的大喇叭会声嘶力竭地喊着“誓死捍卫……”楼上扔下来的手榴弹在人群中爆炸，激怒的进攻者用炸药包炸毁楼墙。大势已去的农中学生和北京来的薛丽（当然还有左腿受伤的小宗尧）挤在三楼，悲愤地唱着“抬头望见北斗星，心中想念……”十几分钟后，他们满身血迹地被拖出去……贼王的脸色阴得能拧出水，教授也是面色沉痛。年轻的黑豹体会不到两人的心境，不耐烦地说：“快走吧，既然有武斗，窝在这儿挨枪子呀。” 贼王仍犹豫着。也许他是想迎上去，劝说爹爹和哥哥退回去，以便挽救哥哥的性命。但是，虽然弄不懂时间旅行的机理，他也凭直觉知道，一个人绝对无法改变逝去的世界，即使握着一台神通广大的时间机器也不行。于是他决绝地挥挥手：“好，走吧。” 照着罗盘的指引，他们向正北方向走了精确的349米，来到草木葳蕤的河边。贼王已经从刚才的伤感中走出来，恢复了平素的阴狠果决。“往下进行吧，抓紧时间多往返几次。不过——”他询问教授，“返回金库前，需要把已经带出来的金条处理好，对吧？” “那是当然，如果随身带着，下一次就无法带新的了。” 贼王掏出怀里的两根金条：“那么，把它们放到什么地方？不，应该说，放到什么年代？” 教授也掏出怀中的一根，迟疑地说：“回到1999年吧，如果回到1999年以前的时间，我恐怕……没脸去花这些贼赃。” 贼王恼怒地看着他，真想对他说：“先生，既然你已经上了贼船，就不必这么假撇清了。”但他只是冷淡地说：“那样太麻烦，咱们把黄金就埋在这个年代吧。等咱们攒下足够的金条再来分。” 黑豹疑惑地问：“就埋在河边，不怕人偷走？” 教授微笑道：“完全不用担心。有了时间机器，你应当学会按新的思维方式去思考。想想吧，咱们可以——不管往返几次——准确地在离开的瞬间就返回，甚至在离开之前返回，守在将要埋黄金的地方。有谁能在咱们眼前把黄金偷走呢。你甚至不用埋藏，摆在这儿也无妨。” 黑豹听得糊里糊涂。从直观上说他根本不相信教授的话，但从逻辑上又无法驳倒。最后他气哼哼地说：“行，就按你说的办——不过你不要捣鬼，俺爷儿俩都不是吃素的！” 他有意强调与贼王的关系。只是，在刚才的拔枪相向之后，这种强调不免带着讨好和虚伪的味道。教授冷淡地看看他，看看贼王，懒得为自己辩解。贼王对黑豹的套近乎也没有反应，蹲下来扒开虚土，小心地埋好三根金条。想了想，又在那儿插了三根短苇梃作为标记。在这当儿，教授调好了时间。 “立即返回吧，仍返回到1992年9月11日晚上10点零5分，就是刚才离开金库之后的时刻——其实也可以在离开前就返回的，但是，那就会与库内的三个人劈面相遇，事情就复杂化了。所以，咱们要尽量保持一个分岔较少的宇宙。喂，站好了吗？” 两人紧紧靠着教授站好。教授没注意到黑豹眼中的凶光，按下按钮。就在他手指按下的瞬间，黑豹忽然出手，凶狠地把贼王推出圈外！ 空气震荡片刻后归于平静。听见一声闷响，那是贼王的脑袋撞上铁架的声音。不过，他并没有被推出“时间”之外。因为在他的身体尚未被推出一米之外时，时间机器已经起作用了。黑豹刷地跳到货架后，面色惨白地盯着贼王。他没有想到是这个局面，他原想把贼王留在1967年的洼地里，那样一来，留下一个书呆子就好对付了，可以为所欲为地逼他为自己做事。可惜，贼王仍跃迁到金库，按他对师傅的了解，他绝不会饶过自己的。 贼王慢慢转过身，额角处的鲜血慢慢流淌下来。他的目光是那样阴毒，让黑豹的血液在一瞬间冰冻。教授惊呆了，呆呆地旁观着即将到来的火并。贼王的右臂动了一下，分明是想拔枪，但他只是耸动了右肩，右臂却似陷在胶泥中，无法动弹。贼王最终明白了是咋回事——自己的一节右臂已经与一根铁管交叉重叠在一起，无法分离了。他急忙抽出左手去掏枪。但在这当儿，机敏的黑豹早已看出眉目，他一步跨过来，按住师傅的左臂，从他怀中麻利地掏出枪，指着二人的脑袋。 惊魂稍定后，黑豹目不转睛地盯着贼王的右臂。那只胳膊与铁架交叉着，焊成了一个斜十字。交叉处完全重合在一起，铁管径直穿过手臂，手臂径直穿过铁管。这个奇特的画面完全违反人的视觉常识，显得十分怪异。被铁架隔断的那只右手还在动着，做着抓握的动作，但无法从铁管那儿拉回。黑豹惊惧地盯着那儿，同时警惕地远离师傅，冷笑道： “师傅，对不起你老了。不过，刚才你想把我一个人撇在金库时，似乎也没怎么念及师徒的情分。” 贼王已经知道自己处境的无望，便将生死置之度外了。他根本不理睬黑豹，向教授扭过头，脸色苍白地问：“教授，我的右臂是咋回事？” 教授显然也被眼前的事变惊呆了，他走过来，摸摸贼王的右臂。它与铁架交融在一起，天衣无缝。教授的脸色比贼王更加惨白，语无伦次地说：“一定是恰恰在时间跃迁的那个瞬间，手臂与铁架在空间上重合了……物质内有足够的空间可以互相容纳……不过我在多次试验中从没碰上这种情况……任何一篇理论文章都没估计到这种可能……科幻小说家也没预见过……” 黑豹不耐烦听下去，从架上拿了三根金条揣在怀里，对教授厉声喝道：“少啰唆，快调整时间机器，咱俩离开这儿！” 教授呆呆地问：“那……贼王怎么办？你师傅怎么办？” 黑豹冷笑道：“他老人家……只好留在这儿过年了。” 教授一愣，忽然愤怒地嚷道：“不行，不能把他一个人留在这儿！这样干太缺德。黑道上也要讲黑道义气呀。” “讲义气？那也得看时候。现在就不是讲义气的黄道吉日。快照我说的办！”他恶狠狠地朝教授扬了扬手枪。教授干脆地说： “不，我绝不干这种昧良心的事。想开枪你就开吧。” 黑豹怒极反笑：“怎么，我不敢打死你？你的命比别人贵重？” “那你尽管开枪好了。不过我事先警告你，这架机器有手纹识别系统，它只听从我一个人的命令。” 贼王看看教授，表情冷漠，但目光深处分明有感激之情。这会儿轮到黑豹发傻了。没错，教授说的并非大话，刚才明明看见他把手掌平放在机器上，机器才开始亮灯。也许，该把他的右手砍下来带上，但谁知道机器会不会听从一只“死手”的命令？思前想后，他觉得不敢造次，只好在脸上堆出歉意的笑容： “其实，我也不想和师傅翻脸，要不是他刚才……你说该咋办，我和师傅都听你的。” what to do?教授看看贼王，再看看黑豹，用毋庸置疑的口吻说：“你先把手枪交给我！”他补充道，“你放心，我不会把枪交给你师傅的。” 黑豹当然不愿意交出武器，他十分清楚师傅睚眦必报的性格。但是他没有办法。尽管他拿着枪，但其实他和贼王的性命都掌握在教授的手里。另外，教授的最后一句话让他放了心。想了想，他痛快地把枪递过去。 教授把手枪仔细揣好，走过去，沉痛地看着贼王：“没办法，胡先生，只好把你的右臂锯断了。” 刚才贼王已经做好必死的准备，这时心情放松了，笑道：“不就是一只胳膊嘛，砍掉吧——不过手边没有家伙。” 教授紧张地思索片刻，歉然道：“只有我一个人先返回了，然后我带着麻醉药品和手术器械回来。” 贼王尚未答话，黑豹高声叫道：“不行！不能让他一个人回去！”他转向贼王，“师傅，不能让他一个人离开。离开后他还能回来？让我跟着他！” 教授鄙夷地看着他，没有辩白，静静地等着贼王的决定。贼王略微思考片刻——他当然不能对教授绝对放心，但他更不放心黑豹跟着去。最后他大度地挥挥手：“教授你一个人去吧，我信得过你！” 黑豹还想争辩，但贼王用阴狠的一瞥把他止住了。教授感激地看看贼王，低声说：“谢谢你的信任，我会尽快赶回来。”他站到木箱上，低下头把机器调整到1958年6月1日晚9点，按下按钮。 刷的一声，金库消失了，他独自站在夜色中。眼前没有他们挖的那个2.5米深的土坑，而是一个浅浅的水塘，他就立在水塘中央，两只脚陷进淤泥中。他不经意地从泥中拔出双脚，忽然觉得双脚比过去重多了。不，这并不是因为鞋上沾了泥，而是他的双脚已与同样形状的两团稀泥在空间上重合了，融在一起了。他拉开裤腿看看，脚踝处分明有一道界线，线下的颜色是黑与黄的混合。 那么，他终生要带着这两团稀泥生活了。也许不是终生，很可能几天后，这双混有杂质的双脚就会腐烂发臭。他苦笑着，不知道自己为何老是出差错。时间机器是极为可靠的，他已经在上千次的试验中验证过。但为什么第一次投入使用就差错不断？比如说，