Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Cataclysm

The cataclysm happened on an ordinary day 288 years ago.At that time, Rumsfeld was commanding the Ohio-class Chiton strategic missile nuclear submarine on a routine cruise.They set off from the San Diego submarine base in California on the west coast of the United States to the South China Sea. That newly emerging country is the first on the list of countries for priority defense drawn up by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Ten days later, the submarine sailed into the central Pacific Ocean, not far from Midway Island. This submarine is the most feared weapon in human history.Although since President Bush ordered in 1991, nuclear submarines are generally no longer equipped with fully equipped nuclear weapons when cruising, but the USS Chiton still maintains the lowest level of nuclear deterrence.It carries two Poseidon C3 multi-warhead missiles with nuclear warheads and four cruise missiles with W-80 (200,000-ton small nuclear warheads). These six weapons are enough to send 10 million people into the hell of nuclear flames.Such a terrible weapon is in the hands of a 37-year-old youth, which gives him a sense of God-like satisfaction and responsibility.He is always thankful that the most terrible weapon in the world is in the hands of democracies and not in the hands of fanatical fundamentalists, dictators and madmen.This is the luck of civilized society and the luck of mankind.Don't forget, there are too many negative examples in history, the civilized countries that flourished for a while fell in the hands of barbaric tribes, such as ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, ancient Babylon, the Chinese empire of the Song and Ming dynasties, etc., to name a few. Too many to list.

On June 21st—the clock of human history stopped here—he made his usual rounds in the submarine.It was very quiet in the boat, when the non-commissioned officers saw him, they all just nodded and at most whispered a word.The greatest power of a nuclear submarine is its silence, its concealment and suddenness.The quietness of the submarine is not only guaranteed by the high-tech mechanical measures, but also depends on the well-trained crew. All the crew members are very light-handed whether they are eating or enlarging the toilet cover.No country in the world can reach the level of quietness of American submarines. During the Cold War, an American nuclear submarine encountered a Soviet nuclear submarine. In order to obtain as much enemy information as possible, the American submarine quietly followed the Soviet submarine for a long time. Even traveling through its upper and lower spaces, the other party has never been able to find it. This success has been spread as a good story in the military circle.

After the inspection, he returned to the captain's cabin, which is the most "luxurious" place on the submarine, but it is actually a small room that can only accommodate one person.Tables and drawers take up most of the space, a foldable small table, two chairs, a single bed (this is the only bed in the whole boat without bunk beds), on the table are communication tools to communicate with the whole boat , the most important tool is a multi-function display, which can display the ship's position, course, speed and diving depth at any time, so that he can understand the situation of the whole boat when he wakes up at night without turning on the lights.Before going to bed, he picked up a copy of Clessie's novel "The Hunt for Red October" and read it for a while.This author can be called a geek. He has no experience or background in submarine life, and only collects information through public channels. However, the information is very informative.Of course, this is for a layman. As a submarine captain reads this novel, he will feel amused by some of the author's fictions from time to time.He was tired from reading, so he had a call with Major Chotas, the watch officer and the first officer. Chotas said that everything was normal, and he turned off the lamp and went to sleep.

Two hours later, I dimly felt the submarine rising.This is the routine of the submarine.The positioning of the submarine relies on two devices, one is the inertial navigation device used in the boat, which can trace the trajectory of a period of time according to the known position of the submarine, and the positioning accuracy is slightly worse.One is a maritime satellite positioning device, which uses signals from 24 low-orbit satellites for positioning. The positioning accuracy is very high, and the position error of the submarine can be controlled within 3 meters.But the disadvantage of the second method is that the antenna (it is installed on the No. 18 periscope of the submarine) must be extended out of the water to receive signals when using it, and the submarine is most likely to be found by the enemy at this time.In practice, both devices are used in combination, and it is time to use the latter.

The submarine floated up at a slight angle, then turned horizontal.He knew that the submarine had reached "periscope height" at this moment, that is, 60 feet underwater, and the No. 18 periscope was now sticking out of the water.Everything was fine, he turned over and went back to sleep.At this moment, the emergency communicator rang suddenly, and it was the voice of the deputy captain: "Captain, it's an emergency!" Major Chotas is also an experienced commander. There is no panic in his voice, but the tone is very urgent, obviously he has encountered a very urgent situation.Rumsfeld agreed and immediately ran to the control room.Everyone in the control room, Major Chotas, Submarine Officer, Staff Sergeant, Balance Wing Operator and Helmsman, all looked solemn.He first glanced at the sonar display. The black vertical lines on it indicated that there were no surface ships or submarines nearby. The No. 18 periscope had been raised, and the sea in the lens was empty and calm.Chotas briefly explained to him:

"Cannot receive positioning signal from satellite." Ramsviel's first reaction was whether there was something wrong with the submarine's signal receiving device, but he knew that Chotas must have done these checks.Chotas added: "There is no signal, the airspace is a vacuum of radio waves." Ramsviel shuddered.How can this happen?That's unless...someone destroyed all the communication satellites above the earth according to a well-arranged plan, and even shielded this sea area from radio.This is an unlikely event, but if it were true, it would mean global war.Rumsfeld didn't hesitate, and didn't take chances. Relying on the instinct of a soldier, he immediately issued a series of orders:

"Dive quickly to the limit depth, then turn full rudder and move forward at four speeds." The submersible officer opened the pipeline of the ballast tank, and seawater poured into the ballast tank. The submarine dived rapidly at the extreme dive angle. Under the gradually increasing seawater pressure, the steel hull of the submarine crackled and crackled.The submarine dived to 430 meters underwater, then changed course and left the sea at full speed.Rumsfeld issued a follow-up order: "Prepare for the launch of the Poseidon (missile), with a nuclear warhead, the target..." He gritted his teeth and said, "Temporarily locked in Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo and Osaka."

The range of this missile is 2,500 nautical miles. Based on the current position of the submarine, only China and Japan are within the range.The 131 officers and soldiers of the whole boat realized the seriousness of the situation from these orders, and carried out his orders in an orderly manner.Chotas did not interfere with his orders, but was watching him suspiciously now.Ramsviel smiled wryly, he also didn't believe the situation had reached this point.There are many examples of undeclared wars in history, but any sudden war has its precursors.Judging from the current international situation, there is no possibility of a world war at all.The military power of the United States exceeds the sum of the next six military powers in the world. Even if these six countries concluded a despicable agreement, they would not dare to declare war on the United States, not to mention that most of these six countries are strong allies of the United States.

In a word, he never believed that war would suddenly come to this world, but the 24 low-orbit satellites above the earth and other satellites would never fail at the same time, and the radio silence on a global scale was an extremely ominous sign.There is only one possibility, and that is that some country has invented a secret weapon that can disrupt global communications in an instant, a weapon so powerful that it believes it can win in an undeclared surprise attack.Chotas, who had been silent until now, suddenly said: "Your Excellency, captain, please proceed with caution." Submarines are a special closed environment, where the rank relationship between officers and soldiers is not as strict as other arms, and Chotas and him have always been called by their first names before.Therefore, the weight of Chotas' words can be felt just from the address of Chotas.Ramsviel knew that as long as he gave the command to launch, the fire of hell would sweep across these metropolises, tens of millions of people would die instantly, and the god of death would not distinguish between a gray-haired old man or a toddler , Is it a murderous madman or a good man who eats fast and prays to Buddha.Human silhouettes will be left on the molten walls, and high heels that have lost their owners are embedded in the burning asphalt road... He said solemnly:

"Don't worry, I will act with caution. These orders are just in case. Now, wait for the president's order." The subs had been well concealed, and now, they waited for the president's orders to come over low-frequency communications.Very low frequency and ultra low frequency communications rely on seawater as the medium and are not easily disturbed.The stern is equipped with TB-16 and TB-23 towed sonars, several thousand yards long, which are used for ultra-low frequency and extremely low frequency communication.But these two communication methods are very inefficient. The ultra-low frequency communication takes an average of 30 seconds to transmit a letter, and the ultra-low frequency is better, which can barely be used for telex communication.Usually, these two methods are auxiliary, and are only used to instruct them to raise the periscope to receive communications in the medium and short wave range.

In such a serious global incident, it is said that the order from the superior will be issued immediately, but this time they waited for a full hour, and this long period of blankness made them feel more and more ominous.In the scorching anxiety, the low-frequency communication finally got a signal.Among them, the quality of the extremely low frequency communication is so poor that the facsimile typed out is illegible.They had to wait patiently for the letters that popped out on the ultra-low frequency receiver: "Sub...boat...immediately...down...down...to...extreme...limit...deep...depth." Chotas looked at the captain with admiration. It seemed that the captain's decision was correct. He still didn't know the truth of the incident, but he made the right decision by instinct.Why did the base issue such an order?Did a world war really happen?They watched the receiver anxiously.After a long time, such characters popped up on the receiver: "No...it's...war...war. Repeat...repeat, no...it's...war...war." Both captains let out a breath.They don't have to press the launch button of the missile, and they don't have to feel guilty for the death of tens of millions of people.But the following characters cast them into deeper fears: "Astronomical catastrophe. Proximity supernova explosion. Cosmic ray burst and ultraviolet burst. Geomagnetic field disappears, ionosphere disappears. Ozone layer disappears. Overdose of radiation, all people and animals on the ground will die within a few days. Submarines stay at extreme depths standby." The last sentence generally does not appear in military communications: "God...god... bless... you... you...." The two captains looked up at each other, their faces pale as death. Since then, the quality of ELF communications has improved, and text after text has painted a more detailed picture for them.It is a new star explosion very close at hand, only eight light-years away from the earth. In terms of astronomical standards, it can be said to be the next-door neighbor of the earth.But because there happens to be thick cosmic dust in this direction, astronomers have never discovered this disaster star hidden by the couch.Astronomers who are struggling with death have expressed a deep sense of guilt. It is their dereliction of duty and incompetence that have caused the current tragedy of mankind.Only one American astronomer, Steve, said on his deathbed that he had suspected that there were hidden stars in this piece of cosmic dust, but to study it needed a more powerful telescope, and his application for construction funding was rejected many times , on the grounds of financial constraints. "Actually, the cost of reducing the cost of 12 missiles on a nuclear submarine is enough." He said, "Up to the 21st century, human beings still spend trillions of dollars every year to manufacture killing tools, and countries are chasing after each other, and they are not tired of it." .From this point of view, the demise of mankind is really self-inflicted." The 132 officers and soldiers on board were more concerned about the life and death of their loved ones.But the biography made it very clear: there is no hope.People living on the ground, as well as animals, have received more than 4000 rads of radiation, even as high as 7000 rads, they will all die within hours or days, only some low-level animals and plants The resistance is stronger, but no one cares about these researches anymore.The only hope for the survival of mankind is those who are hundreds of meters under the rock and underwater at this moment.Maybe the rock and water body would act as enough shielding.No one dares to fully confirm this, but it is the only hope.Therefore, all submarine officers and soldiers, coal miners, and neutrino observatory personnel must stay put and wait for the burst of rays to pass before returning to the ground. Ramsfeld issued a new order: cancel the launch preparation of the missile, and the submarine returns to the San Diego base at a maximum speed of 35 knots, but it must remain at the limit diving depth of 430 meters at all times.The submarine sailed back eastward in the dark water, and the low-frequency communication with the base remained unblocked, which was the only comfort for the 132 officers and soldiers.Three days later, the telex said that the intensity of cosmic rays had dropped rapidly, but since the geomagnetic field had disappeared, it lost its shielding effect on cosmic rays, so even if the ray burst from the Death Star completely disappeared, the cosmic rays on the earth would not Impossible to get down to a safe level.Also, the ozone layer disappears, the atmosphere is heated and partly escapes, and the atmospheric pressure on the earth has been reduced by 30%.These all lead to excessive UV radiation, especially C UV in the high energy band.In a word, the earth has been unsuitable for human habitation for at least hundreds of years, at least the land is not suitable for human habitation.As for whether the earth's environment will heal itself in the future, and how long it will take to heal itself, no one can say now. The news made the atmosphere in the boat increasingly desperate.Submarines have the highest casualty rate of any branch in war, so once you're in a sub, you have to put your life and death on the line - but then at least they know why they're dying!They died so that their loved ones could live.And now, they are alive, and their loved ones are dead or struggling with the pain of dying.But they can only stay 400 meters deep in the dark water, staying in this closed steel coffin, which is more unbearable pain than death.Rumsfeld tried his best to maintain his composure, walked around the boat more frequently than usual, talked with the soldiers, tried to comfort them, and resolved their despair with his own calmness.But he knows that this deep despair cannot be explained in a few words. Despite increasingly pessimistic news in the literature, they hungrily stared at the low-frequency receivers.Rumsfeld admires the base staff on the communicator side very much. Their relatives are probably in the same situation. They may have lost their hair, vomited, and festered all over their bodies at the moment... they can't eat or have any strength, but They are still holding on to their posts. Six days later, the submarine reached the continental shelf off the west coast of the United States, and the sea was no longer 400 meters deep.Rumsfeld ordered to anchor here temporarily, waiting for further instructions.Everything in the boat remains normal on the surface, and the work and rest are still in accordance with the rhythm of 18 hours (the submarine always works for 6 hours and rests for 12 hours), and the chef still prepares bean salad, steak and crab legs for them. The water at 430 meters was pitch black, and nothing could be seen, but the sonar showed that there were still large groups of marine life moving as usual, and their rhythm of life had not changed, which was somewhat of a comfort to the personnel in the submarine. Soon, Staff Sergeant Basto and Corporal Copler found him: "Captain, please allow us to go back to land for reconnaissance." Ramsviel looked at their faces. The expressions of the two remained calm, but from the depths of their gazes, it could be seen that their spirits were on the verge of collapse.Rumsfeld knew that their determination could not be changed, but he still persuaded politely: "You know, cosmic rays are still at dangerous levels on land." "I know. But we are eager to know the situation in the country and the situation of our relatives. If...we really don't care about our own life or death. Let's go and find out the way for everyone first." Rumsfeld sighed, discussed with the deputy captain, and agreed to them. "Okay, you go, but the submarine can't surface, you have to use the stank hood to float up, I can only make the submarine float up to 400 feet below the sea surface for a short time. I am responsible for the life of the whole boat." A water depth of 400 feet (120 meters) is the limit of use of the Stein hood.The two agreed, and Rumsfeld ordered the submersible officer to float the sub.The steel shell of the submarine began to crackle again. In the cabin tilted at 15 degrees, the two disembarkers patrolled once and hugged all their colleagues tightly. Everyone knew that this might be a farewell. Said a simple blessing.The submarine stopped rising when it reached 120 meters below the surface of the sea. The two said goodbye to Rumsfeld, took the life raft and the Stank hood and walked into the front rescue cabin.The hoods allow seafarers to breathe while ascending, as seafarers are more prone to decompression sickness if they hold their breath when sea pressure drops sharply. The lower hatch of the rescue cabin was closed, the upper hatch was opened, and the seawater filled the rescue cabin within one minute.The two floated quickly to the surface of the sea together with the life raft, while the submarine began to dive at the same time, and finally stopped at a depth of 430 meters. He wanted to surface the sub, raised the periscope, and watched the two of them ashore.But he knew that he had no right to do so. He wanted to minimize the possibility of the submarine being exposed to excessive radiation. The lives of the 130 officers and soldiers on board were now more precious than anything else.This incident is quite ironic: the nuclear submarine was originally a powerful killing weapon, but its life history has ended, because there are no people on the earth for it to kill.Now, by accident, it has become a safe for 130 lives. Before leaving, Basto and Copler promised to resume contact with the submarine as soon as possible, but he has not heard any news from them since then. They didn't have much time to wait in the deep sea.On the same day, at two o'clock in the afternoon on June 29, a telex of the ELF communication arrived, which read: "The Chilton surfaced at 5:00 p.m. on June 29th. A plane picked up Captain Rumsfeld to Arizona. The president summoned the submarine. The submarine still descended to the extreme depth and stood by." This order caused a wave of excitement throughout the ship.It shows that at least the president is still alive and the domestic chain of command is not paralyzed, maybe things are not as bad as imagined.Rumsfeld was not as optimistic as the soldiers, and the doubts in his heart were even more serious.He made a transfer of duties with Chotas, put on a brand new navy uniform early on, and wore the golden dolphin badge of a submarine officer-at that time, he never imagined that he would be connected with dolphins for the rest of his life. At 5 o'clock, the submarine surfaced on time, and a variable vector X-35 fighter jet with auxiliary fuel tanks appeared in the sky at the same time.The plane descended vertically, hovered over the submarine, and lowered a ladder.Ramsviel hugged Chotas goodbye and climbed up the ladder.The pilot wearing the hood told him with gestures that there was his flight suit and hood on the back seat, so he drove the plane to a high altitude and then flew east. During the hour of crossing the western United States, the driver did not have a word with him.The plane was flying above the clouds, but even at this altitude, he felt the atmosphere of death on the ground.There is no airliner in the sky, and from the eyes of the clouds, there are no moving trains or cars on the ground, and there are no ships in the sea or river.The plane flew in the direction of the earth's rotation, so the sunset behind the plane rolled down quickly, dragging the clouds with its bloody light, as if it was very unwilling to fall, but it still disappeared quickly.Now, there is a deep darkness under the plane, absolute darkness, not a single light!In the past, how brilliant the nights of various cities were, the radiant light even interfered with the ability of migratory birds to distinguish direction. Needless to say, the electrical system throughout the United States, as well as transportation, communication and all systems have been paralyzed.There was suffocating silence on the plane.He looked southeast as far as he could see, and there, in Tanger, Florida, out of sight, were his wife and daughter, his parents.Are they dead or alive?Is there a chance to meet them one last time?These thoughts gnawed at his atrium, causing him waves of heart-wrenching pain. The atmosphere on the plane was too suffocating, and Rumsfeld wanted to ask a few words, but he didn't say anything in the end, for fear of disturbing the pilot's work.The ground was pitch black, and the aircraft's navigation system must have been completely disabled. Now, the pilot is flying purely by personal experience and willpower.After flying about 1,000 kilometers, lights appeared ahead.This piece of light was too weak, but in the absolute darkness, this piece of light was still eye-catching, and it also injected a warm feeling into his heart. The plane fired a flare, and after a while, three fires ignited on the ground.There was no doubt that it was the landing site.The plane changed the direction of the vector nozzle, sprayed gas flow downwards, and slowly landed on an open space.The lights were so dim that Rumsfeld couldn't make out where it was.A person greeted him on the ground, the driver took off his helmet, and said the first sentence to Rumsfeld: "God bless you, Rumsfeld." His voice was very weak.Only then did Rumsfeld know why he hadn't spoken during the flight.The driver's exposed face had festered to the point of losing its human form, and presumably the same was true of his body.It's a miracle he's been able to hold on and get the plane back.Now, the pilot sits there motionless, probably not even strong enough to get off the plane.The man who greeted Rumsfeld was no better than the driver. He shook hands with the driver and thanked him briefly. The man took Rumsfeld down to a deep basement. He walked down on foot. The elevator must have been disabled.His body was very weak and he was out of breath. Rumsfeld supported him and dragged him to finish the journey.The man did not refuse his help, but only said in a weak voice: "Thank you." Then added weakly: "You appear to be in good health. The President and I can rest easy." They walked through an extremely wide hall, and the first thing they saw was a circular screen and a circular console, densely covered with instruments and buttons.Ramsfeld realized that this was the US Strategic Command located underground in Arizona.But there was no one here now, the makeshift lights shone weakly on the dead console, the instrument lights were off, and the screen was black.The man didn't stop here, but continued to move forward, and came to an office.He stopped in front of the door, gasped for breath, and said: "The president is waiting for you inside, please come in, Mr. Rumsfeld." He twisted open the door, and the light poured from the inside.Huge semi-circular desk, luxurious furnishings, several thick cycads and cypresses, and exquisite Persian carpets on the ground.But there is a simple one-person celebration in the middle of the room, which is very inconsistent with the surrounding environment.It wasn't the situation he had expected for the president to summon him. President Fleming was lying on a single bed with a doctor taking care of him. Apart from that, there were no accompanying entourages.The president's condition is very serious, and the doctor is also in the same condition. Their hair has been stripped, their bodies are festered, their faces are dead pale, and every slight movement seems to require all their strength.After the first glance, Rumsfeld sadly admits that both the President and his doctors are drowning in death, with no hope of survival.When President Fleming saw the neatly dressed and energetic Rumsfeld, he immediately lifted his spirits: "Well, I finally saw a man who wasn't exposed to radiation. That makes me so happy. Say," he said to the doctor and the man who brought Rumsfeld in, "your duty has been done, you I have persisted until the last moment, and I can't express my gratitude to you in words. Now, please do what you want," he added with a smile, "My duty is almost complete." Without delay, the two men shook hands and bowed to the President.They turned to Rumsfeld and whispered, "Goodbye, no, it should be forever. I believe you will not let us down." They then left the basement, perhaps, in a hurry to meet their family one last time.Now, there are only two of them left in the huge underground headquarters.The President said, "Lieutenant Colonel Rumsfeld, I'm very glad I made it long enough to meet you. Let's get down to business and get to the end of it. My life is at the end of it." Rumsfeld felt his throat was choked, tried hard to hold back the tears in his eyes, and said solemnly: "Please tell me, Your Excellency, I will do everything in my power to fulfill your entrustment." President Fleming's conversation was intermittent and his voice was getting weaker and weaker. Rumsfeld had to put his ear to his mouth. The president was obviously burning out the last breath of life. He said that this astronomical catastrophe was so sudden that human beings had no ability to prevent it.If human history can be passed down, there should be such a record: Fleming is a dereliction of duty president, he did not expect to cut down a few nuclear submarines or stealth aircraft to increase the exploration of space, if earlier (even a few days earlier Years, a few months earlier) to discover this Death Star, at least human beings can still make basic preparations, and perhaps use a solid bunker to preserve a small number of human elites.Of course, now is not the time for repentance.He said that people on the surface have no hope of survival, no matter in the basement or in the cave, because this cosmic ray burst is so powerful that it can penetrate two to three hundred meters of matter and cause deadly secondary radiation. shoot. "So don't have any illusions about your family," he added a pitiful digression. Rumsfeld felt a stabbing pain in his heart, and he didn't speak. The president said that the only hope now is those miners, nuclear submarine crews, seabed research vessel crews, neutrino observatory staff, etc. who are four or five hundred meters below the ground.It is a pity that when the first wave of strong light and cosmic rays reached the earth, all communication satellites were destroyed, the ionosphere was blown away, and all wireless communications failed; most of the computers were burned out, and wired communications were basically paralyzed .Only by concentrating all the power of the country can the smooth flow of low-frequency communication of nuclear submarines be guaranteed.The other possible survivors are not under our control, maybe they returned to the ground immediately after discovering the anomaly, then they are also doomed, because the ray burst lasted for 5 days. He said that it is not known how many remnants of humans are left.It may be 500,000, it may be 100,000, or it may even be only 20,000 to 30,000.The president said, you are the first submarine captain to come back, and I will hand over the responsibility to you.From now on, countries and races have lost their meaning. Your task is to find the surviving people as much as possible, organize them, and use the material foundation left by the original human beings to revive human beings as soon as possible. As the president spoke, heavy irons fell on Rumsfeld's shoulders. The burden on him was too heavy, and he felt that he could hardly bear it. The president said: This catastrophe is too sudden, and the curve of human history is too steep. I can't offer you any advice. You can only explore it by yourself.I know that the captains of all submarines in the United States are strictly selected elites, and I believe you can do a good job.Rumsfeld, take this burden. "What are the current levels of cosmic rays and high-energy ultraviolet light?" asked Rumsfeld. The President closed his eyes for a moment to catch his breath, then opened them. "Rumsfeld, you are asking the most critical question. According to the latest information I can get, the intensity of cosmic rays and C-ultraviolet rays are still far above the safety line. Healthy people are exposed to the air for seven consecutive days. If it takes more than ten days, it will cause irreversible DNA breakage, enough to be fatal. This is probably the biggest problem you will face. You cannot stay underground or underwater forever, and you must be exposed to the air. This is still a problem for now. Unsolvable problem, you slowly figure out a solution." The president obviously has no strength left, his vitality has been exhausted.But Rumsfeld couldn't resist asking one last question.He knows that now is not the time to ask this question, but this depression has been accumulating in his belly, and he can't vomit: "President, I would like to ask a question: When the death ray first arrived on the earth, which region was the first to bear the brunt? The earth rotates once every 24 hours. If the first victimized country notifies in time, the country on the dark side of the earth may have an early warning within 12 hours. Time. Mr. President, please tell me frankly, I just want to know the truth, and you don't have to worry about my retaliation against the people there." The president closed his eyes and was silent for a long time. "The 12-hour warning time is not enough at all. This is not a tornado, just hide in the basement, so whether the warning or not does not affect the outcome of the matter. Moreover, radio communication was completely destroyed at that time, making intercontinental communication difficult. However . . . " He sighed and said, "It's hard to say what's going on. I can tell you that the brunt of it was a very narrow area in West Africa, where there was a lack of technology and awareness to call the police. Then It is the United States. When we wake up from the sudden shock, we still have the conditions to warn countries in Asia and Africa. At that time, there are still two diplomatic hotlines available. But..." He was silent for a long time before smiling wryly He said, "What are the people who are about to die afraid of the praise and criticism of future generations? God is too unfair to let the United States bear the brunt, and the most vigorous and democratic people in mankind will die first. If we warn the countries on the back of the earth, Maybe only dictators, religious fanatics, and drug dealers in the Golden Triangle will be left behind. After getting the news, those people will definitely protect themselves first, and will not care about the lives of the people. Then, tomorrow's human beings will be too sad. Rumsfeld, I am not Said that it is admirable behavior not to warn other countries. If there is enough time, we may have come to a different decision. But the time is indeed too short, the sudden catastrophe, the strong sense of tragedy and the hysterical atmosphere , These all affected the resolutions of the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as my decision-making. By the time I made up my mind to do it, it was too late. Anyway, the final result is: all human beings have suffered equally, maybe That’s exactly what God intended.” Rumsfeld felt chills as he listened to the president's stern dissection of his heart (or self-apocalypse).He did not expect that it was the United States that suppressed the news of the catastrophe.It’s a good thing to do... and it’s not to say that those councilors are unreasonable. If the 12-hour warning results in human beings being left with only some dregs, it’s really not something to be thankful for.However, let's put aside these non-urgent matters first, he has more urgent matters to consider. He was eager to share another concern of his with the president.Undoubtedly, the vast majority of underground and deep-sea workers are men, so there will be an extreme gender imbalance among the remnants of human beings, and it is even a question mark whether there are one or two women among the survivors.However, looking at the president's face, he couldn't bear to say it anymore, what's the use of saying this, let the president live out his last life peacefully.If you think about it, there will always be a way. Human beings have left behind a solid material foundation, as well as advanced technology, including cloning technology, genetic modification, and embryo segmentation technology.I believe that human beings will always continue. He was about to bid farewell to the president.While they were talking, there was never a third person in the huge basement.Rumsfeld originally thought that the president's entourage might have avoided it at this moment, but after the conversation he found that still no one came out.Under the dim light of the temporary lights, the president was left alone in the gloomy room.Rumsfeld couldn't bear to leave the dying president, leaned into his ear and said: "Your Excellency, I am leaving. I will remember your entrustment and try my best to preserve the fire of civilization. Where are your entourage? I will call them." The president barely opened his eyes and smiled slightly: "There is no one left. I drove them away. What you saw just now are the last two people. Everyone has one or two personal affairs to deal with before they die. Don't worry about me Come on, hurry up, there's a plane out there that can take you back to the San Diego submarine base. That's the only thing I can do for you. Farewell." He closed his eyes, opened them again after a while, and said calmly: "Go, child. I have one more request for you." He looked into Rumsfeld's eyes, "Don't go home. Your loved ones Death is inevitable, and the living are more important now. You have no right to waste your life on a long journey." Rumsfeld's heart was cut open, and he was sprinkled with salt, but he answered without hesitation: "I agree. Don't worry." The President smiled and closed his eyes peacefully.Rumsfeld held back his tears, bowed silently to the person on the bed, and left the dimly lit hall.The sound of lonely footsteps beat the dead silence around.The plane was waiting for him, fully refueled, but the pilot was a different person with the same horrible face in his helmet.像前一个驾驶员一样，他没有做自我介绍，没有寒暄，只同他握握手，说： “登机吧，拉姆斯菲尔先生。”他又加了一句，“你肯定不会让我们失望，愿上帝保佑你。” 飞机拉升过程中，拉姆斯菲尔回头感伤地望着下面的灯光。忽然之间，那儿灯光熄灭了，全美国也可能是全世界唯一的灯光熄灭了，下面是地狱般的黑暗。拉姆斯菲尔想，这是一个很贴切的隐喻吧，人类的文明之光已经熄灭，至少是暂时熄灭了，只余下少数幸存者，不知在多少代后才能把它重新点燃。灭绝的悲凉和创世的悲壮同时在他心中鼓荡着，震得耳鼓嗡嗡作响。他回过头，不再往地下看，也没有往家乡的方向看。总统说得对，死人已矣，现在最重要的是保全幸存者。他肩上是一个比落基山更重的担子。 一年之后，134名代表在圣地亚哥国民银行的地下金库里聚齐。他们选这里当会址是因为这儿有厚厚的遮蔽，不是因为这里的黄金。自从文明崩溃后，金库的大门一直敞开着，成千块金锭堆放在那里，闪着妖异的光芒。有些金锭散落在地下，甚至散落在门外，估计曾遭过一次抢劫。但看来人们很快认识到，当人类社会不存在之后，这些金锭远没有面包和衣服有用，于是这些贵重的金锭受到彻底的冷落。 134名代表代表了20048个幸存的人。大部分是白人和黑人，有极少量的黄种人。美国人占了一半以上，而且，绝大部分是潜艇官兵。这说明，美国社会的效率远远高于其它国家，尽管在这场灾变中首当其冲，但它的高效率保住了很多人的生命。 这个数字低于弗莱明总统的估计，原因是多方面的。在很多国家中，那些躲过第一轮幅射的潜艇官兵或矿工没有得到及时的通知，所以，当他们发现地面上情况异常时，都急不可耐地回到地面或水面之上，这样，他们最终没逃过超剂量幅射。有些幸存的人精神失常了；有不少人义无反顾地回家去了，虽然明知道这次回家的跋涉将使他们长期暴露在危险的射线中，也明知道他们的家人早就死了，但他们还是要回家，要与家人死在一块儿。此外，也许还有一些幸存者，但至今没能同他们联系上。当全世界的通讯、交通、电力、媒体、食品供应系统全部瘫痪后，要想同所有幸存者建立联系，实在是太难太难了。 20048个人。这个数字不算小，当年，非洲的人类祖先经中亚进入亚洲欧洲，其后的蒙古人种进入美洲，马来人到达波利尼西亚群岛，其人数大概都在两万左右，但那些先民们都很快繁衍生息，形成了昌盛的民族。人数少不是关键，关键是性别比例过于悬殊，拉姆斯菲尔常常盯着这个名单发呆。200048个人中只有五个女人，再把65岁的珍妮特除外，只余下四个有生育能力的女人。未来的人类要靠这四个女人来延续？ 值得庆幸的是，这里有一个中国女人覃良笛，两万人中唯一的生物学家。当时她乘“海龙王”号海底考察船在一万米深的马里亚纳海沟考察深海生物，幸运地躲过了这一劫。她的专业恰恰是基因工程，这个技能对于今天的人类来说实在是太重要了。拉姆斯菲尔想，这场灾变中，上帝在60亿人中恰巧护佑了这个女人，说明他毕竟对人类有所偏爱吧。 覃良笛今年32岁，貌不惊人，身材瘦小单薄，眼窝较深，高颧骨，平时话语不多。她是最先一批和拉姆斯菲尔联系上的，此后的交往中有几件事让拉姆斯菲尔对她刮目相看。第一件事，在他们风尘仆仆在全世界各地奔波时，覃良笛的一身衣服总是整洁如新，真不知道她怎么能抽出时间来梳洗整容；但不久之后为了工作方便，这个很注意风度的女人却干脆剃光了头发，丝毫不在意同行男人的目光。这两件小事说明了覃良笛的个性，她思维明快，能鸟瞰大局而舍弃细节，在很多方面与拉姆斯菲尔相似。 很快，覃良笛成了他最得力的伙伴。 地下室里点着蜡烛，134名代表散在屋里，大部分人席地而坐，有人把金锭搬来垫在屁股下，有人斜倚在货柜上。拉姆斯菲尔借着昏暗的烛光看着134名代表，为了这两万人的召集，他经受了多少艰难啊。副艇长乔塔斯也在，他代表着120名奇顿号潜艇的官兵（有10人不听劝阻执意回家了）。覃良笛立在他右边，用目光向他示意：拉姆斯菲尔，开始吧。拉姆斯菲尔缓缓地说： “超新星灾变之后，人类的代表终于第一次聚到一起。在这个时刻，我不禁想到了可敬的弗莱明总统。他在死前强撑着病体召见我，委托我……” 他说得很动情，心中浮着上帝般的责任感，没想到这种气氛被破坏了，有人粗暴地打断他的话，是中国的一个煤矿工程师，叫张根柱，一个身体粗壮的男人。他破口大骂道：“不要提那个老杂毛！狼心狗肺的家伙！他满可以向东半球的国家发一个警告，如果他发了警告，说不定还能多活十万八万人。你们这些心肠阴毒的白人鬼子！” 这番话一下子把会场气氛推到爆炸的边缘。乔塔斯立起来，怒视着这个没教养的人，南非的金矿矿工塞拉贝基则与张根柱站在一起。拉姆斯菲尔非常生气，不过，想起弗莱明总统曾说过的那句话：将死之人还有什么难以启齿的呢？他不免理亏，觉得底气不足。场面僵持着，最后是覃良笛来救了驾。她厉颜厉色地喝住张根柱： “不要说这些废话了！你真煳涂，现在是算旧帐的时候吗？”她放缓语气说，“过去的是是非非一笔勾销吧，我们这两万人是人类延续的唯一希望。现在，在我们之中不分国家，也不分白人黑人黄种人，咱们只有拧成一股劲，才能在如此艰难的环境中生存下去。不要说这些了，拉姆斯菲尔，开始正题吧。” 张根柱气咻咻地坐下，没有再发作。会议这才走上正常的轨道。 拉姆斯菲尔致了开场白之后，会议实际是由覃良笛当主讲。她言简意赅地勾勒出了这批人类幸存者今后的路程，这是她、拉姆斯菲尔、乔塔斯和另几个人一年来讨论的结果： “首先，这两万人必须尽快集中起来，只有形成一定的规模，才能在自然界立住脚。即使这样，我们今后的路也很不平坦。要想生存下去有两大难点。第一点，女人太少，”她苦笑道，“可惜人类科学还没有发明人造子宫。目前的条件也不允许我们开始这方面的研究。即使我们采用胚胎克隆、体细胞克隆等办法，也必须借用仅有的四个女人的卵子和子宫。我们的初步打算是，挑选一部分男人的精子与四个女人的卵子进行人工授精，再用医学方法挑出纯女性的受精卵，以四胞胎形式植入四个女人的子宫，按正常的途径怀胎生育。这个过程要反复进行，15年内大约能生育出200个女孩。待这些女孩成年后，再用她们的卵子，并选用没有血缘关系的成年男子的精子进行人工授精，生育第二代，这一代可以恢复正常的性别比例，等他们成人后也恢复正常的婚配。这种方法可以尽量加快人类繁衍的速度，并尽可能保证基因的多样性。”她补充道，“以我的医学造诣，还有目前残留的物质基础，做到这些是不成问题的。但这势必让这一代女人成为生育机器，我知道这个要求是太过分了，但……这是没法子的事。” 她看看另外四个女人：珍妮特，森男春子，琼和维佳。除了已丧失生育能力的珍妮特外，其它三个女人都庄重地点点头： “覃良笛，我们都理解，没人反对的。” 珍妮特说：“据我所知，现代科技能使已经绝经的妇女怀孕，那么我也可以参加进来。” 拉姆斯菲尔感激地说：“谢谢你们，未来的人类会记住你们这5位人类之母。覃良笛，往下说吧。” “第二个，也是最大的难点，是地球表面的宇宙射线和高能紫外线仍然很强。人们如果长期连续暴露在空气中，大约在15天以内，就会造成不可逆转的身体损伤。但为了得到生存的资源，我们不可能像土拨鼠一样永远生活在地下呀。这个问题暂时还没有办法，只能希望我们的身体会在进化中慢慢适应这种环境。” 拉姆斯菲尔说：“以后，户外的工作将全部由男人来完成，5位女性会受到最严密的保护。这不是特权，而是我们对你们的感恩。” 男代表们都说：“对，我们愿意这样做。” “以上我说的，是对今后生活方式的一个粗线条的勾勒，如果大家没意见，我们就按这个方向开始努力了。我们面对的是全新的情况，谁也不能逆料今后的变化。只有走一步说一步。”她特意转向张根柱，“张根柱先生，我的兄长，你说，我们还有精力去互相仇恨吗？” 张根柱没有说话，阴沉的脸色也缓和了。 经过一天的讨论，开始对决议进行投票。134代表都齐刷刷举起了右手。拉姆斯菲尔敲响木棰，宣布决议通过。乔塔斯他们打开香槟酒，屋里觥筹交错。张根柱特意走过来同拉姆斯菲尔碰杯，又同他默默拥抱。大家都知道这个无言的动作代表什么，都感到很欣慰。 从这一天起，新的一页历史开始了。 一年后，一个小型的人类社会已经形成。经过艰难的召集和跋涉，两万人从全球各地集中在圣地亚哥附近。他们尽力利用“史前社会”（他们已经习惯用这个名词来称唿在灾变中毁灭的文明社会）的物质遗存，用柴油发电机恢复了部分城区的电力供应。更大的成功是由覃良笛做出的，五个女人的子宫里已经各有四个受精卵在发育。卵子是她们各自提供的（只有珍妮特使用了其它人的卵子），而20个受精卵的精子则来源于20个身体健康的男人。其中覃良笛所怀胎儿的一个是拉姆斯菲尔的骨肉。 五个女人的怀孕基本是同步的，截至目前，差不多都怀胎三个月了。她们都住在国民银行地下金库内，除了每天必不可少的短时间日照外，尽量少暴露在户外，她们要着力保护体内的胎儿。所有的男人都殷勤地为她们服务。这些男人有少数是她们腹中胎儿的父亲，有些可能在下一轮孕育中做父亲，但也有一些无缘留下自己的血脉了。不过，他们知道这是没法子的事，仍然心甘情愿地尽着做父亲的责任。 这些胎儿都是用手术植入她们的子宫，5个女人谨慎地做出约定，不同任何男人建立特殊的关系。这是为了避免在这个性别极端不平衡的族群中出现不安定因素，再说——单是紧张的生育就让她们疲累不堪了。这一切都是覃良笛倡议的，不过，其实她心中有一个真正的情人，这是不言而喻的，两年来的朝夕相处，共同面对艰难，早让他们的爱情发酵了。这天晚上，拉姆斯菲尔独自在自己房间里时，覃良笛偷偷溜进来。那时拉姆斯菲尔没有料到，这一次幽会之后，又一本历史书被打开，而原来那本只打开了一两页的史书却悄悄合上了。 覃良笛悄悄溜进他的房间，细心地关上门，一句话也没说，径直投入他的怀抱。她紧紧地箍住拉姆斯菲尔的身体，把脸贴在他胸膛上。拉姆斯菲尔体内的火唿地被燃着，这堆情欲之火已经闷燃两年了。他也紧紧箍住覃良笛的身体，狂吻她的口唇，两手在她衣服内游走，两人的身体都张紧如弓……不过覃良笛已经从他怀中挣出去，用手理理刚长出的短发，歉然说： “理查德，对不起。我们五位女性已经共同做出了许诺，再说，我已经怀孕三个月了。” 拉姆斯菲尔也强使自己平静下来，放松了崩紧的肌肉，笑着说：“没什么，我理解。能够抱抱你，我就已经很满足啦。” 覃良笛嫣然一笑：“陪我到外边坐坐，好吗？我有些要紧话想对你说。” "Okay, let's go." 他们走出房间，在楼顶俯瞰这座沉静的城市。他搂着覃良笛，微咸的海风吹拂着脸颊，清冷的月光洒在他们身上。拉姆斯菲尔说：“覃良笛，也许真是上帝把你送到我们之中的。这一年来多亏你，一切进展顺利，也许五六代之后，咱们的后代就能站稳脚跟了。真的感谢你。” 覃良笛没说话。拉姆斯菲尔扭头看看她：“你有心事？你刚才说有什么要紧话？” 覃良笛简捷地说：“我很担心。” "worry about what?" “你的身体怎么样？有没有什么不好的感觉？” 拉姆斯菲尔近来感到乏力和恶心，无疑这是幅射造成的，他一直瞒着别人。他摇摇头说：“没有啊。” “也许你的身体比较特别，也许，作为族长，你出去干活比别人相对少一些。但我发现，大部分男人的幅射病症状已经很明显了。而这才两年时间啊，你知道，人体接受的幅射有累积效应，幅射病会越来越重，而不是慢慢习惯。” 拉姆斯菲尔黯然说：“我当然知道，但这没办法。我们只能寄希望于后代，孩子们可塑性强，也许他们能适应这个高幅射的环境。” 覃良笛摇摇头：“婴儿对幅射更敏感。人的适应性进化是个很缓慢的过程，我们等不及的。” 拉姆斯菲尔沉默良久，说：“你说怎么办？” “我想你肯定注意到了，地球上的哺乳动物、爬行动物、鸟类几乎全部灭绝，但水里的鱼类甚至哺乳类却依旧相当昌盛。” “我当然知道，我们的食物基本来自于海洋。” “这说明，海水对幅射起着有效的屏蔽作用。” “对，可惜我们不能永远生活在水里。” 覃良笛不说话了，两眼灼灼地望着夜空。拉姆斯菲尔奇怪地问：“你为什么不说话？你有什么建议？” 覃良笛简短地说：“人类为什么不能永远生活在水里？海豚是由陆生的中爪兽进化而来，鲸鱼是由半陆生的走鲸进化而来。它们都是被环境逼着返回水中的。” 拉姆斯菲尔感到十分震惊。在他印象中，这个中国女人是守旧型的，世界观比较传统，绝对想不到她会提出如此惊人的建议。沉默一会儿他说：“人类的身体结构已经特化了，不适应水中生活。你说过，进化是长期的工作，我们等不及。” 覃良笛毫不停顿地说：“干嘛要等？可以用基因手术让下一代长出脚蹼和指蹼，长出鼻孔上的瓣膜，加大肺活量，这些我都能办到。” 拉姆斯菲尔想，她肯定已经筹谋很久，连技术细节都考虑到了。也许，在她进行第一代受精卵的人工授精时就已经开始筹划此事，他不禁对这位瘦小的女人有一种隐隐的畏惧感。沉思良久，他半开玩笑地说：“我可没有做好思想准备，来认养这样的异类儿女。” 覃良笛很快地说：“他们不是异类，是人类的嫡系后代。人类中有不少怪胎，有长尾巴的，浑身长毛的，连体的，他们的'异己性'不亚于长脚蹼的后代吧，可是他们照样是父母的亲亲热热的小宝贝。关键是他们仍将传承人类的文化，这才是最重要的物种特性。” 拉姆斯菲尔辩不过她，在她犀利的思想面前，他搜尽枯肠也找不出反驳的理由。也许她是对的，也许自己的抵拒只是前朝遗老的惯性。他努力想把这个话题变轻松一些，笑着说：“覃良笛女士，你遽然提出这么一个主张，不会逼着我今天就给你做出答复吧。” 覃良笛笑了：“当然，当然。不过我会经常来逼你的，或者你被我说服，或者你说服我。我不想有第三种选择。” 五个女人的腹部越来越凸出，发育完全正常，马上会有20个女婴加入到这个族群中了。族内的男人们不管是不是血缘上的父亲，都显得十分喜悦，努力为五个女人寻找可口的食物。不过，他们的身体也越来越衰弱了。 孕妇们都有好胃口，当然包括覃良笛，但她却悄悄改变了食谱，她现在只吃海产品：海鱼或海带、紫菜、海菠菜等。拉姆斯菲尔知道她是什么用意，他暗暗佩服（多少也有点畏惧）这个女人坚韧的意志。在孕期的几个月中，覃良笛更频繁地同拉姆斯菲尔“幽会”，锲而不舍地劝说着，终于让拉姆斯菲尔从心底里接受了她的主张。不过他们暂时瞒着大家。 10个月后，20个女婴相继出生，并全部存活，地下室里一片婴儿的啼哭。喂养这些婴儿可是件比推西西弗斯的石头更难的工作，毕竟女人都只有两个乳房而不是四个，何况珍妮特还没有乳汁。也就是说，至少有12个婴儿没有奶吃。不过这没有难倒他们，有20个男人充当了保姆，用史前社会留下的过期奶粉来喂这些饥馋的小家伙们。所幸她们都发育良好，哭声少了，那些小面孔上开始漾出微笑，而且开始能认出她们的男妈妈和女妈妈了。这让所有男人都忘记了自身的病痛。 在最小的一个女婴过了周月之后，拉姆斯菲尔召开了全族代表会，134名代表聚在这间地下金库中。覃良笛向大会提交了她的提案，她和拉姆斯菲尔已经预料到会有强烈的反对，做好了思想准备。但即使如此，他们也没料到反对的激烈程度。全体代表同声反对，没有赞成的，一个也没有。张根柱直率地说： “你们是不是疯了？覃良笛你一定是疯了！让我们辛辛苦苦去抚育那样的小杂种？” 乔塔斯向来是惟艇长马头之所瞻，但这回他也成了反对派：“拉姆斯菲尔，覃，这是不许可的，上帝不许可的。” 珍妮特抱着一个女婴，举到覃良笛面前。她以65岁的年纪生了四个孩子，身体变得很衰弱。她难过地说：“覃，不要受撒旦的诱惑。看看这些孩子吧，你提出的主张对得起这些孩子吗？” 两人苦口婆心地解释，覃良笛讲到幅射的累积效应，讲到现在男人们日益衰弱的身体状况，讲到海洋是地球上唯一保存良好的生态系统。她动情地说：“我们孕育了这些后代，可是她们终究要面对幅射啊。那对她们不是太残忍了吗？” 但不管怎样说，所有人坚决反对这个主张。拉姆斯菲尔和覃良笛只好遵从多数人的意见。一切照原样进行。第一批女婴出生六个月后，所有的女人又都植入了第二代的受精卵，是覃良笛的助手做的手术。她挑选了一个男助手，耐心传授了所有的技艺。覃良笛本人也做了植入术，没人料到她这次是虚晃一枪，没有真正怀孕。 不久，拉姆斯菲尔说身体不好，将族长的职务暂时转移给乔塔斯。这个小小的人类社会仍正常运转着。但三个月之后，拉姆斯菲尔和覃良笛突然失踪了。 他们乘一艘机帆船来到远离大陆的南太平洋的土阿莫土群岛。船上没有带任何与生活有关的物品，因为他们已经下定决心，要像一个海岛土人那样生活。但船上带了做基因手术所必需的所有设备：柴油发电机组、显微镜、腹腔镜、针状吸管、显微注射仪、离心机，还有一些必要的药品，如绒毛膜促性腺激素、麻醉剂等。最重要的东西是一件冷冻箱，里面装着覃良笛悄悄采集的200个健康男人的精子，还有四个女人的卵子。她曾对四个女人（包括她自己）注射了绒毛膜促性腺激素，促使她们超数排卵，这样，她共采集到了近100个卵子。这些事都是悄悄干的，没有让当事人知情，所以覃良笛总觉得心中愧疚。但这是没法子的事，只有从权了。要想建立一个海人社会，当然不能只繁衍拉姆斯菲尔和覃良笛的后代——那样的话，他们的后代如何婚配？可以自我慰解的是，他们并不是在伤害那些男人女人，而是在帮他们繁衍和抚育后代。 其中四个卵子已经进行人工授精，并做了基因嵌入术——嵌入了青蛙形成脚膜的基因。这四颗受情卵的父代和母代都取自不同的人，以尽量加强下一代的基因多样性，只是，他们只能由唯一的子宫来孕育了。 他们在马特鲁阿环礁上找到了一个理想的洞穴，就是那个拉姆斯菲尔在其中生活了15年、又长眠了270年的岩洞。拉姆斯菲尔清楚地记得，就在他们安顿好的第一个晚上，在这个岩洞的岩石地面上，他和覃良笛有了一次酣畅淋漓的、近乎疯狂的作爱。现在他们已经远离人群，不用考虑种种因素，不用考虑别人的目光。在三年的精神恋爱中，他们的激情和情欲都已经过度饱胀了，今天终于来了一个爆发。在拉姆斯菲尔的眼光中，覃良笛是一个内向的、寡言的中国女人，甚至可能是一个性冷淡者，但这件外壳在这个蛮荒的岩洞里彻底脱掉了。他们互相箍着对方，狂吻对方的每一寸身体，在地上翻滚腾挪。覃良笛伏在他身上，狠狠地咬他的肩头，像一个驭手那样猛烈地颠动着身体，她的眼睛在岩洞的黑暗中闪闪发光……后来他们累了，并排躺下。很久之后，拉姆斯菲尔发现覃良笛没有睡，她的一只手轻轻抚摸着情人的身体，目光却看着远处，看着头顶那个小洞中透进来的月光。拉姆斯菲尔问她在想什么，她说：在想咱们的那些孩子，那些留在圣地亚哥的孩子。那些孩子中有他俩的亲生骨肉，也有非亲生骨肉，不过这条界限已经模煳了，所有的孩子都牵着他们的心。拉姆斯菲尔说：不必担心，那个小社会已经走上正规，缺了咱们两个，不会受到什么影响。覃良笛深深地叹息一声： “不，我非常担心。” "why?" 覃良笛向他讲述了一个生物学家的沉重的思考。她说，在21世纪，科学的发展太迅速了，以至于人们的自信心过度膨胀，认为科学技术完全可以战胜大自然。这是错误的，比起浩渺无限的宇宙，人类永远是个弱者，人们只能想办法更好地顺应自然而不是控制自然。这次天文灾变就明白地验证了人类的脆弱。那个到处充斥幅射的陆上世界已经超越了人类能力的上限，所以，人类的所有努力注定要失败的。 “你是说，那个人类群体会……” “对，在几代人的时间内，他们就会逐渐衰亡的。” 拉姆斯菲尔觉得，冰冷的寒气很快浸透了他的血液，他的心向无限深处跌落。他阴郁地说：“你太悲观了。上帝不会这么残忍吧。” 覃良笛不客气地说：“你那个仁慈的上帝已经在一夕之间杀死了60亿人，还有无法计数的其它生灵！拉姆斯菲尔，我同样不希望那种结局，但我们得承认现实啊。如果他们还有希望，我们为什么要到这儿来呢。” 拉姆斯菲尔叹口气，不说话了。类似的观点，覃良笛已经向他吹了一年的风。他总觉得自己的人格被撕裂了，从理智上他无法抵抗覃良笛的力量，从感性上他却迟迟不愿认同覃良笛向他推销的计划。他最终屈服于覃良笛的思想（她的思想确实有强大的感召力），跟她一块来到南太平洋，但他知道，那个撕裂的人格并没有完全拼复。 那晚还有一个细节他记得非常清楚。天亮了，明亮的晨光从头顶的小洞中射进来，两人起床了，他们刚到这儿，有多少事等着他们干哩。夜里他们当然是赤身裸体，这会儿拉姆斯菲尔习惯地检起衣服，开始穿衣，覃良笛忽然拉住他，富有深意地笑着： “拉姆斯菲尔，不用穿了。” 拉姆斯菲尔愣了一下，