Kolya Stepshkin got off work early in the afternoon, and as usual went to drink vodka in a tavern near the apartment.The pain of the disintegration of the Soviet Union is far from over, and the Wickett National Research Center for Virology and Biotechnology where he is still in a semi-paralyzed state.The scientific elites of the past have become the poor of the new era. They are better than beggars in that their meager wages are still stable anyway.Many technical backbones left here to develop abroad, or returned to big Russian cities in the European part, such as Moscow and Petersburg.He didn't leave, but his wife left him decisively with their two children.In the six months since Natasha left, he had always sought comfort in a bottle.But vodka didn't work for him. It may be the scientist's professional sobriety. Even though he was drunk, the deepest part of his heart was still awake and aching sharply.The kind-hearted director Chadayeva advised him:

"Korya, think about it. Fortunately, Natasha returned to Moscow. It would be even worse if she went to Kyiv or Minsk—they became foreigners overnight!" She cursed, "This What's the matter?" The director's consolation can only make the pain in his heart more acute.For their generation, whether it is family, life or ideals, they have all been shattered, and it is impossible to restore them. When he was about to get home, he saw a woman in front of him. Although she was from the back, he could see that she was graceful, with a sexy figure, and she walked elastically. She was wearing a beige windbreaker and trousers, and her long black hair fell on the windbreaker. .It is early autumn in Novosibirsk, and the clothes are somewhat thinner.Now she was asking for directions, obviously not speaking Russian, for she was holding up a piece of paper asking for directions and pointing with her finger.The person being asked was a fat old lady. After carefully reading the piece of paper, she pointed to the front with her hands.The woman thanked the old lady and moved on.Stepushkin can see her silhouette now, with a silver-gray turtleneck tightly wrapping her tall chest. She is about 30 years old, which is the most mature age for a woman, with a handsome face and a yellow race.Stepushkin felt that she might be Chinese. This place is very close to China's Xinjiang, and Chinese people (mainly men) are already a common sight on the street in Novosibirsk.Of course, this lady is obviously not at the same level as those poor men, she seems to be a highly educated intellectual.

Unfortunately, there are five skinheads who have already set their sights on this prey.Now they were chasing after Stepushkin, surrounded her, five daggers were waving before her eyes, and the tall, bald man at the head ordered her to take out her belongings in English.Stepushkin hesitated behind them, not knowing whether he should step forward and be a hero to save the beauty.In recent years, when the Soviet Union, a tree rotting from its core, suddenly fell down, many poisonous mushrooms grew rapidly on the tree, even faster than the rate of decay in this country.For example, these racist skinheads have spread here quickly from big cities such as Moscow and Petersburg.In fact, skinheads are just mange. The problem is that the mental state of the entire Russian nation is not much better.I remember that not long ago a polling company conducted an extensive survey across the country. One of the questions was to ask Russians "Which country do you hate the most?" —such as the United States, England, or Germany, for it is the independence and provocations of those little states that most humiliate the Russians.Seeing the whole picture at a glance, this survey result made Stepushkin shake his head. The great Russia has lost the bearing of a great power, lost its global vision, and has become a short-sighted and narrow-minded citizen who only knows how to get revenge.

Skinheads are toxins that grow out of this social soil. The old lady who showed the way just now saw the danger of this lady, hesitated for a long time, and finally shook her head and walked away. She didn't dare to provoke these fierce skinheads.Stepushkin did not go.As a gentleman, he couldn't see this woman being bullied, but it was dangerous to intervene rashly.Skinheads are not so much a party of political consciousness as they are a mixture of racism and hooliganism.The targets of their violence are mainly people of color, but they will never be soft when stabbing their own countrymen who stand in their way.Stepushkin stood outside the circle for a while and watched.The Chinese woman surrounded in the middle was quite calm and obedient, following the instructions of the thugs, frowning and taking out her wallet.She was about to take out the money when the tall man at the head snatched it away.The woman said aloud in English:

"Please leave my passport behind!" The tall man pulled out the cash and handed her back the passport with the empty wallet.Stepushkin watched the development of the situation and did not intend to intervene.Let's save money and avoid disasters. It is estimated that the cash that the woman was robbed will not be too much.The Chinese have a bad reputation here. They often use fake down jackets and fake wine to cheat the Russians of high-quality furs, and they also bring the bad habits of China to Russia. No matter where they are, they are used to using money to open joints. Learned to bribe, especially to the Chinese.Sometimes the police stop a Chinese on the street and ask for your wallet without giving any reason, but after searching the cash, they will always return enough change to go home, which proves that the police are better than skinheads after all. The level is higher.The Chinese here have learned not to bring much cash when going out.

But the gang of thugs didn't stop after they grabbed the cash.The tall man smiled obscenely, looked the woman up and down, and said: This girl is very handsome, let's play with my brothers.He said it in Russian, and knowing that the woman didn't understand, he repeated it in English.The other four also smiled lasciviously, and slowly pushed over, surrounding the woman to the corner.The woman was very angry and shouted in English: "What are you doing! What are you doing! I'm going to call the police!" The word "police" had no deterrent effect on those few people. They continued to push over, and the woman was squeezed tightly into the corner by them, unable to move at all.Stepushkin sighed, knowing that he had to intervene, he knew the danger and ignored it. He couldn't see a foreign woman being humiliated on the streets of Russia.He went up quickly and shouted:

"Stop! You stop!" The five thugs did not intend to stop. They looked back and skillfully separated two men to deal with Stebushkin.The two saw that Stepushkin was a poor intellectual with a thin body and hadn't shaved his beard for many days. They didn't pay attention to him, but waved a sharp knife threateningly to force him to stop.The other three still surrounded the woman and forced her to undress with knives.Stepushkin stared coldly at these scumbags, his anger bursting out uncontrollably. Is Russia really going to become the world of these scumbags?He made up his mind that after being stabbed a few times, he wanted to fight them.At this moment, the woman suddenly had a very sudden change.Before that, she had a cold and glamorous demeanor, like a plum blossom in the ice and snow, and she always maintained her dignity even in dangerous situations.At this time, he suddenly changed his face into a charming smile, and said in a rough voice:

"I just want to have fun, why bother with knives and guns, I really want to taste the taste of Russian boys. Let's go and lead me to a suitable place." Stepushkin was very surprised—the contrast between her behavior at the moment and her image just now was too great. Could it be that she was originally a woman who specialized in flesh and blood?Except for the tall and bald man, the other four thugs couldn't understand her words, but that kind of laughter was without words.They were also surprised and looked at their leader suspiciously.The tall man translated the woman's words to the others in Russian, and they all laughed, and the knife in their hands naturally hung down.The woman moved forward again, put her arms around the necks of the tall man and the other man intimately, whispered something, and kept her eyes on Stepushkin.Suddenly—Stepushkin's reaction couldn't catch up with the change of the situation, there was a muffled sound, the heads of the two thugs collided violently, and the woman quickly pushed the two men to the third one, pushing the man Also fell to the ground.In an instant, three of the five thugs fell down, and two of them were obviously in shock.The two men who were holding Stepushkin back with knives, together with the man on the ground who was not in shock, were stunned, staring blankly at the woman, rather than being frightened, it was better to say that they hadn't understood the drastic change in the situation. .The woman's expression was cold and serious, and the lewd smile just now was wiped away, and she said in a cold voice:

"I'm Chinese. Who wants to try my Chinese kung fu again?" Stepushkin recognized that she was speaking American English, very standard, without any accent.Seeing the sudden change of the situation and the turn of the crisis, Stepushkin breathed a sigh of relief and looked at this woman with extraordinary intelligence and martial arts with admiration.The remaining three thugs were still standing there, apparently not understanding her, and Stepushkin translated the passage into Russian: "This lady said she was Chinese. She said, if you still want to try her Chinese kung fu, go ahead; if you don't want to try, just join these two bastards and get out of here."

The three thugs hurriedly grabbed the two people who were knocked unconscious, and fled in a panic. The woman shouted: "Hand over my cash!" Stepushkin was reminded, went over, searched the tall thug's pocket for a wad of banknotes, and handed it to the victim.There are quite a few banknotes, a few rubles, and the rest are renminbi and dollars.The thugs fled in dismay, and the woman put the money in her wallet and held out her hand to Stepushkin: "Thank you for saving me despite the danger." She smiled and said, "You showed me a real Russian man." "You're welcome, it's what a man should do. These people," he pointed at the backs of those people, "are the scum that comes out during times of national crisis. Don't take them to see the Russians."

"I know. China is the same. After being imprisoned for so long, once it is opened up, all the dregs from the bottom of society will rise to the top, such as those scum who come to Russia to sell fake goods. Don't take them to see the Chinese. I think There are signs hanging in front of some Russian stores: Our store guarantees that there are no Chinese products. This notice really makes me blush. Let’s not talk about them, thank you very much.” "Thank you. Actually, I didn't help. Instead, you saved me from harm. Your Chinese Kung Fu is really powerful." The lady smiled: "I'm bluffing them. I have studied Taekwondo in the United States for two years, but I don't know a little bit of Chinese Kung Fu. I went to the martial arts gym opened by Jet Li in the United States to learn from him, but Li had already withdrawn the martial arts gym at that time." Now, it has been changed into a guest house, specializing in the business of the Chinese delegation. Why did he change his career? I heard that some black people always go to him for martial arts competitions. They are all like bears. Jet Li, who is single and weak, is not their opponent. So—— Chinese kung fu is not as powerful as it is portrayed in the movies.” She had already seen the cross on Stebushkin’s chest, “Maybe you are what I’m looking for? Koria Stebush, a virologist at the Wickett Center Jin, lives at No. 32 of this street." Stepushkin also saw the cross on her chest, which was exactly the same as his own, which was the symbol of the organization's membership.He couldn't help but sink in his heart: last year he promised the godfather to do that thing, and now the godfather in the United States sent a messenger to let him fulfill the promise.The problem is that since he agreed, he has started to regret it, thinking over and over again, and has been distressed and contradictory about it.It's not that he has decided to repent, he is far from that step, but at least he is very hesitant.That incident is too serious, and if it is not handled properly, hundreds of thousands, millions, or even tens of millions of people will die.If he fulfilled his promise to the godfather, he would not be sure whether he was doing the good of an angel or the evil of a devil. He nodded: "yes, I'm the one you're looking for. Come with me." Stebushkin's house was on the second floor of an old building.Stepushkin turned on the light and said: "Come in. You don't need to take off your coat, there is no heating in the room." Maine looked at the room, the room was very big, probably more than 200 square meters, and the room was quite cold.The ceiling is very high, about 3.5 meters or more, which makes people who are used to living in Chinese-style houses feel a sense of emptiness.The houses and furniture are made of heavy materials, including Russian-style carved doors, carved chairs, and carved interior windows with double windows.The kitchen is open, with a large Russian-style cooker on the bar and many empty wine bottles piled up in the corner.There are few electrical appliances and they are very old. A TV in the living room is about 14 inches black and white from the outside.Some books were thrown around the house, and a layer of dust fell on the furniture.The overall impression of the house is that it used to be a high-end Russian-style residence, but now it is dilapidated, messy, and lacks feminine nourishment.Stepushkin asked the visitor: "Coffee or green tea?" "Water. I'm used to drinking water." Stepushkin looked at her, and got her a glass of water from the tap.Maine asked: "Where are your wife and children? I heard from the godfather that he visited your home ten years ago. You have a beautiful wife and a pair of 5-year-old twins. He even asked me to say hello to Natasha." "Natasha and I divorced. After the disintegration of the country, she insisted on going back to Moscow. Her parents' house is there." He said with a wry smile. "They took all the children with them. She said that the children grew up in a better environment there." , I also agree." Maine held a teacup, looked at him, and said cautiously, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought this up." Stepushkin waved his hand indifferently. "Why don't you go with your wife?" "I'm 43 years old, and it's too late to learn to serve dishes. I don't want to give up my major, I think it will always be useful." He changed the subject, "Have you asked your name yet?" "The Chinese name is Mei Yin, and the English name is Kathy Mei." "When you were on the street just now, you said you were Chinese? But I think your American English is very authentic, like your mother tongue." "No, I'm not Chinese. I'm legally an American citizen. I'm an orphan. My hometown is in Harbin, China. My parents died of the plague when I was two years old. I was adopted by American parents and lived in the United States from the age of 10 to 25. and go to school. After finishing my master’s degree, I returned to China to settle down, and I don’t plan to leave. So from the bottom of my heart, I’m probably more than half Chinese.” She added, “It’s my American father’s opinion to go back to China, and it’s also my opinion. My personal wish. I have been back to China for 9 years.” With that said, her age is 34, and the lady doesn't seem to care that anyone knows her age.Stepushkin nodded: "Oh, yes." Maine continued the topic just now: "You are right. I believe your major will come in handy soon. I was in China during the Cultural Revolution. Although I was young, what I heard and witnessed was already miserable enough. It is no less than the disintegration of the Soviet Union. But China has come out of the catastrophe. Russia is such a great nation, and it will never sink for a long time. As for here, Novosibirsk, although a little remote, is an important town of Russian science. Scientific research strength More than one-third of all Russia, with many world-class scientists like you. I'm sure it will be revived soon." Stepshkin shook his head: "I hope so. However, with the rapid development of science and technology, as long as there are a few more years of neglect, scientists of my age will be completely outdated, and they will never return to the front line of scientific research." "It won't be abandoned for too long. Kolya, to be honest, I admire the Russian nation very much. Just say that more than 400 years ago, in the second half of the 15th century, you were liberated from the iron heels of the Mongols, and you just took the embryonic form of the country. At that time, it was still the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and it opened up the eastern part of Siberia across thousands of miles of barren land, and this kind of courage is definitely not comparable to that of the Han people." She said with a smile, "Although you turned Vladivostok into Vladivostok , making the Chinese feel uncomfortable." "Thank you for your words of reassurance. I'm sure I'll sleep soundly tonight. You—are you here to fetch that thing on behalf of the godfather?" "right." Stepushkin said frankly: "It's a pity I haven't made up my mind to give you yet—yes, I promised the godfather, but then I regretted it. I'm a broken coward, a villain, aren't I?" He smiled wryly. , "I think the godfather will definitely punish me severely. Before that, no one who wore this cross dared to disobey him." Maine was stunned for a moment, then quickly regained her composure. She shook her head and said, "The Godfather only leads the organization with his wisdom and strength of personality. He has never and will not impose punishment indiscriminately. I am very sorry for you to say that." Stepushkin blushed a little.In all fairness, it's unfair for him to say that about the Godfather.Ever since his wife and children left, he has been in a bad mood and often speaks too harshly, and he knows this, the problem is that he can't control his emotions.Maine said gently: "Actually, before I came here, my godfather said that he was very considerate of your difficulties—whether it was the difficulty of making a spiritual decision, or the difficulty of concrete actions, and the difficulty of your situation after doing so, he understood very well. After all The one in Atlanta has the same thing, but he can't get it." Stepushkin sneered: "It's much easier in Russia. When the country is in crisis, all order is disrupted, and there is chaos everywhere. It is suitable for us to fish in troubled waters." Maine looked at him and said calmly: "Yes, that's true. However, our motives are pure and selfless." "I would very much like to believe that. It's just -- in my eyes, Gorbachev was also a good man with pure motives, but also a sinner who ruined Russia. And those Western economists who suggested shock therapy in the Soviet Union, They didn't cure the country's disease, but made it worse. Many Russians now believe that this whole thing is a huge conspiracy, a deliberate joint operation of Western intellectuals, to remove the only rival in the world for the United States .I personally do not hold this view, I believe that the motives of those Western thinkers are pure - but this does not lessen their guilt." Maine asked unhappily: "You mean, our actions are the same?" "I didn't say anything. I don't want to make a simple analogy with the above example. No, what we are going to do is deeper than the disintegration of the Soviet Union. It affects a Skynet, which is said to be a link between humans and God. It’s not too much to wrestle. But I’m just an ordinary person, and I don’t have enough wisdom to confirm whether this matter should be done.” Maine smiled suddenly: "Let's stop this topic for now. It's already dinner time, can you give me a dinner? This poor woman is already hungry, and the energy for lunch has been spent on the heads of those two skinheads." .” Stepushkin patted his head and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I forgot about having dinner. I'll tell you, since Natasha and the children left, I haven't had a serious dinner at all. A few bottles of vodka or beer before bed. You wait a minute and you'll be fine." He went to work in the open kitchen behind the bar, while Maine stayed on the sofa, holding an empty teacup in a daze. Before she came, she didn't expect Stepushkin to have such an attitude.As far as she knew, the godfather had informed Stepushkin before he sent her, and he had not refused.Looking at his attitude now, maybe I have to return empty-handed this trip?But she won't back down, she must try her best to fulfill the godfather's entrustment. Dinner was prepared quickly, quite rich by today's Russian standards, vegetable salad, smoked pork, carrot soup, the staple food was potato chips and bread, and finally a dish of Indian green tea.During dinner, both of them deliberately avoided the topic just now. Stepushkin asked about the situation of China’s Cultural Revolution and reform and opening up. Maine answered briefly, and then kept talking about Russia, Russian literature and art, and Russian intellectuals. The historical tradition of pleading for the people and the character of the martyrs, talking about Sholokhov, Solzhenitsyn and Pasternak, Repin and Levitan, Tchaikovsky and Glinka, talking about Siberia Vast, vast and captivating.She also asked Stepushkin about the difference between the Russian Orthodox Church and Catholicism (and Protestantism). She said that she also went to church in the United States, but she had never been exposed to the Orthodox Church.Stebshkin said: "There are many nuances, which cannot be explained clearly in a few words. Let me talk about several Christian crosses first. Catholics and Protestants wear Latin crosses with longer branches, similar to the crosses you and I wear now. The Orthodox cross, also known as the Greek cross, has four arms of equal length." "I know that." "Let me say one more difference. You may be more interested in it, which is the difference in the ideological traditions of several sects." "What difference?" "The Orthodox Church advertises itself: it will never be threatened by scientific progress, and will not change the Christian faith to accommodate scientific discoveries; Catholicism—of course, after reflecting on the persecution of Galileo and Bruno—praises human reason and always puts The progress of human thought and science are incorporated into teachings. For example, Thomas Aquinas, the theological philosopher in the 13th century, integrated Aristotelian philosophy into Catholicism. Today’s Vatican also actively adopts the theory of relativity and the Big Bang theory. So, even though I am a Russian, I think the Orthodox Church is too rigid and lacks the self-renewal ability of Catholicism or Protestantism." He said with a smile, "I don't go to church very much, and the other scientists in the Science City are probably the same as me .” "You're right, rigidity is death. Christianity is accepting science, but science has not turned around to accept God? At least in the field of medicine, scientists have discovered that the success of modern medicine, although dazzling, is actually very superficial. It can’t shake the foundation of the evolutionary path, that path—God built it four billion years ago.” After dinner, when she returned to the sofa, Maine had already considered it maturely, and brought the topic back to that matter: "Korya, let's get back to the topic. You know, governments and the scientific community have been urging to destroy that thing completely, lest it escape from the bottle and cause catastrophe. They are worried about the CDC Although the magic bottle with Wickett is heavily imprisoned, it is still not safe enough to imprison that Satan absolutely reliably. However, once it is really destroyed, this precious life will never be resurrected. This involves the fact that the Godfather has been preaching point of view-whether human beings have the right to arbitrarily determine which species is a hostile species, and deprive them of the right to survive in nature. The Godfather and other far-sighted colleagues have tried their best to resolve several destruction motions in the medical community, but not Guaranteed to be able to block the next time. So - although this sentence may sting you - maybe the chaos in Russia is our only chance, and we can only regret it when we lose it." Stepushkin was about to speak, but Maine cut off his words in time: "The godfather said something to me very solemnly before I came here. I didn't quite understand it at the time. He said: Never force you to do what you don't want to do." Therefore, I will not force you to persuade you, let alone impose any punishment on behalf of the godfather. You can make up your own mind. However,” she said with a smile, “you said just now that you haven’t made up your mind, at least I still have a glimmer of hope. I want to live in this city for a few days until you make a final decision. You have no objection to my doing so. Don't worry, I will be better than a salmon on the Volga during this time Be quiet, I won't bother you with my talkative words." Stepushkin nodded with a smile.This Chinese woman—the American woman—is charming and approachable, and it should be a pleasure to have her company.he asks: "Is the accommodation arranged? If you want, you can live with me." Maine was very happy, and looked at the empty house: "I'm waiting for your invitation. The service of the Russian restaurant is really unsatisfactory, and the price of 200 dollars a night is too dark. It just seems that you need a woman to come Clean up your room and I'll let you try Chinese food. Brag you, I'm pretty good at both Chinese and Western cooking. I'm going to use these services - cleaner cum chef - to pay you Rent, okay?" "Okay, it's a deal. But I warn you beforehand that Russian men are all sex wolves, at least in American and British spy novels." He smiled and said, "Of course you won't be afraid, You have Chinese kung fu." Maine smiled and said: "You don't have to worry about your head. I'm not afraid of revealing the truth with you: today's performance was forced out. There is an old Chinese saying that rabbits know how to bite people when they are anxious. And that is completely in line with Chinese kung fu has nothing to do with it, it's just a Russian's old wisdom. Do you know Kochubey?" "Ke Chubiei? I don't know, it seems familiar." "Ha, your knowledge of Russian history is not as good as that of a foreigner! He was a reckless hero during the Soviet Civil War, and he was as famous as Xia Boyang——You should know about Xia Boyang." Stepushkin nodded embarrassingly, and said Xia Boyang's name I know. "Ke Chubieyi was once arrested by the White Army and was tried in court. He knocked two bailiffs unconscious in this way and escaped through the window. A movie of the same name was very popular in China. I watched it when I was a child. Watching it in the countryside, the strong wind made the screen bulge, turning Kochubey in court into a pregnant woman with a big belly. So I was very impressed and wrote down this scene. It happened to be used just now.” She had said it lightly, but Stepushkin knew that was not the case.Regardless of whether she has Chinese kung fu or not, as long as she dares to make a sudden attack surrounded by five daggers, ordinary men cannot do it.He smiled and said: "Very well, if you reveal your truth like this, if I want to do some bad things, I will be bolder." He tidied up his daughter's room a little and let Maine stay.In the evening, the two said good night and went back to their rooms to sleep.Stepushkin lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling with wide-open eyes.The woman on the other side of the wall is very good at coming, and she behaves quite appropriately, but her "gentle waiting" still puts great pressure on herself.The more "quiet as a fish" she is, the harder it will be to refuse her request.What should I do?Will you be determined to fulfill your promise to the godfather, or will you be determined to refuse?He sighed and decided not to rush to make a final decision.Let this Ms. Mei wait a few more days, after all, this is a charming woman, and if she stays with her for a few more days, the master will definitely not be disgusted. When Stepushkin came home the next day, Maine greeted him with a smile: "Are you back? I'll cook the vegetables right away, the ingredients are already ready." The house has changed a lot. It is neatly tidied up and the windows are bright and clean.The messy sundries and books have been put back, the wine bottles have been cleared out, the floor has been scrubbed and waxed.What he didn't expect was that the family photo he put away in the bookcase drawer was also found by Maine and hung on the wall again. Natasha, the two children, and the young self were all smiling in the frame watching him.Stepushkin was moved by Maine's heart, looked at the group photo silently, and recalled those good times lost.When he came to the kitchen, the place has also changed. The messy dishes have been washed and put back into place, and Chinese-style woks, various Chinese-style seasonings, soy sauce, vinegar, monosodium glutamate, etc. have been added.Stepushkin picked up each piece and looked at it with great interest, because Russians never cook with such jugglers.Mei Yin was skillfully turning the frying pan, and the aroma wafted from her nostrils.While cooking, she said happily: "Today I ran a long way before I found a Chinese store to complete this set of household utensils and condiments. You just wait to appreciate my craftsmanship." Stepushkin admired her energetic back from behind, and could hardly restrain his desire to hug her. The dishes were served, and there were four plates. Maine introduced that they were Kung Pao Chicken, Steamed Salmon, Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes, Fried Onion Rings (the last dish was made in the American way), the soup was lily lotus seed soup, wine It's Tsingtao Beer. "Is it tasty?" "Very good, with good color and fragrance." "You don't have to be diplomatic with me, just tell the truth." "It's true, the food is really good." Maine smiled with satisfaction: "Then I will make it for you every day—before you drive me away—to ensure that the meals will not be the same every day." "Why would I drive you away? However, if this continues, you will spoil me. What will I do after you leave?" "Then come with me, and follow me to live and work in Wuhan, China. All kinds of snacks there are amazing. It will definitely make you want to leave. It's just that it's very hot there. It's a famous furnace city in China. You Russians don't necessarily Can stand it." Stepushkin smiled and didn't answer, and Maine didn't continue.After dinner Stepushkin said: "Tomorrow is a weekend, and I will go to the villa to do farm work. Nowadays, Russians grow a little vegetables in the villa to supplement their families. Are you going? There is an authentic natural scenery there, and it is very beautiful." Maine smiled and said: Of course!I wish I could have this opportunity to really get close to the nature of Russia. The next day Stebushkin drove to the dacha in a dilapidated Lada.The villa is 40 versts away from the urban area, along the way there are dense birch or black pine forests, and the road seems to be submerged in a sea of ​​forests.When the car is speeding, the sound of the forest and the fresh smell come to the face. There is often a squirrel crossing the road majesticly, and red-billed gulls and goldfinch are singing on the branches.The various research institutes of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences are distributed in the virgin forest in this area, like a few pearls floating in the forest.This is a city in a forest, a forest in a city, such a luxury of space is unmatched in China, and it is also unmatched in the United States.An hour or so later they arrived at Stebushkin's dacha. It was an unusually dilapidated one-story house on the edge of the forest. The windows were all broken and nailed to a diagonal cross.The house is also very messy, it seems that no one has lived in it for a thousand years, only one room is relatively complete and clean, with simple furniture and beds.There is a vegetable field next to the villa, which is not small in size, but it is managed very extensively, and some carrots and potatoes grow in the lush weeds.Maine made fun of him: "Kolya, the weeds you planted are growing very well, but it's a pity that there are a few vegetable seedlings in it." Stepushkin smiled embarrassingly. His free time was limited, mainly because he was not good at gardening and had no interest in gardening.Maine took off her windbreaker, rolled up her sleeves, and started working in a hurry.They first dig out the potatoes and put them in the trunk of the Lada; then weed and water the carrots.Mei Yin has not done farm work for more than 20 years, but after all, she grew up in rural China, and she has not lost her childhood skills. After one day, this vegetable field is already looking good. For lunch and dinner, the two used the bread and beer they brought to deal with the two meals.After dinner Stepushkin said: Let's go, after a day's work, let's take a bath in the river.He drove the Lada for more than ten versts, and the forest here has completely disappeared. There is a boundless grassland, and a small river runs across it. The lush greenery is dotted with purple, blue and bright yellow wildflowers.Looking around, there are no human traces or artificial buildings in the four fields, and the original natural features make Mei Yin fascinated.Not to mention in China, even in the United States, such absolutely pure and primitive scenery is rare.Stepushkin took off his coat, leaving only his shorts, and said: "I brought Natasha's swimsuit. It's in the back seat. You can change it. But the water is very cold this season. I don't know if you can stand it." He ran and jumped into the river.The river was cold, and he screamed and swam vigorously.When he swam back from the opposite bank, he couldn't help being stunned. Maine had already plunged into the water, but she was naked without Natasha's swimsuit.She waved her arms calmly, her body clearly visible in the clear river water.She walked up to Stepushkin and explained indifferently: "I used to swim naked in the United States, but this hobby was cut off after I returned to China. I couldn't bear it today—in such a beautiful Garden of Eden." Stebushkin's eyes were absorbed by her body and he could not move away.He laughed at himself and said, "Mei, you already knew last night that I am a good man with great self-control, but the temptation in front of me is too strong." Maine still said indifferently: "Then don't suppress your nature. The joy of men and women is a gift from God, and I will not refuse it." With these words, Stepushkin immediately swam over excitedly and hugged her charming body tightly. They swam for a while in the river, and when they were hot, Stepushkin carried her back to the bank and laid her flat on the green grass, and Meyn grabbed him by the neck and pulled him onto himself.Stepushkin was a bit strange in the cloud and rain. This seemingly open-minded American woman seemed unfamiliar with sexual matters, and kept frowning, as if she was enduring severe pain. She hugged Stepushkin vigorously, The nails dug into the skin of his spine.Soon Stepushkin knew the reason. He got down from Maine, turned his face sideways, and looked at her strangely and confusedly.Maine smiled: "What's the matter? Your eyes are so strange." Stepushkin was indeed very confused.最初见梅茵时，曾见她用淫荡的笑容来迷惑那几个光头党，刚才她又毫不在乎地裸泳。这些行为给他的印象是：这是一个在性问题上非常开放的女人。but-- “梅茵，我没想到你是处女。” 梅茵笑着说：“对，33岁的处女，在当今的世界上，恐怕是非常稀有的物种了。” 斯捷布什金的表情有点儿沉重：“梅茵，我真的没有想到。” 梅茵有些气恼，尖刻地地说：“干嘛呀，看你心事重重的样子。怕这个处女讹诈你？逼你为她的一生负责？不要想得太多，我从来不是禁欲主义者，只是这些年来忙于专业，也碰巧没遇上让我动心的男人。” 斯捷布什金叹口气：“眼前这个倒霉的男人肯定也不够格。” “不，你就是让我动心的真正的男人——外表虽然有些潦倒但充满阳刚之气，目光中微含忧郁但显得深沉。而且，第一次见面你就表现了崇高的骑士风度，不顾生命危险，拯救一位弱女子于危难之中。”说这些话时她带着笑谑，但在说下一句话时把笑谑收起了，“你不光是侠胆骑士，还是盗取天火的普罗米修斯。” 斯捷布什金当然知道后一句话的内在含意，再次叹息一声，不说话了。梅茵把他拉回自己身上，轻声说： “来吧，你让我第一次尝到那种快乐，继续吧。” 在刚才的破瓜之痛后，她真的完全放松了，心情愉悦地配合着斯捷布什金，轻吟慢唱，镜湖荡舟。后来两人都乏了，紧紧拥抱着浅睡了片刻。不过即使在浅睡中斯捷布什金也是心绪复杂。他对身边这个行事果决的女人既迷恋，也有相当的惧意。这人绝不是个凡女子，想想她在光头党几把尖刀的包围中敢于突然出手，再想想她为了完成教父的命令，不惜放弃坚守33年的处子之身来引诱他——她说不会勉强劝自己对教父践诺，但实际上是在无声地引诱他，是用男女情爱在自己内心的天平上加了一颗很重的砝码。斯捷布什金对教父也滋生了惧意，他用什么魔法，让梅茵这样出色的女人，心甘情愿地听他的命令？教父确实是有魔法的，斯捷布什金与他只有一面之交，仅仅一个晚上的深谈，教父让他同样是心甘情愿地加入了十字组织，并答应冒身败名裂的风险去盗取那个东西。虽然后来他后悔了，犹豫了，但——看来他现在难以拒绝梅茵。 只是，为教父干了那件事后，他在这个世上恐怕就没有立足之地了。 他半支起身，默默观察着梅茵。梅茵睡得很香，这会儿离开了男人的怀抱，大概感到凉意，下意识地缩紧身体，向这边凑凑，再次偎紧他的身体。看着她蜷曲的光滑裸体（像昆虫的几丁质外壳一样光滑），不知怎的，他突然联想到螳螂。螳螂交配时，雌螳螂会扭过头吃掉雄螳螂的脑袋，所以所有雄螳螂的性爱都同死亡紧紧相连——自己的命运大概也是如此？但即使这样想着，他对雌螳螂并无厌恶。作为生物学家，他超越了普通人比较肤浅的爱憎观和道德律条。螳螂的这种习性有利于种族的延续（没有脑袋的雄螳螂在一段时间内反而有更强的性能力），所以雌螳螂的残忍虽然不符合“人道主义”，但符合“天道”。 教父之所以能让他膜拜，也是因为如此——他的教义虽然过于锋利，甚至有点残忍，不符合被人类奉为圭臬的人道主义，但确实符合天道。 梅茵被他惊动，眼波朦胧地向四周扫视一圈，马上真正醒了，笑着向他伸出手，拉着他坐起身，把后背偎在他怀里，她的嵴背和臀部带着森森凉意，胸前双乳像苹果一样圆润，闪着亮光。她打量着周围的风光，低声说： “天哪，这儿真的太美了，太美了，非常静谧庄严的美，没有丝毫烟火味儿，没有一点斧凿的痕迹。我告你说，这儿就是圣经中的伊甸园！你是亚当我是夏娃，咱们还没来得及从智慧树上偷果子吃呢。” 斯捷布什金吻吻她的乳胸：“没有吃智慧果，所以不知道裸体是可羞的。” “没有智慧也就没有心灵的痛苦。” “为了远离人类的原罪，请警惕蛇的诱惑！” Both of them laughed. “我这一辈子都忘不了今天。”梅茵笑着宣布，“退休后我一定到这儿来隐居。你欢迎吗？” “当然欢迎，但我可不敢奢望。” 梅茵扭头看看他：“那是退休后的事，先不说它。至于现在，我劝你跟我走吧，”她再次邀请，“我是认真的，武汉病毒研究所肯定欢迎你这样的精英。而且——你是我第一个男人啊。告诉你吧，我基本上是个守旧的女人，对我的'第一次'很看重的。如果你和娜塔莎能够复婚，那我为你们祝福。如果不行，你就成全我的心意吧。”她笑着说，“我是不是表现得太急切了？本来应该是男方开口求婚的。” 斯捷布什金把她搂紧，吻吻她。这种前景确实让人心动，可惜他已经过了天真的年龄，把事情看得太透。像梅茵这样冷静练达的成熟女人，不会在短短两天内痴狂地爱上一个颓废男人，不用说，她的性爱和求婚都暗含着功利目的。这样的婚姻恐怕是浮沙上的城堡。他突然站起来，伸手把梅茵也拉起来： “走吧，回家，现在就回家！我把你要的东西给你——在我没有改变主意之前。” 梅茵深深地看他一眼——这个突然的决定多少让她意外——没有说话。两人匆匆穿好衣服，锁好别墅门，开上拉达返回。返回途中，斯捷布什金一直沉默着，眉峰微蹙，两眼灼灼地望着前方。梅茵也没怎么说话，一只手一直搭在斯捷布什金的膝盖上，轻轻地抚摸着。她能理解，这个男人突然做出这个决定后，心绪一定很复杂，很沉重，所以她没让自己的喜悦外露。到家时天已经黑了，斯捷布什金把车停在楼下，没领她回家，而是领到一百多米外的另一幢楼房。他们来到一间地下室，打开门，拉亮灯。屋里基本全是钓鱼的家什，有一辆破旧的摩托车、几根钓鱼杆、一顶折叠帐蓬等，都落了厚厚的灰尘。只有墙角一个小型冰箱显然是新买的，锃明闪亮，与周围的杂物形成鲜明的反差，看看牌子，是一件日本货。斯捷布什金拉开冰箱门，里边空荡荡的，几乎没有放东西。他从冰箱角落里摸出一个盒子，盒子向四周散发着白色的冷雾。盒盖上有四个红色的感叹号，在威克特中心这是四级病毒的标志。 屋里灯光昏暗，他的双眼像猫眼一样发亮： “喏，就是它，其实在教父来电话后我就准备好了，为了保险，我特意藏在居家之外。但一直犹豫着，不知道该不该把它交出去。现在打开它吧。” 梅茵接过盒子，小心地打开箱盖。空气中白色冷雾更重了，那是盒内的干冰在蒸发。透过弥漫的白雾，可以看见干冰中埋着三个小小的密封玻璃管。 “这就是教父要的东西，是撒旦的礼物啊。冷战中，苏联科学家们，包括我，不得不研究这些东西，不是为了害人，而是为了防备别人害我们。现在我把这些交你带给教父，你当然知道它们的份量。” 梅茵柔声说：“我知道。谢谢你，柯里亚，我替教父感谢你，也替——未来感谢你。” 斯捷布什金的眉间透出几许凄凉：“未来？但愿未来的人们是感谢我而不是诅咒我。但愿我今天是在行善而不是作孽。但愿吧。” 梅茵终于如愿以偿，拿到了教父和她想要的东西。这些“小东西”在三个密封玻璃管中静静地休眠着。它们是非常简单的生命，甚至只能算是半生命（病毒不能单独在自然界生存，必须借助其它生物的细胞才能完成种族繁衍，而且病毒甚至会像无生命的化合物一样结晶），但它们的生命力非常顽强，同样是上帝最成功的造物。它们一旦到人世肆虐，能轻易夺去数千万人的生命！梅茵表面保持着平静，但眸子深处的兴奋是掩藏不住的。斯捷布什金心情复杂地看着她，对她有点羡慕，羡慕中也有惧意。梅茵的信仰比自己坚定，在做这件凶险之事时没有任何犹疑，没有自己经历过的令人发疯的内心折磨。 晚上他们相拥而睡，很久都没有睡着，两人不约而同地侧耳听着冰箱的启动声。梅茵把那个盒子从地下室拿上来了，她说自打知道了这个盒子的存在，她就不放心让它处在自己的视线之外。这会儿病毒样本放在屋里的老冰箱里，这是一台旧式的俄国货，压缩机启动的声音像拖拉机一样噪杂。绝热性能也不好，所以压缩机的启动相当频繁。不过，听着这不时响起的卡拉拉的噪音，梅茵如听仙乐，非常安心和快意。 斯捷布什金既然已经决定把“撒旦的礼物”交给梅茵，也就不多想它了。他没有问梅茵准备把这些病毒样本保存在哪个国家，他想，她（及教父）不一定愿把这个秘密告诉别人吧。他只是关心地问： “过海关时怎么办？最好让教父弄一个或CDC的通关证，当然品名可以编造一个。” “不，我不想在海关留下任何记录。而且根本用不着那样麻烦，我已经和一位中国倒爷说好了，由他来打通俄国、哈萨克和中国海关的关节，把这个冷藏盒夹带过境。你知道现今这三个国家海关官员的职业操守是什么德性，所以，万无一失的。” 她提到了中国海关，这么说，她是准备把病毒保存在中国了，很可能就在她工作的中国科学院武汉病毒研究所？那是中国研究病毒最权威的机构之一，研究方向以农业病毒为主，后来也转到医学病毒和新病毒。斯捷布什金听她提到“职业操守”，心中又毫无来由地涌起一股戾气，冷笑着说： “你说的那位倒爷，他肯定不知道偷运的是什么东西吧，不知道那个小盒子足能害死一百万人。反正只要得点蝇头小利，他就能良心清白地帮你夹带。好嘛，正是我说过的，中俄两国的腐败和混乱正好让咱们混水摸鱼。教父选你我干这件事，选得太对了。” 梅茵听出他的戾气，温和地说：“我想，等咱们告别人世时，绝不会为咱们今天的行为后悔。” 斯捷布什金沉着脸没有回答。平心而论，梅茵所担的风险并不比自己小。自己是监守自盗，而她的罪名是走私最危险的第四级病毒。这件事一旦败露，他俩都将成为社会公敌。而且总有一天会泄露的，因为梅茵把病毒弄去后是要干大事的，绝不会永远藏在自家冰箱里。他不知道梅茵是否为“面对公众”那一天做好了心理准备，至于他自己，在决定把病毒交给梅茵时，就为自己的人生结局做出了决断。他努力扔掉灰暗的心情，笑着说： “好，不说这件烦心事了。祝你一切顺利。来，咱们继续那件事——上帝赐给亚当和夏娃的快乐。” 那晚他们一直缠绵到天亮。乏了就睡一会儿，醒了就朦朦胧胧地作爱。虽然都没有明说，但两人都清楚这恐怕是最后的欢爱，以后很可能天各一方了，所以两人表现得都很贪婪。头天下午他们在河边草地上第一次作爱时，梅茵的应答还多少有些被动，有点生涩和僵硬，现在已经是全身心的投入。早上斯捷布什金醒来，看见梅茵已经醒了，盘腿坐在他身边盯着他，盯得非常专注，目光微带忧郁，像要把他牢牢刻在视网膜上。衬着熹微的晨光，她的裸体闪着油光，颈部的毳毛清晰可辨。斯捷布什金说你早醒了？She smiled sweetly: “早醒了。我一直在看你。” “早饭后你就要走？” "Ok." “我送你到海关。”他心中隐隐作疼，说，“真舍不得让你走。我会永远记住你的。” “我也会。柯里亚，你是我头一个男人，没准儿也是最后一个。我不会忘记你，请你记着，我对你的邀请永远有效。”她又说：“不管你这边怎样决定，我会一直等着你。” 斯捷布什金没有回答，笑着把梅茵拉回自己身上。 梅茵的回程很顺利，此时已经通过了俄国和哈萨克斯坦的两道海关。她与张军坐在斯泰尔厢式货车的驾驶室里，从哈萨克的阿克斗卡出发，经哈萨克的德鲁日巴口岸到中国的阿拉山口口岸，这会儿正在等着中国海关官员放行。昨天她找到了那位叫张军的倒爷，此前他们聊过，攀上了东北老乡。张军是沈阳人，个子不高，身体很壮，小平头，宽肩膀。他既然是倒爷，想来干过不少昧良心勾当吧（比如拿假酒和假羽绒服骗俄国人），但在梅茵这儿他绝对是个好人，既豪爽又义气。He said: “不就是走私汗血马的冷配精液吗（梅茵编的借口），小事一桩。这么个比巴掌还小的盒子，夹带过去没一点问题！” 至于梅茵应付的费用，他说看在同乡份上，这次就省了，只当交个朋友。反正没有你这个小玩艺儿，我的“贿赂成本”也少不了一个子儿。他把小盒子妥妥地藏在一车俄国毛皮大衣、军用望远镜和皮靴里，半开玩笑半认真地说：干这种夹带闯关的活儿，首先一条要心理素质过硬。只要你过关时不心慌，夹带个原子弹都没问题。千万别做贼心虚，让海关官员盯那么一眼，就冷汗淋漓立马休克，那可就穿帮啦。 关员是个表情严肃的年轻姑娘，手里拿着工作夹，很浓的一字眉，高鼻梁，从相貌上看大概是维族，说着大舌头的汉语。她认真检查了各人的护照，至于货物，不知道张军跟她叨咕了什么，关员打开车后厢门草草地看看，挥挥手放行了。出关时天色已晚，夕阳照着身后“中国阿拉山口口岸”汉文和维文两行大字。张军和司机归心似箭，说要连夜赶路，要赶到乌鲁木齐吃午饭。“梅姐，你的事办妥啦，你准备着到华凌大酒店请客吧，那可是五星级酒店。” 梅茵这会儿心情很轻松，笑着说：“没问题，明天咱们不醉不休，只要你们别攀梅姐喝酒就行，我真的没有酒量。” 货车在空旷的公路上疾驰，速度一直在120码以上。身后的夕阳从天边慢慢滚落，半掩在地平线下。梅茵放下对过海关的担心，和张军闲聊着，心中又拾起对斯捷布什金的担忧。梅茵的眼光很毒的，这两天已经从斯捷布什金的表情中看出了不祥之兆，尤其是在他突然作出决定的那一刻，那是在两人有了肌肤之亲之后突然做出的，他那时的果决与此前的犹豫苦闷形成陡峭的断层。从那刻起，他就像是把压在心中的一块石头完全抛开——不是说那块石头就此消失了，而是他决定不管它了。他当然不会一下子想通那件事的是是非非，那么，他有可能是做出了另外的决定。 依梅茵的直觉，那是一个不祥的人生决定。 就在太阳完全坠落的时候，梅茵突然觉得一阵尖锐的疼痛向她袭来，疼痛是从冥冥之地冒出来的，不知道疼在哪儿，是手腕的脉管处，是太阳穴，还是心脏。但它确实存在，在她每一处神经节点上霍霍地跳疼。张军看出她的异常，问： “梅姐你咋啦？不舒服？你这会儿脸色很差。” 她勉强笑着摇摇头：“没事的，可能这两天太累，突然有点头晕。” 张军说那就靠我身上眯一会吧。梅茵顺从地倚在他肩上，闭上眼睛，张军也不再和她聊闲话。不过没过一会儿，她又挺起身，紧紧抓住前方的椅背，透过风档玻璃，两眼灼灼地望着前方，脸色依旧很苍白。张军对她的表情有点奇怪，不过忍着没有问。 梅茵从不相信心灵感应，但这会儿她没来由地相信：也许那位柯里亚·斯捷布什金，与她有过肌肤之亲的唯一男人，此刻已经自杀了。她但愿这个预感是错的。如果斯捷布什金真的轻生，她难以排解良心上的折磨，毕竟是自己促他走了这一步。 不过，即使从一开始就知道这个结局，为了得到那些病毒样本，她还是会照旧做下去，因为它们太重要了，重要得超过一个人的生命。记得十二岁随义父（那时还没人称他教父）在非洲观看角马群的大迁徙，当大群角马冲过激流到达彼岸时，总要留下一些不幸者：被鳄鱼拖入水中的、被岸边的狮群咬断喉咙的、被同伴踩断嵴骨的、自己摔断腿的。她为这个惨烈的场景难过，但义父说，只要角马种族能够延续和昌盛，个体的牺牲是值得的，也是不可豁免的。他还说了一句话，让她铭记终生—— 上帝只关爱群体而不关爱个体，这才是上帝大爱之所在。 她但愿柯里亚能够挺过去，如果万一柯里亚，唯一与我有肌肤之亲的男人，请你原谅我吧。 送走梅茵的第二天早上，斯捷布什金给莫斯科的岳父家打了个电话，娜塔莎回去后一直住在她的父母家。他和娜塔莎，还有孩子们，漫无边际地聊了一会儿，娜塔莎说： “孩子们该上学，我也该上班了。你还有事吗？没事我就挂电话了。” 他忙说：“没事，我没事，你挂吧。”那边挂了电话，他默默坐在电话机旁，看着壁钟的秒针一顿一顿地往前走。等着过了上班时间，他给威克特中心高致病性病毒所打了一个电话，说他决定辞职，从今天起就不再上班，正式手续随后去办。近两年，病毒所辞职的人太多，恰达耶娃所长已经麻木了，例行公事地挽留一番，问了他今后的打算，然后就叹息一声，祝他好运气，“一路顺风”。 其后的整个上午斯捷布什金什么也没干，只是在他住过将近20年的房屋里转悠，看那张全家福照片，看装满了专业书籍的满墙式书柜，看梅茵留给他的中国式炒锅和调料。后来他好好睡了一觉，睡得午饭都没吃。下午他睡醒了，开上车去别墅，梅茵购买的青岛啤酒还有一打，他都装到车上。到了那片森林，他没有进别墅，直接把车开到十几公里外的河边，那片他与梅茵缠绵过的草地上。他仍脱得只剩下一条短裤，跳进冰凉的水中，大声喊叫着奋力游泳，直到身体暖和起来。然后他回到岸边，半浸在水中，靠着河岸，仰望蓝天，不慌不忙地喝着啤酒。12瓶啤酒快要喝光了，他的眼神变得朦胧，血液中充满了舒适的醉意。梅茵的身影在眼前晃动，在夕阳的光晕中时隐时现。她的声音也在耳边萦绕，柔美而富有磁性。 斯捷布什金的嘴角漾出微笑。在他行将告别人世时，与梅茵的欢爱非常宝贵，让他的人生休止得不那么灰暗，值得他在另一个世界慢慢回味。他取下项间那枚精致的十字架，在手里下意识地把玩着。到现在为止，他仍基本信服教父的教义——否则他绝不会把撒旦的礼物交出去，即使教父派的信使是梅茵这样令人无法拒绝的女人——但他也难以克服忧虑和负罪感。梅茵的信仰显然比他坚定，坚定得近乎狂热——也许恰恰这一点加重了他心中的灰暗？俗话说，真理往前多走一步就是谬误，善行多走一步就是罪孽。教父，及他手下像梅茵这样狂热的信徒，尽管初衷是好的，但他们会不会从真理的平台边上多跨那么一步？多跨一步就是悬崖了。 果真如此，那么，作为启动这个系列行动的第一环，自己的罪孽就太重了。 死有余辜。 他不愿再想了，酒精让他昏然陶然，大脑已经不怎么管用。他长叹一声，把十字架举到眼前。十字架中心部分嵌着一粒小钻石，那是一个隐藏巧妙的暗扣。用姆指捺着，沿顺时针方向轻轻转一下，暗扣解开了。再用点力，把下垂部分拉脱——实际是把剑鞘部分拉脱，里边是一枚小小的双刃短剑，剑身完全透明，微微泛着乌金的光泽，用肉眼几不可见。这种特制的十字架是组织的标记，每个新加入的成员，都由教父亲手把它佩带到项上。 当然，这枚十字只是他们信仰的象征，教父从未要求信徒们用它来杀身成仁。 夕阳慢慢下坠，已经接近地平线了，一条条红色光柱从晚霞缝隙中平射过来，把清澈的河水染成金红色的虚空。斯捷布什金用左手食指和姆指捏着剑把，即十字架的上部分支，用几不可见的剑刃在右手脉管上很随意地划了一下。剑刃太锋利了，几乎感觉不到切开肌肉的阻力，比用快刀划开黄油还要轻易。开始时也几乎感觉不到疼痛。斯捷布什金细心地把剑鞘装上，扣好暗扣。他这样做没有什么目的，只是出于一个实验科学家的严谨习惯。然后他把右手垂到河水里，鲜红的血流从切口处汹涌流出，迅速扩散到金红色的水中，形成比背景浓重的、奇形怪状的红色涡旋。斯捷布什金用朦胧的目光注视着涡旋的变幻，慢慢地觉得头晕，感觉到舒适的疲乏感。最后他的脑袋侧垂到河岸上，永远地睡着了。 谢苗诺维奇警官从看到死者的第一眼起就猜测他是自杀。谢苗诺维奇今年36岁，在刑侦处已经干了十年，处理这类非正常死亡的案件很有经验。死者半浸在水中，嵴背靠着河岸，表情平静，脸上甚至凝固着微微的笑意。只是因为他体内的血液已经流尽，所以脸色异常惨白，带着死亡的阴森，令人不忍细看。项间带着一枚精致的十字架，十字架中心一颗小钻石闪着亮光。右手垂在水中，在腕脉处有一道切口，创口被泡得泛白，但仍可看出它异常整齐，显然是用锋利的刀片划开的。死者身后扔着啤酒瓶，共12个，差不多都空了，横七竖八地围着他。不是本地人爱喝的波罗的海牌或金酒桶牌，而是近年来开始走红的中国青岛啤酒。法医瓦夏也是酒神狄俄尼索斯的挚友，秃脑瓜，一个很显眼的酒糟鼻子（按他的说法，那是酒徒的勋章）。他验着尸，忍不住咕哝道： “这家伙倒懂得享受，临死也没忘喝个痛快。”又说，“赶明儿我如果决定自杀，一定学他的样。” 从这些环绕死者的啤酒瓶中，谢苗诺维奇看到了这人告别人世前的留恋，和他不可逆转的决心，这两者其实并不矛盾。死者的身份毫无悬念。他的外衣扔在附近的草地上，里边有他的工作证：柯里亚·斯捷布什金，威克特病毒学及生物工艺学国家研究中心的研究员。口袋里还有同样名字的驾驶证。草地上停着一辆拉达车，经查实车号也是他本人的。最先发现死者的是退休的布雷切夫夫妇，他们的别墅就在附近，今天来河边玩，发现死尸后立即报了案。他们过去来别墅度周末时曾和死者打过照面，虽然不是太熟，但知道他是威克特的科学家。谢苗诺维奇向他们详细询问了发现的经过，见问不出更多的东西，就说谢谢你们的协助，你们可以走了。布雷切夫夫妇最后看一眼死者，摇头欷歔着，开车离开。 这个案件似乎算不上复杂，唯一让谢苗诺维奇迷惑的是现场找不到凶器。他带着手下，在河底和草地上仔细寻找了很久，最终也没找到。这儿水流平缓，刀片不可能被冲走太远。水质非常清澈，河底可以说一目了然，周围草也不深，不可