Chapter 8 third chapter

Gardas arrived at Gongonhas International Airport at 4:00 p.m. local time on a flight of Air Sao Paulo, a Brazilian regional airline.When he got out of the airport, he saw Brazilian flags decorated with green fields, diamonds and blue globes fluttering all over the street. He suddenly realized that today is September 7th, Brazil's Independence Day. Carrying his only luggage—a briefcase, he hailed a taxi at the gate of the airport.The driver is a round-headed Cafuzo (a Brazilian idiom meaning a mixed race of blacks and Indians), with curly black hair, thick lips, dark brown skin, and wearing the colorful shirts that Brazilians love to wear and shorts.He sang, "Get in the car, honored guest, where are you going?"

"St. Paul's Hotel." The driver made his way through the crowds at the airport gate and onto the highway.He turned his head and asked the guest: "Is this your first time in Brazil?" "No, the second time. The last time was to Rio. When I was 7 years old, I went to Brazil with my parents for the carnival." "Yes, Brazil's carnival is the craziest festival in the world, and Rio de Janeiro is the city with the most lively carnival." "Yes, I still remember it very clearly: the crowds in the street, the kings and queens on the floats, the samba dance of thousands of people, the strange girl will hug you and kiss... I think Brazilian women are more beautiful than gypsy girls. Be bold and unrestrained."

The driver smiled slyly: "You were too young when you came here, so you must not have tasted the taste of Brazilian women. During the carnival, they will lead the man they like to bed without hesitation. But it is not possible now." He looked back at the guest and explained simply, "AIDS." Gardas smiled and did not answer.The driver couldn't stand the loneliness, and enthusiastically asked the guests about tomorrow's schedule: "Sao Paulo has many interesting places. Like the state park, where there are nearly 40,000 species of rare tropical orchids; Tatarella Park, where there are all kinds of precious trees The Butantan Institute is the world's largest venomous snake research institution. It is not far from the world-famous Iguazu Falls, only a few hundred kilometers away. I would like to help you..." Gardas cut off his words: "No, my schedule is very tight. I want to interview the Virgin Orphanage. Know this place."

"Of course! Who doesn't know the Orphanage of the Virgin? It has only been established for 5 years and is already world-famous. Let me tell you, since the Orphanage of the Virgin was established, Sao Paulo, no, there are no more abandoned children in the whole of Brazil! " "yes?" The driver thought the guest's words were doubtful, and immediately swore and swore: "As the Holy Mother testifies, I, João, am not exaggerating at all. The director of the orphanage is Sister Rufina Almeida, and we all respect her, even The President and His Majesty the Bishop often visit her. There is also an equally respectable person who is the anonymous patron of the orphanage. Just imagine, building such a large orphanage-it has 9 branches in the country-to take in There are so many orphans, and so many orphans are sent away, and each orphan needs to be subsidized with 500 US dollars when he is sent away, how much does she spend for the orphanage every year." Gaddas was very happy with the driver's babbling, and asked: "Who is she? What kind of person is it?"

"I don't know, I just heard that it was a woman. Some people said she was 30 years old, and some said she was 70 years old. I heard that she was an orphan when she was a child. After making a fortune, she vowed to help orphans all over the world. Really, many African countries now —the countries that love the most wars—thousands of orphans are flown in, live here, and find suitable homes for them. But no one has ever seen this sponsor, ever. She She did good deeds without letting others know who she is, and I heard that the only one who can see her is Sister Rufina." "How can you be so clear?"

"I have been there five times, twice to send orphans, and three times to lead guests from Congo, Egypt and India to visit. The orphanage is far away from the city, and it is only after crossing the Cantarella Mountain in the north of Sao Paulo." The taxi has already entered the urban area, here is like a sea of ​​concrete buildings, the jungle-like high-rise buildings try their best to stretch towards the sky, vying for the sunlight.The streets are full of noisy cars, men and women in bright clothes rushing by, the aroma of coffee fills the streets, and policemen in shorts stroll on the streets.The cylindrical high-rise building of St. Paul Hotel could already be seen in front, Joao turned his head and said with a smile: "Take my car tomorrow, I admire Sister Rufina and the anonymous patron very much, and all guests who come to the Holy Virgin must press 6 Discount."

"Okay, pick me up at the hotel at 7:00 tomorrow morning, and we will start as early as possible." "Don't worry, I will never miss your business." He parked the taxi at the brightly lit doorway, and a male waiter in red uniform opened the door respectfully, asked the guests to get out of the car, and took the luggage handed over by the driver . The next day, they rushed to the Orphanage of the Virgin.Joao already had experience, so he prepared bread and drinks in advance, and the two had breakfast and lunch in the car.Joao drove so fast along the way that the pointer on the speedometer hardly dropped below 80 miles.By afternoon, the pavement had started to deteriorate, and it was getting worse.In the memory of his 7-year-old trip to Brazil, besides the unrestrained samba dance and the enthusiastic and beautiful mixed-race girl, Gardas also clearly remembers the slums around the city, which is simply a miserable hell world.Over the years, as Brazil's economy took off, this extreme poverty has disappeared.However, during this trip, he found that "wealth" and "modernization" have not spread to the countryside far from the city, and there are still old houses from 100 years ago in the plantations on the roadside.

"It's here, it's here." João said cheerfully, as if he hadn't been fatigued by the hard work.The orphanage is located in the shallow mountains of the Cantarella Mountains, apparently converted from a former plantation.The trees are lush and lush, including cedar and Parana pine in southern Brazil, as well as wild fan palm, Catolena coconut tree, wild banana tree, and some other trees. Pig tree and Brazil nuts.The orphanage occupies a very wide area, and the green trees are like a boundless ocean. Some simple bungalows and some Indian-style igloos are scattered among them.After entering the gate of the manor, the car drove for a long time and stopped in front of a small three-story building.This was apparently the main building on the plantation called the "Mansion" in the old days, where the planter lived.Joao rushed in familiarly, went up to the second floor, and shouted happily: "Sister Rufina, I brought you another honorable guest!"

When they came to the dean's office, a thin woman greeted them with a smile.She was clearly a caboclo (white-Indian), about fifty years old, with almost white hair.Gaddas had heard One-Eyed Ed say that she might be a nun, and Joao had been calling Sister Rufina along the way, so Gaddas had already identified her as a nun.Actually she is not.She wore a dress of a strong color, her skin was chocolate, and her face was deeply lined, and when I shook hands with her, I could feel the thick calluses on my palms.Her movements are brisk, unlike her 50-year-old age, and her wise eyes are full of smiles.

She shook hands with the guest for a long time: "Welcome, guest from afar." "Hello, Sister Rufina." Gardas also used Joao's address. "I am Gardas Billy, a reporter from the Washington Post in the United States. I have heard about the charity of the Virgin Orphanage and would like to make a detailed report on your institution." "Thank you, I hope your report can help us better find foster parents for our children. Joao is already familiar with this place, let him show you around. Please stay in our guest room at night, Joao knows where it is. Wait After the visit, please come to me if you have any questions.”

"thanks." Joao didn't leave the next day, but led Gardas to visit.The orphanage is really big, and Gardas only visited a small part in one morning.There are many families here, ranging in size, each family is led by a "mother", and most of the children are between 3 and 8 years old.The first family I visited was the young mother Udina, who was in charge of 30 children. "They were just sent from Africa the day before yesterday, and they can't get used to life here yet," Yudina explained.Indeed, the more than 30 black children were skinny, and some had distended bellies, obviously extremely malnourished.They all looked timid and cowering, and they sat on the ground blankly. Udina patiently encouraged them to participate in the game.There are more than 60 people in another family. Elderly mother Yona is sitting aside smiling. The children are divided into several groups to play "catch the buffalo", making a noise like a pool of frogs.They were dressed simply, but with healthy complexions, obviously very different from the previous group of children.Joao led him to a spacious thatched hut similar to an African tribal meeting hall. There was no furniture in the hut, only a floor of toys.Dozens of 4-5-year-old monkey cubs are sitting or lying down, playing very attentively.What is somewhat special is that there are commonly used tools such as screwdrivers and needle-nose pliers everywhere, and many toys have been dismantled. "They can put together most of the dismantled toys," the family's mother Ciano said proudly. "In fact, the children have invented a lot of small patents. For example, the family of electronic marmosets—you know the Brazilian marmosets, right?" , is the smallest monkey in the world-the electronic tamarin does not need people to 'feed', but grows up with mutual care, and will automatically establish a group order. Only when the order develops in the direction of deterioration, the little master is needed to educate them." "I know," Gardas said with great interest, "I also promised to buy such a toy for my sister. It turns out that it is a patent here." "Does your sister like it?" "Simply obsessed! She already has dozens of them." The pair ate dinner with the children in the family.Supper is rough food, the bitter potato pastry, black beans, roasted corn and sweet potatoes that Brazilians used to eat.Joao ate with gusto, and he told Gaddas, "Here we pay attention to returning to nature: eat rough food, and live in a thatched hut without air conditioning. The mother dean said that this method can restore the children to the strength of primitive people. You see , how healthy the children here are! When I have a son, I will send it here for a few years." After dinner, they came to the guest room, which was a thatched hut open on all sides. The roof was supported by 8 pillars, and there were bamboo beds in the room.The two took a cold shower outside the door and lay on the bed. Gaddas said: "I want to stay here for two more days. You can go back to Sao Paulo tomorrow. I will pay you for the empty flight, thank you for your guidance, Joao." Joao really got a 40% discount when collecting the fare. "Will you still use my car when you go back? I'll come as soon as you call." "Okay, I'll call you when I leave." João drove off early the next morning.After breakfast, Gardas went straight to the dean.After the visit yesterday, the initial impression was very good. These children come from all over the world, including whites, blacks, Indians, various mixed races, and a small number of Asians. Among them, no similarities with Jessica and Pamela were found. girl. Rufina greeted him kindly: "Did you sleep well last night?" "Very well, thank you for your hospitality. Joao has left, and he suggested that I visit the computer game room in your courtyard, is that okay?" "Of course, you can visit any place in the courtyard. It just so happens that there is nothing to do at the moment, I will take you upstairs." When the dean led him upstairs, he smiled and begged: "Sister Rufina , I have an abrupt request: can I meet the patron of your hospital? Joao talked about her all the way, and I admire her very much, no, I admire her very much. I am eagerly looking forward to seeing her." The chief declined gently: "Unfortunately, she doesn't want her name to be known by the press, and even I have never met her." The dean also said "she", so the sponsor is indeed a woman.Gardas laughed: "You have never seen her either? Then you have at least heard her voice." The dean admitted: "Yes, she contacted me by phone." "So, from the sound of her voice, what is she like, is she young or old, speaking English or Spanish?" "I'm sorry, Mr. Gardas, but I can't disclose anything. All I can say is that to me, her voice is the same as the Virgin's." Gardas shrugged helplessly: "Unfortunately, I have never talked with the Virgin. I don't know if the Virgin speaks Latin or Hebrew." up. The computer game room is on the third floor, which is a combination of many old rooms.There were more than 20 children in the house. Compared with the children seen yesterday, these children were older, mostly between 8` and 15 years old.A dozen kids are obsessively playing a game called "Explore Barnard's Galaxy," as spaceships zip across the screen, landing on frozen planets, drilling, and searching for aliens.They were all wearing earphones, and there was no noise in the room.Seeing the dean and guests coming in, they just nodded and said hello, and continued to play very devotedly. The dean led Gardas to continue walking. In front of him were 10 older children around 15 years old. Each of them was lying in front of a computer, apparently exploring something.Everyone frowned, thinking nervously, typing a few times on the keyboard from time to time.Gaddas still couldn't find a target among these people. He found that compared with the children he saw yesterday, these children were more confident and calm. They were not passers-by in the orphanage, but out-and-out masters.The older children saw the dean and the guests, but they had almost no time to say hello, and were still engrossed in thinking. Rufina explained in a very low voice that the children were playing their favorite game - deciphering the keys of various data systems in various countries around the world. "Hackers? Organized hackers?" Gardas asked in surprise. "Yes, they claim to be POWER. Do you know this organization? It was originally a well-known hacker organization in the United States 14 years ago. The five-fold password of the Ministry of Finance's data system caused an uproar at the time." Gardas looked at the dean attentively, and then at the children who were slightly anxious in their concentration.He knew that Haji the dean was talking about, nicknamed "Analyst", was an Israeli-American who had baffled many experts when he was a hacker.Later, he was caught in a beauty trap set by the FBI and was imprisoned briefly.After being released from prison, he changed his ways and became the number one think tank of the data security system of the Ministry of National Defense.He wondered that Rufina was open to telling him the secret here, because hacking was illegal in every country. Rufina saw his doubts and smiled gently: "You don't have to be surprised, the only hacker organization here in the world is legal. They work hard every day to crack the password of a certain system, but after cracking it, they They will immediately notify the other party, and send them the method of entering the system on the Internet, pointing out the omissions of the original protection system. They are the Ranger Zorro on the Internet, and the defenders of the military systems, financial systems, and multinational companies of various countries have established relationships with this place. Good working relations." Gaddas shook his head. "I've never heard of any of this in America." Rufina smiled: "This is an unspoken secret. Our children don't want to show off, and those who have been deciphered the key certainly don't announce their failure." Gaddas was quite shocked. When he visited the orphanage the day before, he left the impression of being simple, honest and far away from civilization, but this impression changed in an instant. Riding firmly on the back of modern technology.Rufina added: "We believe that banning hackers is unfeasible and the most stupid thing to do. It is like using a dam to hold back the Amazon River. Even if it is blocked for a while, one day it will collapse. Computer networks The protection of the orphanage can only be perfected in round after round of struggle. Do you know? The beneficiaries from all over the world give us gifts every time, and these incomes can already cover all the expenses of the orphanage, including the Gray IV in the house. Gaddas was surprised again, the Gray IV is a fairly advanced model, capable of 3.6 trillion calculations per second. It used to be a strictly controlled commodity in the US export control list. Of course, these The ban has long since been lifted, but anyway, it's still unusual to have a computer like this in an orphanage. What are they using it for? Just for kids' games? But Rufina's calm smile makes you unable to suspect. Suddenly, a strange figure flashed on the computer screen, which was three vultures whose heads were intertwined with each other.There was a burst of cheers among the children: "It's opened! It's finally opened!" They tap the keyboard to quickly enter the system.A stream of information flashed on the screen, like a roster and each person's physical information (weight, height, blood type, etc.).A child shouted behind the partition: "Terri! On the third floor again!" There was a crisp female voice behind the partition: "Okay, I'll come right over, you guys go ahead." It was only later that Gardas learned that they had entered the third layer of protection of the US Department of Defense's data security system, which is an iron wall built by the US government at a cost of billions of dollars.Of course, no iron wall is infallible. 14 years ago, "analyst" Haji broke into this place and changed the blood types of American soldiers without authorization, which made many experts feel ashamed.Now, that same hacker mastermind from 14 years ago is responsible for designing the DoD's key, which is nearly unbreakable, but still hasn't stopped the little hacker here.The kids didn't change the data in the system, just changed the webpage logo to a scarecrow, a stupid guy with a straw sticking out of his head, with the words "Analyst, you lost another round." Next, they began to use encrypted emails to send the secrets of breaking the level, which Gardas could not understand at all.At this time, a low and clear voice sounded in the room: "Madam Dean, someone has delivered bitter potato flour, please go back to the office." The sound came from a speaker in the ceiling.The dean immediately bid farewell to Gardas: "I'm sorry, you can visit casually by yourself, I'm going to sign for the delivered goods." "You're welcome, please go ahead." Gaddas sent the dean to the door, and when he returned, a black girl was already sitting in front of the computer. She was obviously Terri who was behind the partition just now.The kids are begging her to "add the hardest code" to that scarecrow drawing, making analyst Hajji a scarecrow for a few more days.The black girl agreed with a smile, tapped the keyboard abnormally quickly, and stood up with a smile after 20 minutes: "Okay, I think it will take him at least 5 days to erase this picture." Seeing her smiling face, Gardas' heart beat wildly, and he almost shouted "Jessica".Of course he knew that this was not Jessica. Terri's calm and confident, calm and noble, was completely different from Jessica's gloomy and decadent.But they looked alike, and that was exactly what he was looking for. Terri is 15 to 16 years old, of course this is only the age on the outside.Although it was autumn and the climate was colder in the mountains, she only wore a small vest and very short shorts.Turning around and seeing the guest, she smiled sweetly as a greeting, but she had no intention of chatting.Gaddas suppressed his excitement and walked over: "Are you Terri?" Terri nodded.Suddenly the time chime sounded from the computer, and dozens of children in the room immediately got up and ran outside in a swarm.Terri said apologetically: "This is the stipulated one-hour outdoor activity time, goodbye." Gardas was the only one left in the spacious hall. He thought for a while, and walked into the compartment where Terri was just now. There was indeed a Gray IV supercomputer in the room, and the table next to it was full of data cards. And the data disk, in a mess.He was thinking beside the supercomputer. From the current point of view, this orphanage is very open. Even this expensive computer is casually placed in an open compartment. It seems impossible to have any secrets.But Gardas couldn't dispel his doubts. At least for a bit, here's another clone that looks like it, and she must be the outcrop of a gigantic iceberg.He inadvertently looked out the window, and there was a small delivery truck parked downstairs. A fit young black woman in a blue work coat was unloading the goods. A tall shepherd dog was always by her side. The dean silently stood beside her.The young woman's movements are very chic, and she works as if she is dancing samba.From a distance, the young woman's face seemed familiar.Gaddas took out a small telescope from his pocket, adjusted the focus, and was shocked immediately—yes, her smiling face was very familiar, and she was another Jessica or Terri who was one size bigger.Only then did Gardas realize that the dean had been too hasty when she said goodbye to him and went downstairs just now, and her eyes were clearly shining with uncontrollable joy.Gaddas pointed the camera at the dean, who remained silent, watching the woman busy, revealing the almost pious joy on her face: it was definitely not the expression of an ordinary female worker. Gaddas's mind was like a heavenly door opened, and it was unmistakable that this rough-working female worker was the mysterious patron, the real owner of the orphanage, and possibly the real source of the clone series.Gardas felt that her reasoning was not reckless, at least, she was the oldest of several known "replicators", and--what a good cover this identity should be!Who would have thought that a female laborer doing rough work would be that female philanthropist with a family fortune of tens of billions.If I hadn't happened to see so many identical faces, I wouldn't have cared about her.The black woman had finished unloading and entered the main building side by side with the dean, the shepherd dog still closely following behind.Gardas didn't hesitate any longer, and flew downstairs, first rushed to the door of the dean's office and waited.But after waiting for a long time, they didn't come. He didn't dare to wait any longer, so he searched in various rooms on the second and first floors: Excuse me, have you seen the dean?Have you seen Sister Rufe?nothing. When he returned to the dean's room again, Rufina was already sitting in the room, with a black woman standing in front of her.Gardas broke in.No, this is not the woman just now. They wear the same clothes and roughly similar body shapes, but their appearances are obviously different.Rufina wrote a letter, sealed it, and handed it to the woman: "Please hand it to your boss, goodbye." "goodbye." The woman didn't pay attention to Gardas next to her, turned around and went downstairs.Gardas went to the window to watch, and after a while, the woman left the manor in a van. "Are you looking for me?" asked the dean behind him.Gardas turned his head, and the dean was looking at him with a smile, his expression was still as humble and calm as usual.Gardas could only smile wryly. He seemed to have walked into a movie scene that was connected and natural, and everything was arranged flawlessly.If he hadn't used the binoculars to carefully observe the woman's appearance just now, and if he hadn't had a photo of Jessica in his pocket, he might really believe that the woman who came downstairs was what he saw just now. "Yes, I'm looking for you," he said impulsively, "I'm looking for the black woman who just unloaded..." "Donna Fulana? She just left here..." "It's not her, it's another one!" Gardas shouted, "I saw her with a telescope upstairs, and she looks exactly like Terri!" He took out his pocket telescope and put it on the table. "I guess she is the sponsor of this orphanage! Sister dean, show me to her, I don't have any malice." He stared at the dean, and there was no panic in the dean's eyes—not even surprise.After a long time, the dean said softly: "Do you need to see a doctor? There is a very good hospital here, and there are many accomplished doctors in it, including psychiatrists." Gadas said with a wry smile: "What I said Is it crazy? Then I will go to the doctor myself. Thank you." "Goodbye, just come to me if you have any questions." Gaddas stopped suddenly when he reached the door, turned back and said, "Yes. Now I have a question, a small question. That Donna Fulana brought a dog with her when she went upstairs, a black-bottomed dog. White collie. Where is this dog? Why didn't it follow the woman just now?" The Dean's eyes were slightly embarrassed. "I don't know. I never saw a collie." "Then, I was wrong again, goodbye." Gardas walked out of the door triumphantly. He went down to the first floor, thought for a while, and turned back to the third floor.He thought of Terri, who also belonged to the clone series, maybe she would suddenly disappear too?No, Terry didn't disappear. She was sitting in front of the Gray IV computer and working, looking extremely focused.Jiada stood behind her for a long time without her noticing. Gaddas couldn't understand what she was doing, and the screen was scrolling with a series of neat numbers one after another, which was dazzling. Maybe she was using exhaustive methods to decipher the password of a certain data system.Gardas said softly, "Terri, can I talk to you?" Terri looked back at him, locked the screen, and turned around. "Yes, I know you are the Washington Post reporter who came to interview, and it was sent by Joao yesterday, right?" "Yes." Gardas didn't know where to start. "May I ask your full name?" "Terri Almeida. You know that's the Dean's last name. I have no parents." "Where are you from, do you know?" "I heard that I was an abandoned baby picked up from the outskirts of Sao Paulo." "I know you are the leader of the POWER team, and the dean said you are the best of the cyber rangers." Terri smiled, neither admitting nor denying. "We're all good, we're the best hackers in the world." "Excuse me, do you have twins or twin sisters?" "No—perhaps in São Paulo, I don't know. As I said, I was a foundling." "Have you ever seen anyone who looked like yourself in the orphanage?" "No. I don't pay attention to these, my world is here." She pointed to the computer. Gardas asked the last question: "May I ask how old you are?" It seemed that the other party didn't understand this sentence, so he changed his voice and asked: "How old are you?" true answer, but the opposite is true. "Six," Terri said, seeing his surprise, and then explained, "It's six. The doctor and dean say I'm growing faster than other people, but it's not morbid. Do you have any questions?" ?” "that's all, thanks." Gaddas lingered in the orphanage for another two days without getting any other clues.His impression was that the orphanage was like a huge sound-absorbing panel, and any inquiries falling on the sound-absorbing panel became silent.In the past two days, he has walked almost every part of this huge manor, and it is full of kindness, friendliness and absolute defenselessness.He also visited the hospital, which was a first-class hospital, with pediatrics, internal medicine, surgery, neurology, etc., and all the doctors seemed to be good.In any case, this orphanage does not look like a den of conspirators. On the morning of the third day, he hitchhiked to the nearby town of Sauvis, hoping to try his luck here.In fact, he has admitted defeat in his heart: Dad, you don't trust the stupid agents of the CIA, but your son is equally incompetent! Of course, it can't be said that there is no gain. At least, he already has a suspect in his heart.He went into a bar, ordered punch, egg rolls, and cod croquettes, and ate them absentmindedly, observing the customers around him.Suddenly someone suddenly sat across from him. It was a white man, about 50 years old, with a strong body.He was albino, with white hair, light-coloured pupils, and new pink skin that had just molted behind the ears and on his forehead, making him look like a funny monkey.He seemed to be very drunk, "Can I sit here?" He asked in English while hiccupping.Gardas nodded: "Please." The man called the waiter: "Two more glasses of whiskey, and White Horse brand, hurry up!" The whiskey arrived quickly, and he sipped his drink, looked at Gaddas with a smile, and whispered, "Hello, Gaddas—don't be surprised I know you, your father entrusted us to protect you. My name is Du Tucker." Gaddas wasn't surprised, he knew it was the "dumb agent" his father had told him had been sent to Brazil.He said less enthusiastically: "Thank you, but I don't feel any danger." "Is there any clue in your investigation?" Gardas was unwilling to tell him his progress, and shook his head: "No, there is no clue." "Then you don't need to investigate, we already know all the inside information." "Really?" Gardas asked in surprise. Dutac looked around and lowered his voice: "Really, I got the information. The female philanthropist, the prototype of the clone, is the black female worker who often comes to deliver goods." He looked proudly at Gardas Surprised, an elderly couple who had left after eating passed by. Dutak temporarily interrupted the conversation, and after they passed by, he continued: "Don't look at me with such surprised eyes. The person sitting in front of you is One of the best agents in America." He picked up the second glass of whiskey, "Besides, she is Hella who died 8 years ago. That fake car accident deceived us so badly! In fact, I suspected at that time that such a violent explosion would leave only one A complete arm? But this time she can't run away." Gardas suddenly guessed some kind of truth: "8 years ago——was my father who ordered Hela to be killed?" "No, it's the president. Your father is just one of the participants. Didn't the senator tell you about these things? Hela is not a human being, she is a cancer monster, a cancer monster who tried to spread the cancer genealogy all over the world. This time she ran It won't come off," he repeated drunkenly, "in three days she'll be—" He stroked his neck with his hand. Gardas's mind turned twice quickly: "3 days later?" He begged, "Let me go to the scene to see it in 3 days. Otherwise, how can I write a complete report? Then I will become a newspaper laughing stock." "Okay." Dutac readily agreed, and whispered in Gardas' ear, "In 3 days, you will go to St. John's Hospital in St. Paul, where Hela will undergo an amputation operation. We have paid for the anesthesia Master, hey, people don't know it. It won't cause trouble for the Brazilian police." "Amputation? Why amputation? The other day I saw her unloading a load of bitter potato flour. There was nothing sick about it." He looked at Dutak and admitted, "I happened to see the delivery girl you mentioned, but Just seeing her back." Dutac felt sorry for him: "I only saw the back, but not the face? That's a pity, she is very similar to Jessica, Pamela and others you have seen - you asked why the amputation, didn't you See her left arm is longer than the right arm? Let me tell you, she has the ability to regenerate limbs. Eight years ago, in order to deceive us, she cut off her left arm and left it at the explosion site. Later, the left arm grew back, but It is very likely that it has been out of control since then, and it cannot be stopped automatically, so it has to be shortened every once in a while. We have already had conclusive evidence of this." He gestured with his hand, "It was cut off a few inches in the middle of the left arm and then cut off. Butt joint, which is much faster than the rebirth of the entire left arm. She has to have surgery every two years, otherwise she will not be able to show herself in front of people. Just think about it, a super long asymmetrical left arm, It's like the kind of fiddler crab with a big claw!" Gardas was dumbfounded, and Dutak talked about the calmness of the murder, the weirdness of Hela's body, the role of his father in it...all of these With the smell of blood, with evil.Dutac burped and said: "I'm leaving. If you really want to go to the scene, you can go back to the St. Paul Hotel where you stayed and wait. I will find you in two days. But you must not break into Go to the hospital, so as not to startle the snake. Once something goes wrong, the president can't spare me, and I can't spare you." Although he was joking, the warning was serious.He got up and wanted to leave, "Wait a minute," Gardas called to him, "If she is really Hella, a cancerous monster with no nationality and no identity, who escaped from the United States alone 8 years ago, where did she get tens of billions of property? ?” Dutac smiled, and sat down again, seemingly happy to discuss the subject. "Where did you get it? Certainly not some uncle and aunt's legacy. Don't forget, it's the 21st century, and it's the computer age. Honestly, if I could have come up with her idea, with her magical powers, I would never No more toiling away on a CIA or FBI salary," he said with immense admiration. UBS was the first to spot the anomaly, he told Gaddas. Six years ago, someone set up a secret account in the bank, and thousands of small amounts of money were remitted from all over the United States every day without interruption.The money was then withdrawn and disappeared in the intricate financial network.At that time, the Swiss banking industry had just been roasted by world public opinion, and was called a bank animal.Therefore, this time they immediately notified the US government with a sense of morality. Gaddas knew about the "grilling Swiss banks". As early as the middle of the last century, Swiss MP Ziegler first stood up and declared war on the powerful Swiss banking industry, exposing their activities of laundering money for the Nazis and drug cartels.Ziegler was forced to lose his foothold at home, but his book caused an uproar all over the world, and finally forced the Swiss banking industry to admit defeat, and then strengthened the moral self-discipline of the banking industry.Dutak went on to say: "Afterwards, the FBI's investigation found that there are still 70 similar secret accounts, and the remittances come from various countries and industries, including multinational companies, government agencies and even the banks themselves, but it is absolutely impossible to check the internal accounts of these units. question." “知道是怎么回事吗？”杜塔克把酒气薰人的嘴巴凑到加达斯耳边，无比钦敬地说，“海拉本人精通电脑，实际上她倒是POWER组织的真正首领呢。你见到了那些黑客，对不？他们自称是网络上的游侠，实际上这些游侠也是捞钱好手哩。海拉设计了一个叫'遥控登月'的病毒，用它攻破了成千上万个企业、银行的网络防护系统，在这些系统的内核中输入了一个巧妙的程序。该程序能把该企业往来帐目的四舍五入计算中舍去的部分自动转到某个秘密帐号上去。这些都是小数点4位数字后的取舍，微不足道，所以很长时间没有哪家企业觉察到漏洞。可是，千千万万个毛细孔中渗出来的水滴，聚在一块儿可就了不得！专家们估计，海拉从各国窃得的财产，至少有100亿美元，她已经是世界排名前几十位的富豪了。圣贞女孤儿院的花销对她来说只是九牛一毛，她一定还有另外的秘密企业和研究单位。我实在佩服她，这个诡计多端的小癌人！”他站起身，“我走了，记住我的交待。” 杜塔克醉醺醺地走了，听见他在门口与吧女们开着猥亵的玩笑。加达斯一动不动地坐在那儿，蹙着眉头想着这些惊人的消息，直到女侍送来他的找零。 夜里，加达斯回到圣保罗大饭店，在50层高楼上俯瞰着城市的万家灯火。从中午到现在，他的大脑一直有一个搅拌机在翻搅着。他本能地讨厌猴子一样的杜塔克——并不是因为相貌，而是他话语中流露的残忍和嗜血。不过他相信杜塔克说的都是实情，想想自己在孤儿院见过的那些年轻黑客，想想那位天才的特丽吧，无疑海拉比特丽还要强大，那么她还有什么事情不能办到呢。加达斯多少有些不解的是，作为一个老牌特工，杜塔克怎会轻易透露这些秘密，即使他喝了不少威士忌。不过后来他也释然了，一定是因为他的参议员父亲。想必父亲是这样交待杜塔克的：请好好配合我的儿子，他也是去干同样的工作。他想起那位送货女工，虽然只是一瞥，但他对海拉的印象极佳。这个孤儿院办得很好，充满了自由祥和的气氛。还有那个院长嬷嬷，一个道德高尚的妇人，能让这样的院长效忠的主人，相必也是道德高尚的完人。但在杜塔克嘴中，海拉是一个癌魔，一个窃得百亿美元的大盗，一个……秘密婴儿工厂的厂主。她即将被处死。 毫无疑问，杜塔克的行动得到了最高层的的批准，想想报纸上报道的对海拉的暗杀，再想想父亲似露非露的口风，这一点不必怀疑了。可是，自己的父亲，还有美国总统，都不会是残忍的嗜血者吧。他躺在床上，瞪大眼睛，海拉一直在他面前浮动。她的面貌模煳一些，但背影十分清晰：修长的身躯，凸起的臀部，把面粉袋甩到肩上的轻松和优雅……还有健康昂扬的孤儿院……也许她有很多罪行，自己尚不知晓的罪行。但是，假如我是一个陪审员，在尚未弄清案情时能同意对海拉的死刑判决吗？ 他赤足下床，在屋内来回踱步，几次想拿起话筒同父亲通话，最终还是没有打。很明显，父亲绝不会为了儿子这些不充分的理由去中止总统的命令。 但无论如何，他要制止这场谋杀，至少把刑期往后推一推，否则，他的良心永世不得安宁。在作出这个困难的决定后，他才安然入睡。 圣约翰医院是家一流的大医院，十分洁净，走廊里飘着消毒水的味道，护士文雅而礼貌，穿着浆洗得平坦熨贴的护士服，医生们个个气度不凡。加达斯不用打听，就得到了他想得到的情报。外科手术室的预报栏中写着明天的手术，第一名就是唐娜富拉娜小姐，截肢。主刀医生卡利托斯，麻醉师佩特罗索，都是本院水平最高的专业人士。他还找借口到手术室里看了看，不过他很小心，确保他的询问不至于惊动别人。 杜塔克说过，两天内同他联系，但直到第二天晚上11点他也没有露面。加达斯急得坐立不安。也许，杜塔克对自己前天的酒后失言已经后悔了，不想让一个闲人掺和进来？也许他觉察到自己对海拉的好感？看来，只有自己出面去阻止了。 第三天，也就是唐娜手术的那天，医院一上班，他就来到了外科手术室。“哈罗，漂亮的姑娘，”他笑着对一名混血儿护士说，“我是从美国赶来的，是唐娜富拉娜的表弟。她是今天做手术吧。”护士和气地说：“对，她今天排在第一位，马上就会到。” “我可以在这儿等她吗？” “当然，请坐。” 他坐在手术室外的硬椅上，看着众多医护在进行术前准备。不一会儿那个护士喊他：“比利先生，病人已经来了，陪着她的就是主刀医生卡利托斯博士。”他们正从电梯口走过来，医生穿着白褂，海拉穿着病员服，那条牧羊犬仍然寸步不离地跟着她。加达斯急步迎上去。现在，他终于面对面地见到了这位神秘的海拉，这位豪富的女人，世界上第一个癌人。他专注地盯着她。海拉穿着肥大的病员服，毫无曲线而言，目光幽远深邃，表情恬淡雍和，一种发自内心的高贵的柔光漫溢在她的脸上。而且——她的相貌非常漂亮。 海拉的左臂一直平放在腹部，即使这样，加达斯也能看出它确实比右臂长，大约长出3英寸左右。这点差别破坏了视觉形像的和谐。加达斯迅速把目光移走，就像躲开残疾人的独眼、兔唇一样。海拉含笑看着陌生人，牧羊犬警惕地盯着他，在喉咙里低声吠叫着。护士这会儿看出两人并不相识，走过来低声对医生说：“他说是唐娜富拉娜小姐的表弟，从美国专程赶来。”加达斯对医生微微一笑，回头对病人说：“海拉表姊，我特意从美国来探望你，能和我单独谈谈吗？”他把“海拉”两个字咬得很清，相信她不会对此无动于衷的。海拉看看他，没有露出惊奇或惊慌的表情，回头对医生说：“可以吗？最多5分钟。不会耽误手术。” “请吧，你们可以到那间病理室去，那儿比较清静。” 病理室的门关上了，只剩下他们两人，对面坐在木椅上。这位化名唐娜富拉娜的美貌女子一直微笑着，饶有兴趣地打量着他，未等他开口，海拉先问：“你是从美国来，请问你的名字？” “加达斯·比利。” “噢，前几年在飞机上我曾见过一位姓比利的参议员，你同他长得像极了。”加达斯想起父亲参与的那场爆炸，他想，海拉肯定不会忘记这点仇恨吧。他不情愿地承认：“很可能那正是家父。据我所知，在美国姓比利的在职参议员仅我父亲一人，他叫布莱德·比利。”海拉又噢了一声，淡淡地说：“我一眼就认出来了，你们父子长得很像。”此外她没再说什么。加达斯急急地说：“海拉小姐——我知道这是你的真名——我得到了确凿的情报，有人想在手术中通过麻醉师谋害你，请你务必推迟这次手术！” 奇怪的是，海拉对这个消息毫不惊慌，她冷静地问：“你是从哪儿得到的情报，你父亲那儿吗？也许他正是命令的下达者？” 加达斯没敢为父亲辩解——没准事实正是如此呢，只是真诚地说：“先不忙追问情报的来源吧，先把眼前的问题处理好再说。” 海拉沉思有顷，问：“那你为什么救我呢？你的父亲肯定告诉过你，我是一个邪恶的女巫。” “我确实听到过不少关于你的传言，但我也看到了你为孤儿院所做的一切。”海拉紧盯着他，锐利的目光能剥去他的一切粉饰。这是一个目光清彻的小伙子，他的警告是完全真诚的。海拉笑了：“那好吧，”她打开门，“请跟我走，我带你去见卡利托斯和佩德罗索医生。”他们在手术室换了鞋子，加达斯换上了医院的罩衫，两人走进手术室。这里仍在进行着紧张的准备工作，主刀医生已经消过毒，举着双手，看着进来的海拉。加达斯紧张地观察着每一个人——谁知道哪一个是杜塔克的内线？海拉走过去，和主刀医生低声说了几句，两人轻松地笑着，然后招手喊来麻醉师，三人又低声笑语一阵，才一块儿向加达斯走过来。这个阵势让加达斯十分纳闷。“喂，比利先生，这就是那个邪恶的杀手佩德罗索。” 麻醉师是个矮胖子，圆头圆脑，笑嘻嘻地向加达斯伸出手。加达斯没有伸手，惊异地扫视着海拉和主刀医生。也许这只不过是杜塔克和医生们串通起来开的一个玩笑？卡利托斯收起笑容，严肃的说：“你说的确有此事。有人用10万美元收买佩德罗索，让他在进行麻醉时把针头剌深一点，剌到硬膜内腔就会使病人丧命。虽然麻醉师会因此被吊销执照，但10万美元足够他重新开始生活。可惜他们看错人了，佩德罗索当即就把这个阴谋告诉我，为了不让他们再玩什么新花样，我们将计就计，让佩德罗索答应了。所以，唐娜富拉娜小姐并没有什么危险。但不管怎样，我们仍要谢谢你。”佩德罗索握住他的手：“谢谢你，你是个好小伙子。”他得意地说，“那个叫杜塔克的狗杂种！以为10万美元就能收买一个巴西人？请放心，我们都十分尊敬唐娜富拉娜小姐，没人会昧下良心去谋害她。”加达斯放心了，注意地看看两位医生，从他们的口气看，他们知道这位唐娜就是孤儿院的主人。海拉拍拍他的肩膀：“'表弟'，你放心了吧。请坐到一边去，手术马上就要开始了。”加达斯很高兴这是一场虚惊，他笑着退到墙边，坐下，看着海拉睡到手术床上。手术马上就开始了，当粗大的针管扎进腰部，药液慢慢推进去时，他仍免不了心惊肉跳——你怎么知道氯胺酮中没有混入致命的巴西箭毒呢。医生的低声命令，刀叉的清脆撞击，咝咝的刀锯声。海拉的左臂截断了，接着是长达4个小时的缝合。卡利托斯像个娴熟的缝纫女工，细心地缝合着病人的血管和神经，不时把脑袋偏过去，让护士为他揩汗。海拉的神志一直很清醒，偶尔和离她最近的护士轻声交谈着。手术终于结束，医生们显得既疲惫又兴奋，低声交谈着去洗手。护士把海拉推出手术室，加达斯追过来，俯下身。海拉脸上毫无血色，但精神还好，她闪动着眼睛，声音微弱地说：“表弟，我已经修剪过了，是不是漂亮一点儿？” 加达斯俯下身吻吻她的额头：“你永远都是最漂亮的，安心休息吧。” 海拉很快入睡了。在残余麻醉剂的作用下，她一直睡到第二天中午。醒来时满屋都是明亮的阳光，床台上放着一只盛开的郁金香，一双手正握着她，一双瘦小温暖的手，不用看就知道这是院长嬷嬷。嬷嬷微笑着，沉默不语，一股暖流从握着的双手中传过来，两人在沉默中品尝着温馨之情。牧羊犬玛亚也知道主人醒来了，两只爪子扒在床边，快乐地哼哼着。 护士乌西丽亚推开房门，快活地说：“唐娜，有人探望你。是一位很英俊的男士。”海拉看见了门口衣冠楚楚的加达斯，笑道：“啊哈，这是我的表弟，如果你喜欢，我可以把他介绍给你。” “那太好了，”护士笑望着加达斯，“也许你今天就能约我去吃饭？” “当然，那是我的荣幸。”加达斯笑道。 “谢谢，请进吧。”护士关上门走了。加达斯看见了床边身形瘦小的院长嬷嬷，院长站起来，低声同海拉道了再见，与加达斯擦肩而过。她只低声说了三个字：“谢谢你。” 海拉说，加达斯，你过来吧，请坐。她的气色已经完全恢复正常，情绪也很好，眸子中充满了笑意。加达斯把带来的一束玫瑰插到花瓶里，在她床边坐下。牧羊犬摇着尾巴把院长送出门，回过头温顺地卧在加达斯的脚下，它已经知道这是主人的朋友了。加达斯看看海拉在绷带中的左臂：“很疼吗？” “当然疼，不过不算厉害。没关系的，我已经习惯了，7天后就会复原。”加达斯敬畏地问：“你真的有……肢体再生能力？” 海拉点点头：“我本不想承认，但是不能欺骗我的救命恩人呀。没错，是这样。你看这只左手，就是当年切掉后自生的。” 左手在绷带外露着，看起来比右手略大。加达斯盯着它，又问：“你真的……两年就要截肢一次？” “对。左臂再生后显然失控了，还没有找到控制它的办法。也许，等我决定彻底隐居时，就不用麻烦做手术了。我会听任它长下去，一直拖到地上，那样在地上拾东西不用弯腰了。”她开玩笑地说。加达斯垂下目光，没有响应——这个玩笑听起来未免有点恐怖的味道。海拉注意地看看他，柔声问：“你在想什么？” 加达斯在想他发现的几个克隆人，想帕梅拉的早夭、杰西卡的心理崩溃。不过他想，还是等海拉身体康复后再说吧。“我在想8年前那场大爆炸。”他犹豫地说，“这次暗杀真的是我父亲的主张？” “没错。当然不是他签署的，参议员没有这种权力。但可以说是他一手促成的。”她淡然说道，“其实我早就知道了，8年前我在现场留下一支手臂，骗了他们，但也只是骗了两年。他们早就醒悟了，这些年，一直有人像牛虻似的叮着我。”她笑着补充，“不过我不大在意这些。我想他们奈何不了我。”她的微笑中显出上帝般的自信。加达斯说：“海拉，我无法想像你的生活，就像我无法想像一个外星人。我真想走进你的生活看一看。” “你已经走进了嘛。7年来，除了鲁菲娜，没有人这么接近我的生活。”她转了话题，“回国后怎么向你父亲交待？你破坏了他的计划，他大概要揍你的屁股。” 加达斯言不由衷地辩解：“也许他只是不了解实情，我会把第一手资料讲给他。”海拉不愿伤他的自尊心：“可能吧。” 加达斯站起来：“我要走了，明天我再来看你，也许我要问你一两个小问题。可以吗？” “到时候再说吧，再见。” 护士推门进来，佯恼地喊道：“你那位漂亮的表弟呢，他还没有约会我呢。”海拉笑道：“等明天吧，你真的这么性急吗？” 她们闲聊了一会儿，护士很快发现海拉的心绪不佳，她服侍海拉吃了药，对断臂接合处作了理疗，便悄悄退出去。海拉依在床头上，默默地盯着窗外，这个美国人的到来搅起她的浓浓思绪，即使左臂的疼痛也驱不散它。她想起妈妈苏玛，爸爸保罗，可亲的豪森伯伯。想起山中的岁月，此后的种种波折，也想起辞别人世后的7年…… 当然也想起了布莱德，那个向她签发死刑令的残忍的政治家。不过海拉对布莱德并没有多少仇恨，就像一只大象不会认真仇恨一只叮咬它的蚊子。从蚊子的立场看，它的吸血是为了延续自己的生命，是完全正当的嘛。布莱德就是这样一只“正直”的蚊子。 他的儿子倒确实是一个好人。加达斯，一个善良的青年，一个漂亮的可爱的男人。有了加达斯，她觉得该实行自己的计划了，那项已经萦绕心头数年之久的计划。他是宿敌的儿子——这更好，这能让布莱德在10个月后收到一份意想不到的礼物。 对，该实行了。Yeah?我的爸爸和妈妈？你们该要一个孙子了，一个真正的、在女儿腹中生出来的婴儿。这些年，她对亲人的行踪了如指掌，在这个世界上，有钱就能干任何事情。但她从没有、也不打算见他们，因为他们的世界已经分开了，而且会越来越远。我不知道，只靠感情的链索能否把两者永远维系住。 爸爸妈妈，我们的世界已经分开了。她在浓浓的愁绪中入睡。 晚饭后加达斯到街上溜达。巴西不愧为咖啡王国，街道上是一家挨着一家的咖啡馆，衣着鲜艳的巴西男人端着很小很精致的瓷杯，一边品尝，一边聊天。加达斯进了一家小咖啡馆，要了一杯香味浓郁的咖啡，把精制的方糖丢进杯子里，听着糖块与瓷杯的撞击声，他想，他该同父亲通话了，不能再拖延逃避了，即使他不说，杜塔克也会把这儿的情形捅回去，那还不如他自己去说。他可以同父亲争辩，可以拿海拉的善举去说服他。 出了咖啡馆，他想去找一个电话亭，忽然有人拍拍他的肩，低声说：“跟我来。”随即在前边走了。是杜塔克。加达斯一点也不惊奇，知道杜塔克一定会来问罪的，他也正想对杜塔克好好解释一番。在前边走的杜塔克一直没有回头，但他好像能看到身后的加达斯，有时，拥挤的人群使后边的人拉得远了，他立即放慢脚步。他们把霓虹灯和人群留到身后，来到一家灯光昏暗的停车场。杜塔克在停车场的角落里停下脚步，回过头，双目喷着怒火，噼头就说：“你破坏了我们的计划。”加达斯走过去，尽力堆出笑容——他确实感到理亏：“杜塔克，那天晚上我一直没等到你的消息，我认为……” 杜塔克忽然扬臂击来，重重地击在加达斯的左颊。他仰面倒在地上，满眼金星，等他从昏晕中醒来，看见那个患白化病的杀手正冷酷地俯视着他：“你认为？我认为你是个孬种，我认为你父亲是个蠢货，竟然让我们和你配合。你听着，小子，这回看在你父亲的面子上我饶了你，下次再来坏我的事，我会割掉你的鸡巴塞到你嘴里。你最好牢记我的话，最好把这些话讲给你的蠢货父亲。”远处一个警察似乎发现了异常，开始向这边跑过来。杜塔克不慌不忙地直起身，钻到近旁一辆汽车中，刷地开走了。那位警察目送着那辆车远去，犹豫着没有吹响警笛，他走过来，在加达斯面前蹲下，关切地看着他。这是个中年白人，留着一撇红胡子。“你怎么啦？遇上抢劫了？”他用蹩脚的英语问道。加达斯用西班牙语回答：“不，碰上一个醉鬼。”他拉着警察的手，努力站起来。这一拳打得很重，左边腮帮和后脑勺钻心地疼，鲜血从牙床上流出来。警察热心地说：“你受的伤很重，附近就有一家牙医，我送你去吧。” 加达斯点点头，在警察的搀扶下离开停车场。路上警察问他，需要报警吗？那人是什么模样？加达斯对这几个问题一律以摇头作答。他们找到那所私家的牙医诊所，警察敲开门。这儿门面很小，只有一张手术椅，穿着睡衣的年轻医生卡洛瓦正在看电视，这时忙换了衣服，认真为加达斯作了检查。“一颗臼齿断了，需要修补。”医生一边在他头上忙活着，一边不住嘴地问，“是遇到劫匪了吧，你是外国人吗？是美国人？凡是美国人我一眼就能看出来。这儿不大安全，晚上出门要小心点。”加达斯不愿回答，也没法回答，因为医生的钳子一直在他嘴里放着。不过医生看来也并不指望他的回答。30分钟后，他在加达斯的牙床上塞了块药棉，让他紧紧咬住：“好了，两天后再来一次。”加达斯付了诊费，同牙医告别。小胡子警察还在门口等他：“先生，你真的不用报警？” “不，用不着，只是一个无事寻衅的醉鬼。谢谢你。”他不知道该不该给这个警察一点小费，很多美国警察会把这看作是侮辱，但也许巴西警察有自己的规矩。他踌躇着，还是往对方手里塞了5美元。小胡子笑着顺手揣进口袋。 护士乌西丽亚值班时，发现唐娜小姐显然心神不定。这位唐娜是特殊病人，实行24小时监护，卡托斯利医生甚至命令护士直接到他那儿取药，并且要她亲眼看着唐娜服下才能离开。“她是位重要人物，绝不能让她被人暗害。” 乌西丽亚对这位病人很好奇，病房档案上登记着，唐娜富拉娜，30岁，未婚，没有填通讯地址。她长得很漂亮，饱满的胸脯和浑圆的腰背显出女人的丰满和成熟，但当她那双被长睫毛笼罩的眼睛快速扑闪时，那神情只像是个十四、五岁的少女。 她的那个“表弟”说今天还要来探望的，但直到现在还没有露面，唐娜表情中隐约可见的焦灼肯定与他有关。乌西丽亚偷偷笑了，故意埋怨道：“唐娜，你那位漂亮的表弟呢？我还在盼着他的约会呢。”海拉微笑着没有说话。 “有他的电话吗？我去催催他。” “不，我没有。你不必这么性急的，迟采的果实一定更香甜。”海拉笑着打趣。到了10点，听见乌西丽亚在病房门口喊道：“比利先生，你可来了。”她失惊打怪地喊着，“唷，你是怎么啦？你的腮帮怎么啦？” 来人语音含煳地说：“没什么，碰上一个醉鬼。”随之他进来了，果然十分狼狈，左脸肿得老高，左眼只剩下一条线，不过他仍尽力维持着绅士般的微笑。他先到窗台把鲜花插好，回头来到海拉面前，海拉平静地打量着他，低声问：“到底是怎么回事？我要听真话。” 加达斯难为情地低声说：“小意思，是那个要谋害你的杜塔克干的。我破坏了他的计划，他很愤怒，但看在我父亲的面子上，只给这么一点薄惩。你不必担心，好歹有我父亲的面子，他们不会再找我的麻烦了。” 海拉知道他说的是实情，这些情况已经有人向她报告了。她示意加达斯走近，摸摸他的左脸：“怎么样？” “断了一颗牙，没关系。你的伤口呢？按一般规律，麻药过后是最疼的时候。” “不，不是太疼。我想最多5天后就可以拆线。” 海拉皱着眉头，从枕边拿过手机，要通后说了几句，用的是一种非常陌生的语言。等他打完，加达斯好奇地问：“你使用的是什么语言？听起来音节很怪。” “这是一种印弟安部族语言，雅诺马米语。等着吧，到不了明天，那位猴子似的特工杜塔克也会断掉一颗牙齿。” “不要！”加达斯急忙喊道，“我不想报复他。” “以牙还牙——这是圣经上的教诲嘛。” 加达斯生气地摇着头。他觉得，在他心中敬如天人的海拉不该使用这种黑手党式的报复办法。“不，你必须收回命令。那是我们之间的事，必要的话，我会以男人的方式去解决。”海拉看了他很久。“好吧，”她又要通手机，用那种雅诺马米语说了一句，还特意用英语重复一遍：“命令取消。” 她扔下手机，含笑望着加达斯清彻的蓝眼睛，一股异样的暖流流过心头。这一生她几乎没有接触过男人——她是说以朋友交往的男人。童年时见过的男人是父亲、伯伯和敌人；来到巴西后，她的事业以惊人的速度获得成功，也因此被迅速神化，不论男女都用虔诚的目光望着她，愿意执行她的任何命令，甚至为她去死。她常常感到一种高高在上的寂寞，只有加达斯是可以与她平等交往的男人。她又想到了昨天考虑的计划，现在，她决定把它实施下去。 “好了，不必生气了，我已经按你的意见办了。请坐吧。”她含笑说。 加达斯坐下去，把她的右手合在自己手里，他担心海拉会拒绝，会冷淡地把手抽回去。但海拉没有动，眼中的笑意也一直没有减弱。