Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Death of Wife
The coral reef island disappeared below the sea level, and then the flocks of birds flying around the island disappeared. Later, even the island cloud hovering on the island disappeared. Now there is only a raft floating on the vast waves.Rumsfeld had already had two excursions, but both had been in good weather, and only this time the sea really showed its power.Rows of 10-meter-high waves spewed water and roared towards the raft. The sound was deafening. When talking on the raft, one had to stick to each other's ears.When the raft sank into the trough, there were towering green and cold water walls on both sides. Countless marine creatures, like turtles and rays, were hurriedly moving their limbs or swinging their tail fins in the water, appearing and disappearing suddenly. .The tens of millions of tons of sea water hanging overhead seemed about to pour over and smash the raft to the bottom of the sea forever.But in an instant, the sea water rushed to the bottom of the raft, and the raft was still safely floating on the top of the waves.The big waves are not evenly spaced. Sometimes there are several rows of small waves sandwiched between two rows of seas, and sometimes two big waves are closely connected with each other.At this time, the tail wave will rush onto the raft, and the people on the raft will be smashed, but the sea will flow down through the gaps between the logs, and the raft will still float on the water peacefully, ready to meet the next one. big waves.
According to the original arrangement, John and Francis were responsible for manipulating the steering paddles on the raft.But it didn't take long for them to discover that the guide slurry was useless. The 10 trackers share the same mind and accurately grasp the direction of the raft. In addition, there is no sail, so there is no rotational force on the raft, so the guide paddles have been swaying behind the raft obediently.Later, John simply untied the guide paddle and tied it to the log of the raft, and they joined the other sea people in playing.
The raft traveled eastward along the Pacific Circulation. The strong current pushed the raft, and the 10 long-distance swimmers were physically strong, so the raft traveled at a very fast speed, which was estimated by Rumsfeld to exceed 20 knots per hour.The trackers squeaked excitedly as they pulled the raft through the waves.They worked in an orderly manner, but at the beginning of the journey, in order to avoid a row of huge waves, the formation was disordered for a while, and three fiber ropes were twisted together.Suo Langyue rushed over immediately, holding the rope in her mouth to help them untie it.The three derelict trackers squeaked embarrassingly, and quickly restored order.Since then, they haven't made a mistake.
The five seamen who accompanied them rarely stayed on the raft, and spent most of their time following the raft in the water.They could not keep up with the speed of the raft, so most of them were pulling or biting a rope on the raft, and shaking their limbs vigorously at the same time.Susu also often went down into the water, sometimes she pulled the rope, sometimes she climbed Suo Langyue's dorsal fin, chatting happily with her.But she was not long in the water, and after a while she always climbed up on the raft and snuggled up to her husband.She couldn't leave her husband alone on the raft.
The raft didn't stop while the dolphin and sea people ate.When the trackers found a relatively dense school of fish, five of them took off the rope and quickly inserted into the school of fish to hunt for food.The other five were still pulling the raft, but at a much slower pace.At this time, the sea people will also seize the opportunity to hunt for prey, and Suo Langyue or Susu will catch two fish that Ramsviel likes to eat and throw them up.In fact, even without their help, Rumsfeld could not go hungry.When the raft is moving forward, there are often flying fish, small squid or tuna rushing up the raft by the force of the water. Most of the uninvited guests jumped on the logs and escaped back into the water, but some jumped in the wrong direction, and finally exhausted their energy and felt helpless. Lying in the gap between logs.There are quite a lot of fish thrown up, and one person can't finish it.Ramsviel said to Susu with a smile, in fact, he can lie on the stern of the raft with his mouth wide open without using his hands, and there will always be a fish jumping into his mouth.
At supper the waves receded, and evenly spaced bars spread out neatly to the horizon.Looking around, the raft is lying on a raised circular sea, surrounded by a dome-like canopy.Seen up close, the raft was speeding through the waves; but seen from a distance, the circular sea under this canopy seemed to be motionless.The sea and the sky are the same color, eternal and endless, only time changes, and a round of the sun slowly shifts on the sky.Now it was close to the horizon, and a golden light shone from the back of the raft.
Just then, Rumsfeld spotted the school of sharks behind him.This is a group of brown sharks, about 10 or so, closely following the raft.I don't know what they are motivated by, whether it is curiosity about the raft (this is a big fish they have never seen before), or they are coveted by the 10 dolphins in front of the raft, anyway, they have been following them for the rest of the voyage The raft never forsakes.The sharks swam close, some alongside the raft and some ahead.Their formidable muscles can be clearly seen through the beach water, and when they open their mouths, they reveal five or six rows of terrifying teeth.They were so close to the raft that their protruding dorsal fins rose over the side of the raft.Susu couldn't help but grab the shark's dorsal fin, but the caught shark didn't panic at all, and still swam unhurriedly.Their blue-gray crests bumped lightly against the raft like a foolish house dog tickling its master's leg.
Sharks never appear alone, and there is always a group of idle boat masters swimming in front of them (add teacher next to the word fish. The same below).They are only a few inches long and are covered in zebra-like patterns.Dozens of boatmen lined up in a fan shape and swam in front of the shark, and a dozen more darted back and forth under the shark's silvery white belly.But this is a group of unfaithful followers. When the sharks dived from the raft and swam past, they found that the raft was a stronger master, and some of the boatmen abandoned the sharks and went to the new master.Over time, there were hundreds of sailors in front of the raft, and they followed along the journey of thousands of nautical miles.
When the shark appeared for the first time, Ramsviel was worried about the safety of Suo Langyue and the dolphin tracker, so he ran to the front to take care of him.In a blink of an eye, a great brown shark passed under the raft, almost walking side by side with Solange.The two were so close that the shark could swallow Solange Moon just by turning around.But Suo Langyue swam calmly, just glanced sideways at it, smiled and said to Rumsfeld: Don't worry.They know the protection of the holy ban and dare not attack us.Sure enough, the shark circled around among the 11 dolphin people, looking around curiously, but finally Qiu left without any offense and followed far behind.
The moon rose into the sky, and the sky was full of stars twinkling quietly.The raft heaved and heaved on the black waves, and looking into the distance, the moonlight made the undulating sea full of black and white stripes.The luminous plankton on the sea quickly approached the raft, and was split by the raft, turning into two streams of light and flowing behind the raft.The constellations in the sky rotate slowly from east to west.Besides, there is no sign of the raft's movement, and the world in front of you is so quiet and eternal, so eternal that you will forget the trilobites, dinosaurs, and land humans. It seems that it has been like this since the beginning of the universe, and It will remain so until the end of the universe.
Susu and John were tired, they climbed onto the raft and prepared to sleep.Susu went into the cabin and made the seaweed bed, and the rest of the sea people curled up on a random place on the raft.Ramsviel walked to the bow of the raft and said to Solange and the ten trackers:
"Good night, I'm going to rest. After a day of stretching, you are all tired. If you are tired, don't go forward at night."
None of the trackers showed signs of fatigue, Suo Langyue said: "They will change shifts tomorrow morning, you don't have to worry. Good night, you should go to bed early."
Back at the cabin, Susu had already fallen asleep, and the five sea people outside were also snoring with different thicknesses.Ramsviel quietly lay beside Susu, gradually falling asleep under the shaking of the waves.
The next morning, he was woken up by the squeaky Dolphin talking.It was the second batch of dolphin people who came to change shifts, and the two shifts were handing over their duties, and of course some chatting was indispensable.Yesterday it was 10 spinner dolphins, today it was all tropical spotted dolphins.They exchanged places, and the off-duty dolphins gathered outside the raft in a single file to say goodbye to Reziayo.Rumsfeld said gratefully:
"Thank you, 24 hours of fast driving must have worn you out. Goodbye."
The 10 dolphin people were indeed showing signs of fatigue. They also said goodbye to Suo Langyue, Susu and John, and swam away unsteadily.At this moment, Ramsfeld saw a sign of danger. When the small group of dolphins swam away from the raft, the group of sharks seemed to know that they had escaped the protection of the holy prohibition, so they tentatively swam towards them. The temptation becomes a ferocious attack.The group of tired dolphins immediately formed a circle, guarding against attacks from all around.But there were too many sharks to guard against, so the dolphin man changed his tactics and attacked the leading shark violently, advancing and retreating, hitting the shark's five gill slits hard in turn.Rumsfeld stared at that side closely, very worried about this struggle of disparity between strength and weakness.But the raft moved quickly, and in an instant it left the battlefield behind, and nothing could be seen.
Ramsviel hurriedly called Suo Langyue over and told her what he had seen.He asked if he needed to stop the raft to help the 10 weary dolphins.Solange shook his head:
"The progress of the raft cannot be delayed. You don't have to worry too much about the 10 dolphin people. This is the challenge we face every day."
She didn't comfort Rumsfeld with empty words, that is to say, she couldn't guarantee that the ten dolphin people could escape from the shark's mouth.She didn't express sadness, though.Two-thirds of the dolphin people will not live to the end of their lives, so it is not unusual for these 10 dolphin people to die.Soon, the sharks came back again, still following the raft, and the outcome of the previous battle could not be seen from their stupid expressions.Rumsfeld hoped that they failed to break through the defensive formation of 10 dolphins, and finally retreated.However, he may never know the truth of the battle just now.
He said to Suo Langyue: "You have also been swimming at high speed for 24 hours, and those trackers can still change shifts. Come on, take a rest on the raft."
Suo Langyue agreed, and Ramsviel reached out to pull her dorsal fin, but Suo Langyue refused with a smile.She slowed down, fell behind the raft, and then sped up towards the raft.The timing was perfect, and just as a crest lifted the front of the raft, she burst out of the water and landed beside Rumsfeld.Rumsfeld carefully straightened her body on the raft.The dolphin's skin is very delicate, with well-developed subcutaneous nerves. Rumsfeld stroked her back, feeling her body temperature and trembling under the skin.Seeing Suo Langyue's sister come ashore, Susu also came up immediately, and together with Rams Feier, they knelt and sat in front of Suo Langyue.She slowly stroked Suo Langyue's whole body, and said enviously:
"Sister, you are so beautiful! It's so wonderful to see you swimming in the water, I really want to change these legs into fish tails."
Suo Langyue smiled: "If you say that, Lei Qi Ayo will be angry."
Rumsfeld said: "How can I be angry? The legs of land-born people are very elegant on land, but they are really clumsy in water."
Suo Langyue smiled slightly: "In the myths of people living on land, there is also a little mermaid whose tail becomes legs."
Susu said: "She did a good job. She wants to leave the ocean and live on the shore. Of course, she has to replace the fish tail with legs. But today we are just the opposite. We leave the shore and go to the sea. That myth should also be reversed." coming."
Susu's comments were fresh, and both Rumsfeld and Suo Langyue laughed and said, "How come the other way around?"
"It's very simple. In the new fairy tale of the little mermaid, it should be the man with two legs on land who fell in love with the mermaid in the water, and then asked the wizard to turn his legs into fish tails." She said seriously, "Really, I I have never been able to catch up with Sister Suo Langyue in the sea, I am so envious, in my dreams I have given birth to fish tails several times!"
Suo Langyue smiled slightly: "Yes, what you said is very reasonable. But I still envy the little mermaid who gave birth to two legs."
Ramsviel understood what she said, but he didn't know how to respond, and was a little embarrassed.Susu suddenly shouted: "Sister Suo Langyue, what do you think it is?" A pile of big and white eggs floated on the sea surface, and Suo Langyue said they were squid eggs, which are very common in this area.Susu was very curious, jumped into the water and swam to the squid eggs.
They were the only two left on the raft.Suo Langyue lay quietly on the surface of the raft, the waves chasing from the stern of the raft kept hitting her, keeping her body moist.She looked sideways at Ramsviel, and suddenly asked:
"Richard, you've been living in the dolphin and sea people society for almost 20 days, do you think this society is what you intended when you created it?"
This question is difficult to answer - he can neither explain that he is not the creator of the dolphin people, nor can he express his true thoughts on the "heterogeneity" of the dolphin people.He thought for a while, and deftly answered the question to Suo Langyue:
"What do you think, Suo Langyue? What do you think is the biggest difference between dolphin people and land-born people?"
Suo Langyue replied without pause: "The biggest difference is: dolphin people do not pursue to become the strongest in nature, we accept the constraints of external forces. For example, predators at the top of our food chain (killer whales, sharks, etc.) ), such as various diseases (viruses, germs and parasites).” She smiled sweetly, “I think people on land also know this mechanism: absolute power will definitely lead to absolute decay.”
Rumsfeld was silent for a while, then sighed: "I have seen it. You have the power to get rid of these restrictive forces, but you don't."
"Reziayo, does this kind of belief conform to the original intention of you and the female ancestor?"
Rumsfeld jokingly said: "I'm afraid it is mainly in line with Qin Liangdi's original intention. You know, I entered the cryotherapy three years after the birth of the dolphin man."
"Oh, by the way, I've always been curious about this matter. You didn't have an incurable disease at the time, so why did you go into the freezer?" Rumsfeld was taken aback.This is the question he really can't answer. Can you say that he was about to have a showdown with Tan Liangdi and that woman cunningly deceived him?Of course not.He was racking his brains to deal with it, but Suo Langyue had already taken the initiative to help him out, and continued, "I guess, it was an agreement between you and the female ancestor that one person would wake up in 300 years, in case the sea people You have gone astray with the dolphin society, and you can correct it. Am I right in guessing?"
Rumsfeld was very grateful to Suo Langyue for making up a plausible reason for him, and said vaguely: "I am not a powerful God, how can I correct a society composed of 65 million people."
Suo Langyue smiled and stopped asking.In fact, long before Jackman asked them to "inform" them last time, Mihai told her about the abnormality of Reziayo: this Ramsviel seems to be different from the Reziayo in the oral history. Too suitable, he is too unfamiliar with the dolphin society, and obviously has resistance to the dolphin, and it can even be said to be hostile.But in any case, after all, he and the female ancestors created the sea people and dolphin people, which is clearly stated in the oral history.Maybe he is old, has a paranoid temper, and is not used to the "weirdness" of the dolphin society.The female ancestor repeatedly told him to be kind to him, probably because she understood his temperament.
And, oddly enough, despite some backlash against Rumsfeld, she was fond of him, irresistibly fond of him.Lu Sheng was the king of the earth for tens of thousands of years, and as the last descendant of the royal family, he has a kingly dignity that can only be understood.Although he has fallen down and has a strong sense of inferiority, his self-esteem in his bones has not weakened.Seeing him quietly carrying out the ridiculous "Sea People's Restoration Plan", Suo Langyue felt pity and admiration at the same time - after all, he was very faithful to his beliefs and carried it out without fear of hardship.
Maybe women's hearts are connected?Both she and Susu liked Richard, and for the same reasons.She said, "I'm rested and I'm going off the raft. Richard, you know? I've always had a dream, and you know what it is?"
Rumsfeld guessed what she was referring to, and was rather embarrassed, so he smiled and remained silent.Suo Langyue said: "My extravagant wish is: when you can kiss me and really don't treat me as a different kind, then I will be satisfied."
This very straightforward sentence made Ramsviel's face flushed, Suo Langyue laughed narrowly, and jumped back into the sea with a wave that hit the raft.
The raft has been traveling for 7 days. After finishing the westerly drifting, it began to turn into the Peruvian current, and the direction of the raft was changed from due east to north by west.I have changed 8 trackers, including tropical spotted dolphins, true dolphins, bottle-nose dolphins and rough-nose dolphins.In fact, the spinner dolphins all over the seas alone are enough to complete this journey, but several other ethnic groups must participate and contribute to Reziayo, and even some dolphins who have not improved their intelligence also signed up .
The off-duty Dolphinmen are still regularly attacked by sharks, but the people on the raft have received word from low-frequency sound waves that these attacks have not been successful because the Dolphinmen are good swimmers out of 100, good enough to handle sharks , only occasional casualties occurred in several attacks.This good news made Ramsviel heave a sigh of relief.
Among these changing dolphin people, Rumsfeld found a meaningful phenomenon: the raft has traveled nearly 2,000 nautical miles, but all the dolphin people have the same accent. It seems that there is no dialect in the dolphin people society.This is also normal when you think about it.Dolphin people can migrate freely in the sea, and their footprints are all over the four oceans.Coupled with the low-frequency sound wave communication network all over the world, the dolphin people all over the world form a whole.This will naturally not form an isolated dialect.In the dolphin society, there are no countries, no borders.Reflecting on human society, in the 10,000-year history of civilization, only one United Nations has been established in name only. It may take another 10,000 years to completely eliminate national boundaries.
In the final analysis, this is due to the fact that the Dolphins have no historical baggage.A historian once discussed why the United States was able to formulate the Magna Carta at the beginning of its founding, ensuring that the United States developed along a relatively correct path. It was also because there was no historical burden. The United States is a country of immigrants, and immigrants generally A rebel against authority.Relatively speaking, the dolphin society is a cleaner blank paper on which Tan Liangdi can design blueprints.
At night, the sound of crashing waves is accompanied by the sound of creaking ropes.Observing the low-hanging sky through the gaps in the slabs of the wooden house, time and space seem to be eternal.In this wild world, Rumsfeld had time to think about some issues quietly, and made a comparison between the dolphin society and the terrestrial society.There are many good things in the Dolphin society: no country, no war, no sex taboo, no prostitution and rape, no drug use.But what shocked Rumsfeld the most was that they did not seek to be the strongest and consciously accepted the constraints of external forces, but they actually had the power to throw away these constraints.Thinking about human beings again, it is precisely in this respect that they have taken an evil path. Whether it is between ethnic groups, between humans and animals, between humans and diseases, between humans and nature, humans (or a part of humans) have been diligently Seeking absolute dominance.For ten thousand years, no human philosopher has really seen through this point.
In the social rules of the dolphins, he can see the traces left by Tan Liangdi everywhere.He had lived with Tan Liangdi for 18 years before his death, and he had heard Tan Liangdi say a lot of quite different opinions in the chat.For example, the idea that "human development has lost its constraints" once inadvertently appeared in the after-dinner chat.At that time, in Qin Liangdi's mind, these viewpoints may not have been formed or clarified.But in the 28 years from the establishment of the dolphin society to her death, she organized them and turned them into real social rules.
Rumsfeld's resolve has visibly wavered.If this is the case—if the dolphin people inherit the civilization of the terrestrial people and abandon all the ills of the terrestrial people, then what is the point of his "fighting for the birthright for the sea people"?Susu slept peacefully in his arms, and John and the other five were still outside the wooden house.The five of them had been very quiet these days, huddling together to chirp as they drifted off the raft.Like a group of gloomy groundhogs, they have never been able to integrate into this healthy and bright group.Rumsfeld couldn't help his annoyance with them.Although he knows that these five people are the backbone of his plan, but he usually prefers to talk to Susu, Suo Langyue and even the trackers in front of the raft.Rumsfeld recalled that before the cataclysm of the earth, at a social gathering of land creatures, he met a famous director who was a very radical pacifist.When a friend introduced Rumsfeld as the captain of a nuclear submarine, the director hesitated for a moment, and even withdrew his right hand that was about to shake hands.He said very sorry:
"I can't shake hands with the captain of a nuclear submarine. Please forgive my rudeness, this is not directed at you. In my opinion, the position of captain of a nuclear submarine is like a knife and axe in the middle ages. Although society cannot lack it, But I instinctively hate it."
At that time, as the elite of society, Rumsfeld had enough psychological advantages to laugh at the man's grotesque.Indeed, not only him, but all the guests present were irritated by this person's rudeness, isolated him virtually, and forced him to leave the table in a hurry.
Now, he somewhat understood the man's instinctive disgust.
The raft has been traveling for 15 days.Sometimes, Suo Langyue also pulled him into the water to swim for a while, and he pulled Suo Langyue's dorsal fin and dived under the raft.The loyal sailors were still gathering in front of and under the raft, and when they saw this bubbling human face, several of them swam close to his face, watched curiously for a while, then swam away with their tails wagging.The bottom of the raft was covered with white barnacles, which were animals rather than plants. The yellow gills opened and closed rhythmically, absorbing oxygen and food in the seawater.It tasted very delicious, and when he was tired of eating raw fish, Ramsviel often used it as a condiment.The speed at which they grow is really amazing. As soon as the old ones are broken off, new barnacles grow again.There was also a lot of seaweed that made the raft a home, and they grew fast on the windward side of the raft, hanging down into the sea, making the raft look like a sea old man with a long beard.
The sunlight in the sea water is very soft and diffuses into the sea water from all directions.Looking up, the raft is brightly illuminated, and the seaweed looks very fresh under the light.All kinds of fish in the sea look plain on the surface of the water, but when viewed in the sea against the sun, their skin colors are all golden, bright yellow, lavender, silvery white and other luxurious colors. They are also extraordinarily graceful, even ordinary albacore tuna or sardines look like a group of dignified ladies in the water. The body slid forward lightly and soundlessly.Looking down, the deep sea is not a pitch-black abyss. The sunlight diffuses downwards, turning the bottom into a pleasant azure blue. Aquariums of various shapes swim freely in the crystal clear water.Rumsfeld spent 17 years in the deep sea in a nuclear submarine, but he has never felt more at home than he does today.
The school of sharks still followed the raft, and Rumsfeld was so used to them that they didn't frighten them as they swam against his body.John and his few guys with excess energy have found a game these days: tug-of-war with sharks.With a brown line they attach a large bait, usually the half tuna they have left over from eating, and throw it to the shark.The shark swallowed the bait in one gulp and got it stuck in its throat, and the five men pulled the shark hard.Of course, this game always ended in John's failure. The power of a shark far exceeds that of 5 sea people.Later, those stupid sharks also fell in love with this game. When they took the bait, they didn't bite it off, didn't use too much force, and patiently wrestled with the sea people.But this game is also very dangerous. If the bait spills blood into the water, the stimulated sharks will go crazy and run around mindlessly under the raft.They are like mentally retarded people who are not quite normal, and from time to time they become emotionally out of control.Solange was always watching them closely, and when this happened, he told Ramsviel to go back to the raft, because the sharks' intelligence was limited, and the holy ban could not be fully effective against them.
The raft had sailed out of the Peru current, and there was no downstream current to borrow, and the speed of the raft slowed down.In the evening, the constellation Ursa Major appeared in the northern sky, wandering near the horizon, indicating that they were about to enter the northern hemisphere.Now, under their raft is the south equatorial current flowing westward, which is at a 90-degree angle to their advancing direction. Therefore, the trackers set their advancing direction as north by east, but the actual raft angle is north by west.The guide slurry worked here for the first time, but the width of the south equatorial current was not so wide, and the raft quickly crossed it and reached the equator where there was no wind or waves.There is also an eastward current here, but it is an undercurrent hidden under the water surface and cannot affect the raft on the sea surface, so the guide slurry was carried to the surface of the raft and tied up.
From the third day of their departure, countless guests came to visit the raft.There are various groups of dolphin people, they come here with their children, chat with the dolphin trackers or Suo Langyue for a while, look up at Reziayo's holy face, and then leave chattering.There are more whales, including blue whales, pilot whales, sperm whales, false killer whales, and even two right whales that usually only appear in Antarctica.The cetaceans stayed on the way the raft was going to pass, watching the raft pass curiously.Sometimes they also swam towards the raft so quickly that they threatened to smash it to pieces, but they always dived at the last moment and slid slowly past the raft with their huge bodies.Suo Langyue said that in the ocean, the relationship between cetaceans and dolphins has always been relatively close, and they must have come here deliberately after hearing the holy prohibition.
Ramsviel was skeptical about this statement, but the group of guests he met again proved that Solange's words were correct.On that day, 10 porpoises that had not undergone intelligence enhancement were stretching, and their spirituality was naturally far worse than that of the dolphin people, so Suo Langyue had been nervously greeting them from the front right, sometimes correcting their direction, and sometimes greeting them. Don't they twist the cords together.At this time, a group of killer whales were seen swimming towards the raft. They immediately divided into two groups and surrounded the raft. The 10 porpoises began to panic, screaming and preparing to escape, but they did not dare to abandon the work assigned to them by the holy ban.Suo Langyue hurriedly swam to the front and comforted them in dolphin language: "Don't panic, killer whales dare not disobey the holy prohibition." But the porpoises did not calm down, they were still squeaking.Seeing the menacing group of killer whales, even Rumsfeld and Susu were a little worried.The killer whale swam close, and the black back, the oval white spots behind the eyes, and the sharp teeth in the mouth were all clearly visible.Susu suddenly shouted: "Look, it's Gogo!"
Sure enough, it was Gogo.It came with three female orcas, much smaller than it, but also seven or eight meters long.The dorsal fin of the female killer whale is much smaller than that of the male whale, so it can be distinguished at a glance.Behind them there are several young whales, two of which are still breastfeeding, following the female whale step by step.This is Gogo's wives, concubines and children.Killer whales are polygamous, so this small group is actually a family.
The stretched porpoises were frightened and squeezed into the middle, and the sharks that had been following the raft probably didn't dare to confront the killer whales and avoided it far away.Suo Langyue greeted him, exchanged greetings with Ge Ge, swam over and said to Ramsfield:
"Gego brought his family to see Reziayo, and they came here from 1,000 nautical miles away!"
Two rows of killer whales brushed past the dolphin tracker, and it turned out that Qiu did nothing wrong.They swam close to the raft and looked curiously at the two-legged men on board, especially Reziaio.Ramsviel was very moved, jumped into the water, swam to Gogo, and patted it on the head:
"Gego, thank you for traveling so far to see me, and thank you for transporting me to the deep sea that time. You are my best friend."
Suo Langyue smiled and translated this into the language of the killer whale.Gogo seemed very proud—Reziayo himself said that he and it were good friends, which was enough to save him face in front of his wife and children.His wives looked happily at their husbands and then at Reziaio with admiration in their eyes.The two baby whales seemed to have no idea about Reziayo, and they were busy feeding at the moment.Whale breastfeeding does not rely on the sucking of the young whales, but the young whales roll their tongues into a cylindrical shape, and the mother whales inject the milk into it.The two little guys ate very comfortably. After eating for a while, they floated to the surface of the water for another breath.Susu liked these two silly baby whales very much. She dived into the water, grabbed one of the baby whales by its dorsal fin, and played on it. The little baby whale was much longer than her body.The cub didn't like being disturbed, so it rolled impatiently in the water, threw off Susu, and swam to the back belly of the mother whale to suckle.
The 10 porpoises have calmed down and are pulling the raft forward quickly.Ge Ge's family played with the raft for a while, when a group of dolphins appeared in front of them. Because it was too far away, it was hard to see what species it was, let alone whether it was a dolphin man or a dolphin.They must be hunting sardines in the current there.Ge Ge found out, and immediately led a few female whales to start quickly, and swam to that side. The two young whales were pulled behind and chased after them in a panic.The dolphins over there also noticed it immediately, and quickly formed a defensive position.Judging from their well-trained movements, they are not dolphins but dolphin people.Rumsfeld knew that a brutal hunt was about to begin, and how many dolphin people would lose their lives. Those killer whales who were peaceful and lovely just now became cruel and cold-blooded killers in an instant.However, after so many days of experience, he was used to it.
Back at the cabin at night, Susu announced excitedly: "Richard, I'm going to be pregnant with your child today!"
They came to the raft after they got married, and they haven't really had sex until today.Today, two cute baby whales aroused her motherhood. She is 18 years old this year, which is the age of mother among sea people.Ramsviel was hesitating and did not answer for a long time.She asked unhappily:
"Why, don't you want children?"
Ramsviel hugged her with a smile, and said patiently in a low voice: "Susu, don't forget that I am a land-born. The land-born has many complicated etiquettes. For example, the land-born will never be naked under normal circumstances. The land-born Couples must have sex in secret places. I can't say that this custom is good and yours is not, but I grew up in that society, and even though that society has disappeared, I still can't get rid of its constraints I really want a child - I'm 55 years old, and I won't have too many days with my future child. Of course I hope he (she) will be born soon. I also want to have a hearty love with you , but I'm afraid this is not a suitable place." He pointed to the wide gap in the board wall, pointed to John and others outside, and Solange and the dolphin who were in the water but very close to them boat tracker. "Wait, wait till the shore. Then we'll make up for all the delays on the raft."
Susu let out a long oh.She also knows these moral rules of the terrestrial people, and there is enough information in the information database of the dolphin people's outer brain.But those customs will inevitably fade after the informatization, and have never attracted her attention.Only tonight, when her terrestrial husband politely declined her advances, did she appreciate the power of these customs.She tilted her head and thought for a while, then jumped into the water without saying a word, and chatted with Suo Langyue for a while.After a short pause, Suo Langyue announced to everyone:
"The weather is fine tonight. Reziayo wants to rest here for a few hours. Let's spread out and rest. Hey, John, you guys also go down to play."
The 10 porpoises happily slipped off the rope and swam away together.John and the others are still hesitating—they didn't hear the conversation between Rumsfeld and Susu just now, and couldn't understand Suo Langyue's real meaning.Suo Langyue called John and whispered a few words.John immediately beckoned to several of his companions, jumped into the water, and stayed far away.
Suo Langyue smiled and nodded at Ramsviel, and chased John and the others away from the raft.Susu climbed onto the raft at this moment and looked at Rumsfeld triumphantly.Ramsviel was very moved by her and Suo Langyue's painstaking efforts, he silently pulled Susu and put her in his arms.Susu broke free, cleaned up the seaweed on the ground, lay down, and whispered:
"Richard, don't you worry now. Don't waste time, come on."
Rumsfeld leaned over and covered her body, and they had a hearty love that night.Rumsfeld suddenly seemed to have returned to his youth, and his lust was like a surging tide, with one wave higher than the other.Later, when they were tired, they walked out of the cabin and sat on the raft to watch the night sky.Susu suddenly shouted:
“理查德，你看！那是北极星！是不是北极星？是不是？”
顺着她的手指，果然看到了在海平线附近游荡的北极星，大熊星座这会儿竖在它的旁边，勺体基本与海平线相齐。苏苏非常兴奋，这也难怪啊，一直生活在南半球的她这是第一次见到北极星，而在过去，北极星只是一个信息库中的概念。拉姆斯菲尔笑着说：
“对，是北极星。你从来没见过，竟然能认出它，真不简单。我们这些生活在北半球的人，从小就非常熟悉它。”
这句话扯起他的乡情，他随即陷入沉默。苏苏从侧面悄悄看着他，过了一会儿，体贴地说：“理查德，我知道你想起了家乡，想起了过去的妻子女儿，想起了你在圣地亚哥港留下的伙伴和后代。”
“对，我很想他们。”
“咱们很快就会到那儿了，你也许会找到他们。”
拉姆斯菲尔叹口气：“我可是不乐观。如果他们能在强幅射中存活下来，海豚人们应该能听到有关信息的。”他撇开这个沉重的话题，笑着说：“你刚才怎么想到找索朗月帮忙呢。”
“没什么嘛。我和她很亲近的。我说我想要怀上你的孩子，又说了陆生人那些可笑的风俗，她就把所有人打发走了。”她皱着眉头说，“理查德，你为什么不接受索朗月姐姐做你的妻子？她真的是一个好女人，我很敬重她。即使你们不能成为事实上的夫妻，有一个名义对她也是安慰，否则对她太不公平了。难道你真的把她当成异类？”
拉姆斯菲尔不能把自己的真实想法（为海人争得嫡长子继承权）告诉苏苏，只能叹气：“苏苏，你还年轻啊，以后你会慢慢理解的。”
苏苏还是不依不饶：“我不再年轻了，妈妈说过，女人只要一结婚就会在一夜之间成熟。所以，你甭拿我的年轻做借口，我希望你能现在就说服我。”
拉姆斯菲尔忍俊不禁地笑了：“也有人说，男人一结婚就会在一夜之间变得幼稚。现在，我没法拿我的幼稚来战胜你的成熟。”他转了话题，“苏苏，这件事以后再说吧。难道你不想谈谈咱们未来的孩子吗？”
他们聊了很久，直到北极星又悄悄沉入海平线之下。拉姆斯菲尔突然感到苏苏的身体变重了，原来她已经悄然入睡。拉姆斯菲尔没有惊动她，把她的身体摆正，仍像刚才那样搂着她。索朗月他们迟迟没有归来，拉姆斯菲尔保持这个姿势坐了很久。海浪一直摇荡着木筏，海面是这样干净，天空纤尘不染，星转斗移。海天间看不到人类留下的任何痕迹。曾有那么几万年的时间，人类空前强大，认为自己是上帝的后裔，进而连上帝也被他们拉下宝座。那时他们认为，整个宇宙就是为他们而存在的。不过，人类的强大已经成了过眼烟云，起因是一颗小小的星球的爆炸——这在广袤的宇宙中只是一个不起眼的小动作啊。人类的空前自信在某种程度上已经变成了讽刺。
他不由又想起索朗月所说的：海豚人从不追求做自然中的最强者，而是自觉接受各种外在力量的制约。也许他们确实是对的。
到晨光初露时，离开木筏的海豚和海人们才吱吱喳喳地返回，苏苏被惊醒了，看见自己仍睡在拉姆斯菲尔的怀里，不好意思地问：
“你一夜没睡吧。”
拉姆斯菲尔笑着：“没关系的，我一点儿也不累。”
苏苏跳下水去迎接索朗月，两人小声唧咕着，苏苏快活地放声大笑。然后，换班的海豚人也来了，这次是10位白海豚。他们钻进绳圈，木筏继续朝西北方向驶去。
木筏慢慢驶出赤道无风带，开始进入北半球信风带，海浪也汹涌多了。当然海豚人不在乎这些，他们兴高采烈地吱吱着，破浪前进。到日上三竿时，正在筏前游动的索朗月向后溜了一眼，突然尖声叫道：
“有大浪！快做好准备！”
索朗月一向从容镇静，而这次她的命令却非常急迫，筏上人都立即崩紧了神经。顺着她的目光向后看去，那儿果然出现了一堵可怕的水墙，它足有20米高，前沿几乎是陡直的，浪嵴很宽，就像是海面上突然出现了一个高原。它正以极快的速度，阴险地、不声不响地从后面追来，转眼已经到筏的后边了，几千万吨海水就要从头顶砸下来，把他们全压成肉饼。索朗月仍在尖声喊：
“是地震引起的海啸！筏上人快拉紧！”
木筏上的人都抓紧了身边的绳索或手边可以抓到的固定物，苏苏一手拉着拉姆斯菲尔，一手紧紧抓住小木屋的门柱，大声说：“理查德小心！”这时巨浪已经到了，木筏一下子变得头朝下竖立起来，多亏筏面上所有东西都是固定好的，7个人也都抓牢了，没有人和东西掉下去。片刻之间，木筏已经浮上浪嵴，恢复了水平。浪嵴上倒相对平静，只见白色的水花咝咝作响。巨浪在木筏下悄悄滑过，木筏又头朝上竖立起来，片刻后落到浪谷里。
后边是一个同样大小的巨浪，现在，他们正处于两堵水墙的中间，不，不是水墙，而是两座水的山峰。成千上万种海生生物高悬地他们的头顶游动，它们都非常亢奋，却丝毫不胆怯。这种海洋巨涌并不常见，所以它们欢快地戏水击浪，表示自己的激动。那10只白海豚也是同样，索朗月原来对筏上的人有所担心，现在看他们都安然无羔，也加入到狂欢的海豚人群中。
第二个大浪又安然度过。拉姆斯菲尔知道这种海啸的威力，它可以横跨整个大洋，在迎面的海岸上造成巨大的人员伤亡，把建筑物夷成平地。对于海洋中的万吨巨轮尤其是以侧舷迎浪的轮船，，它也有相当大的危险性。可是，对于木筏，它摧山倒海的威力却难以起作用。刚才悬在头顶的千万吨海水只是把木筏狂暴地举起来，再乖乖地从筏下溜走。在浪嵴上，拉姆斯菲尔甚至还看见一只以海为家的海燕轻盈地浮在海面上，根本没把身下的巨浪当回事。
巨浪过去了，受到刺激的白海豚人格外亢奋，拉着木筏飞速前进。索朗月趴在木筏边向拉姆斯菲尔问安，拉姆斯菲尔说：
“多亏你及时提醒，要不我们全被甩下筏了。”
索朗月笑道：“那也没关系，不会出事的。我当时有点过于紧张了，那么高的巨浪！”
“是因为地震？”
“肯定是。震中大概在咱们的西南方。”
“在海中经常见到这样的地震涌浪吗？”
“经常有，但像今天这样大的浪涌我也是头一次见到。”
“还好，它平安过去了。”
“对，平安过去了。”
不久他们知道，这次地震的影响并没有过去，它给海豚人、也给拉姆斯菲尔提供了一个万载难遇的机会。拉姆斯菲尔先是奇怪地发现，索朗月和10个海豚纤夫都开始侧耳倾听，海面上似乎微微有空气的震动。苏苏告诉他，是海豚人在收听远处的低频通信，这种信号海人们也能听懂的，但这次因为距离太远，她和约翰都无法听清。这次低频通信持续了很长时间，索朗月和10个纤夫的表情也越来越紧张，越来越严肃。通信到底是什么内容呢。这时约翰悄悄走过来。自从来到木筏上，他与拉姆斯菲尔一般不太交谈的，大概他不愿让苏苏看出他和雷齐阿约的特殊关系。但这会儿他碰碰拉姆斯菲尔的胳臂，紧张地向那边使眼色。拉姆斯菲尔突然悟到他的用意——约翰担心的是，也许家乡的海豚人发现了他们之间的密谋，此刻正以低频通信的方式通知索朗月。约翰在提醒自己，是否要做必要的应变准备。
拉姆斯菲尔思索片刻。约翰的猜测并非全无可能，但关键是，在这儿，在这远离大陆的地方，他们什么应变也是徒劳。他横下心，干脆把索朗月喊过来：
“索朗月，出了什么事？”
索朗月没有看到约翰的小把戏，她只顾激动呢，因为低频通信中传来的消息太惊人了。她告诉拉姆斯菲尔，是新任长老撒母耳来的信。三个小时前的那场地震是在他们西南方600海里的深海发生的，那儿的海水深度为2400米。地震开始时，香香和正巧在震中海域，意外发现了一件宝物。后来它通知了岩苍灵，岩苍灵也冒险潜了下去（这个深度超过他的深潜纪录），证实香香所言属实。
“知道是什么吗？你猜猜是什么？你肯定想不到的，你肯定想得到的！”
索朗月激动得已经语无伦次了。拉姆斯菲尔也非常激动，一个希望从心底升起，但他又不敢相信：“是它？你说是它？”
“对，是它！”
筏上的人都奇怪地看着他俩，不知道两人对话中的“它”是什么宝物。苏苏急得嚷起来：“索朗月姐姐，快告诉我们嘛，到底是什么？”
前边的海豚人纤夫们都听清了低频通信的内容，知道谜底，但这会儿他们只是回头笑，不告诉急得抓耳挠腮的苏苏和其它海人。拉姆斯菲尔喃喃地说：万载难逢，万载难逢的机遇呀。索朗月半开玩笑半认真地说：
“撒母耳长老还说，这是雷齐阿约为我们带来的幸运。它埋在海底已经上千万年了，一直没有露面，所以它一直只能是抹香鲸的传说。偏偏在雷齐阿约醒来后它就露面了，你说是巧合还是天意呢。”
苏苏已经猜到这个哑谜了：“窝格罗！是窝格罗出世了！”
拉姆斯菲尔哈哈大笑，把苏苏搂住：“对，这真是天大的喜讯呀。”
2400米的海底是一个严酷的世界。光线是透不到这儿的，在绝对的黑暗中，只有海洋生物所发出的微光。一只巨鱿慢慢爬过来，两只绿色的眼睛死死地盯着你，就像是在对你施行摧眠术。它身体上有两道明亮的侧线，那是寄居在它身上的发光细菌的功劳。在它前边有一盏比较明亮的小灯，那是鮟鱇鱼设的鱼饵，用来钓取一些好奇的趋光的小生物。再往前不远是一处岩层的裂隙，火热的熔岩透过裂隙放射出微弱的红光，黑色的浓烟从这儿大团大团地涌出，就像是地狱的烟囱。裂隙附近生活着完全不同的生物，两米长的蠕虫在海水里轻轻摇晃着，顶部是一个羽状的触手，缓慢地开合着，一只细菌蟹游过来，贪婪地啃食着这只触手。蠕虫痛苦地摇摆着，却无可奈何。
香香和岩苍灵一同潜到这片海底，这对于岩苍灵又是一个新纪录。他俩是珠联璧合的一对搭挡。两人相比，香香更擅长深潜，但岩苍灵发挥了他的智力优势。香香虽然没有做过智力提升，但它足够聪明，能与岩苍灵互相交流经验。现在他和它可以说是互为教练，深潜纪录也一再刷新。
不过弗氏海豚的体能毕竟比不上抹香鲸，这会儿岩苍灵觉得头部发蒙，身体承受着巨大的压力。弗氏海豚在水下是靠血液来提供氧气，但这会儿氧气已经不足了。他向香香打手势，说他要返回了。香香此时已经盯上海底一条章鱼，便应了一声，独自向章鱼游去。
岩苍灵急速上浮，上浮过程中他看见香香已经开始向章鱼进攻。对于香香来说，这类巨鱿和章鱼都不是对手，所以岩苍灵根本不担心。但他没料到，这次香香几乎失手了。这是一条雌章鱼，正在照顾它的卵粒。雌章鱼是世界上最称职的母亲，孵卵期间它不吃不喝，只是不停在翻动着卵粒，让它们得到充足的氧气。幼章鱼孵出后，母章鱼就心甘情愿地死去。这样抱着必死决心的雌章鱼当然是世界上最凶猛的斗士。香香在周围转着圈，打量着它，而章鱼也用它阴森森的小眼死死地盯着来犯者。本来香香不致于输的，但这次它潜得太深，血液中的氧气已经不足了，不能打消耗战，于是它贸然冲过来，咬住章鱼的一支长臂。这只长臂被咬断了，但章鱼的其它七只长臂疾速收拢，用吸盘紧紧地吸住了香香的身体。香香猛然甩动尾巴开始向上浮起，章鱼却紧紧地缠住它，大大延缓了它上升的速度。
香香在它的箍抱中死命地挣扎着，又咬断了一只章鱼的长臂，负痛的章鱼把它缠得更紧。香香的脑袋已经开始发晕，看来这次是在劫难逃了，但不期而至的海底灾变救了它一命。海水突然整体摇晃起来，在它们下方突然冒出耀眼的红光，这是一场海底地震，岩层被震裂，灼热的岩浆冒出来，一接触到海水，立即把成万吨的海水变成水汽。这个过程引起一场大爆炸，震波以声速在水中传播，追赶着香香和雌章鱼这对冤家，把巨大的压力波加到它们身上。雌章鱼被震懵了，下意识地松开长臂，香香抓住这个时机，也借着自海底向上的压力波，急速往上浮去。
它终于浮出海面，已经精疲力竭。岩苍灵看出了它的异常，不过还没来得及问询，就看见海面陡然升高，一堵几十米高的水墙向他们噼头盖脸地压过来。这就是此后拉姆斯菲尔他们看到的巨涌，而在这儿，巨涌比600海里之外更为凶猛。岩苍灵和香香穿过水墙，浮出水面，岩苍灵急急问：
“怎么样，香香你受伤了吗？”
香香有点晕头转向了，脑袋上留下六七个伤口，嘴里还咬着一条断臂。海面上冒出了很多深海生物的尸体，它们都被烤熟了，密密麻麻地铺满了海面。香香愣了片刻，，开始吱吱哇哇地向岩苍灵叙述。抹香鲸的语言本来就是很原始的，再加上它此刻还没完全镇静下来，所以岩苍灵很长时间没有听明白它的话意。它讲到和章鱼的殊死搏斗，讲到海底的爆炸，这些岩苍灵都听明白了。但香香的叙述重点显然是在另一件事上，见岩苍灵听不明白，它说得越发凌乱。岩苍灵忙说：
“别急，别急，你慢慢说。你说什么，白光？非常亮？升起又落下？”他忽然悟出香香是在说什么，“你是说：海底爆炸时，一团很强的白光升起又落下，似乎是一个球体，对吧。那么，它很可能是雷齐阿约让咱们注意的'窝格罗'？”
香香兴奋地点动着它那巨大的黑脑袋。
“窝格罗？窝格罗？”岩苍灵喃喃自语着，他太兴奋了，不敢相信这个消息。当然，不管真假，他一定要去现场察看一次。“香香，快领我去！——啊，不不，你太疲累了，等你歇过劲再说吧。”
香香确实是累惨了，它在水面上呆了一会儿，把那只章鱼长臂吞下去。然后它就急着要领岩苍灵下水。岩苍灵坚决制止了它。作为一名老资格的深潜运动员，他当然知道往2400米深的海底潜水是多么危险和消耗体力。半个小时后，香香缓过劲了，他才让香香领着他下潜。
这次寻找非常顺利。他们下潜到1000米之后，原本应变得漆黑一团的深海却慢慢透出一线白光。随着他们的下潜，白光越来越强。很明显，白光是从一个点光源发出来的，他们朝光源迅速下潜。现在到了，一个白球静静地躺在海底，体积相当小，只相当于海人的脑袋大小，那么强的白光简直不像是它发出来的。海底的趋光动物都被这强光弄晕了，但强光吸引着它们，使它们从四面八方慢慢向这儿凑，其密度之大，使这儿成了一锅稠稠的生鱼汤，而岩苍灵和香香不得不挤开它们才能前进。白光照亮了海底平原，一些受惊的动物钻进沙里，另一些胆大的动物却慢慢向它逼近。奇怪的是，这个发着强光的东西并不热，从那些越来越靠近的动物就能看出这一点。
岩苍灵已经潜到自己的极限，虽然那个宝物就近在二三百米之内，他也不能亲手把他弄上去了。就在这时，一只小章鱼懵然逼近了白球，试探着把长臂搭上去，没有什么反应，它既没有受到电击也没有受到灼伤。而且似乎与白球的接触是件很舒服的事，它干脆把八只腕足全部搭上去，紧紧搂住白球。白球的强光让章鱼变成了一个完全透明体，它体内的神经、墨囊和生殖腺都看得清清楚楚，而白光的外泄没有受到一点影响。
岩苍灵看到这是个机会，急忙向香香做一个手势。聪明的香香猛然扎下去，轻轻咬住小章鱼的脑袋，然后急速上浮。受惊的小章鱼不但没放松白球，反倒抱得更紧。光源的突然离去让围拢来的深海生物们都懵了，但它们随即惊醒过来，紧紧跟着白光上浮，在岩苍灵和香香的身后形成一个十分壮观的追随者的大军。
木筏终于到了原美国加州的圣地亚哥港，近6000海里的旅程花了1 8天的时间。当木筏越来越接近这个军港时，拉姆斯菲尔的情绪也越来越激动。当然，他估计那个一万多人的小族群恐怕是凶多吉少了，这缘于两条简明的推断：如果他们仍生活在海边，那么信息发达的海豚人社会就不会听不到一点儿风声；但按照灾变后的条件，他们生活在海边才是最恰当的选择，因为海洋里的生态系统还保持着完整，便于取得食物。
但不管怎样，他还是越来越迫切地想上岸，想赶快去探查一番。索朗月和苏苏都能体会他的心情，不时安慰两句。
圣地亚哥港到了。第一眼的印象十分令人失望，这哪里是一座城市啊，只是一片莽莽苍苍的热带荒原，极目所止，尽是一片浓绿，它遮盖了平地、低房，也紧逼着原来城市的高楼。这些高楼都只有上半截身子露在绿色之外，就像是在沼泽中挣扎的只剩下脑袋的行人。过去熟悉的码头、栈桥也都看不见了，被这一片蛮悍的绿色所包围了。
这儿没有任何人类活动的痕迹。木筏停靠在岸边，拉姆斯菲尔目光苍凉地看着岸上。索朗月过来说：
“理查德，不要难过，也许他们在内陆呢。你们上岸去寻找吧，咱们只得暂时告别了。小木屋里放着一支螺号，你一定要随时带在身边。虽然苏苏他们都会使用低频通讯手段，但万一有什么意外，比如你们走散了，你只要到海边吹起螺号，海豚人一定会及时赶来的。苏苏，”她转过头对苏苏说，“咱们的雷齐阿约就拜托你照顾了。我想，咱们一定会很快见面的，但如果万一有什么意外，你们不能返回了，那么你一定要照顾他，直到他终其天年。苏苏，我知道你是个好姑娘，你一定能做到。”
苏苏笑着说：“当然了，他是我的丈夫嘛。”
“还有约翰你们五个，也请你们多费心啦。”
约翰简短地说：“放心吧。”
“那么，让咱们告别吧。理查德，”她开玩笑地说，“能否同我吻别？你还没吻过我呢。”
拉姆斯菲尔有些尴尬，俯下身吻吻索朗月的长吻，也搂住她光滑的躯体。这会儿他真的泯灭了人和“异类”之间的界限。索朗月是这样的深情款款，细心周到，怎么还能把她当成异类呢。想起他和约翰此次来圣地亚哥港的真正目的，他感到深深的内疚。he asks:
“你要返回深海吗？”
“不，我暂时不返回，我会在附近找一个飞旋海豚人的族群，加入进去，在这儿盘桓几个月，等着你们的消息。”
“谢谢。再见。”
他松开怀中的索朗月，体味着心头的怅然，他确实感到恋恋不舍。他领着约翰五人弃筏上岸，把木筏牢牢地系在岸边。11位海豚人用力搅着尾巴，把大半个身体露出水面，又做了一个整齐的鱼跃，算是向他们的最后告别，然后掉头向外海游去。
他站在栈桥上眺望着，直到11道尾迹消失。
海豚人离开了，约翰凑到拉姆斯菲尔身边，急不可待地说：“核潜艇在哪儿？我们现在就去吗？”
拉姆斯菲尔扫他一眼，冷淡地说：“慌什么，我要先寻找我的同伴。”
城市已经面目全非，他只能凭记忆定出行进的方向。路面上铺满了藤蔓，行走起来十分困难。拉姆斯菲尔曾奇怪，在坚硬的水泥路面上怎么能生长植物呢，但他马上就明白了。这儿多是一种叫“克株”的藤类植物，是很早从日本引进的，这种在日本只是用作观赏植物的克株到美国后却大肆繁衍，生命力极其强悍，植物学家们费尽心机才勉强阻遏了它的扩展态势。那是上个世纪的事了，现在，在地球的灾变之后，这种克株肯定经过变异，藤条之粗壮赛过旧金山大桥的钢缆，一棵克株的延伸长度能达数公里，这样它们就能在有土壤的地方扎根，而把藤叶铺到几公里外的水泥路面上来吸收阳光。
没有见到一只哺乳动物。这不奇怪，在长眠前的18年中就是这样，连生命力最顽强的老鼠也彻底消失了。前面的藤蔓中一阵索索的声响，一只像豹子那样大的动物爬出来，用没有眼珠的复眼冷冷地盯着他们。无疑这是一只变异的昆虫，但它是由什么昆虫所变异，已经无法辨认。昆虫没有向他们进攻，它大概也正为这7个从没见过的动物吃惊呢，僵持片刻，它跳进叶蔓中敏捷地逃走了。
270年过去了，陆地上已经成了昆虫的世界。
他们在叶蔓中大概行进了五公里，还是没有看到任何人类活动的痕迹，他也越来越失望。看看身边的6个伙伴比他狼狈多了，他们长蹼的脚不适宜在这样的路上行走，娇嫩的皮肤也禁不得枝蔓的挂擦。苏苏娇喘吁吁，赤裸的身体上有很多挂痕，不过她倔犟地忍受着，闷着头紧紧跟在拉姆斯菲尔后边。拉姆斯菲尔叹口气，知道若依靠海人来寻找旧伙伴只是不切实际的幻想。他指指前边说：
“再坚持一会儿，咱们要找的国民银行马上就要到了。”
国民银行同样被绿色遮盖，只剩下最上面两层房间从藤蔓的缠绕中挣扎出来。大门敞开，他拨开叶蔓进去，来到地下金库，来到覃良笛做基因手术的工作间，来到他曾与覃良笛幽会过的房间。时间已经彻底打扫了288年前的痕迹，他也彻底死心了。他们曾尽力维持的族群肯定没有逃过强幅射的蹂躏，在几代之内灭绝了，覃良笛当年的预言不幸而言中。他站在这些房间里，默默追忆着当年的情景，心中酸苦，强忍着没有落泪。
他们开始向海边返回，6位海人在空气中暴露了一天，皮肤剌痛和发红，已经难以忍受。因为有来时走过的路，回去时相对容易得多。月上中天时他们返回海里，海人们痛痛快快地冲了个海水澡，又捕猎了一些食物。他们回到岸上，找到一个濒水的楼房，撞开几扇门，安排了住处。房间的窗户都被藤蔓封死了，屋里显得十分潮湿，充满了浓重的霉味。苏苏在海水中泡了一会儿后已经恢复了精力，这会儿兴致勃勃地帮他打扫着屋子，好奇地问：
“理查德，这就是陆生人习惯居住的房子吗？这么黑，这么难闻的气味，你们怎么住得惯呢。”
拉姆斯菲尔只有苦笑，现在，无论你怎么形象地向她讲解，她也不会真正体会到陆生人的生活：宽敞明亮的大厅，光滑如镜的地面，随风飘拂的透花窗帘，灯红酒绿的宴会和乐音缭绕的舞会，还有体育、文学、音乐、魔术、游戏，等等等等，一切的一切。不过他还是尽可能地讲解了，他搂着苏苏娓娓讲着，几乎讲到天亮。苏苏也听得津津有味：“真的吗？真的那么漂亮？呀，我真想亲眼见见！”
苏苏在晨光中睡着了，安心地蜷曲在他怀里。看着她，拉姆斯菲尔心中已经失衡的天平又转向这边来。这些天，他看到（部分